IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: June 3, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time for the title show as both the TNT Title and the Tag Team Titles are on the line. That is quite the stacked card for any show and hopefully the execution lives up to the hype. You never can tell for sure with something like this but AEW has a history of being able to pull off a big show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a Black Lives Matter graphic.

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

The announcers run down the card.

Tag Team Titles: Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc

Havoc and Sabian, with Penelope Ford, are challenging. Ford grabs Omega’s leg to start and Havoc takes him down. It’s off to Sabian to keep Omega in the corner and it’s back to Havoc to work on the hand. With FTR watching from an empty part of the crowd, Omega fights his way to freedom and brings in Page to run over Havoc. The champs throw Sabian down and Page easily blocks Ford’s top rope hurricanrana. Since the referee say the whole thing and she didn’t turn him over, Ford is ejected.

In the distraction, Havoc hits both champs in the back with a wrench for two. Sabian dropkicks Page to the floor and Havoc pokes at the eyes but Page fights over to Omega for the tag. Omega starts cleaning house and plants Sabian for two before quickly bringing Page back in. The Kitaro Crusher from Omega gives Page two and Page takes out Sabian and Havoc back to back.

A big running clothesline gets two on Sabian with Havoc making the save. Havoc Death Valley Drivers Omega into Page in the corner and Sing the Sorrow gets two on Omega with Page making the save this time. The reverse hurricanrana drops Sabian on his head and there’s the snapdragon to Havoc. Omega hits a V Trigger on Sabian and it’s back to Page for the Last Call to finish Havoc at 13:38.

Rating: B-. It’s kind of amazing how much more entertaining Page is than Omega. He comes off like a more complete character and feels more explosive in the ring as well. I know Omega is going to get the praise and will likely be the top star in the company one day, but I like watching Page a good bit more. The match wasn’t exactly dramatic but it was nice to see the titles defended for a change.

Tully Blanchard yelled at Shawn Spears earlier today and asked what Spears wants his legacy to be. Later, Blanchard thought he had the missing piece for Spears: a single black glove.

We look at Mike Tyson vs. Chris Jericho from last week.

We look back at Brian Cage squashing a human last week.

Brian Cage vs. Shawn Dean

A bunch of suplexes set up the Drill Claw to end whatever is left of Dean at 1:38.

Post match Taz warns Jon Moxley to get serious before Cage kills him at Fyter Fest. Cue Moxley, who is still smiling to annoy Taz. Moxley is in this business for something like this and knows that Cage is impressive. Maybe Cage is a machine but Moxley is a human who can be beaten. It’s going to take Cage all night long though because taking the title from him is a different prospect entirely. The next time you want to bring his name up, remember who you’re talking about.

Lance Archer is beating up someone at what looks like a construction site as Jake Roberts looks on. Archer talks about how one loss isn’t changing him after twenty years in the business and he’ll take everything in AEW. Roberts looks impressed.

We look back at Matt Hardy helping Marc Quen out after an injury last week.

Hardy comes in to see Private Party, where Quen’s knee is fine. They remind him of the bond he and his brother had, which is quite the thrill for the team. If they ever need anything, let him know. Hardy leaves and runs into Sammy Guevara, who he respects, before leaving. Sammy is confused.

We recap Cody winning the TNT Title, the open challenge, and Jungle Boy becoming the #1 contender last week.

Colt Cabana vs. Chris Jericho

Fallout from Cabana arguing with Jericho after last week’s brawl with Tyson. Jake Hager and Sammy Guevara are here with Jericho and Sammy sings Judas for a bonus. Cabana starts fast and knocks Jericho to the floor, setting up an Asai moonsault to take out both Jericho and Hager. Jericho knocks Cabana out of the air back inside though and we take a break.

Back with Jericho elbowing him in the face for two but Cabana slugs away. The Bionic Elbow sets up the Flying Apple into the middle rope splash for two. Cabana rolls up the Superman Pin but Jericho reverses into the Walls of Jericho. The rope is grabbed for the save and Cabana hits a corner clotheslines. A super hurricanrana gives Cabana two but he slips coming out of the corner and walks into the Judas Effect to give Jericho the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. I know Cabana is mainly a comedy wrestler but this is the kind of match where he can turn it off and wrestle straight when he has to. That makes Cabana a lot easier to watch and it was the case here. Jericho getting a clean win is good for him at this point, even if it’s over a midcarder. Not too bad here and Cabana was trying.

Videos on the matches announced for Fyter Fest.

Video on Britt Baker’s Road to Recovery with Tony Schiavone and the doctor looking on. She’s a little uh, over the top with things, though calling her wheelchair Role’s Royce is a great touch.

Nyla Rose vs. Big Swole

Swole headlocks her down to start but Rose fights up without much trouble. A shoulder doesn’t work on Rose so Swole sends her outside. That just lets Rose trip her up, sending Swole face first into the apron. Back from a break with Swole hitting a kick to the head and a headbutt, followed by a springboard cutter for two. Swole starts going after the knee but Rose spears her down. The Beast Bomb is countered into a sunset flip for two but Dirty Dancing is countered into a spinebuster/powerbomb to finish Swole at 9:48.

Rating: C-. Not much to see here as Swole isn’t all that interesting and Rose was getting back on the winning path. Part of the problem with any monster like Rose is that once she loses, the luster is gone in a hurry. I’m not sure where she can go next, but one off squashes could be best for her for the time being.

Post match Swole talks about having the fans behind her but Britt Baker rolls over, only to have Swole chase her off with a chair.

Darby Allin is injured but promises revenge on Brian Cage and Taz.

We get a sitdown interview with FTR, who say their name stands for anything they want it to. They’re ready for a bunch of teams, including the Young Bucks, who Dave Meltzer has praised as the next Midnight Express. They know they’re better than the Young Bucks and they don’t want any excuses for when they beat the Bucks in their first match. Tony thanks them for the interview but here are Butcher and Blade to interrupt. Other wrestlers and security break it up and a match is set for next week.

We run down next week’s show, including Marc Quen challenging for the TNT Title.

Colt Cabana is annoyed at his losses so here’s Brodie Lee to say it’s about how you respond to the losing. Lee can help him, so think about it.

TNT Title: Cody vs. Jungle Boy

Cody, with Arn Anderson, is defending and Jungle Boy is on his own here. They start with the rollups early on before Cody wins a slugout in the corner. The Figure Four goes on in a hurry but Boy is out in a hurry. A slingshot DDT gets two on Cody and he bails outside. Cody sends Boy over the barricade and we take a break. Back with Cody headbutting a wall by mistake but Boy stops to yell at MJF.

Cody is busted open so Boy hammers on the cut, only to get knocked down in a hurry. Boy heads up top and gets caught with a dropkick, setting up a delayed superplex. The Figure Four is broken up so Cody goes up top, right above a well placed table. Boy follows him up and they both fall through the table in a big crash. Back in and Boy counters a sunset flip into a rollup for two but Cody snaps off Cross Rhodes to retain at 12:48.

Rating: B. They had my attention here and Boy looked good in a losing effort. It’s a case where he’s a star of the future and that’s a good sign for where this company could be going. I’m curious to see how things are going to go for him and Cody could help a lot of people in matches like this. Good stuff, even if it started to feel like one of those patented forced Cody epics.

Post match all of Cody’s friends come in for the celebration as he shows respect to Boy to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I had a good time with this one and it was a rather good show, without reaching the next level. What mattered here was having nothing bad and almost everything looking good up and down the card. They’re on the way to Fyter Fest and you can see a lot of the matches from here. Nice stuff here, with a solid show to keep up some momentum.

Results

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc – Last Call to Havoc

Brian Cage b. Shawn Dean – Drill Claw

Chris Jericho b. Colt Cabana – Judas Effect

Nyla Rose b. Big Swole – Powerbomb

Cody b. Jungle Boy – Cross Rhodes

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: Major League Wrestling

MLW Zero Hour
Date: January 11, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re back to the early days of the promotion here as the one off shows continue. I’m not sure what to expect from this show as it has been a good while since the previous one, but they’re usually pretty good at getting us caught up in short order. Now hopefully the action can work as well. Let’s get to it.

We open with a video on the chaos of Jimmy Havoc, who brings suffering and death to everyone. Shane Strickland wants to come into Havoc’s world in a deathmatch. Jimmy thinks Shane is trapped with him but Jimmy is trapped with Swerve.

Opening sequence, complete with card rundown.

Commentary explains what we’ve got coming up.

Jeff Cobb and Matt Riddle arrive but Tom Lawlor and Seth Pettruzelli jump them and crush Cobb’s arm in the car door Barry Windham style.

Dirty Blondes vs. Jason Cade/Jimmy Yuta

The Blondes run a crisscross to warm up. There’s nothing significant there but I like the team so it’s nice to see them doing anything. Cade can’t do much with the bigger Leo Brien to start as Tony complains about Michael Patrick’s use of tobacco. A slap to the face annoys Brien and the running hurricanrana is blocked. The dropkick sends Brien over to Patrick, who gets enziguried by Yuta.

Another dropkick to the knee and a sliding version to the head give Yuta two as the tobacco rant continues. The high five double elbow gets another two but the power finally takes over with Patrick taking Cade into the corner so Brien can knee him in the back. A handspring knee to the face drops Brian so it’s Yuta coming in to clean house (even if it hadn’t had time to get very dirty).

The Bleach Job (double Alabama slam) gets two on Yuta with Cade making a save. Cade kicks Brien down but Patrick shoves him off the top, only to spit his tobacco juice into Brien’s face (bump up Tony’s foreshadowing by one). Cade’s frog splash into Yuta’s top rope elbow is good for the pin at 7:13. Yuta being stunned by the win is a great visual.

Rating: C. Completely watchable tag match here as power vs. speed is always something that is going to work. What matters here is getting the show off to a good start with the crowd having something to cheer about. It wasn’t a great match or anything but it served its purpose perfectly well.

Update on Cobb: there is no update.

Here’s Saieve Al Sabah for an unscheduled chat. He’s here to introduce us to himself as the divine leader (Tony: “Sounds like my preacher on Sunday.”) and asks for silence so he can educate us (Tony: “Yeah he definitely sounds like my preacher.”). He won’t talk until there is quiet but breaks his own rule to talk about a revolution. Cue Mike Parrow (who Al Sabah knocked out with brass knuckles last time).

Mike Parrow vs. Vandal Ortagun

Parrow sends Al Sabah over the top and we’re ready to go. Ortagun dropkicks the knee out to start and gets an early two off a low superkick. That just earns him a chokeslam but Al Sabah is on the top with the knuckles. Parrow grabs him by the throat but Ortagun goes after Parrow, allowing Al Sabah to use the knuckles for the DQ at 1:22.

Post match Ortagun poses with Al Sabah. So we’ve got the start of a heel stable.

There is speculation that Lawlor and Pettruzelli were out to gain an unfair advantage by trying to break Cobb’s arm. After that bombshell, Matt Riddle says the match is happening in the ring, in the street or at Chili’s.

Here’s when MLW is running events in Orlando again.

Brody King vs. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

MJF is the same as he would be in AEW, mainly because it’s a character that could work for years. Before the match, MJF talks about the significance of the show being called Zero Hour. After the show is over, he will have zero losses and the people in front of him are all zeroes. He’s winning the upcoming World Title tournament because he’s better than you and you know it.

MJF shoves him, only to be shoved right back down for his efforts. That means some stalling on the floor but King sends him into the corner for a heck of a chop. Another one in another corner sets up a toss across the ring as MJF looks like he’s in way over his head. The Cannonball misses though and MJF forearms away in the corner. A stomp to the wrist starts in on the arm work, including a springboard flying armbar for two.

The sleeper goes on so Brody just drops down onto his back for the pretty easy break. The comeback is on with some running shots, including a running dropkick to give King two. A sitout chokebomb gets two on MJF but he kicks King in the face and hits a hanging piledriver for his own two. King goes outside so MJF tries an Asai moonsault (!) but misses, earning himself an apron bomb. Back in and Cradle Shock finishes MJF at 7:08.

Rating: C. Not bad here though I’m a little surprised by the ending. MJF is someone you expect to see winning more often than not, but there does come a point where a monster like King should be winning here. The action wasn’t bad, but you can see the complete package of MJF and it’s great to watch that development over the years.

Stokely Hathaway promises that Low Ki is ready to end MVP tonight.

Barrington Hughes wishes us a happy new year and promises to be bigger, badder and more dominant in the new year.

The next match aired on the first Fusion.

Barrington Hughes vs. Chico Adams

The 469lb Hughes wins with a Rock Bottom at 9 seconds. Probably as long as he should be going.

Cobb needs an x-ray but he’s wrestling unless he’s dead.

Salina de la Renta has Sammy Guevara hold her bag so she can talk about bringing in the best Latino stars.

Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy has Salina de la Renta in his corner. Allin chills in the corner to start and Sammy tells him to bring it on. An early takedown goes to Sammy and we hit the posing. Sammy grabs a rollup for two and that’s enough to make him walk up the aisle and pose. Back in and Darby rolls him up for two, quickly followed by a springboard corkscrew splash for the same. Sammy chills on the floor again and then flips Darby off back inside. That earns him a Fujiwara armbar, sending Sammy bailing straight to the rope.

The stalling continues as we hear more about Salina being a power broker. Allin follows him outside and gets sent head first into the steps, only to stick the landing on a toss over the barricade. The Coffin Drop off the barricade nails Sammy but Salina grabs Darby’s leg, meaning Sammy can avoid a running charge against the post. Back in and Sammy puts him in the fireman’s carry for some squats, setting up the Samoan drop for the arrogant two.

A running knee to the face drops Allin for two more but Darby is right back up. Another charge misses as Sammy backflips over him (cool) and hits a good dropkick for another near fall. Allin knees his way out of a suplex though and snaps Sammy’s arm across the top. It works so well that he does it again but Salina’s distraction lets Sammy raise his knees to block the Coffin Drop.

The shooting star (not a 450 Rich) hits Darby’s back for two more and you can feel the fans getting behind Allin here. As Rich corrects himself on the 450/shooting star (fair enough), Darby pulls him into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up in a hurry so it’s a Code Red for two more. They slug it out until Allin grabs the Last Supper for the pin out of nowhere at 14:36.

Rating: B. Allin just has this weird charisma to him and it’s the kind of thing that you can’t teach. This could have been on any given AEW show and that made it one of the best things on the show so far. They had a heck of a back and forth match and you can see the star power in both of them.

Post match, more yelling ensues.

MJ Jenkins vs. Santana Garrett

Feeling out process to start with Garrett flipping away from her for some polite applause from Jenkins. Some armdrags have Garrett down but she grabs one of her own. They mess up the Booker T. spinning sunset flip out of the corner spot with Jenkins taking a knee to the head and she seems a little rocked by it.

Jenkins wakes up enough to hit a fall away slam for a delayed two and we hit the standing cravate. Garrett fights out for a headbutt and clothesline, followed by a crossbody for two. A Stratusphere out of the corner sends Jenkins flying and the handspring elbow in the corner gets another near fall. Garrett hits a superkick and finishes with the shining star press (handspring moonsault) at 6:25.

Rating: D+. This exists and that’s about all I can say for it. Garrett is rather talented but there’s just something missing from her that completes the whole package. One thing I’ve likes about MLW is they haven’t forced a women’s division in. They could probably find the talent to make one happen, but it isn’t really necessary and they haven’t tried to make one fit where it isn’t needed/a viable option.

Tom Lawlor and Seth Petruzelli wants Matt Riddle because he doesn’t have good technique.

The next match actually aired on the first episode of Fusion three months later so I’ve done this one before.

Rey Fenix vs. Pentagon Jr.

Salina is here with Pentagon, who is introduced as Penta El Cero but his graphic says Pentagon Jr. Fenix offers a handshake but gets the CERO MIEDO treatment. Some kicks to the head have Fenix in early trouble but he’s right back with kicks to the head of his own and it’s a double knockdown.

Back up and Fenix bounces along the ropes (including bouncing on his back onto the top rope), setting up an armdrag to the floor and a suicide flip dive. They head back in where Pentagon dropkicks him out of the air for a nice counter to take over again. Pentagon heads outside and chops him against the post before, of course, chopping the post by mistake. A running hurricanrana from the apron into the crowd (albeit in slow motion as it’s hard to roll over people) has Pentagon in more trouble.

Back in again and Fenix starts kicking him in the head, followed by a triple springboard missile dropkick for two. A Backstabber out of the corner gives Pentagon two so Fenix grabs some rollups for a near fall each. Fenix catches him on top with a super C4 for two more but charges into a powerbomb backbreaker.

Tony tries to figure out why the fans are cheering a rudo (I….don’t know how to handle Tony talking about rudos), followed by Pentagon backdropping him into a powerbomb for a sweet landing. We even get a catchphrase with Tony dropping “What’s major league? THAT’S MAJOR LEAGUE!” The Fear Factor gives Pentagon the pin at 14:09.

Rating: B. Like I said, kind of a layup with Pentagon being one of the biggest indy stars around at the moment and Fenix being crazy levels of exciting most of the time. You don’t need to do much more than let these two go insane and do all kinds of high flying stuff. Pentagon winning makes sense and while I doubt they would put the title on someone so hot, it’s cool to see him getting a big win.

MLW has a bunch of podcasts!

We recap the big tag match. Tom Lawlor likes to teach people how to cheat in MMA by getting a little dirty (or filthy for that matter). Matt Riddle saw him beat Jeff Cobb through some shenanigans and it’s time for revenge. Lawlor is tired of hearing about Riddle and knows he can surpass him. Then Riddle made him pass out in a rear naked choke last time so then they both brought in some friends for the tag match.

Jeff Cobb/Matt Riddle vs. Seth Petruzelli/Tom Lawlor

Lawlor and Petruzelli have the rest of Team Filthy with them. Cobb is wrestling with his wrist/arm taped up. Riddle and Petruzelli start things off with Riddle throwing him down without much effort. A quick cross armbreaker attempt doesn’t work for Petruzelli so he tries a triangle choke, which fails just as quickly. It turns into a strike off with an exchange of kicks to the legs with Riddle telling him to kick and Petruzelli checking Riddle’s kicks.

Riddle finally gets smart by sweeping the leg but he knows he can’t tag the injured Cobb. Lawlor comes in and gets rolled with gutwrench suplexes. Cobb comes in for the first time for a corner splash and a one armed Samoan drop for two on Lawlor. The running uppercut with the bad arm connects, which of course does more damage to Cobb than Lawlor. It’s time to start in on the arm as I try to get my head around Tony Schiavone talking about Matt Riddle.

The villains take turns on the arm with Lawlor hitting a middle rope ax handle and working on an armbar. A double suplex gets two and it’s right back to the arm, because they’re smart heels. Cobb starts fighting back so Lawlor is immediately around the ring to pull Riddle off the apron in a move that always works. Lawlor clotheslines him in the back of the head but kicks Petruzelli in the face by mistake, allowing Cobb to get in a suplex.

The hot tag brings in Riddle and it’s time to clean house. The Bro To Sleep into a bridging German suplex gets two on Lawlor so it’s Petruzelli getting in a cheap shot to slow things down. Everything breaks down with Cobb coming in for the save, allowing him to launch Petruzelli off the top and into a jumping knee from Riddle. The powerbomb into the Final Flash knee finishes Petruzelli at 14:11.

Rating: C+. It’s a nice enough tag match but it feels like a part in a much bigger story. Odds are it continues for at least the next show if not longer and that’s not the worst thing. It doesn’t make for the most thrilling match here, and Cobb’s arm injury wasn’t exactly the biggest selling point. Still though, not too bad and that’s all you can ask for here.

We recap MVP vs. Low Ki. MVP grew up in the rough part of Miami and had to learn how to fight. He even got pretty good at it, but he wanted that rich lifestyle that you see in the city. That wasn’t going to happen working nine to five though so he tried robbing a bank, earning himself nine years in prison. While he was in there, someone told him about where he could train to be a wrestler. Then he signed a contract with a company that gave him the limousine world he wanted.

Eventually he made it here to MLW, where he signed with Black Friday Management. The group was set up in 2004 by Gary Hart and Low Ki and now they want what MVP promised them. MVP is done with them but doesn’t like them being aggressive in trying to get him back. Therefore, if MVP wins, he’s out of his contract. If he loses, Low Ki has beaten the heck out of him so it’s all fair anyway.

Low Ki vs. MVP

Black Friday Management boss Stokely Hathaway handles Ki’s entrance. MVP goes after Hathaway to start but Low Ki makes the save and the slugout is on. Low Ki wins a quick exchange of strikes and it’s an early standoff. MVP sends him into the corner for some forearms but the running big boot misses. The handspring splash misses as well though and MVP’s big boot hits this time around. They head outside with Stokely offering a distraction so save Low Ki from a big barricade shot to the face.

MVP is sat in a chair but Low Ki spends too much time posing and gets said chair pelted at his head. Serves him right. A whip sends Low Ki through some chairs and they keep brawling into the crowd. Back in and MVP avoids the top rope stomp to the back and hits a heck of a clothesline. Low Ki climbs onto MVP’s shoulders for a dropkick in a cool spot but then decks the referee. MVP takes him down and hammers away and another referee comes down to throw it out at 9:43.

Rating: C+. This was much more a fight than a match and that’s what makes sense here. They billed it as a superfight so it wouldn’t have made sense to have them trying to get rollups. It was a physical brawl and the ending sets up a likely gimmick rematch next time around so well done.

Post match security comes out to hold them apart and the fans are not happy.

We have brackets for the World Title tournament:

MVP

Tom Lawlor

Matt Riddle

Jeff Cobb

Shane Strickland

Kenny King

MJF

Jimmy Havoc

There will be alternates just in case, though Low Ki has been banned from the tournament for attacking the referee. That’s a rather fast decision.

A rather serious Shane Strickland promises to cross a line tonight against Jimmy Havoc. Tonight, Havoc is trapped in the match with him.

Shane Strickland vs. Jimmy Havoc

Deathmatch and Priscilla Kelly and Darby Allin are here with Havoc. Actually never mind as Jimmy says he’s got this and sends them to the back. Shane meets him in the aisle and hits a jumping knee to the face. That’s enough to knock Havoc into some chairs and Shane buries him underneath said chairs for a bonus. Rich says that he’s just been told these two are in the World Title tournament. You mean the tournament we saw brackets for before the match? Why did he need to be told that again?

They make it to ringside where Jimmy pulls out a barbed wire chair. Shane sends him head first into a regular chair and starts cranking on the arm. The fight goes into the crowd and they wind up near commentary (fan: “TONY! RUN!”), with Shane dropping him behind the bar. Jimmy DDTs him onto said bar and loads up a table near the ring. A missed charge sends Shane through the table and they get inside for the first time, over six minute in.

Havoc wedges the barbed wire chair into the corner but stops to use a staplegun on Shane’s shoulder. That just wakes Strickland up and he no sells some more staples. Instead it’s a staple going into Jimmy’s head as Shane is rather serious. Fans: “YOU SICK F***!” Rich: “Pretty much!” Shane staples a five dollar bill to Jimmy’s head and then staples another bill into his own shoulder.

There’s a staple to the crotch and then Havoc goes into the barbed wire chair in the corner. They head outside again with Shane being slammed off a big speaker and onto a couch for a big crash. Back in and Havoc adds some chairs, but first he needs to slice open Shane’s fingers and mouth with a dollar. Havoc busts out the tacks and puts them in Shane’s mouth, but Shane blocks the big boot.

Instead he puts them in Havoc’s mouth and they slug it out, with neither stopping to spit out the tacks. Both guys go down with Shane getting up first and putting Havoc in a chair. The top rope double stomp knocks Havoc into the tacks for two so let’s get the barbed wire. Shane ties up the arm and tries to tie him up with the wire but Havoc finds the staplegun to escape.

Rating: B-. They beat the heck out of each other here and it was a fun hardcore style match. That’s what Havoc gets to do and I can understand the idea of Strickland not being able to win on Havoc’s turf. That being said, Strickland had some good promos earlier in the night and it’s kind of a shame to see him lose here.

Post match, Havoc actually helps him up in a show of respect.

We get a post show interview with Santana Garrett, who isn’t worried about Priscilla Kelly not showing up. Garrett leaves and finds and finds a weird shrine to her, including the word WONDER over a bunch of photos of her. There’s a monitor set up showing Garrett’s house and a video of Kelly watching her sleep, even rubbing her face. Kelly says SHH and Garrett is greatly disturbed to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. You really do get the fusion idea that the company would go for later with these early shows. There is a little bit of everything on this show and nothing really close to bad. While I would have had the tag match main event the show from a story perspective, it wouldn’t have been able to follow the deathmatch. I’ve always liked this promotion and the standalone shows have been good too. Nice stuff here, though there isn’t much worth going out of your way to see on its own.

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

Dark
Date: May 26, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

It’s the first show after the very good Double Or Nothing and you know what that calls for: nearly an hour and a half of overly competitive jobber matches! I’m not sure if this is the new permanent norm or if they’re just burning off a bunch of material they taped on the off chance that they wouldn’t be able to tape for a good while. Either way, it’s hardly must see material. Let’s get to it.

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

Tazz makes it clear that he will not be getting into any details about his relationship with Brian Cage. That’s wrestling code for “this was taped before that happened.”

Dark Order vs. Natural Nightmares

Jon Silver/Alex Reynolds here. The Nightmares snap off an early double Russian legsweep on Reynolds to start and Dustin adds the running knee lift. Cue Allie of all people, with Marshal’’s apple. Marshall certainly seems interested and Silver uses the distraction to get in a cheap shot and take over. Reynolds’ uppercut gives Silver two but Marshall tells him to go with the chest kicks. The big one is countered in a hurry so the hot tag brings in Dustin for the house cleaning. The snap powerslam plants Silver and Marshall adds a cutter for the pin at 5:02.

Rating: C-. It’s not the biggest story but Allie eating an apple now counts as the top story on this show in about a month, if not more. I can always go for more of Allie as she is a great manager, but I’m worried about how long it might be before the angle gets any followup. If this show was taped that long ago, it could be a good while indeed.

Michael Nakazawa vs. Brandon Cutler

Cutler starts fast with a running forearm for an early two as Taz talks about Cutler’s losing streak. Nakazawa comes back with a spear but Cutler comes in from the apron with a kick to the head for his own near fall. Hold on though as Nakamura is out of oil, likely sending him into a downward spiral. Cutler keeps kicking away, despite having been busted open somewhere in there. The torture rack goes on and Nakazawa gets sent over the top. They fight on the floor and it’s Nakazawa sending him into the barricade for the first countout in AEW history at 6:20.

Rating: D. So yes, we needed to see these two have a match that actually got a little bit of time on this show. The wrestling was just there for the sake of filling in time and it’s not like either of these two mean anything. It’s why they’re here, having a glorified comedy match without ever being mentioned anywhere else.

Post match here are the Librarians, with Peter Avalon saying this is proof Cutler is the worst wrestler in the world. Therefore, Cutler can go sit on commentary and watch Avalon pick up a win.

Peter Avalon vs. Jungle Boy

Boy grabs an early headlock takeover and we’re already in the technical material. An armdrag puts Avalon on the floor but the rest of Jurassic Express won’t let him leave. The distraction lets Avalon post him and it’s a suplex for two back inside. A leg lariat gives Avalon two more and we hit the headscissors. The moonsault misses though and Boy hits a hard clothesline.

Boy’s springboard tornado DDT gets two but Avalon is back with a Meteora to the back of the head for his own near fall. Leva Bates gets on the apron for the assistance but winds up on Luchasaurus’ shoulders. Cue Marko Stunt to kiss her, meaning Boy can grab a modified STF for the tap at 7:30.

Rating: D+. The match was only somewhat better than the previous one and that’s not much of a compliment. Avalon has never been interesting and having him in a feud with Cutler over who the worst wrestler in the company is doesn’t sound too promising. As usual, there are people in wrestling companies who don’t need a story. Avalon, Cutler and Nakazawa fit the descriptions.

Serpentico vs. Christopher Daniels

Serpentico goes for the arm to start but Serpentico grabs a headlock. Some armdrags into the armbar put Serpentico down so he slugs away, only to walk into a leg lariat for two. Daniels hits a high collar suplex (Taz: “Thanks to him for stealing my gimmick.”) but Serpentico takes him down as well. A slingshot elbow gives Serpentico two but Daniels STOs him down. The release Rock Bottom into the BME gives Daniels the pin at 4:27.

Rating: C-. A little better here, but that might be due to having Daniels in there. He’s always good for a quick win and can make anyone look decent. Serpentico has been around a few times now and showed me a little more this time around. I don’t think he goes anywhere significant, but a not terrible performance is better than an awful one.

John Skyler/Brady Pearce vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Pearce knocks Kiss down to start but Kiss kicks him into the corner for the early tag to Janela. That means Pearce gets laid over the middle rope and gets caught with a front flip ax kick to the ribs from Kiss. Skyler offers a quick distraction though and Pearce gets in a kick to the face. Janela avoids a charge though and the hot tag brings in Kiss for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and Kiss kicks Pearce through the ropes, setting up the suicide dive. Back in and Janela drops a top rope elbow to finish Skyler at 4:37.

Rating: C-. This was your random partners with nothing else to do getting a win. There wasn’t much to talk about in this one but Kiss had his usual charisma turned up high. Janela continues to be someone who is just there, despite his ability to make his eyes bug out more than should be humanly possible.

Tony Donati/Faboo Andre vs. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian and Havoc. Andre gets jumped before the bell but manages to dropkick Sabian into the corner for what is likely the highest level of success he should expect here. Havoc comes back in and walks into a spinning middle rope crossbody from Andre. Sabian is back in to stomp Andre down in the corner, leaving Havoc to bite the face. Ford gets in a cheap shot from the floor so Havoc’s running big boot can get two.

A PK to the chest connects, though the referee said it was wide right. The lack of Stadium Stampede references as a result would tell me that there is a time gap between the tapings. The Acid Rainmaker misses though and (the bloody, from Havoc’s bite) Andre dives over for the hot tag to Donati. A hammerlock suplex gives Donati two on Sabian but he’s right back up with the hanging spinning neckbreaker. Sabian’s top rope double stomp sets up a dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to finish Donati at 6:58.

Rating: D+. Another match that came and went as Sabian and Havoc are a fine midcard team, but there isn’t much of a reason to have them take this much time to beat a pair of jobbers with next to no experience around here. What am I supposed to get out of this? Or out of anything on this show actually?

Mr. Grimm vs. Wardlow

MJF is here with Wardlow, who slams Grimm down and stomps away in the corner to start. A missed charge sends Wardlow into the post, but he easily counters a springboard into a German suplex. The F5 is broken up but this time the running shoulder connects in the corner. A knee to the face knocks Grim out at 2:59.

Post match Wardlow hits the F10 for a bonus.

Lee Johnson vs. Colt Cabana

They shake hands to start and fight over a wristlock with Johnson bailing into the corner. As the announcers debate if Tony Schiavone or Tony’s wife is the bigger heel, Cabana gets two off a quick rollup. Cabana cranks on the arms into some crucifixes for two each until Johnson makes the mistake of firing off a chop. Johnson dropkicks him in the back to knock Cabana into the corner, which just annoys him. The Flying Apple into the Bionic elbow into the Billy Goat’s Curse finishes Johnson at 3:43.

Rating: C-. Cabana isn’t everyone’s cup of tea but at least his comedy seems to be more about chuckles than some big laugh that rarely connects. There isn’t much else to say about him, but that’s the case with most comedy wrestlers. Johnson continues to be someone they seem interested in, though that 0-8 record isn’t helping him.

KiLynn King vs. Penelope Ford

Sabian is here with Ford. King is a giant compared to Ford and grabs a headlock to start. Some standing switches don’t go anywhere so King runs her over with a shoulder. That lets King yell at Sabian, meaning Ford can get in a shot from behind. Stomping in the corner keeps King down and a suplex gives Ford two. Some choking doesn’t do much on King, who snaps off a dropkick. King misses a charge in the corner though and Ford hits a cutter for the pin at 4:53.

Rating: D+. The back and forth between eh and erg matches continues with Ford not exactly looking like a star here. Ford is talented in the ring but she needs someone better to make this work. King looked like someone who could go a little further with some more time, which is the kind of thing that you can get in this situation.

Shawn Dean/Alan Angels vs. Best Friends

Orange Cassidy is here too. Taylor works on Dean’s arm to start and adds a dropkick for a bonus. Trent comes in for the double elbow and it’s off to Angels, who is taken to the mat in a hurry. A hard clothesline cuts off Angels’ comeback but a springboard dropkick sends Trent into the corner. Dean suplexes Angels into Trent in the corner for two but Trent gets in his own suplex. The hot tag brings in Chuck to pick up the pace, including sending Dean into a spear from Chuck. Angels gets powerbombed and the big hug sets up Strong Zero for the pin on Angels at 4:24.

Rating: C. This was better just because of the shorter run time, but the #1 contenders shouldn’t be in any trouble against two guys who literally have never won a match between them around here. That’s the case with almost everyone on this show though and that hasn’t stopped them yet. Not a terrible match, but maybe I’m just numb to the Best Friends by now.

Overall Rating: D+. They did the same thing they have done for the last two weeks but this time around the matches were even weaker than usual. They weren’t terrible or anything really close to it for the most part, but it continues to be a show that you don’t need to watch in any situation. I’m assuming this was just a bunch of material they needed to burn off, but it makes me wonder how much they taped when they had the chance. This is about thirty jobber matches in three weeks. They can’t have many more, right?

Results

Natural Nightmares b. Dark Order – Cutter to Silver

Michael Nakazawa b. Brandon Cutler via countout

Jungle Boy b. Peter Avalon – STF

Christopher Daniels b. Serpentico – Best Moonsault Ever

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. John Skyler/Brady Pearce – Top rope elbow to Pearce

Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc b. Faboo Andre/Tony Donati – Dropkick/Michinoku Driver combination to Donati

Wardlow b. Mr. Grimm via knockout

Colt Cabana b. Lee Johnson – Billy Goat’s Curse

Penelope Ford b. KiLynn King – Cutter

Best Friends b. Shawn Dean/Alan Angels – Strong Zero to Angels

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: WWE

Dark
Date: May 12, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

We’re back to the full length of this show, meaning it’s over an hour long this week. That’s quite the jump from a few weeks back when it wasn’t even breaking twenty, but things have opened up a bit since then. Hopefully they can make the show work well enough as that kind of length can be a problem given what they are going for with this show. Let’s get to it.

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

Excalibur and Taz give us a pretty vague preview of the show.

Shawn Dean vs. Colt Cabana

Chicago explodes and thankfully the referee is wearing a mask. Colt takes his time folding up his jacket and headlocks Dean down. Dean bails into the corner but gets taken down with a wristlock. Back up and a dropkick sends Cabana outside and things slow down a little bit. Cabana comes back in to work on the arm but gets caught in a waistlock. That just earns Dean some snap jabs and the Flying Apple sets up the Superman pin at 4:54.

Rating: C. Dean is someone they’ve been using a lot and that’s a good sign for his future. He has done well enough in spots like this though he is far from being ready to win anything. If nothing else though, this will get him all the indy cred he wants once the independents start back up. Cabana was his usual self here and that’s not a bad thing.

Jurassic Express vs. Mike Reed/Ryan Rembrandt

It’s Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus for the team here and they start wrecking things early. The Tail Whip puts Reed and Rembrandt on the floor, earning them a dive from Boy. Back in and Reed plants Boy down to take over for the first time. Rembrandt runs him over for two and a belly to belly is good for the same. Boy rolls over Reed’s back though and the hot tag brings in Luchasaurus. Reed slips out of a fireman’s carry but gets chokeslammed into a standing moonsault. Some superkicks send Reed outside and the reverse powerbomb into a cutter finishes Rembrandt at 5:39.

Rating: D+. AEW really needs to understand that it’s ok to squash people more often. Luchasaurus is a monster and shouldn’t be needing the better part of six minutes to finish these two off. It wasn’t terrible (mainly because Marko Stunt wasn’t in there), but the jobbers got in too much offense and it got a bit annoying at the end.

Lee Johnson/Musa vs. Private Party

This is the third straight match with someone from Chicago. Kassidy and Johnson trade waistlocks to start and it’s quickly off to Quen for an enziguri to take over. Musa low bridges Quen to the floor though and it’s a big dive from Johnson to drop him again. Back in and Musa snaps off a suplex for two but it’s back to Kassidy without much trouble. It’s Johnson getting caught in the corner for a splash from Quen, who tags out at the same time. Musa gets sent outside again and it’s a running Downward Spiral from the apron over the top. The shooting star press finishes Johnson at 5:36.

Rating: C-. Another match that just existed here as Private Party continues to be a team who knows how to look flashy but don’t know a ton about structuring a match. Or in this case about squashing a team of jobbers, though we’ve covered that well enough. The shooting star always looks great though and I had missed it over the last few months.

10 vs. Jon Cruz

10 shoves him down to start and takes Cruz’s head off with a clothesline. They head outside with Cruz being sent into the steps, only to have 10 miss a charge into the steps as well. Back in and 10 hits the spinebuster for the pin at 2:33 to finish in a hurry.

Post match, Brodie Lee comes out to applaud.

Fenix vs. Alan Angels

Fenix headlocks his way out of a waistlock to start but gets reversed into a small package for two. Back up and Fenix moonsaults over him and hits a hard superkick for two more. Some slaps to the head set up a leglock that lasts all of half a second. The announcers make Toru Tanaka references as Angels comes back with shots to the face.

That earns Angels a dropkick to the face and a kick to the chest. Angels is back with a springboard dropkick of his own and a clothesline on the apron drops Fenix again. Back in and a top rope double stomp to Fenix’s back sets up a moonsault for another near fall. Fenix pops back up and hits a high crossbody into the Black Fire Driver for the pin at 6:36.

Rating: C+. Match of the night so far by a mile as Fenix continues to be one of the most entertaining people in any company. He can make anyone look good and that’s what he did here. That being said, Angels didn’t quite reach the point that he did with Chris Jericho on commentary. Anyway, nice match here as they continue to make Angels look like a thing.

Dani Jordan vs. Kris Stadtlander

Dani brings out a binder. They trade headlocks to start with Stadtlander taking her down a few times in a row. Jordan is back with a crucifix for two so Stadtlander does the nose touch. A short armscissors doesn’t work for Stadtlander so she elbows Jordan to the floor. Jordan rams her back first into the apron for two back inside and a basement dropkick gets the same. Stadtlander moonsaults over her in the corner and a running knee sends Jordan into the barricade. Back in and Stadtlander hits a Pele into Big Bang Theory for the pin at 4:33.

Rating: D+. Jordan didn’t seem interested in slowing down for most of Stadtlander’s offense here and that’s where things start to go south in these matches. The point should be to promote Stadtlander, as in the person who regularly works here. Jordan sticking in there took the focus off of Stadtlander and that’s not a good idea.

Orange Cassidy vs. Jason Cade

The Best Friends are here with Cassidy beach towels. Cade won’t let him put his hands in the pockets so it’s a headlock to slow things down. Cassidy grabs a single handed wristlock and puts a hand in the pocket, so Cade tears off the sunglasses. That annoys Cassidy, so he sweeps the leg and hits a dropkick into a nipup, all with the hands still in his pockets. Trent throws in some extra sunglasses and Cassidy armdrags him down before….posing with the thumb up. That annoys Cade so much that he hits a jumping knee to the face, only to get crucifixed for the pin at 2:41. That’s another match that happened.

Post match, Cassidy gets dressed again.

Britt Baker vs. Skyler Moore

Baker immediately claims a shot to the nose AND a broken nail on the first lockup attempt! Moore grabs a rollup for two so Baker kicks her in the face. Angry stomping ensues and Baker sends her throat first into the middle rope. Baker puts her foot against Moore’s jaw and pulls a bit, allowing her to explain dental issues. Moose grabs a small package for two so Baker knees her in the face. A fisherman’s neckbreaker sets up Lockjaw (with a glove of course) to make Moore tap at 5:07.

Rating: C-. Now this was more like a squash, which makes sense as Baker is on the way to a big match this week on Dynamite. I can’t get over how much better Baker has gotten in the last month and a half or so and it shows that they can figure things out. That means a lot for their future and Baker has been a great bright spot.

Dr. Luther vs. Jimmy Havoc

No DQ and Havoc has Kip Sabian and Penelope Ford with him. This is such a big match that the sun has come back out to check it out. Luther throws him into the corner to start so Havoc bites the finger. Havoc snaps the arm across the top but Luther is back with a toss. Sabian slips Havoc a chair so he can unload, only to have Luther throw the chair at his head to break it up. A big flip dive to the floor drops Sabian and Havoc and Luther backbreakers him onto an open chair.

Back in and Havoc is hiptossed through the open chair for a nasty landing, causing Luther to scream a lot. Sabian offers a distraction though and Havoc catches Luther on top. The super hurricanrana sends Luther over the chairs so Havoc lays him on them instead. A top rope double stomp gets two so they head onto the ramp. Luther grabs a butterfly suplex and something close to a top rope bulldog sends Havoc hard into the mat. Ford throws water at Luther’s face though and Sabian pelts a chair at his head. That’s enough for Havoc to hit a fisherman’s DDT for the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C-. What exactly does it say that Havoc needed help from two people to beat Luther? I know he’s one of Jericho’s buddies and Luther certainly hasn’t embarrassed himself in any of his appearances, but Havoc probably shouldn’t be having trouble with someone who has been around that long and who doesn’t have the biggest reputation.

A quick Dynamite preview ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. Well that happened. This was almost an hour and fifteen minutes of nothing but average (above average once) matches with a lot of mid to lower midcard wrestlers. This could have and probably should have been split into three different shows, just for the sake of length. Watching three or four of these matches at once would be one thing but nine in a row is a good bit too much in a single sitting/show.

Results

Colt Cabana b. Shawn Dean – Superman pin

Jurassic Express b. Mike Reed/Ryan Rembrandt – Reverse powerbomb/cutter combination to Rembrandt

Private Party b. Lee Johnson/Musa – Shooting star press to Johnson

10 b. Jon Cruz – Spinebuster

Fenix b. Alan Angels – Black Fire Driver

Kris Stadtlander b. Dani Jordan – Big Bang Theory

Orange Cassidy b. Jason Cade – Crucifix

Britt Baker b. Skyler Moore – Lockjaw

Jimmy Havoc b. Dr. Luther – Fisherman’s DDT

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: April 29, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

It’s still tournament time as the taped shows continues. This time around we have the semifinals for the TNT Title tournament and that means we have some big matches to get ready. In addition to that, we have Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt, in a match that should last about thirty seconds but I’ll put the over/under at five minutes because AEW has to let everyone shine. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Darby Allin vs. Cody, with Cody only going 1-0-1 with him. Allin says he lost to Arn Anderson and how he represents being relentless. Cody eats and breathes wrestling and wants to be champion no matter what. Allin wants to know which part of the story matters most: the beginning, the middle or the end.

Tony runs down the card, with Jericho thinking most of it will be stupid.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Darby Allin vs. Cody

Cody shoulders him down to start but Allin sends Cody into the corner. They head to the floor with Cody avoiding a charge, meaning Brandi gets knocked down by mistake. Cody takes him inside and stomps away as we take a break. Back with Cody rather angry and tying Allin up in a bow and arrow. Cody drops him ribs first across the top rope for two and a half crab sends Darby bailing to the ropes.

Darby is back up with a quick Code Red into a kneebar, followed by tying the leg in the corner. They head outside where Britt Baker gets in a shoe shot from over the barricade (Jericho: “God bless you Britt!”). Back from another break with a double clothesline putting them both down. It’s Cody up first with the Beautiful Disaster but the referee takes the weightlifting belt away. Cross Rhodes gives Darby two and we get a fifteen person THIS IS AWESOME chant.

The Figure Four puts Cody in trouble and here’s Brandi from the back, holding her stomach like she has broken ribs. Brandi gives Cody some water so Darby takes it away and hits Cody in the head with it. That earns him a ripcord clothesline and they’re both down again. Jericho: “There’s no water in hockey! Well actually there is. There’s no water in football!” Cross Rhodes gives Cody two so he tries the Coffin Drop, only to hit raised knees. Darby’s Coffin Drop connects but he leans back too far and Cody gets the rollup pin at 20:23. Jericho: “What was in that water Schiavone??? THAT WAS SPIKED WATER!”

Rating: B. It was good but I was rolling my eyes at the stolen finishers. That gets old in a hurry and they did it multiple times here. It seemed to be building towards Allin vs. Archer in a big David vs. Goliath match but why do that when you can go with Cody? It’s a good match, but it could have been a lot better.

We get the second part of the Scorpio Sky bio, this time focusing on him joining SCU. He didn’t want to just be their third wheel but then he found the THIS IS THE WORST TOWN shtick and it took off. Sky doesn’t want to be good or even great, because he wants to be f****** legend.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman understands that we all feel like we’re in an Uber with a foreign driver who won’t use the GPS: lost. He has been to his nail doctor, who happens to be the most advanced doctor in his field. Now, he has healed so well that he has OVER healed and has the strongest nail ever.

MJF wants to be back on Dynamite and he was so excited that he NICKED HIS NECK WHILE HE WAS SHAVING! The scarf comes off to reveal a neck brace and now he can’t get on a germ infested plane and wrestle in front of six or seven people. He cares oh so much for you people during your time of need and wanted to be back. He is the storm on the horizon and the candle in a dark room. Just remember that he is better than us, which was very apparent after everything he said here.

Musa vs. Wardlow

Musa bounces off of him to start as we hear about how handsome Wardlow really is. For some reason Musa slaps him in the face and manages a handspring knee to the chest. That drops Wardlow to one knee so Musa gets driven straight into the corner. The release F5 finishes Musa at 2:24.

It’s time for round three of the Bubbly Bunch, with Sammy Guevara saying that if anyone thinks he lost the Flim Flam last week, they can suck his bottle of hand sanitizer. Jericho says they can agree to disagree, meaning they can have a Manitoba Melee. That would mean fighting each other over the phone, as they kick the screen, which somehow hits a variety of people, including Peter Avalon, Sonny Kiss, Jungle Boy, Chris Jericho’s Dad, Lou Ferrigno, Kevin Smith (yes that Kevin Smith), Gabriel Iglesias, maybe Hornswoggle, Virgil, and Vickie Guerrero. Jericho: “STOP! THAT WAS AWESOME!” I’d say that’s accurate.

Jimmy Havoc/Kip Sabian vs. Best Friends

Anything goes with Penelope Ford and Orange Cassidy as the seconds. It’s a brawl to start and Chuck hits a big flip dive onto both of them on the floor. A big chair toss to the head drops Cassidy (Jericho: “YES!”) and Havoc suplexes Chuck onto some steps. Trent hits his own big flip dive over the top onto Sabian, who is right back in to stomp away. Havoc pelts the chair at Chuck and it’s time for a ladder.

Havoc does make sure to tag his way in so Sabian can kick Trent into a double eye poke. The ladder is laid over the middle ropes, followed by Trent diving into a Backstabber for two. Chuck makes the save but gets sent outside again, followed by more chair shots to take him down again. Havoc takes a pair of chair throws and the Big Hug crushes him. Sabian gets caught in Soul Food into the dragon suplex for two but Sabian sends Chuck into the corner. A tornado DDT plants Sabian and a running knee into a chair to the head gets two with Havoc making the save.

Havoc and Sabian go onto the ladder in the corner with Sabian getting dropped down hard. Havoc lays two open chairs on their side and puts Trent on top for a double stomp from Sabian. Chuck makes the save and plants Havoc on the open chairs. A piledriver onto a chair gets two on Sabian with Ford making the save. The Friends are sent outside and it’s Cassidy getting back up to dive onto Sabian and Ford on the floor. Chuck comes back in with a running Awful Waffle (over the shoulder piledriver) to Havoc onto the chairs for the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C-. I didn’t get anything out of this as it was a bunch of mindless brawling with one weapons spot after another. You can tell stories and build to stuff in a match like this but they didn’t do anything close in this case. They were doing violence for the sake of violence and that gets old in a hurry.

We go to Britt Baker’s office (heavily decorated with pictures of her and Schiavone, plus a video loop of their interviews) where she is getting ready for a Role Model segment. She has a makeup lady named Rebel (formerly of Impact Wrestling) and can’t remember her name no matter. Baker takes her to another room and insists that Rebel (or Riba) say it right. We get the next tip, with her Twitter handle popping up by mistake of course, which is how it’s not ok to wear glasses, be fat, or have snaggle teeth. She just happens to use a photo of Tony Schiavone to prove her point every time. This was great as usual.

Shawn Spears vs. Baron Black

Spears takes him down to start and then hits a hard clothesline in the corner. The shot was so good that Spears stops to dance before catching Baron with a spinebuster. With a look to Jericho, it’s the arrogant cover for two, sending Jericho into pleased hysterics. The C4 into the Sharpshooter makes Baron tap at 3:42.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here but it continues to prove that Spears is nothing but a decent hand in the ring. There was nothing here that made me want to see him again, though the tributes to various Canadians were kind of fun. I’m not sure what else he can do, though after they wasted Tully Blanchard on him, his hopes don’t seem high.

Video on Lance Archer.

We recap Marko Stunt vs. Brodie Lee. Stunt got crushed by Lance Archer once and now it’s time to do it again against another monster.

Brodie Lee vs. Marko Stunt

Lee throws him down a few times to start and a big boot makes it worse. Some chops in the corner make it worse as Jericho accuses JR of being part of the Dark Order. Stunt is knocked to the apron so Lee goes outside and walks towards him, but makes sure to catch a suicide dive with ease. Lee throws him down but Stunt dives back in at nine. Back in and Stunt gets up a boot in the corner, only to dive into a swinging Boss Man Slam. A pop up sitout powerbomb finishes Stunt at 3:11.

Rating: C. I was scared when Stunt got in those boots but that was as incidental as you can get. This was a complete and total squash, exactly as it should have been. There was no need to do anything more than have Stunt get crushed here and they did it the right way in this case.

Jon Moxley is in the desert and talks about how much things have changed in the last eight weeks. One day, we will be back together and he’ll be bleeding and swearing. Right now though, it’s time to be thankful for things, like his wife for putting up with him and steel chairs, because a DDT on a chair is better than a DDT not on a chair. He’ll be live next week and it’s time to find out who he’s going to be facing at Double Or Nothing. Until then, support your local businesses by ordering takeout and BE SURE TO CALL YOUR GRANDMOTHER!

Next week: MJF returns, Jon Moxley vs. Frankie Kazarian and Le Sex Gods (you can figure them out) vs. Matt Hardy/Kenny Omega.

TNT Title Tournament Semifinals: Lance Archer vs. Dustin Rhodes

Dustin has Brandi in his corner. Dustin hits him in the face a few times to start so Archer gets in a shot of his own, sending Dustin outside. Back in and Archer gets low bridged to the floor, followed by more right hands as he gets inside again. The scoop powerslam is blocked though and Archer knocks him outside hard. Brandi has to back away from Archer, who bounces a chair off of Dustin’s head.

Dustin is busted open and we take a break. Back with Archer running him over again and winning a slugout on the floor. Archer looks at the blood on his hand, shrugs off a hope shot from Dustin, and snaps off a suplex. The blood is pooling up on the mat so Archer grabs him by the head. Dustin gets up and slugs away in the corner, even managing to hit Shattered Dreams.

Archer is ticked so he rips a turnbuckle pad off and Dustin goes face first into the exposed steel. That’s not a DQ so Archer does it again, which draws out Cody with a towel. Dustin says no and pulls the towel in with him. That just earns him a bunch of claw slams onto the mat and the pin from Archer at 22:42.

Rating: B. It was good drama and Archer looked like a killer, but at some point it might be nice to explain that there are no DQ’s around here. Or if there are, explain that Aubrey Edwards has been fired for everything she let go on here. Anyway, I liked the action, but I’ve never quite gotten why I’m supposed to care so much about Dustin Rhodes. Yeah it’s cool that he’s still around but at the end of the day, it’s a new monster beating the heck out of career midcarder Dustin Rhodes. It’s certainly not bad or anything close to it, though it’s not enough to have some big dramatic impact.

Cody looks at Archer in his best Rocky vs. Drago glare to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Tony Khan had promised that this would be one of the best nights they’ve ever had and…..well it was really good. I can’t say it’s even close to their best night ever but it had two solid matches and that’s a great start. There were some holes here though, like the Best Friends match (which I know has its audience and that’s fine) and the squashes, which do serve a purpose but aren’t all that entertaining most of the time. It’s a very entertaining show though and that’s quite an accomplishment in this environment.

Results

Cody b. Darby Allin – Rollup

Wardlow b. Musa – Release F5

Best Friends b. Kip Sabian/Jimmy Havoc – Running Awful Waffle onto a pile of chairs to Havoc

Shawn Spears b. Baron Black – Sharpshooter

Brodie Lee b. Marko Stunt – Pop up sitout powerbomb

Lance Archer b. Dustin Rhodes – Archer slammed his head into the mat

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: April 28, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

I’m running out of ways to describe this show as there’s only so much that can be done in a show that isn’t even breaking twenty minutes some weeks. Thankfully they haven’t been doing many angles or anything important, because it’s a show all about getting people in and out of the ring as fast as they can. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony runs down the card.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Shawn Dean

Havoc takes him into the corner with a lockup to start and then works on a wristlock. That’s reversed with a quick flip and it’s a salute from Dean into a handshake. Havoc doesn’t take kindly to that and hammers away in the corner so Dean armdrags him a few times. That earns him a suplex into the corner so Havok can bend Dean’s fingers back. A rope break gets Dean out of trouble so it’s the Acid Rainmaker into a fisherman’s DDT for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. Not quite a squash here and Dean continues to be someone who shows some promise. Havoc is a lot more tolerable when he tones it down and has a basic match, because he’s actually decent enough at the simple wrestling stuff. This could have been a lot worse and that’s a nice surprise on a show like this.

Musa/Lee Johnson vs. Best Friends

Chuck and Musa start things off with Chuck faceplanting him into a basement dropkick. Trent comes in to face Johnson and gives him a clean break out of the corner. Johnson forearms him so Chuck takes him down with a northern lights suplex. A double dropkick puts Johnson down again but he takes Chuck into the corner. Chuck fights out without much trouble but Johnson is right back with an Isaiah Scott House Call. Johnson charges into a suplex into the corner to take Musa down though and everything breaks down. Soul Food into a suplex drops Musa and it’s Strong Zero for the pin at 5:48.

Rating: C. This got some more time than I was expecting and it was a good bit more competitive than I would have bet on. The Best Friends still aren’t my thing but they were playing it straight here and that’s a good sign. Not too bad here in a match that let everyone look good.

Overall Rating: C. I guess Tony was a bit off when he said we had three matches tonight. This was about as good as a sixteen minute show was going to be and that’s all you need it to be. It gets people in the ring and doesn’t waste any time with storyline development. Nothing would be any different if it wasn’t here, but as always: how annoyed can I get when it takes longer to eat lunch than watch a show?

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Shawn Dean – Fisherman’s DDT

Best Friends b. Musa/Lee Johnson – Strong Zero to Musa

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: April 22, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Chris Jericho, Tony Schiavone

We’re still on the road to what was supposed to be Double Or Nothing from Las Vegas but it could be interesting to see what they might have to do instead. I’m not sure how things are going to go around here but I liked last week’s show well enough. That doesn’t always mean something going forward though and now we’ll have to see where this goes from here. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody, looking at a bunch of monitors, talks about everyone else in the tournament. He needs to see if he can rise above the midcard and show everything he can do. But can he get by everyone else?

Tony and Chris run down the card.

Sammy Guevara talks about how he has it all and tonight he’s taking a step closer to bringing a title back to the Inner Circle. Why should he be scared of Darby Allin when Darby won’t even show his face?

Darby Allin talks about how Sammy is more of a sinner than he knows and Darby stands on his own two feet. Tonight, he’s killing Sammy’s dream.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

Sammy jumps him on the floor before the bell before bridging a ladder between the barricade and the apron. Darby is laid over the ladder and a top rope splash crushes him to leave both guys on the floor. Back from a break with Sammy throwing him inside and demanding that the bell ring. Sammy loads up a superplex but Darby breaks it up and unhooks Sammy’s boot of all things. An ankle lock from the top sends Sammy bailing so he used the booed foot for an enziguri.

A springboard cutter gives Sammy two but Allin pulls him back into an ankle lock. That’s broken up with right hands to the face and a big shot to the already busted nose drops Allin again. We take another break and come back with Sammy avoiding a suicide dive to send Allin hard into the barricade. A 630 gives Sammy two but Allin is right back with the flipping Stunner. Darby’s springboard is countered into the Burning GTS but Allin flips out and grabs the Last Supper for the pin at 9:50.

Rating: C+. They were flying around the ring rather nicely and Allin making another comeback win is a good idea for him. I’m not sure what the point was in having Sammy wrestling with a handicap but it was certainly unique enough. Allin advancing is a good sign though and I could go for him vs. Lance Archer at some point in this tournament.

Broken Matt Hardy talks about how the Inner Circle needs to come face him at the Hardy Compound. We hear from the Matt Hardy vessel, who has been friends with or respects the heck out the Elite for years. Jericho is scared to see the pillars of AEW knocked out because they allow him to profit off of everything. Matt is ready to beat up everyone in the Inner Circle until he gets to Jericho.

Taz breaks down some of Kenny Omega’s offense. This is the kind of thing you don’t get very often in wrestling and it’s one of the things that can make AEW feel like a more realistic sports presentation. If nothing else, having someone like Taz, who can talk and knows wrestling quite well, makes it even better. Good idea here and do it again.

Kenny Omega vs. Alan Angels

Jericho cheering for Omega being from Winnipeg and then calling him a pumpkin head is something that only he could get away with. We actually hear about Deep South Wrestling as Angels gets out of the Snapdragon so Kenny chops him instead. Omega stops a splash with raised knees and hits a backbreaker as Jericho brags about being undefeated against Omega in his career.

Angels gets caught in the ring skirt but uses it to knock Omega backwards, setting up a springboard dropkick for two. A spinning kick to the head drops Omega as Jericho tries to figure out what Angels’ tights says, thinking it might be ankles or Engalls. The Snapdragon into the V Trigger gets two, followed by another V Trigger to finish Angels at 6:19.

Rating: C. Angels got a lot in here and that’s something you wouldn’t have expected. Jericho continues to be hilarious with a never ending run of references and jokes, all of which work because it’s Chris Jericho saying them. This was a fine use of time and Omega let him have some shine in there.

We get a video on Scorpio Sky, talking about how much he has always wanted to be a wrestler. He has always wanted to do this more than breathing but back in 2008 he hurt his back. The options were either to have surgery or live with the pain and never wrestle again. Then one day he was fine out of nowhere and he doesn’t know what happened. Then he got back in the ring and gave wrestling one more shot, without knowing if it could work. In 2017, SCU was formed and we’ll pick it up there next time. Good stuff here as Sky is a likable guy.

Dustin Rhodes has announced that he will retire if he doesn’t beat Kip Sabian in the tournament.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Orange Cassidy

Cassidy, from wherever, weighing whatever and with the Best Friends, is too laissez faire for Le Champion. Havoc jumps him from behind to start and chokes Cassidy with his own jacket. Said jacket is thrown over the barricade and Penelope Ford stomps on it. Cassidy loses his shirt too and Havoc sends him into the barricade. Jericho gets in the easiest joke ever, saying that Orange Cassidy is being beaten to a pulp. A chop against the post makes it worse and there’s a poke to the eye, allowing Jericho to make Three Stooges noises.

Back in and Havoc puts Cassidy’s hands in his pockets, which seems to power him up. Cassidy picks up the pace with a dropkick to the floor and a suicide dive, followed by a tornado DDT. The lazy splash gets two more and a Superman punch puts Havoc down again. Ford gets on the apron for a distraction, so Chuck Taylor pulls her down….into the splits of course. Kip Sabian dives onto the Best Friends but Ford misses her hurricanrana to Cassidy. A crucifix pins Havoc at 9:06.

Rating: C. Remember when Cassidy did this same thing against Pac? Well here it is against Jimmy Havoc. I know it might be hard to believe that Cassidy could do the same things over and over without changing anything, but that was the case here. Other than that, the match was fine enough and probably sets up a tag match for later.

We go to MJF’s house where he talks about how horrible it has been for him to not be in the ring. The truth is that he has suffered a horrible injury in the form of a hangnail. However, he promises to his loyal MJFF’s (MJF Fans) that he will be back and become the World Champion, because he’s better than you.

Wardlow vs. Lee Johnson

Wardlow starts fast with a gorilla press powerslam and a release overhead suplex. Johnson slips out of another suplex and forearms away to as much success as you can imagine. A release F5 finishes Johnson at 2:39.

A man sits in the dark as a woman calls to say this isn’t working out. As this goes on, he looks at a website talking about a Heisman Trophy hopeful hurting his knee. With the call over, he goes to the Dark Order’s website and joins, because he needs a new start.

We go to Brodie Lee, who is talking to presumably the person who sent the message. Lee says Uno has told him a lot about the guy. The unseen guy says he is 6’2 and 240lbs and Lee wants to offer him success. The Dark Order are the lions of AEW and they feed on the prey. The man is now part of the team.

Justin Law vs. Brodie Lee

Lee starts fast with the release suplex and this a running elbow in the corner. The discus lariat finishes 1:57. Total and complete squash.

The Best Friends don’t like Sabian and Havoc so the tag match is set.

It’s time for more of the Bubbly Bunch with Sammy saying he’s sad and Jake Hager promising to end Jon Moxley the next change he gets. Jericho doesn’t want to hear about people being sad because they can dance. They can do the Flim Flam! Jericho says whoever does the best Flim Flam gets a bottle of hand sanitizer. Sammy: “Hand sanitizer???? That’s all you had to say Chris!” And then they all dance. Sammy adds a bunch of flips and an annoyed Jericho hangs upon him because Sammy had to show off. Jericho: “ENJOY YOUR HAND SANITIZER!” I’m far too old to have any idea what this means.

Video on Jon Moxley.

Kip Sabian is ready to win because he has an ace in the hole with Ford.

TNT Title Tournament First Round: Kip Sabian vs. Dustin Rhodes

Rhodes will retire if he loses and Penelope Ford/Brandi Rhodes are the seconds. Feeling out process to start with Dustin working on a wristlock but getting taken down for a kick to the head. Sabian takes him into the corner and we go to a break. Back with Sabian avoiding a charge in the corner to band up Dustin’s knee and we hit the leglock.

Some stomps to the leg stay on the knee and then it’s off to an armbar. Back up and Dustin grabs a spinebuster for the double knockdown. An atomic drop sets up the snap powerslam for two but Sabian grabs a tornado DDT. The women get in a fight on the floor though and Brandi comes in to spear Ford. The distraction lets Dustin hit a Canadian Destroyer for the pin at 13:12.

Rating: C. The drama wasn’t exactly high here as there was only so much of a reason to believe that Sabian was going to beat Rhodes in the first round. That would have been a better story for next week against Archer next week, but at least they tried to do something here. A mixed tag would make sense, but at the moment it’s the Best Friends getting Sabian’s attention because they have to do something.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was ok at best without much to get interested in. They focused on the tournament more than anything else, but you can only get so much out of the early rounds when the matches aren’t exactly great. The lack of a crowd is really starting to become an issue here as AEW crowds offering all that energy is a major calling card around here. It was a watchable show, but the lack of energy was notable.

Results

Darby Allin b. Sammy Guevara – Last Supper

Kenny Omega b. Alan Angels – V Trigger

Orange Cassidy b. Jimmy Havoc – Crucifix

Wardlow b. Lee Johnson – Release F5

Brodie Lee b. Justin Law – Discus lariat

Dustin Rhodes b. Kip Sabian – Canadian Destroyer

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 25, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody, Kenny Omega

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

The announcers (this could go in several directions) run down tonight’s card.

The gambling is going on in the back this week.

Cody vs. Jimmy Havoc

Havoc works on the arm to start but Cody reverses into a sunset flip out of the corner for two. Cody takes him down again and grabs a Figure Four. Havoc pulls the ear for a failed escape attempt so he goes with the classic poke to the eye to get out. With Havoc bailing for a breather, Havoc hits a quick suicide dive to keep him in trouble. We go split screen to join the gamblers, with Chris Jericho getting in on the action. They fight up the ramp and Havoc throws on a headset, grabs Cody’s tongue (yes tongue) and says he’s going to punch Cody.

After punching Cody, they head back inside with Havoc suplexing him into the corner to knock Cody a bit silly. Cody is back up to drop Havoc ribs first across the top rope and goes into the tunnel for a running clothesline to put Havoc back inside. The Cody Cutter is countered into a cross armbreaker, followed by the Acid Rainmaker (Tony called it a lariat and Omega was too busy talking about Stardom to even reference it) for two. Cody manages to crotch him on top though and hit a reverse superplex. Back to back Cross Rhodes finishes Havoc at 10:41.

Rating: C. This was a bit of a clash of styles but Cody gets the win to keep him on track as he gets ready to face Lance Archer at some point in the future. Havoc is fine as a midcard villain but he’s not likely to get any further than that. The lack of drama when he hit his finisher tells you all you need to know about his status around here.

Post match, Jake Roberts comes on screen to talk about how Lance Archer wants to fight someone. AEW set out to change the world but they never called Jake, who has the best mind wrestling has ever seen. Archer was smart enough to call him and now they want to fight Cody one time. That’s all they need to get done what they want to get done. Trust him. Back in the arena, Cody seems to be thinking about it.

Post break, Cody is back on commentary and seems to say the match with Archer is on for next week.

Video on Darby Allin talking about how he doesn’t see anything superbad about Kip Sabian. He drinks from a bottle labeled “a little bit of the bubbly” and has masks of the Inner Circle. He lights the bottle and the masks on fire.

Darby Allin vs. Kip Sabian

Darby knocks him into the corner to start and that means Penelope Ford needs to give Sabian some advice. The high angle armdrag sends Sabian outside but he whips Allin into the barricade. Back from a break with Sabian charging into an elbow in the corner and shotgun dropkicking Sabian into the corner.

Allin misses a charge though and gets his back bent around the post. Sabian gets knocked outside though and it’s a suicide dive to take him down again. A Ford distraction lets Sabian hit a triangle Disaster kick, followed by a Time Turner (draping suplex) for two. Allin pulls him down by the leg though and ties them up into a cradle (dubbed the Last Supper) for the pin at 10:35.

Rating: C+. The match was good and Allin continues to shine, but Cody was GREAT on commentary here. He was referencing both old and new wrestlers, breaking down what the wrestlers were trying to do and not sounding over the top at any point. The more I hear from him the more I like him and this is something he could do for a LONG time if he ever wants to slow down in the ring (which doesn’t need to be the case for years to come).

Jake Hager vs. Chico Adams

Tony: “What we have here is Chico and the man.” Look it up people. Hager drops him in a hurry and hits the Vader Bomb in the first ten seconds. A Rock Bottom into the head and arm triangle finishes Adams at 1:06.

Post match here’s Jon Moxley to stare Hager down. The fight is on and Moxley hits a quick Paradigm Shift, only to have Hager pull him into the ankle lock. That’s broken up and Moxley grabs the belt to scare Hager off. I could go for these two in a big showdown.

Video on Brodie Lee being unveiled as the Exalted One last week.

The Dark Order is sitting around a table as Lee aggressively has dinner. Lee says the other two don’t get it: this is the new Dark Order and they do what they want. They prey on the weak and Lee gets mad at one of them for considering eating before Lee finishes his own meal. The other one sneezes and Lee throws him out. Oh….tell me this isn’t what I think it is.

Brodie Lee vs. QT Marshall

Lee kicks him in the face before the bell and throws Marshall outside. A slingshot hilo connects back inside and Lee forearms him in the back. Marshall’s comeback is cut off with a swinging Boss Man Slam and a discus lariat gives Lee the pin at 2:59.

Post match, Lee leaves a mask on Marshall. It’s a good squash, but if this is going to be a Vince caricature, this thing is dead where it stands.

Video on Matt Hardy’s debut last week.

Video on the Inner Circle attacking Nick Jackson and putting him out of action.

Vanguard 1 goes to Nick Jackson’s house where he is rated at 61% recovered. Nick sees the drone and goes towards it, meaning the signal is terminated.

AAA Mega Title: Kenny Omega vs. Sammy Guevara

Guevara is defending and has caricatures of Jericho and Brandi sitting in seats at ringside. Omega takes him down without much effort to start and Sammy has to pull himself up in the corner. The gamblers are back at it in the back as Sammy grabs a front facelock and sends Omega outside. Back in and Sammy goes to the eyes so it’s right back to the floor for a slugout. Sammy sends him into the barricade but stops to talk to the Brandi caricature. A kiss to the caricature has Brandi annoyed and we take a break.

Back with Sammy being sent knees first into the steps. What looked to be a Tombstone attempt is countered into a cross armbreaker but Omega is in the ropes in a hurry. Sammy’s moonsault hits knees but he’s right back with another armbar. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Omega powers up and we take another break. Back again with Kenny hammering away but favoring the bad hand. Omega ax handles him in the chest for a delayed two as the gamblers are freaking out in the back again.

The running Fameasser gets two more but Sammy counters the snapdragon into a double stomp to the ribs. A frog splash gets two on Omega, who is back up to send Sammy to the apron. That means an enziguri into a springboard cutter to send Omega outside again. Back in and a springboard hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb, setting up the V Trigger to knock Sammy silly.

Sammy is right back with a Spanish Fly for two, only to miss a shooting star press. Another V Trigger connects but Sammy bites the hand. That earns Sammy another V Trigger but Sammy flips out of the snapdragon. Kenny is back up with another V Trigger into a Jay Driller for two. Another V Trigger sets up the One Winged Angle to retain the title at 23:37.

Rating: B+. Rather good match here, despite some of my usual reservations about Omega’s bigger matches. Sammy got a lot here though and looked like a serious challenger more than once. They had some good stuff going here and it’s clear that Omega’s destiny is to be the bigger singles star once the run with Hangman Page is over. Rather good match here and by far the best thing on the show so far.

Here’s Chris Jericho with a hands free microphone to talk about Matt Hardy’s debut last week. That’s why this week, Jericho is going to give Matt the chance to join the Inner Circle. Instead here’s Vanguard 1, sending Jericho into a rant about how he’s never liked Vanguard 1. He doesn’t like Vanguard’s politics or rantings on social media, but he’s always respected Vanguard 1.

That’s why the Inner Circle wants him, meaning Vanguard 1 can have all the bubbly poured into his gas tank and all the women on his dashboard that he wants. Vanguard flies away so here’s Matt Hardy….who teleports from one part of the arena to the other (ignore Jericho’s head jumping each time Hardy appears somewhere else).

Hardy gets inside and says he knew Jericho would come. Jericho: “Of course I’d come. We booked the segment.” Jericho explains that Hardy wants to join the Inner Circle, so Hardy talks about owing the Bucks of Youth a debt for resurrecting him. AEW represents freedom for Hardy and he cannot allow the Inner Circle to destroy it. Jericho talks about making the Inner Circle and promises to make Matt as well. Matt calls himself Damascus, who is over 3000 years old.

Jericho knows about reinventing himself and offers Matt a chance to reinvent himself. Matt sees Jericho is still a hole of the a** so Jericho talks about Matt living in shadows. That could be of his older brother, the shadow of bad booking or the shadow of Le Champion. Jericho wants to know if Matt is Inner Circle or Elite and it turns into a DELETE vs. ELITE argument. Matt talks about Jericho’s fans singing Judas (Matt: “I knew the real Judas. He betrayed me too.”) and sings the Obsolete song, with Jericho pointing out the lack of fans.

That’s not true though, as Matt knows there are essences all around here. Abraham Lincoln is sitting in 15C and Martin Luther King is right over there. Jericho threatens to slap the essence out of Matt and gets punched down. Jericho: “Abra kadabra”. Cue Sammy to jump Matt but Cody and Omega run down with chairs to make the save. Sammy and Jericho try to leave and Matt controls the flames on the stage to scare them to end the show.

I didn’t dislike this, but it was VERY over the top and different, while showing that it is indeed just Matt Hardy. He’ll be fine in the short term, but once the bell rings, things are going to be a bit different and not in a good way. Jericho was of course hilarious as he can more than hang with any insanity put in front of him.

Overall Rating: B. This was a rather different show than last week and while it was still good, it wasn’t quite up to the same level as what they did before. Just not having the wrestlers in the arena slowed it down a bit, but maybe they got in some trouble for having that many people in the same place at once. The wrestling was good and the big segment at the end was certainly different, but if Brodie Lee is a Vince McMahon character, just cut everything off now because it’s a disaster in the making. Good enough show, but not last week’s.

Results

Cody b. Jimmy Havoc – Cross Rhodes

Darby Allin b. Kip Sabian – Last Supper

Jake Hager b. Chico Adams – Head and arm triangle choke

Brodie Lee b. QT Marshall – Discus lariat

Kenny Omega b. Sammy Guevara – 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: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #100
Date: March 7, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

It’s time for a special show as we have the big milestone episode. As a result, the World Title is on the line with Cima challenging Jacob Fatu for the World Title. It’s almost hard to imagine that MLW has this kind of a history but they have become a rather nice promotion and it’s cool to see them get to an important show like this. Let’s get to it.

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

Fatu promises violence against Cima because it isn’t about wins and losses.

Opening sequence.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. is ready to shut Erick Stevens’ mouth because Stevens has been saying Smith is ducking him. Tonight, he’s knocking Stevens’ mohawk off and has the Von Erichs watching his back.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. vs. Erick Stevens

Stevens has Kit Osborne with him and I’m not exactly sure who that is. I do however know who Tom Lawlor, on commentary is though. The fans are behind Smith here, as you might have expected. Smith grabs a headlock to little avail so he shoulders Stevens down instead. A headscissors doesn’t work for Stevens as Lawlor thinks Philadelphia is named after cream cheese.

Smith shoves Stevens hard into the corner and gets two off a gorilla press. The chinlock goes on, followed by a delayed vertical suplex for two. They head outside with Smith being whipped into the barricade but coming right back with a suplex onto the floor. Back in and Stevens starts in on the leg before slugging Smith down with forearms.

The half crab goes on for a good while but Smith makes the rope, with Stevens making sure to hold on as long as he can. The leg cranking continues until Smith fights up for right hands in the corner, followed by a backdrop. Stevens gets some quick near falls but Smith snaps off a powerslam for two of his own. Another powerbomb sets up the top rope headbutt to finish Stevens off at 11:51.

Rating: B-. That’s the kind of match that makes Smith look good, as you have a monster like Stevens but Smith was the bigger monster. That’s how you build up towards Smith vs. Fatu, which should headline the next pay per view. Heck of a fight here and it keeps Smith off the mic, which is a very good thing for him at this point.

Post match Smith gets in Dominick Garrini’s face and we probably have his next match before getting to face Lawlor.

Injustice isn’t allowed in the building.

Jimmy Havoc is addicted to pain but loves hurting others more than himself. He’s ready to destroy Brian Pillman Jr.

Low Ki is ready to beat up King Mo.

LA Park is done with Salina de la Renta and is ready to fight anyone anytime because he is a mercenary.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

Havoc, with Priscilla Kelly in the corner, throws him down to start and Pillman isn’t sure what to do with this one. Pillman tries to spin out of a wristlock before going with a kick to the head to get out instead. Some armdrags into a dropkick put Havoc down and an arm trap rollup gets two. That’s too much for Havoc as he throws Pillman outside as we go split screen to see Injustice still trying to get inside. Pillman chops the post by mistake and Havoc stays on the arm….in a way at least….with a cross arm choke.

Rating: C. Pillman’s middleweight run continues and that’s where he should have been back in the day. It’s great to see him getting some more time in the ring and starting to round out a bit, though he still has a long way to go. Havoc barely ever wins anything of note anywhere he wrestles but he’s fine for a character.

Post match, Pillman promises to win the Middleweight Title for his family.

Injustice STILL can’t get in.

Richard Holliday successfully defended the Caribbean Title on a private island.

The Dynasty has a great time in the Caribbean, even without MJF (Hammerstone especially loved the pharmacies). Holliday and Hammerstone are proud of their titles and can’t wait for Gino Medina to beat up Mance Warner.

Mance Warner is ready to beat up the Dynasty. Uncle Moon Man is fine too and they’re going to go drink.

Contra is ready for violence around the world and Josef Samael promises a war.

Next week: Killer Kross vs. Tom Lawlor.

MLW World Title: Cima vs. Jacob Fatu

Fatu is defending and has Samael with him. An early kick misses for the champ and Cima chops away. The pop up Samoan drop is blocked with some elbows to the head and Cima catches him with a baseball slide on the way back inside. Some double knees to the chest set up a backsplash for two and Cima grabs the seated abdominal stretch. Fatu powers up again and hits a running hip attack in the corner before hammering at the back of the head.

More stomping in the corner ensues and Cima is put in the Tree of Woe for a running headbutt to the ribs. They head outside with Samael looking pleased as Fatu sends him into the announcers’ table. The nerve hold goes on (Bocchini: “Deep tissue massage eh?”), followed by a hard elbow to the jaw to drop Cima again.

The Vader Bomb misses though and Cima gets in some running knees to the back. Something like a guillotine choke into a DDT sets up a triangle choke, with Fatu having to bail to the rope. Cima misses the top rope double stomp though and Fatu hits the pop up Samoan drop. Back to back moonsaults retain the title at 10:15.

Rating: C+. Cima is one of those guys who can do all kinds of stuff and look good at almost all of it, but he almost never wins anything major. At least we had something interesting here with the World Title on the line, as MLW has done a great job of making Fatu feel like that much of a big deal. Whoever takes the title off of him is going to be huge and that’s rather cool to see.

Post match, here’s the Death Squad with a body bag to wrap Cima up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Overall, this didn’t feel like some major milestone show (aside from the World Title match) but I don’t think they were really going for one. The big thing they did here was mention that it was the 100^th show and then nothing more. It’s fine to go that way and it doesn’t make things feel disappointing if they aren’t trying to go for something ridiculously big. Nice enough show here, with Fatu always being a big deal.

Results

Davey Boy Smith Jr. b. Erick Stevens – Top rope headbutt

Brian Pillman Jr. b. Jimmy Havoc – Air Pillman

Jacob Fatu b. Cima – Moonsault

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