IMG Credit: WWE

Takeover: Phoenix
Date: January 26, 2019
Location: Talking Stick Resort Arena, Phoenix, Arizona
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

I don’t think I need to waste your time suggesting that this show might be awesome. Takeover has raised their standard up so high that there’s no reason to suggest that it’s going to be anything less than great. The question now is how great, which should make for a heck of an evening. Let’s get to it.

The opening video focuses on the desert, where it’s hot, dry and quiet. Until there’s a loud chant for NXT of course. The card gets a rundown, which works quite well when there are only five matches. The sound of a rattlesnake is a nice touch.

Kingdom Hearts III is sponsoring the show. I’m home.

We go to the Spanish broadcasters but the lights go out as they’re talking….because we have vikings.

Tag Team Titles: War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era

The Raiders are challenging and have a full legion of vikings with shields and spears (one of which was apparently played by Rowe’s newlywed Sarah Logan). I’m not big on vikings most of the time (now Cowboys on the other hand….) but this was freaking awesome. Bobby Fish is out with the champs here. The fans seem to be behind the champs, who jump the Raiders to get things going.

Rowe takes both of them outside with clotheslines, followed by Hansen doing the same. Just to show off a bit, Rowe slams Hansen off the apron onto both of them and then shrugs off a flying shoulder back inside. O’Reilly breaks up Fallout and the champs finally get in some offense. A bunch of strikes have Hansen in trouble as kicking at the legs slows him down. Hansen shrugs off a guillotine choke and brings in Rowe, who no sells a forearm and throws O’Reilly at Strong.

Everything breaks down and Hansen misses a suicide dive for a nasty looking crash. That doesn’t seem to bother Rowe, who hammers both of them down anyway. A backbreaker cuts him off though and Rowe gets dropped ribs first across the top rope. The dueling chants begin as O’Reilly hits a half nelson backbreaker for two. O’Reilly tries a rear naked choke so Rowe walks him into the corner, drawing Strong in for the double teaming.

The fans rather approve as they’re certainly split here. Rowe tosses O’Reilly to the floor, followed by winning a strike off back inside. That’s enough for the second hot tag to Hansen so house can be cleaned again. Hansen cartwheels into a dropkick and tries the forever lariats in the corner. A Bronco Buster gets two on Strong but Strong is right back with a running clothesline.

The pop up powerslam plants O’Reilly and Hansen dives onto Strong as Kyle kicks out in a heck of a near fall that I almost bought as the finish. A powerbomb into a top rope splash gets two more but Fallout is broken up again. Instead Strong hits a top rope superplex into a top rope knee from O’Reilly for a VERY close two and that’s a standing ovation. Strong scores with the Angle Slam for two more, followed by High/Low for ANOTHER two as Hansen just won’t stay down.

Another High/Low is countered and it’s a Tajiri handspring elbow to both champs. Rowe comes back in and it’s a powerbomb/World’s Strongest Slam to O’Reilly and Strong at the same time. Because that can just be done you see. O’Reilly is DONE and Fallout gives us new champions at 16:58.

Rating: A-. This was the long form tag team formula and it told a great story with the Era hitting everything they could on the monsters but not being able to do enough. It makes the Raiders look like the truly better team because the Era couldn’t stop them no matter what. That’s how you do a match like this and the Raiders are going to hold those titles for a very long time. Great opener.

Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are here.

We recap Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle. Ohno has lost to him twice in a row now but after the second loss, he attacked Riddle in a huge heel moment. The idea is that Ohno isn’t happy with Riddle for being the new NXT toy and wants to give him a welcome beating.

Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno

Riddle is ready with the strikes at the bell and knocks Ohno to the floor for a running forearm off the steps. Back in and Riddle knees him in the ribs, followed by a running forearm on the apron. A sunset bomb is countered with a stomp to the face (sometimes it makes more sense to go simple) and we hit the cravate on Riddle. An elbow to the face gets two more and Ohno erupts on him in the corner.

They head outside again with Ohno sending him head first into the steps, just like he did in the post-second match attack. Back in and Ohno stomps hard on Riddle’s fingers but Riddle is fine enough for a bridging German suplex. That means it’s time for the kicks to the chest….so Ohno BITES THE TOE. Good grief dude I know you have a good sized gut but if you need a snack during a match, we’re reaching Bastion Booger territory.

Ohno gets two off a Liger Bomb and a moonsault (THUD) connects for the same. Riddle pulls him straight down into a rear naked choke but Ohno is in the corner pretty fast. The offer of a fist bump just gets Ohno beaten up even more, with Riddle taking him down and unloading with forearms to the back of the head for the tap at 9:49.

Rating: C+. Not too bad at all here, but it wasn’t exactly in doubt, save for a surprise Keith Lee turn. The action was fine with Ohno seeming desperate to beat Riddle, who has beaten him twice before. That was a fine story and the ending was the right call, though it wasn’t exactly some thrilling stuff. They didn’t overstay their welcome though and that’s how things should have gone here.

Velveteen Dream arrives with some good looking women.

We recap the North American Title match. Champion Ricochet is answering a challenge, as Tommaso Ciampa suggested that Johnny Gargano go after the title. Ricochet is an amazing talent, but Gargano is full of evil and seemingly being manipulated by Ciampa, but this has the potential to be an instant classic. They’re heavily pushing the good vs. evil story here, as Ricochet is almost pure while Gargano is willing to do whatever it takes to shake off his demons and become champion. Heck of a story indeed.

North American Title: Johnny Gargano vs. Ricochet

Ricochet is defending. It’s a feeling out process to start with no one getting the advantage early on. Johnny’s headlock doesn’t get him very far but Ricochet nips up off a shoulder. What looked like a Gargano Escape winds up being a crucifix for two but Ricochet is right back up with some flips to avoid a hurricanrana. Another headscissors attempt earns Gargano a dropkick to the floor, setting up a step up moonsault from the middle rope, because Ricochet can just do that.

Back in and Ricochet gets caught in a hot shot onto the top turnbuckle as Gargano isn’t just evil, but he’s also smart. A chinlock backbreaker gives Gargano two but the slingshot spear misses, allowing Ricochet to hit a moonsault to the back. Ricochet picks up the pace with a running hurricanrana and a 619 in the corner. There’s the spring European uppercut into the rolling suplexes for two more.

Another hurricanrana is countered into a sitout powerbomb into a crossface and now it’s Ricochet in trouble. It’s too early for the Gargano Escape but the slingshot DDT is countered with a backdrop out to the apron. You know that means the flip dive, because that’s what Ricochet does. Back in and it’s a standing shooting star into a middle rope moonsault for two on Gargano as things are getting faster. Ricochet goes up but Gargano catches him with a hurricanrana….so Ricochet lands on his feet. The fans are VERY impressed, as they should be to be fair.

Ricochet tries a handspring but gets pulled into the Gargano Escape, again much to the fans’ delight. That’s broken up with some power (an underutilized part of Ricochet’s offense) and Gargano gets suplexed into the corner. It’s too early for the 630 as Gargano rolls outside before Ricochet can launch. Instead it’s a running flip dive over the corner as Ricochet gets to show off again.

The springboard 450 gives Ricochet two but a way too long shooting star press hits knees. Gargano superkicks him to the floor, where Ricochet catches a suicide dive in a fireman’s carry….which is reversed into a reverse hurricanrana to drive Ricochet head first into the floor. Back in and Gargano’s slingshot DDT is only good for two as even commentary needs a minute to breathe. With frustration setting in, Gargano pulls the floor mats back but a little humanity sinks in, causing Gargano to take it back inside instead.

A clothesline drops Gargano, who avoids the Phoenix splash. Instead Ricochet throws him down and slaps on a Gargano Escape of his own, sending Gargano crawling to the ropes. They head to the apron with Gargano sending him head first into the post (which was done to him last year), setting up a suplex/brainbuster hybrid on the concrete. Ricochet is out on his feet so it’s another slingshot DDT (with a spike) to give Gargano the pin and the title at 24:25.

Rating: A. What a spectacle but they actually had a story being told as well. Ricochet is the ultimate athlete with a combination of power (not a great amount but it’s there) and incredible athleticism, but Gargano is just talented all around, combined with a never say die attitude. The story here though was Gargano doing whatever it took to win because he knew what would happen if he didn’t. There was also the resistance to use the concrete before giving into the demons in the end and winning the title by any means necessary. Heck of a story but an even better match. This is an early Match of the Year contender, which shouldn’t surprise anyone.

We recap Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair. Bianca is an athletic freak who has run over everyone through sheer athleticism and talent. Baszler is a bit older but more experienced and arguably well rounded. All Belair can say is that she’s undefeated, which makes her seem way too confident.

Women’s Title: Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair

Bianca is challenging and drives her into the corner a few times to start for some bragging clean breaks. Thankfully Baszler gets tired of the UN-DE-FEA-TED chant and tries an O-VER-RA-TED version. A hard shoulder puts Baszler down and Belair takes over on the floor. Baszler shows off the intelligence though and grabs the hair to pull Bianca into the post. It’s only good for a nine count so Baszler is right onto her with shots to the face and an armbar.

The Dakota Kai arm stomp has Belair getting checked in the corner as Baszler is on a roll. We hit the armbar (makes sense in this case) for a bit until a hard kick to the face gives the champ two. The O-VER-RA-TED taunt earns Baszler a slap in the face and a spear with the bad arm gets two more. Baszler kicks her in the ribs and gets two off a running knee strike. The slugout is on until Belair whips the heck out of her with the hair, actually busting Shayna’s stomach open.

A toss into the corner knocks the referee down though and the KOD connects, meaning there’s no one to count. Cue Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke to interfere and be taken out, allowing Shayna to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair still isn’t done though and fights up, somehow swinging Baszler to the side, setting up a suplex for the real break. Back up and Belair completely misses a 450, allowing Baszler to grab the Kirifuda Clutch. Belair somehow stands up again and we get an EST chant but she collapses and passes out at 15:13.

Rating: B-. There was some great athleticism on display here, but egads that UN-DE-FEA-TED thing isn’t exactly making me want to cheer for Belair. They did everything here to make her into a face and that worked well enough, but was I supposed to like her coming into this? Baszler winning made perfect sense here and was what I was expecting, though it was a little jarring to suddenly be cheering for the cockiest woman in the division. You can almost guarantee Belair wins the rematch though.

Velveteen Dream and said women are in the front row.

We recap Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black. Ciampa won the NXT Title thanks to some accidental interference from Johnny Gargano. Since then Ciampa and Gargano have tentatively reunited as Ciampa has gone on a rampage. Tonight, Black gets his long awaited rematch after trading wins with Gargano. This feels like a stop on a longer road, but that doesn’t mean it’s not looking great.

NXT Title: Aleister Black vs. Tommaso Ciampa

Ciampa is defending and sweet goodness Black’s entrance is still cool. That’s similar to Undertaker’s where you can do it time after time and it never gets old. They go straight to a hard lockup and fall to the floor without letting go. Back in and Black takes him down with a few more headlocks as you can certainly feel the anger. I mean, they’re some pretty harsh headlocks. Back up (eventually) so Black starts in with the kicks, sending Ciampa down onto the mat to duck a big one.

Black has a seat as well as the mind games are strong with this one. Mauro suddenly dubs Tommaso Tommy, all so he can say Black wants to “End Tommy.” Egads that was a stretch and even too hard of a pun for me. Black hits a big flip dive to the floor and Ciampa needs a breather. Instead he gets a kick to the head before getting smart, sending the knee into the steps. A suplex sends the knee into the steps again and it’s Ciampa in full control for the first time. Back in and Ciampa cranks on the knee like a smart villain should.

The leg gets tied in the ropes for a kick to the knee and Ciampa calls him a one trick pony. After wrapping the knee around the post one way, Ciampa does it again from the other side in a smart move. We’re not done yet either as Ciampa drops the knee onto the announcers’ table before having a rather evil seat. We continue the streak of leg work with a trip to the Tree of Woe but Ciampa lets him go pretty quickly. It’s a bit too quickly as Black hits a running kick to the head in the corner.

Back in and the kick to the chest with the good leg gets two but Black is slow to follow up. Neither finisher can connect on either of two attempts so Ciampa forearms him in the back of the head. Ciampa tries the Fairy Tale Ending for the third time, only to be reversed into a bridging German suplex (on one leg) for two. Black Mass is loaded up but the knee gives out, allowing Ciampa to dragon screw legwhip him into a half crab. That’s reverses into the same thing on Ciampa but since Ciampa’s knee is fine, it doesn’t last long.

Black tries his middle rope moonsault to the floor, which of course takes forever. Instead it’s a Tower of London (hanging cutter) onto the apron to give the champ two more. They slug it out with Black getting the better of it, including a double stomp to the chest. A brainbuster gets two on the champ and he heads outside with the middle rope moonsault connecting this time around. Black slips on the way back in though and the Fairy Tale Ending gets a very close two.

With nothing else working, Ciampa pulls the floor pads back (popular move around here) but the yelling referee allows Black to hit a Meteora off the apron. Back in and Black Mass connects in full but Black’s knee is way too banged up for the cover. Ciampa is able to roll onto his side and they’re back up again. Another Black Mass nearly hits the referee so Ciampa sends him into the ropes for the hanging DDT. The Fairy Tale Ending gets a heck of a near fall so it’s a third Fairy Tale Ending into a fourth Fairy Tale Ending to retain the title at 26:31.

Rating: A-. As tends to be the case on a lot of Takeovers, this wasn’t exactly surprising but they worked very hard and told a story with Ciampa taking away Black’s best weapon to slow him down. Black gave him a great fight but came up short, because Ciampa really is as good as he brags about being. It did feel like a stop on the way to a bigger story, but they beat the heck out of each other in a match that lets Ciampa look better without Black losing a ton in defeat. He would seem to be main roster bound pretty soon anyway so it doesn’t mean too much in the long run.

After a bunch of replays, Ciampa heads up to the stage to pose, drawing out Gargano to hold up his own title for the big super evil pose to end the show.

Overall Rating: A. And somehow, that feels like it belongs on the lower end of the series. This was another excellent show with three great matches and the worst match on the card being perfectly watchable. I’m almost scared to imagine what they have for the final, mega blowoff between Gargano vs. Ciampa, but somehow I completely believe that they could make it live up to the hype. Now where else are you going to see something like that other than NXT? This lived up to the hype and really, that’s all you would have expected around here.

Results

War Raiders b. Undisputed Era – Fallout to O’Reilly

Matt Riddle b. Kassius Ohno – Forearms to the back of the head

Johnny Gargano b. Ricochet – Slingshot DDT

Shayna Baszler b. Bianca Belair – Kirifuda Clutch

Tommaso Ciampa b. Aleister Black – Fairy Tale Ending

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: January 23, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time to get back to the regular shows as we have the first real show after Takeover. The big story coming out of Takeover is the debut of Walter, who is instantly as big of a star as we have around here, putting him on the Pete Dunne level. The question now is when does he get to take the title from Dunne, in what should be an instant classic. Let’s get to it.

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

We look at Jordan Devlin attacking Travis Banks before their Takeover match. Since the match didn’t happen then, it’s happening tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Pete Dunne to get things going. He talks about how great Blackpool was and now he’s been UK Champion for over 600 days. Cue Gallus for an interruption with Joe Coffey saying that Takeover didn’t change a thing. This is still his kingdom and now he’s thought of new strategies to win a war for the UK Title. Pete should enjoy his title now because it’s coming to him at the end of the war. The lights go out though and here’s Walter to quite the reception. Gallus teases leaving but comes back in, only to be quickly dispatched. Walter looks down at the title and the fans are VERY interested.

Sid Scala talks about being ready for the TV tapings in Phoenix and wants NXT UK to win the When Worlds Collide tournament. Zack Gibson and James Drake come in but they aren’t happy with only getting attention because they’re champs. They’ll talk next week when they’re ready to talk.

Nina Samuels vs. Lana Austin

The fans are way behind Austin here and she makes them rather happy by flipping out of a wristlock. A snapmare sets up a basement dropkick for two on Samuels but she ties Lana up in the ropes. After a dropkick to the back gets two, Nina’s armbar actually keeps her in trouble. Samuels isn’t cool with a near fall so it’s back to the chinlock, which is countered into a Russian legsweep. That goes nowhere as Samuels is right back up with a fireman’s carry backbreaker (Primadonna) for the pin at 4:09.

Rating: D-. That was really bad as a lot of the match was spent in the armbar/chinlock and there wasn’t exactly a lot of heat. The fans liked Austin but it still wasn’t exactly inspired stuff. Samuels is one of those talents who could become something down the line but isn’t exactly there yet. This might be the worst match on the show so far though and that’s covering some ground.

We look at Gibson and Drake winning the Tag Team Titles.

Moustache Mountain got beaten up but the goal is still the same.

Toni Storm can’t believe she won the Women’s Title. Something changed in her at the Mae Young Classic and she’s come back even stronger.

Eddie Dennis vs. Jamie Ahmed

Dennis punches him in the face at the bell so Ahmed is right back with rights and lefts of his own. A hard clothesline takes Ahmed down and you can see the confidence setting in for Dennis. The cravate goes on to grind Ahmed down and Dennis throws him outside for a slam on the floor. Back in and Ahmed slugs away but gets caught in a delayed superplex for his efforts. The Neck Stop Driver finishes Ahmed at 3:49.

Rating: C. This wasn’t a squash but it did its job of getting Dennis back on track. That’s all this needed to be with Dennis getting to show off his size and power, which works well in a place with so many smaller wrestlers. I’m not sure what he’ll be able to do next but you know he’ll get a fresh target soon enough.

Next week: Moustache Mountain vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel.

Walter makes his in-ring debut next week as well.

Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks

Banks charges in and starts the fight in a hurry, including knocking Devlin outside for a suicide dive. Another dive on another side sends Devlin into the barricade and into the crowd. Banks follows and hits a Thesz press off the barricade, only to have the bad knee sent into the barricade. The knee is fine enough to hit a double stomp off the apron and some kicks to Devlin’s chest keep him in trouble. A charge misses in the corner and it’s a Backstabber to put Banks down again.

Things slow down with Devilin hitting a belly to back backbreaker for two, followed by the reverse Rock Bottom into a standing moonsault. We hit the bow and arrow hold to keep Banks’ back in trouble as the knee from Takeover and earlier tonight has been forgotten for the time being. Devlin takes him to the apron for the Spanish Fly to the floor in a crash that knocks them both silly.

Back in and Banks no sells another Spanish Fly to hit a running clothesline but goes down in pain after. They slug it out from their knees until Devlin pulls him up with the belly to back for two more. Devlin’s moonsault hits knees though and the Kiwi Crusher gives Banks two of his own. Devlin is up again though and picks him up for Ireland’s Call, only to tumble out to the floor for the double countout at 13:23.

Rating: B. This was good stuff with Banks looking like a star in the making while Devlin is getting better every week. I could go for more from these two with the winner being one of the next challengers to the UK Title. I’ve liked Banks since the tournament days and it’s cool to see him getting more big spots like this one or the rematch which should be intense as well.

They fight into the crowd to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Good show this week as you can tell they’re taking their time coming out of Takeover. The wrestling was good and there are stories that look intriguing, though we have a long way to go before we get there. The show has gotten better though and the one hour a week thing is a HUGE improvement as I liked what I got and didn’t get sick of it with another hour. Now why was that so hard in the first place?

Results

Nina Samuels b. Lana Austin – Fireman’s carry backbreaker

Eddie Dennis b. Jamie Ahmed – Neck Stomp Driver

Jordan Devlin vs. Travis Banks went to a double countout

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: January 23, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness, Percy Watson

It’s the go home show for Takeover: Phoenix and that means it’s time for the big final push. That’s one of the places where NXT excels and that should be the case tonight. The card is all but set and we get to see the last touches they put on the matches. I’m sure there will be some good wrestling to go with that so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Velveteen Dream for a chat. He has a sparkle in his eye tonight and that sparkle is championship gold. It’s the North American Title but here are Bobby Fish and Adam Cole to cut him off. Since Roderick Strong and Kyle O’Reilly are defending the Tag Team Titles, it’s time for the two of them to get some singles gold because this is Undisputed Era’s year. Fish says something similar but Dream says he’ll dispute that, if it’s ok with Adam. The Era rushes the ring but Dream slips out in a hurry.

Video on Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair. Both of them do the confident thing really well.

We look back at Kassius Ohno cheating to beat Keith Lee last week.

Kassius Ohno vs. Matt Riddle is set for Takeover.

Danny Burch/Oney Lorcan vs. Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner

Oh yay. Barthel. Lorcan and Barthel start things off with an exchange of hard shots to the face. Aichner comes in so Lorcan punches them both down and brings Danny in to clean house. A middle rope dropkick puts Aichner down as the pace stays fast. Barthel takes Burch down and Aichner clotheslines Lorcan inside out (Nigel: “Achtung baby! That’s German but he’s Italian.”) and Barthel dives onto Danny, leaving Aichner to hit the double springboard moonsault for two on Lorcan.

Oney pops up with a rolling half crab but Aichner makes the save with an enziguri. They stop to breathe (and soak in some applause) for half a second until Lorcan starts slugging away and dives onto Burch and Barthel. Aichner dives onto all three but Lorcan rolls him up for the sudden pin at 4:50.

Rating: B. Sweet goodness they didn’t stop in that span. That was one of the most action packed matches I can remember seeing in a long time and it was awesome to see so much energy. Burch and Lorcan are great in these sprint style matches and it’s always nice to see Barthel lose. This was a lot of fun and worth seeing as it’s not even five minutes long.

Video on Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black. Back in July, Ciampa had said that the title made Black instead of vice versa. Since then Ciampa has made the title and he’s going to prove that Black never was that good. Johnny Gargano has been dragged into it as well but all that matters is day 184 coming and going as Aleister fades to black. Another awesome video here, as you knew was coming.

Io Shirai/Kairi Sane vs. Tanea Brooks/Amber Nova

Nova was a semi regular in Impact Wrestling for a few months. Shirai cartwheels and backflips away from Nova before dropkicking her into the corner. Sane comes in for a running Blockbuster and the sliding elbow in the corner makes it even worse. Brooks gets in a cheap shot from the apron and comes in, only to be speared down. A 619 from Shirai sets up a springboard dropkick to both villains. With Nova on the floor, Brooks takes a pop up Insane Elbow into an assisted moonsault for the pin at 2:50. That was a heck of a performance and the finishing sequence looked awesome.

Post break Sane and Shirai promise to take care of business. Marina Shafir (who towers over both of them) and Jessamyn Duke come in and make threats.

Velveteen Dream vs. Bobby Fish

Fish hits a hard shoulder to start and has to slip out of the Dream Valley Bomb. A clothesline sends Fish rolling outside and they come back inside for an exchange of forearms. Fish starts in on the leg though and a dragon screw legwhip sends Dream outside. Back in and a slingshot hilo to the knee gives Fish one and it’s off to a half crab.

Dream gets out and uses the good knee for some shots to the head. A spinebuster sets up the Purple Rainmaker but Fish grabs a kneebar after the landing bangs up the knee again. Dream rolls out and manages a fireman’s carry until the knee gives out. The second attempt works just fine and now the Purple Rainmaker is good for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C+. This was a nice win for Dream as he came from behind and won in the end while Fish even had Cole there as a bonus. Fish is a perfect choice to lose over and over again for the Era as he looks impressive just by association. He can more than hold his own in the ring too and that makes him a rather valuable asset.

We look back at the Forgotten Sons laying out the Street Profits last week. They meet next week.

Duke/Shafir vs. Sane/Shirai next week as well.

Here’s Ricochet for a chat. He knows Johnny Gargano and has seen everything that Gargano has done lately. At Takeover, Ricochet will show him the meaning of One and Only. Gargano comes in and the fight is on but Ciampa comes in and decks Ricochet (the pop in New York if Ricochet beats Ciampa for the title would be insane), allowing Gargano to hammer away.

That allows Black to run in and kick away at Ciampa but Gargano comes in to help him. Gargano gives Ricochet the slingshot DDT and Ciampa hits the Fairy Tale Ending on Black as the fans chant for DIY. Gargano and Ciampa go up to the stage and Ciampa extends his hand but Candice LeRae comes out and says this isn’t happening. Gargano leaves with her to end the show. If I have to watch a dream tag match between these four with Candice being all nervous, I guess I can force myself through it.

Overall Rating: A-. Some snappy matches and all the angle advancement you could need is more than enough to make this a great show. I want to see where the main event scene is going as you know this isn’t wrapping up in Phoenix. The rest of the show covered everything about Takeover and the card looks great, as you knew it would. Just deliver the whole thing and be another incredible Takeover.

Results

Oney Lorcan/Danny Burch b. Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner – Rollup to Aichner

Kairi Sane/Io Shirai b. Tanea Brooks/Amber Nova – Assisted moonsault to Nova

Velveteen Dream b. Bobby Fish – Purple Rainmaker

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: January 16, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

We’re almost to Phoenix and things continue to get more and more interesting around here. That’s one of the best things that you can have happen to you at the right time and since it’s NXT, they know exactly how to do so. Keep building things in the NXT way and everything will be just fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Street Profits vs. Metro Brothers

Ford and Chris Metro start things off with a takedown and dancing having Chris in early trouble. Dawkins comes in to fire Ford up and accidentally knocks him down in a funny bit. JC comes in and slaps Dawkins, earning himself a fast knockdown. Ford is very pleased with his partner and a heck of a frog splash finishes JC at 1:49. Total destruction.

Post match the Forgotten Sons run in and beat down the Profits. Fans: “WE FORGOT YOU! STAY FORGOTTEN!”

Matt Riddle is still banged up and can’t be in Keith Lee’s corner tonight against Kassius Ohno. He just hopes Lee leaves a little bit for him.

Aleister Black says Tommaso Ciampa knew he wasn’t safe. At Takeover, he will absolve Ciampa of his sins but let’s start the fight early next week. It was nice to see an old school talk to the camera promo instead of the hold your phone style that they love anymore.

Here’s Bianca Belair for a chat. After bragging about getting rid of Nikki Cross last week, we hear about how she’s going to take the title at Takeover, no matter what Shayna and her horse friends think. This brings out Shayna Baszler with Jessamyn Duke and Marina Shafir with Shayna saying she doesn’t see it.

Yeah Belair set a bunch of records at the Performance Center and maybe the fastest and the strongest, but she’s not the smartest. Belair shrugs it off but Shayna promises to turn Belair from un-de-feat-ed to over-ratted. Shayna as Duke and Shafir go to the corner but walks into a slap. Belair bails from the numbers advantage in a smart move. This worked well and Shayna continues to look like a star.

Dominik Dijakovic vs. Adrian Jaoude

Jaoude can’t get anywhere off an attempted ankle pick but a double leg works far better. Dijakovic can’t wrestle up so it’s so kicks to the ribs into a spinning elbow to the face instead. A hard clothesline (the Bloodline) sends Jaoude into the corner but he grabs a kneebar to slow Dijakovic down. Jaoude can’t follow up though and it’s a big boot to set up Feast Your Eyes for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: C-. Jaoude continues to impress in defeat as he has the look and mat skills to go somewhere. There’s a lot more to it than that of course but at least he has the unique part down. Dijakovic is certainly good as well, though that name is just stupid when he already had a bit of a name coming in. At least he’s winning though.

The War Raiders are out in a field and light a bonfire with Undisputed Era chairs on top. They’ll destroy the champs in Phoenix, and that is undisputed.

Video on Takeover: Blackpool. Walter’s debut still makes it worth the whole thing.

Johnny Gargano vs. Humberto Carrillo

Apparently Carrillo is the nephew of Hector Garza. Doesn’t really change anything but an extra detail doesn’t hurt anyone. They fight over a wristlock to start until Carrillo backflips out of the corner. A nipup confuses Johnny and an enziguri makes his head hurt. Carrillo sends him outside but charges into the slingshot spear.

An abdominal stretch keeps Carrillo in trouble and lasts about as long as any other abdominal stretch. Gargano gets elbowed to the floor for a dive from Carrillo and a heck of a high missile dropkick puts Johnny down again. The moonsault takes too long though and Johnny gets his feet up. The Lawn Dart sets up the slingshot DDT to finish Carrillo at 4:43.

Rating: C+. This was reminiscent of Lex Luger getting ready to face the Giant back in WCW as he fought someone of a similar style, like Roadblock in his situation (Raise your hand if you thought you’d get a Roadblock reference this week). Carrillo is VERY impressive and I’m glad he got the call up to 205 Live this week as the division needs that kind of skill.

Post match Johnny calls out Ricochet for next week.

Tommaso Ciampa says if he’s the puppet master, Aleister Black is the ultimate puppet. The champ only fights on the biggest stage so we’ll wait until Phoenix for the real fight. Just be careful what you wish for.

Velveteen Dream video.

Kassius Ohno vs. Keith Lee

A very big shoulder takes Ohno down early and Lee follows up with a spear for two. That’s enough to send Ohno outside for a breather but he has to move before Lee can try a dive. Back in and Lee unloads with the heavy lefts and rights but Ohno scores with a running big boot. The running backsplash gives Ohno two and it’s off to the double arm crank.

Ohno forearms him in the back of the head for two more and it’s time for the chinlock. That’s broken up so Ohno tries another backsplash, which just hits knees. Lee slugs away and gets two off a slingshot crossbody. A Mongolian chop sets up the Pounce but Ohno grabs the rope to get out of the fireman’s carry. Lee shoves the referee by mistake and gets hit low, setting up the rolling elbow to finish Lee at 9:14.

Rating: C+. Nice power brawl here with both guys looking good. I get where they’re going with Ohno winning as it sets up another showdown with Riddle, but did they need to have Lee take a second straight loss? The Riddle match was already done a few weeks ago and doesn’t exactly need to happen again after a clean loss. The story makes sense from where they went with it, but not so much with having Lee lose again.

Post match Riddle runs out to chase Ohno off.

Overall Rating: C. This was a much lighter show and there’s nothing wrong with that. Next week will be the big hard push and we did get a nice build towards the Women’s Title match here. Other than that we likely saw the setup for Ohno vs. Riddle III at Takeover so at least we got something extra as a result. Not a bad show, but not one that you really need to see.

Results

Street Profits b. Metro Brothers – Powerbomb/European uppercut combination to JC

Dominik Dijakovic b. Adrian Jaoude – Feast Your Eyes

Kassius Ohno b. Keith Lee – Rolling elbow

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: January 16, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

So despite not being on the schedule, this show is airing tonight because there’s always one more episode than what you might actually want. This seems to be the standard dark matches from Takeover show and hopefully it’s more like Takeover than the regular TV show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long recap of Takeover. It really was a heck of a show.

Opening sequence.

Saxon Huxley vs. Ligero

Ligero soaks it in a bit but charges into a delayed slam for two to cut himself off. Some knees to the ribs give Huxley two and it’s off to a quick crossarm choke. Back up and Ligero hangs onto the ropes to block a whip, setting up an enziguri to put Huxley down. The missile dropkick gives Ligero two and a bottom rope springboard Stunner is good for the same. The springboard tornado DDT (C4L, Crazy 4 Ligero) finishes Huxley at 5:23.

Rating: D+. That choke killed a lot of the momentum they had as Ligero was doing most of the work here. Huxley’s big power offense was a single slam, which is probably why he got beaten clean by Ligero. I could see a nice little mini push for Ligero but Huxley might need to be pushed out as it’s not exactly there for him.

Jinny vs. Isla Dawn

Fallout from Jinny attacking Dawn after a recent match with Rhea Ripley. Dawn shrugs off some right hands and hits a gutwrench suplex to take over early on. An exchange of hammerlocks goes to Dawn and she knocks Jinny to the floor before…letting Jinny have all the time she needs. How stupid of her.

Back in and Jinny gets a boot up in the corner to stop Dawn, setting up an abdominal stretch. A Downward Spiral into the middle buckle gets two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up with a belly to back suplex but Dawn gets crotched in the corner. Jinny plants her with an X Factor from the ropes for the pin at 6:17.

Rating: D. Jinny is the kind of person who needs the talking time to really make things work that much better. She’s fine in the ring, but this was little more than two people doing moves to each other until one of them got a pin. Dawn has already had her shot so it makes sense to have her get out of the way for Jinny to have her chance.

Travis Banks wants Jordan Devlin next week.

Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel

Aichner avoids an early dropkick attempt and gets chopped down for his efforts. Barthel and Webster come in with Barthel getting knocked into the corner, leaving Aichner to catch Webster with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Barthel poses and puts on a chinlock before allowing Webster to flip out of a belly to back suplex. That’s enough for the hot (I guess) tag to Andrews so house can be cleaned. Everything breaks down and an assisted 450 gives Andrews two.

Aichner gets in a cheap shot to take over and it’s a spinebuster into a penalty kick for two more. Everything breaks down again and Andrews gets brainbustered out of the corner for the latest near fall. The fans actually get on their feet, which I’m not sure is quite yet deserved. A moonsault into a double kick to the head rocks the villains and Webster drops a Swanton for two on Aichner. The Stundog Millionaire sends Barthel outside but Andrews’ dive is countered into a drive into the barricade. Back in and Webster gets dropkicked, setting up a powerbomb/top rope European uppercut for the pin at 9:37.

Rating: C+. It takes something special to get beyond the levels of boring that Barthel adds to every match he’s in. The match was a nice high flying vs. power match and that’s something that is going to work every time you run the thing. Webster and Andrews can be a perfectly acceptable face team until their inevitable split and feud, which should be fun and let Webster turn into the heel that I always thought he was.

Overall Rating: C-. Well that was a completely necessary use of forty minutes. I didn’t see this show announced on the Network schedule and really, I can see why. The wrestling was fine but this episode didn’t need to exist as it offered a grand total of nothing that was necessary to see. At least they kept it a lot shorter though as dragging this out to the near hour (or more) that this show runs every week would have been an even bigger waste of time. Nothing too bad, but absolutely not worth your time.

Results

Ligero b. Saxon Huxley – C4L

Jinny b. Isla Dawn – X Factor

Fabian Aichner/Marcel Barthel b. Mark Andrews/Flash Morgan Webster – Powerbomb/European uppercut combination to Webster

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

Takeover: Blackpool
Date: January 12, 2019
Location: Empress Ballroom, Blackpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

I’m not sure what to think about this. First of all, it’s cool that NXT UK is starting to do something like this. You can only go so far with a TV show and nothing else so having a special like this helps. At the same time though, NXT was down in Full Sail for nearly two years before its first Network special. It hasn’t even been three months since NXT UK TV debuted. I hope they’re ready so let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at the path to this event, with the first event taking place in this very building. Each match gets a quick preview.

The announcers, actually in the arena for a change, run down the card.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake

For the inaugural titles. Moustache Mountain have some British Bulldogs inspired tights for the very nice touch. We see the rather pretty belts for the first time, which is always a nice feeling. Gibson and Bate start things off and the fans are already singing for Bate. An early armbar takes Bate down and it’s time to take the shoes off in hatred of Gibson. Bate gets taken down in a test of strength and bridges up until he backflips out of it in a very unique escape.

Drake and Seven come in so it’s time to drum up a new song. A quick fireman’s carry slam sets up Bate’s middle rope cannonball so it’s back to Gibson, who bails to the floor. Back in and a hurricanrana keeps Gibson in trouble, followed by Seven hitting a crossbody for two. Drake comes in sans tag for a distraction and heads outside, where a suicide dive hurts Seven’s arm. The slowed down Seven gets taken down by a Gibson clothesline and the villains take over.

Drake grabs an arm trap chinlock (Seven: “OW MY ARM!”) and then hits a discus elbow, which actually busts the back of Seven’s head open. Gibson, who the fans still hate, grabs a chinlock of his own as Seven still can’t get out of trouble. Seven and Drake head outside where Seven’s chops don’t have much effect but once back inside, he’s able to drive into the corner for the tag to Bate in a hurry. That was a different kind of hot tag and that’s greatly appreciated.

Bate picks up the pace with a middle rope back elbow to Gibson, followed by an airplane spin to both of them AT THE SAME TIME. I know I say this every time but EGADS that’s impressive. Gibson and Drake head outside so Bate hits a shooting star off the apron for the double knockdown. Bop and Bang hit Gibson and it’s back to Seven for a suplex into the Swan Dive for two. Gibson kicks Seven in the knee and brings Drake back in for a pinfall reversal sequence.

Everything breaks down again and the dragon suplex/clothesline combination is broken up with Gibson’s Ticket To Ride. Helter Skelter into a 450 gets a very close two on Seven and the fans are back into it. Gibson gets the Shankley Gates on Seven and Drake puts another one on Bate at the same time. Just because he can, Bate powers up into a Death Valley Driver to sent Drake into Gibson and Seven for the save.

Bate comes back in and starts throwing the good looking boxing punches. The half dragon suplex/clothesline combination gets two on Drake and the fans aren’t sure what to do now. Bate gets knocked off the apron and onto Gibson’s shoulders, setting up a suicide dive Doomsday Device on the floor to knock Bate cold. Back in and Ticket to Mayhem gives Drake the pin and the titles at 23:52.

Rating: B+. Very good opener and exactly how the finish should have gone. Moustache Mountain are the most over people on the roster not named Pete Dunne and they don’t need to win here to keep that spot. Gibson and Drake are awesome together and it makes a lot more sense to give them the titles to bring them up to the next level. Therefore, when Moustache Mountain, or whoever it is, takes the titles from them, it means that much more. Really intense match here and an awesome opening match.

Johnny Saint and Sid Scala come out to congratulate the new champs.

Earlier today, Jordan Devlin attacked Travis Banks and injured his knee. Banks is still medically cleared.

Travis Banks vs. Jordan Devlin

Banks has a bad knee but he’s fine enough to dive onto Devlin before the bell. Devlin gets in a whip into the steps though and the knee is crushed into the steel over and over. Referees and Scala come out to break it up and it doesn’t look like there’s a match here. Devlin grabs the mic and says he’s the greatest Irish wrestler alive. Hang on though as Scala says there’s a backup plan as they thought Devlin might try something like this.

Finn Balor vs. Jordan Devlin

This is a special one as Balor trained Devlin. They stare each other down and the scared looking Devlin slaps him in the face, earning himself a Sling Blade. It’s way too early for the Coup de Grace as Devlin bails out to the floor. Devlin gets in a shot outside and hits his own jumping double stomp back inside.

Balor is right back with a basement dropkick but a regular version breaks up another Coup de Grace attempt. Back in and Devlin pounds away so Balor chops the skin off his chest. 1916 is blocked with an enziguri so Balor hits him with the Pele for a double knockdown. Another attempt works just fine but Devlin gets up again.

The arm pull into the hard belly to back gives Devlin two of his own. Some shots to the ribs keep Balor in trouble until he knocks Devlin outside. That means the running kick to the chest but Devlin posts him for two with feet on the ropes. A moonsault hits raised knees though and it’s an inverted DDT to knock Devlin silly, followed by the running corner dropkick. Now the Coup de Grace connects to give Balor the pin at 11:46.

Rating: B. That’s exactly what it needed to be as you don’t have Devlin beat a former World Champion. At the same time, there’s no shame in losing to someone that far above you and Devlin got in a lot of offense. Balor was a great choice for the replacement and that’s one of the places where WWE shines. One of the wrestlers on your regional minor league show is hurt? Here’s a former World Champion, who happens to be the opponent’s trainer, as a replacement.

Luke Menzies is here.

We recap Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis. They’re the two monsters of NXT and Mastiff beat Dennis in their first match. Dennis then attacked him to set up a rematch, which went to a double DQ. That’s kind of a weird way to set up a third match but it could be fun.

Eddie Dennis vs. Dave Mastiff

No DQ. They go straight for the slugout to start with Mastiff hitting a crossbody for the first knockdown. Since it’s anything goes they head outside with Mastiff running him over again and loading up the steps and sending them inside for some fun. Dennis finds a kendo stick though and cracks Mastiff over the back to take over. A Russian legsweep with the stick gets two and it’s time to choke with said stick.

Another big swing is blocked though and Mastiff hits a headbutt (CRACK) to rock Dennis. Mastiff powerbombs him down and loads up the steps but another crossbody is countered into a spinning Rock Bottom (with Dennis’ legs shaking) onto the steel for another two. Dennis brings in a chair but walks into a Regal Roll.

For some reason Dave goes up top though and that means the release Severn Bridge for a rather close near fall. A table is set up in the corner but Mastiff knocks him down and sits on Dennis’ chest. Another Regal Roll on the floor sets up a backsplash as Dennis is mostly dead. Back in and Dennis gets two off the reverse inverted DDT as reality is setting in. Severn Bridge through the table is broken up and Mastiff Cannonballs him through it instead for the pin at 11:53.

Rating: B-. Perfectly watchable power brawl with weapons, though it’s nothing that hasn’t been done before. Mastiff remaining undefeated is the right call and you could put him forward for a one off title shot at some point. I still like Dennis a lot and that kind of look and imposing presence is going to keep him around for a good while.

Kay Lee Ray and Jazzy Gabert are here.

We recap Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm. Ripley won the inaugural Women’s Title by beating an injured Storm and there really isn’t any other real competition for her. Storm is healthy and focused now after winning the Mae Young Classic. They’re both prodigies and this could be a heck of a match, or at least a major preview of the future.

Women’s Title: Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley

Ripley is defending. Storm goes after her to start and starts firing off the forearms until a faceplant cuts her off. That’s fine with Storm who hammers away even more, setting up a suicide dive onto a bailing Ripley. They don’t head inside just yet though and Ripley kicks her back first into the barricade. Back in and Ripley stomps away as the loud fans continue to be split.

The bodyscissors stays on the weakened ribs and a delayed vertical suplex gets two. A pair of legdrops gives the champ two but the trash talking lets Storm headbutt her for a double knockdown. The slugout goes to Storm and she rolls some German suplexes but Storm Zero is countered. So is Riptide and they go into a pinfall reversal sequence for two each.

Ripley gets the standing Texas Cloverleaf but gets reversed into the hip attack in the corner. Storm gets frustrated at the kickout and gets caught with Riptide for two, giving us Ripley’s great stunned face. A headbutt lets Storm Zero connect for two and they’re both down again. Storm slugs away with forearms and another Storm Zero gives her the pin and the title at 14:49.

Rating: B-. Kind of a flat and out of nowhere finish as they didn’t really build off the near fall from the first Storm Zero. Storm winning the title so soon after Ripley won it for the first time is a bit of a surprise but you can’t go wrong with either of them as the champion. Tyler Bate winning the inaugural title and dropping it to Dunne has gone just fine and Storm is going to be perfectly fine with the title, as is Ripley without it.

We recap Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey. Dunne has been champion for over 600 days, having won the title back in May 2017. He’s beaten everyone who has come close to him though Coffey is a big strong guy who could knock Dunne’s head off. Coffey isn’t the biggest star but he’s been built up well over the last few weeks.

United Kingdom Title: Joe Coffey vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne is defending and Mark Coffey and Wolfgang head to the back in a bit of a surprise. During the entrances, Vic says Dunne’s 603 day reign is the longest since the beginning of Hulkamania. Not even close but we’ll go with that for a better story than the Glamour Girls holding the WWF Women’s Team Titles for 906 days. Aggressive feeling out process to start with Coffey shrugging off a forearm to the face. Some finger bending has Coffey in trouble but he knocks Dunne away without much effort.

The discus lariat misses so Dunne runs him over and tries a not great looking Regal Stretch. Dunne switches to an armbar and, after hitting five straight knees to get out of a vertical suplex, switches to another armbar on the other arm. That’s broken up as well so Coffey throws him outside with Dunne hitting his face on the apron. Dunne enziguris him but gets slammed onto the ramp for the double knockdown. Back in and Coffey gets two off a sidewalk slam We hit the bearhug on Dunne with an overhead belly to belly keeping him down.

Dunne is fine enough for another enziguri and he flips out of a German suplex for a little showing off. Coffey gets sent outside for a middle rope moonsault and they’re both down again. Back in and the X Plex gives Dunne two but a running headbutt to the back sends him into the cover. A powerbomb gets two on the champ and the fans didn’t exactly react to the kickout. Coffey goes with the Boston crab and Dunne, after nearly looking out, dives for the rope for a break.

Back up and they trade headbutts for yet another double knockdown. Coffey shrugs off a German suplex so Dunne takes him down into a Koji Clutch. That’s broken up with raw power so Dunne knees him in the head and punches him out of the air on another spinning crossbody attempt. The Bitter End gets two so Coffey takes him to the apron for a Batista Bomb and they’re both dead on the floor. Dunne gets back in but looks a bit scared so they go with an exchange of kicks to the head.

The stomps to the fingers have Coffey in trouble but the discus lariat takes Dunne down for two more. Coffey tries it again but gets pulled down into the finger spreading. That’s lifted into a buckle bomb which doesn’t break the hold, so it’s a swinging superbomb to really break things up. Coffey can’t cover though and they both pull themselves up in the corners. The slugout is on again with Dunne getting the better of it and Coffey being out on his feet against the ropes.

Coffey snaps off a German suplex out of the corner for two more and just unloads with right hands to the back of the head. For some reason Coffey tries his own Bitter End but gets countered into another DDT. Dunne hits another one of his own but Coffey rolls away before the delayed cover. Coffey takes him to the top and brings Dunne up with him, only to fall back to the floor in what I think was a botch. Whether it was or not, I don’t remember the last time I saw a spot that made me gasp like that.

He’s fine though and snaps off a reverse slam for two more back inside. They head up top again and this time dive off and into the barricade for what I’m assuming they were trying to do the first time. Back in and another Bitter End gives Dunne two so he grabs a triangle and cranks on the fingers for the tap at 34:48.

Rating: A-. They got a little ridiculous with the kickouts at the end but this felt epic for the most part. At one point the fans were chanting ARE YOU WATCHING VINCE MCMAHON, which sums up how the match should be treated. It was a big time match and while I wasn’t quite sold on Coffey as a serious challenger, there were a few times where they had me believing that they would pull the trigger on an upset. That takes some special work and it was an awesome match. A bit too long with a few too many kickouts, but still an excellent main event for the first Takeover. But who in the heck is supposed to beat Dunne?

Dunne poses…..and here’s Walter (a massive Austrian with some crazy hard chops). So that’s who beats Dunne. Coffey tries to get back in and is kicked square in the face for his efforts. The big staredown ends the show. They had to bring in someone new as there’s no one on the show who is beating Dunne and Walter is as perfect of a choice as they could have made. Yeah Dunne has beaten everyone, but imagine the monster that he can’t beat. That’s where Walter comes in and he’s rather awesome for something like this.

Overall Rating: A. As usual the show is good and in this case they have the classic main event to put it over the top. Nothing on here was anywhere close to bad and they had some historic moments, with Walter’s debut being the highlight. He just comes off like a great monster and that’s the kind of person who needs to take Dunne down. It’s a great show and worth seeing, with the one hour a week of the show being a much better choice than what they’ve been doing. Check this one out as it’s an awesome time.

There’s currently no new show listed on the Network for Wednesday so they might be taking the week off.

Results

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Moustache Mountain – Ticket To Mayhem to Seven

Finn Balor b. Jordan Devlin – Coup de Grace

Dave Mastiff b. Eddie Dennis – Cannonball through a table

Toni Storm b. Rhea Ripley – Storm Zero

Pete Dunne b. Joe Coffey – Triangle choke with finger spreading

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

So this is something kind of interesting. A few weeks ago, someone asked me to rank the current wrestling shows that I watch from most to least enjoyable. I’ve heard of worse ideas so let’s take a look. Keep in mind that these are only the current shows and the only ones that I watch, so you won’t see many surprises in here.

1. NXT

Like it was going to be anything else. This show is the most enjoyable thing that happens to wrestling fans and one of the best weekly TV shows ever. They never get boring, their worst show is still better than almost anything anyone else produces, and it somehow keeps getting better. They’ve figured out exactly how to do the one hour a week wrestling TV show and I look forward to seeing it every time. This was #1 by a few laps and nothing is in its universe.

2. Smackdown

The more I think about Smackdown, the more frustrated I get at Raw. This show is proof of what WWE is capable of doing and how well they can still put together a big show. While it’s certainly not great, it’s a show that is both entertaining and well done, which is a rare sight on the main roster. The wrestling is good, the promos are better, and there’s a fun feeling here that you don’t get on Monday. Smackdown is very good, and evidence that WWE still knows what it’s doing.

3. 205 Live

If Mustafa Ali was still around, this would have been second. What used to be a terrible show that was little more than a chore to watch has turned into one of the best things going in WWE today. The action ranges from solid to great and it has the best non William Regal boss in WWE with Drake Maverick (must be a British thing). They bring in new talent and have a formula that works very well. Plus Maria Kanellis and that’s never a bad thing.

KEEP GOING!

4. Fusion

I know I talk about this show a lot but it’s become a well done wrestling show. It’s nothing that’s going to blow you away but for about fifty minutes a week, you get a nice blend of action in front of an entertained crowd with some talent you might have be overly familiar with. They’ve put something together in just a few months and it’s a perfectly enjoyable show. Check these guys out if you haven’t, as their show goes up on YouTube every Saturday night.

5. NXT UK

This place gets a hard time, but it’s really not that bad. The problem is the way the show is scheduled rather than what they actually do, and that’s not their fault. The other main issue is calling it NXT, which comes with a very heavy burden. It doesn’t offer anything that a show like Progress doesn’t do better, but the WWE production helps a lot. This is far from bad and cutting it back to an hour a week is going to do wonders for them.

6. Impact Wrestling

Yeah seriously. I know the show has the worst reputation in wrestling and a lot of that is justified, but they’ve gotten a lot better in the last year and a half. It’s still not a masterpiece or even a great show most of the time, but it’s watchable and the stories make sense. That’s a fine place for them to be and if they can continue taking the little steps forward, they might be able to rewrite some of their legacy. Just find a way to make the main events feel epic and they’re well on their way.

JUST AROUND THE BEND!

7. Ring of Honor

This show is the definition of feast or famine. When they’re on, they’re very on and can produce some of the best shows around. When they’re off though, it feels like a low rent promotion took a TV station hostage and ran their show. The women’s division is still a disaster and some of their other stuff isn’t that much better, but they know how to do the wild matches and athletic displays quite well. It’s a watchable show, but not something I really look forward to most of the time.

8. Main Event

Yes a recap show is somehow not on the bottom of the list. This show actually offers a nice service by showcasing the shortened version of the WWE week. The original wrestling occasionally will be entertaining but this is all about giving you a quick look at Raw and Smackdown. It’s fine for what it is, and that’s all it’s supposed to be.

9. Monday Night Raw

What is there even to say here? I’ve literally never missed an episode of Raw and I don’t remember a time when it felt this hopeless (not bad, but hopeless). It’s like they’re always content with not trying anything and would rather just coast until Wrestlemania season, do the Shakeup, and then get back to coasting again. Feuds go on forever with few people getting elevated, and that leaves you with a bunch of uninteresting people fighting for nothing, because the Intercontinental Title is the top title on the show. Without getting into another Lesnar rant, his absence is killing the biggest wrestling show in the world. That shouldn’t happen, and we’re almost to year three of it being the case. Fix that already, because it’s Raw and not Main Event.

What could be lower than this?

Yeah there’s nothing else here.  Nine shows a week is enough and nothing is beating Raw.

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: January 9, 2019
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

It’s time for the final push towards Phoenix with three weeks left before the big show. The main event is already set and you can probably guess some of the other matches from here. That means it’s time for the really good shows as NXT knows hot to get things ready in a hurry, which is what we’ll be getting both this week and next. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Johnny Gargano for an opening chat. He wishes us a happy new year and gets straight to the point: you measure success around here with titles, which is why he’ll be better in 2019. In 2019, he’s going to become a champion, which the fans don’t seem to mind very much. As for Tommaso Ciampa, the moment in the cage was a one off thing and he’s still a piece of garbage with a title Johnny wants.

Ciampa did have a good idea though: Gargano winning the North American Title. Ricochet has told Johnny to come get it, so here’s Ricochet to interrupt. The fans deem Ricochet a champion, which certainly seems to please him. If Johnny wanted a title shot all he had to do was ask, but now he’s just going to take it? Is he going to take it from his face or after an attack in the parking lot?

Ricochet seems to agree to the match but here’s Ciampa to interrupt. Johnny cuts him off in a hurry and here’s Aleister Black on the screen. He promises to make Ciampa fade to black in Phoenix and then appears behind Ciampa for the beatdown. In the melee, Gargano kicks Ricochet in the face and looks down at him. I love seeing these stories merged together like this.

At Takeover, the Undisputed Era defends against the War Raiders.

Nikki Cross vs. Bianca Belair

Third match between the two after they fought to a double DQ and a no contest. Cross starts fast with a crossbody (always nice to have a namesake move) but Belair is right back with a dropkick. A backdrop puts Cross on the floor but she ties Belair up in the ring skirt and hammers away. Belair is fine enough for a gorilla press into a standing moonsault for two back inside and it’s off to an abdominal stretch. A backbreaker gives Belair two but her suplex is countered into a DDT for the same.

Cross hits another crossbody and a reverse DDT for two more and it’s time for the creepy smile. Belair is right back up with a spear for two of her own but a splash hits knees. The Purge sends Belair bailing to the floor so Cross follows her with a jump onto Belair’s back. The drop down onto the ramp gives us a very close double nine count as they both dive back in. Belair gets sent shoulder first into the post for two more as the fans are VERY pleased with this so far. They’re both down again so Cross goes up but misses a high crossbody, setting up KOD for the pin at 10:38.

Rating: B-. These two work well together and the result wasn’t a surprising one. You don’t want to have Belair lose when she’s getting a title shot later this month. It’s not like having Cross lose here does any real damage to her as she’s on her way to the main roster sooner rather than later. Good way to end the rivalry here as Belair finally has to work for a victory.

The Street Profits talk about evolving last year (ha) and don’t like being locked out of a building. There have been a lot of those in 2018 but they get one open, just like they’ll be doing in 2019. They have big plans this year and they’re going to beat every team in front of them.

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner vs. Hector Kunsman/Stanley Watts

Oh come on I have to watch Barthel here too??? The jobbers don’t even get first names to start as Barthel takes Kunsman down with a hammerlock. It’s off to Watts (Mauro: “No relation to Cowboy Bill.”) to work on a wristlock but Barthel punches him in the face. Aichner holds Watts up but has to kick out of a sunset flip.

Kunsman comes back in and slugs away at both guys until a spinebuster into a penalty kick cuts him down for two. A baseball slide crushes Kunsman again but he kicks Aichner in the face. Watts comes back in and scores with some shots of his own, only to have Aichner powerbomb him into a German suplex (with a nasty landing) to give Barthel the pin at 4:31.

Rating: C. The match was entertaining but it’s a really bad sign when these two “stars” had this much trouble against a pair of jobbers. I haven’t liked Barthel since he debuted in NXT UK and it wasn’t much better here. The team isn’t working but I have a feeling they’re going to be pushed for a long time because there aren’t many teams over in the UK at the moment. Lucky us.

Ricochet wants Gargano now because Gargano superkicked all the respect away.

We look back at Kassius Ohno destroying Matt Riddle last week.

Keith Lee is Riddle’s friend and what Ohno did isn’t standing. Next week, Ohno can learn a lesson about respect and bask in Lee’s glory.

EC3 vs. Adam Cole

The Undisputed Era is here in full force. Feeling out process to start with an exchange of nothing holds until EC3 knocks him out to the floor. An Era distraction lets Cole get in a jumping enziguri and a whip sends EC3 shoulder first into the steps. Back in and Cole starts on the arm with an armbar, only to get suplexed right back down. A back elbow to the jaw puts Cole down and the EC3 elbow keeps him in trouble.

Cole is right back up and goes after the arm again, including a running big boot. The Backstabber gets two as Bobby Fish is having a ball playing cheerleader/coach on the floor. A heck of a clothesline with the good arm turns Cole inside out for two but the suplex onto the knee gets two. Cole can’t get a cross armbreaker as EC3 powerbombs his way out, drawing in the rest of the Era. That’s enough for Cole to hit a superkick into the Last Shot for the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C+. I liked this one more than I was expecting to as both guys were working here. The ending was fine and keeps EC3 looking strong, even if it was a little easy to guess. The Undisputed Era could be an even bigger deal in 2019 and it wouldn’t make sense to have them lose in their first match of the year. Nice stuff here, with EC3 looking better than usual.

Post match the Era comes in for the beatdown until the War Raiders run in for the save and the real beatdown to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Good matches throughout the card, a few matches announced for Takeover and a hot finish. That’s about as good as you can get for an hour (well, unless NXT is really cranking it up that week) and I had a really easy time watching this. Takeover is going to be a blast again, because that’s just what happens on that show. Really efficient night here, as tends to be the case.

Results

Bianca Belair b. Nikki Cross – KOD

Marcel Barthel/Fabian Aichner b. Hector Kunsman/Stanley Watts – Powerbomb into a German suplex to Watts

Adam Cole b. EC3 – Last Shot

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: January 9, 2019
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s FINALLY the last of the double shots as this is the go home show for NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. The card is all but set so this is going to be a bunch of final touches for the card. That should be pretty easy to do, though it’s going to mean a lot of talking. In this case that might be better, as the matches around here are hit and miss. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a look at Gallus vs. British Strong Style tonight.

Opening sequence.

Ligero vs. Joseph Conners

Conners tries to drive him into the corner to start but gets caught with a running hurricanrana. A rollup gives Ligero two as this fast pace doesn’t seem to favor Conners. They fight to the apron with Ligero getting posted to give Conners his first breather. A heck of a clothesline gives Conners two as the fans are behind Ligero. Imagine that: cheering for the fun guy instead of the latest fighter from the UK.

A slingshot suplex gets two and we hit the chinlock. The expected comeback works as expected as Ligero comes back with clotheslines. A fireman’s carry slam gets two on Conners but he hits a double stomp out of the corner. Not that it matters as Ligero is right back up with a springboard tornado DDT and the pin at 5:19.

Rating: D+. Ligero isn’t great but egads Conners is one of the least interesting people on a show that isn’t interesting as a whole. The wrestling was fine but the story of Conners being upset that he isn’t being treated well is about as boring as you can get. It’s not like they have the next Rey Mysterio in Ligero, but he’s better than Conners by several miles.

James Drake and Zack Gibson deserve the shot and the titles, which they’ll get on Saturday in Blackpool. Of course they’re confident, to the point that they’ve cleared off their mantles for the titles.

Dave Mastiff thinks Eddie Dennis is jealous because Mastiff handed him his first loss. There’s one undefeated monster around here and that’s Mastiff.

Travis Banks vs. Tyson T-Bone

T-Bone has Saxon Huxley in his corner. Some early forearms to the back have Banks in trouble but he dropkicks T-Bone into the corner. That means a running double stomp and the fans are rather pleased. Hang on a second as he’s Jordan Devlin in Banks’ gear, though the distraction isn’t enough for T-Bone to take over. Banks superkicks him down and chases Huxley off the apron. The Slice of Heaven gives Banks the pin at 2:06.

Post match Devlin comes in for the beatdown but gets kicked out to the floor.

Video on Toni Storm vs. Rhea Ripley, focusing on their first match where Ripley won the title over an injured Storm.

Takeover rundown, including Devlin vs. Banks being added in not much of a surprise.

Gallus vs. British Strong Style

They have a crazy amount of time for this. Joe and Bate start things off with a test of strength. Bate gets taken down but does the always impressive bridge, with Coffey not being able to break it down. Now it’s Bate fighting up and almost getting Bate down until a knee to the ribs cuts him off. Back up and Bate hits a dropkick into a nipup for the staredown, drawing in the other four for a big staredown.

We settle back down for a tag to Wolfgang, which draws all six in for another glaring session. It’s off to Mark vs. Dunne with a running clothesline hitting Mark, drawing all six in again. Gallus gets sent outside for a nice reaction from the fans and a breather for the villains. Back in and Dunne takes Mark down by the arm and bends the fingers back for painful measure. There’s a surfboard double knee stomp as Dunne doesn’t seem to be having much trouble here.

Bate comes in to keep up the pace until a cheap shot from Wolfgang lets Mark grab a suplex. It’s back to Joe for a double underhook crank until Bate fights him off and dives over for the tag to Seven. House is cleaned with Seven hitting a backdrop on Wolfgang, followed by a suicide dive for good measure. Everything breaks down and Mark gets caught in a dragon suplex. Wolfgang kicks Seven to the floor though and Joe sends him into the steps to put the good guys in trouble again. A spear gives Wolfgang two and it’s back to Mark for the stomping.

We hit the front facelock for a bit before it’s back to Joe. They head to the corner with Seven catching him on top with a superplex, allowing the next hot tag off to Dunne. That means an X Plex to Joe and a kneebar to Wolfgang but he’s still able to crawl over for the tag to Mark. Dunne triangle chokes him so Mark tags Wolfgang, whose Howling is countered into an armbar. That’s broken up as well so this time it’s Bate coming in to clean more house. Joe misses a charge so Bate hits a running shooting star for two. The longest airplane spin I’ve ever seen plants Joe but Bate collapses from dizziness.

Bop and Bang is blocked but the second attempt gives us a double knockdown. Mark and Seven come in with Mark kicking him in the arm. That means the Seven Star Lariat doesn’t get a cover so everything breaks down again. We’re left with Mark vs. Dunne, but Joe picks up the UK Title to distract Pete. One heck of a powerbomb plants Dunne for two and it’s Bate coming back in for the rebound lariat on Joe.

Pete and Joe are left alone for the slugout with Dunne stomping on both hands. Joe’s spear is blocked with a knee to the head and there’s the Bitter End, but Wolfgang tagged himself in to run Pete over. Bate comes back in for a hurricanrana to put Wolfgang on the floor. Everyone joins him so Bate hits a huge corkscrew dive to take them all out. Back in and Bate kicks Wolfgang down but walks into Joe’s discus lariat for the pin at 25:28.

Rating: B. Well that was very long though it was quite good at the same time. It could have been shortened a bit though and that’s almost never a positive sign. It makes a lot of sense to give Joe the big pinfall before Saturday though and having him pin Dunne would have felt like a giveaway to the title match’s finish. Good main event here, though trimming off five minutes wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

Overall Rating: C+. This was basically a repeat of the first show with one match carrying the show but not well enough to make the entire show work. They did a good job of setting up Takeover though and that’s the point to a show like this. It would have been better if they had swapped things around with more of the focus on the big show on the second hour instead of the first but, as usual, these shows weren’t scheduled to go back to back like this. Good show, but the main event is all that’s worth seeing.

Results

Ligero b. Joseph Conners – Springboard tornado DDT

Travis Banks b. Tyson T-Bone – Slice of Heaven

Gallus b. British Strong Style – Discus lariat to Bate

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: January 9, 2019
Location: Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool, England
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re coming up on the first Takeover and that means a few more things have to be pieced together. One such thing is the other half of the Tag Team Title match. We’ll take care of that tonight with the other semifinal match in the Tag Team Title tournament, with Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. Zack Gibson/James Drake. I think you know where this is going so let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Jamie Ahmed/Dan Moloney vs. Amir Jordan/Kenny Williams

Jamie cranks on Jordan’s arm to start but Williams comes in to jump over Ahmed to start in on his arm. It’s already back to Jordan for two off a splash and a running forearm in the corner. A cheap shot from the apron lets Ahmed hit a clothesline for two and it’s off to Moloney to keep Jordan in trouble. It’s off to a hammerlock for a bit until a backdrop allows the hot tag to Williams. A springboard back elbow drops Ahmed and it’s time for some kicks to the face. Jordan makes a blind tag as Williams dives onto Moloney. The Swanton finishes Ahmed at 3:59. Williams and Jordan are shocked that they actually won something.

Rating: C-. Williams and Jordan looked good here but we’ve already established that they’re not going to win anything against a bigger name team. You have to build them up somehow though and this worked well enough. Their stunned look was a nice touch too as they haven’t had any significant success coming into this win so they’ll take anything they can get here.

We look back at Joe Coffey destroying Pete Dunne to end last week’s show.

Here’s Gallus (with Wolfgang playing Batista as the Coffey Brothers have matching shirts and Wolfgang is in a vest) for a chat. Joe says no one likes them and they’re fine with that. Next week (or later today if you live in the real world) it’s finally Gallus vs. British Strong Style. Dunne is going to be lucky to be able to walk out of the ring and make it to Blackpool because this is their kingdom. The group pose takes us out. Nothing to say here, but Joe has good delivery.

Earlier today we had a press conference (with the invisible press) for the Women’s Title match at Takeover. Toni Storm is proud of winning the Mae Young Classic but winning the title would mean even more. Rhea Ripley, with her feet on the table, isn’t worried about Toni because she’s beaten her before.

Toni was injured in the first match and that’s going to motivate her to win the title. She lists off all the women she beat in the tournament, with Rhea just saying “didn’t beat me”. Rhea doesn’t take kindly to her win being called a fluke because she’s the face of NXT UK. The fight is almost on with Johnny Saint holding them back as Rhea says Storm will never be champion. The press conference bit was kind of dumb but at least it was different.

Joseph Conners doesn’t think much of Ligero, who he faces next week.

Isla Dawn vs. Xia Brookside

We actually get a handshake to start as the fans aren’t sure who they like more here. A wristlock gives us a standoff so Dawn takes her down into a quickly broken armbar. Dawn slips out of a headscissors and works on the legs, which just seems to annoy Brookside. Back up and Brookside dances out of a crossarm choke to put Dawn in one of her own. Dawn reverses into the same thing before it’s off to a pinfall reversal sequence for some near falls each. Brookside tries a victory roll but Dawn uses the Owen Hart counter by sitting down on it for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C-. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere but Brookside continues to be all kinds of charming and adorable while Dawn is the kind of person who could be built back up into something bigger down the line. They’re going to need some fresh challengers after Takeover and while Dawn has already lost a shot, it’s not like they have any better options at the moment.

Video on Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis. Eddie promises to put him down for good in Blackpool.

During the break, Jinny jumped Dawn, who seemed more surprised than anything else.

Damien Weir vs. Jordan Devlin

Devlin works on the arm to start and flips him over into an armbar on the mat. Weir gets taken into the corner where Devlin says this is just having fun because Weir isn’t in his league. That earns Devlin a right hand but it’s a release Rock Bottom into the standing moonsault. Weir gets his back bent over a knee and it’s off to the double arm crank. A victory roll gives Weir two so Devlin kicks him in the head. Devlin scores with a slingshot cutter and the hard belly to back suplex makes it worse. Ireland’s Call finishes Weir at 4:49.

Rating: D+. Just a squash here though Devlin is starting to separate himself from the rest of the midcard pack. They need to get to a big match for him already and having him vs. Travis Banks before Takeover would be perfectly fine. Neither of them is near the top of the show but you have to have some midcard feuds in there somewhere.

Post match Devlin grabs the mic but Banks comes in to chase him off. The proposed fight doesn’t happen tonight.

Moustache Mountain is ready for either team in Blackpool.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews vs. James Drake/Zack Gibson

The winners get Moustache Mountain on Saturday. Drake and Andrews start things off but it’s quickly off to Gibson to knock Webster off the top. A Doomsday Device gets two on Andrews and we’re only about 45 seconds in. That’s followed by a middle rope elbow/backbreaker combination on the floor as Andrews is still in serious trouble. Back in and we hit the chinlock, followed by a heck of a chinlock from Drake.

Gibson grabs another chinlock but Andrews finally kicks the villains into each other, allowing the hot tag to Webster. That brings the fans right back into it and Webster clotheslines Drake down to hammer away. A running flip dive drops Gibson on the floor, followed by the Baba O’Reilly Buster for two on Drake. Gibson counters a monkey flip with an armbar but Webster knocks him outside without much effort.

An assisted standing 450 gives Andrews two on Gibson but Webster gets pulled to the floor. Ticket to Ride is good for two on Andrews, who hurricanranas Drake into Gibson for a breather. Webster comes in with a Swanton to both guys and a reverse hurricanrana gets two on Drake. That puts everyone down and the fans are very pleased. Gibson heads outside and catches Andrews’ dive, reversing it into Helter Skelter on the ramp. Back in and another Ticket to Ride finishes Webster at 8:19.

Rating: B. This was looking pretty boring to start but my goodness it picked up steam as they got going. I was expecting Webster and Andrews to just be the spunky challengers who were little more than a roadblock for Drake and Gibson but they turned it into a rather good match with everyone working hard and giving us the obvious ending, but not before a great effort.

Overall Rating: B-. The main event helped a lot here and it made for a rather good show. That’s what they need as we get closer to Takeover, which isn’t the most thrilling show in the world. They can make something out of it though, and that’s the best effort they can get in at the moment. Drake and Gibson advancing should promise us a good Tag Team Title match as well and that’s what Takeover needs. Nice show, with one rather good development.

Results

Kenny Williams/Amir Jordan b. Jamie Ahmed/Dan Moloney – Swanton Bomb to Moloney

Isla Dawn b. Xia Brookside – Rollup

Jordan Devlin b. Damien Weir – Ireland’s Call

Zack Gibson/James Drake b. Flash Morgan Webster/Mark Andrews – Ticket to Ride to Webster

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