Mercury Rising 2019
Date: April 5, 2019
Location: La Boom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Ron Niemi

So about a year ago, I decided to try and do twenty Wrestlemania weekend shows. As usual, it takes me a little while but I’m trying to knock out the last four of them (to make it twenty one total) before this year’s Wrestlemania starts. This is the WWN Supershow and I have no idea what to expect on this one. Let’s get to it.

As usual, I have no idea what is going on storyline wise so if I miss a detail or eighteen, I apologize in advance.

The commentators (I think) are in the ring to welcome us to the show and run down the card.

FIP World Title: Absolute Andy vs. Anthony Henry

Henry is defending and Andy is from WXW in Germany. Andy backs him into the corner to start so Henry does the same, complete with a few pats to the jaw. They battle over wrist control and we’re off to a quick clean break. Back up and Henry’s shoulder block attempt is a mistake as he bounces off of the much bigger Andy. A big boot to the face drops Henry and Andy’s shoulder works a bit better. Henry sends him outside but the suicide dive is cut off with a drop onto the barricade.

Back in and Andy hits a heck of a running backbreaker, followed by the chinlock. The announcers talk about the former FIP World Champions who have gone on to success elsewhere but Henry cuts them off with some kicks to the leg and head. More kicks put Andy on the floor and that means a running kick from the apron. Andy’s apron powerbomb is escaped as Henry stomps on his chest, meaning the second suicide dive can work a bit better.

Back in again and Henry grabs the ankle lock to stay on the leg, and because every modern show requires one wrestler who uses an ankle lock. Andy gets out and puts Henry on top, only to miss a super hurricanrana. A spinebuster works a bit better for two but Andy misses a top rope splash. The ankle lock is broken up again so Henry tornado DDTs him for two more. Andy is back up but his TKO is countered into a Crossface. Since that doesn’t make a ton of sense, it’s back to the ankle lock to make Andy tap at 13:57.

Rating: B-. This felt like a well enough done indy match with the dives, kicks and holds. As usual though, there was no major story of note and that brings things down a bit. There was no reason to boo or cheer either wrestler here and it kept me from getting that far into it. It was a good enough match though and the leg work tied into the finish, so it gets enough points to be an acceptable opener.

Cyrus Satin vs. Barrett Brown vs. Anthony Greene vs. Colby Corino vs. John Silver vs. Harlem Bravado

Elimination rules with the winner getting a title shot. Silver is now in AEW….and hang on as here’s Shotzi Blackheart. She thinks there should be a woman in the match but Satin doesn’t seem to agree. That starts a fight with Shotzi hitting a jumping DDT, the bell ringing, and Shotzi getting the first elimination at 3 seconds. Colby throws Blackheart outside and it’s quickly Greene and Bravado making each other miss a bunch. Corino comes back in to take Bravado’s place and sends Greene outside in a hurry.

Silver takes his place and starts launching the smaller Corino all over the place with some nice power. It’s quickly off to Barrett vs. Blackheart with Shotzi hitting a good looking springboard hurricanrana. Shotzi goes up top for a backsplash onto everyone but Barrett, who hits his own running flip dive onto everyone else. Back in and Silver slugs it out with Barrett, who gets kicked up against the ropes and in the corner for a bonus.

A modified Backstabber gets two on Barrett, who is right back with a sideways pumphandle powerbomb for the same. Corino comes back in for a half nelson suplex for two on Blackheart but Barrett knees Corino in the face. Greene gets Barrett and Corino in a double fireman’s carry…..so Silver German suplexes the entire pile in a pretty crazy power display (Corino is small but that’s three people at once. Who does that?). A TKO plants Shotzi and it’s Silver running all over the place to take everyone down. Corino staggers to his feet though and rolls Silver up with trunks for the elimination at 7:48.

Barrett clotheslines Corino but Shotzi comes in and demands Barrett fight her. He can’t do anything so Shotzi slaps him in the face and sends him into the corner for a 619. The top rope backsplash gets rid of Barrett at 9:19 to get us down to four. Bravado and Corino get back in to double team Blackheart, including a backbreaker into an elbow drop for one. Greene comes back in for the save and sends Corino outside, only to get the same treatment from Bravado.

A springboard Code Red plants Bravado and it’s a Texas Cloverleaf to Corino. That’s broken up as well and Bravado hits Straight Cash Homey (Angel’s Wings) for the pin on Blackheart at 12:48. Greene sends Bravado to the floor and chops away at Corino in the corner. Corino’s small package with trunks gets two but Greene is right back with a Dudley Dog style Unprettier (that’s a new one) to get rid of Corino at 14:12.

That leaves Greene vs. Bravado with the latter jumping Greene from behind and hammering away. A lot of trash talk lets Greene get in a few shots to the jaw but another running Unprettier is countered. The Tower of McGuinness gives Bravado two, followed by a leg trap suplex for the same. Greene is right back up with the running Unprettier for the pin at 17:36 (it’s as sudden as it sounds).

Rating: C+. The action was decent and I liked that running Unprettier from Greene. It still isn’t my favorite style of match though as it’s a bunch of mini matches in a row with little in the way of flow or storytelling. That being said, the point of this show is a big showcase and that’s what we got here with a variety of wrestlers getting a little time.

Post match Greene signs his contract for a nice moment.

Shine Title/Tokyo Princess of Princesses Title: Allysin Kay vs. Miyu Yamashita

Kay is the Shine Champion, Yamashita is the Princess Champion and this is title for title. Hold on though as here’s Mercedes Martinez to accuse Kay of ducking her. Last month, Kay claimed to miss a flight but next month, Kay can’t run away any longer. Mercedes leaves and it’s a feeling out process to start with Kay taking her to the mat. Yamashita gets into the corner and we get a well received clean break. A leglock has Kay bailing into the ropes and it’s time for more mat grappling.

Back up and they strike it out until Kay pulls her into a rear naked choke. Yamashita reverses that into a leglock and some kicks to the leg keep Kay in trouble. Her leg is fine enough to hit a heck of a chop though and it’s time to forearm it out until Kay grabs a Samoan drop. The crossarm choke has Yamashita in trouble but Yamashita is back up with more kicks to the leg. They both crank on the leg at the same time, with Kay kicking her in the face to get the better of things.

The chinlock goes on as we hear a long and rather impressive list of people Kay has fought. Back up and an exchange of kicks to the head gives us a double knockdown as they keep trading shots. Yamashita’s running clothesline gets two but Kay is back with another kick to the head. A sunset driver gives Kay her own two and the kickout doesn’t sit well with her. An AA gives Yamashita her own two and a bridging German suplex is good for the same. They’re both down again so Yamashita grabs something between an Anaconda Vice and a cobra clutch for the win via stoppage at 13:26.

Rating: B. Match of the night so far as they beat each other up for a good while until Yamashita, who was billed as a striker, won by changing gears. I always love it when someone switches their game like that to win in a bit of a surprise and the ending likely gives Kay a setup for a rematch. Good stuff here.

Post match Kay freaks out because she never gave up or passed out (fair point). Kay charges at her but gets taken to the floor, leaving Yamashita to tell Kay to come to Japan. That’s what Kay would do and she would win the title back in about a month.

Austin Theory/Brandi Lauren vs. Darby Allin/Priscilla Kelly

This one would be a lot different a few months later and Theory is the Evolve Champion here. It’s a brawl to start, which makes sense as this was billed as a grudge match. Allin suicide dives Theory into the barricade and Kelly hits a Bronco Buster on Lauren. That leaves Allin to hit a Code Red for two on Theory and Lauren gets tied in the ropes for a running dropkick to the back. Theory gets back in with a dropkick to Allin and the fans are not pleased with the knockdown. A gutwrench toss sends Allin flying and a belly to belly gets two.

As Kelly seems to have fallen into a hole somewhere, Lauren chokes in the corner, setting Theory up to chop Allin down. Kelly gets kicked off the apron but Darby starts striking away, only to get hit low by Lauren. Allin is knocked down again so here’s Kelly with a double missile dropkick to drop both of them. A Cannonball off the apron takes Theory down and Allin adds a flipping Stunner. The STO gives Kelly two and she kicks Theory off the apron. Allin nails a suicide dive but Lauren is back up with a middle rope flip neckbreaker for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C+. This felt like it had the longest story so far and that made it feel different. You can see the star power in Allin and the natural tools in Theory so it was an easy match to watch. Kelly and Lauren were fine as well and the whole thing worked out well, even in a match that was shorter than anything else so far.

Post match the beatdown stays on until Josh Briggs runs out for the save. Allin tells Briggs to go win the Evolve Title.

Unwanted vs. Team WXW

That would be Eddie Kingston/Joe Gacy/Shane Strickland with Colby Corino (and some snappy music) vs. Alexander James/Jum Simmons/Marius Al-Ani. We get the Big Match Intros (including Kingston and Gacy, the Evolve Tag Team Champions) and we’re ready to go. It’s a brawl to start with three brawls breaking out at ringside, including Kingston poking Simmons in the eye.

An armdrag and a dropkick have Gacy down but Strickland clears the ring. James comes in and pulls Strickland off the ropes though, setting up a gutwrench suplex. We settle down to Al-Ani cranking on Kingston’s arm and a step up elbow onto the back drops Kingston again. Colby offers a distraction though and Strickland comes in for a running dropkick to Al-Ani’s’ knee. That means Gacy can come in for two off a suplex and it’s Strickland stomping away in the corner.

Some finger bending keeps Al-Ani in trouble and Kingston bites Al-Ani’s face to make it even worse. Gacy’s forearm gets two but Al-Ani is back with a dragon whip and a DDT. That’s enough for the hot tag to Simmons so clotheslines can abound. Simmons throws Strickland at Gacy and Kingston, followed by a trio of double chokeslams to all of the Unwanted. A running dropkick gets two on Kingston as everything breaks down.

Strickland knocks Al-Ani down for two more but a parade of clotheslines puts everyone down. Kingston gets sent into Gacy and a spinning back elbow takes him down again. James grabs a complicated armbar on Gacy but the referee breaks it up because Gacy isn’t legal (well done). The Swerve Stomp off the apron takes Simmons down and Strickland snaps Al-Ani’s arm. The JML Driver finishes Al-Ani at 13:16.

Rating: B-. I can see the appeal of the Unwanted as they work well together and have the gimmick of being rejected by everyone else (or so it seems). The match was the kind of six man tag you would expect on this kind of a show and I had a good time with it. Sometimes you can have a match with no story and make it work, which is what they did here.

WWN Title: JD Drake vs. Kazsada Higuchi

Drake, a country boy, is defending and the WWN Title is the governing body’s title, as opposed to the Evolve Title which is the promotion’s title (it would be retired in about three months in favor of the Evolve Title, as it should have been). Higuchi, from DDT in Japan, slaps the hand away before a lockup goes nowhere. Drake gets the better of a running shoulder block off and it’s time to head outside.

That means a chop exchange, with both of them standing still for the chops. In a smart move, Drake finally goes with a clothesline and a splash gets two back inside. The second chop off goes a lot faster and Drake gets the better of it again but can’t hit a suplex. Instead Higuchi hits his own suplex but Drake is back with a Shining Wizard for two. That means another exchange of chops and this one gets some time, going on for about a minute until Higuchi knocks him into the corner for two off a running charge.

Back up and they trade standing clotheslines until Drake gets the better of things, setting up the Drill Bit (spinning suplex) for two. Higuchi headbutts him into a doctor bomb for his own two but Drake counters the second with a hurricanrana. Three straight stunners put Higuchi down and a Cannonball in the corner crushes him. A moonsault retains the title at 12:00.

Rating: B-. They beat the heck out of each other here and while I’m not wild on having the match stop for an exchange of chops, it worked out well enough here. This was a hoss fight and the two of them were hitting each other rather hard. Drake is someone who probably wouldn’t work in most places but he works for this crowd and that’s all that matters here.

Post match, respect is shown and Higuchi leaves. Cue the Unwanted to go after Drake and snap his arm, with no one making the save.

Team DDT vs. AR Fox/The Skulk

That would be Daisuke Sasaki/Soma Takao/Tetsuya Endo (who seems to be the DDT Champion) from DDT and Adrian Alanis/Leon Ruff for the Skulk. The other five or six members of the Skulk do their dancing in the ring before the match and one covers another for a pin. With that out of the way, we’re ready with the Big Match Intros. Fox and Endo lock up to start and they trade some early one counts. A double nip up gives us a standoff and it’s off to Ruff vs. Sasaki in a hurry.

This gets a little more physical with Sasaki allowing him to forearm away, followed by a multiple springboard hurricanrana. Alanis, the biggest man in the match by far, comes in for a swinging Rock Bottom backbreaker and a running basement kick to the chest gets two. Sasaki wants a time out and even his partners try to get the same thing until Endo trips Fox in a smart move. Takao comes in to stomp away at Fox in the corner but he’s back up with a double cutter.

Ruff gets the tag and hits some running forearms on Takao, setting up a standing moonsault for two. Everything breaks down and they all wind up on the floor, with Fox missing a dive off the stage onto the apron. Ruff gets sent ribs first into the barricade and we settle back down to Ruff failing to get over for the tag. A pumphandle backbreaker gives Sasaki two and Takao stomps away at the ribs. Ruff grabs a quick cover for two, earning himself a bunch of right hands to the face.

The chinlock is broken up before it even goes on and it’s time to slug it out. Ruff fights up and gets the tag off to Alanis, who beats up all three of them in a hurry. Alanis gets pulled into a Crossface from Sasaki and it’s a reverse Rings of Saturn to Fox and a Figure Four to Ruff. Alanis powers up and makes a double save, followed by a sitout powerbomb for two on Sasaki. A Swanton gets the same with Endo making a VERY last second save.

Sasaki hits a Codebreaker to Alanis and holds him in place for a top rope double stomp from Takao for two. Sasaki can’t torture rack Alanis and it’s time for the exchange of kicks to the head. Fox and Ruff hit stereo suicide dives three times in a row, with the barricade going down every time. Alanis wants in on this but takes out his partners by mistake, leaving Endo to hit a corkscrew Lionsault onto everyone.

Back in and Endo hits a spinning rack bomb for two on Alanis, followed by a middle rope AA onto the top rope (better than the apron that I was expecting). Endo is right back up but springboards into a sitout powerbomb from Alanis by mistake. All of DDT gets back in for a double X-Factor/reverse powerbomb combination on Alanis. With Ruff and Fox getting knocked to the floor, it’s a shooting star press to give Endo the pin at 24:22.

Rating: B. This was a fun match and that’s how you should end a match like this. Fox and the Skulk are a good mixture of power/speed/athleticism vs. a trio who wrestle similar styles, giving us a good match between the six of them. I haven’t seen much (if anything) from DDT before so it was cool to see them having this good performance. Solid stuff here and a good way to close the show.

Post match Fox thanks everyone who put this together, including the staff, his opponents and his WWN family. Most importantly of all though, he thanks the fans for supporting him for ten years. A lot of dancing ends the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Rather strong show here with a little bit of everything up and down the card. They hit some high points and nothing was bad on the entire card, which is one of those requirements to have an awesome show. I’ve only seen a bit of this group and while there are some things I don’t care for that much, what works does work rather well and they have enough unique talent to make me like what I saw. Good show here and I’d watch more from WWN.

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/

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Mercury Rising 2018
Date: April 6, 2018
Attendance: 1,000
Commentators: Lenny Leonard, Ron Niemi

This is the WWN (World Wrestling Network) Supershow, which is a bunch of smaller promotions (Evolve, Shine, Full Impact Pro and more). The thing is, I’ve never actually seen anything from the majority of them. I’ve always wanted to check them out but the schedule never worked or I was just too busy to get there. This year though I’ve done a little bit of everything from almost every big promotion over Wrestlemania weekend so I might as well try it now. Let’s get to it.

I’m coming into this virtually blind as I only somewhat follow this promotion, meaning I’m likely not going to know a lot of people and stories.

Ad for Club WWN, their version of the Network.

Host Trevin Adams is in the ring to welcome us to the show and run down the card. There’s a pretty good sized crowd if nothing else.

DJZ/AR Fox/Trey Miguel vs. Austin Theory/Travis Banks/Zachary Wentz

Lucha rules so I hope I can tell who everyone is. If I’m right, Theory is the current FIP (Full Impact Pro, a promotion under the WWN banner) and WWN (as in the whole thing, kind of like the NWA World Champion, which he won earlier in the night) Champion while Banks is the Progress World Champion. Commentary just jumps in and starts talking about the history of six man tags on this show without even saying hello or saying who is who.

Theory tells DJZ to play his horn to start and forearms him in his distracted face. Fox and Wentz come in with Wentz snapping off a hurricanrana, meaning it’s Miguel replacing Fox as the fast start continue. With the announcer saying they haven’t seen either guy before, it’s off to Banks for a running knee but DJZ comes back in for an Indian deathlock, including the horn from the floor. DJZ sends Theory to the floor for a big springboard dive but Wentz dives onto everyone else.

Miguel hits another dive of his own so Fox follows him with a springboard imploding 450. Now maybe it’s just the audio, but you would expect a much stronger reaction (or at least a louder one) than any of those dives received. Fox brings Theory back in and it’s a human centipede of dragon sleepers. Miguel comes in and kicks everyone down and it’s a bit of a breather.

Banks is up first with kicks to Miguel and Fox, followed by a Cannonball to both. Miguel 619s Banks in the ribs but misses a top rope double stomp, only to hit a….springboard crotch to the face? It was either supposed to be a seated senton, a hurricanrana or reversed into a powerbomb but it didn’t really resemble any.

Theory is back with a powerbomb to Fox but DJZ gives him one of his own. Banks gets in a spinning fisherman’s driver as the pace has gone through the roof. Wentz drops Miguel on his head and a Roll of the Dice sets up a Swanton to give Fox two. DJZ hits a 450 on Wentz as Fox and Miguel nail suicide dives for the pin at 8:24.

Rating: B-. Some insanely fast paced offense but they’re not doing a great job of laying things out for a new fan. I was trying to keep track of who was who and why they were fighting each other but that’s the case with most shows at this level. Still though, very fun opener and the kind of match you want on a show like this. I’d assume this sets up some sort of a title shot down the line, or else why have a double champion’s team lose?

Indeed, Fox motions that he wants the title.

Jason Kincaid comes out for a match but Jarek 1:20 jumps him from behind and beats him down. That’s not it as Jarek handcuffs him to the barricade, meaning it’s time to mention the Louisiana State Athletic Commission. Jarek kicks him in the face and chokes a lot as Kincaid screams a lot. Apparently this is part of a heel turn as Jarek wants to be a bigger deal around here. Makes enough sense and the announcers explained it to us so well done, though telling us a bit more about Jarek and/or Kincaid would have helped.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Munenori Sawa

Sawa is a striker/shoot submission guy who is back after a fairly lengthy retirement. Sabre on the other hand is a submission master who does things that I can’t even describe most of the time. He also lost the Evolve Championship the night before so he’s on a bit of a downswing. Sawa slaps him in the face to start and we’re ready to go in the technical style match of the night.

The announcers explain Sawa’s Japanese pedigree (good) as Sabre takes him down into a double armbar which is quickly escaped. They grapple on the mat and Sawa has to bail to the ropes again. Both guys head outside for a slap off, which isn’t exactly Sabre’s strong point. Sawa knocks him into and out of a chair before they fight over abdominal stretches back inside. Very technical so far and it’s mostly even in the early going. Sawa starts in on the leg but Sabre slaps his way out of an early leglock.

A power drive elbow (ala Great Muta) has Sabre in more trouble and it’s time for the rapid fire strikes in the corner. They head to the apron with Sawa grabbing an ankle lock but getting reversed into a nasty armbar. That’s broken due to the ropes so Sawa is right back on the leg. Sabre isn’t about to be out technicaled so he pulls Sawa into an STF and then a headscissors with an armbar.

Another rope break saves Sawa so it’s off to an Octopus Hold with Sabre having to fall into the ropes for the break. Sabre counters a punch into a cross armbreaker (with a middle finger to the fans, as is his custom) but Sawa reverses into a choke of his own. That earns Sawa a Pele and a leglock/Brock Lock on the mat (Orienting With Napalm Death. Seriously, though not the same move with the same name from Strong Style Evolved) for the tap at 13:22.

Rating: B. Sabre fascinates me more every time I watch him as some of those holds defy the laws of physics. I can see why he’s such a star on shows like this as he’s just a treat to watch. Sawa isn’t someone I’m overly familiar with but he was fine here, albeit not someone who really stood out.

Post match Sawa gets the big ovation. It wasn’t that great of a match.

The End vs. James Drake/Anthony Henry vs. Tracy Williams/Dominic Garrini

Street fight and the End is Odinson/Parrow. I have no idea who any of these people are so I’m going to be in some trouble here. Williams and Garrini, part of the Catch Point stable (albeit with Garrini as hired muscle and not a full member), seem to be faces and have former ROH manager Stokely Hathaway with them. Stokely says he accepted this match to show how great Catch Point is a national treasure and takes a seat at ringside. Actually hang on as Drake and Henry come out, sending Stokely running to the back.

The End, with their unnamed manager, comes in and starts the brawl with Catch Point (seemingly the feud the match is built around) but Garrini hits a big flip dive off the top to take everyone down. The announcers recap the backstory (Drake/Henry challenged the End and Catch Point jumped in to get their hands on the End) as the End’s theme song goes on for a long time. Garrini gets beaten down inside and Williams sets up a table on the floor. Williams and Garrini get back up and double team Henry in the corner but the End come in and take over.

A ladder is brought in to cut Odinson off and another shot drops Parrow but the manager (Drenin) gets inside. That earns him a kick to the head and some running chops in the corner to get us back to the regular six. Williams and Henry slug away on the End but Williams makes the save with a chair. The huge Parrow takes the chair away from Williams but gets powerbombed onto (not through) the table at ringside. There’s another table in the ring and a double suplex puts Odinson through for another near fall.

Garrini’s armbar on Williams is quickly broken up and Henry and Anthony put his bare feet in the ladder for a series of chair shots. Williams saves Garrini from a double superplex but the End comes back in for stereo Towers of Doom. They’re not done though as it’s a Super Collider for two each on Henry and Drake. Another table is loaded up in the corner and a Pounce puts Garrini through it in short order.

The End takes Williams down with Henry making the save before taking Drenin out again. The good sized Drake hits a nice moonsault but Drake wants more violence instead of the pin. That means a bunch of chair shots and yet another table being brought in because we haven’t had one of those in a while. Henry hits a Coup de Grace onto Odinson through the table (well kind of as the legs broke but the middle held) for the pin at 13:24.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. This was far from good with only some energy throughout the whole thing. I still have very little idea of who these people are or why they’re fighting in the first place. Again, I know the regular fans know who they are but could we get a little more for the new fans? On top of that, the action wasn’t very good with no real story and very few near falls. It just felt like people hitting each other with weapons for the sake of hitting each other with weapons, which has been done far better before.

We take a quick break for the sake of clearing the ring. This includes the ring crew sweeping, earning a SWEEP FOREVER chant. So they’d rather watch sweeping than the wrestling they paid for? Indy fans are weird.

Shine Championship: LuFisto vs. Holidead

Shine is an offshoot of Shimmer and LuFisto is defending. Holidead is something like a zombie and has appeared in ROH and Impact. LuFisto heads into the corner to start but misses a charge and gets rolled up for two. A missed big boot allows LuFisto to tie her into the Tree of Woe for a Cannonball (looks better with the upside down part). It’s time to work on the knee with Holidead’s leg being wrapped around the post, followed by a rather long chinlock.

Holidead fights up and slugs away with a neckbreaker getting two. To mix things up a bit, she licks LuFisto’s face and gets two more off a side slam. A spinebuster plants LuFisto again but she takes her into the corner for a quick Facewash. Holidead is right back with a Samoan drop but LuFisto is back on the knee with a spinning toehold and an inverted Figure Four. That means a rope break and Holidead is right back with something like White Noise for two more. A guillotine legdrop misses (would have missed no matter what happened) and LuFisto grabs a Burning Hammer to retain at 8:13.

Rating: D. This was two women doing moves to each other for eight minutes until one person hit a big move for the win. It’s not a good match with neither of them really standing out and both of them just kind of being there instead of doing something special. I don’t know if this is a big draw for the show, but this did nothing for me whatsoever.

Post match LuFisto says she’s tired of Barbie dolls and is going to hold this title until she retires. She wants to fight someone special at Shine 50 so cue Kimber Lee (formerly Kimberly Frankele/Abbey Laith in NXT) and the match seems to be made.

Keith Lee vs. Daisuke Sekimoto

I’ve heard of Sekimoto (a big guy named the Muscle Monster) before but, again, have never actually seen him. Lee is a big deal around here (losing the WWN Championship earlier in the day) so this is probably one of the biggest matches on the show. They trade big shoulders to start with Sekimoto going back a few steps.

Lee, who makes Big E. look small, snaps off a passable hurricanrana because he can. An exchange of forearms has Sekimoto down and we hit a neck crank. Back up and a hard right hand rocks Sekimoto so it’s time for the big, heavy slugout. Sekimoto muscles him up for a slam and we hit an abdominal stretch as the video and audio are out of sync.

A big suplex sets up a missile dropkick to rock Lee for two but he’s back up with a crossbody for two. Lee grabs a sitout Sky High for the same and hits middle rope moonsault….hits? It grazed Sekimoto but apparently he moved in time. A bridging German suplex puts Lee away at 13:38.

Rating: B. Now that was fun in the hoss battle sense with both guys beating the heck out of each other. Sekimoto has a great look and is far more muscular than most guys you would see on a show like this, making him all the more entertaining to watch. I could have gone for more of this and that’s a good thing. Well done and I’m not surprised that Lee signed with WWE.

Post match hardcore “wrestler” Nick Gage comes in to clean house. He’ll be in the parking lot if anyone wants a fight. Gage leaves and Lee gets up as the fans….kind of cheer? Lee is ready to face Gage at an upcoming show.

Evolve Tag Team Titles: Chris Dickinson/Jaka vs. Ringkampf

Dickinson and Jaka (part of Catch Point with Hathaway at ringside) are defending and Ringkampf is Walter (not doing the all caps thing) and Timothy Thatcher (the longest reigning Evolve Champion ever. Walter is another guy I’ve never actually seen wrestle before and is a monster by comparison at 6’4 and probably 300lbs. Thatcher and Jaka start things off and it’s already time to go after Jaka’s arm.

That’s broken up so Thatcher goes after the leg and draws Dickinson in, allowing the tag to Walter. The challengers take turns on Jaka’s arm with Walter kicking Dickinson off the apron. Hathaway is arguing with the fans as Jaka gets chopped into the wrong corner. A missed charge allows the hot tag off to Dickinson so the pace can pick up a bit. Dickinson hits a running corner clothesline for two and the champs start taking turns on Thatcher in the corner.

A rather twisty leglock keeps Thatcher in trouble so Walter comes in for the save like a good partner should be doing. Thatcher gets away with a belly to belly and the tag brings the monster back in. That means big old chops and a big boot to Dickinson. Walter and Dickinson slug it out with Dickinson even gyrating the hips a bit. Thatcher and Jaka come back in with Jaka missing a very fast spinning kick to the head. A double knockdown leaves us with Walter kicking Dickinson in the face but taking a Falcon Arrow for two.

Dickinson gets in a tornado DDT to keep Walter down but he’s right back up with a butterfly suplex. Walter sleepers Dickinson until Jaka dives in with a top rope splash for the save in a good looking crash. The hot tag brings in Thatcher but it’s the Death Trap (Doomsday Device with a chokeslam instead of a clothesline, which didn’t look nearly as cool as it sounded) to retain the titles at 15:27.

Rating: B. This felt like a team getting the win because they were a better team, which you don’t see happen very often. It’s nice to see some good tag action like this and you can almost pencil in Walter for NXT in the next few years. Good match and something that was easy to follow on its own, even in another case where I didn’t know most of the people.

Post match Catch Point is here with Williams saying the team is doing great but there’s a problem. Hathaway has caused issues as the businessman so he’s out. That’s not how things work though, as it turns out Hathaway’s contract puts him in control of the entire team, so Williams is the one who has been fired. This brings out Garrini to lay Williams out and the team takes his Catch Point shirt.

Evolve Title: Matt Riddle vs. Will Ospreay

Riddle is defending (having won the title yesterday and again, I’ve never seen a match of his) and this is under Riddle Rules, meaning no rope breaks. Ospreay is VERY banged up coming in, with a bad neck and shoulder thanks to injuries suffered in Japan. So Riddle is known as the King of Bros and really, it’s kind of the perfect name for him. You would get the same vibe if you looked at him so well done.

Riddle takes his time going around shaking hands with fans and is wrestling barefoot, as is his custom. They do the Big Match Intros and Riddle misses a jumping knee to the face so it’s a Helluva Kick and release German suplex from Ospreay but Riddle pops to his feet. A dropkick puts Riddle on the floor for a suicide dive as Ospreay is throwing everything he has at him early on due to the injuries taking his stamina.

They head to the apron and you can see the crazy look in Ospreay’s eyes. Riddle German suplexes him on the apron though and Ospreay is already near death. Back in and an exploder has Ospreay down again and some rolling gutwrench suplexes get two. Riddle slowly kicks at him as the fans are begging him to hit Ospreay in the bad shoulder. That just ticks Ospreay off and he sends Riddle into the corner for the hesitation dropkick.

Riddle powerbombs the heck out of him though and flips Ospreay over for a hard knee to the face. A kick to the shoulder cuts Ospreay off and it’s a sleeper suplex (cool) for two. The Bro-Mission (an abdominal stretch on the mat with a leg trap) goes on and Ospreay’s already in trouble.

Somehow he gets up and climbs to the top for a sleeper superplex, which is enough to need the medics. Well more referees in this case and Riddle is told to stand in the corner. Ospreay tells the referees to let it go so it’s a running knee to the back of the head and a Tombstone (how illegal) for a very close two, meaning Riddle is ticked. He takes the tape off of Ospreay’s neck and drops a backsplash to the upper back.

A running knee to the face gets one and Riddle isn’t having something like this. He loads up a cradle piledriver but Ospreay reverses into a triangle choke of all things and a hard lariat puts Riddle down. Riddle’s next knee strike is countered into a sitout powerbomb (with Ospreay nearly dropping him) for two. The Oscutter (springboard cutter) is pulled into the Bro-Mission though and Ospreay taps at 13:53.

Rating: B+. I completely get it with Riddle as he has a great look and made the MMA stuff look as natural as you could have hoped. The idea of a killer like that beating on an already injured Ospreay made for a very emotional match and if Ospreay had just a few more close calls, this would have been a classic. As it is though, it’s a very good story and a heck of a match worthy of being a big show’s main event.

Post match Riddle says that was an awesome performance from Ospreay and praises the fans. A little posing and a catchphrase end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. I know I say this a lot but this is a great example of a show where the good is really good and the bad is either short or not terrible. The action itself was strong and there were people I’d want to see again. As mentioned though, the biggest problem was trying to figure out who these people were or what they were doing. Maybe a supershow was a bad place to come in for something like that, but they need to do a better job of welcoming in new viewers. What we got was good though and the string of rather good matches is more than enough to make this worth a look. Surprisingly awesome show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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