Impact Wrestling
Date: August 11, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We are coming up on Emergence and that could make for some good stuff around here. It might be a little soon after Slammiversary but the question now is what will actually take place on the two weeks of specials. Throw in Wrestle House and we could be in for some good stuff. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap, focusing entirely on Rich Swann’s retirement and Eric Young attacking him last week.

We open in the back with Willie Mack attacking Eric Young. Security can’t break them up and they fight into the arena, eventually getting into the ring where referees and security break it up. Mack says they’re scheduled to have a match tonight so let’s do it right now. Young says on his time and tries to leave but Mack goes after him. They get inside and the bell rings.

Eric Young vs. Willie Mack

Young stomps away to start but Mack hits a running elbow in the corner. The Stunner over the top rope slows Mack down but he sends Eric outside without much trouble. There’s the slingshot dive to take Young down again as Mack is all fired up. Young bites him in the head to get out of trouble on the top, setting up the top rope elbow for two. Some shots to the back of Mack’s head get two but Mack pulls him out of the air for a northern lights suplex. Young knocks him down in a hurry though and we hit the chinlock.

Mack fights up again with the swinging slam into the legdrop. The standing moonsault gives Mack two and they’re both down. The Stunner is countered with a rake of the eyes but Mack grabs the Stunner. There’s no cover though as Mack goes for a chair instead and lays it over (not around) Young’s leg. That takes too long though and Young crotches him on top, setting up the piledriver for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C. This went well enough and it protected Mack to have the match won but go for revenge instead of the pin. That’s what he should be doing and it keeps Young strong, which has to appeal to someone….somewhere I guess. It’s a good enough story and if we get Swann’s big emotional return to the ring (maybe at Bound For Glory), they’ll be as fine as you can be in an Eric Young story.

Here’s what’s coming up tonight.

The Good Brothers go hunting for Ace Austin and Madman Fulton.

It’s time for Wrestle House. Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo call everyone into the main room so they can watch her greatest hits, as determined by a house vote of course. Kylie Rae thinks the votes may have been fraudulent and Cody just drinks. Various people make excuses to go away and we start looking at Taya’s Impact debut.

Johnny Swinger tells Crazzy Steve a story about Lord Littlebrooke but Steve is staring at Rosemary. Steve thanks him for being a good mentor and goes to sit next to Rosemary. She offers to pick back up where they left off and brings up Decay. Steve accuses her of being jealous of Taya with Bravo and Rosemary glares.

We cut to elsewhere in the house, where Cody and Alisha are getting Jake and Susie ready for their date, presumably with each other.

Reno Scum jump Rhino and take Hernandez’s money.

Kimber Lee vs. Jordynne Grace

Grace runs her over a few times to start and gets two off the side slam. Some hard whips into the corner don’t have Lee in that much trouble as she avoids a charge. Back from a break with Lee cranking on Grace’s knee and then chopping away in the corner. A suplex doesn’t work as Grace reverses into one of her own, setting up a spinebuster for two on Lee. They go to a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls until Lee grabs a German suplex for two. Madison leaves commentary to do Locker Room Talk as Lee headbutts Grace off the top, only to have her Swanton hit knees. The rear naked choke finishes Lee at 8:27.

Rating: C-. Grace getting some wins with the choke would look to set up some kind of a big match against Deonna Purrazzo for the title later on. That’s a good idea as you can only do so much with Grace’s power and it is quite the relief to see that she is getting to expand her horizons a bit. Lee continues to just be kind of there, but it could be worse.

It’s time for Locker Room Talk, with Rayne knowing how happy everyone is to have it back. They even have their first sponsor: the Heath4Impact campaign, as Heath needs to be on the show. Rayne: “His money is as good as anyone’s.” That brings us to the guests: Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes, with the latter dancing in.

Madison is glad to have them back in their, ahem, natural state but they can’t control themselves and Madison walks out. They decide to have their own show, with Katie asking Rob for his favorite things about her. He likes quite a bit, but here’s Sami Callihan out of nowhere to jump him. Katie helps Rob though and the double beatdown is on.

Trey surprises the other Rascalz by wearing the Suicide mask but here’s Moose, who doesn’t like Wentz’s EC3 hoodie. Moose glares at him but gives Suicide a TNA Title shot next week without knowing who he is.

Back to Wrestle House, with Rosemary ignoring Taya’s matches and thinking about the jealousy thing Steve mentioned. She uses some magic to get Larry D.’s attention and Larry seems interested. Alisha gives Susie dating advice as she sits down to dinner with Jake. Susie mentions some stomach issues, which was the only excuse Alisha could think of to get her out of the Taya watchalong earlier. Back in the main room, Larry can’t stop staring at Rosemary. Acey asks what’s wrong and offers popcorn, but Larry says there are things more important than food. That means it’s MATCH TIME!

Larry D. vs. Acey Romero

Cody is referee. Romero promises to show tough love and hits a jumping clothesline. A running dropkick drops Larry again but the backsplash misses. The Best Hand In The House finishes Acey at 1:28.

Larry dedicates his win to Rosemary.

Deonna Purrazzo challenges Jordynne Grace to a 30 minute Iron Woman match at Emergence.

Video on the North vs. the Motor City Machine Guns. The Guns came back for the North and took the Tag Team Titles. Now the North wants them back.

Nevaeh/Jessika Havok vs. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan

No DQ and Steelz/Hogan jump them from behind during the entrance. They head inside for the opening bell and Havok pulls Steelz out of the air to slam her down. Havok elbows Steelz out of the corner for a running knee as Hogan blasts Nevaeh with some kind of club. Nevaeh is fine enough to save Havok from a double teaming and snaps off a suplex to Steelz. Havok misses a charge and goes knees first into the steps on the floor, allowing Hogan to save Steelz again.

A running basement dropkick in the corner hits Nevaeh for two and it’s time to choke on the ropes. Havok makes a save and Nevaeh snaps off a suplex to Hogan, meaning it’s time to set up a table on the floor. All four wind up back inside for the slugout until everyone but Havok is kicked down. Havok isn’t about to be double suplexed but she can be low bridged out to the apron. A few kicks put her through the table and a fisherman’s neckbreaker finishes Nevaeh at 7:50.

Rating: C. The match was fine but it’s still a story that doesn’t exactly offer the biggest thrills. They treated it like the big blowoff though and that’s the best thing they could have done here. It wasn’t much of a feud between the two teams but at least they had someone win instead of just having them stop fighting.

The Good Brothers ask Scott D’Amore where Fulton and Austin are and promise to hold the ring until they get here. D’Amore is getting Hall and Nash vibes.

EC3 pops up on screen in front of Moose, promising to destroy him. That is the warning.

Suicide vs. Dez

It isn’t clear if this is still Trey, but Wentz is with Dez. They fight over wrist control to start but here are the Good Brothers to take out Dez for the DQ at 1:04.

The Good Brothers beat up everyone involved and it’s time to call out Fulton and Austin. The two of them pop up on screen to say they aren’t in the arena tonight. Austin will fight, but they’ll do it on his time (second use of that line tonight). Say the first night of Emergence. The Brothers are down.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards b. Cody on Impact, October 2, 2016.

Rohit Raju comes in to warn Chris Bey that he might have to defend the X-Division Title against TJP at Emergence. Fallah Bahh will be there too, so put Raju in to make it a triple threat and protect the title. Bey seems to agree.

Brian Myers is still coming to be a professional.

Back to Wrestle House and Jake says he thought of Susie as the Undead Bride for so long. That turns her into Su Yung for a bit and this time Jake is the one with the bad stomach. Alisha comes in and wonders what happened, with Susie suggesting Alisha gave her bad advice. You know what that means.

Susie vs. Alisha Edwards

Steve is referee and Alisha doesn’t like the bad advice suggestion. Alisha shoves her away and gets slapped, triggering the catfight. A double clothesline puts both of them down, sending Steve into a count of seven, nine, potato. Back up and Alisha hits a clothesline but Susie gets a rollup for the pin at 1:55.

Post match Taya comes in to say it’s time to go watch her match of winning the Knockouts Title. Kylie smiles a lot and says they would all rather go to sleep. Taya calls her a loser and Susie points out that Kylie has beaten her twice. Dreamer pops up for MATCH TIME but Rosemary threatens him (ok good for a chuckle). Taya says next week.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Here’s Eddie Edwards to say he’ll face Eric Young right now, so get out here. It’s Brian Myers instead and he’ll take the title shot right now. In his hands, that title becomes a championship.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Brian Myers

Eddie is defending and chases Myers into the ropes to start. Some stomps in the corner have Myers in trouble as Josh reminds us of Myers’ completely forgotten Tag Team Title reign. Myers’ headlock doesn’t last long so he goes with choking on the ropes instead. Eddie sends him outside though and we take a break.

Back with Eddie hitting an atomic drop into an overhead belly to belly. Myers grabs him for a posting though and sends him back first into the apron. A knee to the chest gives Myers two and we hit the chinlock. With that broken up, Myers kicks at the head and slaps on another chinlock, this time with a knee to the back. This time Eddie fights up and sends him outside for the suicide dive but comes up holding his knee.

Myers whips him back into the barricade for a near countout but Eddie gets back in without much drama. Eddie snaps off a suplex and hits some forearms, followed by the Backpack Stunner for two. Myers’ implant DDT gets the same but Eddie superkicks him into a tiger driver for another near fall. The Boston Knee Party misses but then connects to retain at 10:24.

Rating: C. This was as good of a match as you were going to get with someone best known as Curt Hawkins getting a World Title shot. I know he’s not the same guy anymore, but you’re going to need to give me something more than calling him the professional to shake his reputation. He’s fine in the ring and knows how to talk, but fans are going to see him as Hawkins for a good while and this wasn’t exactly the match to shake that feeling. It wasn’t bad, but it was only so interesting with zero drama.

Eddie celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The weekly World Title matches are starting to take a bit of a toll on the show. I like the idea behind them but you can only get so far with the lack of drama and feeling like we need to check an item off a list every week. Then you have the Wrestle House stuff, which is entertaining enough for something different but at some point it needs to go somewhere. The show was fine, but they’ll need Emergence to work to give us something a little more substantial.

Results

Eric Young b. Willie Mack – Piledriver

Jordynne Grace b. Kimber Lee – Rear naked choke

Larry D. b. Acey Romero – Best Hand In The House

Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan b. Nevaeh/Jessika Havok – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Nevaeh

Dez b. Suicide via DQ when the Good Brothers interfered

Susie b. Alisha Edwards – Rollup

Eddie Edwards b. Brian Myers – Boston Knee Party

 

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 11, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel And Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The long march towards Bound For Glory continues, but more importantly the march towards AXS TV continues as well. Things are actually looking up around here as last week’s show may not have been the best on its own, but it made me want to see what happens at the pay per view. That’s ultimately what matters most so hopefully they can continue that this week. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

X-Division Title Qualifying Match: Ace Austin vs. Eddie Edwards

Austin has a new shirt: Ace Austin 3:16 on the front and I JUST BANGED YOUR WIFE on the back. Eddie isn’t wasting time and knocks him to the floor for the slingshot dive. Some kicks against the barricade has Eddie in trouble and Austin kisses a groupie in the front row. Back in and they take turns choking in the corner until Eddie takes him outside for more chopping. A drink to the face slows Eddie down and Ace gets to choke in the corner some more.

Ace gets in a kick to stagger Eddie on the middle rope but Eddie crotches him on top instead. The belly to back superplex connects so here’s Reno Scum for a distraction. Eddie is fine enough to get two off the Blue Thunder Bomb but Ace kicks him in the head for the same. The Boston Knee Party gets another near fall but this time Reno Scum pulls the referee out at two. That means it’s Kenny time, only to have Austin hit the Fold. That’s good for two so Austin loads up a piece of metal in his arm brace and spinning backfists Eddie cold at 10:45.

Rating: C. I’m more than a little surprised that this match took place here as you would think that it was a perfect grudge match at Bound For Glory. I’ve been more interested in this feud than in almost anything else Impact has been offering lately and I really hope that they’re not thrown into a ladder match (or Heaven forbid it’s Eddie/Tommy Dreamer vs. Reno Scum) at the biggest show of the year.

Taya Valkyrie is panicking about having to face Havok when Rosemary comes in. Rosemary is looking forward to watching and doesn’t seem interested in helping.

The announcers preview the show.

We look back at Brian Cage being arrested for going after Sami Callihan last week.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera first and the rest of the team as his soldiers. Trey gets triple teamed to start and it’s a legsweep into a jumping stomp for two. Raj blocks a diving tag attempt and suplexes Trey for two more. Heel miscommunication finally allows Trey to get over for the tag and everything breaks down. The Rascalz start cleaning house but Shera blocks a double suicide dive. Back in and the triple teaming doesn’t work on Shera, who World’s Strongest Slams Wentz and puts Raju on top for the pin at 7:31.

Rating: D. The Desi Hit Squad is one of the least interesting acts I’ve seen in years as they’re just not fun to watch in any way. Their offense is generic, their gimmick is that they’re from India and the whole team exists to make Shera look good. That doesn’t help when Shera isn’t exactly thrilling on his best day and the team doesn’t help things. Throw in the fact that the Rascalz have a match at Bound For Glory and lose here and this was a big waste of time.

Katie Forbes arrives and tells Jordynne Grace to park her car. A fight is set instead, with Grace promising to kick Forbes’ a**. Forbes: “You mean this one?” And she pulls up her robe.

Knockouts Title: Jessika Havok vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is defending and it’s James Mitchell/John E. Bravo as the seconds. Hold on though as here’s Tenille Dashwood to join commentary. Havok powers her into the corner to start and gets two off a knee to the head. The threat of a right hand has Taya grabbing the ropes but she does manage to take Havok down and knee her in the face.

The choking in the corner just makes Havok mad enough to hammer away and bend Taya over her knee. Taya climbs down the post to get out of a superplex attempt and manages to knock Havok into the ropes. That means the top rope double stomp but Havok is right back up with a clothesline and the chokeslam….but Bravo pulls the referee out for the DQ at 5:07.

Rating: D+. I’m still not sure why things are going in this direction for the Knockouts Title. It still feels like there are three or four stories going on at the same time and Havok losing like this would suggest that she should be in the title match at Bound For Glory. Giving Dashwood the title shot is fine, but they’re doing a weird job of setting it up.

Post match Havok beats up Bravo but gets a belt shot to the face. Dashwood comes in and beats Taya up to send the champ running.

Sami Callihan says Brian Cage belongs in jail because he’s an animal. He’s taking the World Title at Bound For Glory.

The North is ready to defend the Tag Team Titles at Bound For Glory. Rich Swann and Willie Mack come up and say they’ll win. Rhino and Rob Van Dam come in to say they’re old and awesome. The North bails while the other teams argue.

Moose vs. Stephan Bonnar

Frank Trigg is on commentary. Moose throws him down to start and messes with Bonnar’s face so Bonnar gets in a knee to the ribs. A toss puts Moose on the floor as Trigg talks about how awesome Moose is. Back in and Moose hammers away some more until Bonnar gets in a spinwheel kick. Bonnar, with a cut next to his eye, hits a spinebuster and goes up….but Moose shoves the referee into the ropes to crotch Bonnar for the DQ at 4:29.

Rating: D-. This gets a hearty “well that happened” as we have our second DQ for attacking a referee in two matches. The idea of having Moose get into the MMA side of things and fighting mixed martial artists is fine but could they at least have the match be interesting? Bonnar isn’t anything in the ring and while he’s been trained, that doesn’t mean he’s ready to be in a spot like this. Bad match, and it’s setting up what could be a major disaster with Ken Shamrock getting back in the ring.

Post match Moose beats on him even more and grabs a chair. Shamrock comes out for the save and ankle locks Moose as Bonnar won’t let Trigg interfere.

Katie Forbes vs. Jordynne Grace

Forbes has a money gun and enjoy shaking various things. Grace headscissors her way out of a headlock takeover and manages some pushups at the same time. A crucifix gives Grace two and a middle rope dropkick puts Forbes on the floor. Back in and Forbes chokes with a boot in the corner but hold on because hip shaking needs to take place. Grace pulls Forbes’ trunks up rather hard and sends her shoulder first into the post. A Vader Bomb gives Grace two but Forbes grabs a tornado DDT for the same. That’s enough for Grace, who hits the Grace Driver for the pin at 5:40.

Rating: D. Another pretty bad match as the rather terrible show continues. Forbes is rather curvy and that’s the extent of her appeal, as wrestling isn’t exactly her strong suit. It’s like they’re trying to recreate Scarlett Bordeaux without most of the things that made her work in the first place. Bad match here, as Forbes didn’t belong on the show.

Johnny Swinger and Forbes compare physiques. She isn’t interested because she’s with Rob Van Dam and walks away. Grace comes in and shoves Swinger down.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Ultimate X at Bound For Glory 2009.

Daga and Tessa Blanchard talk strategy but Tessa isn’t happy with Daga having her back.

Fallah Bahh has to exercise while TJP eats donuts. Next week: Bahh vs. Michael Elgin.

Next week in an X-Division Title qualifying match: Sabu vs. Rohit Raju. WOW that sounds like a nightmare.

Madman Fulton/Jake Crist vs. Daga/Tessa Blanchard

Daga and Jake start things off with an early standoff so it’s a double tag in a hurry. Blanchard is fine with waistlocking Fulton but stops to suicide dive Jake instead. Back in and Tessa walks into a bearhug but slips out for a tag to Daga. Fulton catapults him throat first into the bottom rope and the beating is on with Fulton not exactly looking worried. Daga slips out of a powerbomb though and hits….I think a one kneed Codebreaker, allowing the hot tag to Tessa. Jake comes in as well and gets tornado DDT’d for two with Fulton making a save. Some double teaming puts Fulton on the floor and Magnum finishes Jake at 5:32.

Rating: C-. Not bad here as Fulton continues to look like a monster and Tessa’s rise to singles success keeps going. They’re doing a great job of keeping Tessa from looking ridiculous in hanging with men and that’s a very hard trick to pull off. It’s working fine here though and the match was watchable enough.

Post match Fulton cleans house but we cut to the back where Cage is arriving. Cage storms into the arena and hits the ring for an F5 to Fulton. Sami Callihan comes in for a chair shot to the back….which does nothing at all. A low blow works a bit better and it’s the rest of OVE getting up to beat Cage down. They handcuff him to the ropes and Sami pulls out a baseball bat but here’s Melissa Santos. That’s fine with Sami, who piledrives her as Cage has to watch to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was….not good, almost at all. The opener and the closing angle were solid but there were so many just bad matches in the middle that it didn’t work. I’m not sure if it felt like they were trying to do too much or if it was more that they didn’t focus enough on Bound For Glory but the middle three quarters of this show were almost painful to watch. Sami vs. Cage is looking good for Bound For Glory and really, that’s about it.

Results

Ace Austin b. Eddie Edwards – Spinning backfist

Desi Hit Squad b. Rascalz – Chokeslam to Wentz

Jessika Havok b. Taya Valkyrie via DQ when John E. Bravo interfered

Stephan Bonnar b. Moose via DQ when Moose shoved the referee

Jordynne Grace b. Katie Forbes – Grace Driver

Daga/Tessa Blanchard b. Madman Fulton/Jake Crist – Magnum to Crist

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 20, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

I’m pretty sure this is the final show in Mexico and that might be the best thing for everyone involved. These shows haven’t been the most consistent with a cross between horrible and entertaining enough. Tonight is all about LAX, who are having their farewell match before heading off to AEW. Let’s get to it.

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

Instead of the usual opening sequence, we get a nice retrospective on Santana and Ortiz, which is more than deserved.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer

Street fight so the slugout is on in a hurry. Sami and Van Dam are left alone in the ring with Rob kicking him down and hitting Rolling Thunder. Tessa and Jake take their places with Tessa crotching him in the corner to take over. The running Codebreaker out of the corner puts them both on the floor so it’s Fulton coming back in to slug it out with Rhino. With Rhino not having the best luck, Dreamer comes back in and hits a cutter on Fulton, who pops back up with a big boot.

Dave gets backdropped onto the pile at ringside and Tommy follows with the fall (there was a lack of diving) off the top. Van Dam hits his own flip dive, leaving Sami vs. Tessa inside. Another cutter drops Sami but Dave superplexes Tessa onto the pile again. Back in and Rhino no sells a suplex from Sami and it’s time for the parade of people knocking each other down with one shot. Tessa tornado DDTs Fulton but he’s right back up with a gorilla press so Jake can come in off the top with a big cutter.

Dreamer and Van Dam bring in a kendo stick with Rhino sliding in a table for a bonus. Before Dave can go through it though, Sami low blows Dreamer and Rhino. Dreamer grabs Sami with a groin claw though and Rhino Gores Dave through the table. The Five Star hits Jake and Tessa puts on the Crossface with the kendo stick to make Jake tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not bad here with the ECW people being rather unnecessary supporting stars for Tessa. In theory this should set her up for the X-Division Title shot at Bound For Glory while the ECW people do….whatever it is that they do when they’re not on Impact. It was a pretty entertaining match, but I can’t help sighing whenever the ECW guys show up.

Ace Austin shows up in a wheelchair and neck brace but promises to be here for Alisha Edwards. He smirks at the camera after she leaves. This is another example of a story that would be over as soon as anyone involved watched the show.

We see LAX’s first Tag Team Title win.

The North is ready to celebrate LAX leaving, and they even have a pinata.

The announcers preview the show.

Alisha Edwards vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title. Alisha mocks Taya’s gyrating entrance and gets taken down for some right hands to the head. Cue Ace in his wheelchair as Taya chokes in the corner. Alisha manages to send her into the corner and hits a basement dropkick, followed by a Downward Spiral for two as John E. Bravo put Taya’s foot on the rope. Ace pops out of the chair and does his handstand on the apron into the kick to Bravo, with Alisa somehow not seeing any of it. Taya gets in a cheap shot and hits the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:24.

Rating: D. This story isn’t doing much for me whenever Eddie isn’t involved as Alisha isn’t all that good. Taya needs a big time opponent for Bound For Glory and I’m not sure who that is going to be. There are a lot of possible options but none of them really stand out above the others. The bigger problem though is Alisha looking rather ridiculous to not get what is going on, as apparently NO ONE in the company has told her a thing about what is going on in the ring and backstage.

Post match Alisha checks on Ace.

The North is looking for people to join their party (with Alexander no selling the whole thing). They run into Rob Van Dam and Rhino, the latter of whom rips up their pinata. I think we have our new #1 contenders.

Gama Singh introduces Mahabali Shera as the newest member of the Desi Hit Squad.

Mahabali Shera vs. Cody Deaner

Shera drives him straight into the corner and starts hammering away, followed by a neckbreaker to keep Cody in trouble. Cody slugs away and hits a suicide dive onto the rest of the Squad, only to dive into a chokeslam back inside. A World’s Strongest Slam ends Cody at 2:47. Shera looks great now but the Squad’s entire gimmick of being from India is still not enough to make me care.

Classic LAX moment: the street fight with the OGz.

We get what looks to be a glitch as Melissa Santos pops up with headphones in her ears, looking like she’s ready for a Skype interview before disappearing after about a second.

Rascalz vs. Australian Suicide/Toxin/Arez

The Rascalz jump the not quite named luchadors to start and hit stereo suicide dives. We settle down to Trey wristdragging Australian into a dropkick to the floor. Toxin comes in for a bunch of flips into a brainbuster to send Trey outside, with Dezmond flipping in to strike away. Arez comes in for a backbreaker on Dezmond so Wentz comes back in for a springboard spinning crossbody.

The Rascalz are sent outside for a big corkscrew dive from Toxin, followed by dives from the other two. Back in and the Rascalz are fine enough to hit a Burning Hammer/top rope double stomp combination to Toxin but Australian makes a save with a moonsault. A superkick into the push moonsault finishes Australian at 4:38.

Rating: C. This is the kind of match that is always going to work because it’s such pure insanity that is just entertaining. I’m not sure who the Rascalz will be fighting at Bound For Glory but it better be someone rather big, as the team deserves a high profile match. They don’t seem to get that around here, but they should be getting one.

Moose is walking the streets of Mexico City and looks for a fight. He finds and wins one while shouting for Ken Shamrock.

Various wrestlers (including Tommy Dreamer of course) are in Las Vegas for Brian Cage’s bachelor party. More on this later.

We get a sitdown interview with Tenille Dashwood, who is happy to be here because she hasn’t faced a lot of the Knockouts. She wrestled Taya Valkyrie in Taya’s first match and it went badly for Taya. Now it’s all about her.

Jessika Havok vs. Su Yung

No DQ. Havok has a staple gun and jumps Su during the entrance to start the fighting in a hurry. Su gets in a few shots of her own but Havok follows her outside. Old School on the barricade is easily broken up and it’s time for a ladder to be brought in. Su grabs a hanging Pedigree and dodges a charge in the corner to send Havok into a chair. Yung grabs the staple gun and stabs Havok in the….somewhere, setting up a cannonball off the apron. The bloody glove is loaded up but Havok Tombstones her for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: D+. This feud hasn’t been interesting since the start as it’s been so all over the place that it’s hard to keep track of why they’re fighting in the first place. Or maybe it’s just not interesting enough to make me want to keep track of the thing. Yung was interesting when she came in but they booked her like any other Knockout for so long that the impact is long gone.

Post match Su pops up and Mandible Claws Havok before pelting a chair at her head. They fight to the back with a quickly edited brawl up a stairwell. Havok grabs a rope and hangs Su over the stairs….and we see the legs hanging as we have our latest murder.

And now, Melissa Santos’ bachelorette party with the Knockouts attending and Taya making it all about her. Joey Ryan shows up as the stripper and I’ve seen more convincing acting on Total Divas.

Cage’s bachelor party includes him eating a bunch of cheat foods. Dreamer: “This is kind of turning me on.”

Classic LAX: Barbed Wire Massacre III vs. OVE.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Shane Douglas vs. Raven in a hair vs. hair match from 2003.

Next week: Johnny Swinger.

Bound For Glory rundown.

LAX vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack

Everyone shakes hands to start as they’re all friends here. Santana and Swann start things off and it’s an early trip to the mat for a standoff. They both flip out of hurricanrana attempts so Swann hits a dropkick for the first real offense. Santana takes him into the corner though and it’s Ortiz coming in for the rapid fire double teaming. Ortiz slaps on a Boston crab but it’s quickly back to Santana, who gets armdragged into the corner.

It’s off to Mack, who gets double dropkicked for his efforts. Mack and Swann are fine enough to run Santana over and put him in trouble for the first time. Ortiz gets caught in a Samoan drop so the standing moonsault can connect for two. Back from a break with Ortiz being caught in the wrong corner for more chops. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Ortiz jawbreaks his way to freedom.

Ortiz manages to drop Mack though and it’s a double knockdown for a breather. The hot(ish) tag brings in Santana for a running kick to Mack’s chest as everything breaks down. Ortiz comes back in off a blind tag and an assisted powerslam gets two. Everything breaks down and a reverse Razor’s Edge/top rope flipping neckbreaker plant Santana for two more.

A dragon screw legwhip drops Mack and a powerbomb puts Swann down but Santana can’t cover. Two more powerbomb get two on Swann but somehow he’s fine enough to slip out of the Street Sweeper. The super hurricanrana sets up Mack’s frog splash for two, followed by a bunch of kicks to Santana’s head. The handspring cutter into the Stunner into the Phoenix splash into the frog splash finish Santana and LAX at 18:38.

Rating: B. This worked well and that shouldn’t be surprising in the slightest. LAX has been one of the best teams in the world for a very long time now and it is no shock that they can have a very good match with a team as good as Swann and Mack. They deserve the big sendoff and that’s what they got, as the AEW Tag Team Titles are next up.

The locker room comes out to send LAX off.

Su Yung wakes up in the hospital. Apparently she’s murder proof.

Overall Rating: C-. The main event helped but it’s clear that there are a lot of things on this show that aren’t working. It feels like so many of the stories are just thrown together with no direction in mind and they’re hoping for the best. Bound For Glory is looking ok at best, as we spent this week with two Tommy Dreamer segments, the ECW guys being set up as title contenders and a case of murder before a nice sendoff. That’s as all over the place as you can get and while they still have time, it’s not making Bound For Glory look great.

Results

Tessa Blanchard/Rob Van Dam/Rhino/Tommy Dreamer b. OVE – Crossface with a kendo stick to Dave Crist

Taya Valkyrie b. Alisha Edwards – Road To Valhalla

Mahabali Shera b. Cody Deaner – World’s Strongest Slam

Rascalz b. Toxin/Arez/Australian Suicide – Push moonsault to Australian Suicide

Jessika Havok b. Su Yung – Tombstone

Rich Swann/Willie Mack b. LAX – Frog splash to Santana

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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Take No Prisoners
Date: May 11, 2019
Location: Logan Square Auditorium, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Tyler Volz, Marty DeRosa

This time for sure! This is from AAW and I’ve been trying to do a show from this promotion for months now. Due to one reason or another (show being taken down, time, etc.), I’ve never actually been able to pull it off but this time I’m getting this thing done. It’s another promotion I don’t know much about other than some of the roster so I’m coming in blind again. Let’s get to it.

The announcers welcome us to the show but here’s Jimmy Jacobs to interrupt and remind us that he’s a genius. He doesn’t like the idea of a scramble match to open the show because he’s too awesome for that. Jacobs wants what he deserves but here’s Mance Warner to interrupt. The fight is on with Jacobs bailing to the floor before a lariat can connect, which is a lot better than taking an eye poke.

Opening sequence, which looks like a regular TV intro.

Jake Something vs. Air Wolf vs. Trey Miguel

Trey, in an eye patch, has the referee hold the ropes open and then jumps over the top in a rather nice jerk move. Miguel is told to take the patch off and yells about it but uses the distraction to chop both of them in the chest. Those have no effect and Miguel seems to know that he’s screwed up. A handshake to Jake gets him taken to the mat and Trey has to avoid a charge. Jake charges Wolf into the corner so Trey and Wolf start some double teaming to send him outside.

Wolf flips Miguel down and hits a chop, followed by a dropsault to Miguel and onto Jake on the floor. Back in and Wolf gets caught in a hanging DDT out of the corner from Jake, who gets dropped by a top rope Meteora from Trey. Jake gets caught in a Cheeky Nandos kick from Wolf, who is superkicked down, allowing Trey to hit his own superkick. A top rope seated senton hits Jake….who no sells it and grabs a Batista Bomb for two on Miguel. That leaves Wolf against the monster and it’s a sitout Boss Man Slam to give Jake the pin at 6:55.

Rating: C. I’ve only seen a little from Jake before so this was quite the impression making match for him. He looked like a powerhouse out there and beat up both guys without much effort, which is exactly what they were going for. Miguel seemed to be quite the jerk but didn’t get the chance to do much. Wolf was his usual pretty good self, though aside from one match against Fenix, I haven’t seen the big breakout match from him yet.

TJP is ready to tour the indies and is ready to debut against Myron Reed.

Clayton Gainz vs. Kris Statlander

Gainz, with Ace Austin, is rather muscular and Statlander is an alien who I can’t get away from these days. The much bigger Gainz shoves her down and laughs when Kris tries a German suplex. A big boot gives Gainz two and some choking on the ropes is good for the same. Gainz loads up the bicep pose and gets rolled up for two before shoving Kris down again.

Kris comes back up with forearms and a Matrish, followed by some running forearms in the corner. Austin gets knocked down and a release German suplex gets two on Gainz. Back up and Kris catches him on top for an electric chair faceplant, only to walk into a sitout slam. Hold on though as Gainz needs some water, allowing Kris to roll him up for the surprise pin at 5:54.

Rating: D. They telegraphed the heck out of that ending and the match wasn’t much to see before then. It was a simple story of Gainz beating her up for four minutes, Kris getting in a little offense, and then the fluke pin. You could feel that coming at the start of the match and it felt like something that has been done several times before.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman, the Heritage Champion, says he’s been talking to Cody and the backstage interviewer is NOT a good fit for AEW. He’ll be debuting a new title tonight.

Adam Brooks vs. Josh Alexander

Alexander is part of the North in Impact. Brooks flips out of a test of strength and grabs a headlock before standing on Alexander’s hands. That earns him a trip into the corner and an enziguri, followed by a nice backbreaker for two. A half nelson backbreaker into a reverse suplex gets the same as the fans are rather pleased with Alexander so far. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Alexander takes him back down into another one.

A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle slows Alexander down and a tornado DDT gives Brooks two. Alexander backdrops him down and slaps on the ankle lock, with Brooks not being able to kick him off. Instead Alexander hits a powerbomb for two more but a tiger driver is broken up. Brooks hits a reverse hurricanrana and it’s a springboard Canadian Destroyer onto the apron, because something on the apron is required these days.

The Fosbury Flop over the barricade drops Alexander again and the Meteora (of course) gets two. Brooks’ Swanton hits Alexander’s knees though and it’s a backbreaker onto the apron to make things even worse. Back in and a Jay Driller gives Alexander two, followed by the spinning Tombstone to put Brooks away at 8:01.

Rating: B-. Nice stuff here with both guys beating the heck out of each other and trading one big move after another. The problem with that though is the lack of psychology or flow to the match, though at least the moves did build to some bigger ones at the end. The Jay Driller not getting the pin was a bit much though, but that happens in most indy matches.

Statlander picks through a nutrition bar and hands it to the interviewer without saying anything. She hides under a chair and looks at the camera, saying that humans are weak and aliens deserve gold.

Rascalz vs. Besties In The World

It’s Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz here. The Besties are Davey Vega and Mat Fitchett and they’re very, very close friends (and in answer to your next question….it’s not clear). Either way, they’re very popular, though it might just be due to having Truly Madly Deeply as their theme song. The Rascalz, heels here, break up the entrance and STOP THE SONG and it’s already time to beat up Fitchett.

The shoved standing moonsault gets two with Vega having to make the save. That earns Vega a series of superkicks but he’s fine enough to send both Rascalz outside. The suicide dive sends both of them over the barricade so Fitchett dives onto both of them again. A bell shot to the head slows Fitchett down though and Wentz rings it on Fitchett’s ankle for a bonus. The ankle is fine enough for the Besties to double team Wentz against the barricade, followed by a running boot to Xavier’s face back inside.

A double Flatliner gets two but a Wentz distraction lets Xavier fight back. The Rascalz’ hit a backbreaker/double stomp combination for two on Fitchett and Dezmond adds a moonsault kick to the head. Vega catches Dezmond on top but he’s fine enough to hit the Final Flash to break up a cover on Wentz. All four slowly get up and slug it out with the Rascalz getting the better of it. The shove moonsault hits knees and Vega small packages Wentz, only to have Trey Miguel run in and shove it over to give Wentz the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C+. I’m not sure how well that ending should hold up but at least they had a fun match on the way there. I could have gone for more of the tagging part of the tag team wrestling but that’s the kind of thing you just get used to these days. The Rascalz are rather fun though and the Besties are better when they crank it up, but at least we had a good match. It’s strange seeing the Rascalz as heels, though I could get used to it.

Post match the beatdown is on with Wentz calling out LAX for their Tag Team Titles.

Josh Alexander says he’s back for the AAW Title and he’ll be here every time until he gets it back.

Myron Reed vs. TJ Perkins

Reed regularly works in MLW and while he’s quite good despite being a bit small. They go to the mat to start for an exchange of near falls until Reed slips up for a standoff. Perkins offers a handshake so Reed dabs at him in a callback to Perkins’ time in WWE. A headscissors works better for Perkins but Reed reverses into one of his own. That’s broken up with the handstand into the bouncing escape and Perkins gets to pose a bit.

Perkins spins around the ropes and gets some near falls off a rollup. With that not working, Perkins grabs the hand and slaps on a Sharpshooter, which is switched into a Muta Lock for a sweet transition. Reed escapes a pair of backslide attempts and waves a finger at Perkins, which isn’t likely to be a good idea. For some reason the referee catches Reed’s kick, allowing Perkins to get that backslide for two.

Reed is fine enough to send Perkins outside for a dive and a slingshot Codebreaker gets two more. Perkins is right back with a springboard crossbody to send Reed to the floor, setting up the slingshot dropkick. Back in and a curb stomp gets two on Reed, who comes back with a springboard cutter. A springboard 450 hits raised knees though and Perkins gets in the kneebar. That’s switched into an STF but Reed gets over to the rope. Stundog Millionaire drops Perkins but Reed can’t follow up, meaning Perkins is up first. Perkins snaps off a hurricanrana, which Reed reverses into a sunset flip for the pin at 12:23.

Rating: B. I liked this one quite a bit as both of them were moving around very well with some very fast paced offense. Perkins is someone who can have a good match with just about anyone and Reed got a great rub here. I could go for more of both of these two and Reed has impressed me so far in MLW.

Post match, Perkins raises Reed’s hand for a nice moment.

The Rascalz are willing to give the Besties a rematch, but the Tag Team Titles are theirs because they carry the company. Wentz drops a lot of F bombs.

Heritage Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Mance Warner

Warner, who comes out to Simple Man, is challenging for the midcard title. For those who haven’t seen him, Warner, is a very southern wrestler with some great charisma and an affinity for light beers and eye pokes. The fans throw toilet paper at Friedman, which seems to get on his nerves. Friedman pulls out his own version of the Heritage Title, which looks like a pretty standard title.

However, Friedman doesn’t think a wrestler like him should have to wrestle a man like Warner, so he has an offer. If Warner will lay down right now, he can have a job with AEW. Warner could be the next Ice Train, Roadblock, or MIKE ENOS of AEW! Warner thinks about it and then headbutts Friedman in the face to start things off.

The beating is on and Warner STEALS THE SCARF before biting Friedman’s fingers. The champ bails to the floor so Warner loads up a dive, which turns into an eye poke instead. They’re quickly on the floor and then in the balcony for some teased attempted murder. That doesn’t last so they head back to the ring where Warner’s chair shot gets two. Friedman sends him face first into the chair though and it’s time to get down to some more basic wrestling.

That earns him some face first rams into the buckle and it’s time to punch Friedman in the face. An elbow to the head gets two but the running knee is countered into a Boston crab to put Warner in trouble. That’s broken up so Warner hits a DDT and a running knee to the head gets two. With Friedman down, Warner takes about a minute to find a door underneath the ring. The ref gets bumped as Warner hits the lariat, because that happens in the indies as well. Cue Jimmy Jacobs to wrap a chair around Warner’s head and hit it with a kendo stick so Friedman can retain at 11:55.

Rating: C+. I like both guys so this was a fun one with a story that made sense and worked quite well. Warner has all kinds of charisma and Friedman is one of the best heels (and promos) in wrestling today. This was good stuff and I can go with Friedman having to survive to retain the title. I could go for more of this and that’s because they’re both very good at what they do.

Heritage Title: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Jake Something

Friedman is defending again and immediately starts backtracking because of their history together. Jake calls him an f****** coward and we’re off in a hurry. The spear finishes Friedman to give Jake the title at 34 seconds.

The Besties in the World are mad because one of them has a bruise on his face before he and his wife (ah there we go) go to Mexico. They want their rematch in Austin, Texas.

Thunder Rosa is back from Japan and wants her Women’s Title back.

Here’s Armando Alejandro Estrada (his name here as well) to talk about being a family man. His daughters are just like everyone: they live at home with their family. He’s here to represent the man going straight to the top: Jacob Fatu (Umaga’s nephew).

Jacob Fatu vs. Ace Romero

Romero is a huge guy who weighs just shy of 400lbs and is a crowd favorite. Fatu jumps him before the bell (I think) and sends Ace into the post. Romero is busted open and it’s time for some chair shots to the back. The referee calls it off because of the cut so we need a replacement.

Jacob Fatu vs. Paco

Paco is rather small and slugs away to start to limited effect. A high crossbody is a bad idea as well as Fatu catches him in a Samoan drop for the pin at 40 seconds. Are they running out of time and need to fill in everything they can?

Hang on though as Romero is back and the original match is on.

Ace Romero vs. Jacob Fatu

Romero sends him into the barricade and hits a running charge, which RAISES THE BARRICADE a good six feet in the air, which I’ve never seen before. They get inside so Romero can pelt a chair at Fatu’s head, sending him back outside. That means the big old suicide dive and the fans are way into Romero again. Back in and Fatu hits a superkick, followed by the running Umaga attack in the corner. Romero is too big to be Samoan dropped so it’s a spinning Rock Bottom for two instead.

Fatu loads up some chairs in some corners and another blasts Romero in the head. The Samoan drop doesn’t work again as Fatu falls face first onto the chair. Romero makes his comeback with a running dropkick and a sitout powerbomb gets two. A missed charge sends Romero head first into one of the chairs, setting up the Samoan drop. Fatu drops a Swanton for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C-. Romero moves well for a star but it’s clear that he can only do so much without various shortcuts. Fatu on the other hand is one of the best prospects I’ve seen in a long time. He’s a guy with the size of Umaga and a level of athleticism that you would never expect from someone who looks like him. The facials and charisma are great bonuses and it’s a matter of time before he gets signed by one of the major companies.

Mance Warner wants Jimmy Jacobs in any match Jacobs wants.

Sami Callihan is sick but he’s ready to take out David Starr and keep the World Title.

Women’s Title: Jessika Havok vs. Thunder Rosa

Rosa is challenging and Havok….is a face? That’s certainly a new one. Some dancing disrobing means Rosa is ready to go so Havok sits her on top. That means a hip swivel into a failed sunset flip attempt as Rosa is trying to use the speed here. A missed charge in the corner doesn’t slow Havok down that much as Rosa dives into a chokeslam. Havok lifts her up into a full nelson before dropping her down, where Rosa taps for no meaning. The big leg misses so Rosa hits a running Downward Spiral for two.

It’s off to the bearhug though with Havok dropping down into something like a reverse Bubba Bomb for two of her own. Rosa fires off kicks to the leg and a dropkick to the leg cuts the champ down. Havok drives her into the corner again but a top rope hurricanrana sends Havok into the other corner. A running dropkick gives Rosa two and a missile dropkick is good for the same. The Black Widow is countered into a Tombstone though and Rosa is done at 9:57.

Rating: C+. Rosa was tiny next to the monster champ but they made it work well enough here. More time would have helped though as Havok just caught her without much effort in the end. What we had was good though and the announcers made the women’s division seem like a big deal.

Estrada and Fatu want better competition and if that means the World Title, so be it.

David Starr does not like Sami Callihan, who is the worst thing about wrestling today. Tonight, he’s showing that AAW is truly independent.

Lucha Bros vs. Team Tremendous

Team Tremendous, Dan Barry and Bill Carr, are a pair of detectives. I’ve seen them before and haven’t been overly impressed so hopefully they change things up here. They spend a lot of time yelling at each other before finally getting ready to go. Pentagon and Dan start things off and it’s more yelling with Dan trying some Spanish. A superkick finally drops Dan so Bill comes in for a hurricanrana as everything breaks down in a hurry.

We settle down to the big Carr slamming Fenix and dropping a big leg, with Barry making sure to hold the legs. Something that looked like a Magic Killer is broken up with a headscissors and the way too early hot tag brings in Pentagon for the rapid fire double teaming. Barry escapes the spike Fear Factor so it’s a reverse Razor’s Edge/running cutter combination for two on Pentagon instead.

The Bros are back up with a double superkick so Carr clotheslines them both down for a breather. Fenix is back up with the top rope double stomp to drive Carr into the apron. The Pentagon Driver gets two on Barry and the electric chair/Sliced Bread combination for the same on Pentagon. Since Pentagon doesn’t sell for very long, he’s back up with a Canadian Destroyer to Carr. That means the Black Fire Driver to finish Barry at 9:50.

Rating: C+. It was fun while it lasted, which seems to be the subtitle of most of the matches on this show. What mattered most here though was having the Lucha Bros around, as they’re some of the best talents in the world right now. Is there any surprise that AEW wanted them as one of the focal points of the division? Team Tremendous….yeah still not feeling it.

Post match Fenix puts over AAW and Chicago, saying you can do whatever you want. Pentagon thanks AAW as well because they’re out of here (not mentioned of course).

Jimmy Jacobs tells Mance Warner to bring it.

AAW Title: David Starr vs. Sami Callihan

Starr is challenging and has Jake Something in his corner. Sami on the other hand has a suited hype man who looks like Joey Mercury. They lock up against the ropes to start as the fans are all over Callihan’s home state of Ohio. Starr wants to fight and lays down on the mat so Sami will come to him. That goes well for Starr, who has quite the amateur background. They take turns going after the arm before Callihan drives him up against the ropes again.

Hang on though as Sami needs to head to the floor and walk into the crowd for a bit. Back in and Starr gets a series of near falls off a series of rollups and Callihan is looking frustrated. A quick belly to back suplex gets Sami out of trouble and it’s off to w neck crank. Back up and a rolling kick to the ribs drops Callihan and it’s time to start in on the champ’s legs.

Starr sends him to the apron for a springboard clothesline but Callihan is ready for the dive. That means a chair to Starr’s head and some hard chops to the chest. The run around the ring takes too long though (because Sami is running around the ring) and Starr catches him with a superkick. Back in and Sami gets two off a top rope superplex before it’s off to the chinlock. The comeback is on with Starr unloading in the corner, followed by a low superkick.

The Downward Spiral gets two on the champ and Sami falls out to the floor. You don’t do that in an indy match so Starr nails the suicide dive. You also don’t come back in as Sami grabs a hanging swinging neckbreaker (or something close to it) for two of his own. Some clotheslines send Starr outside but he’s right back in with a running clothesline of his own. This one misses completely though and Starr slams his head into the bottom rope to knock himself silly.

A running knee to the head sets up a powerbomb into an STF but Starr makes the rope. Starr can barely stand but manages a heck of a shot to the face. Sami spits at him so Starr is right back with a brainbuster onto the knee for a hot two. The old Edgecator has Sami tapping, but the lackey has the referee. Starr lets him go….and Jake turns on Starr to knock him cold. Sami adds the Cactus Special and wins WITH A CHINLOCK at 26:00.

Rating: B. This was entertaining for the most part but it never really hit a high level that they were probably looking for. Jake turning on him felt like a big deal and will probably set up a big Jake vs. Starr match down the road. Sami feels like a major heel champion so whoever eventually gets to beat him should be an important moment. Fine main event, but nothing that you need to see.

Post match Sami says he is AAW and professional wrestling.

Overall Rating: B-. It wasn’t great and it’s not some must see show but I’ve seen far worse shows than this. The show felt like a bigger indy company with a lot of action, though trimming a match or two off and letting some others have more time would have made for a better night. What we got was rather good though with only one match I wouldn’t call at least pretty good. At the same time though, nothing was great and none of the matches stood out. I liked the show well enough though and given how bad some of the Wrestlemania weekend shows were, I can take a good up and down indy card.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

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Date: December 14, 2016
Location: William J. Meyers Pavilion, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Ian Riccaboni

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Candice LeRae

Back in and Candice tries to run up the corner but gets dropped down onto the ropes to send us to a break. We come back with Purrazzo working on the left arm and adding in a kick to the bicep for two. A few forearms and a top rope double stomp to the back gets two for Candice. She makes things a bit odd with something like a crotch grab suplex (Did I mention she and Joey Ryan are regular partners?) for two more. Not that it matters as Purrazzo grabs another Fujiwara Armbar for the tap at 10:04.

Veda Scott/Kennadi Brink vs. Faye Jackson/Sumie Sakai

Mandy Leon vs. Jessica Havok

Leon goes right after the monster and is knocked down with ease. Some HORRIBLE forearms have little effect on Jessica but a huge running legdrop misses. A wheelbarrow slam gets two on Mandy and we take a break. Back with Mandy grabbing a sleeper, only to be driven back into the corner. Something like White Noise gets two on Mandy but Havok pulls her up. Thankfully the announcers are right there to remind us about Havok being a hired gun who only wants to inflict pain. Cue Deonna Purrazzo for a distraction, allowing Mandy to grab a rollup for the pin at 7:01.

Havok chokeslams them both post match.

Video on Kelly Klein, who is treated as a killer.

ODB vs. Kelly Klein

Both come in undefeated. ODB shoves her around to start and takes it outside for a ram into the post. The idea here is that Klein has been a big fish in a small pond but is now getting to fight someone with some experience and more talent. Things stay bad for Klein on the floor as ODB hits some hard chops. Back in and Klein scores with some forearms to take over as we go to a break.

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