And for once, that’s what we’re getting (this isn’t just about McIntyre).

https://wrestlingrumors.net/tommyhall/kbs-review-need-somebody-new/

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 5, 2020
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Beth Phoenix, Nigel McGuinness

With less than two weeks to go before Takeover, the entire card seems to be set. However, there are some things beyond Takeover which also need to be taken care of and that includes Wrestlemania. Therefore, we have a guest star this week as Charlotte is here to answer Rhea Ripley’s Wrestlemania challenge. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Here are the Broserweights, in a golf cart, with the Dusty Classic trophy in the back. You can tell Matt Riddle is in a good mood as he’s wearing a tie. They’ve been celebrating ever since and tonight it continues because the trophy is in a golf cart. Dunne can’t believe that he’s in a tag team with Riddle, who says it’s meant to be. Riddle wants to know how they’ll get to Portland but here’s the Undisputed Era to interrupt.

O’Reilly: “You’re Matthew Riddell and Peter Dune.” They’re ready to fight now but here’s Roderick Strong to pull them back. Fish: “There are much bigger fish to try than you too.” Riddle: “Bobby Fish just said fish!” He gets in a fish tongue twister but Dunne says not to worry about how many fish Bobby Fish could fry if Bobby Fish could fry fish. Riddle turns it into a song and does a Randy Savage spin for a nice touch. Dunne promises to smoke the Era in Portland.

Angel Garza vs. Isaiah Scott

They start fast and miss a clothesline each, meaning it’s an early standoff. Scott tries to cartwheel around but gets kicked in the ribs to put Garza in control. That’s fine with Scott, who springboards back up for a hurricanrana to send Garza outside. Garza is read for the dive so Scott puts on the brakes and kicks him back to the floor. Scott’s running flip over the ropes is superkicked down and we take a break. Back with Garza hitting a reverse powerbomb, allowing him to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS.

A superkick gives Garza two but Scott reverses a slingshot reverse suplex. Scott slaps him in the face but his springboard is superkicked out of the air (ok not much air as it was off the bottom rope). Garza tries a headscissors out of the corner, which is flipped forward into something like an Iconoclasm for two. It’s time to go up again but this time Garza throws his pants at him for a distraction. Scott doesn’t seem to mind and hits the House Call for two but Garza crotches him on top. The Wing Clipper finishes Scott at 10:38.

Rating: C+. The high flying was good here but I’m not sure how far Scott is going to get at this point. He seems tailor made for a big push but for some reason he keeps losing time after time. The action worked here though as they kept the movement up and the pants thing was a good spot at the end. Garza winning here was the only choice they had after Raw, but maybe he shouldn’t have been facing Scott.

Post match, Garza says he took out his cousin and Rey Mysterio, so now he wants his Cruiserweight Title back.

The Undisputed Era beat up some people for not knowing where Tommaso Ciampa is. Strong even messes up someone getting a haircut, because people get haircuts backstage at NXT.

Video on Mercedes Martinez.

Sgt. Slaughter is here for your random cameo.

Dominik Dijakovic vs. Killian Dain

Oh yeah Dain is a thing. These two got in each other’s faces earlier today at the Performance Center over who should get the next shot at Keith Lee. Dain goes right at him with the shoulders in the corner but Dijakovic fights out in a hurry and hits a middle rope elbow to the head. A clothesline puts Dijakovic over the top though and the SHAVE YOUR BACK chants start up. Dijakovic doesn’t seem to like hairy backs either and hits a flip dive off the steps, turning the chants into FEAST YOUR EYES. Back in and the discus lariat is cut off by Dain’s crossbody to send us to a break.

We come back with Dijakovic flipping out of a belly to back suplex and elbowing Dain hard in the face. The suplex slam into the chokebomb gets two on Dain but he’s right back up to catch Dijakovic on top. Dain’s superplex puts them both down but Dijakovic wins a battle of boots to the face for two. The moonsault misses and the Vader Bomb is broken up, meaning it’s Feast Your Eyes to finish Dain at 8:15.

Rating: B-. This was a hoss fight and another good example of what Dijakovic can do. There are so many times where I look at one of his matches and wonder how I’m seeing this stuff. He and Keith Lee took it to another level but these two more than held their own, making it a heck of a match.

Post match we’re told that Dijakovic gets a title shot in Portland so here’s Lee for the staredown.

Kushida doesn’t know where Ciampa is so the Undisputed Era throws him in a crate. Bronson Reed comes in to stare them down so it’s a jumping knee to the head.

We get a split screen sitdown interview between Johnny Gargano and Finn Balor. They were ready to fight at Takeover: WarGames and Gargano has been counting the days for three months. Finn says he’s been counting the days for four years because he’s sick of Gargano being called the next Finn Balor. Gargano says he’s the first Johnny Gargano and Balor needs this match as much as he does. Balor doesn’t need this match because he doesn’t get paid by the hour but he’s going to take his time and enjoy this.

That’s what Johnny has been looking for: the NXT Finn Balor, not the Finn Balor who lost to Bobby Lashley like seventeen weeks in a row on Raw. Balor isn’t here for the Match of the Year, because he’s here for the last match of Gargano’s life. Gargano promises to take the NXT flag that Balor dropped and drive it through his heart. Balor: “I don’t have a heart.” Heck of a heated exchange here and I want to see these two fight.

Video on Kacy Catanzaro.

Mercedes Martinez vs. Kacy Catanzaro

Martinez starts fast by shrugging off a waistlock and planting her with a spinebuster. A one armed delayed suplex….is broken up and Catanzaro hits a basement dropkick. Catanzaro grabs a hurricanrana for two but her springboard is broken up with a hard forearm. Martinez takes it to the floor and posts her, followed by a whip into the barricade. Back in and the fisherman’s buster finishes Catanzaro at 2:59. They got some stuff in here and Catanzaro looked good in defeat.

Rhea Ripley (listed as NXT Women’s Champion rather than NXT Champion) is ready for Charlotte and Bianca Belair.

The Undisputed Era gets jumped by Ciampa and the fight heads into the arena. Cole is sent into the announcers’ table over and over, which is good for some applause. The rest of the team catches up with them and beats down Ciampa. They get inside but the Broserweights come in for the save. Security breaks it up so here’s William Regal to make a six man. The fight breaks out again and they head to the back.

Jordan Devlin vs. Tyler Breeze

Non-title. Devlin jumps him during the entrance and the beating is on in a hurry. We take a break and come back joined in progress with Devlin elbowing him in the corner but getting kicked in the ribs for his efforts. A basement superkick gives Breeze two and he wraps Devlin’s knee around the post. Breeze drops a knee to the knee and cranks on the leg to keep Devlin down.

That doesn’t work very well as Devlin gets back up with a backbreaker, only to get dropkicked in the face. The neck crank goes on for a bit, followed by a clothesline to put Devlin on the floor. Devlin is right back up again and this time it’s a moonsault to take Breeze down again. Back in and the release Rock Bottom into the standing moonsault gets two on Breeze as we take a break.

We come back with Devlin standing on Breeze’s face (not fair to the gorgeousness), only to charge into a boot in the corner. Back to back dropkicks have Devlin in trouble and a clothesline gives Breeze two. Devlin pops up for a high crossbody, with Breeze rolling through for two more.

A standing Spanish Fly gets two on Breeze and they’re both a bit winded. Devlin tries the moonsault but hits raised boots, allowing Breeze to slap on a half crab. He has to pull it back to the middle but lets it go for some reason, setting up the Supermodel kick for a rather close two. The slingshot cutter gives Devlin two and that’s enough for him, meaning it’s the Devlin Side to put Breeze away at 15:33.

Rating: B. This took some time to get going but once it found its footing, they were off to the races. They’ve got something with Devlin, who has been great in almost everything that he’s done and looked very good here too. This is also the closest Breeze has looked to his old self around here and I could certainly go for more of him. Devlin was the star here though and I think they know it.

Charlotte arrives.

Here’s Bianca Belair for the big showdown. She’s on her way to Portland to become the new NXT Women’s Champion but here’s Charlotte to interrupt in a hurry. We get the big welcome home reaction and she says there is nothing like a Full Sail WOO. Charlotte respects the heck out of Belair but Bianca isn’t the Queen.

Rhea doesn’t like the disrespect and the saying around here is WE ARE NXT. Belair jumps Charlotte and they put her on their shoulders for a double faceplant. Rhea and Bianca trash talk each other until Belair leaves. Charlotte didn’t accept or decline Ripley’s challenge. Good segment here and I want to see where this goes.

Undisputed Era vs. Tommaso Ciampa/Broserweights

Roderick Strong is the odd man out but the other three jump the Era on the stage and the fight is on before the bell. Dunne X Plexes O’Reilly onto the apron and Ciampa kicks Fish in the face. Strong gets beaten down in the aisle and the limping Ciampa goes inside with O’Reilly going after the knee as the bell rings. Ciampa elbows him down and it’s Riddle coming in to strike away at Fish.

The MMA exchange doesn’t exactly work so Dunne and Cole come in. Dunne gets pulled to the floor though and Strong is back up to drop Dunne onto the apron. Back in and the Era takes turns on Dunne in the corner until he sends Fish to the floor and dropkicks O’Reilly to the floor, allowing the diving tag to Riddle (Ciampa’s arm wasn’t exactly extended there). Riddle starts cleaning house with strikes and throws into the back to back Brotons.

The Era needs a breather on the floor and we come back with Riddle getting knocked into the Era’s corner, allowing Cole to come back in for a chinlock. O’Reilly slaps on a guillotine choke but Riddle lifts him up without too much effort. Riddle no sells a German suplex, O’Reilly no sells a German suplex, Riddle hits him in the head and O’Reilly kicks him in the head for a double knockdown.

Dunne gets the hot tag and starts wrecking Cole, including X Plexing O’Reilly onto him for two. The Panama Sunrise is cut off by a forearm but Cole is right back with a brainbuster onto the knee for his own near fall. Dunne ducks a double kick from O’Reilly and Fish and the hot tag brings in Ciampa. Project Ciampa gets two on O’Reilly with Fish making the save. We get the big showdown between Ciampa and Cole but a kick to the head breaks it up in a hurry. Everyone starts hitting each other in the head/face but Strong comes in to break up the Fairy Tale Ending for the DQ at 13:41.

Rating: B. I could have gone for the clean pin at the end here but this was mostly all action throughout and they pulled me in near the end. If nothing else it was nice to see that Ciampa hadn’t hurt his knee again and that he got back in and started taking over. Strong interfering is fine enough, but it could have been a better ending and that slows it down a bit.

Post match the beatdown is on, including Chasing the Dragon to Dunne on the floor. Riddle takes High/Low and Ciampa gets End of Heartache. The Era goes NWO and paints an X on Ciampa’s back (ala Ciampa with the table last week)….but we’ve got three rings on the screen. Those rings would be like the Velveteen Dream’s glasses and he’s back, diving off the top onto the Era and beating all of them up at once.

The Era gets taken out and Dream rips off his gear, revealing Rick Rude style tights with Strong’s family painted on, plus an old school hip swivel. Dream clears the ring and the fans go coconuts to end the show. It’s a cool moment, though I wouldn’t have done the circles thing last week. Why telegraph it at all?

Overall Rating: B+. This is more like it with segments and matches that built towards Takeover. It’s a case of things being better when they have something to focus on and that’s always a good thing. The wrestling was quite strong tonight as well and overall, it was a heck of a show that flew by. Takeover is looking rather stacked, even with six matches at the moment. Hopefully they don’t overdo it, but what we have so far should be great.

Results

Angel Garza b. Isaiah Scott – Wing Clipper

Dominick Dijakovic b. Killian Dain – Feast Your Eyes

Mercedes Martinez b. Kacy Catanzaro – Fisherman’s buster

Jordan Devlin b. Tyler Breeze – Devlin Side

Tommaso Ciampa/Broserweights b. Undisputed Era via DQ when Roderick Strong interfered

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Worlds Collide
Date: January 25, 2020
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night in Texas, and not just because I finally remembered that the show isn’t called When Worlds Collide. This is NXT vs. NXT UK and the card is actually stacked, with a bunch of matches that could be awesome. If they live up to the hype, it’s a show of the year contender. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Mia Yim vs. Kay Lee Ray

Non-title. Mia knocks her into the corner to start and hits a Cannonball for two. Ray gets chopped against the ropes but Mia takes her down by the leg and gets two off a kick to the head. A faceplant gives Ray her own two and the chinlock goes on. Mia fights up and chops her way out of the corner so Ray superkicks her for two. The Swanton misses though and Yim scores with her own superkick.

The springboard DDT gives Yim two more and Ray gets hit with a suicide dive. Ray is right back up with a top rope flip dive of her own and they’re both down on the floor. Back in and Code Blue gets two but Ray is right back with Eat Defeat for her own near fall. It’s Yim’s turn now and a Batista Bomb give her two more. A Canadian Destroyer is good for the same but they go to a series of rollups. Yim gets two more but gets reversed, with Ray grabbing the rope for the pin at 9:18.

Rating: C+. It was good action and a fine finish, though I still can’t bring myself to care about Yim. She just isn’t interesting and there is nothing that she can do to fix that. Maybe she’ll catch fire later on but so far it has been a lot of dull stuff from here where they push her well but nothing clicks. Ray is better, though I’m still waiting on her to step up to another level.

The opening video features narration by Winston Churchill, talking about how we will fight everywhere over video of Imperium and the Undisputed Era. The rest of the card gets some attention as well, but the eight man tag is the focal point, as it should be.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

Finn Balor vs. Ilja Dragunov

Dragunov comes out to some near silence. Balor grabs a headlock to start and takes Dragunov down, only to get reversed with a headscissors. Dragunov starts slugging away but gets sent outside for a baseball slide through the ropes. Back in and Dragunov knocks him down, setting up a backsplash for two. The armbar is broken up as Balor makes the rope but he misses his apron enziguri.

Balor bails to the floor so Dragunov hits a crossbody from the apron. A top rope ax handle misses though and Balor stomps away, setting up an elbow for two back inside. Balor stomps away in the corner and the fans are VERY pleased. A running chop gets two and we hit the chinlock to keep Dragunov down. 1916 is countered into a suplex though and Dragunov hits a running knee in the corner.

Dragunov hits a bunch of knees to the chest and a big one to the face gets two. Balor is one step ahead of him though and hits the jumping double stomp to the ribs. They slug it out until Dragunov hits an enziguri. The Pele is caught but Balor is back with a Nightmare on Helm Street.

The Sling Blade looks to set up the John Woo dropkick but Dragunov grabs a bridging German suplex for two more. Dragunov’s discus lariat puts Balor on the floor for another crossbody. Back in and Balor is draped over the ropes for a missile dropkick to the side of the head. Balor’s nose is busted but he’s fine enough to get his knees up to block a backsplash. The John Woo dropkick sets up the Coup de Grace into the 1916 for the pin at 13:50.

Rating: B. The best sign of the match is that they overcame an apathetic crowd to start. The fans did not care about Dragunov and were cheering Balor throughout, but the important part here is that they got the fans caring. Dragunov isn’t ready to defeat someone like Balor so the loss isn’t a bad thing, but what matters is that he was competitive and they had a heck of a match. Really good opener.

The Broserweights and the Grizzled Young Veterans are in the front row. They’re told that the winners will receive a Tag Team Title shot at Takeover: Portland and Gibson isn’t pleased. He’s seen the Broserweights’ resume and there’s nothing there. The Veterans should win the tournament because they’re the best team in the world.

Matt Riddle talks about how they should be happy over the new prize for the winners. Dunne is stone faced, but Riddle says that’s his happy face. Dunne: “I’ll be blunt.” That makes Riddle VERY happy and we even have to pause for his mini celebration. Dunne promises to smoke the Veterans next week because it’s their trophy to win. Riddle came off like a star here.

Cruiserweight Title: Isaiah Scott vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks vs. Angel Garza

One fall to a finish with Garza defending. The fans are behind Scott and all four grab hands to start. Garza asks for a pause so he can TAKE OFF HIS PANTS but it’s a triple suplex to cut him off. Devlin Rock Bottoms Scott and Banks and moonsaults onto both of them. Scott is back up with the rolling Downward Spiral on Banks, followed by the dropkick to Devlin. Devlin and Scott go outside so Garza hits the big flip dive, leaving Banks to hit a stomp from the apron.

Banks kicks at Scott’s chest back inside but Garza joins in, earning himself some Banks kicks as well. Scott kicks Garza into the corner but gets suplexed into a different corner as banks continues to dominate. Scott is sent into Garza in the corner and Banks hits a suicide dive on Devlin. Back in and Banks sends Devlin into the corner onto the other two. Devlin is back up with a crazy spinning tornado DDT on Scott and a Spanish Fly to Garza, only to have Banks dive in with a double stomp for the save.

They slug it out from their knees until Garza sends Banks into Devlin. That means GARZA CAN TAKE OFF HIS PANTS before catching Banks’ crossbody. Devlin can’t hit a hurricanrana on Garza, who holds them both up at once. Scott dives in with a double stomp to Devlin and everyone is down. The House Call to Garza is broken up by Devlin but Banks is back up with a Canadian Destroyer to plant Devlin and everyone is down.

Garza and Scott go up top but get pulled down with a double super Spanish Fly from Devlin. Banks is right back up with the Slice of Heaven into the Kiwi Crusher for two on Devlin to put everyone down again. Banks tries a headscissors out of the corner but Scott flips him forward into something like an Iconoclasm for two. Garza hits a reverse hurricanrana on Scott and the Wing Clipper connects, only to have Devlin headbutt him down. The Devlin Side finishes Scott for the pin and the title at 12:08. Devlin’s celebration is awesome as he looks like he just won the World Title in the main event of Wrestlemania.

Rating: B. I had this one wrong but I can go with this as the Cruiserweight Title doesn’t mean anything on NXT. Devlin has needed a big win for a long time now and that’s the right call here. He’s lost several big matches now so giving him a major win and a title is a good move, especially when there isn’t much for Garza to do with the title in NXT. If nothing else, this might put Devlin on 205 Live, though I’d get a chuckle out of him just never showing up there and having 205 Live pretend the show serves any purpose (like it does now).

Post match Devlin says he told you all and you should believe him. Never bet against the Ace.

Keith Lee, Mia Yim, Chelsea Green and Robert Stone are here.

We recap DIY vs. Moustache Mountain. There isn’t much of a story but they’re both the signature teams of their brands so it’s time to have a dream match.

DIY vs. Moustache Mountain

This could be good. Maybe. Possibly. Gargano and Bate start things off with Gargano taking him down for an armbar. A headlock keeps Bate down and he can’t power out of a front facelock. He can however flip out of a hurricanrana attempt and try the Tyler Driver 97, only to have Gargano slip out this time. Gargano misses the rolling kick to the head so Bate grabs his leg on an attempted kick to the ribs.

Bate is nice enough to put the foot down and it’s a double tag to Seven and Ciampa. They have a moustache off and then a pose down with Seven conceding the second round. Ciampa takes him t the mat but the flip over armbar is countered into a rollup for two. Bate comes back in and he’s willing to pose with Ciampa. We go old school with a test of strength and the taller Ciampa gets the better of things.

They flip over to the mat and bridge up at two each. Bate loads up Bop and Bang but gets hit in the face in a hurry. Ciampa knees Bate to the floor and Gargano superkicks Seven out with him. The Brits are sent over the announcers’ table and DIY have a seat on the apron. Back in and Gargano mocks Bate’s pose before kicking him in the back of the head for two. Ciampa elbows Bate down and we’re off to the chinlock.

Bate finally fights up and flips out so he can tag Seven in for the chops. A DDT drops Gargano and the powerbomb into the Seven Star Lariat gets two on Ciampa. Another lariat is blocked with a jumping knee to the face, which may have knocked out Seven’s tooth. Gargano is back in with a Downward Spiral/DDT combination, followed by the slingshot spear for two on Bate.

Willow’s Bell hits Seven and Gargano’s slingshot DDT gets two on Bate. Gargano and Seven fight to the floor and Ciampa knees Bate in the head. Project Ciampa and the Tyler Driver 97 are countered so Bate hits the rebound lariat instead. Now the Tyler Driver 97 can connect for two with Gargano making the save and kicking Ciampa into a rollup for another two on Bate. Everyone is down until Bate muscles Gargano up into a suplex.

The standing shooting star press gets two and it’s off to the airplane spin. That’s reversed into the Gargano Escape and it’s Ciampa coming in with the flip over armbar to Seven at the same time. Both are reversed into stereo airplane spins, setting up a belly to back suplex/clothesline combination for two on Gargano. Bate is knocked down in the middle so Seven has to save him from Meet In The Middle.

DIY tries it anyway but walk into Bop and Bang, setting up the Birminghammer for two on Ciampa. A double Birminghammer hits Ciampa so Bate goes up for Spiral Tap, with Ciampa pulling Seven into the path to steal his own near fall in a great spot. They slug it out with DIY getting the better of it and superkicking Bate out of the air. That leaves Seven to take Meet In The Middle for the pin at 22:54.

Rating: A-. The beginning felt like it was going to be a comedy match but then things got serious and they beat the fire out of each other for the next fifteen or so minutes. Moustache Mountain can hang with anyone, including DIY, but it only makes sense to have DIY go over here when they’re likely going after the Tag Team Titles over Wrestlemania weekend. Either way, incredible stuff here with no clear winner almost the entire way through.

Post match, respect is shown.

Mercedes Martinez and Dakota Kai are here….and Tegan Nox jumps Kai from behind. They fight to ringside until security breaks them up, much to the fans’ annoyance.

We recap Toni Storm. They’re old rivals with Storm having beaten her twice and now wanting a shot at the new champ. Storm leads the series 2-1 so Ripley wants to even things up and keep her title.

#1 contender Bianca Belair is here.

NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

Ripley is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and the fans are split. That goes nowhere so Storm forearms away, only to get blasted with a chop. A staredown sets up some clotheslines from Ripley but she walks into a superkick in the corner. Storm suplexes her into the corner and Ripley needs a breather on the floor. With her neck seemingly ok, Storm grabs a suplex for two and it’s off to an STF variation. That’s broken up so Storm hits a DDT for two more.

The chinlock doesn’t last long but some shots to the back have Rhea in more trouble. They slug it out with Ripley getting the better of it and kicking her into the corner. The standing Cloverleaf goes on but Ripley can’t get it on in full because of her neck. Riptide is countered into a crossbody to give Storm two. Storm’s German suplex drops Ripley on her head for two more but they hit heads for a double knockdown. It’s Storm up first but she misses a frog splash, setting up Riptide for the pin to retain Rhea’s title at 10:09.

Rating: C. Well that was….short. I’m not sure if Ripley was actually banged up in there or not because that’s a pretty fast ending to what could have been a much longer match. What we got was nice enough and Ripley winning is the best way to go, but that was very short for what could have been a longer match. The fans weren’t exactly into it though and that disappoints me a good bit.

During the previous match, Johnny Gargano was doing an interview when Finn Balor jumped him. Tommaso Ciampa and Moustache Mountain made the save.

We recap Imperium vs. Undisputed Era. The Era jumped them at the end of Takeover: Blackpool II and then Imperium cost them their Dusty Classic match. They’re the big faction in both companies and it’s time for a showdown.

Undisputed Era vs. Imperium

The medics come in and take him to the floor so it’s Walter vs. Cole instead. Walter throws him down so Cole decides to slap him for some reason. The threat of the big chop sends Cole bailing into the corner but Walter gets knocked into the Era’s corner. Walter is right back up with a leapfrog over Strong into a big boot, meaning Aichner can come in to stand at attention. Cole saves Strong from a powerbomb and takes over on Barthel with some elbows to the head.

It’s O’Reilly unleashing the strikes in the corner and Strong blasts Barthel so hard in the jaw that it brings Walter in for a few seconds. There’s the slingshot hilo from Fish and Cole slaps on the chinlock. O’Reilly kicks Walter on the apron and Walter just glares at him. The distraction lets Barthel get in a Russian legsweep though and it’s Walter coming in, meaning O’Reilly hits the panic button. The strikes are countered into a German suplex but O’Reilly reverses the powerbomb into a guillotine.

Just to show off, Walter suplexes Strong and O’Reilly at the same time. Barthel elbows O’Reilly in the face for two and it’s Aichner putting on a chinlock. It’s back to Walter for a running seated senton and the LOUD chop takes the spirit out of O’Reilly’s eyes for two. The running double dropkick in the corner rocks O’Reilly again but he dives around Walter for the tag off to Strong. He chops it out with Walter and actually knocks him into the ropes for the running elbows.

That’s broken up with a single clothesline so Aichner comes in. A heck of a tiger bomb sets up the Strong Hold but Aichner is out in a hurry. White Noise gives Barthel two but Fish gets away and brings in Cole to pick up the pace. The Panama Sunrise is blocked so it’s a fireman’s carry neckbreaker for two on Barthel instead. Walter comes back in so everyone but Cole pounds him down at the same time.

The announcers’ table is loaded up but Walter fights them off and loads up another table. O’Reilly and Strong have to break up a powerbomb and it’s the Angle Slam to put Walter through the table in a huge crash. Back in and it’s an exchange of strikes to the face, including Cole superkicking Aichner out of the air. Cole hits the brainbuster onto the knee to Barthel for two and the running knee to the face gets the same. Aichner comes back in and gets kicked down in a hurry.

O’Reilly gets Barthel in a kneebar but a crawl makes the rope. The hold is still on so Aichner moonsaults in to break it up. Aichner gets beaten down on the floor but Walter is back on the apron. An enziguri allows the hot tag to Walter to wreck everything in sight. Cole hits a superkick but the Last Shot is broken up with the huge chop.

The powerbomb hits Strong and the frog splash crushes him but Cole breaks it up with the Last Shot. Aichner and Barthel break that up at two and everyone is down again. Everyone gets up for the staredown and the fight is on. Walter gets taken down by High/Low and Strong flip dives over the top onto Cole, O’Reilly and Barthel. Aichner follows that with a dive of his own but Fish’s moonsault misses Walter. The powerbomb finishes Fish at 29:53.

Rating: A. Even with one of the eight people out of the match, these guys put on a clinic with great drama throughout with the Era using a strategy of divide and conquer. The problem with that is they had no answer for Walter, who came back up and wrecked the place, which is how you should have presented him here. It’s going to take a monster to take the title from Walter and I’m not sure who that is right now. This was a showcase for everyone involved though and the match was great up and down. Hopefully Wolfe is ok though because that’s the most important thing.

A highlight package wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. The women’s match is the only thing on here that isn’t great and even that was completely watchable. This is one that actually lived up to the hype and that is hard to do given how good the show was looking on paper. It even added something to the future because NXT is smart enough to do something like that. This show flew by at about three hours total, making it an easy sit with some amazing matches. Check this one out for sure.

Results

Finn Balor b. Ilja Dragunov – 1916

Jordan Devlin b. Angel Garza, Isaiah Scott and Travis Banks – Devlin Side to Scott

DIY b. Moustache Mountain – Meet In The Middle to Seven

Rhea Ripley b. Toni Storm – Riptide

Imperium b. Undisputed Era – Powerbomb to Fish

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

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

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

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IMG Credit: WWE

Leave it to NXT to make it work. A few months back, it was announced that we would not be having a Takeover during Royal Rumble weekend. Instead we were getting a Worlds Collide special, which didn’t exactly have people excited. The previous editions hadn’t been anything interesting, but this one was different. This time we’re getting NXT vs. NXT UK, which hasn’t been done before. As luck would have it, NXT UK is on a roll at this point and it should be a blast as a result. Let’s get to it.

Kickoff Show: Kay Lee Ray vs. Mia Yim

This is non-title and that’s a good thing as I don’t have to worry about Yim winning a title. I’m not sure what it is about her but something has fallen way down with her and it’s almost impossible to make myself care about what she does. Ray hasn’t blown me away as champion yet either, but she can do more interesting things than Yim so far.

As for the match, I’ll go with Ray as well, since I just can’t imagine them having a champion lose in a non-title match without some surprise plan to make a surprise turn into Yim in NXT UK. The match should be a fine way to warm up the crowd (note to WWE: ONE Kickoff Show match can do that very well) but it isn’t something that I’m exactly excited to see in the first place.

DIY vs. Moustache Mountain

And we have a dream match that you never knew you needed to see. DIY is one of the best tag teams that NXT has ever seen and Moustache Mountain is the biggest tag team that NXT UK has ever seen. We could be in for a match of the year candidate here and that’s only if they’re having an off night. I know DIY might not be at their peaks but sweet goodness we could be in for an awesome one here.

I’ll take DIY, who have said that this is just a one off reunion, but I think you know where they’re heading at Takeover, likely over Wrestlemania weekend. Moustache Mountain is going to be tearing the house down too though and I’m drooling over the idea of the false finishes that Gargano and Bate could have. Throw in Ciampa and my goodness this could be something incredible. But yeah DIY wins here.

Finn Balor vs. Ilja Dragunov

The more I think about this one, the more interested I am in seeing these guys beat the fire out of each other. Balor is a star and Dragunov has more raw intensity than anyone I’ve seen in a long time (never look into his eyes). This one doesn’t need to be that long as they’re going to beat the fire out of each other, though I’m not entirely sure which way they’re going to go.

As much as I want to say Dragunov wins in an upset here, I can’t go against Balor, not when he’s primed for a match against Gargano at Takeover. Dragunov is the kind of guy who can come back from a loss in the blink of an eye but he’s not ready to beat someone the caliber of Balor. The upset wouldn’t shock me here, but I just can’t go with Dragunov in this spot.

Cruiserweight Title: Angel Garza(c) vs. Jordan Devlin vs. Isaiah Scott vs. Travis Banks

This is one of those matches where you could see several possible outcomes. Garza is such a ball of charisma who can do all kinds of things in the ring (though I’m still not wild on his finisher) but the other three are all serious threats. That’s how you can tell there’s a good match to be had here: you really could see any of the four walking out as champion, which isn’t something that happens very often.

I’ll go with Garza to retain here, though much like so many other matches on this show, I could see it going multiple ways. Someone taking the title over to the UK wouldn’t be a bad idea as it isn’t doing anything in NXT at the moment, but odds are it stays down in Florida, where there are several challengers ready to come after it. Then again that’s the same in the UK so I’ll move on before I change my mind again.

NXT Women’s Title: Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

These two are turning into a thing and that’s great for everyone involved. The two of them work well together and while Ripley has turned into the big star on the bigger stage, Storm has had her number more often than not, which gives the match a good story. We already know they can make the action work, so going with the story that makes sense is what matters in the end.

While I expect Storm to come over to NXT full time (assuming she wants to), this is Ripley’s to win. There’s no need to give Storm another win over her and Ripley has become a major star in a hurry down in NXT. Given that she already has a title defense set up for next month in Portland, it would be very out of the NXT nature to have her lose here. Ripley wins to even the feud.

Imperium vs. Undisputed Era

Back on the August 21, 2019 episode of NXT, the Undisputed Era stood on the stage where Adam Cole mentioned NXT UK. There was nothing I wanted to see more than Imperium come out, just for the sake of seeing Cole’s head explode at the thought of what he had gotten himself into. Well, since NXT is awesome, that’s what we’re getting now and it’s going to be great.

I’m going with Imperium getting the win here, as they get to make up for part of losing the overall competition to NXT. Imperium is one of the coolest things going in WWE today and giving them the big win like this should be a great step up for them. You can even have Roderick Strong take the fall without a champion getting pinned. What more could you ask for than that in a situation like this? These guys are going to tear the house down and it’s going to be outstanding in a modern dream match that I’ve known I’ve wanted to see for a long time now.

Overall Thoughts

When did this turn into such a great looking card? This thing is absolutely stacked and blows away a lot of recent WWE shows. I’m actually looking forward to this one and have every confidence that they’re going to blow us away. You have multiple matches on here that could show up on a lot of lists near the end of the year and that doesn’t happen every day. This is going to rock and I’m really excited for it.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: January 23, 2020
Location: York Barbican, York, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Aiden English

We’re back to normal after Takeover: Blackpool II and last week’s recap show. There isn’t much time to rest though as it’s also the go home show for Worlds Collide. Hopefully things can get going as well as wrapping up the build towards Saturday. That’s a hard balance to find but maybe they can make it work. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Sid Scala and Johnny Saint are in the ring with something underneath a blanket. Cue Imperium before anything can happen and it’s a presentation to them. Walter is presented with the new NXT United Kingdom Title, which the fans think he deserves. He approves of finally being honored as he should have been. This is now the top prize in European wrestling and he is glad to have destroyed Gallus. On Saturday, the Undisputed Era will get the same treatment.

Cruiserweight Title Match Qualifying Match: Ligero vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin messes with the mask to start so Ligero hits him in the face. Ligero hammers away in the corner and grabs a rollup for two, followed by a kick to the jaw. A release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault puts Ligero down and Devlin can take the jacket off. Back up and Ligero hits a running clothesline to put Devlin on the floor, only to get superkicked for trying a headstand on the apron.

Back in and Ligero gets sent into the corner and a backbreaker makes it worse. A seated abdominal stretch with some shots to the ribs have Ligero in even more trouble but he fights up for the escape. Ligero dodges the slingshot corner and hits a bottom rope springboard Stunner for two.

Devlin hits a standing Spanish Fly for the same and a half nelson suplex plants Ligero again. The moonsault misses so Devlin grabs a rollup with feet on the ropes for two. The Devil Inside is countered into a DDT, setting up Ligero’s top rope splash for two of his own. They slug it out from their knees until Devlin is sent to the apron. The slingshot cutter plants Ligero and the Devil Inside is enough to finish him off at 11:08.

Rating: B-. Devlin continues to grow but he probably isn’t going to be involved in the decision on Saturday. I can’t imagine him winning the title but at the same time he isn’t going to be taking the fall. Ligero continues to be the kind of guy who can go out there and lose in style, which is a valuable thing to have around.

Kay Lee Ray isn’t worried about Mia Yim on Saturday.

Imperium talks about how awesome they are when Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews come in. They don’t know how dominant Imperium can be without ever being Tag Team Titles.

Finn Balor is ready for Ilja Dragunov.

Ilja Dragunov vs. Josh Morrell

Dragunov takes him down by the arm and cranks on it a bit before standing up for the bring it pose. A shot to the face rocks Morrell and there’s a backsplash to make it worse. Morrell gets dropped with a running clothesline and a release pumphandle slam. Torpedo Moscow finishes Morrell at 2:25. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Dragunov says he’s ready for Balor but here’s Gallus to interrupt. Joe Coffey wants to talk to Dragunov on his own so Mark and Wolfgang stay at the ramp. Joe talks about losing at Takeover but part of that is due to Dragunov. Yeah he helped against Imperium but he isn’t Gallus. That’s all well and good at the moment and they’ll let him deal with the Prince, but after that, it’s time to deal with the Iron King.

Imperium goes to the bosses and asks for a match with Andrews and Webster. That’s made but it’s going to be a six man tag with Webster and Andrews getting to pick a partner next week.

Also next week: the Hunt vs. Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan.

Cruiserweight Title Match Qualifying Match: Travis Banks vs. Brian Kendrick

They stare at each other for a bit until Banks kicks away at the leg and pulls him down into a rollup for two. A dropkick puts Kendrick on the floor and Banks hits a running kick off the apron. Back in and the chinlock goes on but Banks gets bored and sends him outside instead. This time around it’s Kendrick sending Banks’ hand into the steps and then raking it across the ropes for a unique move.

Back in and Kendrick works on the arm with some nasty looking bending, plus a hammerlock for a bonus. Banks gets twisted down by the arm but Kendrick misses a knee drop. Kendrick’s leg gets kicked out and Banks hits a running dropkick in the corner. Another dropkick puts Kendrick on the floor for a suicide dive. Back in and Banks hits a double stomp in the corner, followed by the Kiwi Crusher.

Kendrick rolls outside though and catches a charging Banks with a suplex. That’s only good for nine so Kendrick slaps on the Captain’s Hook back inside. Banks breaks that up in a hurry, earning himself a kick to the face. Kendrick is right back up with Sliced Bread #2 for two and the shock is on. Back up and Banks hits a quick Slice of Heaven into the Kiwi Crusher for the pin at 12:37.

Rating: C+. Kendrick is still good for a solid midcard heel role and he made Banks work here. That being said, Banks was hardly a surprise winner here and there’s nothing wrong with that. I like him when he gets to be in the ring, which unfortunately isn’t all that often these days.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was built around two matches and they both worked out rather well. I’m curious to see how things are going to go in the next few weeks and they’ve done a good job of making me believe it’s going to keep working. NXT UK is a rather solid show these days and I really can’t say I’m surprised anymore. When did that happen?

Results

Jordan Devlin b. Ligero – Devil Inside

Ilja Dragunov b. Josh Morrell – Torpedo Moscow

Travis Banks b. Brian Kendrick – Kiwi Crusher

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Blackpool II
Date: January 12, 2020
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

It’s almost weird how infrequently these things take place as this is only the third edition ever. The good thing is they have followed the regular NXT formula and the show, with its five match card, looks rather good. They might not have the trickiest card to predict but that doesn’t mean it is going to be boring. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks back at last year’s Takeover: Blackpool with everyone talking about why they do this. It’s their kingdom.

Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven

Dennis has what looks like a dragon’s helmet on during his entrance. Eddie charges at Trent in the corner but walks into a powerbomb for an early two. Trent chops away but gets caught with a toss Razor’s Edge out of the corner instead. The cravate goes on and Dennis hammers away at the head for his own two. A DDT is blocked though and they head outside with Trent hitting a suicide dive.

Back in and Trent misses a dive off the top, allowing Dennis to hit a swinging Side Effect for two more. Another Razor’s Edge is countered but Dennis ducks the Seven Star Lariat. The Birminghammer is blocked with a grab of the rope so Dennis goes for the turnbuckle pad. That takes too long as well and Trent hits a top rope superplex for another near fall. Seven shoves him into the exposed buckle and it’s a toss Razor’s Edge over the top onto a well placed production worker. That’s only good for two so Eddie hits the Next Stop Driver for the pin at 8:03.

Rating: B-. They didn’t waste time here but it made Dennis look like a killer, which was exactly the point. Seven getting sent into the buckle leaves them an opening for a rematch if they want to go there and odds are they will. What mattered here though was Dennis and he looked a lot better than he did before the injury. Good match and a solid opener that served a purpose.

We recap the Women’s Title match. Kay Lee Ray defeated Toni Storm to win the title at Takeover: Cardiff but Storm has gotten a lot more focused. At the same time, Piper Niven is hunting for the title, setting off some issues between the challengers.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray vs. Piper Niven vs. Toni Storm

Ray is defending and Niven jumps her during the Big Match Intros. Niven sends Ray outside for the suicide dive and then Cannonballs both of them in a row. That earns her a whip into the steps so Toni and Ray can fight, only to have Niven drop a backsplash onto both of them. Ray superkicks Niven and chokes Toni, who is right back with a release German suplex.

Storm suplexes Niven as well but gets planted by Ray, who is suplexed by Niven to put all three down at once. It’s Toni and Piper slugging it out but Ray shoves them together in what might not have been the smartest move. Ray grabs a chair and wraps it around Storm’s neck but Niven breaks up the Pillmanizing (and near death). Storm picks up the chair and Niven says hit her, only to have them both go after Ray instead.

With Ray and Storm on the floor, Niven hits a Cannonball off the apron to crush the champ. Back in and Niven breaks up the superplex by powerbombing Storm but Niven breaks it up with a top rope Swanton. Niven’s Michinoku Driver gets two on Ray, who somehow gets Niven up for the Gory Bomb and the same near fall.

Niven busts out a Canadian Destroyer on Ray (because she can) but Storm breaks up the cover and hits Storm Zero for two more on Ray with Niven making the save this time. Storm Zero doesn’t work on Niven so Toni settles for something like a Pedigree instead. A frog splash hits Niven but Ray steals the pin to retain at 13:24.

Rating: B. They didn’t really stop moving here for the most part and Ray winning that way makes sense. I’m a little surprised they pinned Niven, but it makes a little sense given that Storm is coming up on the big match with Rhea Ripley at When Worlds Collide. All three worked hard here though and it was good stuff with the logical ending.

Travis Banks is here.

We recap Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin. Bate beat him in the first United Kingdom Title Tournament and Devlin has wanted a chance for revenge ever since. Devlin has said he’s better than the big star in Bate and tonight is his chance to prove it.

Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin

They circle each other to start as the fans are almost all behind Bate. Devlin wins an early battle over wrist control until Bate flips around and grabs his own wristlock. A battle over a rollup goes nowhere and Devlin is ready for Bop and Bang. There’s a backdrop to Devlin and a gorilla press makes it even worse. Devlin is sent to the floor but catches a charging Bate with a release Rock Bottom.

The Arabian press gets two and we have a split crowd for a change. A butterfly suplex lets Devlin mock the Moustache Mountain pose but the Devil Inside is blocked. Devlin drops him on the arm/back and stands on Bate’s neck to make it worse. The surfboard works on almost all of Bate, with Devlin pulling back on the head to add a little extra pain. Since that can’t last long, they’re both up and stereo crossbodies give us a double knockdown.

Back up and Bate catches a charge in the corner to slam Devlin. A running kick to the head sets up the standing shooting star press for two. Devlin gets up an elbow in the corner but the slingshot cutter is countered into a ridiculously long airplane spin. Even Bate is dizzy off of that one but manages a brainbuster for two. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a rollup for two before Devlin hits a half and half suplex for his own near fall.

Now the slingshot cutter connects, only to send Bate out to the apron. Another slingshot cutter onto the apron drops both of them on the floor and Devlin’s kick to the chest makes Bate dive back in to beat the count. They slug it out with Devlin getting the better of it until the rolling Liger Kick gives Bate a breather. The Devil Inside is blocked but Bate’s handspring clothesline is countered into a Spanish Fly for another double knockdown.

Bate crotches him on top but a super Spanish Fly into the Devil Inside connects for a VERY close two. Devlin punches him in the face and loads up his own Tyler Driver 97, only to get reversed into a headbutt. Bate hits a springboard tornado DDT into the Tyler Driver 97 for two, but Bate is right back up top with a Spiral Tap for the pin at 22:41.

Rating: A-. Yeah this was great stuff with both guys beating the heck out of each other. Devlin knew a lot of what Bate was going to do but got just a bit too cocky and slipped up in the end, allowing the better Bate to win. That being said, I’m not sure how much sense this makes as Devlin needed the win a lot more than Bate. Either way, this was the blow away match the show was looking for and it’s excellent.

Post match Bate gets a standing ovation, including from HHH, William Regal and Johnny Saint.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. Gallus, the champions, were defending against Imperium when the Grizzled Young Veterans interfered to steal the titles. Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews cut them off so there was only one solution: a ladder match.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus vs. Imperium vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

Gallus, Mark Coffey and Wolfgang, are defending and it’s Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel for Imperium in a ladder match. There’s something about the referee ringing the bell and getting out of the way that makes this seem a lot more violent. It’s a brawl to start with Gallus and Imperium heading outside, leaving the Veterans to take over on Webster and Andrews.

Coffey and Imperium take their places in the ring but Webster and Andrews come back in to pick up the pace. The Veterans pulls them down by the arms though and some chair shots make it worse. Gallus ties Drake in the Tree of Woe but Imperium saves him from having his face crushed. Imperium tries to grab a ladder but Webster and Andrews hit big flip dives to knock it away. Imperium brings the ladders in and clean house, making sure to stop to pose.

The Veterans clear them out and tie Andrews in the corner for a running dropkick. Gallus is back in for a slingshot Samoan drop to put Drake onto a ladder but Imperium breaks up a climb attempt. Webster DDTs Wolfgang and Andrews goes up, only to dive onto Coffey instead of grabbing the titles. Andrews is laid over a ladder and it’s Aichner hitting a springboard moonsault onto Andrews onto the ladder for the big crash.

The Veterans are back in with the big ladder and set it up next to two regular ladders, only to have Webster bridge a ladder into one of them. Another, unopened ladder, is pressed against Gibson’s back but everyone gets knocked down before we get the big disaster. Drake is up there alone but hits a 450 on Andrews instead of grabbing the titles. Gibson helps Drake up so Aichner makes his own save.

The European Bomb hits Drake and Imperium is smart enough to get rid of the rest of the ladders, leaving just one to climb. Gallus grabs some more ladders and make the save, setting up a powerslam/enziguri combination to Drake. Webster and Andrews pull the ladder away from Gallus and drop them with a double Stundog Millionaire. The really big ladder is set up at ringside and we get some tables for the bonus (maybe it can shut the fans up for a bit).

One table collapses under Coffey’s weight, leaving Wolfgang on the other table. That doesn’t last long either as Andrews and Webster go up the same ladder at the same time for a double Swanton to crush Wolfgang in a hurry (cool spot, but not the brightest move). Andrews and Webster go up but the Veterans make the save this time.

The Veterans climb but Andrews busts out a kendo stick and destroys Drake. Imperium makes the save and climb as well, only to have Coffey make the save. Wolfgang spears Aichner through a ladder and Barthel gets shoved off the top onto a pile at ringside, leaving Gallus to retain the titles at 22:54.

Rating: A-. This was a blast and somehow managed to not get too jumbled with everyone and all of the ladders involved. They had some big spots and kept things moving, with a few unique spots to make things all the better. I liked this way more than I was expecting to and it was pretty well structured throughout. Heck of a match here and one of the better ladder matches I’ve seen in a good while.

Ridge Holland is here.

We recap Joe Coffey vs. Walter. After winning the title last April, Walter needs some competition so Coffey said this is his kingdom. This stems from last year’s Takeover: Blackpool where Walter debuted and laid out Coffey after his long match with Pete Dunne. It has turned into Gallus vs. Imperium and it should be a heck of a hoss fight.

United Kingdom Title: Joe Coffey vs. Walter

Walter is defending and tries a big boot at the bell in a flashback to last year’s Blackpool. The early sleeper is countered into a spinning belly to back suplex so Walter gets a breather on the floor. Coffey follows and hits a big diving shoulder over the barricade as Walter can’t get going so far. Back in and Coffey stomps away, setting up a belly to belly for two. There’s a tornado DDT for two more and it’s time for the slugout, with Coffey seemingly rather pleased. A stalling suplex gives Coffey two more but they chop it out, and that’s just a bad idea against Walter.

The sleeper is broken up with a drop backwards and they’re both down. That doesn’t last long as Coffey spears Walter in the back to set up a German suplex for two. Walter is right back up with a powerbomb for his own near fall but the ref gets knocked VERY silly (and sells it like he fell out of a building).

All The Best For The Bells connects for no count so here’s Alexander Wolfe to go after Coffey. Ilja Dragunov makes the save but knocks Wolfe into Coffey’s leg. Walter clotheslines Dragunov to the floor and kicks him down before sending Coffey into the steps. We have another referee as Dragunov and Wolfe fight to the back. Coffey catches him on top and manages a belly to belly superplex to put them both down again.

Walter is up first for his awesome top rope splash and another near fall. The powerbomb is escaped and All The Best For The Bells connects (after the first one grazed the top of Walter’s head) for two so Walter slaps on a sleeper. The sleeper suplex drops Coffey on his head and there’s the powerbomb. Walter hits another powerbomb and puts on the Crossface to make Coffey tap at 27:40.

Rating: A. It’s the second best NXT UK Takeover main event ever and that’s not bad at all. This was exactly what it should have been with both guys beating the heck out of each other as only a pair of monsters can do. I had fun watching them hit each other really hard and that’s how it should have gone. Heck of a fight here and Coffey continues to have a great role around here. It’s going to take something special to beat Walter and you can probably pencil in Dragunov for the next shot, which could be fascinating.

Post match Imperium comes out to pose but it’s the Undisputed Era running in to lay them out, including a four on one beatdown of Walter. A High/Low and the Last Shot leave Walter laying and the Era poses to end the show. This was really well done and got a huge reaction. They’re making When Worlds Collide seem like a huge deal and I want to see how things go.

Overall Rating: A-. This felt like a Takeover is supposed to feel: one awesome match after another with even the worst being rather good. The main event was great and the big angle at the end was nearly perfect. NXT UK has figured it out in recent months and I’ve liked it more and more as the weeks go on. Another awesome show here and while it didn’t have the incredible match like Takeover: Cardiff, I never once got bored or wanted the show to speed up, leaving this one as a better overall experience. Heck of a show.

Results

Eddie Dennis b. Trent Seven – Next Stop Driver

Kay Lee Ray b. Piper Niven and Toni Storm – Frog splash to Niven

Tyler Bate b. Jordan Devlin – Spiral Tap

Gallus won a ladder match

Walter b. Joe Coffey – Crossface

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

It’s still kind of strange that these shows happen so infrequently. If there is one thing that WWE is not known for, it’s taking their time and letting a show be built up over time. That’s what they’ve done with the NXT UK Takeovers though and given how the main event of the most recent one went, we might be in for a special treat here. I’m looking forward to the show so let’s get to it.

Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin

We’ll start with what should be a heck of a match here as these two are capable of tearing the house down. That being said, Bate has built up his reputation so well that it might be difficult for him to pull it off again. Devlin should be more than up to the challenge though and the last big match I saw him again (against Walter at an OTT show) was outstanding. Hopefully they can live up to the considerable hype here.

I’ll take Devlin to win as Bate is as over as you can get in NXT UK without winning the United Kingdom Title (again). It’s not like he’s going to lose anything by being pinned so let Devlin overcome the odds and get the big win that he needs to move himself up the ladder. The promotion needs some fresh names in the main event and Devlin has been ready to move there for what seems like ever now.

Women’s Title: Kay Lee Ray(c) vs. Toni Storm vs. Piper Niven

This is one of the places where NXT (both American and UK) shine. There wasn’t much of a reason to believe that Storm was going to get the title back here as she’s already had it once and the bigger story seems to be between her and Niven rather than her and Ray. Then we had this week’s NXT, where Storm vs. Rhea Ripley was set up and Storm mentioned a title vs. title match. That is something that could happen and gives you a reason to believe something might go down here. It’s such a nice addition and helps the match out a lot.

That being said, I’ll still take Ray to retain here. Niven winning the title by defeating Ray one on one makes more sense and you can build that up in a few weeks. Have Niven ready to win the title and then Ray steals it (yeah it’s cliched but it makes sense here) to set up their singles match later where the title change can take place. It’s been a well set up feud though and that’s always a plus.

Eddie Dennis vs. Trent Seven

This one kind of came out of nowhere and that’s ok for what they’re doing. Dennis is back after a long absence and he is mysterious enough that he doesn’t have to say much to get his point across. Going after Seven is an easy way to get back into things as he’s over enough to be a big deal and can pull off the surprise win at times. I’m not sure he will here, but Seven is dangerous enough to make you believe something could happen.

I’ll go with Dennis though, as there isn’t much of a reason for Seven to win. Dennis is someone who seems like he would be an interesting player so he needs a win to get him back in the running. Much like Bate, Seven doesn’t need to win a match due to how over he already is, so give Dennis the win and see what you have with him. Seven can make him look good too so it should be a nice result all around.

Tag Team Titles: Gallus(c) vs. Grizzled Young Veterans vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Imperium

It’s a ladder match because….well you have to have an annual ladder match quota in modern wrestling. Gallus haven’t been the most interesting champions and I had almost forgotten that they had the titles when they came out this week on NXT. It also doesn’t help that they lost to the Undisputed Era in the first round of the Dusty Classic as that wasn’t their best sign for the future. That being said, who is the most likely pick for the titles?

Of course it’s Imperium, as the Veterans have taken a bit of a step back and Webster/Andrews seemed to win the titles because the title match was taking place in Wales. Imperium seems to be the big thing in NXT UK at the moment and giving them the Tag Team Titles to go with the United Kingdom Title makes the most sense. Just do what you should do here and don’t try to overthink things, as this is the most logical choice they have.

United Kingdom Title: Walter(c) vs. Joe Coffey

This is an idea that anyone can get, even if they’re not a wrestling fan: both of them run their own faction and they’re both big and strong. Let them hit each other really, really hard until the other one can’t get up, likely after interference from their cohorts, and see who winds up winning the thing. That’s as good of an idea as you can have here and it should be fun.

However, it’s not like there is any serious doubt here as Walter should win and win handily. It’s going to take something special to get the title off of him and while Coffey will give him one heck of a fight, I don’t think he’s going to be able to make it work. This should be very entertaining and they’ll have one of the best hoss fights in a long time, but Walter leaves as champion to give Imperium all of the belts.

Overall Thoughts

If there is one thing that NXT UK knows how to do, it is get something out of a card that does not seem the greatest on paper. This seems like a show that should have some rather obvious results but that doesn’t mean the show will be boring. The crowd response and the energy from everyone involved should make things work and we could be in for a heck of an afternoon.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: December 5, 2019
Location: Bonus Arena, Hull, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

The big story has started picking up as we have the now face Gallus vs. Imperium, which seems to be focused around Joe Coffey challenging Walter for the United Kingdom Title. That works very well as we are just over a month away from Takeover: Blackpool II. Tonight is the negotiating session, which sounds like a fancy way of saying “they’ll talk and then they’ll fight.” Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Toni Storm vs. Killer Kelly

Storm starts fast with a low dropkick and a running big boot drops Kelly again. Kelly knocks her down though and hits some crossface shots to set up the reverse chinlock. Back up and a jumping spin kick to the chest rocks Storm so she hits Kelly in the face. A release German suplex drops Kelly and it’s Storm Zero for the pin at 2:12.

Post match Toni grabs the mic but it’s Kay Lee Ray jumping her from behind. Cue Piper Niven for the save and Ray leaves, but Storm doesn’t seem happy with Piper for helping her.

Flash Morgan Webster and Mark Andrews want to be the #1 contenders. Let them have a chance in Blackpool.

Post break, Storm tells Niven to stay away from her.

The Hunt vs. The Outliers

That would be Riddick Moss/Dorian Mak (Dan Matha). Boar pulls Moss into the corner to start and then punches him right back out. Make up your mind dude. Moss is right back with a heck of a running shoulder into the corner and the trash talk is on in a hurry. Mak comes in and it’s time for some slow stomping.

The Outliers take turns stomping in the corner but stop to mock Boar for not being able to make it over to the ropes. Mak grabs a bearhug to mix things up a bit and Boar’s bite to the finger doesn’t get him very far. A missed charge allows the tag off to Primate though and it’s time to clean house. Moss gets sent outside for an apron splash and it’s three straight top rope headbutts into a double top rope headbutt to finish Mak at 7:41.

Rating: C. This was a fairly dull one for the most part but then the ending comeback from Primate made up for a lot of it. The Outliers aren’t the most original team in the world but they make for some annoying heels that you want to see lose and that’s a nice act to have around. I still like the Hunt, but they seem a long way off from the title picture.

Jordan Devlin vs. A-Kid

This could be interesting. Devlin headscissors him down to the mat to start but Kid flips up and we get the early staredown. Kid’s springboard is cut off by a kick to the leg and Devlin is starting to get cocky in a hurry. Cue Tyler Bate as Devlin puts a knee in the back and cranks on the leg at a rather unnatural angle (A-Kid’s foot is parallel to his hip for a cringe inducing visual).

Kid gets up and climbs the ropes into a springboard moonsault DDT. Back up and Kid’s knee gives out on a whip across the ring, meaning it’s a slingshot cutter to give Devlin two. The Devil Inside is shoved off though and Devlin falls to the floor, allowing Kid to hit a great looking springboard moonsault out to the floor. Devlin kicks him in the face though and, after a glare at Bate, hits the Devil Inside for the pin at 7:25.

Rating: C+. You have two guys with a lot of talent and give one of them a reason to be more aggressive than usual. Bate vs. Devlin is going to be a big deal as not only is the match going to be entertaining but it might be the boost that Devlin has been needing. British Strong Style is still the most over group of people around here so having Devlin in there with Bate is going to be nothing but great for him.

Jinny isn’t happy with the loss to Piper Niven and calls it disrespectful. It was the same thing when Jazzy Gabert was ejected from ringside. Everything is fine though, with Gabert speaking for once to say the same thing.

Joseph Conners vs. Ligero vs. Travis Banks

Fallout from Conners breaking up Ligero vs. Banks from three weeks ago. That earns Conners a double beatdown in the corner to start so some chops and kicks can make his skin crawl. Ligero and Banks stare each other down but go with a double superkick to put Conners on the floor instead. We get a double cover between Ligero and Banks so Conners rolls both of them up for two at the same time in a smart move. Not a successful one, but smart.

They head outside with Ligero headscissoring Conners down but getting stomped from the apron by Banks. Everyone is back in with Banks dropkicking Conners into the corner and Ligero following him in to give Banks two. Conners breaks up a cover on Banks with the slingshot DDT before DDTing both of them down for two each. A shortarm clothesline gets two more on Ligero but Banks shoves Conners off the top.

Ligero is back up with a super armdrag to bring Banks down and it’s a triple knockdown. Banks and Ligero chop it out on the apron until Banks is sent out to the floor. That means Conners comes out to join him and knock Ligero into the steps. Conners, with a busted nose, tries a dive but gets caught in the ropes as Banks is back up.

The Slice of Heaven hits Conners but Ligero hits C4L on Banks. Conners is back up with Don’t Look Down on Ligero so Banks nails a top rope double stomp for the save in a session with a lot of action but not much selling. Another Slice of Heaven is countered into a powerbomb from Ligero but Conners snaps his arm across the top rope. Another Don’t Look Down gives Conners the pin on Banks at 10:36.

Rating: B. Winner aside, they had a very fast paced match here with everyone getting a chance to shine. Banks continues to look like a star, Ligero is someone who is playing way above his head and Conners is still the least interesting guy in the promotion. Giving him wins isn’t making him more interesting and I don’t know what WWE sees in this guy.

Kassius Ohno doesn’t like that Tyler Bate got underneath his skin. He doesn’t like that so from now on, the knockout artist is taking a backseat to the wrestling genius. It’s going to be holds instead of strikes because the genius is back.

Sid Scala and Johnny Saint are here for the face to face between Coffey and Walter. Coffey tells Walter to start negotiating but Walter wants to hear his terms. Walter has a seat and Coffey talks about him showing up at Blackpool in January to take the attention. That night, Walter kicked him in the face and left a mark that hasn’t gone away. Now Coffey wants the title, which doesn’t surprise Walter. But what would Walter get in return?

He wants Wolfgang and Mark Coffey to defend the Tag Team Titles and Joe says yes before Walter can get another word in. Walter isn’t done yet though because he also wants Ilja Dragunov vs. Alexander Wolfe in a No DQ match. Joe can’t do that because Dragunov isn’t part of Gallus, but here’s Dragunov to say he’s in.

Scala makes the Tag Team Title match for next week and the No DQ match for some point in the future before confirming Coffey vs. Walter for the title at Takeover. Coffey leaves but Walter stops Dragunov, saying that he made a bad decision. Wolfe pops out from underneath the ring and here are Barthel and Aichner to destroy Dragunov. They put him through the table to end the show with no Gallus save. This was fine, though it didn’t exactly set up anything surprising.

Overall Rating: C+. Good wrestling and an ok enough ending segment make for a pretty nice show as Takeover is starting to pick up steam. This show may not be the best week to week but, like any other, it gets better when they have a target in sight. That’s what they have now and it made this show better. It’s a good week and maybe they can keep it going.

Results

Toni Storm b. Killer Kelly – Storm Zero

The Hunt b. The Outliers – Double top rope headbutt to Mak

Jordan Devlin b. A-Kid – Devil Inside

Joseph Conners b. Ligero and Travis Banks – Don’t Look Down to Banks

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 31, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

This is one of those shows that might be in a weird place as it comes on the same day as a huge afternoon which also included Crown Jewel. There is a fairly stacked card for a show not featuring the main eventers, as we’ll be seeing Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin and the debut of A-Kid. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert vs. Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley

Jinny and Piper start things off and an early Jazzy distraction completely backfires with Piper knocking Jinny down with ease. Rhea comes in to a massive reaction and sends Jinny outside, where she is caught between Rhea and Piper for a scary visual. Back in and Rhea nails a running basement dropkick to Jinny’s head but a second Jazzy interference works a bit better as Rhea gets taken down.

Jazzy blasts Rhea down and hands it back to Jinny for something close to the Black Widow. That’s broken up with raw power and it’s time for Piper to run into Gabbert really hard. A backsplash crushes Gabbert and Jinny at the same time but Gabbert is right back up with a spear for two. Piper comes back in for the save and the villains are sent to the floor for the big flip dive from Ripley. Back in and Niven Michinoku Drivers Gabbert for the pin at 6:04.

Rating: C. Ripley looks more and more like a superstar every second she’s out there that Toni Storm is gone. She’s a complete star and someone who seems ready for the main roster today (she isn’t there yet, but that’s how it feels a lot of the time). Her move over to NXT is overdue as she needs better competition, and that was on full display here.

A-Kid vs. Kassius Ohno

The fans are behind the Kid here and the much bigger Ohno takes him down by the arm to start, only to let him go in a hurry. That seems like a bit of a waste of time as Ohno grabs another armbar on the mat a second later, only to get rolled up for two instead. Kid’s headlock is countered into a rather hard headscissors but Kid is out again. An armdrag out of the corner into a dropkick has Ohno in trouble so he hits Kid in the throat.

Ohno grabs a chinlock and drops a backsplash for two but can’t keep Kid down on the mat with a test of strength. Kid gets up and snaps off a springboard hurricanrana but Ohno powers out of a cross armbreaker. A catapult sends Kid throat first into the middle rope and they stagger around outside. The slugout is on but Kid hits a 619 underneath the bottom rope (apparently not breaking the count) for the countout at 6:36.

Rating: C+. Kid definitely has some potential, which was on display in the few times I’ve see him before here too. The match got just enough time to go somewhere and Ohno is the kind of guy who can easily bounce back from a loss like this. You can all but guarantee a rematch too, which would be just fine.

Post match Ohno beats him down but Tyler Bate, who endorsed Kid before he got here, runs in for the save.

Killer Kelly is medically cleared and is off to demand a match.

Joseph Conners vs. Roy Johnson

Johnson is a friend of a friend so this is a cool moment. The fans certainly seem to like Johnson (Big Wavy you see) so he dances a bit and hits a right hand, only to get caught with a clothesline. Johnson goes head first into the buckle and gets his ribs bent around the post for a bonus. Conners shouts about this being his so Johnson makes the comeback with a series of forearms and elbows. A backbreaker connects and the straps come down, only to be sent face first into the buckle. A reverse Hennig neck snap sets up Don’t Look Down to give Conners the pin at 4:06.

Here’s Kay Lee Ray to talk about how great it is to have Toni Storm gone. What matters now though is the fact that she has Xia Brookside saying that she wants a title shot. Xia tries to claim that Ray cost her a title shot but all Ray did was win a battle royal. Now, she stands here as your champion.

Gallus says as long as they’re around, Imperium doesn’t hold all the gold. Joe Coffey is coming for the UK Title.

Dave Mastiff vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin goes right at him but is smart enough to bail to the floor when he feels the power. Back in and Mastiff throws him around again, followed by a hard shot to the face. A choke takes Devlin to the top rope but he takes Mastiff’s arm down across said rope to take over. The arm goes around the rope again and Devlin stands on Mastiff’s head. The short armscissors goes on and some of those slaps to the leg look like taps. Anyway Devlin backflips away and muscles Devlin up for the break.

Back up and an overhead belly to belly sends Devlin flying but has to slap his own arm. Devlin tries the Devil Inside for as much success as you would have expected. A hard whip puts Devlin on the floor and there’s a Regal Roll to crush him even worse. Back in and Devlin hits a slingshot cutter into a moonsault for two, only to try it again and hit raised boots. Into the Void connects but Devlin collapses to the floor. Mastiff pulls him back in and goes up for some reason, allowing Devil to hit an enziguri. A super Devil Inside finishes Mastiff at 12:03.

Rating: B-. Devlin is looking more and more like a main eventer every single day and Mastiff does things that a giant should not be able to pull off. That gave us a rather entertaining match with Mastiff’s power and freaky athleticism being enough to hold Devlin down, but in the end it was one creative move that stopped him. That made for a rather strong story in a match where you wouldn’t have expected it.

In the back, Alexander Wolfe gives Ilja Dragunov another sales pitch to join Imperium but Dragunov isn’t convinced to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It felt like they were in a bit better groove this time and I liked the show as a result. What mattered the most through was the main event, which came off better than I would have bet on. A-Kid looks good and Ripley is still a star. That being said, the lack of Walter is starting to hurt as it feels like this is all the second stringers because he’s so dominant on top of the roster. Good enough show here though, and an improvement over most recent weeks.

Results

Piper Niven/Rhea Ripley b. Jinny/Jazzy Gabbert – Michinoku Driver to Gabbert

A-Kid b. Kassius Ohno via countout

Joseph Conners b. Roy Johnson – Don’t Look Down

Jordan Devlin b. Dave Mastiff – Super Devil Inside

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: October 10, 2019
Location: Brentwood Centre, Essex, England
Commentators: Tom Phillips, Nigel McGuinness

We’re finally on a fresh taping cycle and that might be best for everyone involved. Hopefully we can get to something a little more interesting now and in this case we have Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert, which has some hossette battle potential. Other than that, it’s hard to say where we could be going so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Next week: Gallus vs. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews for the Tag Team Titles.

The Hunt vs. Pretty Deadly

Nigel is rather intrigued by Howley and Stoker (Pretty Deadly) as Boar works on Howley’s arm to start. A clothesline seems to be more Boar’s speed and the running shoulder to the ribs in the corner keeps him down. Howley gets over to the corner for the tag off to Stoker, who actually cleans house for a bit. It’s already back to Howley, who spends a bit too much time talking trash, allowing Boar to get in a German suplex. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Primate for his own suplex. A spear sets up the double top rope headbutts for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: C-. This was a good way to get the Hunt back on track. They have gone from a pretty basic team to a fun enough act that they can go out there and lose a few times without being taken down in any major way. The match wasn’t even a squash so it’s not that bad, even it if didn’t have a lot of time.

Post match Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel come out to talk trash so the Hunt goes after them. The beating is on until Alexander Wolfe comes out to take care of the Hunt. I smell a six man.

Video on Ilja Dragunov.

Jack Starz vs. Jordan Devlin

They fight over arm control to start with Starz managing a backdrop to offer some early frustration. Starz is fired up for a change but misses a charge into the post to cut him right back down. A gorilla press plants Devlin though but he’s smart enough to grab a shoulder breaker and work on the injured arm.

Devlin gets in a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault for two as the natural order is restored. A belly to back kneeling backbreaker sets up an armbar to mix things up a bit (not the best thing in this case) but Starz fights back again. The missed charge lets Devlin hit a slingshot cutter and it’s the pulled up Saito suplex for the pin at 4:26.

Rating: C. Who in the world would have guessed that Starz was able to get something out of this one? Starz isn’t someone who has any reason to be a big deal and while I wasn’t buying him as a serious threat, he managed to make me think that we could have gotten a big surprise upset. That takes talent to pull off and they did it here. Nice little surprise.

Post match Devlin rants about how he is sick of having to beat up all these people and not being treated as a big star. Cue Dave Mastiff to chase Devlin off and offer to get a match set up between the two of them. Devlin doesn’t seem sure on that one.

Kenny Williams vs. Dave Mastiff

Mastiff tells him to lock up and then launches Williams into the corner. A whip isn’t even a possibility here so Williams tries running the ropes and manages a crucifix for two. An elbow to the face staggers Mastiff so he backdrops Williams over the corner to the floor. That means a limp from Williams and the springboard isn’t happening at the moment.

Mastiff runs him over and hits Williams in the back as the slow torment continues. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Mastiff misses the backsplash. The ankle gives out on what looked like a springboard Stunner attempt so Williams grabs a Sling Blade for two instead. Mastiff launches him off what looked like a bulldog and it’s Into The Void to finish Williams at 5:16.

Rating: C. This was similar to the previous match as it was hard to imagine the upset taking place but they were trying to do something with Williams. The guy clearly has talent and can sever them well as a jobber to the stars. Mastiff is getting WAY more mileage than I would have bet on so nicely done on the surprise success.

Post match Mastiff offers some respect.

Xia Brookside is back with an update but Nina Samuels comes in to mock her. A match is teased for the future. This is the kind of thing that feels so forced and scripted and didn’t need to be there to set up a match. It was about fifteen seconds long and just felt fake.

Here are Webster and Andrews for a chat. They need the energy from the fans to defend their titles next week and they wouldn’t have the titles in the first place without them. Webster wants any challengers so here are Gallus to interrupt at the announcers’ table. They would be impressed with the champs if the champs weren’t such an embarrassment. Violence is promised next week.

Noam Dar and Trent Seven have to be held apart in the back so Sid Scala makes a match between them in two weeks.

We look back at Jazzy Gabert attacking Piper Niven, thanks to a Jinny distraction.

The Grizzled Young Veterans interrupt Webster and Andrews, promising to take the titles from whoever has them after last week.

Piper Niven vs. Jazzy Gabert

Jinny is here with Jazzy. Piper is invited to come to the center of the ring to start so it’s time for the power lockup. Niven powers her out to the floor and it’s time for a pep talk from Jinny. The distraction lets Jazzy drive Piper into the corner for some punches to the ribs and Jazzy slams her for two. A boot in the back with a double arm pull has Piper in more trouble but she eventually gets to the corner. Piper headbutts and crossbodies Jazzy to the floor so Jinny comes in. That earns her a headbutt of her own, allowing Rhea Ripley to come out and deck Jazzy, setting up Piper’s backsplash for the pin at 4:38.

Rating: D+. That was a lot of stuff outside the ring for a four minute match and that didn’t leave a lot of time for the match itself. It felt like they didn’t want to do anything of note here and that made for a pretty dull match. Not the worst, but I was hoping for a lot more fun than what we got here.

Piper isn’t sure what happened to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. Oh what was that? I don’t know if it was the show being the first of a taping cycle but this felt more like an episode of AEW Dark than the important weekly show around here. What were they going for here? It set some stuff up for the future but you have to have something interesting now instead of waiting for later and I don’t think they got that here. Completely skippable show with nothing worth your time.

Results

The Hunt b. Pretty Deadly – Double top rope headbutts to Howley

Jordan Devlin b. Jack Starz – Pulling Saito suplex

Dave Mastiff b. Kenny Williams – Into The Void

Piper Niven b. Jazzy Gabert – Backsplash

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

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

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

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