Impact Wrestling
Date: November 23, 2023
Hosts: Matthew Rehwoldt, Tom Hannifan

This is another special show, in this case because of Thanksgiving. Impact has a history of looking back at some, ahem, classic Thanksgiving moments of the years and that is likely going to involve a bunch of Turkey Suit matches. There are worse traditions out there and it’s just goofy fun. Let’s get to it.

The hosts welcome us to the show and we are indeed looking at great Thanksgiving moments over the years.

From 2008.

Sheik Abdul Bashir vs. Rhino vs. Alex Shelley

Bashir is X-Division Champion and helps Shelley for a double team on Rhino. That goes nowhere as Rhyno easily slugs both of them away and scores with a belly to belly for two on Bashir. Clipped to Rhino getting double teamed again but the others keep getting in an argument over scoring the pin (and a $25,000 prize). Bashir rolls Shelley up for two but gets caught in a super atomic drop. Rhino uses the distraction to Gore Shelley for the pin at 2:48 shown.

Post match, Mick Foley tells Shelley he has to put the suit on but Shelley doesn’t want to. See, the women won’t be happy and that would hurt the ratings. That’s cool with Foley, but Shelley is fired if he doesn’t do it. Shelley finally puts it on and Foley makes gibblet jokes. Foley: “Is that a gizzard in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?” The suit goes on and more jokes are made. If this is the case, I can go with it more than holding a regular show on Thanksgiving.

We do have some 2023 material as well.

Good Hands/Champagne Singh/Jai Vidal vs. PCO/Johnny Swinger/Jake Something/Mike Bailey

Gravy Train Turkey Trot, meaning whomever loses the fall has to wear the turkey suit. Skyler shoulders Bailey down to start before handing it off to Hotch, who gets kicked in the head over and over. Swinger comes in but gets cheap shotted by Skyler, who gets rolled up for a fast two. It’s off to Singh to beat on Swinger as the villains keep tagging out to avoid the threat of the turkey suit.

Something comes in so Vidal….maybe flirts with him, earning a right hand to the face. Something cleans house and powerbombs Vidal over the top onto a pile on the floor. The big Something dive drops them again but the Good Hands and Singh manage to knock PCO down. That lasts all of two seconds as it’s a chokeslam into the PCOsault to finish Vidal at 5:14.

Rating: C. The match was nothing of note of course but this is one of the few traditions that Impact has which does feel like a fun idea. It’s completely goofy fun and they don’t present it as anything else. Vidal can play a fine enough post match goof and he got pinned by a monster like PCO. Nothing wrong with this and it’s once a year.

Post match Vidal won’t do it so Gisele Shaw and Savannah Evans force him to wear the suit for the sake of keeping the team together.

From 2016.

Grado vs. Robbie E.

They slug it out to start with Grado getting the better of it off the snap jabs. A double clothesline puts both guys down as this is a little less funny than I was expecting. Robbie grabs a rollup for the pin at 2:39.

Aiden O’Shea comes out to make Grado put on the suit and dancing ensues.

From 2013.

Here are all of the winners of the matches tonight plus Velvet who is with Sabin. Roode points this out and Sabin throws Velvet out. Bobby asks everyone what they’re thankful for. Bad Influence is thankful for their intelligence and large endowment. Kaz is thankful that Park isn’t here to drink the gravy or fornicate with the pumpkin pie. Gail is thankful for being the prettiest and most dominant Knockout in the history of the company. Oh and her family too.

Sabin is thankful for his hair, being the best X-Division Champion ever and Velvet Sky. The Bro Mans are thankful for Mr. O Phil Heath, Zema Ion (officially part of the team) and for being the best team ever. Bad Influence: “I’m not sure about that.” Roode says the real Thanksgiving was last month in Canada and the fans will be thankful when he becomes the next champion.

It’s time to eat but here’s Angle to interrupt. He sees a ring full of turkeys, which are fighting words for the people in there. Roode challenges him to a fight which Angle accepts, and here’s his backup. Fernum and Barnes are still in the turkey suits. You can fill in the blanks yourself here: bad guys are destroyed, food is everywhere, Spud panics, turkeys fly. The good guys, Velvet and ODB celebrate to end the show.

From 2017.

Team Edwards vs. Team Adonis

Eddie Edwards, Garza Jr., Allie, Fallah Bahh, Richard Justice
Chris Adonis, Caleb Konley, Laurel Van Ness, KM, El Hijo Del Fantasma

The loser of the fall wears a turkey suit and there’s food at ringside, along with Eli Drake. We’re not ready yet though as the teams sit down at the food tables as Drake insists that everyone has to put on the suit if they lose. He has a statement for JB to read, which pretty much just says everyone play nice.

Justice sticks his finger in Konley’s mouth to start and gets two off a rollup. Laurel comes in and jumps on Justice’s back so it’s off to the women for a change. KM and Bahh are up next with some shots to Bahh’s head taking us to a break. Back with Bahh crossbodying KM and bringing in Garza….WHO TAKES OFF HIS PANTS! I’m rather thankful.

Garza gets punched down though and it’s time for the heel beatdown. Adonis comes in for two off a legdrop and it’s time for a bearhug (on a guy with a bad shoulder). That goes nowhere and the hot tag brings in Eddie to clean house. Everything breaks down in a hurry and KM gets crushed between Justice and Bahh.

We get the big crash to the floor and Justice falls off the apron, only to be caught without much effort. Allie dives onto everyone to break up the pile and everyone is down. Back in and Adonis can’t grab the Adonis Lock, allowing Eddie to roll him up for the pin at 16:04, meaning Adonis gets to wear the suit.

Rating: C-. Oh what were you expecting here? This was all in good fun and nothing more than a comedy match. The match was just there for the sake of having a one off match for a holiday special and as a result, it’s really hard to be harsh on it. Adonis having to wear the suit is fine and it continues a (rather goofy) tradition. It wasn’t anything good, but it’s perfectly harmless.

Post break, Adonis refuses to wear the suit. Security actually stops him as the referee holds up the suit like an executioner’s ax. After a lot of persuading and a GOBBLE GOBBLE (One of us?) chant, Adonis finally puts it on and walks around a bit. Adonis isn’t cool with the chants though and the required food fight, with Adonis hitting Drake in the face with a pie, ends the show. This was actually entertaining as they just went with the simple comedy and it worked perfectly well.

From 2007.

Samoa Joe vs. AJ Styles vs. Chris Sabin

This is the finals of the Turkey Bowl, with the winner getting $25,000 and the loser wearing the turkey suit. Joe and Sabin double team Styles to start and knock him to the floor. That leaves Sabin to take Joe down but a kick misses, giving us a staredown. Styles gets knocked to the floor again and we take a break.

Back with Sabin charging into a hot shot but Joe comes back in to punch Styles in the face. Styles breaks up the suicide elbow to Sabin though, meaning Joe punches him in the face some more. The drop down into a dropkick hits Joe and we take a break. Back again with Joe countering the springboard moonsault into an Air Raid Crash with Sabin having to make a save.

We take another break and come back again with Sabin hitting a springboard DDT to drop Joe. That earns Sabin a trip to the floor but Styles Peles Joe. The charge into the corner only hits kick to the face though, allowing Joe to hit the Muscle Buster for the pin at 9:33 shown (of the nearly thirty minute match).

Rating: B-. Well it seemed to be a good match, at least from what we saw of the thing. Joe was on another planet at this point and Styles was in his weird phase as Angle’s wacky goon, but it isn’t like he was going to be awful in the ring. Throw in a very talented Sabin and of course this was going to work, even if we missed almost twenty minutes.

Post match we cut to a livid Kurt Angle (AJ’s boss), storming out of his own Thanksgiving dinner. Back in the arena, AJ won’t put the suit on so here is Jim Cornette to order him to do it. After some coaxing, Styles (very slowly) puts the suit on so Tomko and Kurt come out to yell. Samoa Joe and the Outsiders come out to laugh at Angle and pals, meaning the brawl is on. The bad guys are cleared out, with Eric Young coming in to add a turkey leg to Angle to wrap things up. Then Hall got fired and Joe was given a live mic at the pay per view where he went on an all time rant against a lot of people.

Overall Rating: D+. Normally I have a good time with this show, as it’s the definition of goofy harmless fun. Then I went to pull some of the matches from previous reviews and realized that three out of the five matches on this show were on last year’s show, including the exact same main event and post match segment to end the show. They’ve been doing this for over fifteen years and they had to recycle that much in a year? Come on already and put in some more effort than that.

Results
PCO/Johnny Swinger/Jake Something/Mike Bailey b. Good Hands/Jai Vidal/Champagne Singh – PCOsault to Vidal

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

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

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

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

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

Eli Drake vs. Ken Anderson

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tasha Steelz vs. Thunder Rosa

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

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

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

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

Question Mark vs. Trevor Murdoch

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

NWA World Title: James Storm vs. Nick Aldis

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: March 3, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

The Crockett Cup is starting to look and that could mean things are starting to pick up. We still have over a month to go before the show but Marty Scurll is coming for the NWA World Title, which could make for a heck of a title match. The tournament is coming up as well so let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Sean Mooney previews the show, including two title matches.

TV Title: Zicky Dice vs. Ricky Starks

Dice is challenging and takes Starks to the mat without much trouble. Starks gets knocked down again and this time Dice wraps his ribs around the post. Back in and the chinlock doesn’t last long so Dice chokes on the ropes instead. A Falcon Arrow gives Starks two but Dice hits the Snake Rattle and Roll. Starks is in the ropes at two so Dice walks around and points to his head (ironically enough: never a good idea). The Stroke is loaded up, but Dice backdrops him over and sits down for the pin and the title at 5:08.

Rating: C. These short form matches are a clever idea but I’m not sure how long it can actually work. You just can’t do much in a 6:05 time limit, but they are a gimmick for the title and that’s a good thing in theory. Dice winning the title makes sense as he’s getting a big reaction from the crowd almost every week so maybe he’s the next homegrown star.

Before we can get a word from Dice, Thom Latimer comes out to yell at Galli about Kamille speaking next week. It’s going to be like two words isn’t it?

Buy tickets!

We see clips of the Crockett Cup press conference with Scurll and Aldis both promised to win.

The Question Mark and….a Mongrovian ventriloquist dummy talk about the Mongrovian flag.

We look at Trevor Murdoch beating Question Mark but getting beaten down by Mark and Aron Stevens.

Stevens and Mark want the Tag Team Titles so they call out the Rock N Roll Express. Stevens suggests that the Express lay down for a spot in one of his movies, but that’s not happening. They’ll fight next week though.

We look at Kamille attacking Allysin Kay last week and then staring down Thunder Rosa.

Dawsons vs. Caleb Konley/CW Anderson

Texas tornado rules and losers leave town. The Dawsons jump them from behind to start and the fight is on in a hurry. Konley slugs away at Zane and hits a running dropkick in the corner. Dave and Anderson take their place with CW hitting a crossbody for two. The Dawsons clean house and hit a double release suplex for two on Anderson.

A side slam/neckbreaker combination gets the same on Konley but the Dawsons get sent into each other, setting up a middle rope double dropkick from Konley. Dave is back with a splash in the corner and a Boss Man Slam gets two on Anderson. A low bridging sends Dave outside and there’s a suicide dive from Konley. That leaves Anderson to bust Zane’s spine, setting up Konley’s moonsault for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: C. I’m not sure if the Bouncers are sticking around but if they are, there isn’t much of a point in keeping the Dawsons around. They aren’t the most thrilling team in the world as they come off as the standard big guys team, which isn’t something that you need to have. Anderson is a very established veteran, but Konley could go somewhere around here and that’s a good thing.

We look back at the Pope buying off the Bouncers to jump Eddie Kingston.

Here are May Valentine and Sal Rinauro, the latter of whom is helping her with her new vlog and her new lingerie line. Sal sees his broken arm as his lucky break because he wouldn’t have gotten to me May’s friend. She’s going to shoot an episode of the vlog right here, but here’s Royce Isaacs to go after Rinauro’s good arm. May stops him and leaves with Rinauro.

Pope is fired up and talks about how the Bouncers are going to go win the Tag Team Titles so they can shine like he does. The Beer City Bruiser is ready to win the titles and drink all night long.

Tag Team Titles: Bouncers vs. Eli Drake/James Storm

The Bouncers are challenging with Pope in their corner while Drake and Storm have Eddie Kingston. Drake and Milonas start things off with Eli hurting his back on a slam attempt. Milonas sends him to the apron but Drake comes back in with a slingshot shoulder. That just earns Drake a shot to the face and it’s Bruiser coming in to hammer away. It doesn’t last long though as Storm comes in, only to get taken down as well. Milonas hits a splash and takes his shirt off, which does not seem to please the fans.

Bruiser does his non-existent bite and Milonas comes in to sit on Storm’s chest in the corner. Storm enziguris his way to freedom though and it’s back to Drake for the fast paced house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Storm dives onto Bruiser on the floor. The Bouncers crush Drake with a double standing splash for two but Drake is back in with a sunset bomb to Milonas. A double slam puts Milonas down again and it’s the Last Call into the E-Li-Drake elbow for the pin on Bruiser at 8:39.

Rating: C. The Bouncers are a lot more fun and entertaining as faces but I can go with the whole invaders deal around here. Drake and Storm are good for what they are and it’s not like this show is flush with tag teams in the first place. If nothing else, teasing Kingston vs. Pope is great and I could see that match going down at the Crockett Cup.

Pope runs from Kingston to end the show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C+. This show didn’t do much in the ring but they covered a lot of stuff and teased some big moments going forward. Powerrr isn’t the kind of show that is going to be wrestling heavy in the first place and that was clear this week. That doesn’t mean it’s a bad show, but it is so different from anything else. Your individual tastes may vary on it though, which was the case this week.

Results

Zicky Dice b. Ricky Starks – Rollup

Caleb Konley/CW Anderson b. Dawsons – Moonsault to Zane

Eli Drake/James Storm b. Bouncers – Jumping elbow to Bruiser

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: February 4, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

This show continues to be tricky to call as it tends to focus on the talking, which is a weird way to go in modern wrestling. That’s what makes it work more than anything else and I could go for more of it. The show is a lot of fun more often than not and we are coming up on the Crockett Cup, which needs to finalize its main event. Let’s get to it.

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

James Storm and Eli Drake think we should watch Powerrr.

New opening sequence, now with a Pantera song (I’m Broken) instead of Into The Fire. That’s a downgrade, but they have updated the name graphics so it’s not all negative.

Here’s Tim Storm for a chat. The fans shout that they love him and he calls them his family. He’s ready for Thom Latimer next week because he wants to prove himself against the best. There have been rumors about Storm retiring from wrestling and there is nothing to them because he wants to be here with his family. He can handle Strictly Business and will never raise his hand against Kamille because Mama Storm taught him better.

Cue Latimer and Kamille with Latimer not thinking much of Storm. Hold on though as we have a surprise: MAMA STORM IS HERE! AND SHE NEEDS A SHAVE SO I DON’T THINK THAT’S HER! Tim isn’t impressed as “Mama” rambles about taking Tim to see Frank Gotch. Storm doesn’t know if he’s angry or laughing but “Mama” says he should go back to school so he can learn to win a match.

If the NWA accomplishes nothing else, they have turned Tim Storm from “the old guy who is NWA Champion because the NWA is a joke” into a grizzled veteran that you can sympathize with in a great way. That’s remarkable and worthy of a lot of praise because I don’t know who else could pull it off.

We look back at Thunder Rosa winning the Women’s Title at Hard Times. The rematch is tonight.

Matt Cross vs. Caleb Konley

Ricky Starks is on commentary. They go straight to the mat to start and that’s good for a standoff. Cross headscissors him into the corner and hits a running forearm as the fans go with the LET’S GO CROSS chants. Konley pulls him off the ropes and hits a running kick to the face for two, setting up the bow and arrow hold. That’s broken up in a hurry and Cross hits some running clotheslines for two of his own so Konley small packages him for the same. Konley’s low superkick sets up a tornado DDT for the same but Cross bounces off the rope for a cutter. The shooting star finishes Konley at 5:52.

Rating: C. This felt like any indy match you could imagine and that’s a fine way to go. They did some good stuff with Cross getting to show off a bit but I’m going to forget that I saw this in about thirty seconds. Neither made that much of an impression but you can always use people who can have a completely competent match, which is what you had here.

Post match, respect is shown.

We look at Nick Aldis setting the terms for Marty Scurll to get another shot at the NWA World Title.

Aldis is wondering why he hasn’t gotten a response yet. Maybe the wolf on the hill is hungrier because the food is right in front of him. His patience is wearing thin so respond, maybe even with a counteroffer. He wants a response by Free Enterprise on Sunday.

Video on Eddie Kingston, the Pope and the Dawsons.

Here are Pope and the Dawsons for a chat. Pope doesn’t need to offer an explanation but this doesn’t speak badly on Kingston. It speaks badly on Homicide, but don’t speak badly on the cashier who is bringing change to the NWA. Cue Kingston, who had to be told not to bring a wrench or screwdriver out here to deal with Pope. Homicide is the reason he didn’t kill himself and that’s real. He got a phone call from some young high fliers who needed a chance to prove themselves, so here are the Bouncers from ROH (Beer City Bruiser/Brawler Milonas, the smaller of whom is about 350lbs). A match is teased but nothing happens.

We look back at Trevor Murdoch yelling at Aron Stevens and announcing their National Title match this week.

Mae Valentine gives us a vlog about how everyone is loving her around here and how hard everything is for her. But her outfits have been awesome! She isn’t wild on Royce Isaacs being so jealous but he won a match while she made a new friend so everything is ok. The airheaded voice was kind of funny.

National Title: Trevor Murdoch vs. Aron Stevens

Stevens is defending and has the Question Mark with him. The fans are behind Murdoch in a bit of a surprise. They go with back to back headlock takeovers into headscissor counters until Stevens bails into the corner. Murdoch slams him down a few times but a showdown with the Question Mark….means it’s an ejection. Stevens uses the distraction to send Murdoch into the apron a few times and Stevens wants to know how much time is left in the ten minute time limit.

Back in and Stevens drops a knee before hitting a running hip attack to the back of the next. A hard clothesline gets two more and Stevens throws him outside again. Stevens demands a count but only gets about a six before Murdoch is back in. Commentary is right there to point out that Stevens is letting Murdoch recover and it isn’t as smart as he thinks. That’s some good insight and you don’t get enough of that these days. The chinlock works a bit better and a thumb to the eye lets Stevens put Murdoch on the floor again.

Back in and a suplex puts Murdoch down again so some knee drops can get two. With less than two minutes to go, Stevens throws him outside again but this time Murdoch lands on his feet and comes back inside to hammer away. A full nelson slam gets two on Stevens with less than a minute to go but Stevens pokes him in the eye with thirty seconds left. Stevens jawbreaks his way out of a sleeper as time expires at 10:00.

Rating: C+. The storytelling was strong with this one and that’s not something you can ever get enough of in wrestling. Stevens is a great cowardly champion as he’s going with a twist on a classic trope. Murdoch is someone who is getting a lot of mileage out of a simple gimmick and that’s always nice to see.

Post match Murdoch hits a top rope bulldog and counts his own pin.

Zicky Dice challenges us to subscribe to the NWA YouTube channel. If they get another 100,000 subscribers, he’ll do whatever the fans want.

Sean Mooney is thankful for the warm welcome he has received and recaps the Aldis/Scurll summit from last week.

Mooney also recaps the Lucky 7 Rule, which now has a graphic showing how many title defenses Ricky Starks has completed.

Ricky Starks is ready to keep the title for a long time.

One more thing: Melina wants to be #1 contender after tonight’s rematch. I can go for a quick control center deal like this.

James Storm/Eli Drake vs. Jocephus/Mims

Non-title. The fans are glad to have Jocephus back, even as Storm works on his arm. Drake comes in to stay on his arm but an elbow knocks him down. Mims comes in and is quickly run over with a clothesline so it’s back to Storm. That goes badly for Mims as well with Storm chopping him down and Drake hitting a powerslam. Drake fireman’s carries Mims into a Backstabber from Storm for the pin at 3:13.

Rating: D+. Perfectly nice little squash here and there is nothing wrong with that for the new champs. Let them go in there and beat people up so the fans know that they’re good at what they do. The action wasn’t the point here, but rather Storm and Drake looking dominant, which is exactly what we got.

Clips of Thunder Rosa vs. Allysin Kay for the Women’s Title at Hard Times, which looks like a heck of a fight.

Women’s Title: Allysin Kay vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is defending and Melina is sitting at commentary without putting a headset on. They trade waistlocks to start before fighting over front facelocks instead. Rosa gets the better of it with a quickly broken Crossface and that means an early standoff. Kay snapmares her down and hits a kick to the back but Rosa snaps the arm over the ropes to take over. The arm is wrapped around the middle rope for a bonus (now we just need the bottom for the complete set) but Rosa switches gears by slugging away in the corner.

The Fujiwara armbar stays on the arm until Kay gets a foot on the rope for the nearly desperate save. Back up and they trade running forearms, followed by the wild slugout in the middle. An exchange of big boots gives us a double knockdown. It’s Rosa up first for a running corner dropkick but cue Marti Belle for a distraction.

Tasha Steelz and Ashley Vox come out to stare her away and Rosa grabs a rollup for two. Kay is back with a swinging neckbreaker and a Jackhammer for two but the arm is still hurt. The AK47 doesn’t work and Rosa gets in a Stunner for her own two. A Gory Bomb gives Rosa two more and a Death Valley Driver is good for the same as Kay can’t believe she kicked out. Rosa is right back up with a bridging rollup for the pin to retain at 9:25.

Rating: C+. The brawling sequence in the middle was rather good and these two have chemistry. The best thing about it though is that the NWA is understanding that Rosa needs to be turned face because she is the most popular woman in the division at the moment. There’s no need to keep her heel for a story that isn’t that big in the first place and capitalizing on something they have is a good idea, plus an encouraging sign.

Post match Rosa leaves as Bell and Melina look at her.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a different kind of show and that’s a good thing in this case. It’s not that the other kind of show is bad but much more about the fact that this show worked in a different way. What we got here was entertaining and advanced the stories, which is a unique way to go for them. It worked in a way you don’t see from this show and I liked that for a change.

Results

Matt Cross b. Caleb Konley – Shooting star press

Trevor Murdoch vs. Aron Stevens went to a time limit draw

James Storm/Eli Drake b. Mims/Jocephus – Fireman’s carry into a Backstabber to Mims

Thunder Rosa b. Allysin Kay – Rollup

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: January 28, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

It’s the first show after Hard Times and that means we have a new Television Champion in Ricky Starks. Other than that we have the continuation of Nick Aldis/the NWA vs. Marty Scurll/Ring of Honor, which could be a nice upgrade for both companies as we move forward. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look back at Marty Scurll invading Hard Times to demand his World Title shot. Aldis defeated Flip Gordon, earning all of the power in his issues with Scurll.

Sean Mooney (who has not aged A DAY in thirty years) brings out Aldis, who welcomes him to the company. Aldis knows Mooney is a smart man so he should get this: Flip Gordon is a talented wrestler but he couldn’t beat the National Treasure. That makes him more of a flop than Flip and Marty wants no part of Aldis. Yes he had Scurll taken out of the building at Hard Times but he is NOT a coward.

All he wanted was a fair match without any tomfoolery or skulduggery. Everyone knows that the champ is running this place and it’s all Strictly Business. As for Scurll, we’re going to see a sitdown interview between Scurll and Aldis later tonight. Good promo, as Aldis can bring the fire. I’m more blown away by Mooney though, because you would never know thirty years had passed. That being said, Mooney belongs in the WWF, not in the NWA. My 1990 head cannot comprehend this change.

We look at Eli Drake and James Storm winning the Tag Team Titles in the triple threat.

Sal Rinauro, now with a broken arm, joins commentary.

Royce Isaacs vs. Andre Gunh

Mae Valentine is here with Isaacs. They lock up to start with Gunh not being able to armdrag him, allowing Isaacs to dropkick his leg out. A forearm to the back keeps Gunh down but he’s right back up with a dropkick to the floor. Isaacs goes over to yell at Rinauro and has to dive back in to beat the count. Gunh gets a quick two off a small package so Isaacs is right back with the dragon suplex into the German suplex for the pin at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Gunh got to show off a little big here but there wasn’t much to see for the most part. Isaacs is fine enough but I prefer him in the tag matches instead of his singles stuff. I’m not sure how far this is going to go but at least they’re trying to do something else here and that’s what they need to do.

We look at Thunder Rosa winning the Women’s Title at Hard Times.

Video on Pope, the Dawsons and Eddie Kingston.

Here are Thunder Rosa, accompanied by Melina and Marti Belle. Melina takes credit for it but Rosa doesn’t get to talk, which doesn’t go well with the fans. Allysin Kay gets her rematch for the title and Rosa says she’s ready to beat Kay a hundred times. Melina doesn’t want to hear it. They have to turn Rosa now and that seems to be what they’re going with here.

The Crockett Cup is back in April in a bigger venue. If that’s not Center Stage, I don’t know what to tell them.

Marty Scurll is tired of waiting on Nick Aldis.

We look at Ricky Starks winning the TV Title.

Here’s Starks for a chat. He understands that he is going to have to defend the title every week because he has some big shoes to fill. Starks is going to be everywhere so everyone can see his pretty face. There is one man who hasn’t seemed to join the modern times though and that is Zicky Dice. Starks wants him out here right now so here is Dice for some false praise. Dice would be champion had he not had to face some monster from another promotion. He has $6,000 sunglasses and a $16,000 fanny pack. Starks wants a match right now.

TV Title: Ricky Starks vs. Zicky Dice

Starks is defending. Dice shoulders him down to start and we get some hip swiveling. Some armdrags put Dice down but he avoids another one and swivels some more. A clothesline puts Starks in the corner and another one puts him down as we hear about the Lucky 7 Rule: if you successfully defend the TV Title seven times (including time limit draws), you get a World Title shot. Fair enough. Starks comes back with a Sling Blade and a hard right hand for two. Dice tries a quick Snake Rattle and Roll but Starks reverses into the Stroke (Angel’s Wings) to retain at 4:15.

Rating: C. This was a good example of what they need to do to make things more unique: build up some stars who the fans haven’t seen before to give the show some flavor. Starks is good in his roll and Dice is a great slimy heel. I could go for more of them and if they build a story up, we could get somewhere.

Eli Drake and James Storm, the new Tag Team Champions, say the only name they need is The Champs and sorry about your luck. Cue Aron Stevens and the Question Mark, with Stevens having no knowledge of running out on the title defense against Scott Steiner. He had to be somewhere right after the match! Storm says Stevens looks like the cow from Chick-Fil-A. Stevens: “I hope you’re sterile.”

More cow jokes abound and Drake tells Joe Galli to give Stevens and Mark a message: they’ll get to these two in a bit so take a number. Storm: “MOO!” Stevens and Mark want a title shot but here’s Trevor Murdoch, who beat Mark at Hard Times. He respects Ricky Starks for being the better man but doesn’t like Stevens running away. Next week, Murdoch gets a National Title match but Stevens hits him in the throat. Drake and Storm were really funny here and showed off the chemistry.

Video on Aldis defeating Gordon at Hard Times.

After making Scurll wait for twenty minutes, Aldis finally joins him for their sitdown meeting. Aldis has been trying to be a nice guy but he gets tired of protecting this house and going above and beyond but getting a bad reputation. They’ve known each other for years and there are people who do everything right in front of the camera and then become a s*** head everywhere else.

Aldis has been there for Scurll for years, even if it was just for a kind word. Then last year, Scurll challenged him for the World Title, but Aldis was ok with it because Marty had earned a shot. Aldis retained the title after losing a lot of blood and that should have been it. Then Marty got his huge deal and Aldis was happy for him, but Scurll cuts him off to say he’s always told he should have won the title and been champion at the Crockett Cup or at Madison Square Garden.

It’s about the title and not about his bank account. Maybe not being the World Champion is what defines him as a wrestler. All Marty wants is one more chance and he’ll even do it for free. Aldis will do it if he can dictate the terms. The match can take place at the Crockett Cup so the cities can start bidding on them. One more thing: if Marty loses, he has to refund everyone in the building’s ticket money. Marty can think about it. Awesome stuff here and the title match should be a blast, even with a telegraphed winner.

Roll credits, minus Into The Fire.

Overall Rating: C-. The promos carried the lack of wrestling here, with the Crockett Cup being the next target. This place does an excellent job with the talking, which is one of the most important things that a wrestling company can do. They needed a little more action on this show though and it stood out rather badly here. Not a terrible show due to the great talking (Aldis looked like a star, as always) but it was a different vibe that I wasn’t digging.

Results

Royce Isaacs b. Andre Gunh – Dragon German suplex

Ricky Starks b. Zicky Dice – Stroke

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: January 14, 2020
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Stu Bennett

We’re closing in on Hard Times and that means we should know what the big stuff is going to be around here. Nick Aldis has been the major star and the focal point of the show, as he brings in Scott Steiner to help him deal with the existential threat that is Ricky Morton. We also get another TV Title Tournament qualifying match tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Aldis not being able to beat Ricky Starks and turning down five minutes with Ricky Morton. Then a six man tag was set up to earn Morton a shot, with Aldis bringing in Scott Steiner as his third man.

Into The Fire.

Here are the Rock N Roll Express for an opening chat. They’ve always put the fans first and that’s why they’ve never minded being #2. The two of them paved the way for today’s tag teams but they’re not crying over spilled milk. Morton has to get up every morning and work to feed his kids, so you better believe he’s coming to work hard to become World Champion. They aren’t saying who their third man is so keep watching to find out.

We finally get some brackets for the TV Title Tournament

Tim Storm

Zane Dawson/Dave Dawson

Ricky Starks

Open Slot

Zicky Dice

Open Slot

Question Mark

Trevor Murdoch/Thom Latimer

Well that’s better than nothing at least.

Zicky Dice and Ricky Starks argue about who will go further in the tournament. Starks says he’ll win the title but Dice says the only thing Starks will be stroking are these curls. Kind of random but giving these new guys promo time is one of the best things for them.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Dave Dawson vs. Zane Dawson

They circle each other and go nose to nose with only a shove for contact in the first thirty seconds. A headlock goes nowhere so they ram into each other, followed by Zane hitting a splash in the corner. Zane’s middle rope shoulder gets two but Dave is back with a kick to the face for two of his own. Dave misses a charge though and shoves Zane in the face, sending Zane over the top with chops in the corner. He even goes after Zane’s bad arm but the referee breaks it up, allowing Zane to hit him with the cast for the pin at 3:55.

Rating: D. They were managing to tell a little story here and I can certainly appreciate the extra effort. The wrestling was what you would expect from these two in a short match but there was only so much they could do with so little time and their limited in-ring abilities. It wasn’t very good, but they were running with a few anchors.

Zane is screaming in pain after the win.

Hard Times video.

Breaking News: the NWA invaded Ring of Honor over the weekend. More later.

Ken Anderson and Colt Cabana aren’t happy with their loss last week and seem to blame each other. Anderson is NOT bitter though.

Ashley Vox vs. Melina

Vox dropkicks her at the bell but Melina hits a running hair bulldog. A missed Cannonball in the corner makes it worse for Vox and Melina bends her neck around the rope. Another comeback attempt is cut off with a kick to the head and Vox is down again. They trade forearms with Vox doing the screaming comeback, only to get caught in something like an Eye of the Hurricane with a legdrop for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D+. Melina is the top star in this division by a mile and that isn’t likely changing anytime soon. Kay is pretty good as well but they need to get the title on Melina already if they want it to have some credibility. The women’s division is still in its very early stages and going with the veteran makes sense.

Post match, Melina challenges Kay, who comes out and is ready to do this right now. We won’t be, but she’s ready to.

We get more clips of the NWA Invasion with Aldis attacking Marty Scurll and then running away from the threat of a beatdown. The next night, Aldis called out Scurll and security had to break up a brawl. Aldis challenged Flip Gordon for Hard Times.

Pope denies that he is managing Outlaw Inc. See, he’s advising them, which is totally different. He doesn’t like Aron Stevens either because Stevens won’t defend the title. Back to the tag teams, Outlaw Inc. is a real team, unlike Storm and Anderson, who are together because of convenience.

Outlaw Inc. vs. Aron Stevens/Question Mark

Question Mark now has a flag bearer (also masked of course). Stevens and Kingston start things off with Stevens being sent outside in a hurry. A double suplex gets two on Stevens and it’s Homicide staying in to mock the ka-ra-te. Stevens avoids a charge though and gets to hammer away, including sending Homicide shoulder first into the buckle.

Rating: D+. The wrestling isn’t the point here, as tends to be the case with this show, but sweet goodness Stevens and Question Mark are two of the most entertaining people in the world. Those two have some serious chemistry and have figured out something that works, so let them go with whatever they want as the fans eat it all up.

Dr. Of Wrestling Psychology Austin Idol is ready to teach you how to get heat.

We get the same recap that opened the show.

Here’s Strictly Business and Scott Steiner now has an unidentified title. Aldis talks about how he was warned about the snakes in the business, including Steiner. Now he trusts Steiner, who goes on a rant about hating fat people. The title is the original NWA World Tag Team Title belt, before it became WCW. Tonight, they’re beating up the Rock N Roll Express.

Team Morton vs. Team Aldis

Morton: Robert Gibson/Eli Drake/Tim Storm

Aldis: Wildcards/Scott Steiner

Isaacs finally gets in a clothesline and Steiner comes in for the first time to chop away in the corner. Latimer grabs a cravate and knees Drake in the face before Isaacs comes in for the chinlock. That doesn’t last long so here’s Steiner for an overhead belly to belly. Latimer is back in for his own chinlock but Drake fights up and hits a running DDT. Gibson gets the hot tag and finally stays in for more than a few seconds with some knees and right hands. Everything breaks down and Gibson rolls Isaacs up for the pin at 9:26.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one as it was a rather boring match with Gibson only doing anything at the end. The rest of the match was your basic formula stuff, though it’s not like there was any secret about who was going to win. I get pushing the Rock N Roll Express but it doesn’t make for the most intriguing stories outside of nostalgia. Granted that’s kind of the point of this whole place though right?

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C-. This wasn’t one of my favorite shows and it was a lot of stuff that didn’t exactly work. The promos are still good and the show flies by, but the TV Title Tournament isn’t exactly thrilling and then you have Aldis vs. Ricky Morton and Ring of Honor, which makes for quite the combination. I just didn’t get the whole deal tonight but they can bounce back, as they tend to do.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Highspots.com ad.

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

ODB vs. Thunder Rosa

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

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

The Rock N Roll Express have a love hot line.

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

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

Nick Aldis vs. Ricky Starks

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

Powerrr
Date: December 17, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Stu Bennett, Joe Galli

We’re back after a one week absence with I guess the start of the second season. Into The Fire has come and gone with the biggest developments being Aron Stevens taking the National Title from Colt Cabana and Marty Scurll showing up to challenge Nick Aldis, who retained the World Title. Hopefully there is a nice bump in viewership after the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

We open with a look at Scurll appearing at the end of Into The Fire.

Speaking of which, Into The Fire.

The announcers preview tonight’s show.

Here are Aron Stevens, in a gi, and the Question Mark for a chat. Stevens describes himself as a VERY dangerous man because he is now the first ever American to have a third degree black belt in Mongrobian karate. Mark: “KARATE!” Fans: “QUESTION MARK!” Stevens: “DO NOT CALL THIS MAN A MARK!” Stevens lists off the names who have held this title but he is at a different level than the rest of them.

Actually, he is NOT the NWA National Champion, because he is the first ever THIRD DEGREE NWA National Champion, and he has the stripes on the belt to prove it. From now on, you will refer to him as Shooter Stevens. Soon, the two of them are coming after the Tag Team Titles, Mark will be going after the TV Title and Stevens will be having the NWA World Title. Cue Colt Cabana to say Stevens would never win a thing without Mark there to help him. Stevens says he’s a third degree champion and suggests Cabana try some Mongrobian karate lessons.

Cue Thunder Rosa of all people and the men all leave. Rosa shouts in Spanish and here’s Melina, only to have Ashley Vox show up to attack Rosa. The two of them go to crush Vox’s arm but Allysin Kay and ODB make the save.

We look at Ken Anderson jumping Eli Drake from behind. Tonight, they face off in a No DQ match.

Post break, here’s the same thing you just saw.

Melina and Rosa yell at Marti Belle for not having their back out there. Belle says they told her to stay in the back but Melina wants her to do what she means, not what she says.

The NWA TV Title is coming back (that belt is still sweet) and there will be a tournament to crown the first champion. The finals will take place at the still unnamed January 24 pay per view and each match has a 6:05 time limit.

TV Title Tournament Qualifying Match: Zicky Dice vs. CW Anderson vs. Sal Rinauro

One fall to a finish. They go for the rapid fire near falls to start as the time limit is rather short. A triple clothesline puts everyone down with Dice getting up to cover both of them for two each. The double noggin knocker is broken up and it’s a double punch to the face to put Dice down. Dice hits a running Stunner on Anderson but Anderson hits the spinebuster on Rinauro. Anderson is sent into the post though and Dice’s Snake Rattle And Roll (neckbreaker) finishes Rinauro at 2:00.

Post match Dice says he doesn’t need luck because he’s the future TV Champion. Cue the Dawsons to chase him off though and say no one can stand them. Well they can’t stand the fans either and they’re here to expose some truth. James Storm is right: there is a conspiracy around here and they were a part of it. They did the Wildcards’ dirty work but now the Wildcards won’t answer their phones.

Cue the Wildcards with chairs to chase them off but now it’s Marty Scurll coming out for a chat of his own. Scurll has been hearing people asking about where he’s going for the last two months but the truth is he does whatever he wants. If he wants to show up in the NWA, that’s exactly what he’s going to do. He’s heard Nick Aldis talking about being the NWA World Champion for a long time now.

Well he’s known Aldis (and Bennett) for a long time now. Earlier this year, Scurll gave Aldis the fight of his life at the Crockett Cup and he knows he can beat Aldis. The fans seem to like the idea and he’s right here waiting for Aldis anytime anyplace. Scurll brings so much star power to this place that it’s unreal.

Highspots.com ad.

Eddie Kingston joins commentary and has nothing to say about Homicide’s injury.

Rock N Roll Express vs. Zach Mosley/Sean Sims

Non-title. Gibson shoulders Mosley down to start and it’s off to Morton for the Million Dollar knee lift. The Express whip them into each other and roll them up at the same time for the double pin at 46 seconds.

Post match the Express talks about other great names in the NWA’s history and what an honor it is to be considered with them. As for Aldis comparing himself to Harley Race and Ric Flair, he has a long way to go to back that up.

Cue the Dawsons again to say they want the Wildcards so here they are for the brawl.

The pay per view will be called Hard Times.

Dawsons vs. Wildcards

Zane has to fight out of the corner to start but everything breaks down in a hurry. Zane is taken outside with his hand being stomped onto the steps to put him in trouble. Back in and the double teaming ensues, including a wishbone to stretch the legs out. Latimer bites the hand so Dave comes in for the save, only to get taken out in a hurry. A powerbomb/Death Valley Driver combination finishes Zane at 3:05.

Rating: D+. You have to rebuild the Wildcards somehow if you want them to mean anything going forward so having them beat up these heavies is a good way to go. They’re a fine team and if they beat the Express to get the titles back, they might actually be able to survive that rather horrible loss.

After losing at the pay per view, James Storm said he would get his justice when he deserves it. He saw Aldis taking off the turnbuckle pad and taking out Storm’s referee so that wasn’t exactly fair. Storm is willing to go back to the bottom of the pile to get to the top.

Zicky Dice comes back out and we get to see the entrants in the TV Title tournament:

Zicky Dice

Ricky Starks

Caleb Konley

Colt Cabana

Trevor Murdoch

Tom Latimer

Question Mark

Eddie Kingston

Tim Storm

Dave Dawson

Zane Dawson

Nick Aldis

Former TV Champion Nikita Koloff comes out (still looks great) to draw some names for the tournament. Here are some first round matches:

Ricky Starks

Eddie Kingston

Colt Cabana

Question Mark

Aldis and Starks come up to the interview desk with Aldis showing off the NWA pocket square. Aldis talks about the effort it is going to take to knock him off. He’s here to make history so he wants to hold both titles at once. Maybe Starks could even make it to the finals to face him.

Marty Scurll is brought up and Aldis has no comment. He goes on about how people keep coming in here to ask about spots, just like Scurll. Aldis didn’t hear what Ricky Morton had to say but he’s sure it was complimentary. As for Kamille, he knows he needs a real team and not just an insurance policy. You’ll see the team over the next few weeks, but Kamille is no longer his insurance policy. The fans seem to approve.

We get a sitdown interview with Scurll, who took the first chance he had to come to the NWA. He loves the idea of the NWA World Title because it was the title that mattered when he was a kid. Scurll likes to keep people guessing and maybe even he doesn’t know what he’s going to do at times. He’d love to be the NWA World Champion.

Tim Storm joins commentary and he likes the idea of Scurll vs. Aldis.

Here’s Eli Drake, with a sore throat, for a chat. A few minutes ago, you had Aldis out here talking about how things are supposed to be in the NWA but then Drake wasn’t in the tournament. As for Ken Anderson, he send Drake’s throat into the post with a chair but Drake is still standing. Let’s do this right now.

Eli Drake vs. Ken. Anderson

No DQ. Drake slugs away to start and the fans are behind him. A clothesline out of the corner sets up a Russian legsweep and another clothesline puts Anderson on the floor. They fight into the crowd with Drake kicking him low but Anderson gets in a shot to the ribs. They fight behind the cameras with Drake getting the better of it and hitting Anderson in the back with a trashcan.

Drake crushes his face against a barricade but stops to steal a fan’s phone for a picture. They head back to ringside with Anderson sending him into the steps. A chair is thrown in but Drake blocks the Mic Check into said chair. Drake sends him face first into it instead and hammers away, setting up the Gravy Train to finish Anderson at 6:57.

Rating: C. This was a big brawl in the crowd with a few moves thrown in at the end. To be fair though, they had the match at Into The Fire so there wasn’t much of a point to doing the full thing here. Drake wanted revenge and got to beat Anderson up here so everything they did made perfect sense, including Drake winning.

Post match Aldis comes out to get in Storm’s face, saying to keep his name out of Storm’s mouth. They argue some more off microphone so Storm gets in the ring and invites Aldis to join him. The jacket comes off but the Wildcards come in as well to beat Storm down as Aldis approves. Cue Kamille to shove Aldis into the corner….and spear Storm. Kamille kisses Latimer to end the show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a lot going on here and I liked it better than most of their usual shows. The biggest thing here was having an actual focus instead of being a big collection of things going on at the same time. Aldis is a full on heel and has a bunch of people gunning for him so now he has his own backup. That’s a basic story that can carry them for a long time as we try to find the next person to take the title from him. I dug this one and hopefully they get some more viewers after a revamped effort to start the second season.

Results

Zicky Dice b. CW Anderson and Sal Rinauro – Snake Rattle And Roll to Rinauro

Rock N Roll Express b. Zach Mosley/Sean Sims – Double rollup

Wildcards b. Dawsons – Powerbomb/Death Valley Driver combination to Zane

Eli Drake b. Ken Anderson – Gravy Train

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

I would say this falls into the “never say never” category. The NWA used to be all the rage back in the day but now things have changed quite a bit. While it isn’t exactly what it was before, the NWA is still around and has reached a level they have not achieved in a long time. This includes holding a pay per view event and that means it is time to see what they have in store. Let’s get to it.

Tasha Steelz vs. Thunder Rosa

This is a last minute addition to the card and it certainly feels like one. Rosa is someone that has been pushed rather hard since Powerrr began and she has been treated as a big deal. Steelz is someone you may remember as not doing very much but she is someone who can be put in there for a quick match. I’m not sure how much I would expect from it, but at least the match exists.

I’ll take Rosa here, as she needs to get her feet back a little bit after they did that rather strange series of videos on her losing in mixed martial arts (yeah it was cool, but it was completely different to what she does in her regular appearances). Steelz is someone who could be a nice star down the road, but Rosa is someone who could be a big star right now and that is what the NWA needs at the moment.

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

It’s a rematch of the big moment from the first season (Are eight shows a season?) of Powerrr with the Express becoming nine time Tag Team Champions. Now they have to defend the titles that they won in a match which wasn’t all that great in the first place. I’m almost scared of the idea of the Express putting on some big, epic match, but it was cool to see them win the titles one more time at least.

I’ll go with the Wild Cards winning the titles back here, as there isn’t much of a future in having champions who are both in their 60s. It was a nice moment and all, but losing to the Express hurt the Wild Cards quite a bit. A win could help them get back on their feet, but it might be a little too late. You have to try and see though, as the Wild Cards need to get the titles back.

National Title: Colt Cabana(c) vs. Aron Stevens vs. Ricky Starks

How out of place does a triple threat match feel in the NWA? Anyway, this is an interesting one as you have the popular Cabana, the incredibly gimmicky Stevens and Starks, who looks like a nice prospect. This really is a match that could go any way and that makes things a lot more interesting. I’m actually not sure how this is going to go and that’s a feeling I always like.

That being said, I’ll go with Cabana retaining here, as he has the highest profile of all three names. Starks would be able to get something out of winning the title, but I’m not sure if he’s ready to go there yet. Stevens is going to be fine with his promos and funny lines alone and Cabana has already lost the title once. Cabana retains here, but it really could go to any of the three.

Trevor Murdoch vs. The Question Mark

Every now and then you find someone who just catches fire in a way beyond all expectations. That is the case with the Question Mark, who has turned into the cult favorite of all cult favorites in the NWA. I know he isn’t going to go anywhere long term, but it’s very smart to go with something that is working at the moment. The NWA needs something to get on the map and maybe the Question Mark can do so in a way.

So of course I’ll take the Question Mark to win, though probably not through the cleanest means. There is nothing wrong with giving Question Mark a win here, as Murdoch can bounce right back in a hurry due to being one of the better known names around at the moment. Question Mark isn’t going to last forever so the NWA is doing the right thing by capitalizing while they can, which includes a win here.

Allysin Kay/Ashley Vox vs. Melina/Marti Belle

This is another star power match, but above all else, where in the world do those drum beats come from? Can everyone in the ring hear them? Are they in someone’s head? Why do I think about these things so much? Anyway, Melina getting back in the ring is kind of a big deal, though I’m not sure if she has the kind of star power to make that big of a difference around here.

I’ll take Melina and Belle to win, likely with Melina pinning Kay to set up a future title match. There is nothing wrong with that in a situation like this so hopefully they get this one right and go with the logical means. Vox is another someone who could be a nice addition to the roster so putting her in there with the biggest name the women’s division has is smart. She isn’t involved in the finish here though and that makes the most sense.

Eli Drake vs. Ken Anderson

Here’s your second biggest and likely best match on the card as you can throw two experienced people out there and likely have one of them become the next #1 contender to the World Title. Drake has come off like a star in the NWA with those promos and status as the devil on your shoulder working very well for him. Anderson is Anderson and therefore acceptable, but he is pretty long removed from being a big deal.

That being said, I’m still going with Anderson to win with some cheating. Drake is someone with more potential and likely more help long term, but Anderson is someone with a certain charisma to him and his former WWE/Impact Wrestling status should be enough to carry him here. It’s ok to go with the bigger name at times and that is what they seem to be doing here. Anderson wins.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis(c) vs. James Storm

It’s the main event with a stipulation of course, as this will be 2/3 falls with both of them getting to pick a referee for each fall. Should it go to a third fall (should…..right), a coin toss determines who will referee the third fall. The cuts from the broadcast hurt this one a bit as their reason for fighting isn’t all that clear. The videos are out there, but it would be nice to have a little better explanation.

Even with all of the stipulations, I’m taking Aldis to retain here as the NWA really seems to love him. I’m not sure I get the huge star in Aldis, but he does indeed have something there. The promos and look are enough to keep him in or near the main event and it’s not like there is anyone else who desperately needs to win the title at the moment. Aldis is as good as they have at the moment, so stick with what works.

Overall Thoughts

I still can’t get my head around the idea that the NWA is running a pay per view and it actually looks good. The promotion is not exactly doing great at the moment with the viewership for Powerrr being pretty weak, but the fact of the matter is they got out there and tried to do something, which is a lot more than so many promotions can do. See if this works and maybe there is a path forward. It’s not like this is going to be any worse than having the promotion sitting around, so maybe it can get them somewhere better, even if it is just a little bit.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: November 19, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

We’re back here again and things are still interesting, but they kind of need to have a story going on. Last week’s big deal continued to be wondering if Kamille would speak and there are more interesting things going on almost anywhere else. The initial idea and presentations were fine but they need to go somewhere after that. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap focuses on LET KAMILLE SPEAK and James Storm losing the National Title and coming after the World Title instead.

Opening sequence.

The announcers run down the show.

Here’s Nick Aldis for a chat and the Kamille questions start in a hurry. The internet is talking about it so OF COURSE it is on top of Aldis’ list of priorities. This is the NWA and we wrestle here, so it is time for him to prove why he is the real World’s Champion. Tonight, he has Trevor Murdoch, albeit in a non-title match. Murdoch is coming off a long sabbatical so tonight is an exhibition and if this is as close as Murdoch ever gets, at least Aldis gave him a chance.

Nick Aldis vs. Trevor Murdoch

Non-title and we get a nice handshake to start. They fight over a wristlock to start with Murdoch grabbing a hammerlock to send Aldis into the ropes. With the referee getting Murdoch away, it’s a kick to the ropes for a low blow and Murdoch takes over. Three straight slams set up the top rope bulldog but Aldis gets a foot on the rope. Aldis catches him on top before another bulldog and Murdoch slips off the ropes. That’s enough to set up the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf to make Murdoch tap at 3:31.

Rating: C-. The time didn’t help things here but Murdoch got something out of the near fall. This is a good example of someone getting something out of a loss, even if it was in such a short match. There is no shame in losing to the World Champion so it isn’t like this is some crippling moment for Murdoch’s career.

They shake hands post match.

Here are the Rock N Roll Express to announce that they have a Tag Team Title shot coming up and they’re taking something owed to them. ROCK N ROLL chants start up, because these two can make it work even in their 60s. The Wild Cards come out to say bring it on.

We get a 1979 promo video from….Andy Ardeson? Anyway a guy named Danny Deals cuts him off to plug Highspots.com.

Question Mark vs. Ricky Starks

National Champion Colt Cabana is on commentary and the place goes NUTS for Mark. Some early shots to the throat have Starks in trouble but he scores with a dropkick to the head, getting on the fans’ nerves in a hurry. Mark gets sent outside for a suicide dive but here’s Aron Stevens to jump Starks for the DQ at 1:34.

Post match the beatdown is on with Stevens turning cartwheels. Cabana makes the save and it’s a no contest, with Cornette pointing out how ridiculous that is. After a break, the tag match is announced for tonight.

Here’s Eli Drake for a chat but the QUESTION MARK chant cuts him off. Drake: “Just like a bunch of dummies.” Drake knows Mr. Anderson is looking for him and he isn’t a hard man to find, though Anderson might be beyond his expiration date. Cue Anderson to suck up to the crowd and challenge Drake to a match right now. Drake teases doing just that but jumps Anderson from behind. A turnbuckle to the back leaves Anderson laying with Drake having to be dragged away.

We recap Marti Belle turning on Allysin Kay to help Thunder Rosa. They’re ready for Kay when she gets back.

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

Kay rushes the ring and the villains bail to the floor so we can get the introductions. Belle and Vox start things off with neither getting anywhere off a lockup. Vox drop toeholds her down and Belle looks a bit surprised. Rosa comes in and grabs an armbar on Vox before sending her face first into the mat.

It’s back to Belly for a whip into the corner and some yelling at the referee for a bonus. A missed charge allows the hot tag off to Kay and Rosa with Kay winning a slugout in a hurry. The superplex brings Rosa down in a crash but here’s Melina of all people, in a rather formal dress, for a distraction. Rosa rolls Kay up for the pin at 5:24.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere but the ending was quite the surprise. Rosa has all the star power she needs and should be in line for a title shot soon enough. I’m hoping Melina doesn’t get back in the ring here as she would be treated as the biggest deal around and some fresh blood in the women’s division sounds good for a change.

Post match Kay and Vox get beaten down as we have a new trio.

Austin Idol says buy the Kayfabe Cocktail.

Colt Cabana/Ricky Starks vs. Aron Stevens/Question Mark

Stevens, in street clothes as he should be, and Mark get one of the strongest BOO/YAY crowd reactions in recent memory. Starks chases Stevens to the floor to start so it’s Mark coming in to a big reaction. A dropkick won’t put him down so Cabana tries chopping away in the corner. Mark hits Cabana in the face and brings Stevens in as we hear about Mark being from “Mongrobia”, at least according to Stevens.

Some karate chops have Stars in trouble with Mark’s getting cheered loudly and Stevens’ being booed. The fans aren’t exactly being subtle here. Stevens is so annoyed that he drops his pants for the crowd, allowing Starks to hit a Sling Blade. The tag brings in Cabana to chop away and he GRABS STEVENS BY THE SCARF to send him into the corner. Starks’ jumping Downward Spiral gets two as everything breaks down. Starks goes for the mask but Stevens makes a save, allowing Mark to spike Starks in the throat. Stevens steals the pin at 6:38.

Rating: C. They would be crazy not to do SOMETHING with Mark at this point, even if it is just something goofy that means nothing in the long term. The fans just like him and that is something to run with. Don’t take it too far, but keep him around and give him a story. The NWA isn’t in a place to turn names down, so go with what works, even if it doesn’t work for very long.

After Stevens says that was the power of karate (Mark: “KA-RAH-TAY!”), here’s James Storm to say he is tired of champions not defending their titles. Kamille comes out and whispers something in his ear. Storm says his catchphrase to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The promos are carrying this show as some of the charm is gone here. The show is still entertaining and it flies by, but after coming out of nowhere about five weeks ago, it isn’t as fun of a ride as it used to be. Also, we have less than a month before Into The Fire and nothing has been announced. You might want to get on that already.

Results

Nick Aldis b. Trevor Murdoch – King’s Lynn Cloverleaf

Ricky Starks b. Question Mark via DQ when Aron Stevens interfered

Thunder Rosa/Marti Belle b. Allysin Kay/Ashley Vox – Rollup to Kay

Question Mark/Aron Stevens b. Colt Cabana/Ricky Starks – Mongrobian Spike to Starks

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