IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: March 18, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Taz, Excalibur

Suddenly things are going to be very different around here and that is going to be the case for the next few weeks. Starting tonight, like every other major wrestling show at the moment, AEW is going to be performing in front of no fans due to the outbreak of the Coronavirus. An odd show is better than no show though so let’s get to it.

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

Cody is in the middle of the completely empty arena to start and talks about how important it is to be healthy and smart. At the same time, AEW does something important in these kind of times. Tonight, Cody is going to be asking people to put aside their differences to do something special. We are going to see the Elite against the Inner Circle with the winners being the in command next week.

Cody needs the Young Bucks, Hangman Page and Kenny Omega to come out here and be the Elite. Cue Omega and Matt Jackson, with Omega saying he and Cody haven’t seen eye to eye but they will be the Elite tonight. Matt likes the call to action, even though Nick Jackson isn’t here due to last week’s attack. Page comes out, takes a sip of his drink, and walks away again. Omega says everyone needs entertainment and positivity so tonight, they’re giving the best they can give. So hit the lights and pyro so we can start Dynamite.

Video on the Best Friends vs. the Lucha Bros.

MJF and Shawn Spears are in the empty seats to gamble on the matches, but HOW DARE YOU suggest that they’re gambling!

Brandi Rhodes is doing the ring announcing. Her graphic: “Promised she’d never ring announce again.”

Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros

Orange Cassidy is on commentary. Trent takes Fenix into the corner to start and it’s time for a chop off. A double shoulder takes Fenix down and a double suplex gives Trent two. Chuck knocks Fenix down for two more but Fenix pokes Trent in the eyes to take over. The stereo superkicks drop Trent and some more kicks to the leg keep him in trouble. Orange stands up to glare as Trent is sent to the floor, meaning it’s a big dive from Fenix. Trent takes both Bros down on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Trent getting kicked in the face but managing a tornado DDT to get him out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Chuck to clean house as everything breaks down. Cassidy gets on the announcers’ table as JR is nearly disgusted by the King of Sloth Style moniker. The Bros glare at him so Cassidy dives onto the both of them, allowing Chuck to piledrive Pentagon for two. The referee is distracted though and a low blow cuts Trent down, setting up the spike Fear Factor for the pin at 14:04. MJF seems to have won a lot of money.

Rating: B. And instantly, AEW is showing how much better it is to have anyone, even just a few wrestlers, watching the match. It makes things a lot easier to watch and adds atmosphere, while also giving the people some character development. This is already better than just about anything on the WWE shows so far. Well done indeed.

Post match the Best Friends are livid and want a rematch, but in a street fight. Or maybe in a parking lot next week.

Penelope Ford vs. Riho vs. Kris Stadtlander vs. Hikaru Shida

One fall to a finish and Kip Sabian is at ringside. Ford gets double teamed to start before being knocked outside. That means a big dive from Riho onto all three others for the big knockdown. Back in and Riho is laid on the middle rope, with Stadtlander telling Shida to suplex her onto Riho. Stadtlander doesn’t like Shida trying to roll her up for two and the small package makes it even worse.

The two of them fight to the floor, leaving Riho to forearm Ford in the face and baseball slide Sabian for a bonus. Riho uses Ford as a launchpad to dropkick Sabian but Shida is back in to knee her in the face. Stadtlander makes the save but gets reverse hurricanranaed to the floor by Ford. Shida Falcon Arrows Ford for two, followed by the running knee for the pin at 5:50.

Rating: C+. This was a fast paced and entertaining match with all action throughout. Shida continues to showcase herself very well and looks like a star most of the time. Good stuff here and the women’s division is starting to come around a little bit, though there is still a long way to go.

Post match Colt Cabana talks about how much he liked the match but doesn’t like Sabian interfering so much. Sabian gets annoyed so Colt hits him in the face, sending Sabian running away.

Earlier today, Jon Moxley was not happy with not being allowed to enter the arena due to not being medically cleared. When has he ever been medically cleared? He promises to be in the Inner Circle’s blind spot and he’ll be at Blood and Guts no matter what. Then he drives off in the expensive blue car.

No Bunny or Marko Stunt here, but MJF gives Butcher and Blade some cash before the match. Blade takes Boy into the corner to start and stomps away but a springboard armdrag takes Blade down. It’s off to Luchasaurus to power Blade down and that means we need a breather on the floor with MJF. Boy’s dive is countered into a toss into the barricade to put Express in trouble.

Back in and Boy’s eyes are raked across the top rope, followed by a side slam/legdrop combination. We take a break and come back with Boy still in trouble until he clotheslines his way to freedom. An elbow to the back cuts off the hot tag attempt though and the beating continues. Boy gets sat on top but he dives over Butcher and rolls over for the hot tag to Luchasaurus in a great visual.

Luchasaurus moonsaults to the floor to drop Butcher before launching Boy at Blade (which almost goes WAY too far as Boy has to save himself from falling over the top). Butcher and Luchasaurus slug it out and it’s an assisted swinging Rock Bottom to give Butcher two. Boy is back in so Blade can get Tail Whipped, with Butcher being sent outside. A reverse powerbomb/cutter combination plants Blade and Boy gets a running start….so he can step to the floor to stomp Butcher in what looks like a missed cue as Luchasaurus gets the pin at 12:33.

Rating: C. There were some missed spots in there but it was a nice formula tag match with a rather good hot tag to Luchasaurus. He’s awesome as the guy who gets the hot tag and can come in to wreck everything because he’s so much bigger than almost anyone else in the company. Just like in the opener though, the wrestlers on the floor made this a lot better. Good enough match here, odd spots aside.

Here’s the Dark Order to talk about the Exalted One being on his way. They have prepared the path for him but here’s Christopher Daniels to interrupt. He’s heard everything he needs to hear about the Exalted One because he doesn’t exist. It’s been that way for months now and nothing has changed.

Hold on though as we get a video from the Exalted One himself. There are new rules for the Dark Order though: they do what they want when they want and if he wants something, it will be taken. The hood comes off to reveal Brodie Lee (formerly Luke Harper), who promises to destroy Daniels. Back in the arena, Lee is in the ring and wrecks SCU.

Lance Archer is at ringside but Jake Roberts cuts him off to challenge Cody to a fight.

We go somewhere out in the woods where a ring is set up with Lance Archer beating up a bunch of people as Jake Roberts watches on. Archer beats them up while shouting EVERYBODY DIES and then chokeslams someone onto a car. Archer looked crazy intense here.

Next Dynamite (there is no mention of next week): Luchasaurus vs. Wardlow in a lumberjack match, the Lucha Bros vs. Best Friends in a parking lot fight and Blood and Guts.

Inner Circle vs. Elite

Ortiz comes in for a cheap shot as we hear about Santana and Ortiz failing gym and not having first names. It’s off to Matt and the arm work begins but Page tags himself in, much to Matt’s annoyance. Page clotheslines Santana twice and gets two off a bridging pumphandle fall away slam. Everything breaks down in a hurry and Cody gets superkicked on the apron as we take a quick break.

Back with Cody getting suplexed and sent into the barricade as Jericho mocks Anderson’s clothing. They come back in and Hager works on Cody’s arm, followed by a chinlock from Santana. Cody snaps off a Cross Rhodes to Ortiz though and Hager freaks out. Hager gets dropped to the floor but he comes back in and cuts off the tag as we take another break. Back again with Cody avoiding the Vader Bomb and Page getting to come in and clean house.

The dive tot he floor drops Hager and a sliding lariat gets two on Santana. Everything breaks down and Cody dives onto Ortiz and throws him at MJF. Wardlow grabs Cody by the throat so Anderson makes the save with his notepad. Back in and Matt rolls the northern lights suplexes on Santana but can’t do it to Hager. Page joins in and the double version puts Hager down but Hager breaks up the Indytaker to Santana. With Nick surprised, Santana rolls him up for the pin at 20:08.

Overall Rating: A. This was excellent and I’m not sure what else I’m supposed to say. They had no fans and a pretty limited crew and put on a regular wrestling show with some big surprised. This show made WWE’s Performance Center shows look completely worthless and amateurish. Hopefully WWE sees what they’re up against and starts changing ANYTHING to make those shows better (putting wrestlers at ringside would make a world of difference).

I’m incredibly impressed with this and AEW has completely lapped WWE for this kind of show so far. Outstanding stuff all things considered, and very good with no things considered. Check this out if you have the time, because it’s a lot better than most of their regular shows.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Best Friends – Spike Fear Factor to Trent

Hikaru Shida b. Riho, Penelope Ford and Kris Stadtlander – Running knee to Ford

Inner Circle b. Elite – Small package to Jackson

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: March 11, 2020
Location: West Valley City, Utah, Maverik Center
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

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

We open with a recap of the Inner Circle destroying Jon Moxley last week.

Hangman Page is with the Young Bucks but won’t say who his partner is. The Bucks don’t seem interested in teaming with him.

Ortiz vs. Cody

Santana, Brandi Rhodes and Arn Anderson are all here. Cody starts fast with a powerslam and here are Jake Roberts and Lance Archer, with commentary confirming him as Jake’s client. They head outside with Cody sending Ortiz into the steps and stopping to glare at Roberts. Back in and Cody hammers away in the corner until a Santana distraction lets Ortiz get in a cheap shot.

Ortiz starts in on the leg and snaps off a suplex for two. A running splash gets the same and it’s time to choke in the corner. Some his swiveling delays Ortiz’s two and the comeback is on with Cody hammering away. Cody throws the weightlifting belt into the crowd but another Santana distraction lets Ortiz crotch him on top. Brandi pulls her belt off and whips Santana, which doesn’t do much to stop Ortiz from hitting a top rope superplex for another near fall.

Santana goes after Anderson so Cody hits a dive for the save. Cody has to catch Santana’s dive and gordbuster him on the ramp, which almost draws Archer over the barricade. Jake cuts that off though and the two of them leave as Cody misses the Disaster Kick. Cross Rhodes is broken up as well so Cody twists the knee around the ropes. A stomp to the leg sets up the Figure Four to make Ortiz tag at 11:32 (because Cody doesn’t have enough finishers).

Post break, Nick is taken away in an ambulance.

Kris Stadtlander/Hikaru Shida vs. Bea Priestly/Nyla Rose

Nyla and Bea jump them to start and we settle down to Rose hammering Shida in the corner. Priestly comes in and chops away before handing it back to Rose for two off a suplex. Shida finally manages to get over for the hot tag to Stadtlander though and we take a fast break. Back with Priestly laid out on the ropes and Shida suplexing Stadtlander onto her, drawing a HOLY SHIDA chant.

Priestly gets in a shot to the face though and Rose comes back in to keep Shida down. Shida is draped over the top but Rose misses the top rope legdrop. An enziguri rocks Rose and Shida manages a Falcon Arrow for two with Priestly having to make a save. Shida hurricanranas Rose and superplex Priestly, only to get speared down by Rose. The Beast Bomb finishes Shida at 9:58.

Rating: C-. Just another women’s match with people doing moves to each other. It wasn’t bad by any stretch but the division continues to float from title match to title match with little in between. The talent is there for the most part, but they really need to figure out how to present what they have better than they have been doing so far. The HOLY SHIDA chant was funny though.

Post match Priestly jumps Rose and throws the title at her.

We recap SCU/Colt Cabana vs. Dark Order.

Christopher Daniels mocks the Dark Order recruitment ads, suggesting that the Exalted One doesn’t exist and it’s always been all about Evil Uno and Stu Grayson. Daniels challenges both Uno and Grayson to singles matches anywhere anytime. If he beats both of them and there is no Exalted One to save them, there will be proof that there is no Exalted One. I’m not sure on his logic, but AEW is rather good at these parodies. Whether or not their material is that easy to parody may or may not be a good sign.

The fans are way into Luchasaurus here. It’s Stunt and MJF to start, but hang on as MJF has to show off the I PINNED CODY shirt. Stunt gets shoved down and Luchasaurus comes in, with MJF backing into him and freaking out in a page straight out of Kurt Angle/Big Show back in the day. MJF gets caught between Luchasaurus and the wrong corner but it’s Butcher and Blade coming in to take out Luchasaurus’ knee to take over.

Blade hits a running corner dropkick and MJF hits a dragon screw legwhip as we take a break. Back with Luchasaurus fighting out of an Indian Deathlock and kicking Blade in the head. MJF dives on the leg for the save Blade grabs the other, only to have Luchasaurus walk over anyway for a great moment. That’s broken up so Luchasaurus dives over for the tag to Jungle Boy anyway, meaning house can be cleaned.

Stunt dives onto Blade’s back and Boy spins him around for a sloppy tornado DDT. Stunt’s dive onto Butcher and Blade is pulled out of the air so Boy dives onto all three of them. Luchasaurus moonsaults Blade so Butcher has to catch Stunt to throw him in for the save. Butcher and Luchasaurus have the big showdown and it’s a double knockdown, meaning it’s off to Stunt to stomp away on MJF in the corner.

Boy is told to get up top but Bunny offers a distraction as Stunt slowly drags MJF across the ring. The distraction lets Boy get shoved off the top and Wardlow sends Luchasaurus into the steps. MJF gets up and Fujiwara armbars Stunt for the tap at 11:57. MJF: “I’M GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!”

Rating: C+. I liked a lot of the match, and by that I mean anything not involving Stunt. I get the whole “anyone can be here” jazz but my goodness it’s too much to believe anytime he’s in the ring. They have to slow everything down so he can get in his spots and it gets annoying in a hurry. MJF, Luchasaurus and Boy helped save it though and the match was pretty good as a result.

We recap last week’s main event.

Darby Allin, in a Chris Jericho mask, puts a Sammy Guevara dummy in a body bag (labeled Sammy) and drags it along behind his truck.

Tony Schiavone brings out Britt Baker, with Tony’s coffee, to complain about how boring Utah really is. She sees a lot of bad teeth too, but she can fix it because she’s a dentist. We also get some incest jokes before Baker tells everyone here to reach for their dreams: be that janitor, plumber or dental assistant. She’s here to be your role model but here’s Big Swole to interrupt. Baker says no one cares about her and people only care about her boyfriend. Swole: “I’m married BAY BAY! (to Cedric Alexander if you’re not familiar)”. Baker runs away. Britt started rough a few weeks back but these things are getting good.

Death Triangle vs. Joey Janela/Private Party

The Triangle jumps them to start but Quen armdrags him down as the pace picks up. The Silly String takes Fenix down and it’s off to Fenix vs. Janela. A kick to the face knocks Pentagon out of the corner and it’s Janela running him over for a bonus. The Triangle is sent outside for a big dive from the top and we take a break. Back with Janela hitting a suicide dive on Fenix and Gin and Juice connecting for two.

Quen gets caught in the corner for a powerbomb onto Pac’s knees, plus a top rope double stomp from Fenix for another two. Janela puts Pac on his shoulders so Quen can use Pac as a springboard to take out the Bros. The Death Valley Driver on the apron sets up a top rope elbow for two on Pac, with Janela looking stunned. The Bros are back in for the spike Fear Factor to Janela, followed by the Black Arrow for the pin at 11:50.

Rating: B-. Pretty good stuff here and a solid debut for the team. Private Party has fallen a long way since their debut and I kind of get why: they’re rather flashy without much more than just athleticism. Get them some experience and they’ll be fine, but for now they need to expand their skill set a bit. Janela….would anyone miss him if he was gone?

Post match the Triangle chokes all three of them but the Best Friends and Orange Cassidy make the save.

Dustin Rhodes is going to be Hangman Page’s partner whether Page wants it or not. They’re going to do some cowboy s***.

Here are some applications to be Shawn Spears’ partner.

Next week: Best Friends vs. Lucha Bros plus the Exalted One is revealed.

We get a sitdown interview with Jim Ross talking to Jon Moxley. This had to take place elsewhere because Moxley is not cleared to be in the arena. Moxley is banged up but won’t go into details about what is wrong with him. This has been about the World Title the whole time and even if he is down 5-1, the Inner Circle can come get it. Moxley is blood and guts and he knows that scares the Inner Circle.

Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes/Hangman Page

The Inner Circle is here with Jericho. Hold on though as Jericho and Sammy need to hug before Sammy and Page start things off. Sammy picks up the pace but it’s quickly off to Dustin for a hard clothesline. Page gets knocked outside though and the Inner Circle stands back as Jericho has a beer. Jericho: “I’M A COWBOY!” The beer gets knocked out of Jericho’s hands with a right hand and everything breaks down.

Sammy drops Dustin for two and we take a break. Back with Dustin getting elbowed down but he gets his knees up to block the Lionsault. Dustin brings Page back in and dives onto Jericho and Guevara, leaving Page to dive onto the Inner Circle. The Buckshot lariat is countered into the Walls so Dustin makes a save. Sammy comes in and walks right into the Canadian Destroyer from Dustin, setting up the Buckshot lariat for the pin at 10:15.

Post match the beatdown is on with Omega running out for the failed save. Cody runs out as well and gets taken down too so Page is carried to the stage. Matt Jackson runs out for the save and flips off Page, only to get chaired down by Jericho to end the show.

Results

Cody b. Ortiz – Figure Four

Bea Priestly/Nyla Rose b. Kris Stadtlander/Hikaru Shida – Beast Bomb to Shida

Death Triangle b. Private Party/Joey Janela – Black Arrow to Janela

Dustin Rhodes/Hangman Page b. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara – Buckshot lariat to Guevara

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: AEW

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

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jurassic Express vs. Peter Avalon/Kip Sabian

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

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

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

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

Severino Corrente vs. Jimmy Havoc

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

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

Post match Luther comes in and beats Havoc down.

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

Abadon vs. Hikaru Shida

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

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

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

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

Private Party vs. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler

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

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

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

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

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

Results

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

Jimmy Havoc b. Severino Corrente – Acid Rainmaker

Hikaru Shida b. Abadon – Running knee

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

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: February 26, 2020
Location: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Kansas City, Missouri
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

It’s another big week as we have the go home show for Revolution, but at the same time we also have an Iron Man match between Kenny Omega and Pac. This show has been on a roll lately with one good week after another so hopefully they can keep it going on the way to the pay per view. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers preview the show.

Kenny Omega vs. Pac

Thirty minute Iron Man match. The Young Bucks are here with Omega but Hangman Page is nowhere to be seen. Feeling out process to start as it’s Omega grabbing a wristlock a minute in. Pac flips out of a wristdrag attempt and that means a standoff, with Omega’s look saying “so that’s how it’s going to be”. They chop it out until Omega kicks the leg out, only to charge into a hard superkick.

The early One Winged Angel attempt is countered into a Brutalizer but Omega falls into the corner for the break. Pac heads outside and that means a big flip dive, much to the fans’ delight. The running jumping bulldog (it was nowhere near a Fameasser this time) plants Pac for two and Omega strikes away against the ropes. There’s the Snapdragon as we’re five minutes in with both of them down.

They head outside with Pac managing a quick tornado DDT to plant Omega and give them another chance to breathe. Back in and Omega headbutts him off the top, only to have Pac run the ropes for the super brainbuster. Pac scores with a missile dropkick for two and we hit the chinlock. A hard faceplant gives Pac two as we hit ten minutes. The fans call Pac a b****** as he kicks Omega in the back of the head to keep him down.

Back up and they go into the slow motion slugout with Pac hitting a pump kick to the face. Omega doesn’t go down though so it’s a snap German suplex to drop him instead. That doesn’t seem to matter very much as Omega hits some knees to the head, followed by a Tiger Driver 98 for two.

After JR makes fun of the Tiger Driver 98 name, Pac breaks out of the One Winged Angle, only to get German suplexed HARD for two. Omega hits running knees to the back in the corner before loading up….a super One Winged Angel? That’s reversed into a sunset bomb as we hit the halfway point. Pac’s super hurricanrana is countered as well and there’s a Snapdragon into a V Trigger for two more. Pac staggers to the floor and BLASTS Omega in the head for the DQ with 14:06 to go.

Omega – 1

Pac – 0

We take a thirty second rest period but Pac gets in another shot to the head to keep Omega in trouble. A running kick to the head sets up the Black Arrow to tie it up with 13:21 to go.

Omega – 1

Pac – 1

Back from a break with 10:46 to go and the slugout on the apron going to Pac. A Falcon Arrow off the apron drops Omega again and the audio is muted for the sake of swearing fans. They’re both down again and we have less than ten minutes to go. Pac knocks him off the apron and the ref is bumped.

With no one seeing it, Pac pulls out a table and hits a shooting star off the top to send Omega through the table (which pretty much explodes). They both beat the count (I’m not sure on Omega but they give it to him anyway) and Pac can’t believe it. Another Black Arrow hits raised knees with five minutes left and Omega has an opener. A heck of a V Trigger sets up a spinning Rock Bottom for two on Pac, followed by another V Trigger.

Pac is back up with a tornado DDT and the Brutalizer (on the mat this time) has Omega in real trouble. We have two minutes left as Omega finally gets his foot on the rope. Pac is smart enough to go right back to the hold as we hit a minute left. The hold stays on with Omega looking at the clock as time expires at 30:00. Pac blasts the referee but hang on as we’re getting sudden death. Omega hits another V Trigger and then another knee to the head for two. The One Winged Angel finishes Pac at 33:14, counting the breaks between falls.

Omega – 2

Pac – 1

Rating: B+. They beat the heck out of each other here and while they could do another match, this felt like the definitive end of the feud. Omega gets a big singles win for the first time in a good while and Pac hardly looks bad in defeat. What does look bad is the Brutalizer, which was on for the better part of three minutes but then Omega just popped up and dominated overtime to win. I didn’t like it when Shawn Michaels survived that long in the Sharpshooter and I don’t like this either. That being said, heck of a fight and that’s what it needed to be.

Post break Pac doesn’t want to hear about getting what he deserves so here’s Orange Cassidy for a chat. Cassidy takes his glasses off so Pac drops him with a single forearm. Good for him.

Jake Hager isn’t allowing any interviews with Chris Jericho before tonight’s weigh-in.

Inner Circle vs. Jurassic Express

It’s Santana/Ortiz/Sammy Guevara this time around. The Express starts fast with Boy knocking Guevara off the apron and Stunt dropkicking Santana and Ortiz to the floor. Boy hits some suicide dives but Stunt gets pulled out of the air and thrown into Boy, driving him into the barricade. Back in and Luchasaurus gets taken down with a double flapjack, followed by a big toss to Stunt.

We take a break and come back with Santana hitting a big Poetry In Cannonball to crush Stunt in the corner. Stunt is fine enough to escape a German suplex attempt and bring in Luchasaurus to clean house. A chokeslam into a standing moonsault have Ortiz down but Sammy hits Luchasaurus in the back for reasons of overconfidence. Triple kicks in the corner rock Sammy and it’s a kick to the chest/Vertebreaker combination for two with Santana making the save.

A double enziguri puts Boy down and Sammy’s running shooting star press gets two with Stunt making the save. Luchasaurus moonsaults onto Stunt, Santana and Ortiz but Sammy grabs the loaded sock. Cue Darby Allin to steal it away though and Boy hurricanranas Sammy for the pin at 9:43.

Rating: B-. It was action packed and aside from my general issues with Stunt, there wasn’t much to complain about here, save for one thing. If you’re going to bust out a big move like a Vertebreaker in a match like this, it should be the finish. I know they had more to do, but if that’s the case, don’t do the move. Save a move that big for a more important spot instead of another near fall in a six man that isn’t going to mean much in the long run.

Video on Cody vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman. They’ve done an awesome job of making me want to see Cody destroy him.

Best Friends vs. Butcher And Blade

Cassidy and Bunny are at ringside. Butcher runs Trent over to start and Blade walks around the ring a lot. Trent gets dropped ribs first across the top rope but he manages a running knee to set up the hot tag to Chuck. House is cleaned and we take a break. Back with Trent’s dive over the top being sent into the barricade but he’s fine enough to spear Blade down.

Hold on though, as it’s time for ORANGE CASSIDY TO DO THE SAME THING HE DOES EVERY WEEK, BUT THIS TIME IT’S SOMEONE DIFFERENT SO HE’S AWESOME! This time Bunny steals his sunglasses so he steals her bunny ears and then dives onto Blade. Strong Zero finishes Butcher at 8:06.

Rating: C-. It was the usual match with the usual Cassidy spot and that isn’t enough to overcome my lack of caring about either team. Butcher and Blade don’t win matches and don’t really hurt anyone so I’m not sure why they’re continuing their roles as enforcers/bounty hunters/whatever they’re called at the moment. It wasn’t a bad match, but after the first two matches, this wasn’t up to the same level.

Post match Tony Schiavone is in the ring with Best Friends and Cassidy to announce Cassidy vs. Pac for Revolution. Chuck: “Pac, the joke’s on you buddy, because this time he’s going to TRY!”

Big Swole vs. Shanna vs. Yuka Sakazaki vs. Hikaru Shida

Everyone gets in a shot or two to start with Shanna hurricanranaing Swole and Shida at the same time. Sakazaki stands on the apron while the other three do a triple test of strength. She comes back in to break it up but Swole kicks her down, setting up the parade of rollups for two each. Back with Shida cleaning house and suplexing Shanna into Sakazaki in the corner.

Swole is back in to clean house and kicks Shanna on the head, setting up a springboard cutter for two. Now it’s Sakazaki getting back up, only to get taken down with a lifting Pedigree to give Shanna two of her own. Dirty Dancing drops Shanna but Shida gives Swole a backbreaker. Sakazaki hits a springboard splash for two but Shida makes the save. A running knee hits Swole to give Shida the pin at 9:12.

Rating: C-. This was just another four way with the wrestlers doing their spots until one of them won. I’m rarely a fan of matches like this one as there is next to no story or psychology to the whole thing and it’s just moves after moves. It feels like there’s a multi person match every week or two and I don’t need to see another one for a good while.

The Dark Order says the Exalted One is coming and they’re beating up SCU at Revolution.

Jim Ross moderates a sitdown interview between the Young Bucks and Kenny Omega/Hangman Page (with a drink in hand). The Bucks couldn’t believe this being the case a year ago because Omega and Page were singles wrestlers. Omega says the Bucks are the best but he and Page were in the right place at the right time. Page looks rather anxious and the Bucks call him out for needing a drink.

They’re worried about him because they’re friends in and out of the ring. Page says he tried to leave the Elite, with the Bucks saying he’s walking away from everything they did for him. He was a jobber in ROH and they made him a star on Being The Elite. Page walks out, despite the Bucks saying they have a match to promote. Not titles to win mind you, but a match to promote.

Revolution rundown.

Lance Archer debuts next week.

It’s time for the official weigh-in between Jon Moxley and Chris Jericho, with Gary Michael Cappetta of all people as master of ceremonies. After hyping up the pay per view, Cappetta brings out the two of them but Jericho calls him a weird little man instead of getting on the scale. Jericho: “It’s no wonder WCW went out of business.” Moxley goes first and weighs 234lbs.

Jericho takes his time getting on the scale because he needs to insult the fans and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. He goes after Moxley, who headbutts Jericho down to bust him open. The Inner Circle is on Moxley in a hurry but here’s Dustin Rhodes to go after Jake Hager. They fight to the back (JR: “For the love of God stay away from the Dippin’ Dots!!!”) and yes, Dustin is sent into the Dippin’ Dots cart.

Back in the arena, Darby Allin runs in (as in he doesn’t wait around on the stage for thirty seconds this week) for the save but Sammy takes the skateboard away and breaks it over Darby’s head. Moxley fights up and it’s time for the big slugout with Jericho. Guevara breaks up the Paradigm Shift with a low blow and the Judas Effect hits Moxley. Jericho gives him a Paradigm Shift onto the scale. That was a hot ending and covered three matches at once so well done all around.

Overall Rating: B. The opening hour was rather good and while things slowed down a lot from there, it was still a heck of a show with the ending picking up a lot of the slack. The last two weeks were better but this got me ready for Revolution and they’re still in a groove at the right time. Rather good show this week and if they can fix some of their issues, they’re as good as anything going at the moment, if not a fair bit better.

Results

Kenny Omega b. Pac two falls to one

Jurassic Express b. Inner Circle – Hurricanrana to Sammy Guevara

Best Friends b. Butcher and Blade – Strong Zero to Butcher

Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole, Yuka Sakazaki and Shanna – Running knee to Swole

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: AEW

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

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

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

Tony runs down the card.

Riho vs. Shoko Nakajima

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

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

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

Jimmy Havoc vs. Sonny Kiss

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

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

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

Dr. Luther seems to threaten Jimmy Havoc.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Hikaru Shida vs. Cassandra Golden

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

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

Dark Order vs. Jurassic Express

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

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

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

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

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

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

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: AEW

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

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

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

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

Jurassic Express vs. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss

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

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

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

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

Mel vs. Hikaru Shida

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

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

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

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

From the Jericho cruise.

Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega/Riho

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

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

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

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

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

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

There is no update on Awesome Kong.

Best Friends vs. Shawn Spears/???

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

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

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

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

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

Delaney and the other three have a group hug.

Tony says goodnight.

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

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

Results

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

Hikaru Shida b. Mel – Running knee

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

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

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: All Elite Wrestling

Dynamite
Date: January 1, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz, Excalibur

It’s the Homecoming edition as we start the new year in the home stomping grounds of Jacksonville. That means we should be in for a big show to start the new year, which is taking place a year to the day of the announcement of the company. I’m curious to see what they have in store as it should be interesting. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how bad things have been for the Elite. Tonight is their reckoning as they try to turn it around.

JR tries to throw it to the first match but we run down the card instead.

During the entrances, JR mentions that the win/loss records are being reset. The all time records will still be kept, but 2020 will have their own records.

Cody vs. Darby Allin

Rematch from back in the day when they went to a surprising draw. Allin has a member of a band with him while Cody debuts Arn Anderson as his new manager. They don’t bother with the feeling out process to start and it’s a quick pinfall reversal sequence for several near falls each. Arn offers some advice, allowing Cody to block the Coffin Drop. Cross Rhodes is blocked as well and a slugout goes to Cody with Allin being sent outside.

Back in and Darby hits a springboard back elbow to the face to put Cody on the floor. A big suicide dive hits Cody square in the shoulder and a posting makes the arm even worse. Back in and the arm gets sent into the corner for two but Cody is right back with a Figure Four. A finger tip on the rope gets Darby out of trouble and he grabs a Fujiwara armbar. That’s adjusted into something like a reverse Rings of Saturn but Cody makes the rope as well.

With nothing else working, Darby pulls off a turnbuckle pad, only to get shoved off the top and onto the ramp, though he sticks the landing. Cody rolls through a high crossbody for two and snaps off a powerslam for a breather. The Cody Cutter connects and it’s time to take off the weight belt.

Cody takes him up top for a reverse superplex and it’s time for a break. We come back with Darby hitting the Coffin Drop on the apron, with Darby landing on Cody’s half raised knee. The knee is fine enough to try the Cody Cutter but Darby counters, only to get caught with the Cross Rhodes….for two. Cody misses a charge into the exposed buckle but the Coffin Drop hits raised knees (as instructed by Arn), letting Cody roll him up for the pin at 17:16.

Rating: B. They were teasing the draw again as Allin continues to look great with Cody. These two have some awesome chemistry together and it was on full display here. You have to put Cody over given the circumstances (like having Arn around) here though, and Allin has already gotten a ton out of Cody. Very good match, though not quite as awesome as their first one.

SCU is ready to face all comers, but Sammy Guevara interrupts to call out Christopher Daniels as a has been. A match is set for next week.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida vs. Britt Baker vs. Riho

Riho is defending and it’s one fall to a finish after #1 contender Kris Stadtlander had to drop the title match due to a prior commitment. Rose jumps Riho before the bell but Shida knees Rose outside as we officially get going. With everyone down, Rose grabs a table, which is what got her suspended in the first place. Riho takes Shida down with a high crossbody on the floor and we take a break.

Back with Rose cleaning house and backsplashing Shida through a table at ringside. Baker can’t get Lockjaw on Rose so she goes with a triangle instead. That’s broken up with a powerbomb so Baker superkicks Rose and hits a fisherman’s neckbreaker for two on Riho. Shida is back up with a backbreaker to Baker but Rose starts taking everyone out again. A Swanton misses Shida and Riho though, leaving Riho to hit some double knees. Shida kicks her in the face though and a Michinoku Driver gets two on Rose. Lockjaw goes onto Shida but Riho grabs a rollup to pin Baker at 9:48.

Rating: C+. This was almost all action and it was entertaining while it lasted, though you knew Riho wasn’t dropping the title with Stadtlander waiting in the wings. That being said, you could hear the reactions from the crowd on Shida here so maybe it’s time to change things up a bit. Riho has cooled off a bit due to her absence, but I’m not sure if it’s enough to have her drop the title yet.

Post match Rose runs Riho over and puts her through a table.

Joey Janela….can’t say anything as Penelope Ford hits him low.

We look at the Dark Order’s attack last week. An exalted one is mentioned.

Jon Moxley vs. Trent

Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy are here too. Moxley works on a headlock and then a wristlock to take Trent down. Trent reverses into a headlock of his own but a right hand puts Trent on the floor. A slam onto the ramp has Trent in more trouble and we take a break. Back with Trent slugging away but getting sent upside down in the corner.

A half and half suplex sends Moxley to the floor though and that means the big flip dive. The tornado DDT gives Trent two but Moxley is back with a faceplant for two of his own. The pinfall reversal sequence gets some near falls each, followed by Moxley blasting him with a clothesline. That’s enough to draw Cassidy in and the hands go into the pockets. Moxley puts his hands into his own pockets and the distraction lets Trent hit a running knee. Trent tries a dive to the ramp but gets caught in the Paradigm Shift. Another one back inside gives Moxley the pin at 10:50.

Rating: C+. I was worried about the Cassidy bit for a second but thankfully it didn’t go anywhere. Moxley won in dominant enough fashion and the match was all it needed to be. It’s pretty clear that Moxley is heading for the World Title match at some point in the near future so giving him a nice win is the best thing they could do.

Post match here’s Sammy Guevara through the crowd. He gets why Moxley comes to the ring this way but Moxley grabs a chair just in case. It’s 2020 and that means we’re in for a new year, plus a new world for Moxley. The Inner Circle has offered him a spot and Chris Jericho has something else.

Jericho appears on screen to say that he is offering Moxley co-leadership of the team, with 49% of the Inner Circle LLC. He can be Executive Vice President and the team has a special gift for him: a Ford GT, which costs millions of dollars and includes a MOX license plate. Jericho wants the two of them to rule the wrestling world and take out the Elite one by one. He drives away so Moxley can make his decision. Moxley says he’ll make his decision next week.

Sammy Guevara vs. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin (who is now in his fifth decade as a regular performer on a major roster) sneaks in from behind and starts hammering away before Sammy can get his jacket off. Sammy gets knocked to the floor for a flip dive from the apron but here’s Jake Hager for the staredown (JR: “I would say Boomer Sooner but he doesn’t deserve it.”). A cheap shot doesn’t work though as Dustin powerslams Sammy on the floor, meaning it’s the staredown sequel. Now the cheap shot works and Sammy dances into a pose as we take a break.

Back with Dustin fighting out of the chinlock so Sammy flips forward for a change of pace. Dustin fights up anyway and hits the usual, only to have the Final Reckoning countered into an enziguri. The running shooting star press gives Sammy two but Dustin is right back with a Canadian Destroyer onto the apron for one, as Dustin has to knock Hager down. Sammy gets backdropped onto Hager but the referee breaks up Shattered Dreams. The distraction lets Hager hit Dustin low and Sammy steals the pin at 11:23.

Rating: C. I wasn’t feeling this one as much but Dustin can still go. This is pretty clearly setting up Dustin vs. Hager, but I’m not sure if they should have Dustin losing on their way there. Sammy is the guy who should be there to take losses for the Inner Circle, though at least the loss wasn’t clean.

Private Party is at a bar where Hangman Page is the bartender for some reason. Page isn’t impressed by them and says their parties suck before leaving.

Here are Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Wardlow to respond to Cody. After some insults to the fans, MJF announces that the match with Cody can take place at Revolution, provided Cody doesn’t touch him in the meantime. Before we get there though, Cody is going to have to beat Wardlow one on one in a steel cage. Finally, Cody has to get down on all fours, live on TNT, and have MJF whip him ten times like the dog that he is. Those scars are going to remind Cody of one thing: MJF is better than him.

Jurassic Express talks about their big year, with Jungle Boy focusing on surviving ten minutes with Chris Jericho. Luchasaurus has to keep swatting away Marko Stunt’s hand.

Next week: a tribute to Memphis Wrestling and Stadtlander vs. Riho for the Women’s Title.

Britt Baker breaks up Riho’s interview to say that Riho hasn’t been around here and stole the win earlier. Baker can wrestle and be a dentist at the same time, unlike Riho who sneaks in and steals wins. Riho has nothing to say.

Lucha Bros/Pac vs. Young Bucks/Kenny Omega

Hangman Page is on commentary. Pentagon and Kenny start things off so the glove comes off. Omega catches it and slaps Pentagon in the mask with it, followed by the chop off. Fenix comes in and it’s the Bros being taken down at the same time. It’s too early for the One Winged Angel so it’s off to Nick for an exchange of shoulders. A dropkick puts Fenix on the floor and Nick follows, only to get kicked in the head. An exchange of kicks to the head back inside gives us a double nipup and we take a break.

Back with Pac breaking up the Rise of the Terminators and hitting a big flipping dive to the floor. It’s Omega getting in trouble in the corner but rolling over for the diving tag off to Nick. Everything breaks down and the Bucks hit stereo Canadian Destroyers on the Lucha Bros. That leaves Omega and Pac for a showdown with Omega getting the better of it. The running knee to the back of the head sets up a sitout powerbomb for two with Pentagon having to make the save.

Pentagon hits some Sling Blades followed by a Backstabber to Omega but the spike Fear Factor is broken up. Fenix is back in with a double rolling cutter to the Bucks. A regular rolling cutter plants Omega and the Black Arrow gets two as the Bucks make a save of their own. The Brutalizer goes on but that’s broken up as well, leaving Fenix to get kneed out of the air. The One Winged Angel finishes Fenix at 12:33.

Rating: B-. Some of the ending kickouts and near falls were a bit much but the match was still entertaining and the Elite gets a much needed win. Omega vs. Pac III is likely coming at Revolution and that could go either way. Throw in the Bucks vs. the Bros and we should be in for a heck of a strong undercard for the pay per view.

Post match Page leaves commentary and the team invites him into the ring, but it’s just a thumbs up from a distance. Posing ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. They started the year back strong with nothing bad and some rather nice matches up and down the show. One of the best things they could have done is stay away from the Dark Order stuff until they’re ready with an upgrade and that’s what they did. Having a quick recap/vignette is fine and teasing a big leader should help. They’re not exactly hiding who that leader likely is, but bigger swerves have happened. Rather good show this week.

Results

Cody b. Darby Allin – Rollup

Riho b. Hikaru Shida, Britt Baker and Nyla Rose – Rollup to Baker

Jon Moxley b. Trent – Paradigm Shift

Sammy Guevara b. Dustin Rhodes – Low blow

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks b. Lucha Bros/Pac – One Winged Angel to Fenix

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: AEW

Dynamite
Date: December 4, 2019
Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

Last week’s show ended on a big moment with Jon Moxley seemingly setting himself up as the next challenger to Chris Jericho’s World Title. They had a big feud in WWE so doing the same thing over here would be fine enough. Hopefully they can bounce back from a slightly down week last time. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks/Dustin Rhodes vs. Sammy Guevara/Santana and Ortiz

The audio is all over the place, with the volume going from fine to so loud that I jumped to so low that I can barely understand commentary, all during the entrances. It’s a brawl to start with a triple superkick putting the Inner Circle on the floor. Stereo dives take them down again and Matt rolls Sammy with his northern lights suplexes. Matt can’t suplex all of them at once though and it’s a triple beatdown, setting up Sammy’s Swanton for two.

Santana and Ortiz do their handing off delayed vertical suplex but Matt slips out and hits the superkick as the audio is back up. Dustin comes in off the hot tag and throws some uppercuts, meaning it’s time for a breather. The snap powerslam hits Guevara and a triple crossbody puts down all of the Inner Circle. Dustin even busts out a Canadian Destroyer for two with Ortiz making a save.

Shattered Dreams is loaded up but Ortiz takes advantage of the distracted referee to get in a slap jack shot. Sammy’s 630 gets two and it’s back to Matt to pick up the pace until Nick hits a spear. The Meltzer Driver gets two with Ortiz making another save and seeming telling someone what they can suck (not sure it was him). The series of dives ends with Sammy taking Matt out on the floor and it’s a powerbomb/top rope knee combination for two as Dustin makes his own save.

Sammy grabs his phone and tries a shooting star press to….no one in particular but it lets the Bucks superkick him out of the air. A double superkick in the corner/Shattered Dreams combination hits Sammy and Nick goes up for a double spike Tombstone/backsplash to Sammy for the pin at 11:02.

Rating: C+. It was fun and entertaining with some big spots, but it felt like we had to get through the big spot sequence before we could get to the ending. That’s becoming a signature around this place and that isn’t a good thing. Aside from Sammy seemingly going nuts by trying a shooting star with no one there, the audio was the big problem here as it was all over the place to start, but it did get better by the end.

The announcers run down the card.

Trent vs. Fenix

Fenix wastes no time in going for the Black Fire Driver but Trent slips out, only to miss the Dudebuster. Trent tries to go to the middle rope but Fenix 619s the knee out and we take a break. Back with Trent hitting a tornado DDT for two, setting up a powerbomb to Trent for two more.

Fenix walks the rope to kick Trent in the head but gets clotheslined inside out. They head to the apron with Fenix staggering him and hitting a middle rope double stomp to the back. A piledriver gives Trent two more but Fenix rolls into his cutter. The Black Fire Driver finishes Trent at 11:01.

Rating: B-. I’m not sure what it says that it’s a relief that they didn’t put Trent over Fenix, who could be a top tag or singles name for a long time to come. Trent is a talented guy and a good bit better than Chuck, but when you see Chuck beat Pentagon, it’s a bit of a scare to see something like this booked. They got it right, but not without making me shiver a bit.

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

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

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

Joey Janela is ready to face Jon Moxley again and this time the match actually counts. Moxley is going to have to kill him to win. Moxley comes in, says “kids”, and leaves.

We see a man being initiated into the Dark Order.

Nyla Rose vs. Leva Bates

Rose boots her in the face to start and hangs Bates over the top rope. A top rope knee to the back of the head knocks Bates silly so Peter Avalon tries to come in. That means a double chokeslam and the Beast Bomb finishes Bates at 1:36.

Post match Nyla Beast Bombs her again but it’s Shanna, who Rose attacked last week, coming in for the save. A powerslam crushes Shanna though and Rose stands tall.

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

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

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

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

Nyla Rose powerbombed a referee during a break and has been suspended from in-ring action. Britt Baker is shown in the crowd in shock. Excalibur: “That’s Adam Cole’s girlfriend.”

Kris Stadtlander vs. Hikaru Shida

Kris starts with some cartwheels and forearms away as we take an early break. Back with Shida hitting a running knee off the apron and getting two off a dropkick. Shida goes for a Fujiwara armbar but the long legs make the rope without much effort. Kris hits an enziguri and a hard lariat, followed by an electric chair faceplant. The ax kick gives Kris two but Shida is back with another running knee. Then it’s a running knee but Kris grabs a Falcon Arrow for two more. A cradle Tombstone….actually finishes Shida at 8:24. Dang I’m rather surprised on that one.

Rating: C. I’m pleased on this one, though I’m also not sure about having Shida get pinned. That being said, they need to make some new stars and Stadtlander is good, unique looking and talented so I’ll certainly take this one. Not a great match, but they pulled the trigger on someone and that’s a good sign.

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

Pentagon Jr. vs. Christopher Daniels

Fallout from last week. They fight on the ramp before the bell with Pentagon getting the better of it. The bell rings inside and Daniels spears Pentagon down and hammers away, only to get caught on the middle rope. A top rope double stomp crushes Daniels and we take a break. Back with Pentagon springboarding into a Downward Spiral. He’s fine enough to get two off a Sling Blade and the Backstabber out of the corner is good for the same. Daniels hits a clothesline to the back of the head but has to block a Canadian Destroyer on the ramp.

Instead it’s an enziguri as Daniels heads back inside, where he can superkick Pentagon down to block a dive. Daniels loads up the Arabian moonsault onto the ramp but slips off and crashes badly (commentary mentions that it’s likely the result of the pinched nerve not being all the way back yet). They head back inside with Daniels hitting the Angel’s Wings, only to have Fenix throw in Daniels’ mic stand. Pentagon misses the running shot and gets caught with the STO, allowing Daniels to pick up the stand instead. That’s taken away so Pentagon kicks him low and this the Fear Factor for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: C+. Pentagon continues to be great and Daniels continues to wrestle about fifteen years younger than he is (in a good way). They got a little too busy at the end but it was a solid back and forth match almost all the way. Having Daniels’ body give out is a good story as well and ties back in while giving him an out for the loss in case the low blow wasn’t enough.

Butcher/Blade/Bunny are here because they’re sick of seeing Cody everywhere and want to cut the head off the snake.

Joey Janela vs. Jon Moxley

Jon wrestles him down to the mat in a hurry and grabs a headlock. Back up and they chop it out before heading out to the ramp. Moxley ax handles him down and we take an early break. Back with Moxley still in control and trying the Paradigm Shift on the apron, only to get countered into a tornado DDT. Janela has to bail out of something off the top and nails a suicide dive to take Moxley down again.

Back inside and Joey’s sunset bomb gets two, meaning it’s time to forearm it out. Janela hits a superkick, only to get clotheslined down. The Paradigm Shift is countered into a German suplex into the corner, setting up a big dive into a pile of chairs (with the camera missing most of it). A top rope elbow gives Janela two back inside but he can’t superplex Moxley. Instead he gets Paradigm Shifted onto the top rope, followed by the regular version to finish Janela at 9:33.

Rating: B-. Janela was working here and it made for a better match than I can remember seeing from him before. The ending wasn’t all the way in doubt (though I would have said the same thing about Stadtlander vs. Shida) but Joey was giving it his best and that made for a rather nice main event.

Post match the Inner Circle comes through the crowd to look at Moxley as he did last week.

Overall Rating: B-. I don’t know what it has been the last few weeks but something has been missing from AEW. Maybe the fresh feeling has worn off or something but it isn’t quite what it used to be. It’s still a good show, just not as energized or entertaining as it has been before.

If nothing else, they’re running into the problem of putting the same people out there. We’ve seen Moxley, Jericho, the Bucks, the Inner Circle, Rose, the Lucha Bros and the Best Friends several times now and those are some of the bigger names in the promotion. You can only present them so many times and they have been around almost every week so far. They need a little breather from them (not replacements, but short term substitutes) so their star power can show off a little bit more. Slightly better show than last week, but still not what they had been before.

Results

Dustin Rhodes/Young Bucks b. Santana and Ortiz/Sammy Guevara – Top rope backsplash to Guevara

Fenix b. Trent – Black Fire Driver

Nyla Rose b. Leva Bates – Beast Bomb

Kris Stadtlander b. Hikaru Shida – Cradle Tombstone

Pentagon Jr. b. Christopher Daniels – Fear Factor

Jon Moxley b. Joey Janela – Paradigm Shift

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: All Elite Wrestling

Dynamite
Date: November 20, 2019
Location: Indiana Farmers Coliseum, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

This should make for an interesting week as Chris Jericho is set to make a huge announcement. That very well may be something about his cruise, but it could be something coming a little sooner. Other than that we should be in for our usual big show, though you never can tell what that is going to bring. Let’s get to it.

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

The announcers run down the card and preview the show. Thankfully they kept it short, as should be the case with something like this.

Nick Jackson vs. Fenix

This is Jackson’s first singles match in about four years. Nick shoulders him down so Fenix is right back up with a dropkick to the face. A backflip off the apron lets Nick avoid a 619 and they head to the floor to start the luchaing. Neither can hit a DDT on the floor, nor can they hit dropkicks inside so the fans give them a big ovation. Fenix goes up top for a very twisty wristdrag to put Nick back on the floor.

They quickly change places and Nick has to bail out of a springboard flip dive off the top. That lets Fenix hit a cutter on the floor and they’re both down. A big Swanton gives Fenix two back inside but he misses the rope walk kick to the head. Nick strikes away to set up a bulldog and a running knee to the head gets two. A super hurricanrana is good for the same, plus a very big reaction from the crowd. Back up and Fenix nails a superkick, only to have Nick kick him in the face a few times as well.

Fenix nips right back up for a superkick of his own and then falls down. Nick is sent to the apron for a rope walk hurricanrana, followed by another rolling cutter for two back inside. They head to the apron again with Nick hitting a kick to the head into a German suplex to drop Fenix to the floor. Back in and a slingshot Canadian Destroyer gets two and the Sharpshooter has Fenix screaming. That’s broken up and so is the Tombstone so Fenix kicks him into the corner. A running kick to the face sets up the Black Fire Driver to finish Nick at 11:55.

Rating: B+. I’m not big on the Bucks matches but this was the kind of back and forth all action match that these two are made to have. I had a good time with this and it was more proof of the value that the Lucha Bros have. They can’t have a bad match at this point and it works either as singles or tag wrestling. Heck of a match here and all kinds of entertaining, which I always expect from Fenix. Jackson does do a great high speed offense and that was on full display here.

Post match Fenix walks away from the offer of a handshake.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida gets the frustration going to start but misses a big kick to the face to give us a standoff. Baker can’t get Lockjaw so she punches Shida in the face and we take a break. Back with Shida using a chair to hit a running knee to the face on the floor. They head back inside with Baker’s nose busted open but still being able to pull Shida off the top to send her arm first into the rope.

A pumphandle facebuster gives Baker two and a hanging DDT is good for the same. Shida is right back with the running knee to the face and mixes things up a bit with a running knee to the face, only to get caught in the first half of Lockjaw. A foot on the rope gets her out of trouble so Baker settles for two off of a fisherman’s neckbreaker. Shida is right back with a Falcon Arrow for two and ANOTHER running knee to the head finishes Baker at 9:55.

Rating: C+. Shida is growing on me in a hurry but she needs to figure out something other than that running knee. It’s her V Trigger and while it isn’t quite as repetitive, it is turning into a big portion of her offense. Throw a kick to the face or even a forearm but find something else. Either way, she is pretty clearly on her way to a title shot as Baker loses again, which seems to be the case for her in bigger matches.

Video on the Dark Order, who seems to want you to join them. This feels like a commercial for the group, which is a lot better than just having them be weird because they look weird. It’s the first thing that makes me even somewhat interested in the team so well done on the change of pace.

Dynamite Dozen Battle Royal

Adam Page, Chuck Taylor, Kip Sabian, Jimmy Havoc, Jungle Boy, Pentagon, Sonny Kiss, Marko Stunt, Joey Janela, Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Orange Cassidy, Billy Gunn

The final two entrants face off next week for….a ring? I wonder if this is how they’re getting to a midcard title. Christopher Daniels pops up for a distraction and it’s Pentagon being thrown out early on. Daniels and Sabian go through the ropes to the floor and it’s time for Kiss to dance in front of Gunn (because he’s a certain kind of man). MJF throws Kiss out and Gunn isn’t happy, so everyone jumps on Gunn. He throws them all off and gets rid of Havoc, who comes back in with the staple gun because that’s what we need in a battle royal.

Referees get rid of Havoc and we look at him leaving for a good while. Back from a break with things having slowed down a lot, including having Janela gone due to some Shawn Spears interference. Gunn no sells Sabian’s chops and unloads with right hands. Cassidy is left for the showdown and that means the hands in the pockets. The weak kicks ensue and Gunn has no idea what is going on….so MJF throws Cassidy out for the big heel heat.

MJF backs into Gunn, who says that’s twice now. A SUCK IT into the Fameasser lets Gunn throw him to the apron but MJF holds on. Cue Wardlow for a distraction so Page can get rid of Gunn. It looks like we’re down to Taylor, MJF, Page, Sabian and Boy, though I would bet on someone being down on the floor. Page cleans house until he runs into a raised knee from Chuck. Penelope Ford grabs Taylor’s foot though and it’s a Disaster Kick to get rid of Taylor. Boy hits a big running hurricanrana to get rid of Sabian but it’s MJF sneaking back in to pull Boy out, leaving MJF and Page as the winners at 10:14.

Rating: C. The big conclusion here: MJF is the best heel in wrestling and it isn’t even close. I remember listening to John Hennigan on Steve Austin’s Show and he gave his basic definition of psychology: faces give fans what they want and heels don’t let them have what they want. That was on full display here with MJF not letting the fans have Kiss, Cassidy or Gunn (thanks to his bodyguard at least), and the fans hated him as a result. That’s how you get a heel over and it works to perfection for him.

Post match MJF and Page have to be held apart. They’ll meet for the ring next week.

Here are Jericho and Hager for a big announcement. Jericho talks about snapping last week and how unbecoming that is for a champion. He tries to apologize but it’s the Fonzie issue (I would say look it up but if you don’t know the Fonz, I have no use for you) of not being able to get the word “sorry” out of his mouth. Hager says sorry for him, in a rare moment of speaking.

Anyway, next week Jericho is going to get his THANK YOU from everyone next week. He wishes the celebration would be here in Indianapolis but they have enough sports teams anyway. Next week it’s going to be a big Thanksgiving celebration, including gifts, an aquarium and maybe even some clowns. Jericho declares Indianapolis a dump and goes to leave but here’s SCU to cut him off. Scorpio Sky talks about how great Jericho is….but Sky pinned him last week. Fans: “YOU GOT PINNED!”

Sky celebrated all weekend and is even getting to go on a date with his high school crush, Melanie Parsons. Jericho: “I’ve seen Melanie Parsons, and she’s gained a lot of weight since high school!” Sky doesn’t seem to mind but Jericho gets back to the point: he thinks it’s cuter than baby Yoda that Sky thinks he got one over on Le Champion last week. Jericho even offers a singles match next week but Daniels says they need time to train. Like a month or two for a training camp!

That doesn’t work for Jericho, who demands it take place next week. Kazarian says we need to make sure it is NOT for the title because Jericho would get too nuts if it was on the line. Sky agrees he does not deserve a title match….but Jericho wonders what would happen if it was a title match. Jericho: “GUESS WHAT! YOU GOT IT!” And he even forces a handshake, but Sky pulls him in for the big smile. Sky says he’s been waiting fifteen years for a chance like this and promises to turn Le Champion into Le B****.

The fight is on with the Inner Circle running in to take care of SCU. Daniels and Kazarian are handcuffed to the ropes and the beatdown is on, including Brandon Cutler and Michael Nakazawa who try to make a save. Cue the Jurassic Express for the save, thankfully with Marko Stunt being taken down with a single clothesline. Jungle Boy has some better luck but it’s Luchasaurus for the big staredown with Hager. The watch comes off but Hager bails, because Luchasaurus is the monster that AEW has been needing.

Peter Avalon vs. Luchasaurus

Before the match, Avalon says Luchasaurus looks healthy because life has found a way. Don’t worry though because he’s about to turn the fossil into motor oil. Kick to the head and the reverse powerbomb (I’ve always thought that would be a great finisher) finishes Avalon at 30 seconds. They know what they have here and that’s a great sign.

Pride And Powerful vs. Private Party

Can they just be Santana and Ortiz? That’s what their name graphic says so drop the pretty bad team name. Private Party hangs a Matt Travis shirt (wrestler who was recently killed in an accident) over the ropes for a great touch. Even Santana and Ortiz, who have a history with Travis, approve in a touching moment. Santana takes Kassidy into the corner to start and it’s time for some grappling. Some facewashing has Kassidy annoyed and we take an early break.

They trade off a third time until it’s finally a Falcon Arrow to give Ortiz two. A Boston crab stays on the back and we take another break. Back again with Quen reversing Ortiz’s bearhug into a rollup, with Quen flipping forward into the corner for the hot tag to Kassidy. Everything breaks down and Kassidy hits a big moonsault to the floor to take out Santana. A slingshot Code Red (not as impressive after Jackson did a slingshot Canadian Destroyer earlier) gets two with Santana making the save.

Quen takes Santana out but his back gives out to break up Silly String. A kick to the face gets two on Kassidy and it’s a cutter out of the corner for the same. Santana busts out the slap jack but here’s Nick Jackson to take it away. Kassidy is back up with an enziguri to Santana and Gin and Juice is good for the pin at 15:05.

Rating: B-. It’s a good match and Private Party gets a big win that they have been needing, even though Santana and Ortiz losing should have come later. The commercials didn’t help things either as they kept taking me out of the match. I did like the story with Quen’s back and the speed with which they set up that finisher was very impressive. Good match, but they needed to adjust some things.

Post match it’s Sammy Guevara jumping Nick Jackson until Dustin Rhodes comes in for the save. Dustin grabs Sammy’s phone for some filming of his own in a funny addition.

We run down next week’s stacked card.

Kenny Omega is training to face Pac and traces back all of his issues to the loss at All Out. Jon Moxley took care of the scraps but Pac started all of this. Next week he gets a chance to fix things and the road to redemption begins. Double the weight on the bench press. On one side. That whole thing must weigh 100lbs now.

Darby Allin vs. Jon Moxley

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

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

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

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

Overall Rating: A-. This was one of the most enjoyable shows they have done so far with nothing coming close to being bad. They had some very strong matches throughout the night and the Jericho vs. Sky promo was quite good. I’m liking some of the names that they are building up too and that should make for a bright future. Maybe it was watching this the next day, but dang I had a good time here and it was one of the best things I’ve seen from AEW yet.

Results

Fenix b. Nick Jackson – Black Fire Driver

Hikaru Shida b. Britt Baker – Running knee to the face

Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Hangman Page won a battle royal last eliminating Jungle Boy

Luchasaurus b. Peter Avalon – Reverse powerbomb

Private Party b. Pride And Powerful – Gin and Juice to Santana

Jon Moxley b. Darby Allin – Super Paradigm Shift

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: All Elite Wrestling

Dark
Date: November 8, 2019
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Goldenboy, Excalibur, Arn Anderson
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

It’s a special Friday edition of the show as they want to get it out as a preview for Saturday’s Full Gear. That makes a lot of sense and it’s something that they should be doing in cases like this. I’m not expecting it to be much different, though at least it’s a bit shorter this week. Let’s get to

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

Tony and Dasha welcome us to the show

Justin Roberts introduces Arn Anderson for commentary. Well if you insist.

Big Swole vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida takes her up against the rope to start and it’s an early clean break. Swole’s shoulder puts her down and it’s time to run the ropes until Shida kicks her down, setting up the running basement dropkick. A running knee to the face makes it worse and another one, this time off a chair, has Swole down again.

Back in and we hit the half crab on Swole, followed by another running knee for two more. Swole comes back with a headbutt into a Flatliner for her own two. Shida grabs a fireman’s carry backbreaker but another running knee is countered into a rollup. Just to mix it up, a running knee finishes Swole at 7:08.

Rating: C-. Sweet goodness that was a lot of knees. I know it’s more realistic, but that doesn’t make it more interesting. Shida used half a dozen running knees here and they got a little old pretty quickly. Swole hasn’t shown me much but she hasn’t gotten a promo or really anything more than a supporting role so you can’t take much away from that.

Post match Shida is happy to bring Japanese strong style and wants the winner of the Women’s Title match. That alone is more than I’ve heard from most of the women and it was a nice little step forward for her.

Chuck Taylor has replaced Arn on commentary. Lucky us.

Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal vs. Leva Bates/Nyla Rose

Rating: C. Now that is how you make someone look like a star. Commentary mentioned that Rose wanted to do this one by herself and that is exactly what we got here, with her running through both of them like they weren’t even there. Rose needs to be rebuilt after losing to Riho and that is exactly what happened. I loved the booking here and Rose looked like a killer.

Rose says she didn’t tag Bates in because she didn’t have to. She has been disrespected around here so she’s going to disrespect the locker room, one by one. Or two by one as she did tonight.

Full Gear rundown.

We look back at Cody announcing that if he loses, he will never challenge for the World Title again.

Video on Cody vs. Jericho and how serious Cody is taking things. It’s a cross between remarkable and frustrating that they can do this but so many of the other stories get almost nothing.

SCU/Cima vs. Hybrid Two/Kip Sabian

Cima hammerlocks Angelico down to start as we hear about the two of them being trained/inspired by Ultimo Dragon. Angelico reverses into an armbar of his own but Cima is up with a running dropkick. Evans and Sabian are knocked off the apron and it’s Kazarian coming in for an armbar to put Evans down.

It’s off to Sabian, who gets kicked and clotheslined down in a hurry as SCU is on a roll to start. Sky’s slingshot splash gets two and it’s Kazarian slingshotting in with a legdrop. Sabian rakes Sky in the eyes though and it’s a big boot from Evans to really take over. A faceplant sets up some stomping in the corner as the villains take turns on Sky. The front facelock keeps Sky in trouble but he kicks Evans away and makes the hot tag to Cima.

That means a bunch of running knees (a theme tonight), followed by a springboard knee to both of the Two. They don’t stay down long and it’s an elbow/belly to back suplex combination, followed by an assisted 450 for two on Cima. Back up and Cima suplexes Evans for two more with Sabian making the save. Kazarian comes back in with a missile dropkick and Cima’s top rope Meteora finishes Sabian at 12:27.

Rating: C+. This was your run of the mill formula six man and that was just fine given the talent in there. Cima has been an excellent substitute member of the team and I could go for seeing more of him in a prominent role. Daniels isn’t going to be around forever, and while Cima might not be the best full time replacement, he works very well for the time being.

One more Full Gear ad takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a middle of the road show that was designed to make me watch Full Gear. That being said, it didn’t really add anything and was more along the lines of an extended advertisement. The show was about fifteen minutes shorter than the usual fare and that feels better. You don’t have to have any certain amount of content here so cut it down a bit and let the show breathe, which can help.

Result

Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole – Running knee

Nyla Rose/Leva Bates b. Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal – Double Swanton Bomb

SCU/Cima b. Kip Sabian/Hybrid Two – Top rope Meteora to Sabian

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