First Blood
Date: June 26, 2011
Location: Hammerstein Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Julius Smokes, Shawn Credle, Robby Mireno

I remember hearing about this promotion when it first came out and wrote it off as a bad dream I had after watching too many old New Jack matches. This is the Urban Wrestling Federation and it’s a mixture of hip hop music (I’m a rock guy so this is already WAY out of my comfort zone) and wrestling (now we’re talking). This promotion only ran like five shows and for reasons of general annoyance, someone requested I look at their first offering. Let’s get to it.

A reporter for some hip hop site reports on a rapper being arrested for fighting with a wrestler.

Opening sequence. I can already tell that I’m in trouble.

Some people are in….I think an alley, with one of them saying the ring is the new block. Apparently the two larger guys are going to pick up a bunch of people who may be either rappers or wrestlers.

Larry Legend (I believe the host) says the UWF is in the house. How do we get them out of the house?

Here’s someone named Low Life Louie Ramos with something to say. Apparently he’s part of Uncle Murda’s (the rapper arrested earlier) crew and calls out someone who sneaks in from the back and hits him with a chair. The announcers aren’t helping any here as they’re talking about that being the chair shot from Atlanta instead of saying who these people are or why they’re fighting.

Louie is busted open and whoever this is (possibly named Murder-1) pulls out a sharp object to stab him in the head. A big boot and cutter leave Louie laying as the announcers talk over Murder-1’s promo, consisting of him calling out Uncle Murda because his crew is tougher. Cue a Grim Reefer, Big Block and Ruckus to stand next to the guy in the ring (again, not sure what his name is) and apparently praise him.

Now it’s Uncle Murda (Wasn’t he in jail?), EC Negro and KC Blade (no idea who ANY of these people are but the announcers seem to think I should) and after Murda praises New York City several times, here are Brisco, Dope and Creed. One of them (Does it matter who?) talks about how he was sleeping with Reefer/Block and Ruckus’ women over Memorial Day weekend, of course using some incredibly adult language in the process. Then the bell rings and we have a match. It’s better than hearing these people talk any longer.

2-Dope/Creed vs. EC Negro/KC Blade vs. Grim Reefer/Ruckus

I had to look up who was teaming with who and who these people were online because again, the announcers aren’t telling us a thing. Apparently Ruckus (who I’ve at least heard of) snaps off a headscissors on Creed but Dope jumps him from behind. As you might expect, there’s no actual tagging or really anything resembling wrestling going on here. Blade (thanks announcers) plants Dope with a powerslam but here’s Reefer to chop him, which the announcers describe as “treating him like a prostitute.” Other announcer: “That’s a crazy white boy right there.”

Creed comes back in to beat on Negro as we’re told this is about representing your turf and crew. A Creed dive takes out a bunch of people and Reefer follows with a big flip dive, which the announcer compares to the sound of a Beretta. Everyone is down on the floor as we’re told that falls count anywhere. Thanks for bringing that up three and a half minutes in.

Reefer puts Negro in a Crossface but Blade makes a save. An elevated Stunner plants Reefer but Dope comes in before there’s a cover. Uncle Murda grabs a mic and shouts LET’S GO NEW YORK over and over. Dope clotheslines Ruckus to the floor as the announcers try to name the teams.

Creed and Dope (The Ghetto Mafia. Normally I would edit that into the title but I want you to understand how random all this information is coming in.) double team Reefer until Negro and Blade come in with a double piledriver (one over the shoulder and the other a regular one, basically sandwiching Reefer in the middle). Unfortunately they stop to pose too much though, allowing Creed to steal the pin on Reefer at 6:50.

Rating: D. There were some good looking double team moves here but there’s no hiding the fact that this is going to be a mess. I still have no idea who these people are, why they’re fighting, who I’m supposed to cheer for or really anything about the promotion other than they’re all here for money. That’s good enough for motivation I guess but

The winners go through the curtain and swear about New York a lot.

Another rapper and his wrestling cronies (perhaps the S.A.T.’s who you might remember from TNA’s early days) say they’re here to take over but now he’s tired of talking to us.

More rappers are in a limo and the one on the left gives the other an envelope presumably containing cash. In exchange, he wants the rapper from the previous segment taken out. Oh and he wants the UWF Title because it means more money.

We get our third straight segment of people talking, one of them wearing a Cleveland Indians hat and instantly becoming my favorite. He asks one of them for his money because it’s his girlfriend’s shopping money. The guy, referred to as amigo, doesn’t have it and the Indians guy isn’t happy. Amigo has an hour to get the money to him, even though there’s less than forty minutes left in the show.

EVEN MORE UNNAMED PEOPLE are here to take over. Would some name graphics kill them? They’re also from some other town and hate New York. Oh one of them is Big Block from earlier. That’s so insightful.

Someone, perhaps Murder-1, yells at Blade and Negro for losing, which doesn’t play in New York. He wants the title too and doesn’t like the rapper with the S.A.T.’s, who may be named Red Cap. Oh and something about wanting money. I think we’ve established that by this point.

A guy is on the phone and talking about wanting the title when someone shows up and knees him in the head. ANOTHER GUY comes up and walks over him to go into his dressing room, where yet another unnamed person is going through the walk overer’s bag.

The announcer is in the ring when the people from the locker room (Facade, the walk overer, and Bestia, the guy who was caught going through the bag) fight through the entrance with Facade backdropping him onto a ladder. Apparently they’re trying to impress the bosses to get a spot in the UWF Title tournament. So that’s a thing too. Oh hey a bell.

Bestia vs. Facade

Facade armdrags him down as the announcers praise his braided hair. A kick to the head (possibly called Ultimate Toejam) gets two on Bestia as we’re told this is about representing your city, which I think is what the whole promotion is about. Bestia comes back with a kick to the face and a front flip legdrop as the announcers talk about someone named Billy Blue, who sounds like the promotion’s boss. Facade is dropped throat first across the barricade, which is compared to Ali-Frazier.

A table is set up but Bestia hits Facade with a chair. Announcer: “That’s it! Paralyze him!” Facade missile dropkicks a chair into Bestia’s face for two with the announcers saying it would have been a pin in PG wrestling. A botched springboard bulldog plants Bestia with Facade yelling at the referee. Announcer (none of them have been named on screen): “Go to Wendy’s and McDonald’s for that beef!” Something like a hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb through the table on the floor to give Bestia the fluke pin at 6:07.

Rating: D. This was your run of the mill indy match with two guys doing flips and using weapons for no particular rhyme or reason until one person won. The whole thing with the bag in the back was ignored (or more likely never seen by the announcers) for the sake of more turf wars, which aren’t interesting and make no sense unless you have some kind of prior knowledge of this.

Billy Blue (Indians guy) and company come out and have the wrestlers thrown inside. Blue wants some applause for Bestia, who apparently is the guy who owed him money earlier on. All of Blue’s guys beat Bestia down as a “reward”. Blue calls them off because Bestia won and they carry him to the back because he’s part of the team.

We get a two second shot of the announcers to find out their names.

More people, again not named but one of them looks like a low rent Paul Heyman, say someone is late when a phone rings. It seems to be Red Cap, who will be delayed for reasons that aren’t explained. The Heyman guy seems to be running the place and hands the phone to the other guy (Mel), who wants to know what’s good. The camera pans over to show a bunch of people sitting at a table listening to this as Mel talks about buying a yacht. Heyman gets on the phone again and hands it to one of the people at the table, who happens to be Eddie Kingston. Red tells Eddie and the rest of the people to go with Mel.

Hey look: more people talking about turf and arguing.

Homicide says he gets more money and women than Eddie Kingston.

Mel tells Kingston that this is about the title and the money so go beat up Homicide.

Eddie Kingston vs. Homicide

Mel and Uncle Murda are at ringside. Homicide gets knocked to the floor to start but comes back with a flip dive off the apron. They chop it out until Homicide pokes him in the eye and kicks him in the face. Choking and yelling at the rapping managers (close enough) ensues. Eddie gets in a gordbuster and some face ripping, followed by a waistlock of all things. Homicide escapes and goes outside to take the barricade apart.

That goes nowhere so Homicide suplexes him and drops a top rope headbutt for two. A neckbreaker lets the announcers take another shot at WWE because Homicide was REALLY trying to break Eddie’s neck. Eddie comes back with a sliding lariat for two but Homicide hits a quick super cutter and Vertebreaker (Cop Killer) for the pin at 10:55.

Rating: D+. Match of the night by about ten thousand miles, possibly because they’re the only people I’ve seen before. It also helps that they were actually focusing on the wrestling instead of the rapping and turf wars. I mean, it wasn’t particularly GOOD wrestling but I’ll take this over whatever messes I had to sit through in the first two matches.

People, outside, yelling, something about Red Cap (which may be Red Cafe), something about Uncle Murda and Brooklyn, that’s about it.

Kingston is in pain but promises that he’s not done with Homicide.

Now we go outside in the dark to see (kind of) three people talking about making money and Uncle Murda. A deal is made.

Bestia was beaten up by his own crew because he didn’t have Billy Blue’s money….and that’s it because the camera cuts away.

More people yell about turf and a drug deal might go down. This turns into a beating and someone is put into the trunk of a car. Someone (perhaps Creed or Dope from earlier) is beaten down and thrown into the trunk as well.

Two people talk to three other people and one of the three has a gun. The two run away and get into a car which speeds away. The three shoot at them to end the show.

Overall Rating: D-. No I’m not failing it and the only reason is because it was shot well. The production values were actually strong here but I think you can understand everything else wrong here. I think I have a vague idea of what I was watching but if you’re not a big fan of rap/hip hop culture, you’re going to be incredibly lost.

Basically it’s a bunch of people from different cities fighting for money, power and eventually the UWF Title but I only figured that out by looking up a lot about this place while watching the show. This is the definition of someone getting some money and thinking a horrible idea might be entertaining. There’s really no reason for this to be a wrestling promotion and it clearly had a shelf life of about a day.  I didn’t even hate the show.  Instead I just wanted it to end, which is even worse when you think about it.

The promotion only ran five shows that I can find and honestly I’m stunned they lasted that long. This came off as stupid, catering to a fairly niche market and was basically a movie which had wrestling included. I get that there might be people who like this but I’m certainly not one of them. Bad show here and I’m stunned it lasted as long as it did.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Middle Kingdom Wrestling
Date: June 29, 2016
Location: CWE Gym, Dongguan, China
Commentator: Cam Ferguson, Eddie Strong

This is a big show as it’s finally time to see the six man tag that has been in the opening video all season long. They’ve treated this as a major match with a story behind it and all that jazz so maybe it’s going to feel like a bigger deal than most of what they’ve done so far this season. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

We open with a recap of the six man tag which still isn’t really clear. I’m not even sure who all these people are and who they’re partnering with but hopefully we get a bit better explanation as we go.

The video ends with the teams listed together and their names next to their pictures. It really is that easy and that actually helps a lot.

Andruew Tang/Big Sam/Black Mamba vs. Ash Silva/Eurasian Dragon/Jason Wong

Jason is a mystery partner and a fairly big deal. It’s a brawl to start at the bell as the bad guys (I think? I honestly have almost no idea what’s going on here other than Sam, who works for Mamba, cost Silva a match in the title tournament last season) attack at the handshake, which is the first clip shown on every episode. Tang, the Singapore Champion, starts off with Ash and hits a nice dropkick. A headlock keeps Ash in trouble with Tang pulling the hair. Ok so they’re the heels.

Tang’s bulldog is countered into something resembling a belly to back suplex and it’s off to Dragon, who has apparently been feuding with Tang for years now. Tang screams about being in a wristlock and keeps screaming after Dragon lets go. So wait did the hold hurt or not? Now it’s off to a test of strength with Tong kicking him in the ribs like a villain should, only to have it turn into a chop off. A tornado DDT plants Dragon as it would be nice to see the other three people actually wrestling.

Tang loads up a suplex (Tong: “SUPLEX CITY!”) but Dragon is a bit too big to be pulled over. It’s off to Mamba who walks right into a hiptoss. Jason comes in for a bad looking Paisan Elbow as the announcers talk about Ash and Jason developing respect for each other, thereby explaining their partnership. That should have been mentioned earlier but it’s much better than not mentioning it at all.

Jason gets so sick of getting stomped that he takes off his headgear to make things serious. Sam comes in for the first time and drops Jason with a gorilla press. You can hear Ferguson drooling over Sam and the size difference really does show here. Ash escapes a powerbomb attempt and knocks Sam down with a palm strike, followed by a high cross body for two. Sam blasts him with a clothesline (needed more follow thru) before taking Ash into the corner for some double chops.

Sam’s running clothesline hits Mamba by mistake though but he makes up for it by launching Ash over the top. Unfortunately that means we have to hear about how amazing instant replay is again. Back in and a Tombstone plants Ash and it’s off to Jason for a spinning side slam on Mamba. Tang kicks Jason in the back though and the heels take over again. A suplex earns a ten (on paper even) from Sam, who then comes in and does a slightly less impressive one. A top rope Hart Attack plants Jason but he easily gets the tag off to Ash.

Everything breaks down and the Dragon scores with a pop up powerbomb on Mamba. Jason picks Sam up for an AA, only to get caught in a Shell Shock from Tang. A belt shot knocks Mamba down by mistake and Mamba gets in a superkick, meaning I have to hear SUPERKICK because the Bullet Club nonsense is in China now. Ash drops a top rope splash on Mamba and, after two replays, we actually get to see the pin.

Rating: B-. Again that’s on a very sliding scale but it was entertaining enough. They had the story working well enough and explained why I’m supposed to care about these people fighting. It also helps that the wrestling was decent by MKW standards and they kept things moving. I’d like to see Sam be more of a power guy instead of a wrestler who happens to be big.

Take the suplex spot for instance. Sam praised a guy for doing a suplex and then does basically the same move. That doesn’t really make Sam look any more dominant, but rather makes him just look taller than the first person to do a suplex. He’s the biggest standout based on looks along and Ferguson built him up very well but I didn’t quite see it in the ring.

Overall Rating: B-. I’m starting to have more fun watching this show and having a big match like this build up for several months until the payoff was a good sign. I could still go for seeing the stories be tighter though as this match has been built up for a good while but then really just popped back onto the radar in the last few weeks. At least the match was good though, which is the most important thing they can do. It’s still a fun little show and next time’s season finale continues the other story so all is well.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: July 13, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s week two of Ultima Lucha Dos and now we should be moving on to the bigger matches instead of last week’s unannounced mini tournament and that means we’re likely getting a title match this time around. This should be a lot of fun as Lucha Underground knows how to do the big shows. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Gift of the Gods Title and King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes in a death match.

Gift of the Gods Title: Siniestro de la Muerte vs. Daga vs. Mariposa vs. Marty Martinez vs. Sexy Star vs. Killshot vs. Night Claw

Elimination match, the title is vacant coming in and this is Claw’s debut. Killshot goes after Marty to start and there are no tags here. Speaking of tags, Marty puts the stolen dog tags down his trunks. Star kicks Mariposa in the mask to knock her outside but Daga kicks Star outside as well.

The other three start slugging it out in the middle with some quick rollup attempts for two each. Claw gives Daga a 619 but Muerte takes Claw down with a lifting reverse DDT. Daga drops Claw with a clothesline but gets kneed in the head, followed by a standing C4 to eliminate Muerte at 2:55.

We take a break and come back with Star knocking Mariposa off the top for a crash onto Daga, followed by a parade of dives. Back in and Daga grabs a guillotine choke on Marty, only to have Claw break it up with a guillotine legdrop. Well to be fair no one ever cared about logic around here. Claw makes up for it a bit with a super hurricanrana and Phoenix Splash to get rid of Daga at 11:10.

Everyone heads outside and Claw moonsaults off Dario’s office for your biggest spot of the season. As is so often the case in Lucha Underground though, there’s almost no time to let it soak in though as Killshot is up with a Death Valley Driver to send Mariposa into the apron. Claw comes back in to superkick Killshot for two but the Phoenix Splash misses, allowing Killshot to hit something like a One Winged Angel to put Claw away at 13:50.

We’re down to Mariposa, Marty, Star and Killshot and all four head to their own corner. They pair off as you would expect with the good ones taking over with some double teaming. Star dives over the top to take out Marty, leaving Mariposa to grab a sunset bomb for a quick two on Killshot. Marty curb stomps Killshot though and Mariposa adds the Butterfly Effect (Vertebreaker) for the elimination at 16:01.

Back from another break with Star getting a Fujiwara Armbar on Marty until Mariposa makes the save. The family starts double teaming but Marty punches his sister by mistake, allowing Star to grab a quick pin at 22:29. Star tells Marty to come back in and we get a KILL THE MOTH chant. A Black Widow has Marty in trouble but he pretty easily powers out and punches Star in the jaw for two. Star isn’t done though and grabs a cross armbreaker out of nowhere for the submission at 25:51.

Rating: B. That was the best possible winner as they’ve built Star up so well this season that you have to go somewhere with her at some point. Having her beat Mariposa and Marty back to back is a great way to cap off their feud as well. Night Claw was looking great at first and then was just out in the middle, which is one of the issues with these massive elimination matches. No one else really stood out here but the only thing that really mattered here was the winner anyway.

Joey Ryan and Cortez Castro tell Mr. Cisco that he’s cleared of all charges if his wire gets information on Dario Cueto.

Preview for next week’s two hour finale.

King Cuerno vs. Mil Muertes

Death match, which I believe means hardcore. It’s a brawl to start with Mil throwing him to the mat but Cuerno gets in a few shots in the corner to take over. Mil is sent outside for the running Arrow but comes right back with a TKO to plant Cuerno. Some chair shots don’t seem to do much good as Cuerno kicks him away and dives off the balcony with a big cross body.

They both stagger to their feet and go up to the musical guest area with Mil hitting him in the head with a mic. Cuerno is kicked off the stage for a crash and it’s time for a ladder and a table. Mil takes too much time setting up said ladder and Cuerno kicks him in the head back inside, followed by a running clothesline to put him on the floor. Vampiro keeps calling this all violent and insane but it’s not exactly that much.

They head outside again and go up the steps with Mil going head first through a glass window. There’s no effect of course so Cuerno goes through it as well, leaving him to fall back down the steps. He won’t stay down again though and it’s a tornado DDT off the wall. Cuerno finds another table, prompting Matt to wonder how many can possibly be underneath a ring. The table isn’t used quite yet though as Mil wins a slugout and moves the steps around instead.

Cuerno backdrops him onto the ladder though and pulls out ANOTHER table, giving us four around the ring. As so many have before, Cuerno makes the mistake of going after Catrina and gets speared through a table. Back to back powerbombs put him through two more tables and Cuerno is basically done. A crowbar shot to the head destroys Cuerno even further and a Tombstone puts him out of his misery at 13:49.

Rating: B+. The ending really made this one as Cuerno set the monster off by going after Catrina, which has long since caused Muertes to lose his mind like this. Cuerno getting closer and closer but just not being enough to stop Muertes was a good story as well and the violence helped move things along. It’s not quite as good as some of the other brawls like this but Muertes is in his element here and it showed.

We look at Vampiro vs. Pentagon Jr. from last year to set up Matanza vs. Pentagon Jr. next week.

Vampiro pours out his medication and says it’s time for him to go get his student ready.

We go to Dario’s office where he meets with the wired Mr. Cisco. Apparently Cisco is just here to check in but Dario doesn’t need anything. Cisco insists that he’s a loyal soldier but he sounds a bit too nervous. Dario won’t let him leave and asks if Cisco is wearing a wire. The wire is found so Dario grabs the mic and tells the cops to come get him. Dario picks up a bull statue and BEATS CISCO TO DEATH. He picks up the red phone and anxiously tells someone that it’s time to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Now that’s more like it. Last week’s show was a lot of fun but this felt like they were actually going for something important. Star winning was a good idea and the main event was one heck of a brawl. The interesting thing about Ultima Lucha though is that it the first two weeks really are just setting the table for the big showdowns next week, which really do a great job of making you want to see the finale. Well done here and the show was awesome like I was expecting coming into this season.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book, KB’s WWE Grab Bag at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: July 6, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’ve finally arrived at Ultima Lucha Dos with the first of three weeks of shows. It’s hard to say what part of the card we’ll get first but one of the good things about this promotion is how well each individual story is built up. This really does feel like a special event and this has the potential to top last year’s excellent show. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Dario Cueto announcing the Unique Opportunity Tournament between Cage, Son of Havoc, the Mack and Texano.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Semifinals; The Mack vs. Cage

We’re not ready yet as Dario, in a tuxedo, comes out to say these two started off Ultima Lucha last year. That falls count anywhere match might have been Dario’s favorite of the show so let’s make this one falls count anywhere as well. Cage dropkicks Mack and hits a standing moonsault for two because he can do moves like that. Mack comes back with some hard shots of his own to knock him outside and Striker is getting way too excited.

A hiptoss sends Mack onto the steps as this starts picking up in a hurry. Mack knocks a trashcan (with trash included for a change) out of Cage’s hand and powerslams him down onto it for two. They fight into Dario’s office and see Black Lotus (I love that kind of attention to detail. You just do not see it anywhere else.) before Cage steals a framed poster and breaks the glass over Mack’s head.

We get even more violent with a powerbomb through an open chair (that always looks sick) for two on Mack as this has almost been all Cage. Mack comes back with a stop sign shot before breaking a guitar over Cage’s head (Striker: “The sweet sounds of E minor!”) for two of his own.

With Cage down, Mack goes to the back and finds…..pinatas. Quick sidebar: does anyone else find the concept of pinatas really disturbing? “Hey kids! Here’s your favorite cartoon! Now beat him with a stick and eat whatever falls out of its broken body!” Anyway Mack steals some candy and grabs some beer but the Stunner is broken up. Cage is busted open and it’s table time but Mack comes back with a chain shot to the ribs instead.

More beer sets up the Stunner and a horrible Austin impression from Striker. Mack drops a frog splash out of the crowd to put Cage through the table, giving Striker another reason to shout THIS IS ULTIMA LUCHA! That only gets two so Cage finds a well placed cinder block but he slips on the beer, allowing Mack to roll him up for the pin at 10:15.

Rating: B. Now that’s how yous tart off a big show. They didn’t even bother with the wrestling here and just turned the whole thing into a wild brawl in the time they had. I was getting worried about the finish there as Cage had basically been destroyed and then just grabbed the block but Mack won anyway, even off a screwy finish. These guys have chemistry together and that’s always worth an opening match.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Semifinals: Son of Havoc vs. Texano

Dario points out the bar outside and makes this a Boyle Heights Bar Fight. They actually wrestle a bit to start with Texano hitting a shoulder but eating an elbow before they head outside after a full minute in the ring. Havoc hits an Asai Moonsault but Texano sends him into the barricade. Texano is thrown through a storage closet door, only to have Havoc go in after him and come out with a fire extinguisher. A shot of vodka lets Texano come back with a bottle shot to the head but it only hits helmet.

Let’s throw the bar stools, a chair and a keg in the ring, drawing a WE WANT BEER chant. Texano hits him in the head with the bullrope for two but he gets sent into the keg in the corner. Havoc breaks up a bar stool and hurricanranas Texano onto the pile of wood. Apparently it’s cheap wood though as he gets up and hits Havoc low with a chair. Havoc one ups Texano though by sending him through the bar, followed by a bicycle kick onto a pile of broken bottles for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C+. Still good but nowhere near as strong as the opener. Texano is another guy that I like more and more every time I see him and I’d really be interested in seeing him do something with an actual story that doesn’t involve Chavo Guerrero. Son of Havoc going solo is interesting as well and it’s a good sign that he can have a good match like this on his own.

And now, a word from the guest band.

We run down the rest of the Ultima Lucha card.

Unique Opportunity Tournament Finals: The Mack vs. Son of Havoc

The stipulation here: falls count anywhere. Again. Mack knocks him down in the corner to start but misses a ridiculous corkscrew splash. They head outside with Havoc going into the barricade before taking it back inside for a spinning Downward Spiral out of the corner for two. Havoc sends him outside for a big flip dive but the shooting star hits Mack’s raised knees. Mack loads up….something in the corner but gets caught by a handspring elbow, setting up the shooting star to give Havoc the pin at 5:32.

Rating: C. These matches got weaker as they went along but the problem is starting with the violence and then ending with a mostly clean match. It feels like a downgrade every time (albeit not a steep one) and the matches getting shorter every time didn’t help things. Mack came off looking a bit better here though, especially after the polar opposite style in the first match.

Post match, Dario and Black Lotus come in with a briefcase. The offer is $250,000 in the briefcase or……a spot in the main event of Ultima Lucha III. Havoc takes the title shot (which of course comes with another briefcase) but Dario says we’re not done yet. Since Havoc turned down the money, it’s up for grabs against Havoc’s third opponent. If Havoc wins he gets the title shot but if he loses, the opponent gets the money. This brings out Famous B. to introduce his new client, who is already famous.

Son of Havoc vs. Dr. Wagner Jr.

Wagner is a big deal from Mexico and a former AAA Mega Champion. Wagner starts fast with a Samoan Drop and Havoc is already in big trouble. Havoc ducks a clothesline and hits a springboard crossbody. The shooting star misses though and the Dr. Driver (Michinoku Driver) puts Havoc away at 2:10.

Overall Rating: C+. Well that happened. Really, that’s the only thing you can say here as the idea debuted and then went away in the span of an hour with Wagner winning the money in his debut that didn’t even break two and a half minutes. The opener was worth checking out and the next two matches were fine but it’s a completely skippable show because nothing here really meant anything. Still though, it’s a good appetizer for the real three hours and I’m glad they got through the tournament stuff in one night instead of having to drag it out over the duration of the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

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Lucha Underground
Date: June 22, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re just a few weeks away from Ultima Lucha Dos and a lot of the card still needs to be set. The official length hasn’t been announced yet but the rumor says four hours over three weeks, which is an upgrade over last year’s three hours. Also it’s about time to start going somewhere with these storylines because time is running out on this season. Let’s get to it.

The opening video recaps the Gift of the Gods Title, most recently held by Cage, who failed in his cash-in attempt against Matanza. We also look at the stories for Famous B. and Black Lotus.

Dario Cueto talks to a masked man named Night Claw, who is from the same Aztec tribe as Prince Puma. Tonight the seven Aztec medallions will be awarded but Dario gives Night Claw one for free. Dario isn’t letting him off that easily though as he reminds Claw that the Jaguar tribe was the first one to be wiped out by the gods.

The announcers tell us that Night Claw debuts at Ultima Lucha Dos.

Aztec Medallion: Daga vs. Mascarita Sagrada

I have no idea what they’re going for with Sagrada but it’s getting annoying at this point. Kobra Moon is watching from the balcony. Daga throws him down for two to start and a snap suplex gets the same. A Russian legsweep sets up a cobra clutch crossface to make Sagrada tap at 2:13.

Famous B. superkicks Sagrada and hits him with a shoe. B. promises to get a new client and make him famous. Hopefully this gets rid of this story because it’s really not interesting.

Dragon Azteca Jr. is in Dario’s office and accuses the boss of being a liar. That gives Dario an idea: Dragon Azteca Jr. vs. Black Lotus at Ultima Lucha Dos. We’ll see who is the true killer that night.

Aztec Medallions: Joey Ryan/Cortez Castro/Mr. Cisco vs. Killshot/Marty Martinez/Siniestro de la Muerta

Remember that Cisco now knows his partners are cops. Before the match, Marty returns Killshot’s dog tags as a peace offering. Cortez and Marty get things going with Marty doing the Moth pose. It’s off to Joey for a fight over the lollipop until Killshot comes in to make things more serious. A handstand walk sets up a dropkick to send Joey into the corner, meaning it’s off to Cisco vs. Siniestro. Some armdrags put Sinistero down and a powerslam gets two.

We get a Buzz Sawyer reference from Striker but Vampiro “won’t put that over at all.” Sinistero trips Cisco, which Striker calls a Canadian trip. Cortez comes in for a bottom rope tornado DDT on Marty, who is taken down again by a middle rope hurricanrana from Cisco. Everything breaks down and it’s time for the dives with Marty posing instead of jumping.

Castro and Cisco put him on the floor with a double clothesline before Killshot uses Castro as a launchpad to moonsault onto everyone else. Back in and Cisco hits a reverse hurricanrana (Rewind Rana according to Striker. I kind of like that.) on Killshot but Joey tries to steal the pin to start a brawl. The distraction lets Marty curb stomp Cisco so Killshot can add a top rope double stomp for the pin at 8:04.

Rating: C. This was fine but I’m getting a little tired of the Aztec Medallion shows. The strength of Lucha Underground is in its storytelling and we’re really not getting that in these thrown together matches. Yeah Joey, Cisco and Castro have a story but that can’t really be addressed here because the announcers don’t know about it. The match was fine but nothing all that interesting, which makes for a dull show when that’s all you get.

Marty steals the dog tags back.

Aztec Medallions: Sexy Star/Mariposa vs. Ivelisse/Taya

Taya and Star get things going with the latter grabbing a front facelock. That goes nowhere as Taya reverses into a keylock before they trade some armdrags for a standoff. A double tag brings in Ivelisse and Mariposa with Ivelisse putting on a headlock until she’s pulled into the buckle. For a little change of pace, Mariposa ties her arms between Ivelisse’s legs for something like a Sharpshooter. Cool move.

Ivelisse is quickly out and it’s off to Taya vs. Mariposa for a rather intriguing matchup. Star comes in before anything happens though and armdrags Taya from the top. Everything breaks down and Star hits a running seated senton off the apron to drop Taya again. Taya gets thrown into some empty chairs as this breaks down into a brawl like it probably should have in the first place.

Ivelisse dives down onto Mariposa and it’s back to Taya vs. Star in the ring. A DDT drops Taya but Star won’t tag in Ivelisse. La Majistral gets two on Ivelisse and we hit the pinfall reversal sequence. Everything breaks down again and Taya spears her partner by mistake so Mariposa hits Ivelisse with a White Noise to give Star the pin at 9:45.

Rating: B-. I liked this a lot more than I was expecting with the women showing that they could have a compelling match with some pairings that are actually intriguing. I could go for Taya vs. Mariposa down the line with Taya being all about fitness and perfection and Mariposa being something like the female Mankind. There’s something interesting there and it could be entertaining down the line.

Here’s Prince Puma for his first ever speech in the Temple. Puma gets right to the point: he’s been thinking about Ultima Lucha and there’s only one match people want to see him have. Ever since he started training, people have been asking if he can be the next Rey Mysterio but Puma doesn’t want to know if he can be Rey Mysterio. He wants to know if he can BEAT Rey Mysterio so the challenge is issued. Rey comes out and says he’s a pioneer of all this, but at the end of the day he’s El Rey (Spanish for The King and a nice plug for the network) and Puma is still a prince. However, Rey needs to know if he’s still the best so the match is made.

Overall Rating: C+. This show continued the roll towards Ultima Lucha with one of the big matches being set up. For once this feels like a major match actually worth looking forward to as Rey could probably nail it for a show like Ultima Lucha. I’m starting to get excited for the show, which is apparently going to run for three weeks over four hours, which gives them a lot of time for a lot of the matches. Hopefully next week is a storyline show though because they’re running out of time to wrap up a lot of this stuff.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: June 1, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Matt Striker, Vampiro

It’s a big week as we have Matanza defending the Lucha Underground Title against Cage, who is cashing in his Gift of the Gods Title for a shot at the big belt. Other than that it’s hard to say what to expect as the show goes up and down more often than not these days. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of the Trios and Gift of the Gods Titles in recent weeks.

Daga vs. Son of Havoc

Havoc sends him to the floor in about fifteen seconds and kicks him hard in the chest. In a ridiculous display of strength, Havoc hangs horizontally off the post before dropping down with an elbow. A standing moonsault gets two back inside as we definitely seem to be in squash territory. Daga flips him into a faceplant for two before talking a bit of trash.

They hit the mat with Daga spinning around into a Tequila Sunrise but here’s Kobra Moon for a distraction. It doesn’t seem to bother Daga that much though as he slingshots in with a dropkick in the corner. Havoc pops back up and kicks Daga in the face but misses his springboard double stomp. Kobra distracts Havoc so Daga can kick him in the head (not a DQ for interference of course) but Havoc shoves him off and hits the Shooting Star for the pin at 6:07.

Rating: C-. I’m still not a fan of any of these people though Son of Havoc winning is the right call. Daga and Kobra Moon are as far down on the Lucha totem pole as you can be and this really didn’t do them a lot of good. They’re just not interesting and their matches aren’t worth seeing either.

Post match Kobra almost wraps herself around Daga, who doesn’t seem pleased.

Rey Mysterio is warming up when Dragon Azteca comes in to say he’s found Matanza’s cell. Dragon wants revenge but Rey say go after the titles again. That makes Dragon think Rey doesn’t care about the dead Dragon Azteca. A fight is about to break out when Prince Puma comes in. Rey tells him to leave but Puma doesn’t take kindly to the suggestion. They all head to the ring in peace.

Trios Titles: Rey Mysterio Jr./Dragon Azteca Jr./Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo/PJ Black/Jack Evans

Rey and company are challenging after losing the titles last week. The champs now have matching bandanas and sunglasses. Mysterio and Black start things off with PJ being taken to the mat but ducking a basement kick to the head. The second isn’t as avoidable though as Rey blasts him with another kick, only to have Mundo kick Rey low from the apron.

Evans pulls Rey back across the ring so Mundo can hit him with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two. Rey has flashbacks to teaming with Kidman though and counters a powerbomb with a DDT for the hot tag off to Puma. A northern lights suplex into a vertical suplex drops Mundo again and Azteca helps Puma with a corner enziguri to Evans. Mundo kicks Puma in the head to break up a dive so Black can hit the dive instead.

Evans dropkicks Rey to break up another dive, only to have Puma do the same thing to him. A big old superplex sends Evans and Puma onto the pile and all six are down. Back in and Puma’s 630 is broken up, allowing Jack to hit one of his own for two. Puma is right back up with a suplex to send Jack into the corner though and it’s a double tag to Dragon and Mundo. The other four fight to the floor as Dragon does his big spinning DDT for two on Johnny. Taya gets on the apron so Johnny can kick Dragon low. That’s too much for Puma who gets in the ring and kicks Johnny low for the DQ at 9:45.

Rating: B. Another fun match here with an ending smart enough to keep the good guy dream team looking strong. Puma was so frustrated with all the cheating on top of the pre-match stuff backstage that he snapped and turned all evil for a bit to cost his team the match. The thing I like about Lucha is that they don’t flat out say that and let you figure it out on your own for a change. If this was WWE they would have explained it three times during the five replays.

Puma superkicks Taya to really act evil. I could go for Puma vs. Mundo.

Dragon Azteca is at Matanza’s cell when Black Lotus (Remember her?) comes up and tells him not to do this. She tells Dragon Azteca that the original Dragon killed her parents but he doesn’t seem to believe her.

Lucha Underground Title: Cage vs. Matanza

Cage is challenging by cashing in his Gift of the Gods Title. Vampiro thinks Matanza is distracted as Cage holds up the title. So the solution is to just distract him? A slugout goes nowhere and they trade shoulders and elbows. Cage headscissors him out to the floor to set up a BIG flip dive. If this guy isn’t back in WWE in a year at most I’ll be stunned. Cage isn’t done yet as he moonsaults off the top to take out Matanza again.

Dario is freaking out as Matanza is sent face first into the barricade a few times. The champ gets a breather while Cage peels back the floor mats, allowing Matanza to suplex Cage on the concrete. Cage misses a clothesline and gets caught in a release German suplex. Back in and Matanza pounds away with rights and lefts but a standing shooting star (more like a headbutt than a splash) hits knees.

Twenty straight clotheslines in the corner rock Matanza but he comes right back with a fall away suplex for two. Now it’s Cage popping back up with a pumphandle into an X Factor of all things. Back up and both guys try bicycle kicks for a double knockdown. They trade no sold German suplexes but a swinging German suplex knocks Cage silly. Wrath of the Gods is broken up and Cage BLASTS him with a discus lariat for two. A superplex plants Matanza again and a top rope elbow gets two on the champ.

An Alabama Slam and standing moonsault give Cage yet another near fall and that means it’s time for Weapon X. That’s countered as well but the Wrath of the Gods is reversed into a small package for two. The Lucha Destroyer (F5) gets another two for Cage and there go the straps. A series of kicks stagger Matanza but he grabs Wrath of the Gods for the pin at retain at 13:27.

Rating: B+. I don’t think this one needs much of an explanation: take two big guys and have them beat each other up for about fifteen minutes. The important thing here though is that they’ve adjusted Matanza’s character to someone who can be beaten after a lot of difficulty. Basically he’s their version of Kane and that’s not the kind of character who can only last so long without being adjusted and those necessary changes have been made. Really fun power brawl here with Cage looking like someone who could indeed beat Matanza if he had another shot.

Overall Rating: A-. Two out of the three matches were highly entertaining and we got an important change to a major character. Black Lotus’ cameo didn’t really need to happen but it’s nice for them to throw a bone back to the whole Dragon Azteca story. That’s one of the problems around here: there are so many stories and only an hour a week to get to a lot of them so there’s only so much you can do. Anyway, really strong show this week which you have to expect every now and then.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

I usually don’t comment on celebrity deaths but this one has a big wrestling connection.  In addition to refereeing the main event of Wrestlemania I, there’s the Boxer vs. Wrestler match in 1976 which was kind of a forerunner to MMA.  On top of that though there’s the showmanship.  Yeah he got a lot of it from Gorgeous George, but Ali brought it into the mainstream and made it something special.  He was the greatest of all time and his influence will be felt for a long time to come.

Lucha Underground
Date: May 25, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

Last week’s show was uh…..well not exactly up to Lucha Underground’s normal standards. It did however give us a big match for tonight as Cage will be challenging Chavo Guerrero Jr. for the Gift of the Gods Title which Cage has a legitimate claim towards. Other than that you almost never can tell what you’re going to get around here. Let’s get to it.

The recap looks at Cortez Castro/Joey Ryan as cops, the Trios Titles and Cage helping Chavo win the Gift of the Gods Title last week.

Pentagon Jr. is on his feet and looks ready to go back to the Temple but Vampiro says he isn’t ready. A quick wrench of his arm has Pentagon slowing back down but he still says no fear. Vampiro says Pentagon can return to the Temple, though he’s not ready to face the monster.

Some Marines are here in an always cool move.

Matt Striker gets a phone call from someone who asks if he wants to be famous.

Joey Ryan vs. Mascarita Sagrada

The fans are WAY into Mascarita’s entrance, though that might be due to Famous B. doing the announcing. Joey isn’t interested though and kicks Sagrada in the head to take over fast. Mascarita sends him to the floor for the flip dive but Joey throws Sagrada down again. This sets up a trade as Joey gives B. his sucker for a business card. Back in and Mascarita throws him down and scores with a moonsault. Famous B. offers the referee a business card so Sagrada can kick Joey low…..but that doesn’t work on him for reasons I won’t go into. A tornado DDT puts Mascarita away at 3:14.

Rating: D. Just a comedy match here as Famous B. continues to screw up Sagrada’s career, which wasn’t exactly doing much in Lucha Underground to begin with. Joey is over with the crowd though and that’s going to get him somewhere given where things are going with the undercover cop story.

Famous B. consoles Sagrada.

Taya video with her looking at herself in lingerie and then putting on a dress to beat up masked men. That’s one thing I’ll never get tired of around here: even the goons are luchadors.

King Cuerno is in his office (or whatever it is) talking about how Mil Muertes thought he was king of the jungle. He gets up and we see Muertes stood up in a glass coffin as Cuerno’s ultimate trophy. Well that’s a bit creepy.

Gift of the Gods Title: Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Cage

Cage is challenging and drops Chavo at the bell before firing off clotheslines in the corner. Vampiro doesn’t buy Striker’s claims of Chavo being one of the best in the world pound for pound. Vampiro: “When? When he was born and there were no other babies around?” Chavo’s dive is plucked out of the air so Cage can drive him into the barricade a few times.

Back in and Chavo gets a headscissors to send Cage outside, followed by a suicide dive to actually put Cage in trouble. A middle rope cross body just goes badly but Cage bangs up his knee trying a moonsault. Chavo is smart enough to start in on the knee but Vampiro wants Chavo to kick him in the head instead. The champ goes to the top so Cage gets up for an apron superplex. Cage snaps off a sitout Alabama Slam for two, only to get caught in a tornado DDT for the same.

A Liger Kick doesn’t do much for Chavo as Cage just blasts him with a discus lariat. Chavo gets up top again and sunset bombs Cage down, followed by the Frog Splash for two. Three Amigos are countered into a suplex powerbomb (as in Cage lifts him up for a suplex and then slams him forward into a powerbomb). A buckle bomb sets up a STEINER SCREWDRIVER (I never thought I would see that move again but my goodness is still looks amazing) to give Cage the title at 8:05.

Rating: B-. This was much better than I was expecting as Chavo actually wrestled instead of running away like a coward. Cage continues to be what Ryback should have been and I can’t imagine WWE won’t bring him back at some point in the future. Above all else though, STEINER SCREWDRIVER!!!

Cage gets right to the point: he wants a title match next week.

Johnny Mundo has attacked Fenix and will be taking his place in the Trios Titles match alongside PJ Black and Jack Evans.

Cortez Castro and Joey Ryan raid Dario Cueto’s office and find some cash, which Joey steals. Mr. Cisco comes in and isn’t happy with not being invited to the robbery. This earns him an arrest as Joey holds a gun on him. Uh….on what charge?

Taya comes out to announce the replacement.

Trios Titles: Johnny Mundo/PJ Black/Jack Evans vs. Rey Mysterio Jr./Prince Puma/Dragon Azteca Jr.

Mundo’s team is challenging. Jack and Dragon get things going with Dragon scoring off an early dropkick. Some very loud chops have Jack in even more trouble and a dropkick sends him into the corner for the tag off to Black. Puma comes in as well but gets elbowed down for two. Mundo and Black double backdrop Puma for two until the Prince channels his inner Davey Richards by throwing Evans into a DDT from Black and grabbing a neckbreaker to make the partners hurt each other. I’ve never liked that before and I still don’t here.

The hot tag brings in Mysterio to clean house before Dragon’s legdrop and Puma’s springboard splash gets two on Mundo. Evans gets kicked in the face but he kicks Puma in the back to take over again. Mysterio comes back in to send Mundo outside, followed by a slingshot hurricanrana from Puma as this picks up in a hurry. Evans charges into a boot to the face but is still able to cartwheel into a kick to Azteca’s head.

This sets up what looked like a super hurricanrana to Dragon who would land in another hurricanrana on Black. It would have been an awesome spot if both halves of it hadn’t been at least somewhat botched. The 619 on Black sets up the 630 but Johnny pulls the referee out. Mundo isn’t done yet as he kicks Rey low, setting up a double superkick from Johnny and Taya. The other two champs are kicked low and a top rope double stomp into an AA on Azteca.

Black hits a brainbuster called the Wellness Policy (I’m not sure what to think about that one) as we have a second referee. Somehow Puma backflips out of a belly to back superplex and makes the tag to Dragon. Taya has the referee though as Johnny is caught in a sunset flip for two. The distraction lets Evans blast Dragon with a chair to give Johnny the pin and the titles at 10:50.

Rating: B. Good match here as they really fir in with the Lucha Underground mold for the most part. Just let everyone go insane and do high spots to pop the crowd and the rest will be just fine. I’m not wild on these titles changing hands so fast as there’s really not much of a story in sight for them, though Mundo with a title will be fine.

Overall Rating: B. This was a bounce back show as they set up the big showdown between Cage and Matanza while also advancing some of the background stories. At some point they need to actually have these things start coming together so it’s a good step to have something like this happen. It’s not a blow away show but I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

Lucha Underground
Date: May 18, 2016
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

As is usually the case, it’s hard to say what to expect on these shows. The three title pictures continue to be a story but the bigger deal seems to be everything going on behind the scenes with Councilman Delgado trying to take down Dario for his master, whatever that may entail. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap focuses on the Gift of the Gods Title and Matanza destroying Pentagon Jr.

Dario Cueto is putting cash in a bag when Cage comes in, demanding to get his hands on Chavo after having his Gift of the Golds medallion stolen. Dario says join him in the ring.

It’s time for the Gift of the Gods presentation with Cage following Dario out. Dario explains the concept and says there will be a seven way match tonight. The winners of the medallions are called out so here are Texano, Joey Ryan (Theory that unfortunately I can’t take credit for: Castro let Joey pin him because they’re secretly working together as undercover cops. I’ve heard far worse ideas.), Sinestro de la Muerte (with Dario not being able to remember which Disciple he is), Aerostar, the Mack, Sexy Star and Chavo Guerrero Jr., who didn’t actually win but that doesn’t seem to matter.

Everyone else clears out so Cage can stomp Chavo down in the corner and take the medallion back. Well in theory at least because it’s just a big washer, allowing Chavo to blast Cage with a chair. Chavo puts the real medallion in the belt and that somehow count in Dario’s eyes. Cage gives Chavo Weapon X to blow off some steam.

Daga vs. Argenis vs. Mascarita Sagrada vs. Kobra Moon

One fall to a finish. Famous B. takes over for Sagrada’s introduction. It’s a big brawl to start with Sagrada headscissoring Daga down to start. Moon forearms Sagrada down though and gets two off a Michinoku Driver. Argenis and Daga come back in with Argenis superkicking the unmasked one down. That goes nowhere as Argenis is sent to the floor for a dive from Daga. Back inside and Sagrada rolls up Moon for two, followed by a cross armbreaker on Argenis. That’s quite the odd visual.

Daga dives in to break up a powerbomb on Sagrada before setting up the overly contrived spot of the match with a Gory Special on Moon and a reverse Boston crab on Argenis at the same time. Sagrada comes in for the save but Argenis slaps Sagrada in the mask to break up a sunset flip on Moon. Back up and Moon runs Sagrada over, followed by a White Noise into a piledriver for no cover. Instead she stands back, allowing Daga to get the pin at 5:03.

Rating: D+. Uh….ok then. I still don’t buy into Kobra and Daga is only so much of a star. I’m really not sure what the point of this match was but an alliance between Moon and Daga isn’t going to be anything interesting either. This is a really weird match and I wasn’t feeling it at all really.

Killshot is putting his gear on when Marty the Moth comes up to see him and offers a salute. They’ll be facing off tonight so Marty puts a finger guns to Killshot’s head. This earns him a quick flip over to the floor where Marty laughs like a crazy man.

Marty Martinez vs. Killshot

Marty makes sure to perv on Melissa Santos during the entrances. They stare each other down and Marty does the finger gun again, prompting a Major Gunns reference of all things. Marty sends him into the corner and then over the top, only to have Killshot land on his feet. Back in and Killshot sends him to the floor for a change but a flip dive is caught on Marty’s shoulder, which really isn’t the kind of power you would expect from him. Marty slowly beats Killshot down inside and does the finger gun again, only to tick Killshot off this time. Well again, but this time Killshot smacks him in the face to take over.

Killshot BLASTS him in the head again for two, followed by a third shot to the head. Marty pops up and knocks Killshot off the top though, only to have Killshot block a German suplex off the apron. Instead it’s Marty eating a Death Valley Driver on the apron to put both guys on the floor because that’s how wrestling moves work. Both guys beat the count at nine so Marty takes his head off with a clothesline for two. Marty’s dive in the corner gets caught though and it’s a forward driver (think Kenny Omega’s One Winged Angel but out of a waistlock instead of an electric chair) to give Killshot the pin at 7:15.

Rating: C+. This was better than the first match but it’s still only so good. Killshot is starting to get somewhere with the military character but it would be nice to have something other than “Yeah he was in the military.” Marty is PERFECT as the creepy guy though and it’s mainly due to all the little parts that he adds to everything. It’s better than the first match but still really nothing I’m going to remember in five minutes.

Marty destroys him post match and steals the dog tags.

Gift of the Gods Title: Sinestro de la Muerte vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. vs. Joey Ryan vs. Sexy Star vs. The Mack vs. Texano vs. Aerostar

One fall to a finish and the title is vacant coming in. Chavo bails to the floor to start and it’s time for everyone to hit one spot and then run to the floor. The match settles down to Joey vs. Star with the former not that upset with having to wrestle a scantily clad woman. Chavo tries to steal a rollup on Star but Mack comes in to clean house, leaving him in a staredown with his friend Sexy.

Texano pulls Star out to the floor before taking her place against Mack. A powerbomb plants Mack but it’s Aerostar diving in for the save. A springboard tornado DDT gives Aerostar two on Texano, only to have Sinestro come in for his quick section. It’s time for the big dives with Star pulling Joey off the top and taking everyone out at the same time. Back in and a Backstabber gives Sinestro two on Ryan before Mack throws Muerte outside.

Mack and Star take turns chopping Ryan before a double legdrop crushes Joey again. Chavo runs back in and frog splashes Ryan for two with Mack diving in for the save. That’s not cool though and everyone goes after Chavo for a parade of finishers (save for Ryan but including Sinestro, who shouldn’t be up for this kind of thing). However, cue Cage to destroy everyone not named Chavo before putting Guerrero on top of Joey for the pin and the title at 8:33.

Rating: C. This was a lot of waiting around until we got to the big Cage deal at the end, which makes sense and keeps Cage looking strong before his eventual match with Chavo for the title, which he certainly has a claim to. Other than that though there was almost nothing going on here but that’s what you have to expect with a six minute match with seven people in there at once.

Post match Cage goes with the obvious reveal: he gets a title shot at Chavo next week.

Vampiro tells Pentagon that he must be broken again, just like the monster broke him already. Pentagon is suspended in some weird S&M style looking harness while Vampiro beats on him with a stick. Vampiro talks about all the evil inside of him and how the pills can’t hold him back. This is nothing compared to what Matanza did to Pentagon and it’s nothing compared to what he’s about to do to Pentagon either. It’s time for a barbed wire baseball bat to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This one really missed for me as there wasn’t much for anything to be seen here. The opening match went nowhere, the second match was fine and could set something up, but the third match was all there to set up something else later on. Now all that being said, the stuff at the end was interesting with Pentagon looking like he’s coming back as the ultimate Matanza slayer full of Vampiro’s evil. This show was a bunch of standing around waiting but that’s not really enough to carry this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up my new book on NXT: The Full Sail Years Volume II at Amazon for just $3.99 at:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01FWZZ2UA

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

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

Middle Kingdom Wrestling
Date: May 11, 2016
Location: CWE Gym, Dongguan, China
Commentators: Eddie Strong, Cam Ferguson

This promotion is in a kind of weird place as they haven’t had much storyline stuff this season but the standalone shows have been more fun and definitely better presented than a lot of the stuff from last season. I still like what I’m seeing and the shows are still short enough to make these easy sits. Let’s get to it.

Standard opening sequence.

Len Bai says something to someone named Tony Trivaldo but I could barely make any of it out. I’m not sure if I was supposed to understand this but if I was, they REALLY need to work on their audio.

Trivaldo, a French wrestling champion, is here to go after Bai for hurting Dalton Bragg’s arm.

In something you don’t see every day, we cut back and forth between the two as they respond to each other. Bai isn’t scared and Trivaldo promises to make Bai regret this. Then Bai bites into something that looked like a piece of chicken.

Len Bai vs. Tony Trivaldo

Trivaldo is definitely the face here and does a decent enough job of playing to the crowd early on. Some armdrags take Bai down to start but he blocks the third as Strong talks about how this has been brewing for some time but thankfully Ferguson points out how weak of a line that is. A dropkick puts Bai on the floor but he comes back with a snapmare and basement dropkick for two as the announcers keep bickering.

Off to a reverse cross armbreaker but Trivaldo powers him up into a sitout powerbomb before nipping up and completely failing to get the crowd to clap with him. Well at least he’s trying. Bai counters a backdrop into a DDT and fires off strikes to cut off a comeback (During which Trivaldo tried the clapping thing again and got NOTHING. This time he even looked at the crowd as if to say “come on work with me here.” Again, the fact that he’s trying is what matters.). A running basement dropkick in the corner before we hit the Figure Four Neck Lock on Trivaldo.

Back up and Tony uppercuts him before trying to get a chant going, only to have a few fans tell him he sucks. Bai grabs a guillotine choke so Tony throws him with a northern lights suplex. Back up and a German suplex sends Bai flying and he pulls off the turnbuckle pad for a cool visual. Apparently Eddie kicks the turnbuckle pad away, thereby screwing up the audio in the process. Well he can’t do everything around here. Bai sends him head first into the exposed buckle setting up a spinning fisherman’s brainbuster (minus most of the busting) to give Bai the pin.

Rating: C. I was liking the match and there’s something cool about seeing people who you’ll never likely see otherwise getting a chance to show off in something like this. It also helps to have two people who clearly have some ring experience as it can be kind of tiresome watching people who aren’t entirely sure what they’re doing. The turnbuckle thing was fine for an ending, though I really hope they don’t get rid of Ferguson like they were suggesting in the annotations on Youtube, as he’s pretty regularly the most entertaining thing about the show.

We recap the events that set up the six man that has been shown in the opening sequence on every episode of this season. Ash is still mad at Da Li Sam for costing him his tournament match last season by sending him into the post. Then Black Mamba cost Ash a match against Jason…..and then it gets a bit confusing. There’s something about a mystery partner and Andrew Tag, a champion from another promotion. One of Ash’s partners seems to think he’s a superhero. I think Sam and Mamba are teaming with the other champion and Ash’s partner (along with the superhero) is still a mystery.

Overall Rating: C+. Yeah I know there was only one match on the show but the key thing here was the addition of the storylines. The match had a story and there was a story setting up the match next time (as confusing as it was). I know they’re not the most interesting stories in the world but it’s better than “here’s a tournament match”. I still don’t know the characters well enough but even the simplest stories are a step up.

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