IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 1, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Mexico and last week, that was a good thing. There’s all kinds of extra talent to throw in there and you never know what kind of surprises you’re going to find. Some of the stuff around here has been rather good as of late and there’s a strong chance they’ll keep that going. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks back at last week’s big stories. As usual, the main event scene doesn’t feel like anything that stands above the rest in the slightest.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Taurus vs. LAX/Daga

It’s a big staredown to start until Santana and Pentagon actually get things going. There’s no contact in the first minute so Fenix flips in to dropkick Santana down. Everything breaks down (well duh) and Daga hits the big flip dive onto Taurus. It’s back to Santana and Pentagon for a chop off as I’m very glad they’re going with lucha rules here as it’s the only logical move. Santana backflips into a rolling cutter for two on Taurus and Ortiz gets two off a splash.

A little miscommunication lets Fenix come in with a dropkick to Ortiz’s back but he grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to drop Fenix. The double tags bring Taurus and Daga back in with Daga getting two off a bridging German suplex. Ortiz sends Taurus outside and it’s time for the parade of dives. Fenix hits a CRAZY high one and we take a break. Back with all six inside and a spike Fear Factor finishes Ortiz at 14:53. The post break stuff was less than a minute.

Rating: B-. Exactly what it needed to be here as we continue to move towards the big rematch with the Lucha Bros likely winning the titles in Mexico for a cool moment. These guys are incredibly entertaining and that’s exactly what a match like this was supposed to be. Just let them go nuts and set up the big match down the line while waking the fans up for the start of a show. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Pentagon lays out the challenge for the rematch next week. It’s on.

The announcers preview the show.

Killer Kross and Moose are fired up for their tag match with Brian Cage and Johnny Impact. A lot of shouting ensues.

Konnan tells Santana and Ortiz to be ready for next week. He wants them to keep it professional and they’re cool with that.

GWN Flashback of the Week: a triple threat tag match for the Tag Team Titles with a date not important enough to mention. LAX retained though.

Su Yung/Allie vs. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace

Grace isn’t about to get jumped from behind and shrugs both of them off without much effort. Allie gets thrown into Yung and it’s Hogan coming in for two off a splash. A dropkick sends Yung into the corner for a running hip attack (Hogan keeps pointing at them so it makes sense that she would attack with them). Grace comes in for a fall away slam and it’s off to Allie, who gets dropped in a hurry as well. Yung tries some mist but Allie uses the distraction to nail a superkick on the floor and take over for the first time.

Back in and Su seems to freak out a bit but it’s just a way to draw Kiera in. See, she’s crazy and smart at the same time. A double leg snap keeps Grace in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Grace starts shrugging off clotheslines and runs Allie over, allowing….well nothing yet as the lights go out. They come back up with Rosemary having taken Yung’s place and reaching out for a tag. Allie panics though and walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Hogan the pin at 7:33.

Rating: D. I like the idea of the Dark Allie story with Rosemary wanting to go into the world of darkness to save her friend, but it loses a ton of steam with Allie losing so many times. She’s not a threat and she’s not menacing, but for some reason I should want to see her vanquished? Neither Allie nor Yung have been mentioned in the Knockouts Title hunt so they’re not on a reign of terror or anything, so why should I need to see Allie be saved?

Scarlett Bordeaux knocks Bobo into a pool. This has been your eye candy moment.

Rascalz vs. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake

Xavier and Wentz for the Rascalz here. Eli has to talk Eddie out of swinging the Singapore cane so Eddie goes in alone to start with Wentz. Eddie works on the arm so Drake tags himself in and gets armbarred for his efforts. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Wentz two and it’s time for the double teaming to begin. Xavier gets two off a double stomp to the back and Wentz adds a slingshot hilo for two of his own.

Eddie is back in and Drake pulls Wentz off the top, much to Eddie’s annoyance. Therefore it’s back to Drake for a side slam and we hit the chinlock. Wentz fights up and hits a handspring knee to the face to drop Eddie. Drake breaks up a hot tag attempt though and comes back in, only to allow the hot tag a few seconds later.

The Rascalz load up a double DDT but Drake reverses into a double northern lights suplex….which gives Wentz two as I guess it was reversed into the DDT after all? It didn’t quite look to connect but close enough. Eddie makes the save and dives onto Wentz before grabbing the stick. The referee isn’t letting that happen so Drake takes it away and knocks Xavier silly. The Gravy Train connects for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C. I can live with the Rascalz losing to a pair of former World and Tag Team Champions with cheating involved. Drake and Edwards could lead somewhere interesting and I can always go for more Drake on this show, as he’s one of the best things around. The Rascalz are as well and they’re going to be fine going forward.

Post match Eddie isn’t sure what to think.

We look back at Tessa Blanchard attacking Gail Kim.

Tessa sends in a response via Twitter and promises to come back on February 15 to get her title back.

We look back at Sami Callihan offering Rich Swann a spot in OVE.

Swann talks about having no family when he was 18 when he met Sami. They traveled the roads together and became a family. Then Swann learned more about Sami and who he was, so while Swann will always care for him, they aren’t family anymore.

Taya Valkyrie is ready for Tessa and we might as well just make it a street fight.

Fallah Bahh vs. Psycho Clown

Clown is a pretty big star in Mexico so this isn’t a comedy match. He even has Dr. Wagner Jr.’s mask, which is a serious deal around here. Bahh runs him down with the power of the gut to start so Clown forearms him without much avail. Clown gets knocked outside and splashed as Callis doesn’t seem comfortable with clowns in general.

A tear at the mask just annoys Clown, who ties Bahh in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. Clown hits a suicide dive into a running flip dive but Bahh, apparently not a Del Rio fan (And who is?), shrugs it off and hits a belly to belly. A running splash in the corner crushes Clown but a regular version misses, allowing Clown to grab la majistral for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I’ve never cared for Bahh so someone beating him isn’t exactly going to make me care all that much. Clown is a name in Mexico and is going to be involved in the upcoming World Cup competition, but a win over a comedy guy is hardly the way to make him seem like a big deal.

Cage and Impact agree to work together tonight.

Clown fires up Team AAA for the World Cup match against Team Impact.

Preview of next week’s show.

Killer Kross/Moose vs. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage

This still feels like a midcard feud. Moose shoves Impact down and strikes some poses before shouldering him to the mat and doing it again. Impact snaps off a hurricanrana so Moose nips up. A dropkick works better for Johnny so it’s off to Kross vs. Cage, the latter of whom has to tag himself in. Cage shoulders away and slams Kross down but Impact tags himself in as well.

A Moose cheap shot lets Kross throw Impact with a suplex and the villains take over. Kross and Moose take turns stomping away in the corner, which isn’t the most dastardly offense. Moose sends him into another corner to mix things up a little bit before handing it back to Kross for a dragon sleeper. A belly to back suplex gives Moose two but Johnny finally rolls away and makes the hot tag off to Cage.

Everything breaks down and Moose hits the middle rope chokebomb on Cage as Impact tags himself back in. The running knee to the head gets two on Moose and there’s a 619 for good measure. Cage gets in the way of the Flying Chuck though and the near fight lets Moose hit a spear (Cage saw it coming and did nothing to stop it) for the pin (again, with Cage not moving) on Impact at 11:46.

Rating: C-. Again, it’s still just a fine match with nothing beyond that, especially as far as interest goes. The wrestling was watchable and the story has made sense, but there’s nothing going on that makes me want to see where this is going. There’s no reason this needs to be for the World Title, but where else is it supposed to be right now?

Cage leaves on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place but what worked was quite good and the bad stuff was more just not my taste than anything else. The stuff they’ve built up for the future sounds good though and that’s one of the best things that you can get out of a show like this. Just let the big stuff deliver and the show will get a lot better.

Results

Lucha Bros/Taurus b. LAX/Daga – Spike Fear Factor to Ortiz

Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace b. Su Yung/Allie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Allie

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards b. Rascalz – Gravy Train to Xavier

Psycho Clown b. Fallah Bahh – La majistal

Moose/Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage – Spear to Impact

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 25, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re south of the border again and that means things should be interesting. It worked well last time, if nothing else due to having a bunch of luchadors included. We’re also getting ready for Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross for the World Title in a rematch from a few weeks back, but things have changed a bit since then. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

There’s a lot of room between the ring and the barricade. Like way more than almost any arena.

Rich Swann vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo

Non-title. Swann grabs a wristlock to start so Vikingo walks through the ropes for a break. Not bad. They flip away from each other with Swann spinning out of a headscissors in a nice looking counter. Vikingo does his own flip counter before kicking Swann in the head. Makes more sense than flipping. Swann gets sent outside for the big running flip dive but comes right back with a springboard off the barricade. There isn’t much of a spring in a barricade but the idea works the same.

Back in and Swann puts on a seated abdominal stretch, followed by a rather hard kick to the ribs. Vikingo is right back with an enziguri into a fisherman’s buster Jackhammer for two. That’s a new one, as has tended to be the case for Vikingo. Swann catches him with a top rope hurricanrana for two, only to walk into a swinging Rock Bottom. A Michinoku Driver gives Swann two more and the middle rope 450 finishes Vikingo at 9:14.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this as Swann can more than hang in a lucha style match. Vikingo looked awesome too with some unique offense that was very crisp throughout the whole thing. Swann still needs more competition, but he’s feeling like a star as champion. The fact that the matches are actually taking place almost weekly is a nice bonus as well.

Post match here’s OVE and post break Sami congratulates Rich on his success but it’s time the fans learn the truth about the two of them. They’re close outside of the ring so it’s time for Swann to come home and join OVE for good. Sami says Swann wouldn’t be able to take care of his family without him, which seems to be a step too far for Swann. Rich says the shirt is the right size but the family isn’t the right fit. Sami: “That wasn’t a no!” He wants Swann to keep thinking about it. Sami isn’t great at subtleties.

The announcers preview things.

New interviewer Melissa Santos talks to Killer Kross and Moose, the former of whom says it ends for Johnny Impact tonight. They’re not worried about Brian Cage watching, because Cage had some customs issues and won’t be here.

Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan are ready to face Allie and Su Yung next week. They’ve been training you see. Melissa asks about Rosemary so the cameras start to flicker. A message appears on the screen behind them, saying “The Darkness Will Take You Too. This Is Not Your Fight. – R.” Confusion reigns. I’m thinking it’s a message from Rellik, which is still Killer spelled backwards.

Keyra vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title again. Keyra jumps her from behind to start as Callis explains the idea of a rudo. A backbreaker cuts Keyra off but she’s right back with a running basement dropkick in the corner. Taya is still rocked so a Backstabber out of the corner sets up a middle rope moonsault for two. A running Liger Bomb gives Taya two of her own, followed by the curb stomp. Taya’s modified STF makes Keyra tap at 5:35.

Rating: D+. Keyra was aggressive but this was little more than an obvious ending as Taya isn’t losing in her first match back. Or as a champion. Or likely in Mexico. In other words this looked like a squash but at least Keyra tried and got in some offense instead of just taking the loss in a hurry.

Post match Taya talks to the crowd in Spanish before talking about what the people here have meant to her career. Taya wants Tessa Blanchard and will be waiting for her when she gets back.

Swann admits that he and Callihan do have a history but there’s more to it than that.

From March 10, 2004, Hector Garza vs. Jack Evans.

The Rascalz are in their circle and realize they’re in Mexico so they switch to Spanish.

Scarlett Bordeaux trains in not the most efficient gear.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Can we leave the Squad in Mexico? It’s Dezmond and Zack for the team here in what should be at least half of a good match. Raj forearms Dezmond up against the ropes but gets leapfrogged and dropkicked. Wentz knees him from the apron to keep the Squad in trouble so it’s off to Raju. A corkscrew press gives Zack two but a cheap shot from the apron lets Raju get a breather.

Raj comes in and plants Wentz, including holding him on the floor for a double stomp from Raju. Back in and Wentz beats both of them up with ease, allowing the hot tag to Dezmond. Everything breaks down and it’s Wentz hitting a heck of a dive to the floor to take both of them down. Raj comes back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up the Push Moonsault for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C-. I really can’t get over how boring the Hit Squad is. They’re the definition of warm bodies as heels, which isn’t exactly enough for me to get interested. I’m not wild on the That 70s Show stoner deal for the Rascalz, but they’re a very fun team who does entertaining stuff while also giving Dezmond something to do after months of nothing. That’s how you make something from the pieces you have around and it’s working here.

A serious Johnny Impact swears revenge on Kross tonight. He’s not worried about Cage either.

LAX and Konnan are ready for the Lucha Bros. Konnan isn’t exactly sure though and next week we’ll be having some singles matches between the team members.

Trey Miguel vs. Ethan Page

Joined in progress with Ethan blocking a hurricanrana to the floor and hitting a superkick. That doesn’t seem to bother Trey, who is right back with an Asai moonsault. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl faceplant drops Trey again, followed by a hot shot onto the top rope. The chinlock doesn’t work so well so Page switches to a pump kick instead.

Trey finally gets a breather off a jumping neckbreaker, followed by a 619 in the corner. The split legged moonsault gets two but Trey misses the top rope double stomp. It doesn’t really matter though as he Rolls the Dice (Fresh to Death) to finish Page at 6:50. I had forgotten about that move and seeing it again makes me tired of it all over again.

Rating: C. Just like the other Rascalz, Trey is a lot of fun to watch and this was no exception. It’s also a good sign for the future: this was two young stars who haven’t overstayed their welcome yet having a perfectly watchable match. You need to bring some new people along at some point and that’s what Impact is FINALLY starting to do.

We look back at Eli Drake yelling at Eddie Edwards about losing the way last week.

Drake talks to Eddie again, this time about an upcoming Impact vs. AAA match. Eddie doesn’t seem to listen, but they’re in a tag match next week against the Rascalz.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact

Johnny is defending and Moose is here with Kross. A shoulder puts Johnny down but he nips up in a hurry, only to get pulled into a chinlock. That’s rather early to need a chat. Back up and Johnny knees him in the head, only to get kneed in the chest to cut him back down. A hurricanrana gets Johnny out of trouble but Moose breaks up a springboard attempt. Back from a break (without much having changed) with Kross dropping an elbow for two and choking in the corner.

A DDT gets two more and it’s off to a seated cobra clutch. Johnny fights up and hits the Flying Chuck for two, only to have Kross hit a hard clothesline for the same. The Krossjacket choke doesn’t work so Kross switches to a cross armbreaker instead. That’s broken up as well so Johnny hits the sliding German suplex. A springboard spear (cool) gets two but Starship Pain misses. The Krossjacket choke goes on again but here’s Cage to clothesline both of them for the no contest at 14:49.

Rating: C+. I just can’t get that into this main event scene and that’s still the case here. I don’t know if it’s everything being wrestling focused with limited angles or something else, but the spark isn’t there and it’s hurting things. The wrestling was fine, but nothing here makes it feel like you’re watching a major feud for the top prize in the company.

Post match Cage cleans house until it’s a showdown with Impact. Moose and Kross are cleared out and Cage stares at the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another perfectly watchable and at times entertaining show. The problem continues to be a lack of a connection to anyone, which is probably why the main event scene is a problem. What reason do I have to cheer for Johnny? What reason do I have to cheer for most people here? I know who the good people and bad people are, but that doesn’t mean they’re strong characters that the fans want to get behind. That’s the big problem around here and it’s been that way for years. Until they fix that, nothing is going to get better, at least not in a big way.

Results

Rich Swann b. El Hijo Del Vikingo – Middle rope 450

Taya Valkyrie b. Keyra – Seated STF

Rascalz b. Desi Hit Squad – Push Moonsault to Singh

Trey Miguel b. Ethan Page – Fresh to Death

Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross went to a no contest when Brian Cage interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 18, 2019
Location: The Asylum, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Nashville and that means the fallout from last week’s medium sized angle. Moose cost Johnny Impact his non-title match with Killer Kross, but Brian Cage is still lurking. We also get to find out who Scarlett Bordeaux’s new talent is, which could be a disaster. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the big stories, with the three way feud over the World Title getting some extra focus, including Moose interfering.

Opening sequence.

KM vs. Caleb Konley

Konley jumps him from behind but gets kicked in the face. We cut to Cage rampaging through the back and looking for Johnny as it sounds like the bell rings. Cage comes into the arena anyway and drops KM, which counts as the DQ at 1:39. So now I’m hearing phantom bells.

Post match Konley gets taken down as well and Fallah Bahh gets powerbombed out of the corner. KM gets an F5 on the ramp and Cage beats up the referee, who he blames for a bad count at Homecoming, as a bonus. Cage wants his title shot and he’s going to be watching next week’s title match with Kross in Mexico City. This brings out Johnny but Kross and Moose jump him on the stage. Cage watches the beatdown before slowly walking up to make the monsters leave. He carries Johnny to the ring but Moose and Kross come in to beat them both down. Pretty good stuff.

Post break Cage says he only cares about the World Title but he’ll beat Moose up tonight.

Eddie Edwards vs. Ethan Page

Eli Drake is on commentary. They trade some shots to the face as Drake goes on a rant about how he was told he stepped up at Homecoming, suggesting that he doesn’t do that every single week. Fair point. An overhead belly to belly sends Ethan outside and Drake is impressed. Page sends him into the steps to take over and we take a break.

Back with Eddie still in trouble in the corner until he catches Page on top. That means a super hurricanrana and a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. With Drake singing the Wolves’ theme, Eddie hits a suicide dive to keep Page in trouble and sending Drake into an anti-dive rant. Despite being in full control, Eddie grabs a kendo stick and blasts Page, followed by a swing at the referee for the DQ at 11:08.

Rating: C. As usual Drake was the most entertaining thing about this match and I’m so glad that he’s FINALLY getting something more interesting than the Tommy Dreamer/Abyss feud. Eddie is better than this but at least he’s done something other than talk about hardcore in the last five years. Their match should be good because there’s talent there and I’ll always take that.

Post match Eli grabs the mic and says Eddie is just a few sandwiches away from being Tommy Dreamer. Eddie used to be great and now he’s just another hardcore guy. When was the last time he was in the title scene? Maybe he should go back to the green tights and the old Eddie because that guy is great. This could be interesting.

GWN Flashback Of The Week: a six man cage match from 2003 featuring Abyss and CM Punk. How random.

OVE wants Rich Swann to come home but it’s also time to get the Tag Team Titles back. LAX vs. OVE was the bloodiest feud of 2017 and it’s back tonight.

The Rascalz are in their smoke circle, with a laugh track. Various unfunny shenanigans ensue.

Allie vs. Jordynne Grace

Su Yung and Kiera Hogan are here as seconds. Grace throws her down with a German suplex go start and a delayed gordbuster gets two. Yung’s distraction lets Allie get in some choking but it just fires Grace up. The Codebreaker out of the corner is blocked and Grace finishes her with a pumphandle driver for the pin at 2:36. I really don’t see the need to have Allie lose clean in less than three minutes.

Post match Allie and Jordynne leave but the lights go out and Rosemary is back, with Yung having disappeared. The terrified Allie bails in a hurry.

Moose vs. Brian Cage

Cage hammers away to start and the referee is thrown down early on. A shoulder sends Moose outside and he chops the post by mistake, allowing Cage to start in on the hand. Moose tries a charge but gets caught in a powerbomb against the apron. Back in and Moose starts hammering on the knees because an apron bomb means nothing.

Some cannonballs down onto the leg keep Cage down until he uses the good leg to kick Moose outside. Moose is fine enough to wrap the knee around the post, followed by dropkicking the knee in the corner. Cage gets up for the forearm slugout until Moose takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip.

Back from a break with Moose hitting a pop up powerbomb into a backsplash but Cage pops up. The pop up powerbomb into a discus lariat gives Cage two but Moose catches him on the top with the chokebomb. Moose takes his time getting a chair (proper weapon selection is a thing) so Cage knees him in the face and hits the Drill Claw for the pin at 15:33.

Rating: B-. That’s a good way to make Cage seem like a monster and the kind of guy who should be right back in the World Title scene. Both of these guys are great at beating each other up and they had an entertaining match as a result. This isn’t really a hard concept and thankfully they didn’t do anything more than what they should have.

Taya Valkyrie is still banged up but will be back next week in Mexico City.

Killer Kross has hurt Johnny’s wife and he’ll take the title next week.

Tessa Blanchard rants about Gail Kim costing her the title and beats up a backstage worker. Gail Kim, who just happens to be here, pops up and a fight starts. Gail gets choked out without much effort.

Post break Tessa gets suspended. I’m sure Gail isn’t going to get in trouble though, because she’s Gail Kim.

Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel

Non-title. Trey grabs a wristlock which goes as far as an opening wristlock is going to go. Rapid fire nipup get Swann out of trouble and they trade armdrags for a standoff with Miguel not exactly being intimidated. Swann gets sent outside for a dive and they head back in for more striking. A jumping hurricanrana brings Miguel off the top and a rather nice frog splash gets two. They hit a pinfall reversal sequence with Miguel getting a few more twos, followed by a heck of a superkick for two more. Swann kicks him right back though and the middle rope 450 finishes Trey at 5:49.

Rating: C+. Miguel really is fun to watch and it’s cool to see Swann looking motivated again. This was a nice little match as the X Division is finally feeling like it matters again. Swann is a good choice for a champion as he has the work and the charisma to be a star, which has been missing from the division for a long time.

Post match OVE comes out to offer Swann the shirt again. Before he answers, here’s LAX to start the main event.

LAX vs. OVE

Non-title and the brawl starts on the floor. Santana gets taken down on the floor and it’s Jake taking Ortiz inside to rip at his face. Sami cheap shots Ortiz from the floor and the chinlock goes on again as Dave kicks Santana on the floor. A middle rope dropkick gets Santana out of trouble and the house is cleaned with Ortiz tagging himself in.

LAX hits the double suicide dives but Santana gets caught with a superplex into a sitout powerbomb combination. He’s fine enough to hit a rolling cutter on Jake, setting up a Codebreaker from Ortiz. A superkick sets up a double belly to back faceplant to finish Jake at 7:08.

Rating: B-. Good while it lasted but I was hoping for a bit more than that. LAX is on another planet right now as they can do no wrong with only the Lucha Bros being able to hang with them at the moment. With Mexico City coming up, I think you know what might be coming up next.

Post match LAX heads to the back where the Lucha Brothers congratulate them. Ortiz offers them a rematch for the titles. Konnan: “WHAT??? WHAT ARE YOU DOING???”

Overall Rating: C+. A few minor booking choices aside, this was an entertaining show with a lot of stuff making sense and matches that I want to see in Mexico City. They’re doing better since Homecoming and that makes for some good television. Now if only they could get people to watch the shows.

Results

KM b. Caleb Konley via DQ when Brian Cage interfered

Ethan Page b. Eddie Edwards via DQ when Eddie used a kendo stick

Jordynne Grace b. Allie – Pumphandle driver

Brian Cage b. Moose – Drill Claw

Rich Swann b. Trey Miguel – Middle rope 450

LAX b. OVE – Double belly to back faceplant to Jake

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 11, 2019
Location: The Asylum, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re now on the Pursuit Channel, which seems to be in pursuit of an audience. It’s also the fallout show from Homecoming, which saw Killer Kross attack Johnny Impact and Johnny’s wife Taya Valkyrie to end the show. Other than that it wasn’t exactly an eventful night, though it was a pretty good show. We’re also on Twitch now, which at least lets me watch the show live. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with the expected recap of Homecoming, which was quite a good show.

Opening sequence.

Here’s World Champion Johnny Impact to open things up. Johnny says the title is important but what matters a lot more is his wife being hurt. He wants Kross out here right not but gets Brian Cage, who says he’s the rightful champion. It took Johnny’s Survivor buddies to save the title so the rematch needs to happen RIGHT NOW.

Impact gets cut off by more demands but here’s Kross to interrupt. Kross calls Johnny the great impostor and talks about Cage having Johnny pinned for a ten count, or three pins. More threats to Taya are enough to have Johnny superkick Cage and dive on Kross. Cage breaks that up and takes Johnny down until Kross suplexes him. That’s no sold and a freaked out Kross bails.

During the break, Impact and Cage were about to go at it again. Impact agreed to give Cage a shot after he deals with Kross. Cage doesn’t seem convinced but goes with it.

The announcers plug the Twitch channel. Still a good idea.

Rascalz vs. Lucha Bros

This could be good. Pentagon and Dezmond start things off here and proceed to stare at each other for nearly a minute and a half. CERO MIEDO earns Pentagon a grab of the arm so he kicks Dezmond in the ribs and sends him outside. Pentagon’s dive is cut off by a Stunner over the middle rope from Wentz, who gets sent into the corner by Fenix. A 619 out of the corner has Wentz in trouble so it’s back to Dezmond for a dropkick to the floor.

Dezmond hits a slingshot dropkick on Pentagon in the corner and a running Bronco Buster from Wentz. We take a break and come back with Wentz kneeing Fenix in the corner. Some strikes from the Rascalz get two on Fenix but he’s right back with a suicide dive to drive Wentz into the barricade. Back in and double superkicks into the wheelbarrow splash gets two on Dezmond with Wentz making the save.

Pentagon superkick Dezmond down but gets kneed in the face, leaving Fenix to kick Wentz in the face. Some more jumping strikes to the face put Pentagon down but Fenix rolls in with the cutter to Dezmond. Pentagon is back up and that means double superkicks abound, followed by a Fear Factor to Wentz and a Gory Special into a cutter from Fenix to Dezmond at the same time (egads) for the pin at 11:15.

Rating: B. Overly complicated finisher aside, this was a heck of a match and a great choice to open things up on the new network. The Rascalz are a ton of fun and the Lucha Bros are as proven of a commodity as you’re going to get at the moment. This was a blast and an awesome high spot match, which is often the best choice to open things up.

The Lucha Bros shake their hands after the match.

GWN Flashback of the Week: Michael Shane wins the first Ultimate X match to become X-Division Champion in 2003.

After the end of Homecoming, Kross ranted about how Impact was a failure for needing his Survivor friends to save him. That’s why Kross powerbombed Taya: to wake Johnny up.

Kross wants to know if Johnny knows how to hurt him in tonight’s No DQ match. Tonight, he’s breaking Johnny out of his skin.

Here’s Rich Swann for a chat. After a quick YOU DESERVE IT chant, Swann talks about the history of the division and calls himself the No Limit Soldier of the division with no limits. He’s ready for all comers and here’s OVE to test that theory. After some yelling at Don Callis, Sami Callihan talks about the rumors of what’s going on with Swann and OVE. They have a long history but that’s not something you get to learn right now. Since family means a lot to OVE, Swann should accept the offer of a spot on the team and come home. Callihan throws him the shirt but here’s Willie Mack to break up the fight.

Sami Callihan vs. Willie Mack

Rematch from Sunday and they start fast with a double knockdown. An exchange of headbutts goes nowhere so Sami goes to the eyes in a smart move. Sami gets sent outside and catches a sliding Mack in the ring skirt to continue hammering away. Mack comes back with a Rock Bottom onto the apron, earning what sounds like a CHOCOLATE THUNDER chant. A whip into the steps cuts Mack right back off and he gets piledriven on the stage. Mack beats the count in at nine and starts the comeback with some running shots in the corner.

A Samoan drop into the standing moonsault gets two so Sami bites the hand to get a breather. That just earns him a sitout spinebuster for two but Mack takes too long following up. Sami powerbombs him out of the corner and gets two of his own off a knee to the face. Mack shrugs that off and hits a corner Cannonball but the Stunner is blocked. The Cactus piledriver is countered as well and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Both finishers are reversed again until Mack gets a rollup for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: C. Nice brawl here with Mack’s natural charisma being more than enough to carry things. OVE and Sami in particular might not be the best option in the world at times but I’m moderately interested in where this story with Swann is going. Now if only the matches can back it up. The Crists vs. Mack/Swann sounds fine to me.

LAX and Konnan celebrate with booze and cigars. Everything seems to be fine after their recent issues.

Post break, LAX gets in an argument with OVE. You knew that was coming.

Here’s Scarlett Bordeaux for the Strip Show. First up though, an announcement: next week she’s ending her talent search and announcing the winner. With that out of the way, it’s time for the robe to come off but here’s the Desi Hit Squad to interrupt. Save that for the winners, which will of course be the three of them. Gama Singh rants about Americans having no values because they want to see her without her clothes on. Raju says Singh wanted to see that as well, so the argument breaks out.

Cue Scott Steiner of all people, who is here to see the debut on the Pursuit Channel. He has a bit of a limp due to hunting some two headed deer at a club in downtown Detroit. Steiner isn’t happy with the stripping being stopped so the beatdown is on. Scarlett offers him a front row seat and the robe comes off so the lap dance can begin. This was a rather unnecessary cameo, though the Impact fans will likely say “WHO CARES??? IT’S SCOTT STEINER!” I’m sure this line of thinking isn’t part of why they’re on Pursuit at all.

We look back at Gail Kim costing Tessa Blanchard the Knockouts Title.

Gail says Tessa got what was coming to her.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Cali Collins

Tessa gets aggressive to start with forearms in the corner and doesn’t seem happy when Cali tries one of her own. An Anderson eye rake across the top rope sets up a running dropkick to Cali’s back. Tessa loads up the Buzzsaw DDT but goes with Eat Defeat for the pin at 2:20 instead.

Eddie Edwards is proud of his win on Sunday and is ready to move on with his life. Eli Drake comes in to ask if Eddie wants to carry the flag of hardcore after people like Tommy Dreamer and Abyss carried it. I could go or Drake vs. Eddie.

Su Yung and Allie are next to a coffin and sound worried about Rosemary. The lights flicker and the words “One more chance to join the shadow” appear on the coffin. Nervousness ensues.

Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact

Non-title and No DQ. Impact wastes no time in starting the brawl and stomps at the head in the ropes. Kross runs him over though and hammers away in the corner. They head outside where Impact is a bit better suited for the kicks to the chest. Impact takes forever to set up a table and gets a chair to the face for his efforts. Kross wraps the chair around his neck and slams it into the post before crotching Johnny on the barricade.

The steps are dragged around but Johnny avoids having his head crushed with a chair. Instead he knocks Kross back with a chair of his own and then piles the chairs on top of him. A moonsault crushes another chair onto the pile of chairs onto Kross for the big knockdown that didn’t look all that impressive.

Kross pops right up and they stare each other down while throwing chairs into the ring. They both pick one up and then drop them so Johnny can throw punches in the corner instead. A pelted chair to the face knocks Kross silly and Johnny piles up the chairs on him again. It’s time to go up top but Moose runs out to shove Johnny through the table at ringside. The Krossjacket choke finishes Johnny at 12:16.

Rating: C+. This was a good fight with Johnny showing aggression, but I’m not entirely sure why someone who wants to destroy Kross was busy doing flips instead of just unloading on him with the chair. Kross was his usual monster self and I’m glad to see him win, though this feels like leftovers from before Bound For Glory with just Austin Aries missing.

Moose and Kross hug to end the show.

Results

Lucha Bros b. Rascalz – Cutter to Xavier

Willie Mack b. Sami Callihan – Rollup

Tessa Blanchard b. Cali Collins – Eat Defeat

Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact – Krossjacket choke

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Homecoming
Date: January 6, 2019
Location: The Asylum, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s back to pay per view tonight with a show in the old stomping grounds. This isn’t a One Night Stand kind of deal or anything like that as it’s a pretty standard pay per view card with only the venue being old school. The main event will see World Champion Johnny Impact defend against Brian Cage where shenanigans could be a factor. Let’s get to it.

The opening video, narrated by Johnny Impact, looks back at the old days in the Asylum and talks about how good it can feel to go home. This aired at the end of Impact and was released on the YouTube page.

X-Division Title: Ethan Page vs. Jake Crist vs. Trey Miguel vs. Rich Swann

The title is vacant coming in and this is Ultimate X, meaning there’s an X made of rope above the ring with the title hanging in the middle. First one to crawl over and pull down the title is champion. It’s a brawl to start with Ethan heading up for the title in a hurry but falling down onto Miguel instead. Page isn’t done and shoves Miguel off the top and onto the other two.

That earns him quite the reaction but it’s way too early for the climb. Back in and Crist scores with some kicks until Miguel takes him down with a neckbreaker. The fans are VERY appreciative here and we get an IMPACT WRESTLING chant. Page gets caught in the corner and it’s Miguel and Swann kicking him in the ace before climbing up. Instead of going up on his own, Crist fails at an attempt at a double cutter. He gets smart the second time though and crotches them both before hitting the cutter on the second attempt.

With the three of them down, Page goes for a climb but makes a rather dumb decision by dropping down into an elbow on Crist. Miguel goes up until Page pulls him down into a backbreaker. Crist legdrops Page and then hits a running DDT onto the floor on Page. Swann follows them out with the big flip dive and the fans are rather pleased. Swann and Miguel climb the structure with the former being pulled down and Miguel moonsaulting onto Crist and Page.

Everyone staggers back inside and it’s a double powerbomb/Meteora combination to destroy Page again. Swann gets taken outside for a Tombstone on the ramp from Crist, who dumps him up onto the stage to keep him even further from the ring. That gets Crist close to the title so Page spears him off the top for the huge crash.

Swann is right back up with a hurricanrana to bring Miguel off the top. Miguel hits a hurricanrana of his own but Swann lands on his feet and sprints up to grab the title for the win at 13:55. The title seemed to fall down so that might not have been the planned finish. It wouldn’t have been the first time.

Rating: B. This was the insanity that it needed to be with one big spot after another. Swann winning is the right call too as he’s the top star of the division at the moment and someone who could be the big deal that it’s needed for a long time. The other three all looked awesome too here, if you can ignore some rather dumb actions here and there.

The announcers run down the card for a good while as the structure is taken down.

Brian Cage talks about how Impact is getting the serious version tonight. He’s sacrificed everything to get here and there’s one outcome: Cage walking out as World Champion.

We recap Allie/Su Yung vs. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace. Allie sacrificed her soul to save Rosemary but kind of got ripped off, resulting in her being turned into Dark Allie, which she doesn’t seem to mind. Kiera is still determined to save her friend and Grace just showed up earlier this week to even things out.

Jordynne Grace/Kiera Hogan vs. Su Yung/Allie

Grace snapmares Allie down to start and hits a low crossbody for an early two. It’s already off to Yung, who gets dropkicked down upon entry. A running hip attack in the corner gets two and it’s back to Allie, who bails to the floor instead of fighting Kiera. The confusion is enough for Yung to get in a cheap shot on Hogan by sending her into the buckle. The double beatdown is on and a hangman’s neckbreaker out of the Tree of Woe makes it worse for Hogan.

Yung climbs the buckles for a headscissors and Allie gets two off a Backstabber. Kiera comes back with some forearms to Yung and an awkward looking collision puts both of them down. It’s enough for the hot tag to Grace and house is cleaned in a hurry. Everything breaks down and the evil ones get taken down by a dive. Back in and Allie rakes Grace’s eyes so Hogan can tag herself in.

A fisherman’s suplex gets two and it’s back to Grace for a powerbomb to Yung and a World’s Strongest Slam to Allie at the same time (though she BARELY held them up). That’s only good for two on Allie, who mists Grace in the really evil act. The Codebreaker hits Hogan but Allie wants Su’s bloody glove. The Mandible Claw finishes Hogan at 8:58.

Rating: D+. This was exactly what I was expecting and that’s the right call. Allie and Yung have some staying power as heels, at least until Rosemary is back to save Allie’s soul. The match wasn’t the point here and Allie pinning Hogan makes sense. Now just get Rosemary back and see where things go.

Post match Yung beats on Hogan even more and here are the bridesmaids with the coffin. Rosemary pops out though and punches some bridesmaids before growling at Yung. Rosemary crawls inside and stares at Allie, who is rather panicked. She reaches to touch Allie’s head and Allie bails in a hurry.

We recap Eddie Edwards vs. Moose. They were friends until Moose got hurt and claimed Eddie didn’t care. Moose turned on him and sent Eddie over the edge, putting him in a mental hospital. Raven of all people (I don’t get it either) got Eddie out of the hospital and it’s time for a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

Falls Count Anywhere. Eddie jumps him during the entrances, as he should because he’s not the kind of guy who would wait for a bell here. Moose catches the suicide dive though and Eddie gets TOSSED into the steps. Back to back powerbombs on the floor and apron give Moose two and it’s time to load up the steps, plus a piece of barricade between the ring and the regular barricade.

Another powerbomb is countered and Eddie takes it back to the floor, this time heading into the crowd. The fans want them to come OVER HERE, though I’d settle for a camera staying on them. What looked like a beer can to Moose’s head makes him walk even more but Moose whips him into some steps to the upper deck. Eddie of course hits a dive off the balcony but would rather chop Moose than cover him.

Back to ringside with Eddie getting knocked off the apron, sending him face first into the barricade. A bunch of chairs are thrown in and Moose posts Eddie to keep him down. Eddie is busted open (as he should be) and Moose bites at the cut (as he shouldn’t be). For some reason Moose goes up, allowing Eddie to pelt a chair at his head. The chairs are piled up and a top rope superplex drops both guys onto them for the huge crash.

Rating: B-. This was pretty close to the violent fight that it should have been and hopefully it wraps up the feud once and for all. There’s no reason to keep things going and Eddie winning is a pretty definitive finish. Alisha accepting Eddie’s violence and helping with the beatdown was a nice touch, especially since there was no Raven to get involved here.

Sami Callihan promises to destroy Willie Mack tonight. Mack is in over his head and has made the mistake of looking for a fight with the wrong man. It’s still not clear why Sami isn’t attacking Willie’s buddy Rich Swann but Mack wants to fight anyway.

Willie Mack vs. Sami Callihan

Dave Crist is here with Callihan. Mack starts fast and snaps off a hurricanrana before hitting a running flip dive onto Crist and Callihan for the early control. Back in and Swann hits a running seated Blockbuster but a Crist distraction lets Sami ram him face first into the apron. There’s the running kick to the side of Mack’s head and it’s time for the OVE SUCKS chants. Back in and Sami hits the spit chop in the corner before we hit the chinlock. Mack jawbreaks his way to freedom but Sami rakes the eyes.

That goes nowhere for some reason but another Crist distraction lets Sami roll him up for two. A Samoan drop into a standing moonsault gives Mack two of his own, setting up a running hip attack in the corner. When did that become the most popular move in wrestling? The Sky High gives Mack two more but Callihan scores with a powerbomb into the V Trigger for two.

The Stunner out of nowhere gives Mack two more as Sami has to get his foot on the ropes. Mack goes up and thanks to a third Crist distraction, it’s a super Death Valley Driver for one. A hard lariat gives Sami another one as Mack is getting all fired up. Another lariat turns Mack inside out and the Cactus Piledriver gives Sami the pin at 10:13.

Rating: C+. Mack has developed a habit of stealing the show and he came close here. Sami winning makes the most sense here as Mack isn’t ready to beat someone like him, but Mack is rapidly becoming one of the most entertaining guys in the division. If they keep treating him well, he’s going to be just fine for a long time.

Eli Drake stands in front of a cage where Abyss was born nearly twenty years ago. He’s ready to get rid of hardcore and laughs off the idea that he’s afraid. Tonight is Monster’s Ball and he has monster balls, so hardcore ends tonight.

We recap Eli Drake vs. Abyss. Drake claimed that the company was an unsafe working environment and decided to destroy hardcore wrestling. He went after Joseph Park to get rid of Abyss, which earned him an offer for Monster’s Ball at Homecoming. This of course turned into an ECW reunion with Tommy Dreamer and Raven laying Drake out on the go home show.

Abyss vs. Eli Drake

Monster’s Ball, meaning hardcore. Abyss throws in a bunch of weapons before the bell so Drake gets in a staple gun shot to take over. For some reason he tries a sunset flip and gets stapled in the chest. Abyss loads up two tables at ringside but Drake knocks him into the crowd. The breather lets Drake kick him low and drive an anvil case into Abyss’ head to really take over.

Back inside and some garbage can shots to the head rock Abyss all over again. A running metal sign shot is countered into an overhead belly to belly though and Drake goes FLYING through the tables. That looked awesome, even if it was telegraphed (not a bad thing in this case). It’s time for thumbtacks but Drake elbows his way out of the chokeslam. Drake picks up some tacks but hits the referee in the face by mistake. The Black Hole Slam gets two as the referee isn’t quite blinded.

Rating: C. Standard weapons match here, though that overhead belly to belly through the tables was great. Drake winning doesn’t save the whole story but it saves my head from exploding. He’s WAY too talented to be stuck in a feud like this and him losing to the mostly retired guy would have been one of the worst ideas they could have had. That and a lack of ECW legends helped this a lot.

Killer Kross finds tonight’s main event interesting. A series of events have led us here but after tonight, Option C will be replaced by Option X. Tick tock.

We recap LAX vs. the Lucha Bros. LAX have held the Tag Team Titles for a long time and now want the huge match. Konnan doesn’t think they’re ready though and has walked out, meaning LAX is on their own. This could be the match of the night by a mile if it goes as people are expecting.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Lucha Bros

LAX is defending and there’s no Konnan in sight. Fenix and Santana start things off in a feeling out process. A very fast armdrag sends Santana into the ropes for a kick to the back from Pentagon and it’s a double superkick on Santana with Fenix hitting a crazy hard suicide dive on Ortiz. Santana gets back up and sends Fenix outside for a kick to Pentagon’s head, followed by the backsplash from Ortiz.

Pentagon goes outside as well and Santana hits a top rope Asai moonsault to take him right back down. Back in and a Lionsault/legdrop combination gets two on Pentagon as they’ve certainly started fast. Fenix saves his brother from a double suplex and the champs are sat outside on the ramp. Pentagon throws a charging Fenix onto both of them before hitting his own no hands flip dive onto the pile.

Back in and a Codebreaker/top rope double stomp combination gets two on Ortiz. Santana comes back in and hits a reverse powerbomb into a top rope splash but Pentagon runs in for the crazy save with a step up Canadian Destroyer (GEEZ) to put everyone down. Ortiz and Pentagon slap it out and it’s a series of running kicks to put all four down again.

The Bros get back up first with the spike Fear Factor to Santana, though Ortiz is a bit late with the save and Santana has to kick out on his own. The Street Sweeper hits Pentagon with Fenix diving in with a dropkick for the save. A rolling cutter into a Codebreaker into a superkick finishes Fenix out of nowhere to retain the titles at 10:48.

Rating: B+. It’s the most entertaining thing on the card so far but this didn’t hit the heights they should have reached. It needed another five to ten minutes as I was expecting this to be nearly twice as long. What we got was good, but it wasn’t built up, making the match feel like it was designed to be a classic instead of just being a classic. Very good, but it could have been a lot more.

Post match Konnan comes out to say he was wrong about LAX, but right about this being a great match.

Gail Kim doesn’t like Tessa Blanchard but she’ll call it down the line.

We recap Taya Valkyrie vs. Tessa Blanchard. Tessa has had to escape with the title multiple times now and has cheated more than once. Therefore, Gail Kim is back as guest referee, and because we haven’t seen her in a long time and that just won’t do.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Tessa is defending Gail Kim is guest referee. An early toss doesn’t get Tessa very far as she charges into a boot in the corner and there’s a double stomp to keep the champ in trouble. A knee to the face sends Tessa outside but she whips Taya into the barricade. Tessa adds a dropkick to drive her into the barricade and we hit the seated armbar back inside. Taya’s neck is bent around the ropes and Gail has to yell at Tessa to break it up. A heck of a clothesline out of the corner puts Tessa in trouble and a straitjacket suplex gives Taya two.

The double knees in the corner get two more and Taya reverses the Buzzsaw DDT into a northern lights suplex. They’re showcasing Taya being equally strong here, which isn’t something Tessa is used to. Taya misses a moonsault and there’s a spear (because every wrestler needs a spear). Tessa can’t believe the kickout and accidentally runs Gail over. The Buzzsaw DDT connects for no cover because Gail is suffering from retired wrestler syndrome.

Tessa grabs the title for the tug of war with Gail, who accidentally hits Taya in the head with the belt. That’s good for two so Tessa shoves Gail in no the brightest move. Gail shoves her into a rollup for two and they seem to botch the setup for a Codebreaker out of the corner. Therefore they do it again with the Codebreaker connecting the second time around. Gail counts two so Tessa drives her into the corner. That’s enough for Gail, who hits Eat Defeat to set up the Road To Valhalla to make Taya champion at 10:36.

Rating: C-. They botched some spots pretty badly and Gail was WAY too much of the focus here. There’s a good chance that it’s going to set up Tessa vs. Gail, which would be treated as a bigger match that whatever Taya is doing. The wrestling could have been better too and the match got bogged down by everything they had going on here. At least there were a few good moments, but way too much focus on Gail, as usual.

The announcers talk about the move to the Pursuit Channel. As a bonus, it’s also going to be on their Twitch channel, which is WAY overdue.

Johnny Impact says tonight isn’t about friendship because it’s about the World Title. He’s a fighting champion instead of a paper champion. There have been a bunch of people he’s thought deserved a shot and he’s given them those shots. Tonight, he’s doing it again with Cage.

We recap the World Title match. Impact finally won the World Title at Bound For Glory and Cage cashed in Option C by trading in his X-Division Title for a shot at the World Title here. Cage has gotten more serious and is almost unstoppable to put Impact in trouble.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Brian Cage vs. Johnny Impact

Cage is defending and has Terminator gear on for an even more intimidating (though slightly goofy) look. Feeling out process to start with Impact moving around as much as he can to avoid the pain but Cage counters a slingshot into an overhead suplex to take control. Some corner clotheslines connect until Impact avoids a charge, setting up a springboard spear for two. Impact’s armbreaker is broken up without much effort and a pair of monkey flips put him in even more trouble.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Impact goes up, only to get caught with a Cheeky Nandos kick. An electric chair gives Cage two and it’s back to the chinlock. Impact fights up again and sends him outside for the big flip dive off the top, with his knee going right into Cage’s face/chest. Cage is fine enough to hit a superkick into a release German suplex. Impact scores with the Moonlight Drive and they’re both down for a breather. Starship Pain is countered into an F5 for two and we get some NEW CHAMP chants.

A buckle bomb looks to set up Weapon X but Impact reverses into rollup for two. The discus lariat gives Cage a very close near fall so Impact hits a quick Flying Chuck. Starship Pain works this time but Cage is up at two again. The super Spanish Fly doesn’t even get one and it’s a powerbomb into a buckle bomb into a helicopter bomb for two, breaking Cage’s momentum on the near fall.

Weapon X connects for two with Johnny having to get his foot on the rope. Cage gets knocked to the floor and goes after the Survivor contestants (Impact was on the show), meaning the referee has to check on them so Cage’s Drill Claw only gets two. Cage’s apron superplex is countered into something like a DDT for a very close count that is called three to retain the title at 19:12.

Rating: B. They were rocking with some of those near falls and then we had to get the Survivor goofs involved to set up the botched ending really brought things down though and there wasn’t much they could do to recover from things. Cage losing like that didn’t help things very much either either, though they had built up enough good will before then that it didn’t sink things. Good match, though the big problems hold it back a lot.

A furious Cage throws the title at Impact and storms off. Taya comes out to celebrate with an annoyed Johnny but here’s Killer Kross to jump Impact. Kross powerbombs Taya off the stage into the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a rather good show for the most part with almost everything working at least in some way. Some of the matches weren’t as solid as others and the Knockouts Title left a lot to be desired. There were a few matches and moments that could have been better, but what we got was more than good enough. The problem for this company has always been consistency though, and I’m not exactly thrilled by what we might be getting going forward. It’s a rather good show overall, but it needed a few more steps to be great.

Results

Rich Swann b. Jake Crist, Ethan Page and Trey Miguel – Swann pulled down the title

Su Yung/Allie b. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace – Mandible Claw to Hogan

Eddie Edwards b. Moose – DDT

Sami Callihan b. Willie Mack – Cactus Piledriver

Eli Drake b. Abyss – Paddle to the head

LAX b. Lucha Bros – Superkick to Fenix

Taya Valkyrie b. Tessa Blanchard – Road To Valhalla

Johnny Impact b. Brian Cage – DDT off the ropes

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

We’re back to the old stomping grounds for Impact Wrestling with a show at the Asylum. Thankfully they don’t seem to be trying anything like a One Night Stand show because egads a flashback night for this company could be a very scary sight. Basically it’s just about the venue and getting back on pay per view, which isn’t the worst thing in the world. Now if only the show can be that good. Let’s get to it.

Willie Mack vs. Sami Callihan

This was added to the show after the go home show and that’s not the worst thing in the world. At least the match was set up on the TV show and it’s not exactly something wedged in. I’m not sure what to think of this one as Callihan is a big heel but Mack has a special kind of charisma that could make him a special deal and I’m not sure you want him to lose a high profile match like this.

I’ll take Callihan though as he’s already a star while Mack is still waiting to get there. Those are two different things and a loss to a prospect instead of someone already established isn’t the best idea for Callihan. Mack can get a lot from the match though and a few weapon shots are likely going to be involved. Callihan wins, but Mack looks good in his big defeat.

Jordynne Grace/Kiera Hogan vs. Su Yung/Allie

Here’s the second match added to the show since Impact and again, it was set up on TV. Hogan is outgunned against Yung and Allie and Grace is someone who was brought in without much to do. I’m not sure how much of a reason she has to be involved in the story but it’s as good as anything else for her. Hogan clearly needs some help here and it’s certainly not the direction I was expecting them to take with the story.

That being said, there’s not much of a reason for Allie and Yung to lose here. That seems to be a long term story instead of anything that can be wrapped up here and they shouldn’t be taking a loss to someone brought into the story this fast. Grace can dominate and Hogan can take the fall, but Yung and Allie need to win to keep Allie hot as a heel. There are several places this story can go and I don’t want to see them getting taken out so soon.

Abyss vs. Eli Drake

This is Monster’s Ball and the story that has made my head hurt since the beginning. Tommy Dreamer was involved early on but then Raven made an appearance on Impact, because again we can’t have a story involving hardcore wrestling without throwing in the ECW tribute again. It’s not like there are hardcore wrestlers from Impact’s past to use in that spot instead, but I’ll cut myself off there.

Normally I would say that Drake has to win here, but you never can tell with something like this. If there’s one thing that Impact Wrestling likes to do, it’s pay tribute to its past. Giving Abyss one last moment of glory here wouldn’t shock me whatsoever, especially if Dreamer and Raven can get in there to help him. Drake is a former World Champion and could be on that level again at the drop of a hat, but he’s been stuck in this story for months now. Just let him win, which is about the bare minimum that he can get from the whole thing.

X-Division Title: Ethan Page vs. Jake Crist vs. Rich Swann vs. Trey Miguel

The title is vacant coming in (because it’s treated like a gift certificate instead of something worth keeping) and this is Ultimate X for old times’ sake. The match is almost guaranteed to be a fun spot fest, though as someone with a fear of heights I’m not exactly looking forward to seeing it come back. There isn’t exactly a clear favorite here as none of them are the biggest stars in the world, but that can make things more interesting.

I don’t see how this can be anyone but Swann, who is the biggest star in the match by a long stretch. Crist is part of a (talented) lackey team and there’s no reason to put him a long way ahead of his brother. Page is still just a guy and I really don’t want to have another reason for Matt Sydal to talk on TV. That leaves Miguel as another option and while I like what I see from him so far, they still need to do a little more with him to make him champion. I wouldn’t lose it if he won the title, but Swann is the safer and smarter pick.

Eddie Edwards vs. Moose

Falls Count Anywhere here, which makes enough sense. This would be the second story involving Raven for some reason. There’s a long backstory here as Moose and Edwards were friends but Moose claims that Edwards didn’t care when he got hurt. Moose came back and turned on Edwards, sending him even further over the edge and into a mental hospital. Edwards got out (with the help of Raven for some reason) and is ready to fight for revenge and the sake of violence.

In theory, Edwards has to win, as the Eddie Is Insane story can only go so much further. It’s been done at this point and Moose is the kind of guy who can absorb a loss. Edwards could be someone who could head back to the top of the card in a hurry as he has all the tools to go there, including the history. It should be a heck of a brawl, but Edwards should (and needs to) come out with the win.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard(c) vs. Taya Valkyrie

I think I know where this is going and while it’s not surprising, that doesn’t make it any better. Gail Kim is special guest referee here for the sake of her being Gail Kim and there’s a good chance that’s going to play a big role in the finish. Valkyrie has been chasing the title for several months now and Blanchard has escaped with it every time. Blanchard is one of the best stars the division has seen in a long time and while I don’t think it’s time to take the title off of her, something needs to change here.

I’m going with Blanchard retaining here, though through some shenanigans. Either way, I fully expect Kim to show up again and somehow get a title match out of this, as it’s been a long time since we’ve seen her in the title picture. All she did was retire as champion after all and that’s no reason to not make her the focus of the division. The division needs some fresh blood, but as soon as Kim came back in you had to have an idea where things were going. The match should be good, but I’m not thrilled with having Kim there (if that wasn’t clear).

Tag Team Titles: LAX(c) vs. Lucha Bros

This is easily the best looking match on the show and has had a lot of fans drooling for weeks now. The key here has been Konnan, who didn’t want LAX to take the match and has disappeared since. I’m not sure what he’s going to do on Sunday but you have to believe he’s going to show up and do something important in the match. Either way, it’s going to be awesome, which is what matters most.

The Lucha Bros get the titles here, due to a combination of the story going in that direction and LAX being out of teams to fight. They’ve held the titles since June and there’s not much of a reason to keep the belts on them much longer. The Lucha Bros are a big deal right now and have the credibility to win them easily. The big thing here though is seeing an awesome match, which these teams have delivered for months. I’m looking forward to this one and it should be the best on the show.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact(c) vs. Brian Cage

They did what they could to set this up on the go home show and came about as close as possible to making it work. If there’s one thing that this company has never quite been able to pull off, it’s the emotional World Title match and this has been no exception. Impact winning the title was cool but it hasn’t exactly changed anything. There’s something that worries me though and I have a feeling it’s where things are going.

I’m thinking Impact retains, albeit with help from Killer Kross, who has been running around for weeks, offering Impact his help in retaining. Impact has seen Cage’s power up close now and might thing he needs the help, which would be one of the dumbest things they could do. They don’t need to turn Impact heel but the signs seem to be there. Since he’s already beaten Kross in a title match, there’s not much of a point in setting up another match. Kross could help Cage win the match, but does he exactly need the help? I think they’ll go with the ill advised heel turn here, just for the sake of tradition.

Overall Thoughts

Like I said, there’s some potential for some fun here but you never can tell. This hasn’t been the most thrilling build in the world, though the two weeks off for the sake of the Best Of shows didn’t help things. The card looks pretty good and the big matches have been built well. I’m expecting a strong show, though again nothing that is going to make my overall opinion of Impact go up that much. Still though, I’ll take what I can get.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 3, 2019
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s the go home show for Homecoming and since the last two weeks have been Best Of shows, they have a lot to do in one night. This week they have to build things up but also catch you up on the storylines. Now the question is how much time they’ll waste on stuff that doesn’t matter. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at every story going on, which is a very smart idea, especially when they can do it in such a short time.

Opening sequence.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann/Rascalz vs. Ethan Page/Matt Sydal/OVE/Sami Callihan

Always nice to pack a few feuds into one match. Jake Crist and Trey Miguel get things going but Xavier comes in off a very early blind tag for a sliding dropkick to the head. Callihan comes in and some rapid fire Rascalz offense in the corner puts him in trouble. The rapid fire tags continue with Swann and Mack getting in some shots of their own as Sami can’t get anything going.

All ten come in for the big brawl until Sami is left alone to clothesline the heck out of Miguel. That’s fine with Trey, who hurricanranas Callihan on the floor, setting up the series of dives. Sydal blocks Dezmond’s dive with a kick to the head so Wentz used Dezmond as a launchpad to take everyone down instead. Jake and Trey head up top and it’s a super cutter to bring Trey onto the pile for the huge crash. Back from a break with Sami holding Trey in a chinlock and handing it off to Dave for some stomping.

Page adds some stomping from the apron as the villains get their revenge for Sami’s beatdown earlier. Sydal comes in for a side slam but an enziguri to Page allows the diving tag to Swann so house can be cleaned. The low superkick into the middle rope 450 gets two on Page and everything breaks down again. The parade of shots to the face ends with Page hitting a scoop brainbuster for two on Swann. Some people are knocked off the top but Mack saves himself and hits a super Stunner on Dave for the pin at 15:23.

Rating: B. This was the indy style insane tag match to the letter and that’s all it needed to be. They were flying around and had a quick heat segment on Trey that lead to the finish. I don’t know what else you could hope for here, as the people involved are going to be in an insane match at Homecoming, so there wasn’t much of a point in doing anything more than a spotfest. It worked perfectly well and I had a good time with it so well done for a long opener.

Post match Sami hits Willie with a ball bat and the All Seeing Eye puts Mack through a table. Swann gets back in to save Mack from a bat shot to the head.

Preview of the rest of the show.

Video on Eddie Edwards vs. Moose. They used to be friends but Moose claimed that Eddie didn’t care when he got hurt. Moose returned and turned on Eddie, sending Eddie completely over the edge and into a mental hospital. Eddie escaped with the help of a random Raven cameo and is swearing revenge on Sunday.

Here’s Eli Drake, carrying an oar, for a chat. Drake talks about all the people he’s gotten rid of, including Joseph Park, Abyss and Tommy Dreamer. Then he has to show up at Homecoming for a Monster’s Ball match, even though there’s no chance Abyss will be there. If Abyss somehow does show up though, it’ll be a few wacks with old paddy and he’ll go away again. Drake is that good and he is hardcore.

Cue Dreamer with a chair to beat Drake down but before he can Pillmanize the neck, the lights go out and Raven appears. Drake tells them to fight but Raven and Dreamer beat him down instead. Callis: “Only in Impact Wrestling will you see these two standing together, even for a moment!” They were Tag Team Champions at one point dude. Also, I have no idea what the point of this was other than to make Dreamer and Raven look good, which seems pretty counterproductive.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Fallah Bahh/KM

Gama Singh dedicates this match to Scarlett Bordeaux so here’s Scarlett to watch. The Squad jumps the distracted Bahh and KM from behind to start but Bahh isn’t having any of this being punched in the head thing. Singh manages to drive him back into the corner for the tag to Raju, allowing some choking in the corner. Scarlett seems impressed as Bahh gets covered for two but doesn’t like Singh attempting a slam and having Bahh fall on him. KM comes in for the roll over the Squad but a jumping knee into a neckbreaker puts KM in trouble. Bahh crossbodies both of them though and sits on Singh’s chest for the pin at 4:51.

Rating: D. It feels like these teams have been fighting for months now. The Bordeaux thing has gone on long enough and she needs to just debut whatever surprise talent she has and be done with it. Her doing those stupid email segments and watching the same people fight over and over has lost its charm and they need to move on already. Oh and fire the Squad. It’s just not going to happen.

The Lucha Bros say LAX aren’t ready to be a real team without Konnan. It won’t be a friendly match on Sunday because it’s going to be about respect and honor.

Allie vs. Kiera Hogan

Why isn’t this at the pay per view? Hogan goes straight at her and stomps away in the corner, followed by a running dropkick to make it even worse. A suicide dive takes out Su Yung but the distraction lets Allie take Hogan down and hammer away. Allie gets to stomp her down in the corner for a change and cuts Kiera down with a clothesline. A big boot gives Kiera two and she kicks Allie in the head again for the same. Allie is right back with the Codebreaker for the fast pin at 4:34.

Rating: D+. This was too short to mean much and I’m not sure if Allie should be beating Kiera clean so soon. I’m not sure where this story actually goes but it could be interesting to see over the next few weeks. Allie is really working as a heel though and while that’s not the biggest surprise in the world, I’m impressed with it given how great she was as a face for so long.

Post match Allie and Su beat up Kiera even more until Jordynne Grace of all people makes the save and wrecks both of them.

Video on Taya Valkyrie vs. Tessa Blanchard, which has gotten Gail Kim involved despite the complete lack of her being needed.

Earlier today, Trevor Lee ranted to Don Callis and Scott D’Amore (not shown) about not being on the show and got a match for his efforts.

LAX always wanted to be pro wrestlers and overcame everything thrown against them over the years. They’re like brothers and the one time Konnan wasn’t in their corner, they lost everything. Now they need to prove that Konnan isn’t the only reason they win. They’re going to make history at Homecoming because they have to prove their worth to themselves and their family. Good fired up promo from the champs.

Trevor Lee vs. Killer Kross

Kross headlocks him to start and Lee’s efforts at a wristlock have no effect. Some kicks just annoy Kross, who stomps Lee down with no effort. The Saito suplex sets up the Krossjacket choke to give Kross the win at 2:34. Total squash.

Post match Kross wishes Johnny Impact luck against Brian Cage on Sunday, even though he feels like he can’t get through to him. He asks if Impact would like to see what happens when diplomacy fails. Kross grabs the timekeeper and pulls out a cinder block of all things. The timekeeper puts the block on Lee’s head in the corner and Kross breaks it with a right hand. That’s it for Lee in the company, and thank goodness they squashed a guy who has been misused in his entire run with the company. There’s your nice sendoff Lee and have fun in AEW.

Homecoming rundown.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: Jerry Lynn vs. Sean Waltman from Sacrifice 2005.

Lucha Bros vs. Brian Cage/Johnny Impact

Works for me. Cage shoulders Fenix down to start and catches a handspring without much effort. Pentagon comes in instead and gets caught in a hard German suplex as there’s no answer for Cage so far. It’s off to Impact for a kick to the head from the apron but Pentagon is right back with a Sling Blade. The Backstabber out of the corner keeps Impact down and there’s the big chop in the corner. Fenix comes back in with a missile dropkick for two but Cage knocks him down. A rolling cutter finally stops Cage and Pentagon adds a running flip dive.

Impact is right behind him with an Asai moonsault but Fenix dives onto everyone as we take a break. Back with Impact kicking the Bros down and getting two off a super Spanish Fly to Fenix. The Pentagon Driver plants Johnny and it’s time for the exchange of superkicks and other assorted kicks to the head. Cage discus lariats Impact down by mistake and gets double superkicked to the floor. The spike Fear Factor finishes Impact at 10:34.

Rating: C. This was more storyline than anything else and that’s perfectly fine. Cage and Impact don’t exactly have a great reason to be fighting other than cashing in the title shot so this was as good of an idea as they were going to have. The Lucha Bros winning is fine and it’s not like Impact got pinned clean or anything. Fine from a storyline standpoint and I’ll take a last minute build rather than nothing at all.

Post match Impact and Cage stare each other down. Cage goes to leave but Impact stops him and the fight is on. Referees and security can’t do much so some of the locker room comes out, only to have Johnny walk the ropes for a flip dive onto Cage. They’re finally separated to wrap things up.

A long video on Homecoming, featuring clips from the old days of TNA, ends the show.

Unless I missed something quick, there was no mention of the move to the Pursuit Channel next week.

Overall Rating: C. Pretty good go home show here with the bigger matches getting either a match or a promo to build them up. There are a few things that could have been done better but at least they hit the high points and reminded you what’s coming on Sunday. Homecoming should be another run of the mill Impact pay per view: an entertaining three hours but nothing that is going to stick with you long term because this company doesn’t do stuff that has a lot of staying power.

Results

Willie Mack/Rich Swann/Rascalz b. OVE/Sami Callihan/Ethan Page/Matt Sydal – Super Stunner to Dave Crist

KM/Fallah Bahh b. Desi Hit Squad – Banzai Drop to Singh

Allie b. Kiera Hogan – Codebreaker

Killer Kross b. Trevor Lee – Krossjacket choke

Lucha Bros b. Brian Cage/Johnny Impact – Spike Fear Factor to Impact

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 27, 2018
Host: Josh Matthews

It’s the second half of the Best of 2018 after last week’s show was about as easy of a sit as you could find. There’s enough stuff from the year to fill in four hours but I didn’t see anything all that great last week. There’s enough solid stuff to fill out the card though and that’s enough for something like this. Let’s get to it.

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

As usual I’ll be posting the full versions of the matches.

Opening sequence.

Josh welcomes us to the show and promised the top matches of the year tonight, as voted on by the fans.

Fenix talks about being considered the best in the world and how he can’t wait to face LAX at Homecoming.

From Impact, July 5.

Rich Swann vs. Fenix

This could be good. Feeling out process to start with Swann doing about eight nipups in a row to get out of a wristlock. That’s fine with Fenix who bounces on the top rope to send Swann outside. You wouldn’t be able to do that. The fans chant for both these guys as they miss kicks and trade forearms for a standoff. Swann gets kicked to the floor but avoids a dive, setting up a dropkick off the apron to put Fenix down.

Back in and Fenix gets caught on top, banging up his knee in the process. The knee is fine enough to moonsault into an armdrag though as these two just don’t stop. There’s the big flip dive to the floor but Fenix misses a moonsault back inside. Of course he keeps backflipping though and cutters Swann for another close two.

Fenix’s Lethal Injection is countered with Swann standing on his hands (of course) so Fenix has to try it again, this time connecting for a double knockdown. Back from a break with a chop off until Swann gets two off a fisherman’s buster and a middle rope 450. Fenix is right back with an over the shoulder sitout Tombstone for two of his own, followed by a Muscle Buster spinning into a driver for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. They didn’t try to do anything else here other than taking two high fliers and have them throw out one cool move after another. Fenix is as good as anyone right now and Swann could hang with him, making this a very entertaining match. The four way at Slammiversary should be a blast.

Video on LAX vs. the OGz.

LAX can’t believe how far they went against each in the street fight.

From Impact, August 16.

LAX and the OGz meet in the actual streets (or maybe a parking lot) with a bunch of people behind both teams. Konnan and King agree that just the wrestlers themselves fight and the OGz lay the belts down. Since this isn’t an actual match, I’m assuming the belts aren’t on the line. Hernandez gets sent into a fence and beaten with a plastic sign by Ortiz but King sends one of the unnamed goons in with a fork.

Homicide and Santana fight with the fork but Santana gets out of a Gringo Killer on the concrete. Ortiz breaks a broom over Hernandez’s back and Santana hits Homicide with something King accidentally throws him. Hernandez comes back in with what might have been a bottle and Border Tosses Santana onto the pile of people.

King throws in a rope to hang Ortiz but Santana is back in with some kind of club and LAX takes their belts back. With the OGz down, King gets in Konnan’s face and shouts that he’s leading LAX down the wrong path. He yells about Konnan doing something to him fifteen years ago and begs Konnan to knock him out. Konnan swears and does exactly what King requests to end the show.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t taking anything else from Taya Valkyrie. Taya may be a lot of things, but she’s nothing more than Johnny Impact’s wife.

Now we get to the Top 5 Matches of the year with #5 from Bound For Glory.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Taya is challenging and has new gear, making her look like an old school Natalya cosplayer. Tessa works on a wristlock to start and the fans are behind the champ. A headscissors takes Tessa down and Taya kicks her in the head in the corner. Taya gets in a not great spear to put Tessa on the floor but a neckbreaker onto the apron has Taya in trouble. Back in and a Codebreaker out of the corner gives Tessa two but it’s way too early for the Buzzsaw DDT.

Taya is right back with some Spanish shouting and running knees in the corner. A guillotine choke with a bodyscissors has to be broken up by a Tessa dead lift and the fans chant something in Spanish that is completely ignored. They slug it out and the Buzzsaw DDT is broken up again but Taya can’t hit Road to Valhalla. Instead Taya chokeslams her down to set up a moonsault.

A stomp sets up the STF but Tessa is too close to the ropes. The referee stops to FIX THE RING SKIRT, meaning there’s no count off the Road to Valhalla. It’s a delayed two, meaning Tessa is right back up with the Buzzsaw DDT for two of her own. Taya is back up again so Tessa sends her face first into the middle buckle, setting up Magnum to retain the title at 10:44.

Rating: C+. Nice power brawl here with Tessa finally having someone who can go move for move with her. The ending was the only way to go as Taya hasn’t been around in the better part of six months so changing the title was almost out of the question. Now you can build someone else up to challenge Tessa for the title, because the division has been all but cleaned out at the moment.

#4. From Redemption.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. vs. Fenix

Aries is defending. We hit the trash talk to start (well duh) and it’s Aries starting fast with a bunch of chops all around. Remembering that they’re brothers, Fenix and Pentagon send him outside but Pentagon is right back up with a Sling Blade. Aries is back in and getting kicked in the face soon thereafter, followed by a jumping cutter to Pentagon.

A smart Aries steals the near fall and grabs the Last Chancery, only to have Fenix springboard in with a missile dropkick for the save. Pentagon heads outside and it’s Fenix chopping the heck out of Aries. For a change of pace, Aries chops the head out of Fenix. Aries gets two off a forearm as it sounds like one of the announcers is opening a can. Pentagon comes back in and gets bulldogged for two, followed by the Last Chancery with Fenix making another fast save.

That sends Pentagon outside so Fenix throws Aries at him, earning his brother a hurricanrana. Fenix isn’t about to be shown up though and busts out a corkscrew plancha to the floor to drop them both again. Back in again and Fenix drops a Swanton for two on Pentagon, who pops up to German suplex both guys. He can’t quite break Aries’ arm though as Fenix makes a save. Now why wouldn’t he want the World Champion taken out?

Pentagon beaks up Aries’ running corner dropkick and Backstabs his brother for two. This time it’s Fenix getting back up with a superkick to Aries but Pentagon’s Fear Factor (package piledriver) gets two with Aries making another save. Pentagon is fine enough to block a suicide dive so Aries sends him into the crowd instead.

Back in (again) and the 450 hits both challengers, including Pentagon taking some hard knees. That’s enough for the two of them and it’s time for the brother double teaming, including a double superkick. Pentagon lays Fenix out though and snaps Aries’ arm. The Fear Factor gives Pentagon the pin on Aries and the title at 16:15.

Rating: B. Good match here and that’s all you can ask for in a big time main event. The surprise title change isn’t shocking enough to be too far and you can probably pencil in Pentagon dropping it no later than Slammiversary. That being said, it’s really cool to see Pentagon getting some more exposure like this as he’s been a gem to watch down in Lucha Underground. Strong main event here.

LAX wants to go back to the hallowed grounds for Homecoming to face the Lucha Bros.

#3. From Slammiversary.

Tag Team Titles: OGz vs. LAX

Street fight and LAX is defending, though I thought this was non-title. LAX comes through the crowd and Konnan meets them on the ramp to say go to it. Hernandez shrugs off the beating but can’t hit the Border Toss to the floor. Instead Santana dropkicks Homicide off the apron and it’s some dives (with the camera missing one) to drop the OGz. A pair of tables are set up in the corner while Homicide puts up one on the floor against the barricade.

Hernandez starts cleaning house and Ortiz gets choked with a chain. The big dive over the top has Santana rocked as Hernandez flashes back to the SuperMex days. More metal shots to the head put Hernandez down and Homicide actually walks into a suplex. Yes that was in fact a wrestling move. The OGz take over again without much effort but Santana superkicks his way out of trouble.

Back in and Hernandez pulls Santana out of the air, followed by a heck of a sitout powerbomb for two. Ortiz is back up with the trashcan lids to the head and it’s ladder time. A flip dive into a Lionsault onto Hernandez onto the ladder has Hernandez down and the Street Sweeper gets two on Homicide. Santana hits a big flip dive to put Homicide through a table at ringside but they’re not done.

Back in and a running Death Valley Driver puts Homicide through a table. It works so well that Ortiz loads it up but Hernandez gives him a Border Toss through the other table. Santana is back up this time with a superkick as Konnan goes after King. Homicide loads up the Gringo Killer but stops to spit at Konnan. The distraction lets Konnan throw a bag of tacks to Santana, who THROWS THEM AT HOMICIDE for what could be a terrifying result. A slam and frog splash put Homicide away at 13:55.

Rating: B. This was exactly the kind of match it should have been, meaning it was barely wrestling and was instead the wild weapons brawl that showed off the violent hatred. You can almost guarantee a rematch and the OGz getting the titles at one point, as they certainly should. I liked the match a lot, though it didn’t hit the level I was hoping it would reach.

Johnny Impact wants to beat up Brian Cage in Nashville. As usual, this company doesn’t know how to make World Title matches personal.

#2. From Bound For Glory.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Austin Aries

Aries is defending, Taya, Moose (in the King outfit again) and Killer Kross are here and we get Big Match Intros. Johnny goes for a takedown but gets caught in a guillotine choke with Aries grabbing the ropes for some illogical reason. Aries gets taken down by a choke as well and the fans chant 205. Impact changes plans by slugging away and knocks him to the floor with a dive to follow.

Back up and Aries tries to whip him into the barricade but Johnny jumps up with one foot on the barricade and the other on the apron for a moonsault. You know, because he can just do that. They head back in with Aries pounding away and glaring over at Taya. That earns him a rolling slap to the face but Aries knocks him down again and lays on the top rope. Some hard knees in the corner look to set up the Flying Chuck, only to have Aries knock him out to the floor. A springboard corkscrew crossbody gives Impact two but Aries is right back up with a Last Chancery attempt.

That doesn’t work either so Impact hits the Flying Chuck for two more. Impact takes him up top but gets shoved down, setting up a middle rope hurricanrana. The neckbreaker over the middle rope connects but Aries takes way too long going up (out of character for him) and gets caught in a super Spanish Fly.

The Countdown to Impact misses (Does it ever hit?) so they fight to the apron with Aries hitting a Death Valley Driver for a sick crash. Aries’ 450 gets two so it’s time to yell at the ref. A superkick sets up Starship Pain for two as Aries has to grab the rope. The roaring elbow sets up the corner dropkick and the brainbuster to knock Impact silly but he’s still fine enough to get a boot on the ropes.

Taya celebrates so Aries yells at her, allowing Impact to grab a backslide for two. The Last Chancery is broken up and they slug it out until Aries hits a suicide dive to send Taya into the barricade. That’s too far and Impact kicks Aries in the head (with the camera on Moose laughing) and gives him a brainbuster of his own. Starship Pain is good for the pin and the title at 21:00.

Rating: B. The ending was the right call and they beat the heck out of each other, making this a rather strong main event. Now the problem here is the Taya stuff, which while making it feel personal, came off as forced. It was like they didn’t have enough in the story to make it work so they wedged that in there at the last second, almost like Aries’ heel turn against Jeff Hardy in 2012. It worked for the match, but it would have been better as part of the build over a few weeks, not a few days.

Sami Callihan knew his match would be #1 and then he’ll do it again at Homecoming.

#1. From Slammiversary.

Sami Callihan vs. Pentagon Jr.

After some yelling, they get to the kicking each other in the face. Pentagon scores with a Sling Blade for the first real offense and it’s time for the chops. Sami opens his vest and wants the best shot. The ensuing chop brings Callihan to his knees and a face that says how bad of an idea that was. He’s fine enough to take it outside for a water bottle to the head but they both chop the post.

Pentagon slaps him down as the announcers mention that this has relaxed rules. I know that’s expected and understood, but it’s nice to be officially told. Callihan posts out some spikes of all things and starts gouging at the head, drawing some much needed blood (just kind of necessary in a match like this). That’s fine with Pentagon, who knocks a spike back into Callihan’s head. With nothing else working, both guys grab a chair and beat the fire out of each other, earning a FIGHT FOREVER chant.

There is blood everywhere and Pentagon chairs him down again. The armbreaker is broken up so Pentagon chairs him down for the second time in a few seconds. Cue the Crists to take a shot each, allowing Callihan to throw some powder. Pentagon breaks the ref’s arm instead so there’s no one to count the Pentagon Driver.

Rating: B-. This needed to be a few minutes shorter but it also needed to be a little away from the previous match as having two violent brawls in a row wasn’t the best idea. Pentagon winning was really the only call here given how big of a star he is on the indy scene at the moment so it’s hard to argue with the ending. Give Sami something to bring him back to earth and OVE can go insane again.

Overall Rating: B. That was #1? Really? The match wasn’t all that great and the fans think that it’s the best of the year? There were some odd choices on this show but there’s only so much complaining you can do about something like this. The wrestling was good and the LAX vs. OGz stuff is as good as it got all year and the Homecoming card looks great. Hopefully they can get in a good go home show, but I wouldn’t be shocked if they don’t quite make it. Anyway, good 2018, though it wasn’t as good as it could have been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: December 20, 2018
Host: Josh Matthews

It’s the end of the year and therefore it’s time for something a little different. For the next two weeks we’ll be looking at the Best Of 2018, which could be an interesting collection. I’m not sure what to expect from this as Impact’s definition of best could be all over the place. There’s good stuff in there though and this could be entertaining. Let’s get to it.

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

Note that I’ll be posting the full versions of any matches or segments rather than the clipped versions aired on the show.

Opening sequence.

Josh is in a full arena for the intro, which is rather odd to see.

Video on Rich Swann.

From Bound For Glory.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann vs. Ethan Page/Matt Sydal

Interesting choice for an opener. Swann strikes away to start and it’s Sydal telling him to open his third eye. Instead it’s off to the Mack for a heavy flying tackle to drop Sydal, meaning Page comes in to try his luck. Swann headscissors him down but a backdrop gives us a 450, sending Swann face first into the mat. Sydal comes back in to start on the arm, including a Fujiwara armbar.

A big boot from Page and a kick to the face from Sydal send Swann outside, where there is barely any room between the ring and the barricade. It doesn’t seem to bother Mack, who cannonballs down onto the other three. That’s still not enough for the hot tag though as Sydal cranks on something like a cobra clutch back inside. A side slam cuts Swann off again but he rolls over and brings in Mack to clean house. That means a Cannonball in the corner and a German suplex to set up a standing moonsault on Page.

Swann comes back in for a flapjack/bulldog combination before taking Page to the top. That’s not the best idea, as Page slams him down and hits a Swan Dive for two more. Sydal knees Mack in the face and hurricanranas Swann off the top, only to have him land in a hurricanrana to send Page flying instead for a cool spot. Everything breaks down and it’s a series of kicks to the face to put everyone down. Page kicks Sydal by mistake and takes a Stunner, leaving Swann to hit a Lethal Injection. The Phoenix splash is good for the pin on Sydal at 12:34.

Rating: C+. Good choice for an opener here with the fans loving Mack and Swann being his usual charismatic self. IT makes sense to have Sydal take the pin as well with Page being the newcomer and full of potential. As usual, Sydal is much easier to watch when he’s in the ring instead of talking about the third eye stuff. Just stick to what you do best.

Post match the fans seem to like Mack, who grabs a mic and says there are two empty seats in the front row. Therefore, whoever cheers the loudest is getting an upgrade courtesy of the show’s sponsor. Nothing wrong with that.

Tessa Blanchard talks about how awesome her first year here was. She’ll continue her dominance at Homecoming against Taya Valkyrie.

From Slammiversary.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Allie

Allie gets the hometown pop and is in a hybrid of her two gears. They talk a lot of trash to start and Allie kicks her down, followed by a basement crossbody. Tessa isn’t happy with this getting beaten up thing and forearms her down, only to have Allie come back with a spinning crossbody to the floor. A hot shot onto the barricade rocks Allie though and Tessa is getting the swagger going.

More forearms and right hands to the head have Allie in more trouble but she manages a hurricanrana to the floor. Tessa comes up limping a bit so Allie hits a Death Valley Driver on the floor to put them both down. They do the double slide back in and it’s time for the slow motion slugout.

Tessa gets the better of it again and chokes Allie down followed by a scary super hurricanrana to drop Allie on her head for two more. Allie avoids a top rope backsplash and the running Codebreaker sends Tessa outside. The Best Superkick Ever gives Allie a near fall of her own and frustration is setting in. Another Death Valley Driver is countered into the hammerlock DDT to give Tessa the pin at 10:58.

Rating: B-. Tessa is as good of a Charlotte clone as you can get and that’s not a bad place to be. The win is the right call and a suggestion that Madison Rayne actually picks up the title later on. It’s not like there’s anyone else to challenge for the title and Tessa has history with Madison already. Allie will be fine as she’s charismatic enough to make anything work. Shame about losing in her hometown, but it makes sense.

Video on LAX vs. Lucha Bros.

Brian Cage talks about how great this year has been, including fighting OVE, and now it’s time to win the World Title.

From Impact, March 29.

Brian Cage vs. Bobby Lashley

They waste no time with the power lockup and neither can get much of anywhere. A hurricanrana sends Lashley down and a clothesline puts him on the floor as Cage gets the early advantage. Back in and Lashley gets two off a clothesline, followed by a neckbreaker for the same. Cage powers back up and sends him outside for a running flip dive. They both jump from the apron the floor but it’s Cage scoring with a series of kicks. Lashley slams him off the top though and we hit the chinlock.

That goes nowhere so Cage fights up and hits a springboard tornado DDT of all things. Josh: “HE SHOULDN’T BE ABLE TO DO THAT!” I can’t believe I’m saying this but Josh is absolutely right. Back up and Cage gets two off a floatover spinebuster but Lashley is right back with a running powerslam for two. Cage misses a discus lariat and gets speared to the floor for a delayed near fall. The second attempt at the discus lariat connects to give Cage the big upset at 11:03.

Rating: B. This was a lot of fun as Cage looks like the new beast on the block, which is exactly the point of this match. Cage pinning Lashley clean is a big deal for him and not something that happens very often. Lashley is on his way out so putting someone over clean like this is a great parting gift.

Eddie Edwards talks about how bad his year has been, as he’s basically gone insane but he’s still kicking. He likes what this year has done to him and at Homecoming, he’s finishing Moose for good.

From Impact, March 1.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Eddie sends him outside for the suicide dive five seconds in but Sami rolls back in to hit one of his own eleven seconds in. Eddie hits another though and we get to thirty seconds on the replays. Some chops rock Sami and OVE is ejected for a distraction. Sami gets in an apron kick to the face though and we take a break. Back with Eddie fighting out of a chinlock and chopping away, but getting caught in a piledriver on the apron. Since this is a regular TV match though, Sami doesn’t even bother to cover.

Eddie fights out of something like a standing Crossface and kicks Sami in the face to catch him on top. A superplex brings Sami back down for no cover as Eddie can’t follow up. The Backpack Stunner gets two but Sami is right back with the running knee in the corner. A slingshot suplex neckbreaker gives Sami two and an exchange of kicks to the head puts both guys down. Sami loads up a powerbomb but Eddie backdrops into a cradle for the pin at 15:04.

Rating: C+. I liked this better than most Sami matches as it actually felt like a match. I’m still not sure why Sami and OVE are going after Lashley and Eddie but I’m guessing it’s something to do with the team being insane. Eddie winning makes sense as it’s not like a member of the team losing a singles match to a former World Champion is a huge blow.

KM and Fallah Bahh can’t believe they’re here and Bahh they’ll win gold soon enough.

From Impact, September 13.

Impact World Title: Fallah Bahh vs. Austin Aries

Aries is defending as Josh talks about some of the greatest upsets in sports history. As you might expect, Aries has Moose and Kross, both armed with chairs, backing him up. KM is there with Bahh as well. We even get some Big Match Intros with a good sounding announcer. Aries isn’t exactly looking nervous to start and slaps on a headlock to frustrate Bahh early on.

Bahh’s headlock works a bit better as Aries can’t do much with him. Back up and Bahh makes the mistake of running the ropes, leaving him sucking wind on the ropes. We come back from a break with Bahh running Aries over and chopping him down in the corner without needing oxygen. Aries is smart enough to go after the leg but Bahh is right back with more chops. The sitdown splash misses so Aries tries the brainbuster due to reasons of temporary insanity.

Bahh eventually reverses into a suplex and goes back to the chops. The Samoan drop gets two and a belly to belly is good for the same. Bahh tries to roll over Aries but gets reversed into the Last Chancery. That means a foot on the ropes for the break so Aries tries another brainbuster. This one is reversed and a crossbody gives Bahh two but the Banzai drop is broken up again. The Last Chancery goes on for the second time and Bahh taps at 16:22.

Rating: B-. Part of that is due to a surprise as I never would have guessed that this would have been any good and it wound up being rather entertaining. I had a good time watching this, mainly because it wasn’t Bahh doing his annoying comedy. Instead it was a good performance from a guy knowing how to use his size to his advantage. I wonder how much Aries had to do with that, as it was easily the best Bahh performance ever.

Post match KM gets laid out with chairs as the fans still cheer for Moose.

Moose isn’t sure what his best moment of 2018 was but it involved him on some big vacation. He’ll end Eddie at Homecoming.

From Slammiversary.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Moose

Aries is defending and Curtis Granderson of the Toronto Blue Jays is holding the title. Feeling out process to start with Aries’ headlock getting shoved away with no trouble. Aries gets in a hard elbow to put Moose down so Moose nips up with no trouble. He sends Aries outside in a heap and the champ collapses on the floor.

Moose’s big dive sends him sailing over the barricade though and Aries is already trying for the countout. Back in and Aries gets one off a slingshot hilo but Moose shrugs off the shots to the chest. A headbutt has Aries sprawling into the corner and there are some rapid fire chops in the corner.

One heck of an elbow drops Moose but he’s fine enough to hit the discus lariat. The spear is countered into the Last Chancery (cool) and Moose takes a long time making the rope. Moose can barely move so Aries hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron, setting up the big suicide dive.

With nothing else working, Moose wins a slugout and throws him over the barricade. Another dive misses though and Aries gives him a brainbuster on the floor. Somehow that’s only good for nine so Aries grabs the belt. Granderson takes it back and Aries gets rolled up for two, only to have him grab the brainbuster to retain the title at 15:55.

Rating: B+. That’s the kind of main event they needed with Moose fighting as hard as he could but coming up short. It didn’t seem likely that he would actually win the title so seeing him get this close and make you believe he could pull it off was quite the accomplishment. Aries is going to lose the title in a big deal down the line and this was the kind of win that is going to make it seem that important.

Video on Cage vs. Johnny Impact.

Impact is glad to win the title and it’s time to move forward from the top of the Impact mountain.

From Slammiversary.

Petey Williams vs. Johnny Impact vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. Fenix

Williams is replacing an injured Rich Swann. After a quick staredown, everyone is sent into the corner with Ishimori getting a very early advantage. Impact sends Williams to the floor for the big showdown with Ishimori. Both of them miss standing flips and that means a staredown. Fenix comes back in and bounces off the ropes for, of course, a staredown.

A series of bounces on the ropes send Impact to the floor so Petey comes back in with a flying headscissors. There’s O Canada to Fenix but Ishimori comes back in with a hurricanrana on Fenix and Williams making a save. Impact hits a big dive onto Fenix and Williams so Ishimori hits an even bigger one onto the other three. That gets a rare IMPACT WRESTLING chant, which doesn’t have a great cadence but it’s a nice idea.

Everyone comes back in with their series of springboards, capped off by Petey getting the Sharpshooter on Ishimori. Fenix is back in with a 619 on Impact before rolling through the ropes for a cutter. Ishimori knees Fenix in the corner and a Tombstone gets two. Impact uses the ramp to flip into the ring and it’s a circle of strikes for a four way knockdown. Ishimori hits the 450 on Impact but gets caught in the Canadian Destroyer. The springboard double knees drop Petey for two more but it’s Impact with a superkick and Starship Pain for the pin on Fenix at 12:27.

Rating: B. That’s how something like this should have gone as it was four guys going nuts and getting to showcase their talents. That’s how you want to open a show: fast, getting to the point, not putting the big match on first and just letting the fans have a good time. Impact will be a big player again soon, just for the presence that he brings to the matches.

A Josh voiceover wraps us up.

Overall Rating: B+. Yeah this worked as Impact has gotten that much better over the last year. The wrestling has been better put together and the storylines have been that much more interesting. If nothing else, it’s an improvement on the Best Of shows when this company couldn’t figure out how to put up the dates of the shows. It’s almost amazing how much better this place can get in a year, and hopefully that continues next year as well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WrestleCade

WrestleCade 2018 Supershow
Date: November 24, 2018
Location: Benton Convention Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Commentators: Blake Chadrick, Cyrus Fees

So this is kind of like WrestleCon Thanksgiving with a big wrestling convention and a few shows, including this supershow. I’ve wanted to go down to this for a few years but I might as well take a look at the major show. This could be anywhere from great to horrible and it’s hard to guess one way or another. Let’s get to it.

National Anthem. You don’t get that very often outside of Wrestlemania.

Opening sequence, mainly including clips of past conventions and shows. Makes sense, even if this isn’t something you would expect on a show like this.

Apparently there was a dark match with Billy Gunn losing to Vanguard Championship Wrestling Champion Brandon Scott. Fair enough.

Eli Drake vs. Hurricane Helms

Not bad for an opener. Hurricane has Kelly Kelly and the H2 Empress (his wife) with him. Before the match, Drake says a year ago, he stood right here as the Impact Wrestling World Champion. Now, as the greatest wrestler on this planet, he knows there are two places you want to be: in the main event or in the opener. He wants to get this done so he can go get his, ahem, Pop Tarts (read as pie) so let’s downgrade Hurricane to a light breeze.

Hurricane starts in on the arm but gets shoved down, setting up a jumping neckbreaker to send Hurricane outside. That goes nowhere so Drake reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker for two back inside. A swinging neckbreaker (we get the point) gives Drake two more as he’s working the neck to set up the Gravy Train. Hurricane makes the comeback with a neckbreaker of his own but the chokeslam is broken up with an atomic drop. Drake makes the mistake of going after the women though and gets slammed off the top. The chokeslam gives Hurricane the pin at 7:53.

Rating: C-. This was fine for an opener as Drake is a star and Hurricane is going to get a reaction from his reputation and mannerisms alone. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and on a show like this, there are going to be more than enough people going out there and trying to steal the show. This was more of a curiosity match and for the spot they were in, that’s all it needed to be.

The announcers talk about Taya Valkyrie vs. Penelope Ford coming up later tonight.

The Boys vs. War Kings

That would be Dalton Castle’s Boys vs. Crimson/Jax Dane (the Veterans of War from TNA) with Animal in their corner for some reason, meaning they have the LOD face paint on. The Boys are cleared out for trying a handshake early on. Serves them right. Dane starts with we’ll say #1 (their names are Brent and Brandon but the announcers can’t tell them apart either) with a standing fall away slam sending #1 flying.

Crimson comes in to chop #2 but a very delayed vertical suplex is broken up with a kid to the knee. A double Eat Defeat and a double clothesline put Crimson on the floor, setting up a double suicide dive. Back in and Crimson launches #1 into the air for a crash, allowing the tag back to Dane. A pop up spinebuster crushes #1 but we get some “they might as well be twins” magic….and it doesn’t matter as #2 takes a fireman’s carry into a cutter to give the Kings the pin at 5:09.

Rating: D-. Nothing to see here at all as it was just a squash, though I’m still not sure what the point was in having Animal out there. The War Kings are fine for a power team and having them destroy the Boys for a little while was fine. That being said, was there really a point in having a squash on a one off show like this?

CW Anderson vs. Kid Kash

Jerry Lynn is guest referee. Anderson has John Skyler and an unnamed blonde with him. Kash on the other hand has Joel Gertner with him, who might be able to explain how the 49 year old Kash can still be a kid. Gertner does get in a PG-13 version of his signature dirty introductions, which are still funny after all these years. They run the ropes to start and Kash sends him outside for a big flip dive.

Back in and a top rope clothesline gets two on Anderson, who is right back up with a spinebuster. They head outside again and it’s time for a chair, with Anderson sending him shoulder first into the post and then pelting the chair at said shoulder. That’s very Anderson of him. The armbar goes on for a few seconds, followed by a heck of a left hand (again, very Anderson of him) as the announcers talk about Kash’s time as part of the Pitbulls in WWE.

Kash gets in a clothesline for a breather and it’s time to slug it out. A powerslam gives Kash two but he gets caught in a superplex to put them both down. Skyler gets inside to yell at Lynn….and here’s New Jack with the weapons. Jack starts cleaning house, including with a vacuum between the legs. A swing at Lynn sends him running off but he comes back in to take a chair away from Kash. The distraction lets Anderson hit a superkick to finish Kash at 11:02.

Rating: D+. The wrestling we got wasn’t terrible, though the completely random Jack cameo didn’t do the match any favors. If they just have to do the ECW match, at least it was someone different than the Tommy Dreamer/Sandman/everyone else that always gets these spots. Anderson wasn’t too bad and Kash, despite being ancient, was fine as well. Not a good match, but it could have been much worse.

Post match Anderson asks the ECW alumni to come get in the ring, so here are Blue Meanie, Shane Douglas, Chris Hamrick and a few others. This is an ad for an upcoming ECW panel so it’s hardly the worst thing in the world.

MVP/Moose vs. Carlito/Eddie Edwards

What a completely random match that you would only get on a show like this one. Side note: how in the world did Carlito never get a run in TNA? He’s kind of perfect for that place, especially in a quick run. Eddie in in his TNA hardcore mode here, which isn’t the worst idea in the world. It makes extra sense when Moose is in there with him, so we’re at least getting some continuity from the bigger show. In something I don’t think I’ve ever seen: the referee is wearing glasses.

MVP and Moose can’t decide who start so we pause for Eddie to high five a fan. We start with MVP and Carlito, the latter of whom doesn’t want to hear about the apple. The fans DEMAND an apple so someone brings one from the back, allowing the two of them to finally lock up. MVP headlocks him down and then headstands his way out of a headscissors, offering Carlito a friendly tap to the chest. Carlito scores with a dropkick so now it’s off to Moose vs. Edwards to start the fight.

Eddie wastes no time in sending him outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Moose gets in a shot to the face, allowing MVP to come in for some stomps. Eddie chops away at Moose though, giving us the always cool visual of the sweat flying off his chest. MVP comes back in and grabs a chinlock, followed by Ballin for two.

Moose tries his own but only hits mat, allowing the hot tag off to Carlito. House is cleaned in a hurry with a Roll of the Dice getting two on MVP. Moose makes the save and fights to the floor with Eddie as everything breaks down. MVP can’t hit the Playmaker on Eddie and there’s the apple spit in MVP’s face. A DDT gives Eddie the pin at 11:54.

Rating: D+. Just a tag match here and the kind of weird combinations that work very well on a show like this. MVP and Carlito didn’t do anything for me most of the time but they can wrestle a perfectly fine match like this one. Eddie being aggressive and crazy still works well and this was fine, especially with the apple actually playing into the finish after getting the attention at the start.

Penelope Ford vs. Taya Valkyrie

Hardcore with Amber O’Neal (former NWA Women’s World Champion and Luke Gallows’ wife) as referee. Ford is Joey Janela’s girlfriend who had a star making performance at All In. Taya’s entrance takes some time so Ford blasts her in the face with a trashcan to start. Valkyrie gets posted and it’s time to bring in some toys, like a ladder and a chair. A handspring back elbow drives the ladder into Taya but she’s right back with a spear to take Ford down.

The ladder is laid across the middle rope and Taya suplexes her onto it, with the ladder not budging a bit for a very scary landing. Taya puts a chair between Ford’s legs and dropkicks a trashcan into said chair, drawing quite the gasp. It’s table time, which can mean a variety of things at a show like this. They head outside with Taya ripping open Ford’s sweater for a chop but getting whipped into the barricade. Another table is set up but they fight into the crowd and have a seat in a pair of chairs.

That means a slap off, with Ford nearly falling out of her top, to the point where the black tape can be seen. Taya gets the better of it and hammers Ford back to ringside, only to be sent into a table that of course doesn’t break. Ford going face first into it doesn’t work either but Taya taking her shirt off gets a much more positive reaction. Back inside and Ford fires off some kicks in the corner, followed by a DDT onto an open chair for two.

Taya gets in one on the closed chair but she takes WAY too much time loading up a middle rope splash through the table. Ford takes too long with her super hurricanrana though and it’s a superbomb through the table to give Taya the pin at 16:06. O’Neal wasn’t a factor whatsoever.

Rating: C. I’ll give them big points here having a physical fight with the weapons being used like any men’s match of the same rules. So many times you’ll see a women’s match with some weak weapons usage but they were beating the fire out of each other here. Second, it was a big relief to not have the announcers talk about their rather revealing gear. It wasn’t mentioned once when it was almost impossible to ignore. Yeah it’s there, but focus on what you’re getting instead. Nice surprise here, with the extra time not even being a problem.

The announcers preview the rest of the show as the ring is cleared.

Crazzy Steve vs. Vampiro

Casket match and I forgot Steve existed, though he has Sinister Minister (James Mitchell) with him. Steve jumps him before the bell and Vampiro falls to the floor but is still able to whip Steve into the barricade. Another whip sends Vampiro into the side of the casket but Vampiro looks to be near death. Like more so than usual.

They brawl into the crowd and you can barely see anything more than Vampiro’s head. Steve hits a running something and bites Vampiro’s head before they head back to ringside. Vampiro looks for a weapon but settles for a Nail in the Coffin onto the coffin instead. So Nail on the Coffin. Minister comes in for a low blow and Steve adds some mist to the face for the win at about 6:15 (remember no opening bell).

Rating: D-. I heard good things about this match and yet this is what we got. It didn’t have any time and really, that’s probably the best thing possible as Vampiro looked horribly out of shape here and seemed barely able to do anything more than walk around. Bad match, bad execution and a bad idea in general, with the one good thing being they went home in a hurry. That’s actually a big point as so many matches would just keep going no matter how bad it was.

Post match Vampiro grabs the mic and talks about doing this since 1984. He’s beaten cancer and survived a broken back and he didn’t fly from Colombia to have these two censoreds do this. Vampiro does these things on special occasions and that’s not how this is ending because the people didn’t come here to see that. He doesn’t need to get booked on any show because he is the show. Next year, he’s showing up to face the two of them in a cage with no rules and no time limit. Vampiro asks the fans to cheer for him to wrap things up. Uh, yeah Vampiro. You do all those things.

AML Title: Caleb Konley vs. Jason Kincaid vs. Luchasaurus vs. Marty The Moth vs. Mil Muertes vs. Psicosis

This is the America’s Most Liked Wrestling Title and Konley is defending in a ladder match. If nothing else I get a nice flashback with Psicosis’ old WCW music. I haven’t heard that in years. Luchasaurus is better known as Vibora in Lucha Underground and Judas Devlin in NXT. For reasons I don’t understand, he’s a face here, because when you think monster with a mask, you think face. Konley is the hometown boy and brings in his own ladder.

That leaves Kincaid to hit a big springboard armdrag but Psicosis backdrops him onto the pile in the required spot. Psicosis hits his own dive and it’s time for the first ladder. A headscissors sends Luchasaurus into the ladder in the corner and it’s off to Kincaid to hammer on Muertes. A springboard dropkick doesn’t work on Muertes but an X Factor does. Muertes no sells a monkey flip into the ladder and it’s a chokeslam to send Kincaid into the ladder instead. Luchasaurus comes back in but gets caught by Marty’s ladder to the face, only to have Konley come in with the ladder around his neck for the spin.

Konley is the first person to go up but Marty and Muertes pull him down. Another ladder is put up and all six climb at once with some of them even going for the title. Everyone comes down until Marty is left alone for a climb. Luchasaurus makes the save this time but Muertes pulls him down.

With Luchasaurus in trouble, Muertes wrecks everything in sight, including taking the ladders down. He’s a complicated guy at times. Everyone gets smart and beats Muertes up, capped off by a cutter from Psicosis. Konley is left alone after a series of dives but Marty pulls him through a ladder. With Marty going up, Konley pulls himself up into a German suplex. That’s enough to retrieve the title as Konley retains at 13:04.

Rating: C+. This was just a bunch of spots with some wrestlers the fans should be familiar with and that’s perfectly fine. It’s a fun match and they had some time to hit a few flips and dives in between the spots with the ladder. The title change wasn’t likely to happen and there’s nothing wrong with seeing a fun match with the fans getting a treat. Fine for the show it was on and that’s important to keep in mind.

Top Rope Belts Battle Royal

Hurricane Helms, Zane Riley, Mallaki Matthews, Ricky Roberts, Dave Dawson, Chris Dawson, Keith Mac, Bazooka King, Mike Camden, Cam Carter, Yahya, Leo Pride, Jeremiah Plunkett, Gigolo Justin, Axton Ray, Sean Denny, Mark Denny, LaBron Kozone, Chad Skywalker, Rex Bacchus, QT Marshall, Bobby Fulton, Dylan Fulton, JB Cole, Chris Hamrick, Billy Brash, Fallah Bahh, Mr. Hughes, Gary Wolfe, Shane Douglas, George South, Simon Gotch, Stan Lee, Blue Meanie, Glacier, Fred Rosser, Sandman

Hurricane won this last year so I’m assuming he’s defending. I’m sure I missed a few people (the audio was hard to make out) but does it really matter in a match like this? I don’t know a lot of these names but Rosser is better known as Darren Young. Everyone goes after Hurricane to start and he’s out in fifteen seconds. Bahh um, shall we say, releases some pressure from his stomach and about ten people leave at once but here’s Sandman, a surprise last minute entrant, to fill in some of the gap.

We look at most of his full entrance (to be fair, it’s amazing in person) as the battle royal could have just about anything going on at the moment. The song finally ends after over FIVE MINUTES (a normal length for Sandman) and he canes Lee from the apron for some flopping around like a fish selling. Another cane shot gets rid of Kozone but South kicks Sandman out, becoming a huge heel in the process. South is out a few seconds later and pulls Lee with him.

Cole, Bacchus and Meanie are gone as the eliminations are barely getting any mention here. Grimm eliminates Skywalker (just called Walker by the announcers) and there go Roberts and Marshall. Brash and Glacier go as well and it’s down to Bahh, Zane Dawson and Rosser (I told you it was going fast).

Dawson gets double teamed but Bahh clotheslines Rosser down. Rosser eliminates Dawson and Bahh hits a crossbody. The Banzai Drop is broken up and Rosser gets him to the apron but Bahh pulls him out there as well. A neckbreaker on the apron doesn’t get rid of Bahh, who hiptosses Rosser out for a double elimination at 12:56. Bahh is named the winner despite hitting first. Eh it’s not like it matters that much.

Rating: F. Yeah it’s bad, but it’s not the kind of bad that I’m going to get upset about. This was ENTIRELY for the live fans so they could say they saw a battle royal, but the big joke elimination wasn’t exactly funny and didn’t help things. This wasn’t so much bad as much as it was “yeah get this over with” and the Sandman entrance makes up for some of that. Cool moment, but a nothing match of course.

Actually hang on as it was close enough that they’re restarting it, even though Rosser looks to have banged his head on the way down. Bahh backdrops him out for the real win in about thirty seconds. I like it better than having the really bad finish, which seemed to be a botch. They shake hands for a bonus.

PJ Black/Johnny Impact vs. Juventud Guerrera/Ultimo Dragon

Lucha rules with Taya Valkyrie and Sonny Onoo of all people as the seconds. I guess Sonny isn’t offended by the Japanese stereotype character if it’s an indy show and not WCW. At least we get the old Juvy music as the WCW is strong with this show. Before the match, Johnny insults North Carolina and says that himself, Black and Taya are the real Mexican legends. Dragon and Impact start things off with Dragon taking him into the corner for a clean break.

The wristlock doesn’t work for Impact as Dragon does his big spinning escape and it’s time to hit the mat. Dragon flips out of a leglock as we hear about the still incredible J-Crown Title (that famous shot of Dragon holding nine titles). Black comes in and is immediately chopped by Juvy and the running DDT sends Black to the floor. That means the big suicide dive and it’s Black in trouble for the first time. A poke to the eye cuts Dragon down and it’s back to Impact for a kick to the head.

The double teaming is on with Juvy chasing Impact to the floor, which just allows Taya to get in some stomping of her own. It’s back to Juvy for a faceplant but Taya breaks up the 450 and Black PULLS OFF THE MASK. Juvy is rightfully ticked off but Black suplexes him down and grabs a double arm crank. Impact comes back in for a Moonlight Drive but misses the Countdown to Impact, allowing Juvy to hit a quick Juvy Driver. The hot tag brings Dragon back in and everything breaks down with the villains getting caught in the always stupid looking rowboat leg stretch.

Rating: C+. The match was fun and the old guys looked anything but old….if you ignore the rather ridiculous Sonny part. It’s not like he was anything other than a low level comedy manager back in the day so why is he beating up a World Champion and someone who used to be a champion in WWE? Fun match though, with Dragon alone being more than enough to make it a cool moment.

The announcers preview the main event and incorrectly say Ric Flair won his first NWA World Title at Starrcade 1983.

NWA World Title: Jake Hager vs. Nick Aldis

Aldis is defending and Hager (carrying his wife Catalina on his shoulder) is better known as Jack Swagger. Nick actually has a second of his own in indy wrestler Kamilla Kaine. EARL HEBNER is referee for the real star power and we get some old school instructions. Hager takes him (Aldis, not Hebner, as Hager isn’t that horrible of a person) down with a quick Gator Roll and Aldis bails to the floor for a minute.

Back in and we go into a bit of a grappling exchange with Hager slipping outside to avoid a Kingsland Cloverleaf. The women nearly get into it on the floor but the distraction lets Aldis get in a shot from behind to take over. Back in and Aldis gets two off a suplex, followed by a clothesline into a middle rope elbow. A jumping back elbow to the jaw gets two more and it’s time to work on the leg. With the Cloverleaf not working again, Aldis slaps on the Figure Four as the announcers get in the Flair error again.

Hager makes the big turn for the reversal so Aldis is in the ropes almost immediately. The comeback is on with the belly to belly powerslam, followed by a big clothesline for two. The running Vader Bomb hits raised boots and the Mag Daddy Driver gets two more. Hager’s superplex is broken up and Aldis drops the top rope elbow. That’s still not enough for the Cloverleaf and Hager slaps on the ankle lock.

That’s broken up as well and it’s a double clothesline for the double knockdown. The women get in for no logical reason and it’s the much bigger Kaine flipping her over without much effort. More referees come out to get rid of the two of them and Hager grabs the ankle lock with a grapevine. The long crawl to the ropes gets Aldis out of trouble so Hager puts it on again. Can’t fault the logic there. This time Aldis rolls out though and a small package retains the title at 17:30.

Rating: B-. Not too bad here, even with the women not exactly being necessary. The story of the battle of the submission holds was fine, even if Aldis never actually got the Cloverleaf. Beating Hager is a nice win for Aldis as he’s a former World Champion in WWE and, even if it’s been a long time, that still means a lot. I’m still not huge on Aldis but this was a good performance. Good wrestling here and one of the better matches of the night.

They shake hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a show where you need to remember what you’re seeing. This isn’t supposed to be some big, epic show and that’s not what you get here. Instead it’s a lighthearted night of wrestling with a bunch of legends and a few lower level current stars. That’s perfectly fine for what it was and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a much more laid back atmosphere than something like WrestleCon (which is better and has bigger names) but for about three and a half hours, I’ve seen much, much worse.

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