IMG Credit: National Wrestling Alliance

NWA Powerrr
Date: October 22, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

It’s week three around here and this has suddenly become a treat to watch. They don’t waste time around here and move forward as fast as they need to. It seems like everything around here matters (albeit to varying degrees) and that’s a very welcome change. When your match is a minute long, it’s kind of hard to classify it as filler. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the issues between Nick Aldis and Kamille, who still will not say anything.

Interviewer Joe Galli has been told that his interviews have been confrontational so he won’t ask anything about Aldis that doesn’t have to do with the title itself.

Opening sequence.

Eddie Kingston comes up to the commentary table and rants about the Dawsons breaking up the title match. Kingston and Homicide want to take the Dawsons out before they fight for the titles again. They’re do it anywhere because wrestling is all they have and they’re going to defend it.

Marti Belle vs. Crystal Rose

Belle was in Impact for a little while. Rose, a grunge enthusiast, gets taken down into the corner to start but Marti misses a running charge and gets kneed in the corner. Marti is right back up with a forearm in the corner and a running hip attack in the corner, followed by a Pearl River Plunge for the pin at 2:25.

here are the Dawsons for a chat. Things happen for a reason and these fans need to shut their mouths. It’s time for them to throw their weight around so they’ll fight anyone….except for Kingston and Homicide.

Video on Thunder Rosa.

Tim Storm is supposed to be out for a chat but it’s Aron Stevens in what looks like a pirate costume. Oh and remember that the no eye contact rule is still in effect. The fans think he looks like Captain Morgan but he’s here to promote his new movie: Tropical Pirates, available on Blu-Ray and exclusively in Romania on VHS. It looks like a rather low budget sailing movie, thought Stevens says it shows he has more chops than Ric Flair.

We look at Tim Storm losing his World Title shot two weeks ago.

Caleb Konley vs. Dan Parker

Parker talks a lot of trash to start but since he’s Canadian, we get a loud USA chant. Konley flips away from a few headlocks and punches Parker in the face to take over. A jumping backsplash gets one on Parker, who is right back with knees to the ribs and some shouts about how not everyone can be a Canadian. We hit the abdominal stretch but the referee sees the grab of the rope. Konley hits him in the face a few times and hits a springboard spinning moonsault for the pin at 3:21.

Rating: C-. Konley is another example of someone who didn’t do anything elsewhere but looked pretty good here. Parker being very pro Canadian is as much of a gimmick as you can get for a jobber but at least he has a little something to make him stand out. I could go for more of Konley and that’s what this kind of a match is supposed to do.

Here’s Tim Storm for a chant. Make no mistake about it: Nick Aldis beat him two weeks ago. His time as champion and the Ten Pounds of Gold series helped restore some prestige to the NWA and that is a great source of pride to him. He has no excuses because he made the right decision but now he needs to make a decision about his future. All that matters to him is that he made Mama Storm proud, which gives us a MAMA STORM chant.

Cue Eli Drake to say that Storm sounds like he’s down but his name is on a list of NWA World Champions. There are a lot of things going on around here, including some new tag teams. Maybe there are two pieces of gold in Storm’s future so Drake has already got it set up: the two of them against the Dawsons tonight. Storm will think about it.

Promotional consideration paid for by…..invisible hair cream?

We recap Jocephus vs. James Storm from two weeks ago.

Here’s Jocephus, who wants to make a public apology to James Storm. Cue Colt Cabana instead, with Jocephus pulling out a cowboy hat and a beer bottle for Cabana to start an impression. The joke is on but Jocephus throws powder in Cabana’s face. The beating starts in the ring but here’s the real James Storm to superkick Jocephus. Mr. Anderson pulls Cabana away to avoids the same fate.

Here are Aldis and Kamille for a chat. Aldis knows the NWA is cooking and he needs a new #1 contender. Some of those challengers could be people like Eli Drake, James Storm or Ricky Starks, the latter of whom Aldis thinks is the #1 draft pick in the entire business. Aldis is willing to let it play out and he’s ready to go somewhere else to find a challenger if he has to.

Joe Galli makes the mistake of going back to the Kamille questions though, which Aldis finds disrespectful. Aldis says Kamille is the best insurance policy money can buy so ask her anything. Galli asks why Kamille works for Aldis and she has nothing, with Aldis saying she’ll speak when she feels like it.

We get a promo of someone talking about how things come together and one question remains: who is the mark?

Eli Drake/Tim Storm vs. Dawsons

Dave powers Eli into the corner to start and hits a headbutt but Drake is right back with a jumping clothesline. Zane comes in and gets neckbreakered, followed by the tag to Storm for a clothesline. Drake’s middle rope bulldog gets two as the makeshift team keeps the brothers in trouble. Storm hits a running splash in the corner and hits some elbows to the head. It’s time to get smart though as Zane grabs him by the waist and drives him into the corner for the tag to Dave.

The waistlock slows Storm down a bit and a switch to the bearhug keeps the trouble going. Storm powers out and brings in Drake to clean house. A sleeper drop gets two on Dave but Drake goes shoulder first into the post. That leaves Storm to get hit in the back, setting up the standing splash/powerslam combination to finish Storm at 6:44.

Rating: D+. This was a pretty dull match with the Dawsons’ offense consisting of holds until the end, which wasn’t quite thrilling. Storm has impressed me quite a bit so far as he was best known as that old guy who held the NWA World Title but he’s shown a character about himself and has the look and work to back it up. That’s a nice surprise and far better than I would have expected.

Post match the Dawsons beat Storm up even more but Homicide and Kingston run in for the save. The staredown is on and Aldis comes in to check on Storm to end the show.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: C-. This was their weakest show yet but it’s such an easy and quick watch. They keep things moving around here and I’m starting to look forward to these promos because they are such a breath of fresh air after what you see on regular shows. Sometimes you just need to see someone talking into a camera and that’s what you get here. It’s a great example of what happens when you strip everything down and having a wrestling show. While not as good as their first two shows, it’s still entertaining enough and I’ll take that over some of the Raw and Smackdown I’ve sat through lately.

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: October 8, 2019
Location: GPB Studios, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Joe Galli, Jim Cornette

So this is something different as the NWA is back with a fresh TV series, though it is taking place in a studio in front of probably about 100 people instead of an arena. It might seem a little ridiculous, but at some point you have to just put the wrestlers in the ring and run shows, which is where the NWA is now. It’s better than nothing so hopefully it works out well here. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence, featuring a lot of shots on the NWA World Title and champion Nick Aldis. One very smart thing here though: name graphics for the wrestlers, which might be only the wrestlers appearing on the show.

And yes there are three r’s in the name.

The announcers welcome us to the show with Cornette being in his element rattling off the history of televised wrestling in Atlanta.

We get the old interview area (I miss that thing) with Aldis, and his bodyguard Kamille, who talks about holding the World Title for nearly a year. It’s hard to stay hungry but look at how far they’ve come. They were a punchline and now they have some great champions representing the NWA name.

We hear about the Tag Team Champions (the Wildcards), the National Champion (James Storm) and the Women’s Champion (Allysin Kay) and all of the people fighting for respect. That brings him to Tim Storm, who he respects more than any man he’s ever met. But everything Aldis has, from the Jaguar parked outside to every meal that he’s put on his son’s table, is because of professional wrestling. Let’s do it serious tonight so Storm can find out why he’s the National Treasure.

This felt VERY similar to an old school studio promo as it was no gimmick or special feature. It was Aldis, who was rocking the suit like an NWA World Champion would, looking straight at the camera and telling us why we should care about what we’re seeing and who is coming for the title. More of this stuff and we’re in a good place.

Dawsons vs. Billy Buck/Sal Rinauro

The Dawsons (Zane and Dave) are a couple of big guys who knock Sal around to start. Buck comes in and gets caught with a running elbow/side slam combination. A standing splash to the back into a powerslam finishes Rinauro at 1:20.

Post match the Dawsons say that is just a little taste of what is to come because they own the world now. They’ll fight everyone and they don’t care how they win. They’re the guys who bullied you for your lunch money so be ready for them.

Promotional consideration paid for by…..THE AUSTIN IDOL UNIVERSAL WRESTLING COLLEGE??? They’re making it really hard to not want to keep watching this.

Here’s Eli Drake for a chat and that’s a very good thing. Drake asks if this is NWA country and he thinks they said YEAH YEAH YEAH YEAH. There’s something different about this place but it doesn’t take a scientist to see that it’s a special kind of place. You look around and see men ready to fight so everyone with a belt better be ready because he’s coming for you. I’ve always liked Drake and his talking is some of the best around.

Eli Drake vs. Caleb Konley

Drake shoulders him down but gets rolled up for a few near falls. A monkey flip sends Drake into the corner but he blocks another one back out of it, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to drop Konley. A swinging neckbreaker gives Drake two and the fans are behind him. Drake knees him in the head for two more but Konley is right back with a kick to the chest. Konley gets two off a slingshot splash and a double stomp out of the corner makes it worse. The springboard splash hits raised boots though and the Gravy Train finishes Konley at 4:26.

Rating: C. They were trying hard here and Drake looked good while selling quite a bit. Konley was someone who showed potential in Impact but at the same time, Drake looked like a star who belonged on a bigger stage. Drake could be a big deal around here and I hope that is the case, because you can see the fire in his eyes every time he talks.

We recap Aldis vs. Storm, which is Storm’s last shot at the title. Storm accepted the challenge because he knows he can beat Aldis, as he has before.

Jocephus, a seemingly mad man, runs up to commentary and demands Storm come out here right now.

Back from a break and Jocephus is still shouting for Storm. Cornette: “Are you a meteorologist?” Cue National Champion James Storm, who says he is the only Storm that Jocephus needs to worry about. Storm calls Jocephus the kind of fake wrestler who could never walk a mile in his shoes. Go back to your desk job and leave the job of being a star to the real stars. The fight is on but referees break it up.

Wild Cards vs. Danny White/Mims

The Wild Cards (Tom Latimer/Royce Isaacs) are the Tag Team Champions but this is non-title. Isaacs runs White over to start and gets beaten up by Latimer (formerly known as Bram in Impact) and stomped by Isaacs. A powerbomb into a German suplex finishes White at 2:08.

The Wild Cards say this is what they were made for but here’s Eddie Kingston to mockingly applaud them. He calls Latimer Bram but then switches to Tommy Boy, who he is not here to disrespect. Royce complains but is threatened with a slap if he isn’t quiet. They may be a great team, but they do not speak for the outlaws. Cue Homicide to back up Kingston as Jocephus and Storm brawl through the curtain as well.

Back from a break with Storm breaking through security and chasing Jocephus around some more. Referees break it up again….for all of three seconds before it’s up into the crowd for a bit. Storm gets in the ring and calls Jocephus in, but he has to turn his back first. Hey let’s make it a match.

James Storm vs. Jocephus

Storm puts Jocephus’ thumb in his mouth for a little bonus humiliation. For a bonus, Storm goes to commentary and says the NWA is in the eye of the storm.

Video on Tim Storm, who is a wrestler, a teacher and a grandfather. He wants to do this when he’s 70 because he never wants to come off of the mountain. Aldis took the title from him in 2017 and, other than a quick run by Cody last year, has held it ever since. He needs one more shot at the title because he knows he can do it.

Storm (Tim this time) talks about how 6:05 on Saturdays defined him (when he was a young man of about 35 more than likely) but now it is his family, including his 94 year old mother, who only cares if he gets hurt. He is Mama Storm’s baby boy, which sets off a MAMA chant. The title defined him as a wrestler and he held it for over 400 days. Now it’s all he wants back and he kind of quotes Lose Yourself in regards to seizing the opportunity. Tonight is his night.

NWA World Title: Nick Aldis vs. Tim Storm

Aldis, with Kamille, is defending. We get the Big Match Intros and they are VERY to the point with just the names being announced, meaning no weights or hometowns, which makes for a weird intro. Aldis loses an early chop off to the bigger Storm, who wins a slugout in the corner as well. They head outside with Aldis sending him face first into the post and back first into the apron.

Back in and an elbow gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Storm sends him face first into the buckle for a double knockdown. Storm grabs a Figure Four (required) but a rope is eventually grabbed. With the holds not working, Storm gets two off a superplex and can’t believe the kickout. A high crossbody (with Storm slipping a bit) connects for two but we do get a PERFECT STORM chant. Storm misses a middle rope Swanton of all things and the fans are split this time.

Aldis’ top rope elbow hits the back and it’s the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf to stay on the spine. That’s broken up and we almost get a ref bump, allowing Storm to hit a low blow. The Perfect Storm (swinging Boss Man Slam) gets two so they go up top. That means a double headbutt to put both guys on the floor again. Aldis clotheslines Kamille by mistake and Storm posts him for a good staggering. Back in and Aldis grabs a small package out of nowhere to retain at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Not a great match or anything but you can tell Aldis is a polished wrestler. I don’t remember seeing much (if anything) from Storm before but he was perfectly fine. That being said, Aldis looked like a star and Storm looks like someone whose heyday was twenty plus years ago. It’s fine for a short form story, but changing the title here would have been insane and I’m glad it didn’t really come close to that.

Post match Aldis praises Storm as a real man and Kamille won’t speak about the missed clothesline. Storm takes the mic back and says it was a great win. Kamille doesn’t seem thrilled with that but leaves with Aldis anyway.

Roll credits.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this WAY better than I would have expected as the hour flew by, mainly due to the squash matches. What mattered here was they kept it short and to the point. The production is bare bones (there aren’t even entrance themes) and what you get here is a show build on the legacy, the wrestlers and their personalities. This show was designed to get you into the wrestlers and make you want to see more. The NWA has miles to go but this felt different in a good way, and that’s better than anyone would have expected from them a few years ago. Great start, and check this out if you have a chance.

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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 19, 2019
Location: St. Clair’s College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re down to two shows before the pay per view and again, it’s not the most interesting main event scene in the world. There are some good things going on but at the same time, the main event scene really isn’t inspiring. Hopefully the final two shows before Rebellion get better, but I’m not getting my hopes up. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage before we get to the title match at Rebellion, including Killer Kross and crooked referee Johnny Bravo joining Impact.

Opening sequence.

Fallah Bahh/Scarlett Bordeaux vs. Desi Hit Squad

Apparently KM is done with the company, though Bahh was the star of the team anyway. Bahh and Raju start things off with the big man easily taking over off a big shoulder. Raj Singh comes in for a kick to the ample gut so Bahh knocks him down and drops the big leg. It’s off to Scarlett so the Squad starts tagging in and out instead of having to fight her.

With that going nowhere, Bahh comes back in and fights both of them off. Singh gets in a spinebuster, which just seems to get on Bahh’s nerves. That’s fine with Singh, who hits a running dropkick to the side of the head. Bahh shoves him over for the tag (Callis: “The HOT tag if you know what I mean!”) and it’s Scarlett chopping Raju into a hurricanrana. Bahh DIVES onto the Squad and Scarlett adds one of her own and the fans are way, way into this.

Back in and Raju begs for a Stinkface and if you don’t know what’s coming here, you have no business watching wrestling. Scarlett can’t German suplex Raj but she can send him into Bahh for a belly to belly. A double Banzai Drop (with Scarlett on Bahh’s back) finishes Raj at 8:22.

Rating: D+. The best thing about Scarlett (ok one of the best things) is that she can work a match very well. She’s no mat general or anything but there’s a lot more to her than your traditional eye candy. That’s such a relief as otherwise, she would be a major step backwards for the women’s division. It’s fine to portray her as a bombshell because she can back it up, which makes all the difference in the world.

The Lucha Bros are ready for Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards but they haven’t forgotten about LAX.

The Deaners train for their Impact debut next week.

Eli doesn’t want to admit that Eddie was right but he’s happy with getting the Tag Team Title shot tonight.

The announcers recap last week’s main event and preview the rest of the night.

Tommy Dreamer is ready for Madman Fulton. They’ve both fought madmen before and tonight, Fulton is in for the fight of his life.

Moose vs. Dezmond Xavier

It’s the final Rascal vs. Moose, who throws Xavier off of a headlock. Some rights and lefts work a little better for Xavier but a right hand gets caught so Moose can wrench it around. An enziguri is shrugged off with Moose picking him up for a lawn dart into the corner. A catapult sends Xavier throat first into the middle rope and Moose, apparently bored, just stands on Xavier’s back.

Xavier manages to knock him outside but the dive is caught, allowing Moose to swing him head first into the steps. Moose powerbombs Xavier onto the other Rascalz but gets caught with an enziguri from Wentz. That’s enough for Xavier to grab a rollup for the surprise pin at 8:18.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what the point of this story has been, though at least the Rascalz didn’t get swept. It’s not like Moose should be having trouble with them, but maybe he shouldn’t have been destroying the team in the first place. There’s a good chance this isn’t over though, which isn’t likely to go well for the Rascalz.

Rosemary yells at Kiera Hogan for getting in over her head. Kiera says Allie is to blame for what happened to her but Rosemary doesn’t want to hear it. As long as there are two of them here, there will be two of them in the fight. That’s fine with Rosemary, who chokes Kiera out with a chain and says now it’s just one.

Moose is furious about losing and says two can play that game.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: Gail Kim retains the Knockouts Title over Awesome Kong at some show.

Tessa Blanchard doesn’t want to hear about Gail, because at 23 years old she’s already better than Gail ever was. All Gail is known for is marrying a chef, who wouldn’t have married her if he knew who Gail really was. That’s why she’s at Robert Irvine’s (Gail’s celebrity chef husband) restaurant and looks for him, eventually realizing that the chef is in the kitchen.

Before that though, she re-dirties a dishwasher’s dishes and finds out that Robert isn’t here today. That earns the replacement chef some sauce to the head. The manager comes in and gets soup on the head. Tessa says that makes it personal. I’d think that makes it business/legal actually.

Post break Gail says she won’t be pressing charges because she’ll teach Tessa a lesson in the ring. Tessa is what Gail used to be so she knows what to do.

Madman Fulton vs. Tommy Dreamer

Sami Callihan is here with Fulton. Tommy is dumb enough to go straight at him and gets punched in the back for his efforts. A trip to the floor means Tommy needs to go after Sami, who gets ejected as a result. Back in and Fulton kicks him in the face, setting up a hard whip into the corner and a bearhug. Dreamer bites his way out and hammers away in the corner but has to hurricanrana his way out of a powerbomb. They head outside with Fulton missing a big boot and crotching himself on the post.

That just seems to wake Fulton up so he crotches Dreamer on the barricade to even things out. A suplex slam into a splash gets one and it’s off to a waistlock. The side slam gives Fulton two but he misses a middle rope headbutt (from the side to avoid landing on his head in a smart move). Dreamer gets in a kick to the leg and the DDT but it’s kendo stick time instead of covering. Since it’s not smart to scream as you charge with a kendo stick, it’s a swinging Downward Spiral to finish Dreamer at 8:00.

Rating: C-. Match of the night so far and that should tell you a lot. Having Fulton get his I Pinned Tommy Dreamer beginners’ badge is a good starting point, though just being a big monster is probably good enough. I could see going somewhere with Fulton as the muscle of OVE, which is turning into a nice stable.

Post match Fulton goes after Dreamer again, drawing in Willie Mack for the save. The Crists come in and take Mack down so Rich Swann makes another save, earning himself a beatdown from Callihan. Dreamer’s arm is Pillmanized and Callihan calls Swann his little brother as OVE stands tall.

Rob Van Dam is happy to be coming back.

The Deaners are STILL coming next week. These guys are going to overstay their welcome in a hurry.

Dreamer is going to a hospital to get his arm looked at. Swann and Mack are cool and Swann leaves. Killer Kross again comes in and asks why Mack has to make so many saves. Mack goes into a weird tangent about Moose being the annoying uncle who likes potato salad. Kross vs. Moose next week.

Madison Rayne vs. Taya Valkyrie

We get a sitdown interview with Johnny Impact at Johnny’s home. He doesn’t like Bravo being referred to as his errand boy and says he’s ready for Cage at Rebellion. What Cage doesn’t understand is that it doesn’t matter what people think. Impact can get to anyone in Cage’s life and that’s his downfall. Cage will never live up to his potential because he doesn’t get how this business work.

Tag Team Titles: Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake vs. Lucha Bros

Drake and Edwards are challenging. Fenix kicks both challengers down to start and it’s Pentagon coming in as well for the early posing. It’s way too early for the spike Pentagon Driver though and it’s Drake making the save to calm things down. Fenix gets dragged to the challengers’ corner and the rolling cutter is countered into a torture rack/top rope knee drop combination.

Rating: B-. Is it any surprise that the Lucha Bros were the most entertaining things on the show? It was very fun while it lasted, even though they managed to get interference and three attempts at a single finisher, counting the actual finish. I’m glad they didn’t change the titles here, though at the same time I’m a little surprised that they didn’t. Just give us more Lucha Bros and everything will be fine.

Post match Eddie offers Drake condolences but gets laid out. A big beating with Kenny, including a shot to the head, ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Can we please just get done with Rebellion already? It feels like they’re dragging their way to the show as I can barely find a reason to get interested in almost anything that’s coming up on the show. This wasn’t a bad show, but there’s nothing to get invested in and I don’t see that changing as we get closer to the pay per view. The show itself is likely going to work (they almost always do) but the TV is just there week to week. It’s nothing bad most of the time, but egads I can’t get interested in what they’re doing.

Results

Fallah Bahh/Scarlett Bordeaux b. Desi Hit Squad – Double Banzai Drop to Raju.

Dezmond Xavier b. Moose – Rollup

Madman Fulton b. Tommy Dreamer – Swinging Downward Spiral

Madison Rayne b. Taya Valkyrie – Rollup

Lucha Bros b. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake – Spike Fear Factor to Drake

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: St. Clair’s College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

So in the middle of all the insanity that is Wrestlemania weekend, we have this show in pursuit of anyone remembering that it’s actually taking place. That’s kind of a shame actually as things are pretty decent at the moment with Johnny Impact’s overdue heel turn already paying dividends. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap serves its lone function.

Opening sequence.

Petey Williams vs. Trey Miguel vs. Idris Abraham vs. Jake Crist vs. Aiden Prince vs. Ace Austin

Great. Williams is back. One fall to a finish so everything is insane to start with Austin being the last man standing, earning him a quadruple superkick until it’s Austin vs. Abraham alone in the ring. Williams replaces Abraham in a hurry with Petey grabbing a German suplex for two. Now it’s Prince taking Williams’ place and suplexing Austin for two. Abraham and his huge afro are back in with Trey spinning away from him. Crist is back in with a Death Valley Driver but Abraham drops him with a Blue Thunder Bomb.

Not to be outdone, Austin drops a frog splash for two on Abraham and drops Miguel with a swinging neckbreaker. Williams’ swinging Russian legsweep gets two on Miguel and the Sharpshooter goes on. That’s broken up so it’s O Canada to Crist in the corner. Austin puts Prince over Crist in the corner and it’s the Tower of Doom to bring everyone down. The Canadian Destroyer gives Petey two on Austin and it’s Prince flip diving onto Austin and Abraham on the floor. Back in and Williams hits a super Canadian Destroyer to finish Crist at 8:35.

Rating: C+. So you know every match with all of these people thrown into a match with everyone hitting their spots and moving on? This was the most recent one of them that I’ve seen. There’s nothing to separate them from the rest of their kind and Petey Williams is far from inspiring.

LAX and Konnan want to use Full Metal Mayhem to earn respect from the Lucha Bros.

Taya Valkyrie doesn’t care that she lost to Jordynne Grace last week. Madison Rayne comes in and says she wants a title match. Jordynne comes in and wants her rematch for the title but Taya makes a #1 contenders match for later tonight for the Rebellion title match.

Announcers’ preview.

OVE vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Sami Callihan/Madman Fulton for OVE. Swann, now clean shaven, goes straight after Callihan to start and flips over him into the dropkick. Mack comes in, shrugs off a cheap shot from Fulton, and hits a 619 to Callihan’s ribs. Fulton’s second interference works a bit better and it’s Sami scoring with a clothesline to send us to a break. Back with Fulton suplex slamming Swann for two but Mack comes right back with a spinebuster.

A standing moonsault gets two but Fulton breaks up the hot tag attempt. The neck crank goes on for a bit until the break allows the hot tag off to Swann. Everything breaks down and Fulton is hurricanranaed to the floor, leaving Callihan to take a Lethal Injection. The Phoenix Splash misses and everyone but Mack heads outside, meaning it’s a big flip dive onto all three. Back in and Mack breaks up a Cactus Piledriver but gets slammed down by Fulton. The Cactus Piledriver finishes Swann at 14:01.

Rating: C+. This was mainly about making Fulton look like a monster and….they only kind of did that. Granted when you’re as big as Fulton, the monster thing is already included so it’s not the biggest deal in the world. This story has been going on for a long time now and I’d assume that Callihan gets the title soon. Like at Rebellion maybe.

Post match the beatdown is on until Tommy Dreamer makes the save with a chair.

Johnny Impact gets annoyed at being asked questions about Brian Cage and threatens to John Stossel Menendez. Killer Kross comes up and puts his arm around Menendez, saying he should get a title shot someday. Johnny looks worried.

Moose invades the Rascalz’ room and brings a female friend, with an invitation to bring a bunch of animals in as well.

GWN Classic Moment of the Week: Full Metal Mayhem at Bound For Glory 2011.

Rosemary goes to Allie’s grave and rants about Kiera Hogan and James Mitchell, plus her father Kevin Sullivan, all of whom are to blame. Then she disappears.

Jordynne Grace vs. Madison Rayne

The winner gets the Knockouts Title shot t at Rebellion. Grace throws her down with ease to start and then does it again even harder. Rayne’s middle rope crossbody bounces off of her so a rollup works a little better. An enziguri gives Rayne two but Grace Pounces her right back down.

Some knees to the back set up a not quite giant swing as Rayne’s back is in trouble. A backbreaker into a side slam keep Rayne down but the Vader Bomb misses. Rayne gets two off a high crossbody and she gets in a rear naked choke. That’s broken up as well and a torture rack into a spinning powerbomb gives Grace two. Grace has had it and the Grace Driver finishes Rayne at 8:48.

Rating: C. This is why Rayne was brought back in. She’s not the best in the world, but you’re going to get a good match from her and everything she does looks fine. Couple that with a resume and a pretty good promo and it’s easy to see the value in her. Put her in there with the newer talent and see what she can do for them.

Post match here’s Taya for a fight with Grace but Johnny comes out for a distract so Taya can beat her down. Johnny goes up for the Countdown To Impact but Cage makes the save.

Josh Alexander is coming and is presented like a psychopathic killer in amateur wrestling gear.

Josh recruits Ethan Page as his partner.

Rohit Raju vs. Fallah Bahh

Raju has both Singhs with him but there’s no KM. Bahh jumps over an early legsweep attempt and hits the spinning belly to belly. The charge hits post but Bahh is fine with a Samoan drop. There’s a running crossbody to set up the Banzai Drop but Singh knocks Bahh down, giving Raju the pin with feet on the ropes at 2:59.

Post match here’s Scarlett Bordeaux to slap Raju and it’s a double splash in the corner. Scarlett’s running hip attack (after pulling the dress up) lets her celebrate with Bahh.

The Deaners, a couple of rednecks, get Impact contracts.

Swann vs. Callihan for the X-Division Title is set for Rebellion.

Video on Gail Kim’s Hall of Fame career and the current feud with Tessa Blanchard.

Tessa Blanchard says Gail was great in the era of bra and panties match. Now people like Gail and Madison are trying to relive their glory days. This is Tessa’s era and in this era, Gail isn’t a legend.

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards vs. LAX

Before the match, Konnan gets in an argument with Drake and punches him, meaning it’s an early ejection. The fight is on and we do that really annoying thing of taking a break less than twenty seconds in. Back with Santana punching Eddie until a blind tag lets Drake come in and take over. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two on Ortiz and it’s back to Eddie for a headbutt, which might hurt him more given the thickness of that hair. Drake gets two off a neckbreaker but Ortiz is right back with a middle rope dropkick for a breather.

It’s back to Santana to pick up the pace as everything breaks down. A tiger driver gives Eddie two on Santana with Ortiz making the save. That means a rolling cutter into a Codebreaker into a superkick into the double belly to back faceplant for two on Eddie with Drake making the save. The Street Sweeper is loaded up but here are the Lucha Bros for a distraction. That’s enough for Drake to get in a shot with Kenny, setting up the Boston Knee Party to finish Ortiz at 10:55.

Post match the Lucha Bros runs in and beat down LAX, with Santana being powerbombed through a table to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Nothing was bad on here, though nothing was must see either. That’s not a bad place to be for a show like this with very little importance. Rebellion is looking like any Impact pay per view: a solid card up and down but nothing that I’m overly excited to see. I’ll take a good but not great card over nothing shows though so they’ve moved to a nice new reality.

Results

Petey Williams b. Trey Miguel, Idris Abraham, Jake Crist, Aiden Prince and Ace Austin – Super Canadian Destroyer to Crist

OVE b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Cactus Piledriver to Swann

Jordynne Grace b. Madison Rayne – Grace Driver

Fallah Bahh b. Rohit Raju – Rollup with feet on the ropes

Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake b. LAX – Boston Knee Party to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 15, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Mexico City and the big story coming out of last week saw the Lucha Bros become the new Tag Team Champions with about 184 piledrivers. The big question now is where things go from here, though tonight being the Uncaged special should help a lot. That means a stacked card, including the World Cup match (meaning a company vs. company tag) and a four way for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at tonight’s big matches, mainly focusing on the World Cup and the World Title. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Street fight with Tessa challenging while wearing jeans and a shirt that her dad wore back in the 80s. Tessa charges up the ramp with a chair but gets taken down for some right hands. They get inside with a table already set up in the corner as Tessa loads up a chair in the corner. Taya runs her over and sends things outside but takes too long posing, allowing Tessa to blast her in the head. A running dropkick drives a chair into Taya’s head into the barricade but the champ is back with a sign shot.

Tessa takes a beer to the face but she wraps a chair around Taya’s neck and drives it into the post. Since this is modern wrestling, Taya is up without much damage done. Back in and we hit the choke with a cable cord and it’s time to rip off Taya’s shirt. Taya finally manages to send her into the chair in the corner, followed by a chair driving a metal sheet between Tessa’s legs. Tessa is right back up and throws in a bunch of chairs, one of which is pelted at her head.

Taya gets thrown onto a pile of chairs though and we take a break. Back with the two of them sitting in the chairs for a slap off until Taya kicks a chair into Tessa’s face for two. A spear drives Taya into the table in the corner but they bounce off for a good visual. It works so well that they do it again and the thing still doesn’t break. Tessa loads up a regular table but gets shoved outside for a big plancha from the top. Back in and Taya hits a top rope double stomp through the table to retain at 17:56.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here and it felt like a fight, which is exactly the point. Taya needs a fresh challenger and while Tessa is still the best in the whole division, it’s time for someone to take her place. She can be back later on with no issues as she’s that good, though they had a good match here to wrap up the feud.

The announcers preview the show.

GWN Flashback of the Week: Team Impact vs. Team AAA from Bound For Glory 2017. At least it ties into later tonight.

Team Impact is ready to win tonight but they’re not sure on the team captain. Sami Callihan goes to take care of something so Eli Drake takes charge and gives them a pep talk.

Ethan Page vs. Willie Mack

Mack is now Hot Chocolate. Page slugs away to start but Mack does a dancing handstand in the corner because he can. A double nipple twist has Page in more trouble so he grabs a running DDT to take him down. Mack’s suplex puts Page down but a middle rope enziguri of all things (that’s a new one) gives Page two. Mack hits his running strikes in the corner, including the reverse Cannonball. A standing moonsault gets two so Page kicks him in the head a few times. Those have limited effect on Mack’s hard head and the Stunner finishes Page at 5:03.

Rating: C-. Didn’t have time to go anywhere but Mack is ready to break into the next level. That’s the case with every promotion he’s in and for some reason it just never happens. This might be the place though as Mack is getting pushed well enough around here and stays on TV, even in a quick match like this one.

Killer Kross says tonight is like a 3-1 handicap match for Johnny. Everyone pays the toll.

The Crist Brothers follow Mack and seem to jump him.

Team AAA speaks Spanish.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. Everyone knows he and Rich Swann are brothers and what Swann said last week is fake news. Sami has given him multiple chances to join OVE so tonight is the final offer. A serious Swann comes out and throws the shirt away again so the fight is on. Sami gets the better of it and piledrives Swann on the stage, followed by a toss through a table.

World Cup: Team Impact vs. Team AAA

Impact: Fallah Bahh, Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan

AAA: Hijo Del Vikingo, Aerostar, Puma King, Psycho Clown

Elimination rules and thankfully we get a mention of Callihan vs. Drake from last year. Clown and Callihan slug it out to start as Callis wonders if Callihan can be traded to Mexico. A middle rope crossbody takes Callihan down and it’s off to Aerostar for a top rope corkscrew crossbody, followed by a Codebreaker in the corner. Drake comes in and hammers away but Aerostar quickly brings in Vikingo.

The pace pics up and the fast tags begin, capped off by King brainbustering Edwards for two. That’s enough to bring Bahh in for the first time with a belly to belly suplex planting King. Everyone comes in for the big staredown but wind up on the floor just as fast. Back in and King snaps off a running hurricanrana to Edwards.

Aerostar hits the first running dive (How did we not get to one of those yet?) and Bahh dives off the apron for a bonus. Vikingo adds a crazy springboard inverted moonsault before going up again, only to get powerslammed down by Drake. It’s time for the kendo stick but Edwards doesn’t like it, allowing King to roll Drake up for the elimination at 9:01.

Back from a break with Callihan chinlocking King until Bahh slams Callihan onto him for a near fall. Since Bahh isn’t very good, a single shot slows him down and it’s off to Vikingo to springboard Codebreak Callihan. Vikingo gets to clean house and kicks Bahh into the corner without much effort. A dive is countered into a powerslam though and Vikingo is out at 15:49. Aerostar comes in for a variety of dropkicks before avoiding a Banzai Drop to pin Bahh at 16:40.

It’s Edwards in now and a rolling cutter takes him down, only to have the Boston Knee Party take care of Aerostar at 17:39. We’re down to King/Clown vs. Callihan/Edwards and King powerbombs Callihan for two. Not to be outdone, Callihan piledrives King for the elimination at 18:39 to continue the rapid fire eliminations. Clown says bring it on and beats both of them up in a hurry until a Boston Knee Party takes him down.

Not so fast though as Sami wants the pin and gets rolled up to make it one on one at 20:06. They slug it out with Eddie being sent outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Clown gets two off Sliced Bread #2 but here’s Drake to hit Edwards with the kendo stick. Clown grabs la majistral for the final pin at 23:12.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can give this one is that it didn’t feel long and the right team won, though it’s not like this means anything long term. To be fair though, it’s not like it was supposed to and the whole World Cup thing is just a nice bit of marketing. All in all, it’s perfectly watchable and that’s not a bad thing to have going for you.

Reno Scumm is coming back. Dang it why?

We look back at the Lucha Bros taking the Tag Team Titles from LAX.

Konnan is going to get LAX one more shot but that’s it.

Allie and Su Yung are panicking about Rosemary, who seems to hack the feed.

Scarlett Bordeaux is in bed in lingerie and promises to make her in-ring debut in Las Vegas.

Next week: Edwards vs. Drake.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage vs. Killer Kross vs. Moose

Impact is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Moose gets low bridged outside early on and it’s time to kick people in the head. Cage sends the champ outside though and it’s the big flip dive onto all three of them. Back in and it’s a double powerbomb to plant Impact but Moose and Kross fight over the pin. I’m as shocked as you are but the alliance actually continues, this time with a double teaming on Cage.

Shockingly enough, Moose rolls Kross up for two and there’s the first suplex to Moose. Impact gets back up and starts cleaning house until Moose kicks him in the head. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Impact but Cage German suplexes both other monsters at the same time. Everyone hits everyone in the face until Impact’s springboard spear hits Cage for a four way knockdown.

It’s Impact up first and they all heads to the corner for the required Tower of Doom. Instead of covering, Kross switches gears a bit with a cross armbreaker on Impact but Cage makes the save with a dragon sleeper to Kross. It’s Kross up again with some suplexes all around but Impact kicks him in the face for two more. A pop up powerbomb into a backsplash gives Moose two, only to walk into the Drill Claw from Cage. Impact is right up with Starship Pain for the pin on Moose at 10:37, just as Cage had Kross pinned off the Drill Claw.

Rating: B-. It was entertaining while it lasted and the more I think about it, the more I think it should have been a bit shorter like this. The problem is that it’s still not a great story and Cage has no reason to be annoyed here because he lost the match completely clean. I’m not sure why this is going to keep going, even though it feels like it has been forever already.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the action shows and that’s where Impact works best. The worst match was the short Mack vs. Page match and even that was perfectly watchable. What we got here was almost all wrestling and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when Impact isn’t the best storytelling company in the world. I had a very good time here and it worked quite well with one of their better shows in a long time.

Results

Taya Valkyrie b. Tessa Blanchard – Top rope double stomp through a table

Willie Mack b. Ethan Page – Stunner

Team AAA b. Team Impact – La majistral to Edwards

Johnny Impact b. Moose, Killer Kross and Brian Cage – Starship Pain to Moose

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 1, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Mexico and last week, that was a good thing. There’s all kinds of extra talent to throw in there and you never know what kind of surprises you’re going to find. Some of the stuff around here has been rather good as of late and there’s a strong chance they’ll keep that going. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks back at last week’s big stories. As usual, the main event scene doesn’t feel like anything that stands above the rest in the slightest.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Taurus vs. LAX/Daga

It’s a big staredown to start until Santana and Pentagon actually get things going. There’s no contact in the first minute so Fenix flips in to dropkick Santana down. Everything breaks down (well duh) and Daga hits the big flip dive onto Taurus. It’s back to Santana and Pentagon for a chop off as I’m very glad they’re going with lucha rules here as it’s the only logical move. Santana backflips into a rolling cutter for two on Taurus and Ortiz gets two off a splash.

A little miscommunication lets Fenix come in with a dropkick to Ortiz’s back but he grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to drop Fenix. The double tags bring Taurus and Daga back in with Daga getting two off a bridging German suplex. Ortiz sends Taurus outside and it’s time for the parade of dives. Fenix hits a CRAZY high one and we take a break. Back with all six inside and a spike Fear Factor finishes Ortiz at 14:53. The post break stuff was less than a minute.

Rating: B-. Exactly what it needed to be here as we continue to move towards the big rematch with the Lucha Bros likely winning the titles in Mexico for a cool moment. These guys are incredibly entertaining and that’s exactly what a match like this was supposed to be. Just let them go nuts and set up the big match down the line while waking the fans up for the start of a show. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Pentagon lays out the challenge for the rematch next week. It’s on.

The announcers preview the show.

Killer Kross and Moose are fired up for their tag match with Brian Cage and Johnny Impact. A lot of shouting ensues.

Konnan tells Santana and Ortiz to be ready for next week. He wants them to keep it professional and they’re cool with that.

GWN Flashback of the Week: a triple threat tag match for the Tag Team Titles with a date not important enough to mention. LAX retained though.

Su Yung/Allie vs. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace

Grace isn’t about to get jumped from behind and shrugs both of them off without much effort. Allie gets thrown into Yung and it’s Hogan coming in for two off a splash. A dropkick sends Yung into the corner for a running hip attack (Hogan keeps pointing at them so it makes sense that she would attack with them). Grace comes in for a fall away slam and it’s off to Allie, who gets dropped in a hurry as well. Yung tries some mist but Allie uses the distraction to nail a superkick on the floor and take over for the first time.

Back in and Su seems to freak out a bit but it’s just a way to draw Kiera in. See, she’s crazy and smart at the same time. A double leg snap keeps Grace in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Grace starts shrugging off clotheslines and runs Allie over, allowing….well nothing yet as the lights go out. They come back up with Rosemary having taken Yung’s place and reaching out for a tag. Allie panics though and walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Hogan the pin at 7:33.

Rating: D. I like the idea of the Dark Allie story with Rosemary wanting to go into the world of darkness to save her friend, but it loses a ton of steam with Allie losing so many times. She’s not a threat and she’s not menacing, but for some reason I should want to see her vanquished? Neither Allie nor Yung have been mentioned in the Knockouts Title hunt so they’re not on a reign of terror or anything, so why should I need to see Allie be saved?

Scarlett Bordeaux knocks Bobo into a pool. This has been your eye candy moment.

Rascalz vs. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake

Xavier and Wentz for the Rascalz here. Eli has to talk Eddie out of swinging the Singapore cane so Eddie goes in alone to start with Wentz. Eddie works on the arm so Drake tags himself in and gets armbarred for his efforts. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Wentz two and it’s time for the double teaming to begin. Xavier gets two off a double stomp to the back and Wentz adds a slingshot hilo for two of his own.

Eddie is back in and Drake pulls Wentz off the top, much to Eddie’s annoyance. Therefore it’s back to Drake for a side slam and we hit the chinlock. Wentz fights up and hits a handspring knee to the face to drop Eddie. Drake breaks up a hot tag attempt though and comes back in, only to allow the hot tag a few seconds later.

The Rascalz load up a double DDT but Drake reverses into a double northern lights suplex….which gives Wentz two as I guess it was reversed into the DDT after all? It didn’t quite look to connect but close enough. Eddie makes the save and dives onto Wentz before grabbing the stick. The referee isn’t letting that happen so Drake takes it away and knocks Xavier silly. The Gravy Train connects for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C. I can live with the Rascalz losing to a pair of former World and Tag Team Champions with cheating involved. Drake and Edwards could lead somewhere interesting and I can always go for more Drake on this show, as he’s one of the best things around. The Rascalz are as well and they’re going to be fine going forward.

Post match Eddie isn’t sure what to think.

We look back at Tessa Blanchard attacking Gail Kim.

Tessa sends in a response via Twitter and promises to come back on February 15 to get her title back.

We look back at Sami Callihan offering Rich Swann a spot in OVE.

Swann talks about having no family when he was 18 when he met Sami. They traveled the roads together and became a family. Then Swann learned more about Sami and who he was, so while Swann will always care for him, they aren’t family anymore.

Taya Valkyrie is ready for Tessa and we might as well just make it a street fight.

Fallah Bahh vs. Psycho Clown

Clown is a pretty big star in Mexico so this isn’t a comedy match. He even has Dr. Wagner Jr.’s mask, which is a serious deal around here. Bahh runs him down with the power of the gut to start so Clown forearms him without much avail. Clown gets knocked outside and splashed as Callis doesn’t seem comfortable with clowns in general.

A tear at the mask just annoys Clown, who ties Bahh in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. Clown hits a suicide dive into a running flip dive but Bahh, apparently not a Del Rio fan (And who is?), shrugs it off and hits a belly to belly. A running splash in the corner crushes Clown but a regular version misses, allowing Clown to grab la majistral for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I’ve never cared for Bahh so someone beating him isn’t exactly going to make me care all that much. Clown is a name in Mexico and is going to be involved in the upcoming World Cup competition, but a win over a comedy guy is hardly the way to make him seem like a big deal.

Cage and Impact agree to work together tonight.

Clown fires up Team AAA for the World Cup match against Team Impact.

Preview of next week’s show.

Killer Kross/Moose vs. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage

This still feels like a midcard feud. Moose shoves Impact down and strikes some poses before shouldering him to the mat and doing it again. Impact snaps off a hurricanrana so Moose nips up. A dropkick works better for Johnny so it’s off to Kross vs. Cage, the latter of whom has to tag himself in. Cage shoulders away and slams Kross down but Impact tags himself in as well.

A Moose cheap shot lets Kross throw Impact with a suplex and the villains take over. Kross and Moose take turns stomping away in the corner, which isn’t the most dastardly offense. Moose sends him into another corner to mix things up a little bit before handing it back to Kross for a dragon sleeper. A belly to back suplex gives Moose two but Johnny finally rolls away and makes the hot tag off to Cage.

Everything breaks down and Moose hits the middle rope chokebomb on Cage as Impact tags himself back in. The running knee to the head gets two on Moose and there’s a 619 for good measure. Cage gets in the way of the Flying Chuck though and the near fight lets Moose hit a spear (Cage saw it coming and did nothing to stop it) for the pin (again, with Cage not moving) on Impact at 11:46.

Rating: C-. Again, it’s still just a fine match with nothing beyond that, especially as far as interest goes. The wrestling was watchable and the story has made sense, but there’s nothing going on that makes me want to see where this is going. There’s no reason this needs to be for the World Title, but where else is it supposed to be right now?

Cage leaves on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place but what worked was quite good and the bad stuff was more just not my taste than anything else. The stuff they’ve built up for the future sounds good though and that’s one of the best things that you can get out of a show like this. Just let the big stuff deliver and the show will get a lot better.

Results

Lucha Bros/Taurus b. LAX/Daga – Spike Fear Factor to Ortiz

Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace b. Su Yung/Allie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Allie

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards b. Rascalz – Gravy Train to Xavier

Psycho Clown b. Fallah Bahh – La majistal

Moose/Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage – Spear to Impact

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: WrestleCade

WrestleCade 2018 Supershow
Date: November 24, 2018
Location: Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Commentators: Blake Chadrick, Cyrus Fees

So this is kind of like WrestleCon Thanksgiving with a big wrestling convention and a few shows, including this supershow. I’ve wanted to go down to this for a few years but I might as well take a look at the major show. This could be anywhere from great to horrible and it’s hard to guess one way or another. Let’s get to it.

National Anthem. You don’t get that very often outside of Wrestlemania.

Opening sequence, mainly including clips of past conventions and shows. Makes sense, even if this isn’t something you would expect on a show like this.

Apparently there was a dark match with Billy Gunn losing to Vanguard Championship Wrestling Champion Brandon Scott. Fair enough.

Eli Drake vs. Hurricane Helms

Not bad for an opener. Hurricane has Kelly Kelly and the H2 Empress (his wife) with him. Before the match, Drake says a year ago, he stood right here as the Impact Wrestling World Champion. Now, as the greatest wrestler on this planet, he knows there are two places you want to be: in the main event or in the opener. He wants to get this done so he can go get his, ahem, Pop Tarts (read as pie) so let’s downgrade Hurricane to a light breeze.

Hurricane starts in on the arm but gets shoved down, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to send Hurricane outside. That goes nowhere so Drake reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker for two back inside. A swinging neckbreaker (we get the point) gives Drake two more as he’s working the neck to set up the Gravy Train. Hurricane makes the comeback with a neckbreaker of his own but the chokeslam is broken up with an atomic drop. Drake makes the mistake of going after the women though and gets slammed off the top. The chokeslam gives Hurricane the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C-. This was fine for an opener as Drake is a star and Hurricane is going to get a reaction from his reputation and mannerisms alone. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and on a show like this, there are going to be more than enough people going out there and trying to steal the show. This was more of a curiosity match and for the spot they were in, that’s all it needed to be.

The announcers talk about Taya Valkyrie vs. Penelope Ford coming up later tonight.

The Boys vs. War Kings

That would be Dalton Castle’s Boys vs. Crimson/Jax Dane (the Veterans of War from TNA) with Animal in their corner for some reason, meaning they have the LOD face paint on. The Boys are cleared out for trying a handshake early on. Serves them right. Dane starts with we’ll say #1 (their names are Brent and Brandon but the announcers can’t tell them apart either) with a standing fall away slam sending #1 flying.

Crimson comes in to chop #2 but a very delayed vertical suplex is broken up with a kid to the knee. A double Eat Defeat and a double clothesline put Crimson on the floor, setting up a double suicide dive. Back in and Crimson launches #1 into the air for a crash, allowing the tag back to Dane. A pop up spinebuster crushes #1 but we get some “they might as well be twins” magic….and it doesn’t matter as #2 takes a fireman’s carry into a cutter to give the Kings the pin at 5:09.

Rating: D-. Nothing to see here at all as it was just a squash, though I’m still not sure what the point was in having Animal out there. The War Kings are fine for a power team and having them destroy the Boys for a little while was fine. That being said, was there really a point in having a squash on a one off show like this?

CW Anderson vs. Kid Kash

Jerry Lynn is guest referee. Anderson has John Skyler and an unnamed blonde with him. Kash on the other hand has Joel Gertner with him, who might be able to explain how the 49 year old Kash can still be a kid. Gertner does get in a PG-13 version of his signature dirty introductions, which are still funny after all these years. They run the ropes to start and Kash sends him outside for a big flip dive.

Back in and a top rope clothesline gets two on Anderson, who is right back up with a spinebuster. They head outside again and it’s time for a chair, with Anderson sending him shoulder first into the post and then pelting the chair at said shoulder. That’s very Anderson of him. The armbar goes on for a few seconds, followed by a heck of a left hand (again, very Anderson of him) as the announcers talk about Kash’s time as part of the Pitbulls in WWE.

Kash gets in a clothesline for a breather and it’s time to slug it out. A powerslam gives Kash two but he gets caught in a superplex to put them both down. Skyler gets inside to yell at Lynn….and here’s New Jack with the weapons. Jack starts cleaning house, including with a vacuum between the legs. A swing at Lynn sends him running off but he comes back in to take a chair away from Kash. The distraction lets Anderson hit a superkick to finish Kash at 11:02.

Rating: D+. The wrestling we got wasn’t terrible, though the completely random Jack cameo didn’t do the match any favors. If they just have to do the ECW match, at least it was someone different than the Tommy Dreamer/Sandman/everyone else that always gets these spots. Anderson wasn’t too bad and Kash, despite being ancient, was fine as well. Not a good match, but it could have been much worse.

Post match Anderson asks the ECW alumni to come get in the ring, so here are Blue Meanie, Shane Douglas, Chris Hamrick and a few others. This is an ad for an upcoming ECW panel so it’s hardly the worst thing in the world.

MVP/Moose vs. Carlito/Eddie Edwards

What a completely random match that you would only get on a show like this one. Side note: how in the world did Carlito never get a run in TNA? He’s kind of perfect for that place, especially in a quick run. Eddie in in his TNA hardcore mode here, which isn’t the worst idea in the world. It makes extra sense when Moose is in there with him, so we’re at least getting some continuity from the bigger show. In something I don’t think I’ve ever seen: the referee is wearing glasses.

MVP and Moose can’t decide who start so we pause for Eddie to high five a fan. We start with MVP and Carlito, the latter of whom doesn’t want to hear about the apple. The fans DEMAND an apple so someone brings one from the back, allowing the two of them to finally lock up. MVP headlocks him down and then headstands his way out of a headscissors, offering Carlito a friendly tap to the chest. Carlito scores with a dropkick so now it’s off to Moose vs. Edwards to start the fight.

Eddie wastes no time in sending him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Moose gets in a shot to the face, allowing MVP to come in for some stomps. Eddie chops away at Moose though, giving us the always cool visual of the sweat flying off his chest. MVP comes back in and grabs a chinlock, followed by Ballin for two.

Moose tries his own but only hits mat, allowing the hot tag off to Carlito. House is cleaned in a hurry with a Roll of the Dice getting two on MVP. Moose makes the save and fights to the floor with Eddie as everything breaks down. MVP can’t hit the Playmaker on Eddie and there’s the apple spit in MVP’s face. A DDT gives Eddie the pin at 11:54.

Rating: D+. Just a tag match here and the kind of weird combinations that work very well on a show like this. MVP and Carlito didn’t do anything for me most of the time but they can wrestle a perfectly fine match like this one. Eddie being aggressive and crazy still works well and this was fine, especially with the apple actually playing into the finish after getting the attention at the start.

Penelope Ford vs. Taya Valkyrie

Hardcore with Amber O’Neal (former NWA Women’s World Champion and Luke Gallows’ wife) as referee. Ford is Joey Janela’s girlfriend who had a star making performance at All In. Taya’s entrance takes some time so Ford blasts her in the face with a trashcan to start. Valkyrie gets posted and it’s time to bring in some toys, like a ladder and a chair. A handspring back elbow drives the ladder into Taya but she’s right back with a spear to take Ford down.

The ladder is laid across the middle rope and Taya suplexes her onto it, with the ladder not budging a bit for a very scary landing. Taya puts a chair between Ford’s legs and dropkicks a trashcan into said chair, drawing quite the gasp. It’s table time, which can mean a variety of things at a show like this. They head outside with Taya ripping open Ford’s sweater for a chop but getting whipped into the barricade. Another table is set up but they fight into the crowd and have a seat in a pair of chairs.

That means a slap off, with Ford nearly falling out of her top, to the point where the black tape can be seen. Taya gets the better of it and hammers Ford back to ringside, only to be sent into a table that of course doesn’t break. Ford going face first into it doesn’t work either but Taya taking her shirt off gets a much more positive reaction. Back inside and Ford fires off some kicks in the corner, followed by a DDT onto an open chair for two.

Taya gets in one on the closed chair but she takes WAY too much time loading up a middle rope splash through the table. Ford takes too long with her super hurricanrana though and it’s a superbomb through the table to give Taya the pin at 16:06. O’Neal wasn’t a factor whatsoever.

Rating: C. I’ll give them big points here having a physical fight with the weapons being used like any men’s match of the same rules. So many times you’ll see a women’s match with some weak weapons usage but they were beating the fire out of each other here. Second, it was a big relief to not have the announcers talk about their rather revealing gear. It wasn’t mentioned once when it was almost impossible to ignore. Yeah it’s there, but focus on what you’re getting instead. Nice surprise here, with the extra time not even being a problem.

The announcers preview the rest of the show as the ring is cleared.

Crazzy Steve vs. Vampiro

Casket match and I forgot Steve existed, though he has Sinister Minister (James Mitchell) with him. Steve jumps him before the bell and Vampiro falls to the floor but is still able to whip Steve into the barricade. Another whip sends Vampiro into the side of the casket but Vampiro looks to be near death. Like more so than usual.

They brawl into the crowd and you can barely see anything more than Vampiro’s head. Steve hits a running something and bites Vampiro’s head before they head back to ringside. Vampiro looks for a weapon but settles for a Nail in the Coffin onto the coffin instead. So Nail on the Coffin. Minister comes in for a low blow and Steve adds some mist to the face for the win at about 6:15 (remember no opening bell).

Rating: D-. I heard good things about this match and yet this is what we got. It didn’t have any time and really, that’s probably the best thing possible as Vampiro looked horribly out of shape here and seemed barely able to do anything more than walk around. Bad match, bad execution and a bad idea in general, with the one good thing being they went home in a hurry. That’s actually a big point as so many matches would just keep going no matter how bad it was.

Post match Vampiro grabs the mic and talks about doing this since 1984. He’s beaten cancer and survived a broken back and he didn’t fly from Colombia to have these two censoreds do this. Vampiro does these things on special occasions and that’s not how this is ending because the people didn’t come here to see that. He doesn’t need to get booked on any show because he is the show. Next year, he’s showing up to face the two of them in a cage with no rules and no time limit. Vampiro asks the fans to cheer for him to wrap things up. Uh, yeah Vampiro. You do all those things.

AML Title: Caleb Konley vs. Jason Kincaid vs. Luchasaurus vs. Marty The Moth vs. Mil Muertes vs. Psicosis

This is the America’s Most Liked Wrestling Title and Konley is defending in a ladder match. If nothing else I get a nice flashback with Psicosis’ old WCW music. I haven’t heard that in years. Luchasaurus is better known as Vibora in Lucha Underground and Judas Devlin in NXT. For reasons I don’t understand, he’s a face here, because when you think monster with a mask, you think face. Konley is the hometown boy and brings in his own ladder.

That leaves Kincaid to hit a big springboard armdrag but Psicosis backdrops him onto the pile in the required spot. Psicosis hits his own dive and it’s time for the first ladder. A headscissors sends Luchasaurus into the ladder in the corner and it’s off to Kincaid to hammer on Muertes. A springboard dropkick doesn’t work on Muertes but an X Factor does. Muertes no sells a monkey flip into the ladder and it’s a chokeslam to send Kincaid into the ladder instead. Luchasaurus comes back in but gets caught by Marty’s ladder to the face, only to have Konley come in with the ladder around his neck for the spin.

Konley is the first person to go up but Marty and Muertes pull him down. Another ladder is put up and all six climb at once with some of them even going for the title. Everyone comes down until Marty is left alone for a climb. Luchasaurus makes the save this time but Muertes pulls him down.

With Luchasaurus in trouble, Muertes wrecks everything in sight, including taking the ladders down. He’s a complicated guy at times. Everyone gets smart and beats Muertes up, capped off by a cutter from Psicosis. Konley is left alone after a series of dives but Marty pulls him through a ladder. With Marty going up, Konley pulls himself up into a German suplex. That’s enough to retrieve the title as Konley retains at 13:04.

Rating: C+. This was just a bunch of spots with some wrestlers the fans should be familiar with and that’s perfectly fine. It’s a fun match and they had some time to hit a few flips and dives in between the spots with the ladder. The title change wasn’t likely to happen and there’s nothing wrong with seeing a fun match with the fans getting a treat. Fine for the show it was on and that’s important to keep in mind.

Top Rope Belts Battle Royal

Hurricane Helms, Zane Riley, Mallaki Matthews, Ricky Roberts, Dave Dawson, Chris Dawson, Keith Mac, Bazooka King, Mike Camden, Cam Carter, Yahya, Leo Pride, Jeremiah Plunkett, Gigolo Justin, Axton Ray, Sean Denny, Mark Denny, LaBron Kozone, Chad Skywalker, Rex Bacchus, QT Marshall, Bobby Fulton, Dylan Fulton, JB Cole, Chris Hamrick, Billy Brash, Fallah Bahh, Mr. Hughes, Gary Wolfe, Shane Douglas, George South, Simon Gotch, Stan Lee, Blue Meanie, Glacier, Fred Rosser, Sandman

Hurricane won this last year so I’m assuming he’s defending. I’m sure I missed a few people (the audio was hard to make out) but does it really matter in a match like this? I don’t know a lot of these names but Rosser is better known as Darren Young. Everyone goes after Hurricane to start and he’s out in fifteen seconds. Bahh um, shall we say, releases some pressure from his stomach and about ten people leave at once but here’s Sandman, a surprise last minute entrant, to fill in some of the gap.

We look at most of his full entrance (to be fair, it’s amazing in person) as the battle royal could have just about anything going on at the moment. The song finally ends after over FIVE MINUTES (a normal length for Sandman) and he canes Lee from the apron for some flopping around like a fish selling. Another cane shot gets rid of Kozone but South kicks Sandman out, becoming a huge heel in the process. South is out a few seconds later and pulls Lee with him.

Cole, Bacchus and Meanie are gone as the eliminations are barely getting any mention here. Grimm eliminates Skywalker (just called Walker by the announcers) and there go Roberts and Marshall. Brash and Glacier go as well and it’s down to Bahh, Zane Dawson and Rosser (I told you it was going fast).

Dawson gets double teamed but Bahh clotheslines Rosser down. Rosser eliminates Dawson and Bahh hits a crossbody. The Banzai Drop is broken up and Rosser gets him to the apron but Bahh pulls him out there as well. A neckbreaker on the apron doesn’t get rid of Bahh, who hiptosses Rosser out for a double elimination at 12:56. Bahh is named the winner despite hitting first. Eh it’s not like it matters that much.

Rating: F. Yeah it’s bad, but it’s not the kind of bad that I’m going to get upset about. This was ENTIRELY for the live fans so they could say they saw a battle royal, but the big joke elimination wasn’t exactly funny and didn’t help things. This wasn’t so much bad as much as it was “yeah get this over with” and the Sandman entrance makes up for some of that. Cool moment, but a nothing match of course.

Actually hang on as it was close enough that they’re restarting it, even though Rosser looks to have banged his head on the way down. Bahh backdrops him out for the real win in about thirty seconds. I like it better than having the really bad finish, which seemed to be a botch. They shake hands for a bonus.

PJ Black/Johnny Impact vs. Juventud Guerrera/Ultimo Dragon

Lucha rules with Taya Valkyrie and Sonny Onoo of all people as the seconds. I guess Sonny isn’t offended by the Japanese stereotype character if it’s an indy show and not WCW. At least we get the old Juvy music as the WCW is strong with this show. Before the match, Johnny insults North Carolina and says that himself, Black and Taya are the real Mexican legends. Dragon and Impact start things off with Dragon taking him into the corner for a clean break.

The wristlock doesn’t work for Impact as Dragon does his big spinning escape and it’s time to hit the mat. Dragon flips out of a leglock as we hear about the still incredible J-Crown Title (that famous shot of Dragon holding nine titles). Black comes in and is immediately chopped by Juvy and the running DDT sends Black to the floor. That means the big suicide dive and it’s Black in trouble for the first time. A poke to the eye cuts Dragon down and it’s back to Impact for a kick to the head.

The double teaming is on with Juvy chasing Impact to the floor, which just allows Taya to get in some stomping of her own. It’s back to Juvy for a faceplant but Taya breaks up the 450 and Black PULLS OFF THE MASK. Juvy is rightfully ticked off but Black suplexes him down and grabs a double arm crank. Impact comes back in for a Moonlight Drive but misses the Countdown to Impact, allowing Juvy to hit a quick Juvy Driver. The hot tag brings Dragon back in and everything breaks down with the villains getting caught in the always stupid looking rowboat leg stretch.

Rating: C+. The match was fun and the old guys looked anything but old….if you ignore the rather ridiculous Sonny part. It’s not like he was anything other than a low level comedy manager back in the day so why is he beating up a World Champion and someone who used to be a champion in WWE? Fun match though, with Dragon alone being more than enough to make it a cool moment.

The announcers preview the main event and incorrectly say Ric Flair won his first NWA World Title at Starrcade 1983.

NWA World Title: Jake Hager vs. Nick Aldis

Aldis is defending and Hager (carrying his wife Catalina on his shoulder) is better known as Jack Swagger. Nick actually has a second of his own in indy wrestler Kamilla Kaine. EARL HEBNER is referee for the real star power and we get some old school instructions. Hager takes him (Aldis, not Hebner, as Hager isn’t that horrible of a person) down with a quick Gator Roll and Aldis bails to the floor for a minute.

Back in and we go into a bit of a grappling exchange with Hager slipping outside to avoid a Kingsland Cloverleaf. The women nearly get into it on the floor but the distraction lets Aldis get in a shot from behind to take over. Back in and Aldis gets two off a suplex, followed by a clothesline into a middle rope elbow. A jumping back elbow to the jaw gets two more and it’s time to work on the leg. With the Cloverleaf not working again, Aldis slaps on the Figure Four as the announcers get in the Flair error again.

Hager makes the big turn for the reversal so Aldis is in the ropes almost immediately. The comeback is on with the belly to belly powerslam, followed by a big clothesline for two. The running Vader Bomb hits raised boots and the Mag Daddy Driver gets two more. Hager’s superplex is broken up and Aldis drops the top rope elbow. That’s still not enough for the Cloverleaf and Hager slaps on the ankle lock.

That’s broken up as well and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown. The women get in for no logical reason and it’s the much bigger Kaine flipping her over without much effort. More referees come out to get rid of the two of them and Hager grabs the ankle lock with a grapevine. The long crawl to the ropes gets Aldis out of trouble so Hager puts it on again. Can’t fault the logic there. This time Aldis rolls out though and a small package retains the title at 17:30.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here, even with the women not exactly being necessary. The story of the battle of the submission holds was fine, even if Aldis never actually got the Cloverleaf. Beating Hager is a nice win for Aldis as he’s a former World Champion in WWE and, even if it’s been a long time, that still means a lot. I’m still not huge on Aldis but this was a good performance. Good wrestling here and one of the better matches of the night.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a show where you need to remember what you’re seeing. This isn’t supposed to be some big, epic show and that’s not what you get here. Instead it’s a lighthearted night of wrestling with a bunch of legends and a few lower level current stars. That’s perfectly fine for what it was and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a much more laid back atmosphere than something like WrestleCon (which is better and has bigger names) but for about three and a half hours, I’ve seen much, much worse.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 29, 2018
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re getting closer and closer to Homecoming and that could mean some interesting build as the final few weeks remain. Considering the last two episodes of the year are going to be Best Of shows, there’s only so much time remaining to really make things going. Hopefully the company figures that out and starts pushing things. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at a little bit of everything around here, which is something that they do very well. It makes extra sense after last week’s nothing show too.

Opening sequence.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann vs. Lucha Bros

Swann and Fenix start things off and go with some grappling, only to have the flip into a standoff. Fenix flips across the ring but Swann flips over him for the second standoff in a row. With nothing having happened, we’ll go off to Mack vs. Pentagon for some Lucha Underground flavor. Pentagon throws up CERO MIEDO but Mack gets in his face too. We finally get to some offense as they slug it out but a four way knockdown ensues without much effort.

Mack kicks Pentagon in the face again and snaps off a hurricanrana. A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault set up Swann’s middle rope 450 but Fenix is right back with a double Lethal Injection. Pentagon follows that up with a pair of Sling Blades and it’s the What’s Up Double stomp to Swann, which still looks painful. Swann is fine enough to break up Fenix’s springboard, leaving Mack to Pounce Pentagon to the floor. The running flip dive has Pentagon in more trouble but it’s time for Swann and Fenix to hit their own dives.

Back from a break with Mack chopping Fenix down and then for a change, Mack chops Fenix down. Fenix goes with a spinning kick to the face but Swann breaks up something off the top. Pentagon isn’t having that though as it’s the spike Fear Factor onto the apron to crush Swann. Back in and a springboard headbutt sets up the wheelbarrow flip splash to finish Mack at 15:41.

Post match here’s LAX minus Konnan to congratulate the Lucha Bros on the win. They’ve already beaten the best teams in the world, but now they want the Lucha Bros. The match is set for Homecoming.

Next week: qualifying matches for Ultimate X at Homecoming.

Video on Brian Cage, who is ready to finally get his chance to be on top.

LAX comes in to see Konnan, who isn’t cool with them making that announcement. He’s worried about the personal issues that have flared up in the past when we try to have dream matches. Konnan has to do something now and leaves.

Katarina vs. Jordynne Grace

They grapple a bit to start with the much bigger Grace winning the power battle. The whip spinebuster gets two but it’s too early for the bearhug. Katarina gets in some shots in the corner and puts on the reverse chinlock to little avail. The fireman’s carry just isn’t happening so Katarina switches to the top rope DDT for two. A heck of a Pounce sends Katarina flying and hits some running knees in the corner. There’s a Vader Bomb and the bearhug makes Katarina tap at 6:10.

Rating: D+. This could have been worse but, again, they don’t seem eager to push Grace as the unstoppable monster that she could be. She’s a different kind of talent but for some reason they won’t let her just go crazy out there. It’s not like Katarina has much going or her, so just let her get beaten up like a ragdoll out there.

KM and Fallah Bahh have lost their money gambling because they’re not all that bright. Scarlett Bordeaux shows up and says a lot of people are trying to get her attention.

Classic Moment of the Week: Low Ki wins Ultimate X last August.

Video on Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie.

A referee comes in to see Tessa and tells her that she can’t beat up referees. Yeah whatever.

Tommy Dreamer, now in a Superstar Billy Graham shirt because he hasn’t paid homage to enough legends yet, talks about how Eli Drake is everything he hates about people today. Drake is an entitled millennial you see and tries to be the Rock and Steve Austin. Yes TOMMY DREAMER just said someone is trying to be someone else. Drake lost the title and has just been mediocre since then and he’s not ending Dreamer’s career. Dreamer is done when he says he is.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Rae Lyn

Rae ducks behind her and dances to start so Taya hits a forearm in the corner. That earns her a middle rope dropkick to give Rae two but Taya is right back with the running hip attack in the corner. Rae slips out of the Road to Valhalla and dances some more, earning herself a curb stomp and a modified STF for the tap at 2:45. Good idea to add a new move to her arsenal as she can only ride the Road to Valhalla for so long.

Post match Tessa runs in and beats Taya down. The referee from earlier comes in for the save and gets punched in the face. More referees come in and get beaten up….so GAIL KIM makes the save, because OF COURSE SHE FREAKING DOES!

Video on Johnny Impact being ready to defend the title against anyone, including Cage.

Killer Kross again offers his assistance to Impact but gets turned down. That’s not cool with Kross.

Rascalz vs. Chris Bey/Mike Sydal

The Rascalz are a trio with Trey Miguel, Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz with Miguel sitting out this time. Dezmond headlocks Sydal to start and flips away from some early shots to the ribs. Sydal has no idea where Dezmond is and it’s off to Wentz for some yelling. Bey comes in and gets yelled at, followed by a Bronco Buster.

Some rapid fire kicks and a double stomp have Sydal in more trouble and there are the stereo suicide dives, which you had to know were coming. Back in and some kicks put Sydal down before Wentz does a standing moonsault….from about a foot away from Sydal’s feet. Not that it matters as Xavier shoves him over so the moonsault hits the chest for the pin at 3:09. That’s certainly a unique finisher and it looked rather cool.

Rating: C. This was a good looking debut for the Rascalz, who had some great chemistry and some sweet offense. You can always have room for another high flying team like this, especially when they’re a little bit different than the Lucha Bros or LAX. Throw in the option of Miguel for a little change of pace later on and you have a good act here.

Kiera Hogan doesn’t believe that Allie is fully evil because Allie didn’t attack her when she had the chance. Allie can fight this.

We look back at Alisha having Eddie committed. Shouldn’t that have come first?

Eli Drake says his issues aren’t with hardcore wrestling. Apparently he touched a nerve in Tommy Dreamer and tonight, Dreamer is going to the retirement home.

Matt Sydal talks to Ethan Page about how his path to success keeps messing up. Page tries to calm him down but Sydal wants to show him the path to the X-Division Title. Next week: they’ll meet in an Ultimate X qualifying match.

Eli Drake vs. Tommy Dreamer

Anyway we’re back with Dreamer spitting water in Drake’s face on the stage. Dreamer grabs the trashcan full of weapons and hits him with a box of donuts, of course stopping for a bite. Drake gets drenched with some water, which only seems to wake him up as he suplexed Dreamer onto the ramp. A catapult sends Dreamer’s throat first into the bottom rope and a jumping neckbreaker gets two. The chair is set up for the drop toehold for two on Dreamer so Drake picks the chair up.

A middle rope chair shot is blocked by a raised boot but the Dreamer DDT is countered with a leg trip to send Dreamer into the chair again. The DDT connects for two a few seconds later but Drake hits him low and nails the Gravy Train….for two? Egads man why is Tommy Dreamer kicking out of a former World Champion’s finisher? With nothing else working, Drake puts a chair around Dreamer’s neck and hits the chair with an oar for the pin at 12:04.

Rating: D-. I’ve complained about Tommy Dreamer wrestling at this level and with the same stories over and over again so we’ll look at Drake here. I still find him to be one of the best and most talented people on the entire roster and he should be doing something other than this. Hopefully he gets to beat Abyss at Homecoming and move on to something more important and better, rather than beating up Dreamer in main events.

Post match Drake goes to the back and finds a present addressed to him. He opens the card and finds a message which freaks him out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The show was entertaining enough and the strong opener balanced out the dreadful main event. They’re getting closer to having a solid pay per view card, though again the main event scene isn’t the most thrilling in the world. It often comes off as an afterthought and that gets a little annoying over time. These videos don’t do much and the lack of any kind of personal issue doesn’t help either. The rest of the show is looking fine, but it’s missing that spark. Anyway, fine show this week, but nothing really worth seeing.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Wheelbarrow splash to Mack

Jordynne Grace b. Katarina – Bearhug

Taya Valkyrie b. Rae Lyn – STF

Rascalz b. Mike Sydal/Chris Bey – Standing moonsault to Sydal

Eli Drake b. Tommy Dreamer – Drake wrapped a chair around Dreamer’s neck and hit it with an oar

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: November 22, 2018
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s time for a holiday show and in this case, that might not be the best thing in the world. The biggest story tonight is going to be the turkey suit match, which is one of those traditions that has been around here for years despite not many people seeming to be a fan of the thing. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

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.

Back in the present, Bahh selects his first name, and it’s KM. As you might have guessed, KM comes in to talk about Thanksgiving dinner.

Drake wants the interviewer to say Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal as the tumbler is spun. He gets….Katarina, who is there too. Her great grandfather was a pilgrim so Drake should be rather happy.

We see about five minutes of the 2007 edition, which ended in AJ Styles wearing the suit. See, WWE makes him a year long World Champion and Impact….makes him look like an idiot. Totally the same thing.

Video on Brian Cage cashing in Option C to challenge for the World Title at Homecoming.

Bahh, after being convinced that he can’t get Katarina flowers, draws Japanese comedy wrestler Kikutaro, who wears a pink mask and shouts a lot.

Here’s Scarlett Bordeaux to dance with a rather fetching burlesque troupe.

More Scarlett fan submissions, including one from Shark Boy.

Drake picks a name, doesn’t like it and picks another one, drawing Jake Crist. OVE comes in and Drake tells them to get this right. Sami tells Jake to not screw this up, or he has to eat the entire Thanksgiving dinner.

Some wrestlers and personalities give their favorite Thanksgiving memories.

Same Cage/Impact video.

Drake says Bahh is thankful to OVE for helping with his English (Now he can say EVERY BAHH.) and draws Rohit Raju. Geez we can’t even escape these guys on a holiday show. The Desi Hit Squad comes in to say if you get one, you get them both. That’s a positive thing?

More Thanksgiving memories.

Video on Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie.

Bahh’s final pick is Alisha Edwards. She comes in and doesn’t like Bahh’s joke.

Drake’s final pick is Glenn Gilbertti, the Disco Inferno. He wants to impress Scarlett with CGI: class, good looks and intelligence. Then the two of them will get married so Drake can be the best man.

Ultimate X is back at Homecoming.

Gilbertti takes credit for inventing Ultimate X after being told that he couldn’t throw X-Division wrestlers off the building.

Video on the history of Option C.

Team Drake (with Gilbertti looking a bit like a middle aged Terry Funk) promises to win. Scarlett comes in to say she’s scouting talent. She likes stuffing over turkey.

Tessa vs. Taya video.

Team Bahh gets a pep talk, featuring the word BAHH over and over again. KM translates, which doesn’t make it much better.

Team Drake vs. Team Bahh

Eli Drake, Jake Crist, Katarina, Rohit Raju, Glenn Gilbertti

Fallah Bahh, KM, Dezmond Xavier, Alisha Edwards, Kikutaro

Before the match, we get a pledge to wear the turkey suit if you get pinned. Whatever keeps the match from happening I guess. Katarina throws Alisha down to start and getting two off a Samoan drop. Alisha fights up and brings in Jake to face Kikutaro, who armdrags him down and hands it off to Dezmond. Drake comes in for his pop up reverse powerslam and hands it off to Raju as the fast tags continue. Rohit gets beaten up as well so Gama Singh gets in to give him a pep talk.

This time it’s Bahh getting beaten down in the corner, including a few right hands from Gilbertti. A double crossbody crushes Gilbertti and Drake so it’s off to KM and Raju. Everything breaks down and we get the Human Centipede of figure four neck locks, capped off by Bahh turning them all over in a Boston crab. Cue Scarlett in a pilgrim hat to stop the proceedings and we take a break.

Back with Scarlett sitting on a chair on the stage and Kikutaro charging into Drake’s raised boot in the corner. Drake throws on Scarlett’s pilgrim hat and it’s time for the rotating stomps to Kikutaro. An enziguri to Raju allows the hot tag to Dezmond (though you couldn’t tell by the crowd reactions). The villains are sent to the floor for a big flip dive from Xavier and Bahh knocks Drake onto the pile.

Rating: D. What else were you expecting here? This was harmless and stupid, but it’s not like it’s worth getting angry about. Gilbertti wearing the suit is fine for a funny ending and Bahh, the biggest star on the face team, gets an easy win. There’s nothing worth complaining about here and I think everyone knows it.

Post match Gilbertti’s partners leave and he continues the tradition of refusing to wear the suit. Scarlett comes to ringside and says she finds a man who doesn’t take himself seriously rather sexy. The suit goes on and she says he looks like an idiot as Gilbertti is greeted with a GOBBLE GOBBLE chant to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. Getting annoyed at this show would be like getting annoyed at the post-Takeover episodes of NXT. This isn’t meant to be anything more than a filler show for the holiday and they didn’t present it as anything other than that. It’s not like anyone is going to be watching so why bother wasting storylines? Just a simple comedy show here and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s back to serious next week and the audience will be back then too so this was the right call.

Results

Team Bahh b. Team Drake – Banzai Drop to Gilbertti

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 4, 2018
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re less than two weeks away from Bound For Glory and things are already starting to clear up. The big matches don’t have the best build and you could argue that the (presumably non-title) match between LAX and the OGz is the biggest thing on the card. That’s not a bad thing, but it makes for a kind of odd build. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap focuses on the upcoming Bound For Glory matches, many of which were adjusted or made last week.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Matt Sydal

This feud has done a grand total of nothing for me so hopefully the match is actually good. Swann isn’t interested in a handshake, much like the referee isn’t interested in an opening bell. Sydal gets kicked to the floor for a flip dive off the apron, followed by a headscissors back inside. A kick to the face puts Sydal down again but he’s right back up with a leg lariat to send Swann outside.

Back in and Swann kicks him in the ribs and then the face for two. Sydal’s top rope hurricanrana doesn’t work as Swann lands on his feet, then uses one of said feet to superkick Sydal into the corner. Another hurricanrana attempt is countered into a jumping powerbomb (cool) for two but Swann is fine enough to hit a spinning kick to the head. Swann heads up top but some unnamed guy comes in to powerbomb him down (which the referee somehow doesn’t see), setting up Swann’s snap Angle Slam for the pin at 7:30.

Rating: C. Well that wasn’t too bad. Sydal is so much better once the bell rings but egads this “open your third eye” nonsense isn’t interesting, hasn’t been interesting and isn’t going to be interesting. I have no idea what they see in that gimmick but it’s been old and that’s not changing anytime soon.

Post match Josh Matthews identifies the fan as Ethan Page, who used to be Chandler Park for like a month earlier this year.

Dave Crist is freaking out over what Pentagon and Fenix did to him last week. Sami Callihan tells him to snap out of it and face them in the ring like men.

Moose calls Eddie Edwards and tells him to meet him for a fight at a bar. He also may have kidnapped Alisha.

Here’s Scarlett Bordeaux to do commentary for the start of her talent search. Callis is of course drooling over her, as is his custom.

Eli Drake vs. ???

Open challenge time as I try to imagine the levels of awesome that Drake and Scarlett would be. Before the match, Drake tells a technico to come out here with their fancy planchas, but he’ll take a rudo as well. The challenge is answered by…..La Parka, who isn’t the same guy from WCW but is still a big star in his own right. La Parka yells in Spanish before the fight is on with the masked man taking over. The shaking knee dance takes too much time though and Drake hits his jumping neckbreaker. Drake goes for a chair but gets caught with a reverse DDT, only to run away from the chair for the countout at 2:37.

LAX and the OGz get in their weekly argument. The OGz even steal their alcohol and throw it at Konnan, who still won’t break the ceasefire.

Sydal introduces Page, who praises Sydal’s vision. I liked Page so having him back is a good thing, though not with Sydal. They issue a challenge for a tag match at Bound For Glory against Swann and whoever he can find.

Joe Hendry vs. Murder Clown

Before the match, Hendry and Grado debut a new music video of “Katarina” and “Murder Clown” on a date, complete with lyrics of Clown wanting romance and violence. A sample: “I may not be a pirate and we may not be related, but baby I’m a murderous clown and that cannot be understated.” Clown clotheslines him down to start and ties Hendry in the Tree of Woe for a charge. Hendry manages the fall away slam but gets kicked away without much effort. A top rope splash finishes Hendry at 2:50. Hendry’s fall away slam felt really out of place in what was otherwise a squash.

Post match Katarina hits Grado low and Hendry gets splashed through a table.

Edwards goes to the bar to find Moose and Alisha. Moose tells him to sit down and recaps their feud over the last few weeks. Edwards says Austin Aries and Killer Kross aren’t Moose’s friends but Moose isn’t having that. A lot of yelling ensues until Alisha breaks a glass over Moose’s head. Eddie charges and turns the table over but Kross comes in to grab him. Edwards fights them both off and escapes with Alisha before calling Johnny Impact, telling him to go after Aries now. This was the most coherent Edwards has been in months and he sounded like his old self.

Post break, Impact kicks in the door to Aries’ locker room but the champ is nowhere in sight. Aries is nowhere to be seen backstage either so Impact heads to the ring. Impact wants Aries out here right now so here he comes, with a sling around his arm. Aries claims an arm injury, a back injury, a twisted ankle and a concussion after Impact hit him with the title last week (that’s some high quality whining).

This is about the title though, and that’s why Impact isn’t fighting him right now. It’s about being the best instead of how many goons you can recruit. Aries is so confident that he’s willing to leave Moose and Kross in the back so that it can be one on one. Aries knows he’s the best in the world, but who is Johnny this week? Mundo? Impact? Boone? Survivor? Impact doesn’t know which basket to put his eggs in while Aries has put his eggs in the basket of being the best in the world.

Sure, Impact looks great but he’s just a pretend top star. Aries may not look like he does but he knows that he’s great in the ring. At Bound For Glory, Impact can co-star in Aries’ starring role when he brings his black trunks and black boots. After the match, Johnny can take the name Johnny 205, because it’s the last job he can get. Maybe he can just join Aries as the latest goon.

Impact would rather be stretchered out than follow an idiot like Aries so the beatdown is on. Aries misses a belt shot though and eats a superkick, followed by Starship Pain. Really strong promo here as they make this personal after weeks of having no tension between these two. That’s exactly what this match needed.

Cage is ready to destroy OVE.

The Desi Hit Squad isn’t happy about losing last week and thinks they’re not being aggressive enough. Gama Singh comes in to yell at them again before saying they’re fighting next week to see who the weak link is.

Classic Moment of the Week: Hulk Hogan turns face to save Sting from Immortal at Bound For Glory.

Scarlett, in a different outfit than earlier, turns down various people trying to be her client, including Petey Williams and Trevor Lee. Petey even offers to teach her the Canadian Destroyer, much to Lee’s disgust.

Pentagon and Fenix are down for a fight with OVE tonight.

Kiera Hogan vs. Su Yung

Allie and the Undead Maid of Honor are both here. Kiera goes right at her to start (a common thing around here) and runs Su over in the corner for an early two. An electric chair faceplant out of the corner gives Yung the same thing and some palm strikes keep Kiera in trouble. That’s fine with Kiera, who slugs away some more and hits a low superkick to put Yung on the floor for a suicide dive. The Panic Switch is countered into a sitout powerbomb for two on Yung and Kiera heads up. That means a fight between the seconds and the distraction lets Yung hit the Panic Switch for the win at 4:17.

Rating: D. Yung’s time in Impact continues to astound me as she was pushed as the next big thing for a bit and now this win feels like a surprise just a few months later. Hogan isn’t much but they’re pushing her as an upstart rookie so having her lose here doesn’t make the most sense. Not a very good match either.

Post match the bridesmaids bring out the casket but Allie makes the save. That earns her a Mandible Claw until Kiera makes the second save, only to get slammed into the coffin as well.

Post break, Allie has a panic attack.

Video on Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie.

OVE vs. Lucha Bros/Brian Cage

Bound For Glory preview. Sami gets triple teamed to start and Fenix gets two off a Swanton. We settle down into a regular match with OVE breaking up Fenix’s springboard, albeit after he bounced about four times. It’s too early for the All Seeing Eye though as Fenix sends them into each other, allowing the tag to Cage. House is cleaned, including Cage putting Jake on Dave’s shoulders and German suplexing both of them at the same time. That’s enough for Sami, who shoves the referee for the DQ at 3:39.

Rating: C-. Cage’s power and Fenix’s agility alone are worth seeing here and I can’t complain about a three and a half minute preview for the big match at the pay per view. This was much more of an angle instead of a match that mattered and there’s nothing wrong with that ten days before Bound For Glory.

Post match the fight stays on with the brawling continuing. Cage climbs to the second ropes and deadlift superplexes Jake onto everyone, followed by Fenix hitting a corkscrew plancha off the barricade to take everyone down again. The fighting continues to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The best thing here was they had the big angle that helped push the pay per view main event. Other than that, the show was mainly focused on setting up Bound For Glory’s already announced matches and that’s not the worst thing in the world. The show feels like it’s going to have a lot of stuff added at the end and that’s all well and good, though it’s not the most thrilling thing in the world. Nice enough show here, with Aries vs. Impact carrying things.

Results

Matt Sydal b. Rich Swann – Snap Angle Slam

La Parka b. Eli Drake via countout

Murder Clown b. Joe Hendry – Top rope splash

Su Yung b. Kiera Hogan – Panic Switch

Brian Cage/Pentagon/Fenix b. OVE via DQ when Callihan shoved the referee

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

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

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

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