Dynamite
Date: February 24, 2021
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

AEW had a pretty surprising headline earlier today as they announced the signing of Big Show Paul Wight, which is not something many people had on their Bingo cards. I’m not sure how much of a difference he is going to make around here but he seems a lot more like a signing for the sake of getting some attention than anything else. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jon Moxley vs. Ryan Nemeth

Nemeth says he likes trying for the starring role and gets slapped off his feet in a hurry. Some knees to the ribs have Moxley staggered but he comes right back with a belly to back suplex. Another shot to the face sets up the Paradigm Shift to finish Nemeth at 2:45.

Post match Moxley sits in a chair and says he’ll do anything to be World Champion again. What kind of images come to mind when someone says exploding barbed wire death match (Laughter?)? Maybe it’s blood, carnage, Japanese wrestling magazines? Moxley talks about how he can’t get enough of wrestling and while it’s a trap from Kenny Omega and his boys, he just can’t resist. He talks about how far he is wiling to go to win the title back and promises to give us everything he has (which sounded like he is leaving, perhaps for paternity leave).

Video on Omega vs. Moxley.

Lance Archer and Rey Fenix respect each other but they both want to win the spot in the Revolution ladder match. Then Fenix calls him the worst partner he has ever had though and has to dodge a lot of violence.

We look back at the Inner Circle shoving Papa Buck last week.

The Young Bucks are here with their parents, who seem rather proud.

Varsity Blonds vs. Team Taz

Brian Cage/Ricky Starks for Team Taz here with Taz on commentary. Pillman and Starks run the ropes to start and it’s Pillman tripping him down to the floor. Back in and Pillman grabs a rollup for two but Air Pillman is knocked to the floor. Cage powerbombs him against the post and we take a break.

Back with Cage curling Pillman and tossing him down, allowing Starks to come back in for a running elbow in the corner. A right hand misses though and the hot tag brings in Garrison to pick up the pace. Garrison’s belly to back faceplant gets two on Starks with Cage making the save. Air Pillman breaks up a sitout powerbomb but it’s a spear to Garrison and a discus clothesline to Pillman. The drill Claw gives Cage the pin at 9:09.

Rating: C+. I liked this one a good bit as the Blonds were looking better than they have to date. The action was good and I can always go for a power vs. speed match. These guys had a pretty fun match here and they had Team Taz sweat a bit, which you might not have guessed in this spot.

Post match we get a video of a truck dragging a body bag. Sting is driving and Darby Allin is in the bag (in half Sting face paint). Back in the arena, here’s Sting, with a body bag. Tony thinks Allin might be in the bag and…..it’s actually Taz’s son Hook. Allin ziplines into the ring with the skateboard to clean house. Sting gets in as well for some pretty bad stomping and the Stinger Splash to Cage.

We get a sitdown interview with Miro, Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford. They don’t like what happened with Chuck Taylor and Orange Cassidy at the wedding. Miro likes Charles though and wants him to come back as the butler rather than following Cassidy. We get a note from Taylor and Cassidy, with the Y/N/Maybe (circle one), hugs and kisses. Miro tells Taylor to be a man and the match seems likely.

Brandon Cutler vs. Jake Hager

Hager suplexes him down a few times to start and hits the Hager Bomb. Back up and Cutler manages to send him outside for the big flip dive, only to get caught in something like a powerslam back inside. One heck of a running clothesline finishes Cutler at 3:12.

Rating: C-. Nearly a total squash here with Hager barely getting touched outside of that one flip dive. Cutler isn’t someone who feels like anything important so having him beaten up to make the Bucks mad isn’t the worst idea. This worked out well enough, even if the match wasn’t exactly competitive.

Post match the Inner Circle is out for the beatdown but the Young Bucks make the real save. The Bucks call out MJF and Chris Jericho, who pop up on the screen. They aren’t wasting time coming to the ring….because they have beaten and bloodied Papa Buck. MJF and Jericho mock the Bucks’ pose and run when the Bucks come in for the save.

We recap Cody Rhodes/Red Velvet vs. Shaquille O’Neal/Jade Cargill. I’m still not 100% sure why Cargill and O’Neal are a team or why they’re going after Cody but I don’t think you’re exactly supposed to. Jim Ross and Excalibur talk about the match, which could be one heck of a mess.

Isaiah Kassidy vs. Hangman Page

Matt Hardy and the Hybrid 2 are here with Kassidy. Page, who has made some new friends lately, slugs away at Kassidy to start and stomps him down in the corner, setting up the fall away slam. A hard clothesline drops Kassidy and Page kicks him out of the air to the floor. There’s the slingshot dive to drop Kassidy again and a clothesline puts him over the barricade.

Hybrid 2 gets on the apron for a distraction and Hardy’s cheating lets Kassidy get in a cheap shot. Cue the Dark Order to stooge on Matt, who is ejected. Kassidy grabs the armbar and we take a break. Back with Kassidy still working on the arm until Page gets in a shot to the face. The Buckshot Lariat is broken up so Page settles for a discus forearm and a near fall. Kassidy is back with an enziguri, only to get caught in a Death Valley Driver.

There’s a brainbuster for two more on Kassidy, who is back with a posionrana for one. A cross armbreaker has Page in trouble and Kassidy snaps the arm over the rope. Back up and Kassidy tries a springboard but Page pulls it out of the air and hits a (one armed) Deadeye for the pin at 13:26.

Rating: C+. This was quite the lengthy match, though the action was good enough to work out. I’m not sure why Kassidy is getting to hang with Page this long but maybe the ring time will do him some good. The idea of Hardy vs. Page still doesn’t interest me, but if it’s a one off match then it should be ok.

Post match Hardy’s voice comes over the speaker to talk about how Page made the wrong choice. Hardy appears with #5 and throws him off the stage.

Kenny Omega is building the Moxley Extermination Chamber, complete with pounding on metal himself. If you want something done, do it yourself.

Long video on the Women’s #1 Contender tournament.

Women’s #1 Contenders Eliminator Tournament Quarterfinals: Britt Baker vs. Nyla Rose

Baker gets tossed around to start so it’s time to go to the back for some complaining. Back in and Rose hits the Samoan drop before trying to break the leg in the corner again. That doesn’t work so Rose drops her hard with a gorilla press. They head outside with Baker kicking the arm against the barricade and we take a break. Back with Rose hitting a superplex but Baker manages a suplex of her own. Rose knocks her down again and goes to the corner but has to take Rebel out with a release Rock Bottom onto the apron.

Rose chokeslams Baker but has to knock Rebel into the corner. That sets up the Cannonball but Baker sends Rose into the exposed buckle (exposed during the break and shown when we came back) to set up Lockjaw. That’s countered though and Rose plants her for two, only to have Baker pull her into Lockjaw again. That’s broken up again so it’s Beast Bomb…for two (possibly due to the banged up arm), with Rose being stunned. Another Beast Bomb finishes Baker at 12:41.

Rating: C. This was an awkward one as they tried to do a bit too much with Rebel and it didn’t quite click. At the same time, and it’s too early to actually get annoyed at this yet, but I’m really not all that interested in Rose. We’ve been there far too many times now and hopefully we don’t have to see it again anytime soon.

Video on Jurassic Express vs. FTR/Tully Blanchard. FTR wants to fight them because they are so different, but they don’t know what they are in for with Blanchard returning to the ring.

Here’s what’s coming in the next few weeks, including at Revolution.

Lance Archer vs. Rey Fenix

For a spot in the Revolution latter match and Jake Roberts is here with Lance. Archer stalks him into the corner but Fenix snaps off a hurricanrana. Fenix manages to knock the monster to the floor for the big running flip suicide dive. Jake catches Fenix on top, so he jumps over Roberts and dives onto Archer instead. Archer throws him over the barricade and we take a break.

Back with Archer knocking him hard off the apron to the floor and looking rather pleased about the landing. Fenix gets sent hard into the barricade and then a toss suplex sends him flying inside. A kick to the ribs lets Fenix get up top for a top rope double stomp to the back of the head but Archer snaps off a release German suplex.

There’s the rope walk moonsault for two on Fenix, who is whipped hard into the corner for a running clothesline. Archer charges into a raised boot in the corner though and Fenix’s rope walk kick to the head puts the monster down. The rolling cutter connects and a Spanish Fly somehow connects for two more on Archer. A Pounce drops Fenix and there’s the chokeslam for a rather close two. Archer is frustrated so he takes Fenix up top and plants him with the Black Out for the pin at 17:32.

Rating: B. I was betting on the time limit draw at the end but it was nice to see Archer get the monster win in the end. This was about the beast chasing its next meal and finally catching him in the end, which is a fine story to tell. They both did their thing rather well and it was a heck of a main event, especially with the longer time that they were given. Fenix is a heck of a star and it’s great to see him getting a chance to shine on his own.

A bit of respect is shown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This felt like they took their foot off of the gas before the big show next week and there is nothing wrong with that. Next week is the show that matters with the big tag match and then Revolution is later in the same week. There was no need to hammer away with this week’s show and thankfully they didn’t try too hard. What we got was rather good (a few questionable choices aside) and I had a pretty easy time with the show.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Ryan Nemeth – Paradigm Shift

Team Taz b. Varsity Blonds – Drill Claw to Pillman

Jake Hager b. Brandon Cutler – Running clothesline

Hangman Page b. Isaiah Kassidy – Deadeye

Nyla Rose b. Britt Baker – Beast Bomb

Lance Archer b. Rey Fenix – Black Out

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

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Dynamite
Date: December 16, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross, Excalibur

The run of big shows continue as we are now on the way to New Year’s Smash in two weeks. The big story continues to be World Champion Kenny Omega, who is going to be headlining the Impact Wrestling Hard To Kill pay per view in January. That could mean an invasion on this week’s show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Hangman Page/Dark Order vs. Matt Hardy/Private Party

Page and Quen start things off with Quen grabbing a headlock. That doesn’t go very long so it’s Hardy coming in for a kick to the ribs in the corner. Private Party both comes in but the Dark Order comes in as well for a triple big boot. The ring is cleared so Silver jumps on Page’s back to celebrate. Kassidy comes in and gets slammed down so Page drops Silver down onto him for two.

Reynolds tags himself in and it’s a double flipping faceplant to put Kassidy down again. Page adds the running shooting star to give Silver two and he knocks Kassidy into the corner. That lets Silver strike a pose, and Page isn’t sure what to think. Kassidy gets in a shot of his own and it’s off to Quen to start picking up the pace. Stereo basement dropkicks get two on Silver and Hardy comes in for a sleeper. That’s countered into a brainbuster from Silver and it’s back to Page to clean house.

The Side Effect cuts Page off but it’s too early for the Twist of Fate. Page nails a hard clothesline and it’s off to Reynolds to start cleaning house again. A neckbreaker drops Quen and Kassidy is sent outside. Page hits a pop up sitout powerbomb and Reynolds gets two off a rollup. Hardy breaks up the cover and hits a hanging Twist of Fate to pull Silver off the apron for a thud. That leaves Reynolds to take Gin and Juice, with Hardy stealing the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C+. Pretty good action and it didn’t go all that long. I was surprised by the ending too, though I could go for Less Hardy being involved in….well almost anything with some kind of a character for that matter. Private Party winning is a nice surprise and Silver continues to look more and more like a star every time he is out there. I’m curious to see where he goes and the further he gets away from the evil Dark Order, the better he’ll be doing.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman is given a plaque from the New York Times for Best Performance of 2020. Chris Jericho mentions that he was involved as well and MJF actually gives him credit. MJF sees the greatest of all time and his best friend when he looks at Jericho, who can only say thank you.

We go to Cody and Brandi Rhodes’ house where they are trimming the tree. Their doorbell rings and there is a box waiting for them. Inside is a Christmas ornament saying…..that they’re expecting a baby. Pharaoh has a collar saying “Baby Security In Training.” That’s great.

Cody Rhodes vs. Angelico

Cody is introduced as The Future Father in a nice moment. Angelico snapmares him down to start and wipes his hair back. Cody is right back with one of his own before they fight over a wristlock. Angelico kicks him away though and we have a standoff. With nothing else working, Cody takes him down so Angelico kicks his feet for protection. Back up and they shoves each other away, setting up a crisscross. Cody drops down into a dropkick for one and we take a break.

Back with Cody knocking him down again and hitting a few clotheslines. The powerslam gets two but Angelico ties him up in some kind of wacky double arm hold using his legs. Cody bites the rope for the escape because sometimes it’s all you can do. The Disaster Kick misses though and Angelico tweaks his knee, allowing Angelico to grab his Navaro Death Roll. That’s broken up as well and Cody is right back up with the Cody Cutter for the pin at 9:45.

Rating: C. Not too bad here and having Cody doing his thing while having to deal with Angelico’s technical/submission stuff worked….in the little amount of time that Angelico did it. That being said, the announcement before the match is going to make a lot of people smile and it’s a lot more important in the first place. Fine enough match, though I could have gone for more from Angelico.

Post match here’s Team Taz to say they don’t get why they didn’t receive their own congratulations for taking out Darby Allin. They’re about to come to the ring to put Cody on paternity leave, but here’s Sting to cut them off. Powerhouse Hobbs has to be held back as Sting stand around with the bat and Darby Allin looks on from the rafters. Sting winks at Cody and leaves so Team Taz goes to the ring and pummels Cody. Well in theory at least, but instead they stand there as we go to a break due to wrestling logic.

Miro has been fined $75,000 for attacking various production workers last week. He says it’s all about the numbers and that is money Orange Cassidy owes him. Next week he’s breaking the internet again when he faces Sonny Kiss and then next week it’s the wedding date announcement. When asked about the people being put in the hospital at Christmas, he says BAH HUMBUG because Christmas is his birthday.

Here’s Eddie Kingston to address his enemies. First up is Pac, who has been injured and left on the shelf. Where is he anyway? Then there is Lance Archer, who rushes the ring to start the fight. Butcher, Blade and Bunny come to the ring for the save but Archer fights them off. The Lucha Bros come in for the save and Pac is back to make it even worse. Death Triangle beats up all four of them with Fenix hitting the big corkscrew dive. Archer grabs Kingston by the throat but Pac kicks Kingston in the face, which Archer doesn’t like. No violence ensues as Kingston and company bail.

Dustin Rhodes says Seven was a bad idea years ago and it was a bad idea last week. Uno said Rhodes was the least important member of the Rhodes Family and that’s just not true. Last week it was Ten and next week it’s Uno going down.

Best Friends/Top Flight/Varsity Blonds vs. Inner Circle

Orange Cassidy sits in on commentary, even though his headset isn’t plugged in and his mic isn’t down. Jericho chops Pillman into the corner to start and poses in the corner while standing on Pillman’s throat. Back up and Pillman nearly slips out of the corner but manages to hit a springboard crossbody to rock Jericho. The triangle dropkick sends Jericho to the floor and a slingshot dive takes Jericho down again.

Back in and it’s off to Garrison for a slam but Jericho drives him into the corner for the tag to Guevara. Dante comes in for a leg lariat to Guevara and Darius comes in for a crucifix (despite what looked to be a bit of confusion). Guevara punches him down with a hard shot and it’s off to Trent vs. Santana for a showdown. Ortiz and Chuck come in as well and the big brawl is on with everyone getting involved. The Inner Circle is cleared out and it’s a six way hug.

Back in and Ortiz suplexes Trent a few times, allowing Santana to come in with a top rope double stomp to the arm. Trent gets sent outside and we take a break. Back with Jericho and Guevara running Trent over and stopping for the double pose (that still works). Sammy misses the shooting star press so Trent nails the running knee. A suplex to Ortiz allows the tag off to Darius to pick up the pace.

The standing Spanish Fly hits Ortiz and Dante hits the big running dive to take out Santana and Ortiz. Pillman adds the springboard shoulder to Ortiz and Hager is low bridged to the floor. Garrison forearms Ortiz but Jericho gets in a baseball bat shot from the floor. Hager is in and hits Wardlow’s F10, allowing MJF to get the pin at 14:09.

Rating: C+. What we got was good enough, but they really could have cut this down to about eight people so there weren’t so many people standing around without much to do. They booked the match well though and the good guys got to showcase themselves rather well before going down. Garrison taking the fall doesn’t hurt him as he got to show off a bit first. Good enough here, and they didn’t get too messy for their own good.

Post match Top Flight clears the ring and we get the big staredown.

Thunder Rosa blames Britt Baker for costing her the NWA Women’s Title and doesn’t like her saying Rosa doesn’t belong here. Rebel comes up for a distraction and it’s Britt Baker jumping Rosa from behind. Baker traps the arm and Rebel pours water on Rosa to mess up the paint. With Rosa out (From what?), Baker looks at the camera to make sure it still works after looking at Rosa’s face.

SCU vs. Acclaimed

Acclaimed raps their way to the ring, including saying that Daniels is an out of date format like a CD and Kazarian’s back must be hurting with the carrying. Kazarian and Daniels rhyme right back, saying the Acclaimed suck. Daniels chops away at Bowens to start but gets backdropped down for his efforts. Castor comes in and hammers away in the corner as commentary talks about Castor’s father’s NFL career. Daniels knocks Castor down for a slingshot lariat to give Kazarian two.

Kazarian grabs an armbar to keep Castor in trouble but he gets sent outside, allowing the beating to be on as we take a break. Back with Kazarian in trouble until he uses the ropes to take Castor down. Bowens gets kicked away and it’s Daniels coming in with some clotheslines to take over. The Blue Thunder Bomb gets two on Bowens and a high crossbody is good for the same. Daniels rolls Bowens up but gets kicked away, allowing Castor to hit him in the face with the boom box. Bowens hits a Rock Bottom slam for the surprise pin at 8:17.

Rating: C+. If there is one thing AEW is good at, it is using its younger talents to put people over. The match worked rather well for the Acclaimed, as the tag division continues to grow by leaps and bounds with all of the additions the make seemingly every month. SCU are a made team so this doesn’t hurt them whatsoever. Good match too.

Post match the Acclaimed rap a challenge to the Young Bucks for next week.

Top Flight challenge Chris Jericho and MJF for next week. They can either accept or run away like b******.

Ivelisse/Diamante vs. Big Swole/Serena Deeb

Swole and Diamante slug away to start and Swole suplexes her down over without much effort. Diamante jumps Deeb on the apron and takes Swole into the corner as we take a break. Back with Deep fighting both of them off at the same time, including an Indian Deathlock to Ivelisse while she suplexes Diamante.

A neckbreaker over the ropes puts Ivelisse down again and a Figure Four goes on. Diamante makes the save and it’s a double slam for two on Deeb. Swole is back in with a headbutt to Diamante and it’s a Clearwater Cloverleaf (with Swole not even stepping over) to make Diamante tap at 9:21.

Rating: C-. Deeb is so far ahead of Swole and Diamante it’s not even funny. Ivelisse can do some things well enough but there’s a polish to Deeb that just isn’t there with her. Diamante and Ivelisse do work well together though and it’s nice to have a team that means a little something. That being said, at least step over to make the Cloverleaf work.

Post match it’s Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero coming in to help beat down Deep and Swole. Red Velvet makes the save with a chair. Can we just not with Rose and Guerrero?

The Best Friends are going to be at the Holiday Bash (next week) when Miro announces the wedding date.

Video on the Jurassic Express. They’ve kind of disappeared in recent weeks.

FTR and Tully Blanchard storm the broadcast booth and complain about not getting any time while a grown up Tarzan and a wannabe dinosaur are featured. This is how Harwood feeds his family and these two men are his family. Top guys out, after a heck of a fired up promo from Harwood.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Kenny Omega vs. Joey Janela

Non-title and no DQ with Don Callis/Sonny Kiss as the seconds. During Omega’s entrance, Tony says he’s glad that Omega took Impact’s numbers from one to six. Not so much on the second week but it did work the first time. Janela throws a trashcan at Omega to start and Callis goes to commentary to take Tony’s headset. Tony tells him what to kiss as Janela whips Omega into the barricade.

Omega is right back with a Kitaro Crusher onto an open chair. There’s a baseball slide into a running flip dive to send Joey into another chair, allowing Callis to praise Kenny on his mic. Hang on as Omega gets the mic and blasts him with a cookie sheet, making sure to show off the extra sound. Back in and a moonsault with a trashcan crushes Janela for two.

Omega is annoyed at the kickout so he beats on Janela some more, setting up a springboard double stomp onto the trashcan. The One Winged Angle is countered with a reverse hurricanrana, allowing Kiss to whip out a table. The top rope legdrop sends Omega through the table but the moonsault misses back inside. Omega hits some V Triggers and the One Winged Angel finishes Janela at 7:01.

Rating: B-. This wasn’t about the action and that’s the way it should have gone here. There was no reason to believe that Janela was going to be a threat here and Omega dealt with him as such. The trash talk and Callis doing commentary were great heel touches and the kind of thing that fits them perfectly. It wasn’t a good match, but it was perfectly put together.

Post match Callis says all of the loose ends have been tied up and now there is no one left with a complaint. Cue Death Triangle with Pac saying that Fenix never got his shot against Omega in the tournament. Callis offers to teach him a lesson, because Pac has no authority. Wrestlers don’t tell the champ what to do, but Pac has talked to Tony Khan and Fenix is getting his title shot on December 30. Omega is livid to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t exactly the point tonight as this was all about setting things up for the next few big shows. There are going to be three straight big weeks coming up and that could be some very good news for AEW. I’m not sure what to expect out of those shows, but dang they are making me want to see what they have coming. Another good show this week, and it has me wanting to see more, which is the more important result.

Results

Private Party/Matt Hardy b. Hangman Page/Dark Order – Gin and Juice to Reynolds

Cody Rhodes b. Angelico – Cody Cutter

Inner Circle b. Top Flight/Varsity Blonds/Best Friends – F10 to Garrison

Acclaimed b. SCU – Rock Bottom slam to Daniels

Serena Deeb/Big Swole b. Ivelisse/Diamante – Clearwater Cloverleaf to Diamante

Kenny Omega b. Joey Janela – One Winged Angel

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:

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Dynamite
Date: December 9, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone

Things are getting a little wacky around here and that makes things all the more interesting. Above all else, Kenny Omega is now the World Champion and last night he appeared on Impact Wrestling to say….well I’m not completely clear but it is definitely going somewhere in the future. Other than that, we get to hear from Sting after last week’s debut. Let’s get to it.

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

Hybrid 2 vs. Young Bucks

Non-title. Before the match, the Bucks say they don’t know what is going on with Kenny Omega and they haven’t talked to him in over a week. They start fast with the Bucks sending them outside to start, meaning it’s time for a big flip dive. Back in and we settle down a bit with the Bucks hitting a double basement dropkick on Evans. Angelico comes in to send Matt outside but Nick is right back up to kick Evans off the apron.

Nick is knocked off the apron as well and it’s the assisted 450 for two on Matt. The superkicks take the Hybrid 2 down though and the hot tag brings Nick back in to clean house. Everything breaks down and Nick hits the slingshot X Factor to rock Angelico. Nick powerbombs Evans onto the Acclaimed at ringside and it’s a top rope splash/standing moonsault combination for two on Angelico. Evans is back in with a 450 for two on Nick but he gets powerbombed into the enziguri in the corner.

A springboard Doomsday Device onto the ramp drops Evans again and it’s a double superkick to Angelico for two. More Bang For Your Buck is broken up and Evans hits an inverted hurricanrana on Matt. Angelico wrenches Matt’s knee with a spinning leglock with a name that only Excalibur cares about. Even with his brother’s knee getting cranked, Nick goes up top for a Swanton for the save, even with the leglock still being on. The Bucks hit a slingshot spike Tombstone to put Evans down on the floor and it’s a double superkick into the BTE Trigger to finish Angelico at 11:42.

Rating: B. Well that was a lot. There were all kinds of flips and dives here and that’s exactly why you book a match like this one. The selling wasn’t there and the psychology was non-existent, but there is no reason to look for either of those in a match like this. If you’re not looking for those and treat these things like the junk food wrestling that they are, it’s a fine way to spend some time.

Post match the Acclaimed jump the barricade to go after the Bucks but SCU runs in for the save.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman gets to beat Orange Cassidy tonight and upset a lot of not so smart marks. He’s going to bash Cassidy’s head in because he’s better and Cassidy knows it.

Darby Allin does a word association test with members of Team Taz. He sees Powerhouse Hobbs as a snake in the grass, Brian Cage as a puppet, but he’s also someone waiting for an opportunity, which Allin will give him. Then we see Sting’s face and Allin chuckles.

Here’s Cody for a chat….and hang on because here’s Sting. Arn Anderson steps up to Sting to say he wanted to get a closer look and then walks away. Tony Schiavone says something similar and goes to leave but Sting says come give him a hug. Sting thanks Tony for helping him throughout his career and asks for one more IT’S STING for old times’ sake. Tony gives him what he wants (Never say no to a 61 year old man in face paint holding a baseball bat. Remember that.) and Sting says this is awesome.

With Tony gone, Cody says welcome back and thanks Sting for the assist last week. Cody has been waiting to share a ring with him for a very long time….but Sting isn’t here for him, at least not right now. Sting says there is something really familiar about this place and points to Darby Allin in the rafters.

This ring is the jungle and he’s glad to be back on TNT. Cody again says welcome back but Sting says that the only thing for sure about him is that nothing is for sure. He is here full time and plans to be around for a good while. The way Sting chooses to play is his business and he gives Cody a rather firm pat on the back. Sting: “See you around kid.” Sting sounded more energized and invested here than he ever did in WWE, though I’m scared to see how much of that good look goes away if/when he has a match of any kind. For now though, rather nice start.

Team Taz talks about how Cody needed Sting to come save them. Well now Cody’s former star student, Taz’s son Hook, is training with them and they’re ready to beat someone up.

FTR vs. Varsity Blonds

That would be Brian Pillman Jr./Griff Garrison. Pillman gets taken into the corner to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Back up and Pillman brings Wheeler over for the tag to Garrison. A few rooms of the house are cleaned and it’s a spinning legdrop from Garrison to give Pillman two. Pillman misses the middle rope spinning crossbody though and the chinlock goes on as we take a break.

Back with Pillman getting caught in a Demolition Decapitator and being sent outside for a shot from Tully Blanchard. Pillman manages to get in a quick shot though and Air Pillman allows the hot tag to Garrison. House is cleaned but Harwood slips out of a suplex. Pillman comes back in and is caught with a brainbuster and the Goodnight Express gives Wheeler the pin at 8:08.

Rating: C-. Perfectly watchable match with the Blonds mostly getting squashed to put FTR back on the winning side. FTR is a team who could work with anyone around here and hopefully that is the case going forward. The Blonds are fine for the young pretty boy team and you can never have enough of them.

Post match FTR gets in a staredown with the Jurassic Express on the floor.

Hangman Page is in a six man tag next week against Matt Hardy and Private Party but he doesn’t have any partners. John Silver and Alex Reynolds pop up from behind the bar (Page: “How long have you been there?” Silver: “About seven minutes.”) to offer their services. Page eventually relents, but it’s one match only. Works for the cult guys.

Dustin Rhodes vs. 10

Rhodes shoves him around to start and they’re on the floor in a hurry with Dustin sending him face first into the barricade. 10 drops him onto the apron though and they head inside again with 10 hitting a big spinebuster. Dustin is sent outside again but Aaron Solow grabs 10’s arm, earning himself a pump kick to the face. Back in and Dustin gets in a shot of his own, setting up the bulldog for the pin at 5:51.

Rating: D+. Just a match here with 10 getting in most of the offense until a bit of a surprising choice for interference gave Dustin the chance. 10 looked solid here, but other members of the Dark Order have moved pretty far ahead of him in recent weeks. Then again the team is kind of all over the place at the moment so I’m not sure how much this is going to help him.

Post match here’s the Dark Order, with Evil Uno saying Dustin has a long legacy in wrestling and has been around for a very long time. That comes with a lot of pressure, so he should join the Dark Order as Seven. Tony: “He doesn’t want to be that number.” Dustin extends his hand and then slaps Uno in the face. Uno calls the troops off before they get to Dustin and says he’ll be waiting when Dustin sees the light.

Tony Schiavone has a sitdown interview with Shaquille O’Neal and Brandi Rhodes. Brandi doesn’t like hearing all of Shaq’s accolades but Shaq talks about Jade Cargill injuring Brandi’s arm. Shaq didn’t like what Jade did to her arm and Brandi agrees, though she will get in Cargill’s face again if she does the same. Shaq understands that and says he and Cody were just messing around on Twitter.

He has all the respect in the world for the wrestlers and the Rhodes Family, so Brandi gets up and shakes his hand with a smile. She goes to leave without incident, but Shaq says that while Brandi’s arm is in a sling, she should get some pointers from Jade. That’s too far for Brandi, who says she’s sick of this s***, throws a drink in Shaq’s face, and calls him an overgrown a******. They got the point across, but dang Shaq can be hard to understand with that deep voice.

Here’s the Inner Circle for their summit. They have had a week to figure things out but if this doesn’t work, the team is done. That’s not why Jericho put the team together and it was embarrassing. Now MJF and Sammy don’t like each other, Ortiz hates all of them and Santana was so mad that he didn’t even come to work this week. MJF interrupts and says they are all friends and he wanted to join this team because they are great. Sammy snaps and says he’s tired of MJF, with Ortiz saying that MJF is growing on him like a fungus.

They try to calm Sammy down, with Sammy eventually agreeing to shake his hand. However, if ONE MORE THING happens, he’s quitting this team and taking it out on Jericho. They shake hands and Jericho says things are calm…..but Jake Hager doesn’t like Wardlow staring at him. Jericho tries to calm things down and they agree to stop staring. They’re on the same page and know that they need to dominate AEW as only they can. They have a big main event tonight with MJF promising to end Orange Cassidy. The team all puts their middle fingers in and it’s all cool. I’m sure.

FTR and Tully Blanchard say they’re great together, unlike Jurassic Express, who are a bunch of crazy people. They are the 82 Ford Bronco with Mario Andretti driving and they are ready to win the titles back.

Eddie Kingston/Butcher and the Blade vs. Lance Archer/Lucha Bros

The brawl is on outside before the bell with everyone going at it in a hurry. The bell rings with Pentagon getting dropped hard and having to be taken to the back. Fenix gets caught in the corner as the numbers game is already in trouble. Eddie hammers away on Fenix and then sends him chest first into the corner as Jake Roberts is sitting on the stage. Blade gets to choke away with his leg but Fenix manages a shot to Kingston’s face.

The hot tag brings in Archer to slug it out with Butcher before hitting some running shoulders to both Butcher and Blade in the corner. We take a break and come back with Archer hitting a German suplex on Blade, only to grab at his knee. The hot tag brings in Fenix with the springboard and there’s the big dive to take Kingston down. Back in and the powerbomb/neckbreaker combination finishes Fenix at 9:21.

Rating: C. This was a weird one with the Penta deal being a weird way to go *assuming it wasn’t legit that is). Archer continues to be a heck of a monster and it’s easy to see why he is so dominant all the time. What we got here was fine, but it was a weird way to go with the choices they had.

Post match Archer cleans house without much effort again.

Nyla Rose, Jade Cargill and Vickie Guerrero are beating up Red Velvet. Ivelisse and Diamante come in for the save.

Abadon vs. Tesha Price

Price looks scared to death and being thrown across the ring makes it even worse. Abadon hammers away in the corner and hits the Widow’s Peak for the pin at 1:12.

Post match the beating continues until Hikaru Shida makes the save with a heck of a kendo stick shot to the head. Abadon sits up and Shida and Price bail in a hurry.

The Inner Circle is ready to destroy Orange Cassidy.

Tony Schiavone is in the ring to interview Kenny Omega….who arrives in a helicopter with Don Callis. After the big entrance, Tony talks about how he has never been more disgusted than he was when Don Callis interfered last week (yeah still not that big of a deal). Callis talks about Tony Khan welcomed him into his home and then Callis screwed him over. Callis: “Welcome to the wrestling business kid.”

This might have been a bigger screwjob than Montreal because the AEW Title raises the stakes. Callis gives us a fast version of last night’s Impact promo: he has known Omega since Omega was ten and the plan has been in place for years. Now Callis, as the invisible hand, has pushed Omega to the World Title after helping put together Omega vs. Chris Jericho in the Tokyo Dome, which brought AEW to fruition. Omega talks about how they had this ultimate plan and waited a year to pull it off.

Then last week it was a fine art performance and it was downright inspirational. Everyone fell for it from commentary to Jerry Lynn. What mattered most though was Jon Moxley fell for it and no one kicks out of the One Winged Angel. You haven’t seen anything yet and Omega does goodbye and good night. The delivery was good…..but the big idea behind it is that they needed a plan to get Omega, who has the biggest reputation of anyone here in the company and helps run the whole place, to become World Champion? That’s kind of hard to buy, though Callis’ promo was good.

Dynamite Diamond Ring: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Orange Cassidy

The Inner Circle and the Best Friends are here too. MJF jumps him to start and breaks the sunglasses to really make things serious. A Stundog Millionaire gets Cassidy out of trouble though and they head to the apron, with Cassidy missing a charge into the post. MJF ties Cassidy’s fingers in the turnbuckle to make it worse and it’s a chinlock back inside. Cassidy gets sent outside again and the Inner Circle gets in the group stomping. Sammy posts Cassidy and we take a break.

Back with MJF mocking the hands in the pockets, only to have Cassidy come back with the tornado DDT. MJF hits the top rope stomp to the arm but has to duck the Orange Punch. A double underhook shoulder breaker sets up a tiger driver for two and they’re both down. Cassidy is back up to dive onto the Inner Circle but MJF gets in the Heat Seeker back inside. Jericho sends MJF the bat for the Eddie Guerrero treatment, but Cassidy doesn’t even catch it, puts his hands in his pockets, and falls down.

MJF grabs the bat and gets caught in a nice twist on the usual deal, meaning the referee throws the bat outside. The Beach Break gets two so MJF is back with the Salt of the Earth, but Cassidy rolls out. The Orange Punch, with the bad hand, gets a delayed two and another one connects, but this time Wardlow puts the foot on the rope. Everyone brawls on the floor so here’s Miro to deck Cassidy and put his hands in his pockets as MJF steals the pin at 13:23.

Rating: B-. There was a lot going on here and it got a bit messy at times, but dang they had me with some of the drama in the near falls. What matters most here is MJF keeping the ring and keeping the Inner Circle going for the time being, as their breakup is something you should stretch out rather than hot shot. Good match, even with all the chaos going on.

Post match Miro, in his Versace sweater, wrecks the production staff, including throwing one off the stage to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was an up and down show and I’m not sure what to think of the whole thing. The wrestling wasn’t as good this week but after last week’s huge show, it’s understandable that they need a little breather. The main event and the opener both worked and it’s not like the there was anything completely horrible throughout the show.

The important parts here were Sting, Shaq and Omega and…..yeah I’m not sure on them. The Sting stuff was good, as Sting looked and sounded like his old self, but how long does that charm last? I can’t bring myself to care about Shaq, especially when it seems to be more about Brandi than anyone else. That leaves Omega, and while the story of why they needed a plan doesn’t really work, it’s still WAY too early to know where this whole thing is going to pass judgment on it yet. Overall it’s a good show, but they have a lot of things to address going forward.

Results

Young Bucks b. Hybrid 2 – BTE Trigger to Angelico

FTR b. Varsity Blonds – Goodnight Express to Pillman

Dustin Rhodes b. 10 – Bulldog

Eddie Kingston/Butcher and the Blade b. Lucha Bros/Lance Archer – Powerbomb/neckbreaker combination to Fenix

Abadon b. Tesha Price – Widow’s Peak

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Orange Cassidy – Pin after Miro interfered

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 18, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re on the way to the December 2 showdown with World Champion Jon Moxley defending against Kenny Omega but we have a few weeks to go before we get there. Tonight we have a contract signing, but we also have the Young Bucks facing Top Flight in a match that seems designed to elevate the newcomers. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Young Bucks vs. Top Flight

Non-title and Top Flight is Darius/Dante Martin. Before the match we get a video on Top Flight talking about growing up and being influenced by the Bucks and the Motor City Machine Guns. They’re young, but if they can beat the Bucks then they know they can make it. Darius trades kicks with Matt to start and it’s off to Dante for a big dropkick. A slingshot hilo hits Matt and the Bucks bail to the floor, allowing Top Flight to tease some dives but moonsault back in.

Back in and the Bucks start hitting their kicks to take over. A slingshot dropkick through the ropes puts Darius down and there’s a dropkick/bulldog combination to drop Dante. The Sharpshooter has Dante in trouble until Darius makes the save. Nick ties Darius in the ropes so Dante can buckle bomb Dante into him for a crash. There’s a Backstabber to pull Darius out of the corner but Dante is back with a headscissors. The hot tag brings in Darius for some clotheslines and a standing Spanish Fly gets two.

Nick grabs a waistlock on Darius, who grabs Dante, who jumps over both of them to show off a bit. A running hurricanrana out of the corner gets two on Matt, who pops right back up with a spear to Dante. Nick kicks Darius in the face in the floor and it’s a powerbomb/Sliced Bread combination for two with Darius making the save. Darius gets sent outside in a help, leaving Dante to get superkicked. The BTE Trigger finishes Dante at 9:01.

Rating: C+. I liked this rather well and it makes sense after some of the good things I’ve heard about Top Flight. They already looked like a better version of Private Party so hopefully they are able to maintain some momentum after a good first big match like this. Nice start here and now they need to keep it going.

Post match the Hybrid 2 runs in to jump Top Flight, setting up their next match. The Bucks make the save and praise Top Flight.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

And now, the Inner Circle is in Las Vegas. First up is a blackjack table, where Sammy Guevara doesn’t quite know the rules. MJF wins at craps but Ortiz isn’t interested in celebrating, mainly because Santana and Sammy lose their money. They like the dancing girls a bit more but then it’s off to the bar, where MJF and Chris Jericho get back into their Can You Top This game of harder drinks. They finally go with 100 proof Everclear alcohol and shout “SON OF A B****” at the same time.

It’s time to take this to the next level, so here’s Konnan to take them into a limo. A lot of smoke comes out of said limo when they open the doors and Konnan sees a dragon. As in a person in a dragon costume but close enough. It’s off to another bar, where Wardlow and Jake Hager take turns showcasing their abilities to beat up various patrons (that was funny). To be continued, as this could be a very long night.

We see the History of Revolution video from Director X, talking about the first year of the company and how far they have come. Now imagine what they are going to do in the second year. This is a cool video with some cool visuals so check it out on full on their YouTube page.

Jon Moxley talks about how it all makes sense now. After everything that has taken him here, he finally understands what got him here: his dad. His father was 6’3, 250lbs and would smack you upside your head if you did wrong. One day his dad picked him up from the police station and told him what they were the good guys. That has always stuck with him, even now that he’s banged up with a pregnant wife at home (there’s some breaking news) and he’s a champion on two continents. He’s still going though and no matter what, he’s the good guy and he’ll do his father proud.

Kip Sabian vs. Orange Cassidy

Miro is on commentary and Penelope Ford is at ringside. Cassidy puts on his elbow pad and loads up the pockets but Sabian goes after the arms. An armbar goes on so Cassidy tries to put one hand in his pocket, which earns him a takedown. Cassidy’s headscissors is blocked as well and it’s back to working on the arm. The hands in the pockets block a drop toehold and Cassidy dropkicks him down into a nip up. There’s a hands in the pockets backdrop to the floor and a suicide dive takes Sabian down again. Ford offers a distraction though and Sabian hits a fireman’s carry gutbuster for two.

Back from a break with Cassidy getting in his own shot and hitting a high crossbody. There’s the spinning DDT for two but Cassidy’s diving DDT is countered. Cassidy sends him into the corner though and now the diving DDT connects for two. Sabian blocks a suplex though and hits a brainbuster, followed by something like a Falcon Arrow for two. The hanging swinging neckbreaker is countered into a small package for two from Cassidy and it’s the Mouse Trap to pin Sabian at 10:57.

Rating: C. I’m still not sure if I like Sabian or not and it’s kind of a frustrating situation. He has a good deal of talent and the stuff with Ford is good, though the gaming stuff isn’t exactly thrilling. He goes from feeling like he’s ready to break through to the next level and then just being around. The match was just there and it’s a better place for Cassidy than near the main event.

Post match here’s Miro to kick Cassidy in the face but the Best Friends run out for the save.

It’s time for the contract signing for Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley for December 2. Omega’s entrance is now focused on everything Moxley is NOT, which is a rather amusing twist. Hold on though as we cut to the back where Moxley is out with his nose bleeding (this company REALLY likes that trope). The doctor says to stabilize his neck but Omega says he isn’t buying this again. Last time it was an elbow and now this, so he signed the contract with Moxley still out.

It’s back to Vegas, where the Inner Circle, including Elvis, seems to be drunk. Elvis joins them in a Little Bit Of The Bubbly but MJF wants to talk about being part of a wolfpack. Sammy is ready to cut his hand to become a blood brother but everyone else stops him. It’s a full moon so they all howl….and then wake up in a hotel. Elvis and Jericho are next to each other, MJF is in the bathtub and Sammy is in a fountain. He and MJF yell at each other, with MJF having a bunch of things like SAMMY WUZ HERE written on his face.

Sammy goes over to find what appears to be three wedding photos (with three different women) from the night before, plus Ortiz in a BRIDE shirt. Jericho and Santana go into another room and find Swoggle in a diaper. I haven’t seen the Hangover so you’ll have to fill in the jokes yourselves.

Chris Jericho, with a heck of a headache, joins commentary.

Pac vs. Blade

Eddie Kingston has already replaced Jericho on commentary. Pac kicks Blade down to start and takes it outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and the missile dropkick has Blade in more trouble but a Bunny distraction lets Butcher get in a cheap shot. Blade sends him into the barricade and hits a chop, followed by a hard drop onto the top rope. Pac tries a slingshot DDT, though it’s more a slingshot armbar takedown instead. Bunny grabs Pac’s foot though and Butcher gets in another shot, setting up the Doctor Bomb for two on Pac.

We take a break and come back with Pac getting the better of a slugout. A superkick into a powerslam gives Blade two but Pac is right back with a top rope superplex for the same. Pac goes up top so Bunny offers a distraction, allowing Butcher to come in….and get superkicked down. The shooting star into the Brutalizer makes Blade tap at 11:22.

Rating: C. There were some moments where Pac looked a little shaky here but it’s his first match in over six months so you can only get on him so much. He hit the important stuff and the finisher still looks good. It was a bit longer than it probably should have been, but just getting Pac some ring time is what matters most here and he was hardly a disaster.

Post match Pac grabs the mic to yell at Eddie Kingston but Butcher jumps him from behind and the beatdown is on. Rey Fenix comes in for the failed save but here’s Penta with a chair…..to chase off Kingston (though he didn’t swing). Either way, the Death Triangle seems to be back together.

We go to the back where Jade Cargill has Pillmanized Brandi’s arm with Nyla Rose and Vickie Guerrero running interference for her.

NWA Women’s Title: Thunder Rosa vs. Serena Deeb

Deeb is defending after taking the title from Rosa about three weeks ago. Rosa takes her to the mat in a hammerlock but gets reversed into an armtrap rollup for two. Back up and Deeb hits some uppercuts but gets armdragged down. A running backsplash gives Rosa two and the running crotch attack to the back of the head has Deeb down again. Rosa takes too much time going to the apron though and gets her leg twisted around the middle rope.

We take a break and come back with Rosa hitting a running dropkick in the corner into a suplex for two. Rosa gets caught on the apron though and Deeb hits a spear on said apron for two. Rosa goes up top for a missile dropkick but here’s Rebel for a distraction, allowing Britt Baker to hit a fisherman’s neckbreaker on Rosa on the ramp.

Deeb hits a heck of a powerbomb for two and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence. That earns Rosa a Rings of Saturn with the legs but the Serenity Lock is countered. Back up and the slug it out until Rosa hits kind of a reverse World’s Strongest Slam (with Deeb over her back and going face first down) for two. Deeb fights up again and hits something like a Neutralizer with the arms pinned back (the Swiss Special) to retain at 13:35.

Rating: B. They beat each other up here with some hard hitting violence, though going for a few more minutes after Baker interfered was a little odd, especially if Deeb was going to get the pin anyway. What we got was good though and Baker beating Rosa on the way to the going after one of the Women’s Titles is a good idea.

Post match Rosa pulls Baker over the barricade and the fight is on until referees break it up.

John Silver hypes up Anna Jay’s Women’s Title match next week because she has come a long way since she was a rookie. Jay says she is going to reintroduce herself next week and take the Women’s Title from Hikaru Shida.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Team Taz vs. Cody Rhodes/Darby Allin

Taz is on commentary and Arn Anderson is at ringside. Allin front facelocks Starks to start but gets slammed down for his efforts. The grappling continues with Starks getting him into a hammerlock on the mat. Allin can’t hit the high angle springboard armdrag but he can get a hammerlock of his own. Starks goes to the ropes so Allin slaps him in the face for a knockdown. Even Taz has to admit that was a good shot as it’s off to Cody vs. Cage.

Cody gets the better of things in a hurry and knocks Cage into the corner, wetting up the top rope moonsault press for two. That’s enough to get Taz to head to ringside and we take a break. Back with Anderson having been ejected due to some interference and Starks pulling Allin off the apron to break up a tag attempt. Cage hits a German suplex and hands it back to Starks to stomp away in the corner. Cody finally gets in a shot of his own and the hot tag brings in Allin to clean house.

Everything breaks down and Cody hits the Disaster Kick to knock Cage down on the apron. Starks spears him down but gets dropkicked into the corner by Allin. Cage is back in for a powerbomb on Allin but a Code Red gives Allin two of his own. Cody hits Starks with Cross Rhodes and Cage blasts Allin with a discus lariat. Something like an Angle Slam puts Cody down, leaving Cage and Allin to fight on the ropes. That lets Cage hit a super Drill Claw (DANG) to finish Allin at 11:15.

Rating: B-. Good main event style tag match here, though I’m not sure how much Allin needs to be taking a fall, even in a tag, so soon after winning the title. I like where it’s leading but I don’t really care for how they are getting there. The match worked on its own though and the super Drill Claw did look great. If this sets up Team Taz getting into the title picture, the good outweighs the bad.

Post match the beating stays on Cody until Will Hobbs makes the save. Hobbs holds up the FTW Title….and knocks Cody out with it to join the team to end the show. I’m not sure they needed to do that but a two wrestler Team Taz did feel a little odd.

Overall Rating: B. This was an interesting one and I’m curious to see where things go. They opened up some doors tonight and there are a few different paths that they could take on their way to the December 2 show. There is a real chance that gets built up as a near pay per view level show and I’ve heard far worse ideas. The wrestling was mostly good tonight and I like where they’re going with some things, making this a rather entertaining and promising two hours.

Results

Young Bucks b. Top Flight – BTE Trigger to Dante

Orange Cassidy b. Kip Sabian – Mouse Trap

Pac b. Blade – Brutalizer

Serena Deeb b. Thunder Rosa – Swiss Special

Team Taz b. Cody Rhodes/Darby Allin – Super Drill Claw to Allin

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: October 28, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Tony Schiavone, Jim Ross

We’re getting closer and closer to Full Gear and tonight we will find out the finalists in the #1 contenders tournament, with the match taking place at the pay per view. Other than that we have a town hall meeting with the Inner Circle and Maxwell Jacob Friedman to see if he can join the team. Let’s get to it.

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

Wardlow and MJF are getting ready for Wardlow’s match when Wardlow is asked what it means to possibly win the title. MJF interrupts, saying that if Wardlow wins, the title goes to MJF because Wardlow works for him. Wardlow agrees, but here is Sammy Guevara to throw down the jacket that MJF gave him. Sammy says MJF isn’t joining the team no matter what, so MJF asks where all the hostility is coming from. After being accused of looking like someone who sells Adderall to middle school kids, Sammy promises to keep MJF off the team.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Wardlow vs. Hangman Page

Page starts fast and hammers on Wardlow before getting up a boot to the face. They head outside with Wardlow spearing him through the barricade with ease and hammering away. Back in and Wardlow sends him flying, followed by a gutwrench powerbomb for two. Wardlow misses a top rope splash though and Page gets to start slugging away. A running clothesline sends Wardlow over the top and out to the floor.

Page hits a top rope moonsault to the floor but the Buckshot Lariat is cut off with a hard clothesline to give Wardlow two. The F10 connects but Page rolls out to the floor. Back in and the super F10 is countered into a superplex to put Wardlow down instead. A pair of Buckshot Lariats finish Wardlow at 9:50.

Rating: C+. This was hard hitting and rough in a good way, which is how something like this should have gone. Page survived a lot and slayed the giant, which is how you make him look like a top star. Good fight here and they got everything working well with Wardlow looking good in defeat.

Here’s everything else that is coming tonight.

Jon Moxley talks about how he has defended the World Title everywhere and now he is ready to do it again against Eddie Kingston. Eddie has a huge ego though and it’s time to give him a big wake up call.

Eddie Kingston vs. Matt Sydal

Before the match, Eddie talks about how he is ready for Full Gear and was never eliminated from the battle royal. Eddie: “Hi Lance.” Eddie works on a headlock to start but gets taken down into an armbar. The cobra stretch is blocked so Sydal kicks away, only to get caught in a powerbomb. Back with Sydal hitting a hard shot to the face for two and Kingston is a bit rocked. He’s fine enough to cut off a charge in the corner but Sydal snaps off a jumping hurricanrana. The top rope Meteora gets two but Eddie is back with a knee to the ribs. The spinning backfist drops Sydal and the bulldog choke makes Sydal give up at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was the kind of match that Kingston can use to get things ready for Full Gear and they did things well. Sydal is someone who means a little something, even though he has been almost nothing more than a jobber around AEW. You knew how it was going to end here but it went fine enough, so nice job.

Post match Kingston won’t let go until Sydal says he quits.

Earlier today we had a split screen sitdown interview with the Young Bucks and FTR. The ankle is fine after last week, as it is just a sprain. FTR laughs off the idea that they are trying to get out of the match. They say the interview doesn’t deserve them and walk out. Matt talks about how they’re a couple of young kids who worked hard and built their own ring to train.

That was their college education. Now they want the titles so badly that if they don’t win them at Full Gear, they will never challenge for them again. Another week of the Bucks suddenly being faces again after superkicking innocent people, which wasn’t a heel turn despite being a heel turn.

It’s time for the Town Hall as the political edition of Dynamite continues. Tony Schiavone and Dasha Gonzales are the moderators and our first question comes from Luchasaurus. Since MJF doesn’t have a Masters degree like he does, Luchasaurus would like to know the financial impact that MJF can have on the Inner Circle. MJF happens to have a chart, showing how much better the ratings are when he is around, which is just math.

The next question is from Britt Baker and Rebel, the latter of whom is VERY interested in Jericho’s smile. They would like to know about MJF’s track record of turning on people. Jericho: “I’m not a dip**** like Cody.” Jericho threatens to knock MJF’s teeth down his throat if he turns on them but MJF says if they join forces, it means a lot of green and a lot of gold. Next up is Peter Avalon, who asks if he can join the Inner Circle. Jericho laughs a lot before saying that’s never going to happen.

Then we have Eric B. from Cody, Wyoming, who quotes John F. Kennedy by asking what MJF can do for the Inner Circle. MJF says he can offer friendship, so Bischoff then asks what the Inner Circle can do for MJF as well. He thinks the team can make him better, so Bischoff has one more question. Bischoff and Jericho have worked together before and Bischoff knows Jericho is a primadonna. Jericho freaks out but Bischoff gets to continue, asking why we should believe the two of them won’t kill each other.

MJF talks about everything he has offered to Jericho and the Inner Circle, including gifts and the best segment ever in wrestling. Jericho says MJF hasn’t beaten him but he’ll have the chance at Full Gear. If MJF can beat him, he can be on the team. MJF takes it seriously and promises to do ANYTHING to win. Ortiz tells MJF to shut up because there is no conversation needed because no one wants him in the Inner Circle. Next week it’s going to be Santana/Guevara (strange) vs. MJF/Wardlow and MJF isn’t making it to Full Gear.

This was rather long and took longer than it needed to to get to the point. The parody of the election season wasn’t exactly funny or entertaining either, though once they got past that point, it did what it needed to do. Also, Bischoff isn’t exactly a big, exciting addition to anything at this point.

Video on Team Taz vs. Will Hobbs.

TNT Title: Cody vs. Orange Cassidy

Cody is defending in a lumberjack match. The Mouse Trap is broken up early and Cody wins a battle over a top wristlock. Cassidy gets two off a backslide but Cody hits him in the ribs to send him outside for the Big Hug from the Best Friends. Back in and Cody hits a dragon screw legwhip over the rope but the Best Friends catch him before he falls. Cassidy is right back with a shot to knock Cody off the apron, and this time the Best Friends just drop him.

Trent gets in a cheap shot from the floor and Cassidy hits a high crossbody but Cody counters the spinning DDT. Cody is sent outside again but the lumberjacks can’t do anything before he’s back in. Now the spinning DDT gets two and we take a break with Cassidy being sent outside.

Back with the lumberjacks getting in a fight (duh) until Cody superplexes Cassidy onto the pile. Cody throws him back in and gets two off the Cody Cutter, only to get caught with the Stundog Millionaire. Cassidy’s top rope diving DDT gets two but the lumberjacks get back in, with John Silver hitting a pump kick on Cassidy (which Cody didn’t see). Arn Anderson gets in a left hand as well, allowing Cody to hit Cross Rhodes to retain at 12:05.

Rating: C. The lumberjacks offered a little something here and Silver costing Cassidy the match should set up something in a week or two. You can always get something like this out of a lumberjack match so they did it well enough. Cassidy continues to look fine when he does his thing and when he’s a little more serious (on occasion), it makes the shtick feel more entertaining.

Post match the brawl is on as Darby Allin watches from the rafters like Sting. The Gunn Club of all people clear the ring.

Miro and Kip Sabian run into the Best Friends in the back and try to make peace after they broke Alan a few weeks ago. Their offer of a present: Penelope Ford dressed as Orange Cassidy. They jump the Friends anyway and the beating goes into the locker room with the Best Friends being laid out.

Serena Deeb talks about winning the NWA Women’s Title last night and promises to show why you should respect her.

NWA Women’s Title: Serena Deeb vs. Leyla Hirsch

Deeb is defending and gets taken into the corner to start. Back up and Deeb grabs a waistlock but Hirsch reverses into a front facelock. Hirsch runs her over a few times with a shoulder getting two. Deeb gets two off a neckbreaker over the ropes and JR calls Hirsch a female Ivan Putski. That’s a little harsh, especially when Hirsch pulls her into a cross armbreaker attempt. Deeb stacks her up to escape so Hirsch sends her shoulder first into the buckle for the break. We take a break and come back with Hirsch hitting a knee to the face but getting dropped with a neckbreaker. The Tequila Sunrise makes Hirsch tap at 8:39.

Rating: C. Hirsch was impressive here as she felt different. Above all else, she is rather small and the different build and look make her feel unique. Deeb is a veteran who can wrestle a good match with anyone and she did that here, which was made that much better when Hirsch was up to the challenge.

Hikaru Shida is willing to face Nyla Rose for the Women’s Title at Full Gear. How many title shots does Rose get around here???

Shawn Spears vs. VSK

C4 finishes for Spears at 31 seconds.

Post match, someone in a bull costume yells at Spears so Spears pulls him inside. Spears loads up the glove but it’s Scorpio Sky, who lays Spears out with a TKO.

Full Gear rundown.

Next week rundown.

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals: Kenny Omega vs. Penta El Zero M

Omega’s Mega Title isn’t on the line but his big intro is still on in full. Rey Fenix is here in Peta’s corner as Omega lays the title in front of Penta. The big chop off ensues and Omega knocks the glove away before stomping Penta down. Penta knocks him outside though and hits the dive, only to come up holding his knee as we take a break.

Back with Omega snapping off a hurricanrana to the floor and hitting the running flip dive for a bonus. Penta is back up with a dive to the floor though and they’re both down. They head back inside with Omega hitting the snapdragon and then does it again for a bonus. Omega knees him in the face and hits a powerbomb, followed by the V Trigger for two. A leg lariat to the back of the head sends Penta into the corner and there’s another V Trigger in the corner.

Omega takes him to the top but gets caught with a super Destroyer onto the ramp. The Fear Factor gets two more back inside but the Pentagon Driver is countered. Instead Penta hits a low running enziguri for two and they’re both staggered. Another V Trigger rocks Penta but he counters the One Winged Angel and snaps the arm. Omega slips out of the Pentagon Driver again and has to use the left hand to fight back. Penta springboards into a knee to the face though and the One Winged Angel finishes at 16:23.

Rating: B. Eh I’m not sure. Omega only did four or five V Triggers and they only went sixteen minutes. 37 stars? Maybe 109? They did a rather nice job of building up some drama, even though there was little reason to believe that Omega was in any serious danger. That worked out well, as Penta continues to look like a star every time he is in the ring. Main event level match here, and now we move on to what was expected at Full Gear.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a bit of a step down for the show but it was still rather good. The bigger problem here was most of the show didn’t feel all that big until the main event, which did deliver. The Town Hall hurt things a lot as it was long and didn’t really have any major moments, though they got to the necessary result. What mattered here was the rush build to Full Gear and that went well enough, mainly because it was about all they could do with only one more show before the pay per view. Not as good as their usual stuff, but a completely acceptable show.

Results

Hangman Page b. Wardlow – Buckshot Lariat

Eddie Kingston b. Matt Sydal – Bulldog choke

Cody b. Orange Cassidy – Cross Rhodes

Serena Deeb b. Leyla Hirsch – Tequila Sunrise

Shawn Spears b. VSK – C4

Kenny Omega b. Penta – One Winged Angel

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: July 29, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Taz

Things are starting to get into a groove around here again and that can make for some very good television. The last few shows have been rather entertaining and the build for All Out should be starting to come together. This week we get another TNT Title match plus a Tag Team Title match and more. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Inner Circle vs. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy/Jurassic Express

They’re starting big this week. Jericho and Cassidy start things off but it’s off to Hager before anything happens. Cassidy does the slow motion kicks to the legs and then claps the ears to get out of a double leg. Jericho tags himself in and forearms Cassidy from the apron though and everything breaks down in a hurry. The Inner Circle is sent outside for a series of dives, including Marko Stunt being tossed onto the pile and then being tossed back, because MARKO STUNT WILL BE INVOLVED IN YOUR MATCH EVERY SINGLE TIME NO MATTER WHAT!

The good guys have the big five way hug and Sammy dives in, only to get quintuple stomped. We settle back down and this time it’s Trent getting beaten down, including a double suplex from Santana and Ortiz. An assisted standing moonsault gives Santana two and Hager’s hard forearm is good for the same. Sammy adds the fireman’s carry with squats before Hager grabs the chinlock. That lets JR talk about the time Hager gave him an ankle lock, which commentary finds funny.

Trent finally manages a suplex to put Hager down and the hot tag brings in Luchasaurus to clean house. Everything breaks down and the fans…well they aren’t there so ignore that. Hager and Luchasaurus slug it out until Cassidy comes in with a Superman punch to put Hager down. We hit the parade of finishers and it’s down to Sammy vs. Luchasaurus. With Sammy going up top, here’s Matt Hardy to shove him into a chokeslam. A spinning kick to the face gives Luchasaurus the pin at 12:08.

Rating: C+. They’re still running with Cassidy vs. Jericho and while that might not be everyone’s cup of tea, they had a lot more going on here and that’s a good thing. I’m curious to see where some of these feuds go and the match certainly felt big, though it never hit that next level that something like this can do.

Jon Moxley says if you leave him alone, he’ll leave you alone. That brings him to Brian Cage, who had to jump Darby Allin from behind. Then Ricky Starks had to get involved too. So let’s see what happens when the odds are even.

Taz thinks Moxley is terrified.

TNT Title: Cody vs. Warhorse

Cody is defending and has Arn Anderson in his corner. They lock up to start until Cody works on a wristlock. Warhorse gets taken into the corner for a clean yet cocky break, meaning it’s a chop to the back of Cody’s neck. An armdrag into an armbar has Cody in some trouble and a big clothesline puts him on the floor as we take a break. Back with Cody holding a half crab before switching to a Figure Four, which is reversed in about two seconds.

A limping Warhorse gets up for a corner clothesline and he goes up top, sending Cody bailing outside for some safety. Back in and Warhorse puts him down to set up a top rope elbow for two. Cody’s Alabama Slam gets two and the Figure Four retains the title at 10:33 in a pretty sudden ending.

Rating: C+. They have something with Cody trying to do too much as champion and getting worn down, though you can all but guarantee that it’s going to be an AEW regular taking the title. The match was good and Warhorse made an impression, but it’s going to take something good to top Eddie Kingston’s debut last week. Still though, good enough stuff here and that’s all it needed to be.

Post match the Dark Order comes in to beat on Cody with Arn Anderson getting inside to load up a save. Cue Matthew Cardona (Zack Ryder) for the real save and Cody is rather pleased.

Tony Schiavone talks about All Out but here’s the Inner Circle to interrupt. They aren’t happy with anything that happened tonight, with Sammy Guevara yelling about Matt Hardy costing him the match. Chris Jericho isn’t happy with Orange Cassidy either and wants him in a rematch on August 12, where Cassidy will give him $7000 for the jacket. Next week though, Jericho wants Cassidy in a debate. Oh and his jacket now smells like cat urine.

Earlier today, FTR was ready to sign their official AEW deals but wanted their official tag team representative. That would be Arn Anderson, who goes over the contract and makes sure they got their signing bonus. They also want their guarantee of Tag Team Appreciation Night on August 12. With that guaranteed, the contracts are signed and here’s Hangman Page with a bottle of whiskey to celebrate. Everyone (save Arn, who says “not anymore”) drinks and seems happy.

Tag Team Titles: Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Dark Order

The Dark Order (Evil Uno/Stu Grayson) is challenging and Colt Cabana is on commentary. Page (who didn’t like the white wrist tape last week) goes after Dark Order before the bell and Omega doesn’t seem happy with having to make the save so we can get going. An early side slam/elbow combination gets an early two on Omega, who comes back with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

It’s off to Page for a running shooting star press for two and the champs take turns chopping away at Uno. Omega gets caught in the corner for all of two seconds before rolling over to Page for the tag to clean house. Grayson kicks Page in the face for two to slow things down and a running forearm does the same. Back from a break with Kenny cleaning house as everything breaks down.

Grayson takes Page down for a Swanton from Uno and a toss sitout powerbomb gets two. Page gets knocked down in the corner and Omega is suplexed into him, setting up a 450 for two. Page is back up for another save and there’s a V Trigger to Uno’s back for two more. The Last Call retains the titles at 13:54, with Grayson seeming to miss what was supposed to be a save.

Rating: B-. Good enough match here, though the Dark Order wasn’t going to be any kind of a serious threat to the titles. The Dark Order is as midcard of a gimmick as you can get and the champs are going to be moving on to more important things. Page and Omega continue to be on different pages outside the ring but make for a great team, which is an interesting way to go.

Post match Brody Lee sends Colt Cabana and Anna Jay to the back so they don’t see what is about to happen. Lee yells at Grayson and Uno before asking Page if he finds it funny. Cue the Young Bucks from the crowd as Lee thanks Kenny for bothering to show up for a change. Lee says this isn’t all of the Dark Order and they have strength in numbers. A bunch of masked members of the Dark Order surround the ring but here’s FTR with the cooler to Lee and the save is on. I use save in the loosest sense of the word in this case.

Britt Baker knows Big Swole is obsessed with her so Swole can have a shot, if she beats an opponent of Baker’s choice.

Video on Diamante.

Diamante vs. Hikaru Shida

This was announced as a title match last night on Dark but not here. Shida is defending and forearms Diamante down to start. Diamante gets knocked outside for a running knee lift and they head back inside. They slug it out with Diamante getting knocked down by a running knee to the face. Diamante chops her down in the corner and a wheelbarrow Stunner gets two on Shida. A sloppy Code Red gets no count as Shida is rolled into the ropes so Shida hits a Falcon Arrow. The running knee finishes Diamante at 6:14.

Rating: D+. Diamante is not very good and that is the kind of thing that you can’t get around that easily. This was a rather sloppy loss and it is pretty clear that she is not ready for this spot. Shida needs some fresh opponents and this is the best they could do, while Ivelisse sits on the sidelines. Lucky us.

We go over the rules of the Deadly Draw tournament, which is under Lethal Lottery rules.

Nyla Rose draws her color for the tournament and gets purple, which has already been drawn by someone else. That would be Ariane, better known as Cameron (yes THAT Cameron), who is happy to be back.

Here is MJF for his State of the Industry address. He has all the time he wants to tell the fans what they need to hear like a child being force fed macaroni and cheese. MJF can’t believe he is here two weeks in a row because he is always being held down by someone who came from the land of the Titans. That would be Jon Moxley, who is trying to hold down talent, which isn’t what we’re supposed to do anymore, brother.

Moxley is a great wrestler, but let’s see what has happened since he took over. First of all, where is the wrestling? This is a bunch of flipping and gymnastics while Moxley is cosplaying as a certain wrestler, and that is a Stone Cold fact. Everyone wants to talk about the ratings but do you know who draws bigger ratings than Moxley?

The old guard has been running this world for centuries and look where we are. MJF’s talent exceeds Moxley’s tenure and it is time for him to take over right now. He will not stop until this brand is transformed into the pinnacle of professional wrestling. The talent is officially on and MJF is announcing his candidacy to become the new World Champion at All Out. This was masterful and one of the best things AEW has ever done, as MJF can look into a camera and make you believe in him like no one else.

Darby Allin/Jon Moxley vs. Brian Cage/Ricky Starks

Anything goes tornado tag….and there is no Allin. We cut to Taz and company on the stage, where he brags about how awesome Cage is (Taz: “He’s got triceps like pistons Moxley! LIKE PISTONS!”). Starks says he’s everything Moxley’s baby mama wishes he was and brags about how great he is….until Allin Coffin Drops off the set to start things in a hurry. Taz is back on commentary as the fight begins without a bell as far as I could hear. The brawl is on outside with Moxley hitting a suicide dive onto Cage. Moxley goes searching for some weapons and we take a break.

Back with Allin in trouble until Moxley comes back in for the save. Allin hits the flipping Stunner on Cage but Starks spears Allin down. Moxley cutters Stars but Cage hits a clothesline to drop everyone. It’s Moxley back up for a piledriver on Cage and a Coffin Drop/DDT combination hits Cage for two more. Allin crushes Cage’s arm with a trashcan and pulls out a skateboard with thumbtacks on the bottom. Moxley armbars Cage and Allin drives the skateboard into Starks’ back for the pin at we’ll say 10:00. Starks’ back is VERY torn up after that finish.

Rating: C-. This didn’t feel like much as they seem to have one of these wild brawls almost every week. Couple that with a scary looking finish (the blood was flowing down Starks’ back) and this didn’t do much for me. Moxley certainly seems to have moved on from Cage and I’m not sure where that leaves him. Cage vs. Cody for the TNT Title could be interesting, but I don’t really need to see Cody slay ANOTHER monster.

Allin vs. Moxley for the title next week is announced to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their best effort, though as usual their worst shows are still completely watchable. Maybe it was just an off night for them and AEW has earned the credibility that one bad show isn’t a sign of things to come. MJF’s promo was excellent and the Cardona debut worked, though the main event and freaking CAMERON debuting didn’t help things. Not a bad show or anything, but for AEW, it was a step down.

Results

Orange Cassidy/Best Friends/Jurassic Express b. Inner Circle – Spinning kick to Cassidy’s head

Cody b. Warhorse – Figure Four

Hangman Page/Kenny Omega b. Dark Order – Last Call to Uno

Hikaru Shida b. Diamante – Running knee

Jon Moxley/Darby Allin b. Ricky Starks/Brian Cage – Skateboard to Starks’ back

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: May 27, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re done with Double Or Nothing and that means it’s time to start getting ready for the summer. I’m not sure what that is going to mean as AEW takes its time to get to their next pay per views. We do have Fyter Fest though, and that should give us a goal for the next few weeks. Let’s get to it.

Here is Double Or Nothing if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of Double Or Nothing.

The Inner Circle is upset over their loss and have to get rid of this box of Stadium Stampede winner shirts. Hang on though as it’s a little more than that. Santana got a deal from his buddy Carlos and opens the back of a truck, showing crate after crate of shirts. Jericho is distraught in a funny bit.

Opening sequence.

Here’s a preview of what is going down tonight.

Matt Hardy and the Elite are ready for their match but Hangman Page wants to go get a drink. Kenny Omega joins him, so Matt is ready to team with the Bucks on his own. They wouldn’t mind an older version of him, so Matt turns into the Team Extreme version. Actually can he go a little older than that? Matt becomes….I guess late 90s version and asks if they’re ready to be spot monkeys.

Matt Hardy/Young Bucks vs. Joey Janela/Private Party

The Bucks waste no time in starting with the flips and dives on Marc Quen early on. Janela comes in and gets caught with a splash/double enziguri in the corner but Nick is sent hard to the floor. Back in and Nick is sent hard to the floor. That means we get the abdominal stretch back inside, meaning the Wilbur Snyder references are on. Nick manages to send Janela to the floor but superkicks Butcher by mistake.

The fight is on and JR takes a completely necessary shot at WWE for mentioning the Plexiglas in front of their wrestler fans. Back in and the hot tag brings in Hardy for the Side Effect on Kassidy. A double DDT plants Private Party and there’s another Side Effect to Janela. Everything breaks down and Private Party hits the big double flip dive. Quen comes up holding his knee but Kassidy slingshots in with a Downward Spiral (which didn’t land right and looked like Matt gave him a Side Effect) for two. The Bucks come back in and More Bang For Your Buck finishes Kassidy at 9:53.

Rating: C. Yeah it was another all over the place tag match, but it would be nice to have things slow down for once. AEW has some amazing tag teams but they rely so much on these insane tag matches. Maybe slow things down a bit and have a standard match instead of going all out like this. You can do these matches on a regular basis, but not an all time basis.

Post match, Hardy helps the injured Quen to the back in a nice moment. Butcher and Blade run in to beat down the Young Bucks but FTR (the Revival) drive in with their truck for the save. A spike piledriver plants Blade and FTR shows respect to the Bucks. It’s cool that they’re there, but they better tear the house down.

Brian Cage vs. Lee Johnson

Jon Moxley is on commentary and Taz is here with Cage. Splash in the corner, powerbomb, Drill Claw in 1:13.

Post match Taz promises that Cage is going to take Moxley’s heart at Fyter Fest. Moxley better bring his grit, because he’s only surviving if Cage lets him.

It’s time for Britt Baker’s Rules Of Being A Role Model, with Tony Schiavone having to operate the pointer. The third rule is all about Britt: Don’t Hurt The Role Model. She claims a conspiracy has led her to having a broken tibia, and we look at the various conspirators. They would be the wrestlers involved in the match last week (Britt: “Kris Stadtlander, you being an alien is a crock of s***!”), and now we need a chart.

Everything leads back to Aubrey Edwards, who is here for every bad thing that happens to her. Baker: “When my nose was broken, Aubrey Edwards was somewhere!” Baker will be back at All Out. Hopefully she gets to stay on TV, because this was great stuff, as usual. Just give us more Baker either way.

The Inner Circle is ready for their pep rally tonight when Orange Cassidy walks in and out. Jericho: “Did he really just do that?”

Christi Jaymes vs. Hikaru Shida

Non-title. Shida takes Jaymes up against the ropes but Jaymes shoves her back a bit and dances. Shida is invited to dance as well but Jaymes kicks her leg out as a result. That’s too far for Shida, who grabs her by the hair, only to have Jaymes do the same. A backbreaker finally slows Jaymes down and we hit the one armed camel clutch. Jaymes gets out and hits Shida in the face for two, only to miss a Lionsault. The running knee to the face sets up a running knee to the back of the head to give Shida two. The Falcon Arrow finishes Jaymes at 5:20.

Rating: C-. What the heck was that? Shida slayed the beast on Saturday and then takes five minutes to go 50/50 with someone with one match experience around here? This was a great way to make Jaymes look important, but it made Shida sweat when she should have been taking a victory lap. It’s ok to have more than one squash in a row and AEW would be well served to learn that. This made Jaymes look like a star and Shida like someone who had to survive against someone beneath her. That’s not exactly a great way to present the new champion.

We look at Cody winning the first TNT Title. Cody talks about Tom Brady being his favorite quarterback and it’s not because he was from the northeast. Cody: “I don’t think I’ll ever be welcome back in Connecticut.” It’s because Brady wasn’t the first pick and neither was Cody. When Tony Khan wanted to start the best bell to bell company in the world and he was the fourth or fifth pick.

Cody talks about how Dustin got all the Dusty genes (we cut to Brandi and Dustin watching at ringside and Brandi having to get QT Marshall’s attention away from Allie) but he will outwork anyone. That’s why every week, it’s an open challenge for the title. Wrestling is without its greatest asset at the moment but the fans have never dropped them. So follow him.

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc vs. SCU

The winners get a title shot next week, Penelope Ford is here with Sabian/Havoc, it’s Scorpio Sky/Kazarian for SCU and it’s a brawl before the bell. We settle down to Sky working over Havoc’s arm and Kazarian dropping a knee onto it for a bonus. Kazarian gets two off an O’Connor roll but Havoc kicks him into a boot from Sabian to take over. A catapult sends Kazarian into an eye poke as the villains take over. Havoc goes after the eyes as we take a break.

Back with Kazarian still in trouble until he can slingshot into a roll over to Sky. A rolling cutter sets up a dragon sleeper on Sabian with Havoc making a fast save. Sabian’s top rope double stomp gets two on Sky but Kazarian comes back in for an assisted swinging DDT for two of his own. Ford breaks up SCULater though and it’s the dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Sky for the pin at 12:02.

Rating: C. Just a match here but I can go with them trying someone new in the title scene. Given that the titles haven’t been defended in three months, it would be nice to see the titles actually on the line for once. I can’t imagine Havoc and Sabian actually win, but throw in the right amount of interference and we might be getting somewhere.

MJF is ready to win the battle royal because he’s awesome. Wardlow will be in there with him as his insurance policy. Wardlow: “But…”. MJF: “BUT NOTHING!!!!” Just ribbing of course.

Battle Royal

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, Wardlow, Colt Cabana, Luther, Marko Stunt, Luchasaurus, Christopher Daniels, Orange Cassidy, Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Peter Avalon

The winner gets a shot at Cody next week (despite the open challenge making this match a little unnecessary). Cassidy isn’t in the ring when the bell rings so here are Santana and Ortiz to jump him from behind. It’s the usual brawl to start as MJF sits on the top to hide behind Wardlow. Luther throws Stunt to start and gets kicked in the face by Luchasaurus.

Stunt tries to go after Luchasaurus as Kiss kicks MJF in the face. Wardlow dumps Kiss (who JR seemed to refer to as “she” twice) and MJF goes outside to beat Kiss up some more. Cabana hits the Flying Apple on Billy, who dumps Cabana out without much effort. That’s enough for Cabana to take a flier from the Dark Order at ringside as we take a break.

Back with Stunt hurricanranaing Daniels out and promptly being tossed out by Wardlow. We’re down to Wardlow, Luchasaurus, Gunn, Jungle Boy and MJF. The monsters slug it out but MJF goes after Luchasaurus’ leg. Gunn breaks that up and slugs it out with Luchasaurus, until MJF and Wardlow dump both of them.

Cassidy rolls in because he was never eliminated so MJF busts out the ring. It hits Wardlow by mistake and Jungle Boy eliminates MJF. Cassidy and Jungle Boy get rid of Wardlow and we’re down to two. Boy sends him over the top but Cassidy skins the cat and comes back in for some Superman punches. A rebound clothesline takes Cassidy down and a running hurricanrana gives Boy the win at 11:15.

Rating: C-. Battle royals are always a little rough but I like the pick for the win here. As usual, if you do a battle royal properly, you can set up more matches at the same time other than just for the winner, so hopefully they make that happen here. The action wasn’t all that great here, but it could have been a lot worse.

Video on Stadium Stampede.

It’s time for the pep rally, with cheerleaders and a drum band. Vickie Guerrero (“Get your earplugs ready”) comes out as an extra cheerleader to introduce the Inner Circle. Chris Jericho promises that the Inner Circle will rise like five sexy phoenixes. This is all for the fans so everyone gets a Stadium Stampede shirt! The fans start throwing the shirts back and Sammy, on a crutch, has to calm things down. They may not have won, but they participated, so everyone gets a trophy! Jericho: “Mine says king of dad jokes.” Sammy: “Well there’s a pandemic going on so it’s hard to find trophies.”

Santana has some chopped cheese for Ortiz, some Vick’s vapor rub for Sammy (Santana: “My abuela says that heals anything.” Jericho: “My abuela says that too.”), some discount boots for Jake Hager, and a picture of Mark Anthony for Jericho. That works for Chris, because that’s his hero. Sammy gets the Hit Me Up mobile scooter, and Ortiz gets some headphones to stop the ringing in his ears. Hager….has written a poem, about how great the Inner Circle is. He’ll choke anyone who doesn’t like them and he wants to run the Elite over with his Tesla.

This goes into a crazed rant about how he wants to murder the Elite, with Jericho having to cut him off. Hager: “The end.” Jericho: “….good stuff.” Sammy asks Jericho what he wants, which would be Mike Tyson’s head on a platter. Jericho remembers what Tyson did to him in January 2010 on a Monday night so it’s time for revenge. Sammy couldn’t get Tyson’s head on a platter, but he’s got a CHEESE PLATTER, plus a little bit of the bubbly. Actually the cheese has been eaten and the bubbly has been consumed.

Cue Tyson with his vast entourage (including some MMA fighters), carrying the bubbly bottles. Jericho yells at Tyson for turning on him but Tyson says he deserved it for being a sucker. An apology is demanded but Tyson takes off his shirt. There’s the shove and the pull apart brawl is on. The locker room comes in for the save and everyone has to pull them apart to end the show. Jericho vs. Tyson is a headliner match, though it’s going to be an absolute freak show.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was a little shaky, though they advanced some stuff that they needed to cover. What matters here is setting things up for the future while also dealing with the fallout. You can see the top half of Fyter Fest (whenever that is taking place) from here and the card isn’t looking bad. I’m not wild on some of the wrestling here, but that’s not as important as the future booking and storytelling, both of which were good enough to carry the night. Couple that with the very pep rally and it was a pretty good show.

Results

Matt Hardy/Young Bucks b. Joey Janela/Private Party – More Bang For Your Buck to Kassidy

Brian Cage b. Lee Johnson – Drill Claw

Hikaru Shida b. Christi Jaymes – Falcon Arrow

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc b. SCU – Dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Sky

Jungle Boy won a battle royal last eliminating Orange Cassidy

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

Double Or Nothing
Date: May 23, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s back to the pay per view calendar, which isn’t somewhere AEW goes all that often. It’s a triple main event with the Stadium Stampede, Jon Moxley defending the World Title against Brodie Lee and Cody vs. Lance Archer for the inaugural TNT Title. They’ve done well on pay per view before so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Best Friends vs. Private Party

For the #1 contendership. Chuck headlocks Kassidy to start and takes him to the mat a few times. That goes so well that it’s off to Trent to chop Quen but everything breaks down. Kassidy and Chuck stare each other down and then hit stereo standing Sliced Breads, causing Trent to lose his headband. He’s fine enough to hit a belly to back on Kassidy but does pause to put the headband back on.

Private Party is back with Silly String to Trent, who comes up holding his knee. Trent, now holding his ribs, is sent outside for a big running flip dive but he catches Quen on top. Chuck comes back in to help him with a superplex for two and things settle back down. The running elbow in the corner staggers Quen, who is still able to get two boots into Trent’s banged up ribs.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Kassidy for a slingshot Downward Spiral. Trent breaks up some kind of double team and suplexes Kassidy down. It’s back to Chuck, who suplexes Kassidy into Quen in the corner. Strong Zero is broken up and it’s a slow motion forearm off with Quen and Chuck.

The G9 (Cryme Tyme’s old Samoan drop/running flip neckbreaker finisher) sends Chuck outside in a very nice moment and Quen’s shooting star gets two on Trent with Chuck making the save. Back up and Trent blasts Quen with a clothesline but Kassidy sends him outside. Gin and Juice is broken up though and it’s Strong Zero to give Trent the pin at 15:16.

Rating: C-. There were some noticeable botches in here and the match felt like it was just a bunch of moves and spots until the finish. As usual, Private Party is really flashy and entertaining but they aren’t very good at putting a match together or having much of a sense of urgency. I’m no Best Friends fan but if they’re going to be on every show, you might as well put them in the title hunt. The G9 was great though and a rather nice thing to see, which I wouldn’t have bet on.

The opening video thanks the healthcare workers for helping in these horrible times, plus pays tribute to Shad Gaspard.

Casino Ladder Match

This is a nine man ladder match for a future World Title shot, represented by a big poker chip because this company LOVES the gambling motif. Two people will start the match and it is another entrant every two minutes, though you can win at any time. Kazarian is in first and Scorpio Sky is in second. They both go for ladders but then throw them out for the sake of slugging it out.

A double clothesline puts them both down and it’s Kip Sabian, with Penelope Ford and Jimmy Havoc (not in the match), in third. Havoc tries a super hurricanrana on Kazarian but gets dropped on a ladder for his efforts. Another ladder is brought in but here’s Sky to make a save. Darby Allin is in fourth and starts cleaning house on everyone involved. Since the previous ones aren’t good enough for him, Allin grabs another ladder and bridges it between the ring and the barricade.

A skateboard to Kazarian’s face lets Allin put him on the ladder, meaning it’s a huge dive off the top of the ladder to drive the skateboard into Kazarian. With Allin down clutching his knees, Orange Cassidy is in fifth and needs the rules explained to him again. Cassidy is finally in the ring after 45 seconds and, after finding out that he can’t reach the chip, he stands on the ladder that is laying on the mat. He doesn’t know how to set up a ladder so here’s Colt Cabana in sixth to take Cassidy out.

Now that our designated comedy segment is over, Sky and Kazarian break up Cabana’s climbing attempt and his fingers get crushed in the ladder. Cassidy is back in for the slow kicks to SCU’s legs, followed by a regular double dropkick to put them outside. The hands in the pockets dive connects and it’s Joey Janela coming in seventh. That means a bunch of dives to take everyone out until Kazarian sends him into the ladder.

Janela comes back in with a chair to take out Kazarian but Sky takes it away and blasts Janela to even things up. No one can get up the ladder so it’s Luchasaurus in eighth. House is cleaned again until it’s a powerbomb to send Sabian into the pile at ringside. Kazarian is still in the ring so Luchasaurus chokeslams him down too. Allin, thankfully able to walk, is back in to hammer on Luchasaurus, including a super Code Red.

The clock counts down and it’s….BRIAN CAGE, as accompanied by Taz, in ninth to complete the field. Cage brings in his own ladder and starts wrecking people, including tossing Sky into the corner. Janela gets thrown down as well and an Eric Young wheelbarrow neckbreaker drops Kazarian. Cassidy jumps on Cage’s back as the climb is on but it takes almost everyone involved in the match to pull him down.

A bunch of people get together and put a huge poker chip on top of Cage as Janela is thrown over the barricade. The ladder is set up and Cassidy elbows Kazarian, setting up a slugout with Sabian on top of the ladder. Cassidy snaps the finger to send Sabian down into a ladder in the corner so here’s Penelope Ford, who gets dropped onto Sabian. Jimmy Havoc comes back in so the Best Friends come out to take care of him. Luchasaurus shoves the ladder over but Cassidy slips out of a chokeslam attempt.

Cue Marko Stunt with a small ladder so a double chokeslam can plant Cassidy. Janela hits a running Death Valley Driver to put Cassidy onto the poker chip (on top of Cage) and it’s Kazarian and Sky on the ladder at once. Luchasaurus breaks that up and Cage gets up for the big monster off. The Tail Whip hits Cage but he’s back with a jumping knee to the face and a buckle bomb into the ladder.

Cage sets up the ladder (off center of the chip) but here’s Allin again with another ladder. That just earns Allin a Drill Claw and Cage sets up the small ladder on the top rope. Allin is placed on top and Cage picks up both of them and tosses them into a standing ladder for a scary crash. That’s enough for Cage to pull down the chip and win at 28:25.

Rating: B. You can only get so much stuff out of something like this as there were so many people involved. The spots were very entertaining though, albeit rather dangerous in some cases. I like Cage as the surprise a lot as he is someone you can instantly market based off his look alone. Entertaining match as expected, but there is only so much that can be done in these circumstances.

We run down the rest of the card. I still don’t get it.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jungle Boy

This is the one that I wanted to see more than anything else on the card. They take turns flipping each other over to start and, after an exchange of tugging at their own trunks, MJF gets sent outside for a breather. Back in and Jungle Boy grabs a bodyscissors but they wind up interlocking legs and standing on their heads for a slapoff. Hold on though as MJF grabs his knee, only to pop up and deck Jungle Boy to take over.

The chinlock keeps Jungle Boy down but he comes up with a slap to the face. That just earns him an elbow to the jaw and MJF whips him hard into the corner. It’s time to start on the arm but Jungle Boy isn’t taking the trash talk and strikes away in the corner. A rolling double chop to the chest staggers MJF but he sends Jungle Boy outside. The chop off goes to Jungle Boy and there’s the big running flip dive to drop MJF again.

Back in and a middle rope tornado DDT gives Jungle Boy two, partially due to the arm delaying the cover. They chop it out again until MJF gets smart by hitting him in the arm. Jungle Boy snaps off a Canadian Destroyer but MJF hits a quick low superkick. MJF gets puled into a Crossface though, only to have MJF bite his way to freedom.

They go to the apron with Jungle Boy hitting a SCARY reverse hurricanrana to drop MJF on his head. Thankfully MJF is back in with a crotching on top but Jungle Boy hits a super sitout powerbomb for two of his own. MJF hammers on the arm until Jungle Boy gets two off a rollup. That sets off an exchange of rollups until MJF bridges back for the pin at 17:34.

Rating: B. The crash off that reverse hurricanrana was terrifying but what mattered here was the two young guys had a heck of a performance and looked like the stars of the future. That’s what they needed to do here and they made it work. I could go for a lot more of these two, with MJF being the guy who could be the top villain for a LONG time to come if they play their cards right.

We look at the TNT Title tournament, which is something Cody wants because he can’t be World Champion. Jake Roberts has brought in Lance Archer to destroy everyone and take the title, which has caused Brandi Rhodes to be dragged into everything. In other words, it’s personal and for the title.

TNT Title: Cody vs. Lance Archer

For the inaugural title and Mike Tyson is here to present the belt….which looks terrible. It literally looks like a TNT logo over the word CHAMPION. I’m hoping that the title isn’t ready and this is what they have for a fill in. That thing makes the 24/7 Title look like a classic. Jake Roberts is here with Archer and Arn Anderson is in Cody’s corner. We get a special intro with the chance to shake hands (not happening of course) and thankfully Tony confirms that the title isn’t complete so that’s not the final design. That’s such a relief that I won’t even get on them for not having the belt ready for the show.

Archer hits the Black Out in the first fifteen seconds but Cody blocks the Claw by countering with an armbreaker. That’s broken up but the Cody Cutter is knocked out of the air with a shoulder. Archer goes to peel back the ring mat so Cody is back up with a suicide dive. You don’t do that with Archer, as he throws Cody off the barricade for a huge crash. Back in and a heck of a clothesline drops Cody and it’s time to rip at his face.

The rope walk into a moonsault gives Archer two and Tyson thinks this is amusing. Cody is right back up with a delayed vertical suplex but Archer pops back up and rips a turnbuckle pad off. After we quickly cut to a yawning Tyson, Cody bends Archer’s ribs around the post. The ribs are fine enough to lift Cody up and toss him over the post, complete with a cool closeup shot from a turnbuckle camera.

Back in and Archer cranks on the arm but Cody fights out to the floor. The slugout goes to Archer, despite Cody shouting a lot. Back in and Cody’s striking doesn’t work but he pulls Archer down into a YES Lock. Roberts offers a distraction to break things up but Cody is back up with a DDT. JR isn’t impressed because Jake’s DDT beats people, but Anderson plants Cody with the spinebuster to annoy Anderson.

Cody is back up with the Cody Cutter for two and it’s the Flip Flop and Fly into the Final Reckoning. A Stinger Splash (gotta pump up those rumors) gets two but Archer is back with the EBD Claw. He’s too banged up to keep going with it though and Cody is back up. Jake offers a distraction so Arn breaks up the rope walk for some turnabout into fair play.

The reverse superplex plants Archer but Jake points out what Arn did. That means an ejection, only to have Jake thrown out as well. There’s a release German suplex to drop Cody, drawing out Jake with the snake. Tyson chases him off though, leaving Cody to reverse the Black Out into a pair of Cross Rhodes for the pin and the title at 21:15.

Rating: B-. This one never got into that higher gear and they didn’t make any secret out of the fact that Cody was winning. Like they were going to have Tyson hand the title to Archer when Cody was there. That’s fine too, as Cody needed a major win to keep his spot near the top. The match was good, though it wasn’t exactly awesome and Archer already losing isn’t exactly great. I get why they had to do it this way, but they booked themselves into a corner and didn’t have a good way out.

Tyson hands Cody the title and leaves immediately so Cody can celebrate by himself.

The AEW doctor says Britt Baker has a knee fracture, a torn ligament and a torn tendon. Since she’s a role model though, she’ll give you an update on her status on Dynamite.

Penelope Ford vs. Kris Stadtlander

Ford is replacing the injured Baker and the very banged up Kip Sabian is in her corner. Stadtlander headlocks her down to start and shrugs off an armdrag attempt. Some cartwheels just annoy Ford and the threat of a right hand sends her outside. Sabian: “LEAVE HER ALONE YOU ALIEN FREAK!” Back in and Ford grabs a suplex for two and we hit the chinlock.

That’s broken up and Stadtlander forearms her outside, setting up the big dive to drop both Sabian and Ford. Back in and Stadtlander’s dive hits raised boots but she’s fine enough to throw Ford with a German suplex. A running knee in the corner rocks Ford again, only to have her grab a Stunner for a breather. Ford’s super hurricanrana takes her down again but Stadtlander is back up with a Blue Thunder Bomb. The Big Bang Theory finishes Ford at 8:12.

Rating: C. I wasn’t sure which way to go with this one but it was nice to see Stadtlander get a win. Either of these two could easily be a top star in the division as Stadtlander is very unique and Ford is the classic evil blonde that you want to see get taken out. They had a nice enough match too and while Baker would have been better, Ford held up her end rather well.

Here’s Shawn Spears in a suit to say he’s here but Dustin Rhodes must be at home washing his tights. Dustin’s music comes on but he’s not there, meaning Spears can laugh at the fans for falling for the fake. Now ring the bell so it can be a countout.

Shawn Spears vs. Dustin Rhodes

The music hits again but this time it’s Brandi Rhodes coming out so Dustin can sneak up on Spears. The beating is on as the suit is ripped off but Spears gets in a quick clothesline for a breather. Spears wraps the belt around his hand, only to stop to flip Brandi off. That lets Dustin grab him by the tights, which come down in a hurry. JR: “Looks like an audition for a prison movie.” After seeing Tully Blanchard’s face on Spears’ underwear, the Final Reckoning gives Dustin the pin at 4:07.

Rating: D. This was more of an angle than a match and while I still can’t bring myself to care about Dustin all that much, they did a good job of shutting Spears up. That being said, I’m not sure how many more times they can reheat Spears after he keeps losing like this. The good hand term seems accurate, as there is only so much that can be done with him given what he has shown so far.

All Out is on September 5 in a location to be announced.

In memory of Hana Kimura, who passed away early this morning.

We recap Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida for the Women’s Title. Rose is a monster but Shida has been #1 in the rankings for months. The commentators put this over as a big showdown.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Hikaru Shida

Rose is defending and anything goes so Rose has the kendo stick with her. After the Big Match Intros, Rose swings away but gets the stick dropkicked away. That doesn’t matter though as Rose takes it back and blast Shida down. A running knee puts Rose in the corner though and there’s the running knee to the face for a bonus.

Rose is back up to send her hard through a poker table (Rose: “Always bet on black.”) and some chair shots keep Shida in trouble. They get back inside where Shida fights out of the Beast Bomb but Rose his a quick suplex. A clothesline puts Shida back on the floor where she hits the running knee to the back of Rose’s head.

They head into the crowd (in front of Vickie Guerrero) with Shida throwing her onto a poker chip. Another running knee rocks Rose and this time it’s Shida getting to hammer away with the stick. A brainbuster onto the stick gets two but Rose is back with a tilt-a-whirl powerslam. Rose drapes her over the top and hits a top rope knee to the back of the head for two.

It’s table time with Rose setting one up in the corner and powerbombing Shida through it for another near fall. The Death Valley Driver sets up more kendo stick shots so Rose goes up, only to have Shida throw the stick at her. A super Falcon Arrow gets two on Rose so Shida hits another running knee for another two. Yet another running knee finishes Rose for the pin and the title at 17:03.

Rating: B. Another solid match here with both of them beating the heck out of each other until one of them couldn’t get back up. Shida has been on fire for a long time now and while I’m a bit surprised Rose lost, Shida was the right choice to take the title. She has been built up for months now and if they were going to pull the trigger on her, this was the right time.

The announcers talk about how sad of a week it has been but AEW is trying to make people feel a little better.

We recap Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee for the World Title. Lee arrived and was revealed as the Dark Order’s Exalted One. That was cool with Moxley because he wants world class competitors, but then Lee and the Order beat Moxley down with Lee stealing the title belt. Therefore tonight is about the title and revenge.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley vs. Brodie Lee

Lee is challenging but has the title belt coming in. The rest of the Dark Order is here, plus a bunch of security before the bell rings. Moxley charges straight at him but gets hammered in the corner. With that not working, Moxley sends him outside for a suicide dive but Lee isn’t having much of that.

Back in and a slingshot hilo sets up some rolling butterfly suplexes on Moxley, meaning it’s time to go back outside. Lee hits his own suicide dive and sends Moxley into the barricade, followed by a suplex into one barricade laid up against another barricade. Back in and Moxley hits a heck of a clothesline and a pile driver is good for two. They head outside yet again with both of them hitting a running boot for a double knockdown.

Lee is back up but his powerbomb off the steps is backdropped through a variety of tables. Back in again and they’re already back on the floor before they have time to settle down, this time with Lee sending him into a wooden Moxley poster. Lee boots him in the face and gets two off a sitout powerbomb and they’re both down in the corner. Lee gets up and Moxley tries to do the same but collapses back to the apron.

They fight to the ramp and Moxley hits a quick Paradigm Shift through the ramp, which just does not work as well without the big crowd reaction (though it was still good). Moxley crawls out first, followed by the blood Lee. Another Paradigm Shift gets two so Moxley unloads on the cut. Another Paradigm Shift gets two more so it’s a rear naked choke to finish Lee at 15:37.

Rating: B. They beat the heck out of each other here and that’s what you were looking for in a match like this. Moxley retaining makes sense as it’s too early to put the title on Lee, plus I’m not sure how much he needs to be champion. He’s fine as a monster and had a rather fine match here. Moxley vs. Cage could be interesting, though I’m not sure I can picture it taking place.

AEW action figures debut this summer. Those are pretty cool.

We look back at the rest of the show.

We recap the Inner Circle vs. the Elite, which has been going on for months now. The Inner Circle took out Nick Jackson so Matt Jackson got Matt Hardy to help them out. Now it’s time for a major war in what might be the final match of the feud (though likely won’t be).

Inner Circle vs. Elite/Matt Hardy

This is the Stadium Stampede, a ten man tag inside TIAA Bank Field (home of the Jacksonville Jaguars) with a ring in the middle of the field and anything goes. The Jaguars’ cheerleaders and mascot are here, plus a bunch of fire and individual entrances, with the Inner Circle wearing numbered jerseys. Matt Jackson has heavily taped ribs coming in. There is no Page to start so the referee blows a whistle to get us going, meaning both teams start around the opposite thirty yard lines and charge.

The Elite is smart enough to bring weapons and take over early as the wild brawling begins. Call me crazy but I don’t think this is going to be easy to call. Omega hits Sammy with a trashcan and Santana/Ortiz suplex Nick down. Sammy staggers to his feet…..and here’s Page riding a freaking horse, sending Sammy running into a tunnel and out of the stadium. Nick unloads on Jericho in the ring as Page, still on the horse, chases after Sammy. Back in the ring and Jericho misses the Judas Effect on Nick so here’s Matt Jackson to launch Nick at Jericho.

Santana and Ortiz come in to beat on Omega, who snapdragons Santana in a hurry. Sammy is back and the entire Inner Circle is in the ring, only to have Sammy miss a shooting star press. That means a running buckle bomb into Omega and Nick’s boots in the corner. That’s enough of the wrestling in the ring as the brawl heads outside again with Santana hitting an Asai moonsault onto everyone. Sammy shooting stars onto a bunch of people on the floor so Hardy starts hammering away with a football helmet. Everyone starts splitting up as the ring wasn’t exactly needed.

Nick slams Sammy onto Hager and, with the help of a ladder, Matt Jackson moonsaults onto the two of them for the first big spot. Santana and Omega slug it out in the stands and a few others join them, with everyone involved heading through a tunnel. We cut back to Page, who is still on his horse to look for….I guess Sammy? Either way he gets off the horse upon seeing a sign for a bar and goes off for a drink.

Omega sends Santana and Ortiz through a few barricades and then bridges another barricade over some tables. Ortiz makes the save with some salt to the eyes and it’s a double powerbomb through the barricade for two. Hardy gets thrown into the pool (because a football stadium needs a pool), where Santana and Ortiz try to drown him. Since it’s Hardy though, he comes up as Version 1, meaning we get the Matt Fact of Hardy can hold his breath for 346 seconds.

They put him under the water again and this time….Hardy pops up as Broken Matt again, meaning it’s time to put Santana and Ortiz through a table. Ortiz’s head is put inside a big bell, which Hardy rings to really shake Ortiz up. With Ortiz not able to stand, Hardy duct tapes him into a chair of wheels but Santana makes the save. They fight into the tunnels and Hardy sends Santana into the ice chest. If he doesn’t come out as Tito Santana, I’m going to be very disappointed.

Elsewhere, Hager has found the horse and follows Page into the bar, where he’s having a drink. Hager sits next to Page, who asks if he’s here to fight or drink. Hager has a drink and the fight is on with the brawl going over to a pool table. Page is sent into the bar, so he backflips off of it, only to get Rock Bottomed onto the table. Hager puts him on the bar and runs him down ala a stereotypical western movie for two. Omega finds the two of them and breaks a bottle over Hager’s head to no avail.

Several bottles over the head stagger Hager and it’s a V Trigger into the Buckshot lariat. Page and Omega stop for a drink (Omega has milk in a smart choice) and we cut back to Matt Jackson fighting Sammy on the field. Jericho goes after Nick as Sammy gets rolling northern lights suplexed halfway down the field. Nick is sent into a large Jaguars’ helmet, followed by the Judas Effect to the Jaguars’ mascot.

The rolling suplexes continue as Sammy has been taken from one end zone almost to the other. Jericho hits Nick with Floyd the baseball bat for two…..and he wants to challenge the count, complete with a red flag. Jericho and Aubrey Edwards go into the replay booth and the call on the field stands. Jericho: “YOU’RE A S***** REFEREE!” Matt Jackson gets to the other end zone and is so pleased that he does the Alex Wright Dance, which is a flag for excessive celebration. That means a superkick to the referee and we cut to Jericho losing Floyd.

As JR makes an Andy Griffith reference, Jericho is laid on the table so Nick can run the steps, dive onto a barricade, and splash Jericho though the wood. They run the paint line over Jericho as the sprinklers go off to wake Sammy up. Sammy thinks he won…..and here are Hardy and Omega in the golf cart again.

The chase is on with Sammy diving into the stands so the two of them go after him, with Sammy kicking Omega down. Sammy chokes Omega but it’s NEO1 making the save. Omega is back up with a V Trigger and the one Winged Angel off a tunnel and through a bunch of wood (and onto a crashpad) finishes Sammy at about 34:00.

Rating: A-. As usual, your mileage on these things are going to vary but this was a lot of fun with all of the football references. It was a great case of adapting to the environment and having a blast, though some of the jokes were a bit too silly for the kind of violence that they were shooting for. That being said, I never got bored in the slightest and it didn’t feel long whatsoever. They had a lot of fun here and it was a heck of an entertaining match, which is the kind of thing they wanted to do in this sort of a match.

Hardy and the Elite celebrate, including a Gatorade bath to Omega, to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. There were some weak points in the middle of this show but the start and end are more than enough to carry the rest. This was another very entertaining show and felt like it belonged on the big stage. That’s what they should have been trying to do here and there were some moments to make you want to see where things are going. It feels like a big time pay per view and given that AEW has had about five of them, that’s a good sign for their future. Well done, as their pay per view success continues.

Results

Brian Cage won the Casino Ladder Match

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Jungle Boy – Rollup

Cody b. Lance Archer – Cross Rhodes

Kris Stadtlander b. Penelope Ford – Big Bang Theory

Dustin Rhodes b. Shawn Spears – Final Reckoning

Hikaru Shida b. Nyla Rose – Running knee

Jon Moxley b. Brodie Lee – Rear naked choke

Elite/Matt Hardy b. Inner Circle – One Winged Angel 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

It’s that time of the season again as AEW actually ventures into the pay per view market. This time around it’s going to be a little different though as, like everything else, there won’t be any fans in attendance outside of whatever wrestlers AEW can have sitting in the crowd. It’s not much but it’s better than nothing and that’s what they have to do here. The card looks ok but the build doesn’t have the same fire as usual (fair enough in this case). Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Private Party vs. Best Friends

This is for the #1 contendership, despite Private Party only wrestling on Dark in recent months (their last win in a two on two tag match on Dynamite was before Thanksgiving, as in before the records reset) and Best Friends, who seem to be on every AEW show in the history of ever (the world needs those hugs)…..well not being all that great. There hasn’t been much of a build to this, but given that the champs haven’t defended their titles since the last pay per view, I don’t think it matters all that much.

I’ll take the Best Friends here, as AEW certainly loves them and Private Party has cooled WAY off since their hot start in the Tag Team Title tournament. The tag division is something that has a lot of depth to it but AEW doesn’t really use a lot of what they have. I know there are more important things around, but that division has cooled off a lot in the last few months and that started before the pandemic. Getting this on here is nice, but it doesn’t mean much if you don’t follow up on it.

Dustin Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears

I know this won’t go over well but I really can’t bring myself to care about Rhodes as much as AEW wants me to. Yes he’s had an incredible career resurgence the last few years and looks great, but he’s the same guy who has been a career midcarder for about thirty years. He’s had some very good matches and can talk as well as ever, but I’m not exactly hanging on the edge of seat to see what he is going to do next.

Therefore, Spears is the one that makes sense here and it seems like we’re heading towards Rhodes’ retirement. Then again that has seemed to be the case for a long time now and it wouldn’t shock me to see him win in a YOU STILL GOT IT moment. That might not be the best idea, but that has never stopped a member of the Rhodes family before. Spears should win and I think he will, but I don’t have that much confidence in it.

Penelope Ford vs. Kris Stadtlander

Ford is a replacement for the injured Britt Baker, as AEW had one of the rockiest nights in their history with injuries this week. As a result there isn’t a story here, but there wasn’t much of one between Baker and Stadtlander either so it evens out well enough. I’ve been a fan of both of these two since I saw them for the first time so we could be in for a good one here, assuming they can have much of a match.

I’m going with Ford here, but not by much. Stadtlander has been on a pretty hard slide since serving as the challenger of the month so there isn’t much of a reason to give her a win here. Ford doesn’t need it either as she is the kind of person who can get heat just by putting on the sunglasses and frowning while doing the splits, but I’ll go with her as she has a lot of potential on her own. It’s another coin flip though.

Casino Ladder Match

Dang they love this gambling motif (yes I know the show was scheduled for Las Vegas). This is a nine person ladder match because the more people you have in a ladder match, the better it is. Or something. Fenix has been replaced by Joey Janela, because the best replacement for a skilled high flier is a guy who randomly dives off of stuff with his eyes bugging out. There’s never any way of guessing these things so it’s kind of a blind gamble.

Give me Scorpio Sky for the surprise win as they seem to have some plans for him. I can’t imagine him winning the title, but he can wrestle a good match and talk well enough to make it work for a one off. As for the mystery entrant…..assuming none of the April 15^th people are available because of no compete clauses, I’ll go with…..probably Marko Stunt actually, though Drew Gulak is a possibility. But yeah, Stunt would be the least interesting so I’ll take him and hope that he crashes off of something really high.

TNT Title: Cody vs. Lance Archer

Even though this has been presented as the main event, I’ll take AEW’s word when they called the World Title match the main event. The big draw here is Mike Tyson, (Who has somehow gone from a convicted rapist to this lovable goof who happened to be a bit of a psycho, because the first part of that is just erased from history. I completely get the business decision but it’s kind of an interesting sidenote on pop culture in general.), whose appearance kind of gives away the ending.

Anyway, of course Cody wins here, as you know he’s going to. Do you honestly believe that AEW is going to have Archer pose with Tyson instead of one of the faces of the company? That was kind of a giveaway and it wouldn’t shock me to see this as the big ending of the show. It shouldn’t be, but it also wouldn’t surprise me.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose(c) vs. Hikaru Shida

This is a match that has been built up for several weeks now as Shida has been #1 in the rankings for months. Why it took so long to get to the title match isn’t clear, but at least we are finally seeing it go down. The women’s division has gotten a lot better in recent weeks and hopefully it continues to improve. I’m just not sure if it would get better with Shida winning.

I’ll go with Rose retaining, as she seems to be someone there for the sake of building up a challenger to take the title off of her later on. Rose hasn’t been around as much lately but there is only so much that you can do in the current situation. Maybe she can be around more often in the future, and that would include retaining the title here.

Jungle Boy vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

Boy has been one of the best surprises in all of AEW as I was expecting some lame Tarzan character and got someone whose name has almost nothing to do with what he does in the ring. That’s a good thing, as the character could have been something so much worse. What matters here is showcasing the future though, as these are two guys who could be a big deal for AEW for a long time to come.

There is no real reason to pick Boy here so I’ll take Friedman to win after an entertaining match. Friedman is one of the most entertaining people in all of AEW and it would make little sense to have him lose here. Just let him continue rising up the card until he can eventually win the World Title, which would confirm his status as one of the best in the world today. For now though, he wins here.

Inner Circle vs. Elite/Matt Hardy

This is going to be your completely insane match of the night as it’s taking place in the middle of an empty football stadium where anything goes. These people could be all over the place with one crazy idea after another, but I have a bad feeling that we are just going to get something overly ridiculous with one spot after another rather than anything that follows a flow. Then again, they have surprised me before and they might again here.

I’ll go with the Elite winning here, as the Inner Circle has won a lot of the major battles in the rivalry so far. Therefore, it’s time to switch things up a bit and it makes sense to have the Elite get a win back. If nothing else, with the Young Bucks and Hangman Page finally back, it would be a little strange to have them lose here. The match will be a spectacle, but hopefully they focus on the match enough and not just the spectacle.

AEW World Title: Jon Moxley(c) vs. Brodie Lee

So Lee is 5-0 in AEW, having defeated QT Marshall, Lee Johnson, Justin Law, Marko Stunt and Christopher Daniels. Given that two of those people have never won a match in AEW and another is a glorified mascot, I don’t think strength of schedule matters much around here. I’m not entirely sure who is going to win here, but it should be a heck of a fight.

Give me Moxley to retain here, but after they beat each other up a good bit. Lee is a lot better now that he has dropped the Vince McMahon stuff but he still isn’t all that entertaining. Couple that with the fact that Archer is pretty much better at every aspect, there isn’t much of a reason to go with Lee as the champ here. Moxley should be destined to face Friedman, but you never know where they might go around here.

Overall Thoughts

AEW knows how to do some great things but they are lacking a bit without their crowds around. I’m not sure how well the show is going to go but I’m interested in enough of the matches and hopefully that means they can pull something off. The pieces are in place to make for a good show and AEW’s pay per view track record is pretty solid so far. If anyone can make you forget about the lack of fans it’s this company and maybe they can do it here.

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 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