Dynamite
Date: November 13, 2019
Location: Nashville Municipal Auditorium, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

It’s time for the next step around here as we get into the fallout from Full Gear. That could go in a lot of different directions though as they do not have a next major event on the schedule just yet. The big story out of Saturday is MJF turning on Cody and Kenny Omega and Jon Moxley losing their minds. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Full Gear.

The announcers preview the show.

Kenny Omega is banged up.

Jon Moxley vs. Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa, Omega’s friend, throws the baby oil away to start and hammers away, only to get beaten down. The Paradigm Shift gives Moxley the pin at 1:08.

Post match Moxley asks if that one counts. He did what he promised he would do at Full Gear and Omega will never be the same again. Moxley respects Omega because he doesn’t think anyone else will have the guts to face him. He is on a pilgrimage to scorch AEW and leave himself as the last man standing. If anyone is man enough, come face him, but say goodbye to your loved ones first.

Dark Order vs. Jurassic Express

Marko goes straight at Uno to start but it’s Jungle Boy coming in to headlock Grayson down. That’s escaped so it’s a hurricanrana to take over again. The rapid pace continues with another tag to Stunt and an elevated flip dive to Grayson’s back as well. Stunt gets caught in the corner though and Uno hits a Swanton for two. Grayson hits his own shot to the back and it’s Uno pulling on Stunt’s nose. Back from a break with Stunt hitting a big spinning Downward Spiral to drop Uno.

Grayson pulls Boy off the apron, though he drops Grayson and gets the tag anyway. Everything breaks down and Boy hits a suicide dive, with JR saying it’s the first one of the night. A knee gets two on Uno and everything breaks down. Stunt’s hurricanrana gets two on Grayson with Uno shoving Boy into the cover for the break. Boy’s suicide dive is blocked and it’s some knees to the head to put him down. The Nightfall sets up the Fatality to finish Stunt at 9:30.

Rating: C. I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m relieved for the Dark Order. There is no way to have Stunt beat someone and make it be believable. I guess he’s popular enough to keep himself around but at the same time, he makes it impossible to buy anything as being a realistic possibility. The match was fine enough, but you can’t stop looking at Stunt.

Post match the Order praises Stunt and offers him a spot on the team. Boy turns it down for him and gets attacked, with the Order putting the mask on him, only to have Luchasaurus return for the save. A spinning kick to the face takes out three Creepers at once, leaving Grayson and Uno to face him alone. Uno bails so it’s a chokeslam into a standing moonsault to Grayson. Now that is how you make someone look like a star.

Darby Allin vs. Shawn Spears vs. Peter Avalon

Allin’s entrance cuts off Avalon running down country music. Avalon misses a dive at the other two to start and it’s Allin hitting the high angle springboard armdrag to put Spears on the floor. Allin hits a dropkick to put Avalon outside as well but Spears breaks up another dive. A belly to back faceplant gets two on Allin but here’s Joey Janela to get in a fight with Spears. They fight into the crowd, leaving Allin and Avalon on their own. The flipping Stunner into the Coffin Drop finishes Avalon at 3:49.

Rating: D+. No time here but Allin winning was the good way to go as he has turned into a star around here. Even I’ve liked what I’ve seen from him so far and that isn’t what I would have expected when I first saw him. The time hurt things here but in a way, it’s a lot better than having these three fight for ten minutes.

Post match Darby says he accepts Moxley’s challenge.

Nyla Rose vs. Dani Jordan

Rose misses a big boot to start so Jordan hammers away. The chokeslam is escaped and there’s a slap to Rose, which is not going to end well. She runs Jordan over and it’s a Samoan drop into a Beast Bomb for the pin on Jordan at 1:34.

Here’s Allie for a chat but after some sucking up to Nashville, the lights go out. Cue Awesome Kong and Brandi Rhodes so Allie can be destroyed. Allie loses some hair, just like Bea Priestly did last week.

Here’s Chris Jericho for a chat. Jericho brags about retaining the title and proving once again that he is the greatest of all time. Therefore, he deserves a thank you from every member of the roster, the back, front and side offices. Now he’s beaten Cody, who is nothing more than an entitled millennial. There go the lights and here’s….MJF to Cody’s entrance, including pyro, music and mocking of his entrance.

Jericho isn’t sure what to think of this but MJF yells at the fans about how he threw the towel in to save Cody’s career. The fans have been cheering for the real villain every time they see Cody. The real Cody only cares about himself because he saw MJF as a puppet. That’s not enough to convince the fans but Cody was keeping MJF under his thumb. Cody’s thumb isn’t big enough to hold MJF down because he is the new face of AEW and Cody knows it.

As for Jericho, MJF has heard that Jericho wants him in the Inner Circle. Jericho has heard that MJF is interested but they stop to make fun of each others names. MJF thinks Jericho has had a little too much of the bubbly. Jericho talks about how similar they are, to the point where he thinks MJF’s parents got into it watching him beat up Juventud Guerrera twenty five years ago and MJF is the result. MJF: “Who the **** is Juvy???” Jericho: “Google it!”

They tease getting in a fight before agreeing that they don’t like Cody. There’s a hug but here’s Cody to interrupt. He has a nasty patch above his head and can’t hit the powerslam on Jericho, with JR being smart enough to blame it on Cody being banged up from Full Gear. The beatdown is on but Wardlow debuts and lays Cody out with a spinning AA. MJF tells him to do it and Wardlow takes off his tie to hang Cody. I liked a lot of the things in here, but there were a few too many things going on to like in the first place.

Pac vs. Hangman Page

Rematch from Full Gear. Pac wastes no time in kicking him down and Page gets kicked to the floor. The moonsault to the floor keeps Page rocked but he’s fine enough to hit a running dropkick in the corner. That means a suicide dive and a pop up powerbomb for two on Pac. They’re not wasting time here. Page kicks him out of the air for two but Pac hits a pair of missile dropkicks to take over again. They head outside again with Page hitting his own top rope moonsault and we take a break.

Back with Page flipping out of a German suplex and nailing a discus lariat for the double knockdown. Another hard shot puts Pac on the floor but he suckers Page in, only to have Page catch him with a brainbuster on the floor. The Buckshot lariat gets two on Pac because this company has some issues with finishing a match. Pac hits a pair of pump kicks and Page is almost out, because the guy who took a brainbuster on the floor and a finisher is suddenly on the verge of winning by stoppage. The Black Arrow sets up the Brutalizer and Page is out at 12:09.

Rating: B-. The action was good but, as mentioned on Saturday, if you’re not going to finish the match with those big spots, stop doing them. Don’t have Pac get dropped on his head and then take Page’s finisher only to win the match in dominant fashion two minutes later. It doesn’t make me think that one of the guys is tough. It just makes me think that the Buckshot Lariat is a weak finisher that has no effect.

We cut to the back where the Young Bucks are getting in a fight with Santana and Ortiz. Santana dives off of a forklift as Ortiz is knocked into a bathroom door to find….Orange Cassidy. Nothing happens as the door is closed again and Matt superkicks Ortiz. Post break the fight comes into the arena and Santana and Ortiz take over with some slapjack shots to Nick’s knee. They spray paint a target on a table and powerbomb Matt through it for the huge crash. Brandon Cutler comes out for the save and gets beaten down as well. Private Party makes the real save.

Santana and Ortiz vs. Private Party is set for next week. Even JR says that was fast.

Tag Team Titles: SCU vs. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara

Jericho and Guevara are challenging and have Jake Hager in their corner, though Christopher Daniels is here to balance things out. After the Big Match Intros, we’re ready to go. Kazarian and Jericho go with the grappling to start and Kazarian snaps off an armdrag into an armbar. Sky and Guevara come in with the former hitting a backbreaker and we take a break.

Back with Sammy dropkicking Guevara into the corner but stopping to pose with Jericho. The chinlock keeps Kazarian down but he powers up and rolls over for the hot tag off to Sky. Everything breaks down with Jericho having to save Sammy from a dragon sleeper. Hager pulls Kazarian to the floor and takes him down, leaving Sky to kick Jericho in the head. Jericho is right back with the bulldog but the Lionsault hits knees. He’s fine enough to Codebreak Sky out of the air for two but Sky is back with a small package to retain at 10:45.

Rating: C+. That was quite the ending and they didn’t go anywhere other than straight into making Sky look like a big deal. Having him hand his half of the Tag Team Titles Daniels so he can get in a World Title shot wouldn’t shock me and that wouldn’t be the biggest stretch. Sky is a very talented guy and giving him a big chance is a smart move. I’m glad they didn’t change the titles as well, with SCU needing some more wins to put them on the level of the other tag teams.

Jericho is ticked and throws an old school fit to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There were more good things on the show than bad but there were things that got on my nerves as well. You have the aforementioned issues between Page and Pac (in their rematch from four days ago), the completely unnecessary and out of place Cassidy cameo and the continued existence of Marko Stunt, none of which are the best ideas. On the other hand though you have Sky getting a push, Allin getting to move up to face Moxley, Luchasaurus being back early and Santana and Ortiz looking more and more awesome every week. There is more good than bad, but some of the bad is just annoying sometimes.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Michael Nakazawa – Paradigm Shift

Dark Order b. Jurassic Express – Fatality to Stunt

Darby Allin b. Peter Avalon and Shawn Spears – Coffin Drop to Avalon

Nyla Rose b. Dani Jordan – Beast Bomb

Pac b. Hangman Page – Brutalizer

SCU b. Chris Jericho/Sammy Guevara – Small package to Jericho

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

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

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

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

Dark
Date: November 8, 2019
Location: Bojangles Coliseum, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Goldenboy, Excalibur, Arn Anderson
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

It’s a special Friday edition of the show as they want to get it out as a preview for Saturday’s Full Gear. That makes a lot of sense and it’s something that they should be doing in cases like this. I’m not expecting it to be much different, though at least it’s a bit shorter this week. Let’s get to

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

Tony and Dasha welcome us to the show

Justin Roberts introduces Arn Anderson for commentary. Well if you insist.

Big Swole vs. Hikaru Shida

Shida takes her up against the rope to start and it’s an early clean break. Swole’s shoulder puts her down and it’s time to run the ropes until Shida kicks her down, setting up the running basement dropkick. A running knee to the face makes it worse and another one, this time off a chair, has Swole down again.

Back in and we hit the half crab on Swole, followed by another running knee for two more. Swole comes back with a headbutt into a Flatliner for her own two. Shida grabs a fireman’s carry backbreaker but another running knee is countered into a rollup. Just to mix it up, a running knee finishes Swole at 7:08.

Rating: C-. Sweet goodness that was a lot of knees. I know it’s more realistic, but that doesn’t make it more interesting. Shida used half a dozen running knees here and they got a little old pretty quickly. Swole hasn’t shown me much but she hasn’t gotten a promo or really anything more than a supporting role so you can’t take much away from that.

Post match Shida is happy to bring Japanese strong style and wants the winner of the Women’s Title match. That alone is more than I’ve heard from most of the women and it was a nice little step forward for her.

Chuck Taylor has replaced Arn on commentary. Lucky us.

Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal vs. Leva Bates/Nyla Rose

Rating: C. Now that is how you make someone look like a star. Commentary mentioned that Rose wanted to do this one by herself and that is exactly what we got here, with her running through both of them like they weren’t even there. Rose needs to be rebuilt after losing to Riho and that is exactly what happened. I loved the booking here and Rose looked like a killer.

Rose says she didn’t tag Bates in because she didn’t have to. She has been disrespected around here so she’s going to disrespect the locker room, one by one. Or two by one as she did tonight.

Full Gear rundown.

We look back at Cody announcing that if he loses, he will never challenge for the World Title again.

Video on Cody vs. Jericho and how serious Cody is taking things. It’s a cross between remarkable and frustrating that they can do this but so many of the other stories get almost nothing.

SCU/Cima vs. Hybrid Two/Kip Sabian

Cima hammerlocks Angelico down to start as we hear about the two of them being trained/inspired by Ultimo Dragon. Angelico reverses into an armbar of his own but Cima is up with a running dropkick. Evans and Sabian are knocked off the apron and it’s Kazarian coming in for an armbar to put Evans down.

It’s off to Sabian, who gets kicked and clotheslined down in a hurry as SCU is on a roll to start. Sky’s slingshot splash gets two and it’s Kazarian slingshotting in with a legdrop. Sabian rakes Sky in the eyes though and it’s a big boot from Evans to really take over. A faceplant sets up some stomping in the corner as the villains take turns on Sky. The front facelock keeps Sky in trouble but he kicks Evans away and makes the hot tag to Cima.

That means a bunch of running knees (a theme tonight), followed by a springboard knee to both of the Two. They don’t stay down long and it’s an elbow/belly to back suplex combination, followed by an assisted 450 for two on Cima. Back up and Cima suplexes Evans for two more with Sabian making the save. Kazarian comes back in with a missile dropkick and Cima’s top rope Meteora finishes Sabian at 12:27.

Rating: C+. This was your run of the mill formula six man and that was just fine given the talent in there. Cima has been an excellent substitute member of the team and I could go for seeing more of him in a prominent role. Daniels isn’t going to be around forever, and while Cima might not be the best full time replacement, he works very well for the time being.

One more Full Gear ad takes us out.

Overall Rating: C. This felt like a middle of the road show that was designed to make me watch Full Gear. That being said, it didn’t really add anything and was more along the lines of an extended advertisement. The show was about fifteen minutes shorter than the usual fare and that feels better. You don’t have to have any certain amount of content here so cut it down a bit and let the show breathe, which can help.

Result

Hikaru Shida b. Big Swole – Running knee

Nyla Rose/Leva Bates b. Shazza McKenzie/Shalandra Royal – Double Swanton Bomb

SCU/Cima b. Kip Sabian/Hybrid Two – Top rope Meteora to Sabian

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

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

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

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

AEW Dark
Date: October 15, 2019
Location: Liacouras Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Host: Tony Schiavone

It’s time for another week of dark matches on Dark, because the show’s title is as appropriate as you can get. One thing that has surprised me is how big these matches have felt. Normally a dark match is going to be about five minutes long and nothing worth seeing. Last week’s main event was 25 minutes and pay per view quality, which was WAY more than I would have bet on. It’s always nice to get a surprise like that and I was rather pleased. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show and runs down the card.

Brandon Cutler vs. Joey Janela

Joey soaks in some cheers to start as guest commentator Taz is getting right back into the analysis here. A headlock takeover brings Janela down so Cutler reverses into a handstand, which Cutler breaks up in a hurry. Janela shoulders him down and goes to the corner to pose, allowing Cutler to kick him in the head.

The chinlock goes on for all of a few moments before it’s time to strike it out again. Cutler’s DDT gets two and the fans are behind Janela in a hurry. A hard clothesline drops Cutler to the floor and there’s the suicide dive, followed by a dive off the steps. Back in and Cutler’s springboard is broken up, allowing Janela to hit a super brainbuster (looked more superplexish) for the pin at 8:32.

Rating: C-. Janela is one of those weird stars who needs the more extreme elements to really make things look that much better and he didn’t showcase himself all that well here. Instead we got a perfectly watchable match, but it wasn’t anything that made me think Janela was a star. I liked it well enough, but Janela doesn’t work that well in a standard match like this.

We get a sitdown interview with QT Marshall, a former wrestler who works backstage now as a producer. Cody hypes him up and Marshall talks about how he made it to Ring of Honor but was treated like nothing there. Then he had neck surgery and shifted to a backstage role. Now he does a little bit of everything around here.

Leva Bates vs. Nyla Rose

The shhhing makes its Dark debut. Peter Avalon mocks the Philadelphia Phillies and Bates isn’t sure if this is the best course of action. Bates knocks her into the corner to start and a DDT gets one. That’s enough for Rose, who snaps off a powerbomb for a knockdown of her own. A kick to the face rocks Rose but she’s fine enough to hit a Death Valley Driver. Avalon offers a distraction though, only to have Rose knock Bates away from a rollup attempt. Rose throws Bates onto Avalon and then swings her into the steps for a bonus. The sitout powerbomb finishes Bates at 3:42.

Rating: D. Rose getting a win is a good thing and having the Librarians get beaten up is better but this wasn’t very good. It just kind of came and went with nothing interesting aside from a decent powerbomb finisher. That being said, it’s hard to get overly annoyed at a three and a half minute squash, but neither of them looked very good here.

We run down tomorrow’s Dynamite card.

Video on the Dark Order. I wouldn’t recommend that one.

We look back at Scorpio Sky jumping in to replace the attacked Christopher Daniels in the Tag Team Tournament.

SCU isn’t happy but they’re ready to face the Dark Order in the semifinals. They’re coming for the Lucha Bros too.

A bloody Pac swears vengeance on Jon Moxley.

TV ads. They’re going around the country now and that’s a good sign.

We recap Darby Allin vs. Chris Jericho from Dynamite.

Strong Hearts/Private Party vs. Young Bucks/Dustin Rhodes/Cody

Cima and T-Hawk can’t get past Private Party’s velvet ropes until Private Party makes their entrance for a funny bit. MJF and Brandi are here with Cody and company. Cima and Cody start things off, with commentary saying not many wrestlers can say they have an experience advantage over Cody. Half of the people in this match can so that’s not the most accurate statement. Cima rolls him up for two so Cody bails to the floor for a breather and a kiss.

Back in and Cima gets in a shot to the face, drawing in all eight for the staredown. Things settle down and it’s Dustin coming in to face T-Hawk with a chop sending Dustin into the corner. Back up and Dustin hits some shoulders and a clothesline before the Bucks come in for an assisted kick to the chest. T-Hawk is right back with a sitout spinebuster to Nick, only to have Matt grab his face. Cody tries to make a save and gets chopped so hard that it hurts T-Hawk’s hand.

Private Party remembers that they’re in the match and comes in to stomp Matt in the head, allowing Cima to come back in for a freaky looking hold on Matt’s…..legs? Maybe? Private Party knocks Cody and company off the apron but Matt is back with the rolling northern lights suplexes to send Quen into the corner. It’s back to Nick to start striking away, including the stomps from the apron to everyone on the floor. Well all of the members of the opposing team that is as he didn’t stomp his partners or the fans.

The slingshot X Factor drops Quen and the moonsault to the floor takes down the Strong Hearts for a bonus. Back in and Nick gets caught with Gin and Juice to set up Cima’s Meteora for a fast two. Cima chops T-Hawk by mistake though and gets superkicked for his efforts, allowing the hot tag to Dustin. The snap powerslams abound but hang on because Dustin needs to catch his breath before hitting one more on Kassidy.

Cody dives off the top onto Cima but Private Party hits their stereo flip dives. The Bucks do the same but Brandi hits a flip dive off the apron to take everyone down. MJF even teases his own dive but instead runs the ropes and makes a rather rude gesture to the fans. Back in and we get the big showdown between the Bucks and Private Party. The Superkick Party is on to put Private Party back on the floor, but they come back in….and get quadruple superkicked. A four way Shattered Dreams sets up the Final Reckoning to finish T-Hawk at 15:03.

Rating: B-. This is the kind of match I was hoping for when this show was announced. It isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things, it didn’t have a big surprise ending or some kind of a twist, and it was exactly what it was supposed to be. The wrestlers went out there and did a bunch of stuff for fifteen minutes and the fans got to cheer a lot. It’s a great way to send the fans home happy and that’s what they did here. Good ending and the kind of thing that fits the idea very well.

Tony wraps it up.

Overall Rating: C. The show is still a perfectly fine supplement to AEW, though I’m not sure we need all the recaps from Dynamite in there when those could just be a secondary video. Either way (and either way would be fine), this was a completely entertaining use of an hour and lets you see the stars of the promotion without having to have the weight of the storylines on top of it. That’s a good idea as some fans want one or the other and that’s what you got here. Good enough show that serves its purpose just fine.

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

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

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

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

Dynamite
Date: October 2, 2019
Location: Capitol One Arena, Washington DC
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re finally here. It almost feels weird to imagine that it’s actually happening but here we are. This is the debut episode of the much ballyhooed weekly series from AEW and the hype seems to be real. The show is going head to head live with NXT as the Wednesday Night Wars begin. I’m actually excited for this so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

The announcers welcome us to the show.

We get some clips from last night’s Countdown show to hype up Cody vs. Sammy Guevara, which will be the first match in the history of the show.

Cody vs. Sammy Guevara

Brandi is here with Cody and that is a lot of pyro. Feeling out process to start with Sammy’s speed giving Cody some issues. A trip to the floor lets Cody have a breather and it’s back in for an armbar from Sammy. That’s broken up as Cody powerslams him down and slaps on the Figure Four so we can hit the WOOing. Sammy makes the rope so Cody kicks him down again and does some pushups, setting up a springboard cutter/Stunner for two. Sammy is right back with a slingshot cutter for two of his own.

Cody sends him outside as well though and nails a suicide dive….which hits both Brandi and Sammy. Thankfully Brandi isn’t knocked cold and gets in a shoe to Sammy’s head, setting up Cody’s Disaster Kick for two. To mix it up a bit, Cody takes it to the top rope for a reverse superplex for two more. They head up again with Sammy hitting a super Spanish Fly, only to have a shooting star hit raised knees so Cody can small package him for the pin at 11:52.

Rating: C+. They were clearly jazzed to be on a big show and you knew Cody was winning here to set up his World Title shot at the next pay per view. The spots were good here and Sammy was fine for a villain here. They didn’t need to do anything more than get through a fast paced match here and that’s what they did. Nice first match with Cody playing the face role well.

Post match Cody has something to say but Sammy stops him for a tense handshake. Cue Jericho to jump him from behind and hit a Codebreaker as we take a break, albeit going split screen with Jericho beating him up even more during the commercial. Back with Jericho powerbombing him through some open chairs to really bang up the spine. Jericho declares himself the champion before leaving.

Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Brandon Cutler

Friedman has a mic on the way to the ring and insults the poor looking crowd, along with Cutler, who looks like a Dungeons and Dragon fan who got lost and needs to be back in his seat. We hear about Cutler being a big Dungeons and Dragons fan, with JR cutting the other two off as Cutler slaps Friedman in the face.

A shot to the throat gets Friedman out of trouble and he works on the arm while demanding Cutler tell his family that he’s a bum. Cutler gets fired up and sends him outside for a suicide dive but comes up favoring his knee. Back in and the knee doesn’t seem to be working so Friedman grabs his Fujiwara armbar for the tap at 2:45. That felt like a very sudden ending so maybe the injury was legit.

Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes (as Jay and Silent Bob) are here to hype up their new movie, featuring Chris Jericho. Cue Angelico and Jack Evans to yell, so Jay makes fun of them for not being able to win a match. Private Party shows up with drinks for some laughter.

SCU is in Washington DC to announce that they will be in the tournament, with Scorpio Sky impersonating Barack Obama.

In the arena, SCU announces that it will be Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian representing the team in the tournament. Cue the Lucha Bros to say they’re the best team in the world, with Pentagon spitting water in Daniels’ face. The fight is on but security quickly breaks it up.

Pac vs. Adam Page

Make up match after Pac’s contractual issues over the summer. Joined in progress with JR promising a picture in picture commercial break next time. Pac slides back in and forearms away but a discus lariat turns him inside out. They head outside with Pac being sent into the barricade, followed by a fall away slam into a running shooting star press back inside. Pac is fine enough to knock him back to the floor for an Asai moonsault and Page’s head bangs off the ramp.

Page is a bit rocked as Pac puts him on top, only to elbow Pac in the face. A super fall away slam sets up a slam into a reverse flapjack (that’s a new one) for two. Pac whips him shoulder first into the post though and we take a break. Back with Page in trouble and Pac shouting a lot before walking into a spinebuster. Page gets two off a powerbomb but Pac kicks him low. The Red Arrow hits Page in the back and the Brutalizer is good for the knockout win at 13:00.

Rating: B-. I’m a little surprised by the result here as Page seems to have had the plug pulled out from underneath him. Pac is certainly a star and someone who could be a huge deal around here, though I didn’t think it would be at the expense of Page. It wasn’t clean though and a rematch wouldn’t shock me, nor would it annoy me in the slightest.

Women’s Title: Nyla Rose vs. Riho

For the inaugural title and Britt Baker is on commentary. After the Big Match Intros, Riho starts with some dropkicks but gets shouldered down without much impact. Riho knocks her down again and tries a double stomp to the back but Rose just sits up for the block. The STF goes on for a bit until Riho makes the rope to save herself. A running knee sends Rose outside but she’s fine enough to send Riho into the barricade.

The ref takes a chair away so Rose sends her into the barricade again and pulls out a bunch of chairs. She puts Riho on those chairs but the middle rope dive only hits the steel, allowing Riho to hit a double stomp off the apron. Another double stomp sets up a Bank Statement inside and we take a break.

Back with Riho in trouble and making the mistake of trying a backdrop. Some forearms are cut off by a kick to the face but Riho slips out of a powerbomb. A rollup gets a very close two and the fans aren’t pleased by the kickout. Rose’s Death Valley Driver gets two more and she goes up top, only to get caught with even more forearms. A northern lights superplex gives Riho two so she knees Riho in the face for the pin and the title at 13:27.

Rating: C+. Yeah I can’t say I’m surprised. The tiny newcomer beats the seemingly unstoppable monster in your metaphor of the night. The problem with Riho continues to be that her whole character is that she’s small. Rose continues to lose far more often than she should and that was the case here as well. The crowd got into it though and those near falls were quite good at times. Fine match, but it’s going to take some time to get into Riho.

Post match Michael Nakazawa comes in for the interview in Japanese but Rose comes in to jump them both and powerbomb Nakazawa. A Death Valley Driver on the apron is broken up but Kenny Omega makes the save.

Elite vs. Chris Jericho/Santana/Ortiz

Omega runs back to the stage for his entrance despite the lack of a commercial. Jericho starts against Omega but tags out to Santana before anything happens in an old but classic move. Omega kicks Santana’s knee out and tries his running Fameasser but has to settle for a bulldog as he overshoots it a bit. Jericho comes in for the chops and the Bucks have to break up the Walls with some superkicks.

Back with the Bucks in trouble and Santana/Ortiz hitting their assortment of splashes. Jericho misses the Lionsault to Nick but Ortiz breaks up the hot tag attempt. A cutter out of the corner sets up some rolling northern lights suplexes and the hot tag brings in Nick to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Matt taking a springboard Cannonball in the corner. The Judas Effect gives Jericho the pin at 13:20.

Rating: C. The Omega deal took things down a bit here and it felt like it just came and went. It was a good choice for a first main event as it showcased Santana and Ortiz and it’s not like losing to the World Champion is a bad thing. What we got here was good enough and it gave us a fine enough main event, even if the big angle came a bit early.

Post match the big brawl is on with Cody coming in for the save. Sammy Guevara comes in to kick him low so Dustin Rhodes is out for the save. Cue the debuting Jake Hager (Jack Swagger) to wreck Cody, Dustin and the Bucks. That means a WE THE PEOPLE chant as the villains stand tall together. A table is brought in and Dustin gets powerbombed onto (not through) it for the big OOH from the crowd. The Judas Effect leaves Cody laying to end the show. They did get the timing right to wrap it up this time around.

Overall Rating: B. The wrestling wasn’t what mattered here. The point of this was everything working well enough and the presentation feeling big overall. Everything looked great here and it felt like a WWE level show. There are a lot of things to work on still, but what we got was rather good. I want to see where things are going in the future and that’s a great sign for a first night.

That’s what matters the most here: it was the first night and the show worked well. Nothing was bad and they had a big moment with the title change. Nothing blew me away, which is actually a silver lining in a way. If you start with your biggest, best show ever, where can you go from there? They have room to improve, but what matters most is to keep things going. Very good start, now keep doing it and make it better.

Results

Cody b. Sammy Guevara – Small package

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Brandon Cutler – Fujiwara armbar

Pac b. Adam Page – Brutalizer

Riho b. Nyla Rose – Running knee to the face

Chris Jericho/Santana/Ortiz b. Kenny Omega/Young Bucks

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

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

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