IMG Credit: Northeast Wrestling

Prison Break
Date: August 16, 2019
Location: Mid-Hudson Civic Center, Poughkeepsie, New York
Commentators: Gerry Strauss, Paul Crockett

This is from Northeast Wrestling, which is an independent company that I’ve always wanted to look at. As it turns out they had a big event a few months ago (it was last weekend when I started this) featuring a bunch of names you’ve probably heard of so I might as well go with something recent for a change. I’m not sure what to expect here but that makes it more fun. Let’s get to it.

As usual with a show like this, I have no idea what to expect as I don’t follow the stories so bear with me if I don’t know something.

The opening video looks at the history of the promotion, with names such as Ultimate Warrior and Hulk Hogan appearing. Dang when did this place get so big? The hype package does show a rather impressive lists of names over the years, with Bret Hart, Hogan, Roddy Piper, Kurt Angle and Mick Foley among many others being shown. They’ve already got my attention and that’s the best way to start. The video switches to more modern wrestlers, again with several you’re probably familiar with.

We run down the card.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Private Party vs. A Boy And His Dinosaur vs. Inzanely Rude

The last team would be Zane Bernardo/RJ Rude. Luchasaurus throws Rude into the corner to start so it’s Quen tagging himself in to face Rude instead. That means a dropkick from Quen, who doesn’t even lose his sunglasses. Kassidy comes in with a slingshot hilo but this time it’s Jungle Boy tagging him to Backstab Bernardo. Inzanely Rude bails to the floor so we’ll try Kassidy vs. Boy for a bit.

They take turns flipping each other around until it’s a standoff in the middle. Bernardo comes back in with a springboard missile dropkick to Kassidy and the double teaming is on in a hurry. Quen breaks that up and gets dropkicked as well, finally knocking the sunglasses off (there has to be an Orange Cassidy joke in there somewhere). Rude chops Kassidy, who gives off a high pitched scream.

It’s Rude getting stomped in the corner and Quen flip diving onto Bernardo. Rude gets in a double Sliced Bread to Private Party and it’s Luchasaurus coming in for general carnage. Just because he can, he flips forward and kicks Rude and Bernardo in the head. Boy comes back in to start cleaning house, including Luchasaurus flipping Rude over his back into a sitout spinebuster from Boy for no cover.

Kassidy throws Boy outside and flips over Quen on the apron and then back inside (always cool) for a tornado DDT on Luchasaurus. Boy comes back in for more chops (and more screaming from Kassidy) but Kassidy takes Luchasaurus out with a running corkscrew dive. Quen’s gorgeous shooting star gets two on Boy as Rude makes a save and everyone is down. A Blockbuster connects on Kassidy and it’s a Death Valley Driver to send Quen onto Rude’s knees.

Boy winds up over Bernardo’s back for an over the back piledriver but Luchasaurus comes back in with chokeslams for Rude and Bernardo, the latter of whom gets Canadian Destroyed by Boy in a cool spot. Bernardo and Boy hit the dives to the floor with Rude moonsaulting off the top for the big crash. Back in and Gin And Juice finishes Rude in a hurry to give Kassidy the pin.

Rating: B-. This got a little bit more time than it needed but they did exactly what they needed to do to wake the crowd up to start things off. Private Party is a great act for something like this, though Boy/Luchasaurus might have better potential. The ending was a little weird though as Inzanely Rude would win the Tag Team Titles just over a week later.

Post match Boy/Luchasaurus dance with Private Party for a moment that is a little odder than you might have guessed.

Here’s a flashback to Ultimate Warrior making an appearance with the promotion. He addresses the fans and puts over the promotion for being old school without something like a creative staff. And then we cut it off there.

Tasha Steelz vs. Penelope Ford

Steelz wrestles for Ring of Honor at times. Ford’s offer of a handshake earns her a kick to the ribs as Steelz shows some intellect. A pump kick sends Steelz into the corner for a double backflip elbow as the announcers talk about AEW without talking about AEW. Some right hands knock Ford into the corner and some running shot to the face keep Ford in trouble.

The crowd is so interested that we can hear every word Steelz is saying, which is always a great sign. Ford fights out of a chinlock in a hurry so Steelz grabs Three Amigos for two. A kick to the head and a crucifix bomb give Ford two but Steelz is right back with a high crossbody for her own near fall. Ford starts flipping around and hits a Stunner, setting up a Lethal Injection for the pin at 6:19.

Rating: D+. Ford has all the charisma she needs and I’m pretty sure AEW (or anyone) can figure out a way to use someone who looks like her. The match wasn’t anything great but you can feel some star power from Ford. On the other hand, Steelz feels like most of the Women of Honor: she exists, she can do moves competently, and that’s the end of the positives about her because I still know nothing about her or anything she does.

Private Party celebrates in the back and hits on the backstage interviewer. She doesn’t seem to mind and leaves with them.

Wrecking Ball Legursky vs. Mike Verna

Verna is a strong guy named the Man of Steel and I don’t think I need to explain someone named Wrecking Ball. Apparently Legursky has lost 100lbs, which is quite impressive no matter who you are. Legursky throws him down with ease but Verna gets in an elbow and a missile dropkick, which seems to be a surprising move for him. Verna hits a suicide dive but gets taken down by a dive off the apron.

Back in and Verna forearms him in the face, followed by another for good measure. A pop up powerbomb into a splash gives Legursky two but Verna is right back with another forearm into a Death Valley Driver. That means a trip to the middle rope but Legursky catches him in a swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. This was the first time I’ve seen both guys and I instantly got the concept. That’s a nice feeling and a good sign for this company as the two of them are unique enough that I remember them but they also had a nice little match. Legursky could be someone elsewhere (say as a bodyguard) and Verna is in good enough shape to be worth a look down the road.

The Trust Fund (they’re rich and you’re not) is ready to destroy Caz XL.

Caz XL vs. Thrillride

The Trust Fund (manager and a bodyguard) is at ringside and Thrillride is a…..I guess flamboyant cowboy? Caz XL is of course Big Cass and that’s what I’ll be referring to him as for the sake of my sanity. Cass (who is jacked) elbows him in the face to start and hits a one armed slam. Bodyguard Rob Zombie grabs Cass’ leg so Thrillride can hammer away but some dropkicks just stagger Cass.

The lackeys choke from the floor and the distraction lets Zombie get in a running neckbreaker and a Samoan drop gives Thrillride two. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Cass muscles him up for a side slam. Zombie cheats again though and the both of them are down again. Some running chops just wake Cass up and he unloads in the corner, setting up the running splash. There’s the chokeslam but Cass has to beat up the manager and Zombie, followed by a powerbomb to put Thrillride away at 6:54.

Rating: C-. Have giant beat up villains and win after a pretty short match. What else can you ask for out of something like this? I mean, other than Cass snapping and attempting to beat up one of his coworkers or something like that of course. The fans seemed pleased and Cass looked great, though he isn’t getting anywhere near a major company again for a long time.

We recap the Tag Team Title match by talking about….Jerry Lawler vs. David Arquette? Lawler dropped Arquette on his head with the piledriver so tonight Brian Anthony (thinks he’s a king) is teaming up with Arquette to challenge Lawler and Keith Youngblood. It’s a little hard to follow.

Lawler laughs at the idea of an actor coming after him and promises to piledrive Arquette, just like he did to Andy Kaufman. Oh and Anthony looks ridiculous in a crown.

Tag Team Titles: Jerry Lawler/Keith Youngblood vs. Hollywood Royalty

Lawler and Youngblood are defending and Baron Von Vito, Hollywood Royalty’s way over the top manager, handles the introductions. We hear about their resumes, which include two Blockbuster Entertainment Awards and a Nickelodeon Kids Choice Award. If nothing else, the idea of Arquette in trunks is such a strange visual. The champs slug away to start and Hollywood Royalty bail to the floor for an early breather.

Back in and it’s Youngblood hammering on Anthony, followed by an atomic drop with Youngblood posing a bit for a nice visual. A one knee Codebreaker takes Youngblood down though and it’s Arquette coming in for stomping and choking. It’s already back to Anthony and some taunting brings Lawler in like a rookie. Youngblood gets stomped down some more but Anthony spends too much time posing and gets superkicked. Arquette draws Lawler in again though and there’s no hot tag yet.

Anthony hammers away and drops a top rope elbow for two. We hit the nerve hold but Youngblood fights up with the clotheslines as Lawler is busy beating up the Baron. The referee gets splashed in the corner by mistake and the Duke of Danger (another of Royalty’s buddies) comes out to beat on Lawler. That means a triple teaming on Youngblood but Manscout Jake Manning runs in for the save. Arquette tries to piledrive Lawler and gets backdropped, setting up a quick fist drop to give Lawler the pin to retain at 9:59.

Rating: D+. Aside from seeing Arquette vs. Lawler, there wasn’t very much of note here. Lawler is still perfectly capable of doing everything he could before and there is nothing wrong with doing something like this. Youngblood looked fine and you can see the star power in Anthony. The champs would lose their titles to Anthony/Duke the next day.

Post match Lawler lays out Arquette but Lawler makes the save and gives him a piledriver, setting up a Diamond Cutter from Arquette. Lawler and Arquette shake hands and Arquette thanks everyone for having him.

Nzo talks about how awesome he is and his star power. He and Big Cass were the biggest draws in wrestling in 2016 (HUH?) and people were talking about the two of them at ROH more than anyone else over Wrestlemania weekend (yeah…not sure if I’d brag about that). His opponent is never mentioned.

Brian Pillman Jr. vs. nZo

Pillman takes him into the corner to start and slaps him on the chest so Enzo grabs a headlock takeover. Back up and Pillman sends him outside with ease, followed by a headlock so Pillman can very blatantly call spots. The headlocking continues until it’s the Hollywood Blondes camera pose.

Enzo starts favoring his knee in the corner, allowing Enzo to grab, you know it, another headlock. That’s broken up and this time Enzo takes him to the apron for a reverse DDT to the floor. A running Razor’s Edge into the post puts Pillman down again and thankfully doesn’t hurt his neck.

Back in and Enzo stomps away as frustration is setting in. A snap across the top puts Pillman on the floor and his throat gets sent into the bottom rope for a bonus. Enzo seems to mock Roman Reigns…and charges into a knee to the face. Back in and a superkick gets two on Enzo but he breaks up a superplex and hits a top rope DDT for two more. The Jordunzo finishes Pillman at 14:56.

Rating: D+. So that happened. Yeah Enzo is still just a person who exists and nowhere near the star that he thinks he is. He came back and had one not very good match against Pillman and then….hasn’t actually wrestled again in the three months since this show. I haven’t cared for him in a long time and this version of him isn’t changing that anytime soon.

Enzo heads straight to the back after the bell.

We recap the NEW Heavyweight Title match. Hale Collins is the hometown boy and he’ll do anything to win the title from Darby Allin.

Northeast Wrestling Heavyweight Title: Darby Allin vs. Hale Collins

No DQ and Hale is challenging. Allin wastes no time in hitting a suicide dive and the fight is on outside in a hurry. A chair to the ribs has Hale down again and a shot to the back makes it worse. Let’s bring in a ladder and a table as well but Allin misses a charge and hits the barricade. Some chair shots to the back get Allin out of trouble again but a dive only hits table

They head inside for the opening bell and Collins superkicks him for two. It’s already back to the floor with Collins putting Allin on the table but missing an elbow off the ladder for a huge crash. Back in and the Coffin Drop finishes Collins at 2:21. That’s some rather fast paced booking but given how they were going out there, including the stuff before the bell, it was easy to understand. Collins exploded through that table too and it would have been nuts to see him keep going after that.

Here’s JT Dunn, who isn’t happy with the lack of an opponent since Rey Fenix isn’t here. He calls in the broom guy for an ovation…and a beating. Dunn brags about being awesome and teases going after the ring announcer, until some music cuts him off.

Ring of Honor World Title: JT Dunn vs. Matt Taven

Taven is defending and is a legend around here. Dunn stomps him down in the corner and chops away but Taven pops right back up with a dropkick. Some rollups give Taven two but the Supernova is countered. Instead it’s a TKO over the top rope, setting up a running dropkick through the ropes. A chop against the barricade keeps Dunn in trouble as Taven seems rather pleased to be home.

Dunn’s chop hits the post but his foot is fine enough to hit a big boot. They slug it out on the apron but the referee takes a shot to the face. Dunn gets in a cheap shot for a breather before choking on the ropes by laying on Taven’s back. Something close to a spear gives Dunn two but Taven chops his way out of the corner. Taven’s middle rope moonsault is kicked out of the air but he’s right back with a quick DDT for a double knockdown.

Some running elbows and an enziguri have Dunn in trouble and a rolling neckbreaker gets two. Dunn sends him into the corner for a breather so they head up top, with Taven scoring a heck of a superplex. Taven is right back with a running knee and the Supernova….for two in a good near fall. Dunn’s sliding forearm gives him two of his own but he spends a little too much time talking and gets superkicked. A frog splash retains Taven’s title at 17:59.

Rating: C+. I’ve never been a Taven fan but the difference here was the fire that Taven was showing. He looked like a star but more importantly he felt like a star, which has never been the case with his time in Ring of Honor. I don’t think that is ever going to change without some huge switch for Taven, though that doesn’t matter here. What matters is that Taven had a good appearance and made Dunn look good at the same time. Nice match but the star power was on display with Taven, even if it was due to being a big fish in a small pond.

Post match Taven thanks the company as well as ROH for letting him show up here, even if it is a one night only event. Taven won the North East Title nine years ago and now he’s back as Ring of Honor World Champion. It has been a long road and he loves the fans very much. Again: totally different than his ROH stuff.

We see the Jon Moxley prison break video.

Moxley says he is alive and he is breathing fresh air for the first time. Pentagon Jr. is ready to hurt him. Sounds like a main event to me.

Jon Moxley vs. Pentagon Jr.

They get in each others faces and shout a lot, including various levels of swearing. An early headscissors puts Moxley on the floor so he grabs a chair. The suicide dive is countered with a chair to the mask and it’s time to send Pentagon into the crowd. They brawl through the fans and we can’t see anything for a few moments.

The lights go on again and we see Moxley knocking him through a pretty big crowd, including knocking him through a merch table. Back in and Moxley goes for the mask because of course before bridging a table against the barricade. That takes too long though and Pentagon hits a big running flip dive to send him through said table. A big sweeping broom goes over Moxley’s back and Pentagon chairs him in the ankle.

It’s back into the crowd with Pentagon dragging him into the cheap seats. A drink to the face sets up some choking before Pentagon finds a bonus mask and puts it on Moxley. They go back to ringside with Pentagon finding what might have been an umbrella for a shot to the back. Pentagon gets two off a top rope double stomp but walks into a release Rock Bottom for two.

That’s fine with Pentagon, who kicks the knee out and hits a top rope Alberto double stomp. Moxley sweeps the leg though and puts on a quickly broken Texas Cloverleaf. An STF makes it even worse for Pentagon but a rope is grabbed in a hurry. Pentagon hits a Backstabber and loads up another table in the corner.

They slug it out from their knees until Pentagon hits a superkick, though Moxley drives him through the table in the corner. That’s good for a delayed two and Paradigm Shift gets the same. Pentagon is right back with the arm snap and Fear Factor but Moxley pulls the mask off and hits the Paradigm Shift for the pin at 23:41.

Rating: C+. I wasn’t wild on the big brawling but it fit the two of them rather well. That’s the kind of match that they should be having and the lack of regular wrestling was a lot more understandable here. It makes sense to play to your strengths and on a show like this, it wasn’t exactly something out of nowhere. Let them have fun and get the crowd to come back later, which is the point of bringing in a star like Moxley.

Post match Pentagon thanks him for the match and wants to do it again. Moxley doesn’t like what Pentagon said about his madre but the rematch sounds good. Moxley praises the fans and we get the NEDUB chants. A handshake wraps things up.

Overall Rating: C. This worked out well enough and you can tell the promotion has a history and knows what it’s doing. There was a nice balance of big names and more in-house wrestlers to make things work and it felt like a promotion that delivers a consistent product. The wrestling wasn’t anything that will blow you away but it stayed in a pretty middle of the road area, with nothing great but nothing close to terrible. Completely watchable show and better than a lot of indies you’ll see, at least somewhat due to the overall presentation.

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

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

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

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IMG Credit: WWE

Hidden Gems #4
Date: 2012, 2013

There’s no real reason to go with these two years but I just finished 2009 and 2011 so this way I can have the last ten years done in two days. We’re still mainly down in FCW here and that’s not the worst place in the world to be, especially now that some of the talent has had another year to grow up. There’s one thing in particular here that I’m looking forward to so let’s get to it.

Leakee vs. Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
Date: February 5, 2012
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: William Regal, Byron Saxton

I’ve seen this one before and this is about nine and a half months before they were the Shield. The winner gets a shot at Florida Heavyweight Champion Leo Kruger. No entrances here and Ambrose immediately starts yelling at Regal instead of focusing on the match. Regal: “I don’t really like Dean Ambrose.” Dean gets sent to the floor as Regal talks about all the horrible things that Ambrose drove him to, to the point where he can barely look at his children.

Rollins gets knocked down and it’s Leakee throwing Ambrose across the ring without much effort. Ambrose and Rollins get together to double team Leakee before staring each other down. Well you knew that was coming. Back from an early break with Leakee getting double teamed some more, including a double suplex to send him into the corner. Of course Dean turns on Seth (some things….you get the idea) and small packages Leakee for two.

Dean gets sent outside and Leakee punches Rollins out of the air but can’t hit Checkmate (a running bulldog) as Dean makes a save. The Regal Stretch has Leakee in trouble (and Regal nearly smiling with evil pride) but he makes the rope. Regal: “The only problem with it is it’s Dean Ambrose doing it and not William Regal.” Now it’s Rollins’ turn to come in for the save and Leakee is knocked to the floor.

A belly to back faceplant gives Ambrose two but he misses a Regal knee trembler. The Stomp misses as well so Rollins dives onto Leakee to no reaction. Back in and it’s a slugout with Rollins and Ambrose as Regal talks about knowing Ambrose will be his downfall. Leakee comes back in for a Samoan drop to both of them at once (he barely held them up but it worked), followed by Checkmate for the pin on Ambrose at 9:26.

Rating: C+. This is more of an historical note than anything else and there’s nothing wrong with that. Regal was really praising Ambrose here and I wanted to see them have their big rematch (which thankfully is coming). The important thing here was showcasing three future stars, as WWE pretty clearly knew they had something here and that would be the case on the main roster later in the year.

Florida Heavyweight Title: Seth Rollins vs. Kassius Ohno
Date: April 29, 2012
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Byron Saxton, William Regal, Chris Russo

Rollins is defending and it’s SO strange to see Ohno thin and in shape. Also of note: Ohno was originally planned for what would become the Shield with Reigns eventually taking his place. We even get Big Match Intros for a special bonus. The grappling exchange begins with Rollins hooking a headscissors on the mat to slow Ohno down. After a long standoff, Ohno goes with a cravate as the announcers talk about Ohno wanting a knockout. That’s reversed into la majistral for two on Ohno and an Oklahoma roll gets the same.

Ohno goes back to the hard strikes, this time with forearms to the shoulder blades. With Ohno on the apron, Rollins strikes away but can’t hit the sunset bomb to the floor. Back in and the chinlock takes us to a break. We come back with Rollins fighting out of the hold, which thankfully means we didn’t miss anything here. That’s always appreciated. Ohno sends him outside for a bit, followed by a sliding boot to the side of the head back inside. Some more shots to the face have Rollins down but a flipping backsplash hits knees.

The comeback is on with Rollins forearming him to the apron and kicking him to the floor. Back in and Ohno knees him in the ribs (the striking does seem to work for him), followed by a Crash Landing (release suplex) for two. Rollins starts kicking away and gets two of his own off a top rope clothesline. Ohno’s rolling elbow gets two and the Ohno Blade (a hard forearm to the back of the head) is good for the same. That’s it for Rollins who hits an enziguri and the Curb Stomp to retain at 14:41 shown.

Rating: B. This is pretty much the same Rollins who would become NXT Champion later in the year and that’s not a bad thing. He’s figured out what works and is being allowed to go out and do his athletic stuff that gets over every time he does it. At the same time you have Ohno, who was perfect in the role of hard hitting villain who can challenge for the title without actually winning the thing. Granted being in the kind of shape that means he doesn’t have to wear a shirt to the ring helps too.

And now for something completely different, we get Renee Young’s audition tape for WWE. Like I said, they certainly mix up the content in this series. Basically she’s given a piece of metal and has to sell it to the audience. Renee says it’s a pet groomer and cuts a sales pitch promo talking about all of its users and functions. It’s nothing wrestling related (even the producer says that) but for an on the spot promo, not too bad. This one kind of has to be seen instead of described but it’s cool for a special feature.

William Regal vs. Dean Ambrose
Date: July 15, 2012
Location: FCW Arena, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Dusty Rhodes

Now this is something I’ve been wanting to see after all the FCW matches featuring Ambrose in these collections. Late last year, Ambrose attacked Regal from behind, setting up a match where Regal beat him. Since then, Ambrose has gone over the edge (shocking I know) and become obsessed with beating Regal. Regal sees his past self in Ambrose and knows that in order for Ambrose to become great, he’ll have to defeat Regal and finish him once and for all. Ambrose is pretty easily the top heel in the promotion here but with NXT looming (as this would be the last episode of FCW), it has to end here.

Feeling out process to start as you can tell this is a big one. Regal starts going after the arm, which he severely injured in their first match. A takedown by the arm has Ambrose in trouble with Regal driving his shin into Ambrose’s arm. Back up and Regal sneers down at him as Ambrose is favoring the arm pretty badly. Regal uses his legs to hammerlock him in the corner and it’s a break with Regal getting in as much cranking as he can.

More arm cranking ensues with Ambrose trying to shake off some knee drops and telling Regal to take the arm home with him. Regal pulls him back down to the mat and pulls on the arm again before going with an exploder suplex. All Regal so far as they head outside. The arm is squeezed between the steps and ring for a kick before Regal pulls on the good arm to make things even worse. As the referee gets Regal away, Ambrose loosens a turnbuckle and we take a break.

Back with Regal whipping him down by the arm but Ambrose posts him to finally get a breather. Ambrose pounds his own arm into the buckle to make it work a bit more and unloads on Regal as he comes back in. Regal’s balance is thrown off and he can’t stand up, so of course Ambrose is suddenly much happier.

Ambrose unloads with shots to Regal’s ear and drives it into the now exposed buckle. That’s the kind of violence you don’t get very often and it’s rather awesome to see. Regal’s ear is bleeding now and we actually pause for a bit so the trainer can check on him. Regal is able to get up and hits a running forearm as he’s just not going to let it end. More referees come in and the match is thrown out at 13:42 shown.

Rating: B. This was all storytelling and there’s nothing wrong with that. Regal being all dastardly to start and then falling to the younger, hungrier opponent was the perfectly logical move and exactly how something like this should have gone. The ending was fine as Regal was giving it his last shot but Ambrose was clearly going to win in the end, just due to being able to stand. Excellent story here, which would have been even better with the full build.

Post match Ambrose isn’t done and beats up the referees. Some wrestlers come out and get beaten up as well, allowing Ambrose to stomp on Regal’s ear some more. The Regal Stretch goes on for some bonus evil. Regal gets to his knees and applauds Ambrose, who blasts Regal with the knee trembler. The locker room finally comes out to hold Ambrose back.

We’ll wrap it up with a trip to NXT on May 23, 2013 in this unaired segment. To put it mildly, NXT fans didn’t like main roster stars coming down and sending Ryback made things even worse. This didn’t air on television and was only a dark segment for the live crowd but it was filmed (defying the definition of dark but whatever).

Ryback is in the ring and wants anyone to come out and see why Ryback rules. This brings out Enzo Amore and Big Cass (before they had the signature theme and with Enzo looking odd cleanshaven). Enzo does his entrance (doesn’t have the cadence or crowd reactions yet) but it’s missing HOW YOU DOIN. They’re not S-A-W-F-T though and if they had a dime for every time they were beaten up as kids, they would have zero dimes.

Cass tries to get SAWFT over as a chant before talking about how tired he is of hearing Ryback cry about being eliminated from the Royal Rumble. We get to the FEED ME MORE chants with Enzo making fun of Ryback’s appetite. They both get inside and offer to take Ryback to Golden Corral for a list of food. Cass says they can cap it off with a marshmallow, which Ryback says is soft like these people.

Ryback says Cass’ parents must be brother and sister so it’s time to fight. Well it’s time to talk about fighting first, with Cass and Enzo running over their strategy on the microphones. A quick Meat Hook drops Cass so Enzo backtracks and offers Golden Corral again. He even hugs Ryback, who pats him on the head before hitting a Meat Hook and Shell Shock.

This was long, not funny and really boring with Enzo and Cass not being over yet and the fans not caring about what they had to say. At the same time though, they got beaten up by the villain, who looked more annoyed to be there than anything else. This really didn’t need to air and if it did, it would have been one of the worst segments of the year.

Overall Rating: B. Well the non-wrestling parts ranged from “oh that’s kind of interesting” to “STOP THIS ALREADY” but the wrestling was especially good, with a bunch of young, hungry guys who wanted to become the next top stars in the company. These matches are all entertaining and you can see a lot of NXT in these final FCW shows. I could go for a lot more of this kind of stuff, as it’s the future before it gets to the main roster. Check out that Regal vs. Ambrose match and see how the subtle style can still be incredible.

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:

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https://wrestlingrumors.net/breaking-news-amore-released/

I can’t say I’m surprised after everything that happened yesterday.  This is different than your usual reasons for wanting to get rid of someone and you can’t blame WWE for getting rid of him.  Maybe he comes back if the allegations are proven false (as was the case with Jerry Lawler in the 90s) but otherwise, that’s it for Enzo on the big stage.  No word yet on what happens with the title.

205 Live
Date: January 9, 2018
Location: Legacy Arena, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

Another Raw (the show where the real cruiserweight stuff happens) has come and gone and Enzo Amore is STILL Cruiserweight Champion as he retained via countout last night. Enzo also came up with a bad ankle, which means we might wait even longer before getting the title off of him. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last night’s title match with Amore injuring his ankle on a flip dive over the top, setting up the countout loss. You can probably pencil the rematch in for the Rumble and I think my head is going to explode if Enzo keeps the title any longer than that.

Opening sequence.

Earlier today, TJP came up to Gran Metalik and Kalisto in the back to brag about winning the Cruiserweight Classic. I love it when these grown men talk like thirteen year olds (albeit with the standard obsession with specific names and titles).

TJP vs. Gran Metalik

TJP returned last week and Metalik is back after his latest sabbatical for no apparent reason. Metalik now has a black mask which really doesn’t suit him very well. The early flip off goes in Metalik’s favor and a hard armdrag sets up an armbar on TJP. A basement dropkick has TJP in trouble as the announcers wonder if Metalik’s loss in the Cruiserweight Classic final is still bothering him. If he’s not over it in a year plus, he’s not getting over the thing.

Metalik misses a dive and gets caught with an uppercut on the floor. He’s fine enough to dive off the steps into a hurricanrana though and it’s time to head back inside. TJP kicks him in the ribs though and it’s off to the Tree of Woe. The running basement dropkick gets two and we hit the chinlock.

Back up and the springboard forearm gets two (minus the nipup, which TJP loaded up and then just didn’t do), followed by a belly to back suplex for the same. Metalik gets sent hard into the corner but is right back up with a sunset bomb off the post (cool looking move) to put both guys down. It’s Metalik up first though with the rope walking dropkick getting two. The double chickenwing gutbuster gives TJP two but Metalik slips out of the Detonation Kick. Instead he dropkicks TJP into the Metalik Driver for the pin at 9:04.

Rating: C. What was up with the booking here? TJP comes back last week and is losing clean to Metalik here? I like both guys quite a bit but TJP losing here makes no sense whatsoever. If Enzo’s booking has taught us anything, it’s that 205 Live needs star power more than ever. If that’s the case, keep TJP winning and find someone else for Metalik to beat. Or just keep doing what you’re doing and wonder why this show is death.

Post match TJP snaps and breaks a bunch of stuff, including the announcers’ area. It’s nice that they’re giving him something, but again STOP DOING IT RIGHT AFTER HE LOSES CLEAN!

We look at Nia Jax checking on Enzo Amore after his ankle injury on Raw.

A banged up Enzo says he’s thinking about getting the Ford logo tattooed on his back because he’s Ford tough. He’ll be back to take care of Alexander but here’s Tony Nese to say he wants back on the team. Not only that but he wants to be the top guy (the Bob to Enzo’s Joker if you will). Enzo likes the idea but doesn’t say yes. Egads can we get to the end of Enzo’s title reign so the heels can grow some spines again?

Here’s Jack Gallagher to talk about taking Hideo Itami out last week. Itami is out licking his wounds at the moment but as soon as he’s back, Gallagher has even more damage in store for him. Gallagher isn’t pleased with the fans not caring but shifts back to talks of torturing Itami. This of course brings out Itami, giving us an awesome sneer from Gallagher. The fight is on with Gallagher taking an umbrella shot to the head to send Jack running off. The fans didn’t quite react to this and Itami’s “COME ON” didn’t help matters. Just be the silent assassin because everything else isn’t working for him.

Cedric Alexander is ready to win tonight and Goldust comes in to compliment him on banging Enzo up last night. Alexander promises to hurt Enzo even worse next time and Goldust likes the idea. They almost have to be getting ready to have Goldust screw him out of the title right? I have no idea what that accomplishes but it wouldn’t shock me all that much. Whatever gives us more Amore right?

Tony Nese vs. Cedric Alexander

Enzo handles Nese’s entrance. After some long posing to start, Nese cranks on the wristlock (way too common of a start in WWE these days). Nese takes him down and makes sure to suck up to Enzo. Cedric is sent face first into the apron and then the barricade before we hit a neck crank back inside. Back up and Cedric’s chop doesn’t get him very far as a hard whip sends him into the corner. Nese misses a charge though and the slingshot Downward Spiral takes him down.

For some reason he thinks going outside is a good idea, apparently never having watched a Cedric match before. The running flip dive gives Cedric two more and the springboard clothesline is good for the same (at least both looked quite good). The Neuralizer is countered into a gutbuster and Nese takes over. Another fireman’s carry is escaped but Cedric hurts his knee. A very fast small package gives Cedric the pin at 8:56.

Rating: C-. Pretty standard 205 Live main event with Enzo running his mouth the whole time and taking away a lot of the focus that the wrestlers could have had. They’re doing a very good job of making me want to see him lose but knowing WWE, they won’t know when to pull the trigger and we’ll be stuck with Enzo bringing this show down until Wrestlemania or so.

Post match Cedric is perfectly fine (and pointing at his brain) as Enzo tells Nese to get out now. Cedric looks down at Enzo’s feet and kicks out the good ankle, followed by the Lumbar Check to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. As is always the case with an Enzo era show, none of this stuff feels like it matters. TJP loses to Metalik and Gallagher vs. Itami continues? Good for them, but none of those four are likely to be near the Cruiserweight Title anytime soon (well maybe Itami) and fans seem to know it. With so much of the time going to Enzo, everyone else gets left in the dust and that’s going to be a problem when you don’t have Enzo on top anymore. But hey, at least 205 Live cracked the top ten WWE Network shows a few times right?

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: December 19, 2017
Location: Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The big story tonight is the (second) debut of Hideo Itami, who made his main roster debut last night on Raw in further proof of the fact that 205 Live really doesn’t need to exist. Other than that we have a new #1 contender in the form of Cedric Alexander in a title match with a date to be announced. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of last night’s #1 contenders match. Again: why does this show exist when the big story happens on Raw?

Opening sequence.

Tonight: a rematch of Alexander vs. Gulak. THIS SHOW DOES NOT NEED TO BE AROUND!

Kalisto/Gran Metalik vs. Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher

Before the match, Kendrick talks about Metalik getting involved in their business last week. Kalisto nips out of Kendrick’s wristlock to start but doesn’t have as much luck with a top wristlock. Some chops put Kalisto in the corner but he comes out with kicks and a headscissors. Nothing wrong with some lucha. Metalik comes in for the rope walk crossbody but gets kicked in the face to cut him off.

Not that it matters as he rope walks into a dropkick to Gallagher, setting up the double flip dives to the floor. Back in and Gallagher ties Metalik in the Tree of Woe (because you should be doing that fifteen seconds after a big high spot) for the running dropkick before starting in on the leg. Kendrick comes in for a half crab before shifting to just pulling on the leg. It’s back to Gallagher for more leg pulling as this match is rapidly dying.

Kendrick takes him to the top, only to get pulled down into a faceplant. The hot tag brings in Kalisto with a springboard seated senton and a double armdrag. The hurricanrana driver and the Salida Del Sol get two with Kendrick making the save. That’s actually enough as the match is thrown out at 8:56.

Rating: C. The match wasn’t the worst but that leg work in the middle destroyed the crowd’s entrance. It doesn’t help when you’ve seen some combination of these four have very similar matches for far too long now and it’s not getting any better. They need to mix things up a bit, or just let them fight some fresh opponents. I know it’s crazy but maybe they could TALK about their issues to hype up the matches a bit. That’s nuts right?

Post match Kendrick and Gallagher use the steps to crush Metalik’s leg.

Enzo yells at Gulak and Ariya Daivari for Cedric getting the title shot. Gulak takes the blame and says he can make up for it by taking Cedric out tonight. Enzo tells Daivari to show some emotion. As usual, Gulak is one of the best things about this show without doing anything more than making simple things look good through delivery.

Hideo Itami vs. Colin Delaney

Itami wastes no time in kicking Colin down before shouting RESPECT ME. The tornado DDT into a neck snap across the rope sets up the top rope clothesline. Itami hits a running corner dropkick and the GTS is good for the pin at 1:51. Total and complete squash, as it should have been.

We look back at Tony Nese standing up to Enzo and getting beaten down as a result.

Enzo says that was a learning experience. Cedric comes in and Enzo mocks him for needing a second chance to qualify for the title match. Alexander says if Enzo was so great, he wouldn’t need the Zo Train. There’s only one word to describe him. Enzo: “Champion.”.

Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak

Enzo is with Gulak. Before the match, Drew says there will be no chanting and tonight he’ll only make one PowerPoint. Tonight, he’ll overpower Cedric and make a salient point. They fight over a lockup to start until a palm strike drops Alexander in the corner. It’s off to the knee with Gulak dropping some elbows and grabbing a leglock.

Cedric fights up and kicks him in the face, only to get chopped and kicked down again. That’s quite different for Gulak and it’s kind of working for me. Drew takes him outside for a posting before we hit the chinlock. That’s switched into an armbar with Drew wrapping his leg around Cedric’s face for a little bonus. Cedric fights back with a string of clotheslines, followed by a flip dive dropkick to the chest (cool) to knock Gulak silly.

Gulak is rocked but manages to avoid the C4. A clothesline gets two on Cedric and Enzo is elated. Cedric is right back with the bottom rope springboard Downward Spiral but gets tripped down into that seated STF. Drew shifts it over into a crossface chickenwing but Cedric makes the rope. Back up and Alexander loads him up for a superplex, only to be shoved back down. Drew slowly climbs down, allowing Cedric to grab the Lumbar Check for the pin at 11:53.

Rating: B. I had a blast with this one as they had one of the best matches 205 Live has put together in a long time. Gulak is getting better in the ring every single week and Cedric is always fun to watch. They were having some extra energy this time around and it was much better than their Raw match. Again though, if you’re going to have a better version of the same match, why in the world did you do the first one on Raw?

Daivari tries to run in but gets a Lumbar Check as well.

Overall Rating: B. Good show this week, Raw induced problems aside. The one thing I’m worried about is how long they want to stretch out Enzo vs. Cedric. They couldn’t possibly try to get this all the way to the Rumble right? I mean, I’d be fine with the match taking place on the first Raw of the year but there’s not enough stuff to build to what should be a one sided match. Gulak vs. Alexander was very good and Hideo’s debut was solid, making this one of the better shows they’ve done.

Results

Brian Kendrick/Jack Gallagher vs. Kalisto/Gran Metalik went to a double DQ when all four brawled in the ring

Hideo Itami b. Colin Delaney – GTS

Cedric Alexander b. Drew Gulak – Lumbar Check

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: December 12, 2017
Location: US Bank Arena, Cincinnati, Ohio
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

So you remember how last week’s show was basically a placeholder before we got to the #1 contenders match on Raw this week? You remember how the first question a lot of people had was why is the #1 contenders match happening on Raw and not on the Cruiserweight show? Well we’re in the exact same place this week. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at last night’s Second Chance four way with Cedric Alexander earning a spot in Monday’s #1 contenders match.

Opening sequence.

Before the first match, Drew Gulak is here with Ariya Daivari and says he’s getting closer to his vision of a better 205 Live. Gulak compares Cedric to the Grinch for stealing Daivari’s second chance and says tonight, Alexander is pounded into dirt. On to sadder news: Noam Dar has had to undergo knee surgery and will be missing some time. However, Drew has a 93 step plan for rehabilitation in the form of a POWERPOINT PRESENTATION!  And never mind as we have another interruption.

Cedric Alexander vs. Ariya Daivari

Cedric wastes no time in working on a wristlock while Drew uses his bullhorn to tell the fans to stop chanting. A dropkick sets up the armbar as dueling WE LOVE CEDRIC/POWERPOINT chants start up. Cedric misses a springboard but Drew breaks up a dive while demanding that Alexander stay off that top rope.

Gulak gets in a cheap shot on the floor and the dueling chants begin again. A bulldog gives Daivari two and we hit the chinlock. Cedric fights up without much effort and elbows him in the face. It’s too early for the Lumbar Check though and Daivari breaks up a Neuralizer. Instead it’s a spinebuster to plant Cedric again but Daivari goes to the top. The frog splash gets two but the second Neuralizer attempt works just fine. Cedric Lumbar Checks him for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: C-. Acceptable but lifeless match here with Gulak stealing yet another show. The problem here was very clear: why would you have any other ending besides Alexander winning clean? He’s going on to face Gulak on Monday in a big match and that made this a waste of time. Alexander is always worth a watch but with Raw being where the important stuff happens, it’s hard to care about something like this.

We look back at last night’s segment with Enzo looking to yell at Gulak but getting cut off by a lovesick Nia Jax.

Enzo yells at the Zo Train but Gulak apologizes for what he said last night. It’s not impossible that he could become the next Cruiserweight Champion though. Enzo yells but Tony Nese cuts him off, only to have Enzo call him stupid. He built the Zo Train with his fist and built this show from the ground up. Things calm down a bit but Enzo says he wants the Zo Train at ringside when he faces Nese tonight.

Kalisto vs. Jack Gallagher

Before the match, Brian Kendrick talks about his dream of being Cruiserweight Champion in WWE. Since he lost the title, he hasn’t been given a chance to get his title back. Kalisto showed up and got opportunity after opportunity though and that’s not right. Gallagher tells Kalisto to watch his step or he’ll springboard into a spider’s web. Kalisto doesn’t seem scared and we’re ready to go.

A headlock takes Kalisto to the mat to start but he pops up and sends Gallagher into the corner without much effort. Gallagher gets dropkicked out to the floor but blocks a kick and sends Kalisto’s leg into the post. Back in and Gallagher starts working on the knee like an evil Englishman should. The bad leg is wrapped around the ropes and a twist pulls it back down to the mat.

Jack even mocks the LUCHA dance before grabbing a Brock Lock. I can always appreciate it when someone mixes up their holds like this. There’s no reason to keep doing the same stuff over and over, especially when you’re billed as a submission specialist. Kalisto gets out and hits a middle rope moonsault press for two. The hurricanrana driver gets a delayed near fall of its own, followed by a nipup hurricanrana for the pin on Gallagher at 8:53.

Rating: C+. This would have been better if there was any reason to believe that Gallagher was going to win. You really can tell who is going to win most of these matches and that’s the case far more around here than on any other show. There’s a hierarchy around 205 Live and people like Gallagher, despite being immensely talented, is on the wrong end of it.

Post match the beatdown is on but Gran Metalik makes the save.

Gulak tries to talk Enzo out of the match with Nese, but Enzo promises a technical spectacle.

Hideo Itami arrives next week.

Enzo Amore vs. Tony Nese

Non-title. Nese doesn’t seem thrilled with this, not even showing off his physique on the way to the ring. Before the match, Enzo calls the Zo Train an unbreakable unit, which seems to annoy Gulak. Enzo runs his mouth to start and shows off his foot speed. Trash is talked as there’s no contact in the first minute and a half. Enzo finally slaps him and asks what Nese is thinking. Nese backs him into the corner but Daivari comes in for the DQ at 2:40.

The post match beatdown is on and Gulak really doesn’t seem happy with any of this. Enzo loads up the Jordunzo but lets Nese go, telling Gulak to get in and prove his worth. Gulak finally gets on the apron as the fans aren’t thrilled with this stuff. He gets in Enzo’s face…and then kicks Nese down, albeit reluctantly. Now the fans are chanting THIS IS BORING as Gulak slaps Nese in the face a few times. Enzo puts his coat on and hits the Jordunzo (Oh no. Nese’s head went down a full ten inches!) to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. What is the point of this show anymore? To fill in time before we get to the big stuff on Monday? In theory they’re setting up Alexander winning on Monday and Gulak not helping Enzo in the title match (I’d be stunned if they put the title on Gulak) to get the title off of Amore, but they’re beating Nese down to get there? This story might wind up making sense (it probably will) but egads they’re making this show feel more and more worthless every week.

The other problem is Enzo himself. Back when he moved to 205 Live, I thought Enzo would have a short shelf life. We’re already reaching that point. You can only go so long with the smoke and mirrors of him never wrestling or doing anything more than cutting funny promos. That’s where we are now and he’s bringing other people down with him. There’s enough fresh blood and upgraded characters to make 205 Live every bit as worthless without Enzo around so just give us something new already.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 28, 2017
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The show is in a weird place for the next few weeks at the moment as they’re setting up a new #1 contender but it’s going to take a little while to get there. We have one member of the #1 contenders match but since the matches are taking place on Raw, there’s only so much need for this show to even exist right now. Let’s get to it.

Of note: I was in the arena for this show so it’s my second time seeing it.

The opening recap looks at last night’s fatal four way with Rich Swann qualifying for the #1 contenders match in two weeks.

Opening sequence.

The announcers thank us for watching 205 Live for one year now. Sweet goodness how low does the viewership have to be for us to not thank us?

Here are Enzo Amore and Noam Dar for an opening chat. Enzo’s mic doesn’t seem to work on the way to the ring so he waits until he gets inside to talk about having the Zo Train getting to the top of the cruiserweight Mount Rushmore. Last week the Zo Train got a little derailed because someone thought we were playing Mario Kart and slipped on a banana peel. That would be Dar, who needs to TOTALLY redeem himself tonight.

Rich Swann vs. Noam Dar

Before the match, Swann says he hasn’t been Cruiserweight Champion in about a year (closer to ten months actually) but he’s getting closer every day. Not much to say there Swann. Dar hits the floor at the bell (must be a Kevin Owens fan) before heading back in to crank on a wristlock. That’s reversed into another wristlock, sending Dar back outside.

Swann isn’t waiting this time and takes Dar out with a flip dive from the apron, much to Enzo’s chagrin. Swann’s Rolling Thunder gets two but an Enzo distraction lets Dar get in a kick to the knee. A clothesline to the back of the head gives Dar two but he keeps holding his knee. Enzo: “What are you, Big Cass? GET THE JOB DONE!” Back up and Swann kicks him in the head, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 4:42.

Rating: D+. Dar continues to do nothing for me and Swann winning here was hardly a surprise. The problem here is the continuing story of the Zo Train: how much difference does it make to have Swann win here? Enzo will just talk a lot and the wins will be traded over and over until no one but Enzo and the eventual #1 contender gets anywhere.

Enzo threatens to fire Dar if he keeps screwing up.

Kalisto is ready to start his comeback against Jack Gallagher.

Kalisto vs. Jack Gallagher

Brian Kendrick is in Gallagher’s corner. Gallagher works on the arm to start but is quickly taken down into a wristlock. They fight over the same hold until Kalisto realizes that’s not the best idea against Gallagher. Instead he fires off the kicks, only to have a Kendrick distraction let Jack take over again.

There’s a knee to the gut to cut Kalisto off again and Gallagher stays on the ribs like an evil Englishman should. We hit the cross arm choke with Gallagher bending him back onto the knees. That goes nowhere so Kalisto hits his rolling kick to the head, followed by the springboard seated senton. A quick Salida Del Sol drops Gallagher but Kendrick comes in for the DQ at 6:23.

Rating: C. Kalisto vs. Kendrick/Gallagher could be fun, though I’m not sure how many times you can trot the two of them out there for pretty much the same feud. At least Kalisto is entertaining and fast paced enough to keep up the entertainment, which should make for a nice dynamic. He’ll need a partner though, which hopefully means more Gran Metalik.

Hideo Itami is coming.

Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali are watching the Itami video in the back and say they’re worried about those strikes. It turns into a discussion of who will be facing Swann but everything is cool.

Mustafa Ali/Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak/Tony Nese

These four will be in the other four way on Monday. Before the match, Gulak praises Nese’s physique and says Enzo has dubbed them Team Power Point. See, Nese has power and Gulak always gets straight to the point. Drew thinks the Zo Train is like the Justice League with Enzo acting as their Superman. As a bonus though, Drew has a POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! I never would have believed it but he’s got something with that bit. As usual, entrance music cuts him off and we’re ready to go.

Drew gets annoyed at the POWERPOINT chants, allowing Cedric to get the better of a wristlock. It’s off to Nese vs. Ali for some more wristlockery, which has been really common tonight. Nese gets armdragged into an armbar but Cedric goes over to yell at Gulak, meaning he’s not there for a tag. The tag works a few seconds later but Cedric walks into one of the loudest chops I’ve ever heard.

Throw in a running elbow to the jaw and Alexander is in some quick trouble. Back in and Nese hits the ab crunch kicks to the ribs. Gulak grabs something like half an STF before switching to a regular chinlock. Cedric makes the expected escape and the hot tag brings in Ali for the comeback. The rolling X Factor gets two and a Doomsday Device with a high crossbody instead of a clothesline is good for the same. Face miscommunication sends Cedric outside though and Nese gets a rollup for the pin at 9:31.

Rating: C-. This was a lifeless match and it was clearly just there to help set up Monday’s match. That’s not the most thrilling thing in the world and the time didn’t make things any better. Gulak is getting more entertaining now that he’s found his personality niche but the story still isn’t much.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, the wrestling is passable for the most part but the storytelling is just dreadful for the most part. Everything is setting up the title shot against Enzo but why should I believe that would be anything more than Enzo cheating to retain the title all over again? At least there’s something else now in the form of Kalisto vs. Gallagher, which is a necessary update.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 21, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s one of the final shows from Houston as we hit the cruiserweight division. Enzo Amore is still Cruiserweight Champion and the question now is who comes next. Kalisto has been dispatched (again) and it’s not clear who will be going after the title again. The show is being turned into a faction warfare and that could go multiple ways. Let’s get to it.

The Zo Train (minus Drew Gulak) has a Thanksgiving dinner prepared in the back. Enzo (in a Randy Savage shirt) says he’s now 5G and therefore they’re all connected. He’s gotten them all matches tonight but they better rep to Enzo brand like a barbell. If they do well, Christmas could come early in the form of a recommendation for a Cruiserweight Title shot. Enzo wants to know where Gulak is but here’s the Gobbledy Gooker. Naturally that’s Gulak, who says he’s the Gobbledy Gulaker. Gulak: “You told me to loosen up!” Enzo is disappointed.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Street fight. Gulak comes out in jeans, which is a really odd look for him. Drew isn’t usually into this but if Enzo is from the streets, Drew needs to help clean them up. However, that might get his hands dirty so it’s time for a very special POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! Or not as Tozawa cuts him off, sending Drew into a near fit. Gulak bails to the floor with his hands covering his ears as the chanting starts early this week.

Back in and Tozawa kicks him in the chest, setting up some screaming. Tozawa kicks him outside again but the suicide dive is countered into a suplex onto the ramp. A clothesline messes with Tozawa’s throat, meaning no more chanting. That’s rather evil and something you wouldn’t have expected from a show like this.

Some chairs are thrown in but Gulak would rather slap him in the face for two instead. Drew puts the No Chants sign in the corner but gets suplexed through the handle, which has to be rather painful to at least a few inches of skin. The fans want tables so Tozawa pulls one out, only to get suplexed into the corner as well.

The table is set up in the corner but have to settle for Tozawa throwing Drew over the announcers’ table instead. A good looking flip dive off said table has Gulak in even more trouble and it’s time for more weapons. Tozawa puts a trashcan over him and swings away with a kendo stick. The top rope backsplash through the table ends Gulak at 11:12.

Rating: B. They were getting close to that next level here but they never could flip the switch on. Tozawa is good for a hardcore brawler and it was cool to see Gulak move up to another level of violence every now and then. Good, hard hitting brawl here that needed a little more to become great.

Hideo Itami is coming to 205 Live. Well it’s not like he’s going to do much in NXT so get him up here while he’s healthy.

Tony Nese doesn’t think much of Itami but Amore seems nervous. If Nese doesn’t get, better, he won’t be on the Zo Train much longer. Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali come in and trade some insults.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

Hang on a second as Nese needs to show off the abs. That just earns him a wristlock though and even a slam won’t break it up. Now that’s some dedication. Nese goes with some stomping but gets sent outside for a heck of a flip dive from the top. Ali might not have the best charisma in the world but he can throw some pretty dives.

Back in and Nese grabs a chinlock to slow things down, only to miss a charge into the corner. Ali switches things up a bit with a rolling X Factor instead of the rolling neckbreaker but he can’t follow up. The 054 takes way too long though and Nese sends him HARD into the post. The running knee in the corner ends Ali at 7:05.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here with Nese giving the Zo Train what is likely its only win tonight. This feels like the kind of show designed to give the fans a lot of stuff to cheer for and Nese winning should keep it from being a clean sweep. It helps that Nese is a simple character who does his thing quite well. I mean, it’s hard to argue with someone being in that kind of shape.

Daivari and Dar are ready to impress Enzo too. Enzo will be in the front row, but Gulak, back in the turkey suit, is stuck in time out.

Ariya Daivari/Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Enzo is at ringside. Daivari and Cedric start things off with a rather long feeling out process until Cedric scores with a dropkick. Swann comes in for the Rolling Thunder as Enzo is talking to the fans. It’s off to Dar, who gets caught with a good looking springboard clothesline. Cedric’s ankle scissors is countered with a kick to the ribs though and it’s time for some villainous control.

Both guys take turns kicking away as Enzo continues to talk trash from the floor. Alexander finally rolls away and makes the diving tag off to Swann for almost no reaction. Enzo breaks up the Phoenix splash though and Daivari’s frog splash gets a rather close two. If back to Dar who gets kicked in the head but Cedric goes after Enzo, earning himself a baseball slide from Dar. Back in and Swann kicks Dar in the head again, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. The energy was there, even if the fans weren’t exactly thrilled. Swann and Alexander are a good tag team and every time they’re out there, I can’t help but wonder why they’re not a midcard team on the main roster. It’s not like the shows have anything better at the moment.

Post match Enzo comes in to beat on Swann until Tozawa and Ali come down. Cue Nese and Gulak to cut them off though and the big beatdown ensues. Enzo hits a top rope splash onto both guys and it’s a group dance to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a strong show by 205 Live’s standards and I’m glad to see them having a little more energy. That being said, I’m rarely a fan of having one storyline completely dominate the show like this. If you’re not a fan of the good guys vs. the Zo Train, there’s no reason to watch the show. In theory this sets up Itami as the next star, but it wouldn’t shock me to have him just be another name on Amore’s list. If nothing else I’d love to see Cedric get the title at some point, as he’s certainly earned it. Good show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re back stateside now and as luck would have it, today is Kalisto’s birthday. I’m thinking that means cake and of course you know what that means. In this case it’s also the go home show for Survivor Series, meaning we’ll be getting what is hopefully the final build between Kalisto and Enzo Amore. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto says he’s going to celebrate his birthday by beating down Drew Gulak before he wins the Cruiserweight Title back on Sunday.

Gulak and Amore are next to a massive birthday cake with Enzo talking about the Zo Train ending if he loses the title. Tonight, he needs Drew to make this a better 205 Live.

The announcers preview the show as the opening stall continues.

Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Tornado rules with Cedric as the hometown boy, meaning there’s quite the chant to start things off. It’s a brawl to start before all four head outside with Swann being sent into the barricade. That’s fine with Cedric who pops Kendrick in the jaw to take over again. Gallagher hits a heck of a dropkick to knock Cedric over the announcers’ table leaving Swann to get beaten down in the ring.

The villains take turns knocking them off the apron until Alexander finally gets in a dropkick on Kendrick. One heck of an elbow to the jaw staggers Gallagher for a great visual and a Spanish Fly gives Cedric two. Kendrick comes back in to take Cedric down and the Captain’s Hook goes on. Swann’s save attempt is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but he’s still able to catch Cedric’s tap attempt.

Cedric has to break up a double submission on Swann, basically guaranteeing the end of the match. Sliced Bread #2 gets two on Cedric but it’s Swann coming back in with some superkicks. Kendrick crotches him on top though and a double super hiptoss drops Rich for a rather close two. It’s Cedric right back in with the springboard clothesline but Gallagher breaks up the Lumbar Check by dropkicking the knee out. Swann superkicks the heck out of Gallagher and hits a diving tornado DDT onto the floor. Back in and the Lumbar Check puts Kendrick away at 10:55.

Rating: B. These guys had a heck of a match here and that’s exactly what it needed to be, especially in what should blow off the feud. They’ve been feuding for way too long now and needed a gimmick match to really wrap things up. It’s a good match though and one of the better things this show has had in a long time.

Ariya Daivari comes out and says this might be the last episode of the Zo Show. The show isn’t being canceled or anything (Are we sure about that?) but it might as well be if Kalisto wins the title on Sunday. Mustafa Ali comes out and doesn’t think much of Daivari sucking up to Enzo so much, but maybe it has to do with all the cake. On top of that though, Daivari looks stupid.

Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali starts fast with a superkick and steals Daivari’s jacket before hitting a high crossbody for two. The springboard is broken up though and Ali crashes out to the floor. Back in and Daivari gets two off a clothesline, followed by a chinlock. I’ll take this time to do anything else as my interest is rapidly draining.

Since it’s just a chinlock, it’s a spinebuster for two on Ali as we’re firmly in the lack of charisma period that Daivari constantly has going on. Ali fights back up and scores with a dropkick, only to get caught in a reverse DDT. The frog splash gets two but Ali is right back up with a super hurricanrana. Since this is an Ali match, that sets up the 054 for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: D+. The wrestling was fine but egads how many times can we watch these two have the same match? Ali is better in the ring but if you’ve seen one of his matches, you’ve seen all of them. Daivari on the other hand is a charisma vacuum who drives any interest he could possibly have out of the matches. Watchable match but better suited for the insomnia cure than anything else.

Akira Tozawa comes in to wish Kalisto a happy birthday and good luck.

Kalisto vs. Drew Gulak

There are balloons and cake at ringside so you know the ending from here. Before the match, Enzo says Kalisto is going to get a beating for a birthday gift. Since it’s Enzo, that takes a few minutes to actually say. Gulak slams Kalisto down to start but gets caught in a quick headscissors. They head outside with Enzo running his mouth (shocking) to allow Gulak some cheap shots.

Back in and we hit the neck crank, meaning it’s time for the fans to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY. A slam sends Kalisto into the ropes and we’ve got a bad knee. They tease going into the cake before Drew wisely goes back to the knees with a surfboard. Kalisto rolls away into the hurricanrana driver, followed by a suicide dive. Enzo kicks the knee out though and Drew belts out some Happy Birthday. The dragon sleeper takes too long though and it’s the Salida Del Sol to give Kalisto the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. This was all you could have expected it to be and Kalisto winning was the only possible ending. Gulak is fine as a lackey for Enzo, though I’m not sure how much longer we can keep going with this stuff. The match was acceptable enough and Kalisto getting a win hopefully means he wins the title on Sunday (though it won’t).

Post match Enzo goes after Kalisto but has to kick Gulak in the head. Enzo bails but Kalisto chases him down and sends him into the cake (the one in the back, as opposed to the one in the arena) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Aside from the opener, this was a completely run of the mill show here as we’re getting ready to finally wrap up Enzo vs. Kalisto, meaning it’s finally time to get someone fresh challenging for the title. The show is still watchable but there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before. The cake stuff was fine, though completely standard stuff for a not very interesting title match on Sunday.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

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205 Live
Date: November 7, 2017
Location: Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The show is heading across the ocean this week and that means things are changing up a bit. This week will see the WWE UK wrestlers guest starring, which likely means some show stealing performances and someone jobbing clean to Enzo Amore because that’s how things work anymore. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Pete Dunne destroying Enzo last night and the UK wrestlers being invited tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Enzo Amore to open things up with his Zo Show talk show. Heaven forbid anyone just get in the ring and talk without having their own set. He’s a ratings draw and money certainly can buy happiness. The fans call Enzo boring but he shrugs it off by saying he’s just a G. The UK is a dump though, mainly because it’s always raining. Oh and the women are bland too.

Last night in Blandchester, Kurt Angle sent out his UK Champ to do what he could and Enzo was bamboozled by the loserweight. If the fans had been chanting for Enzo last night, none of that would have happened. As for tonight though, let’s have the first ever UK Zo Train, which means the UK division. Enzo talks to the six of them, starting with Jordan Devlin who was trained by Finn Balor.

Jordan says that’s the end of his association with Balor because he’s here for the money and the fame. Next up is Tucker, who says neither Enzo nor Devlin are half the man Balor is. Enzo: “Whatever.” The third man is James Drake, also known as Mr. Mayhem. Enzo asks if he wants to be on the Zo Train and Drake says “Choo choo.” Enzo: “WELL COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”

On to Mark Andrews, who is a high flier but Enzo thinks he’s over the weight limit. Now for the biggest name on the list in Tyler Bate, who has no interest in being on the Zo Train. He just couldn’t stand hearing Enzo’s voice that often. Enzo thinks there’s a spot for him on the Train, if Bate can handle being a butler. That’s FINALLY enough for Bate, who pops Enzo in the jaw. The fans are very pleased but here’s Kalisto for his match to cut off the Bate chants. This was WAY longer than it needed to with over fifteen minutes of Enzo talking. That might work on Raw, but not on a show that isn’t even an hour long.

Video on James Drake, who will be wrestling tonight.

Kalisto vs. Jack Gallagher

Before the match, Gallagher says it’s good to be home. He’s glad to be back because it reminds him of how glad he was to leave behind all the horrible things of England. Gallagher is reminded of the clown that the fans wanted to turn him into, like they’re doing with Cedric Alexander. Now he’s a real man’s man and bigger than Manchester. We get the opening bell a mere twenty two minutes into a fifty five minute show. They hit the mat to start with Gallagher getting the better of it, only to have Kalisto walk the ropes into an armdrag.

Jack heads outside with Kalisto jumping over the top rope, landing on the outside of the middle rope, and flipping down onto him for a rather dangerous looking spot. Back in and Gallagher takes over with a wristlock before driving some knees down into the arm. An armbar keeps Kalisto down for a bit until a hard hurricanrana driver plants Gallagher again. A moonsault is countered into another armbar though and Kalisto is in some trouble. Back up and Kalisto rolls out of the armbar, allowing him to climb the ropes into the Salida Del Sol for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. Not a bad match, but this is something we could have seen on almost any given episode of 205 Live. If the show is supposed to be a British special, why in the world would you have something that you could see on any show? Kalisto winning is fine as he’s coming up on a pay per view, but the crowd isn’t exactly thrilled with this show, meaning the win felt unimportant.

Kalisto rants about beating Tyler Bate tonight.

Video on Mark Andrews.

Video on Joseph Conners.

Cedric Alexander/Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners/James Drake

Conners and Andrews start things off with Mark hitting a few dropkicks, including a flip out of a sunset flip into the second one. It’s off to Drake to work on Cedric’s arm until Cedric ankle scissors his way to freedom. Mark comes back in for a standing moonsault with Cedric adding a legdrop as a bonus.

Some double teaming puts Andrews in trouble though and a reverse Batista Bomb (always thought that would be a good finisher) gets two. Andrews sends them into each other though, setting up one of the most ice cold hot tags you’ll ever see. The springboard clothesline gets two on Conners and a double Neuralizer drops both heels. That sets up the shooting star to put Conners away at 4:33.

Rating: C. Again, fine, but nothing you can’t see elsewhere. The bigger problem here is the dead crowd, who just does not care about this show. To be fair, they just saw AJ Styles win the World Title about forty minutes ago so it’s a bit hard to care that much about a completely run of the mill TV show.

Video on Bate, including his UK Title win.

Enzo Amore vs. Tyler Bate

Non-title. Bate rolls him down without too much effort to start and Enzo takes a break on the floor. The fans get a MUSTACHE MOUNTAIN chant going while Bate waits on him inside. Back in and Enzo walks into a t-bone suplex, sending him right back to the floor. Tyler follows him this time and gets sent into the barricade to bang up his ribs a bit. Back in and Enzo hammers away before grabbing a chinlock.

Bate fights up with some running clotheslines, only to charge into a boot in the corner. Enzo takes him up top but gets punched off without much effort. He’s still able to knock Bate off though, banging up Bate’s knee in the process. Back in and a hard clothesline sets up the Jordunzo to end Bate clean at 8:16.

Rating: D. So yeah, this is a thing that happened. Bate was in the likely Match of the Year and then he gets….this. I get that Amore means something and Bate is just a part timer but was there no other option for this match? Like, Andrews for example? They’ll treat Dunne as a star but Bate gets to lose clean in eight minutes? Really?

Kalisto runs out to chase Enzo off to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. What a great “special”. This was a dull, lifeless mess, which at least partially was due to the fans being completely dead after the Styles title win. Other than that though, the British contingent really didn’t draw much interest. TO be fair though, it’s not like they were treated as anything special either. Pretty much a total waste of a show, which was one of the worst things this could have been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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