Dark
Date: December 17, 2019
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Vickie Guerrero, Excalibur
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

We’re still down in Texas and it’s time to get ready for a pretty big episode of Dynamite this week. That’s where a bunch of recaps could come in handy as there was a lot set up last week. The quality and importance of the matches on this show are almost impossible to guess, but that can make for a fun time of finding out. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Young Bucks wanting to build the company on the back of a strong tag team division but admitting that they haven’t been as good as they should be. Now though, they’re the #1 contenders to the Tag Team Titles. They love SCU and the three of them will be at the Bucks’ house for Christmas dinner. They’re coming for the belts though, no matter how awkward it makes Christmas.

The hosts run down the card.

Vickie Guerrero gets an introduction. To be fair, that’s kind of a cool surprise and not the kind you would have bet on (if that makes sense).

Private Party vs. SCU

Non-title. Kassidy and Kazarian start things off with Kazarian grabbing a headlock takeover. Back up and it’s another headlock takeover in case the first one didn’t stick. An exchange of near falls sets up a standoff and the fans are rather pleased. They even slap hands and it’s a double tag to bring in Quen to face Sky. A dropkick puts Quen down but he’s right back up with one of his own, only to have Kazarian come in for a leg lariat.

The springboard legdrop gets two and it’s back to Sky for some strutting….and it’s Kazarian coming back in for a German suplex. Quen sends Kazarian into Sky though and the hot tag brings in Kassidy. A moonsault takes down both champs and a flapjack/bulldog combination gets two on Sky. There’s a stomp to the back of Sky’s head and the Party stops for some dancing.

Kazarian hits a double clothesline out of the corner and then goes over to get the tag from Sky in a smart move. House is cleaned again and it’s an assisted Unprettier for two on Quen. SCULater is broken up so Quen hits the big flip dive to take out Kazarian and Sky at the same time. Kassidy hits one of his own and it’s Quen getting two on Sky back inside. The shooting star press misses Sky so Kassidy forearms Kazarian a few times. Silly String is broken up and SCULater finishes Quen at 12:23.

Rating: B-. Were you expecting this to be anything but good? Private Party continues to look solid but also continues to lose, which is quite the problem for them. At the same time, SCU wasn’t about to lose in a non-title match, especially not a day before a huge title defense. They did some nice stuff here and it was exactly the kind of match you would have expected.

Here’s your weekly women’s division recap including Big Swole defending Emi Sakura, Brandi Rhodes’ Nightmare Collective promo, and the women’s standings:

5. Emi Sakura

4. Nyla Rose

3. Hikaru Shida

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Britt Baker

Joey Janela joins commentary.

Britt Baker vs. Machiko

This is Machiko’s debut and she has very colorful hair. Baker kicks her down to start and a crucifix gets one. Machiko’s arm is sent into the corner so we hit the crossface chickenwing. A superkick sets up Lockjaw finishes Machiko at 3:23.

Rating: D+. I’m not sure what there is to say here. Baker is someone who gets pushed and then comes up short in the bigger matches. She is going to be in a #1 contenders match with Kris Stadtlander and hopefully she can get the win that has eluded her so far. The potential is there, but unless she goes somewhere with it, that doesn’t matter.

Kris Stadtlander vs. Bea Priestley

The Cheeky Nandos kick misses though and Stadtlander gets two off a suplex. A discus lariat knocks Priestley outside and there’s the suicide dive. Cue the Nightmare Collective in the crowd to tell Stadtlander to “come home” , allowing Priestley to get in a kick to the head for her own two. An Oklahoma roll gives Stadtlander two but she gets dropped with a Saito suplex. Stadtlander is right back with an ax kick for another near fall and the Big Bang Theory finishes Priestley at 9:27.

Rating: C+. They were having a good match and the Nightmare Collective didn’t cause too much of a problem. That being said, their cameo only reminded me of how lame of an idea the whole thing seems when you have the Dark Order and maybe Butcher/Blade/Bunny at the same time. At least get something that isn’t so dark for a change? Stadtlander continues to look good and I could go for her beating Baker to get the title shot.

We run down the Dynamite card.

Stadtlander says Britt Baker is next and makes a bunch of space references. She’ll be Britt’s leader.

Hybrid Two/Pac vs. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy

Chuck headlocks Angelico down to start but it’s quickly broken for a standoff. The Friends start taking turns on Angelico’s arm as Janela makes some thinly veiled references to Jim Cornette. Taylor grabs a half crab on Angelico but Evans makes a quick save. That’s fine with Chuck, who hits Soul Food, only to allow the tag to Pac. A kick to the head sets up a hiptoss to give Evans two and it’s back to Angelico to continue the rapid fire tags.

Chuck rolls over for the hot tag to Trent to clean house, including a big running flip dive onto the Two. Pac breaks up the hug though and the fans are NOT pleased with that one. The fans want Orange but have to settle for Trent getting choked in the corner. Evans kicks Trent in the head for two more, followed by Pac’s Blue Thunder Bomb for two more.

Trent manages a half and half suplex but Angelico makes the save and knocks Chuck off the apron. He doesn’t bother with Orange (Joey: “Because he fears for his life.”), only to walk into a spinning DDT from Trent. The hot tag brings in Cassidy and the place goes NUTS as he takes off his glasses. The hands go into the pockets for a dropkick into a nip up, plus a dodge to make Pac pump kick Evans by mistake.

Cassidy hits the slow motion kicks on Pac before taking the hands out for a tornado DDT. The glasses go back on and Cassidy hits a suicide dive to take out all three of them at once. That means a three way hug back inside and Cassidy’s top rope splash gets two on Angelico. Chuck’s moonsault misses though and it’s an assisted moonsault to set up Pac’s 450 for two. Pac kicks Cassidy to the floor and snap German suplexes Chuck. The Brutalizer finishes Taylor at 13:22.

Rating: C+. This is a great example of a match where your tastes may vary and I can get that. The energy was high enough to make the match work and the place went coconuts for Cassidy, but at the same time I absolutely would not have had Pac in there with all the goofiness. That kind of stuff can have its place in wrestling (and it certainly will around here) but Pac is a potential main event talent. He did win, but it shouldn’t have been that much of a relief that he did.

Tony and Dasha wrap things up.

Overall Rating: B. I liked this one more than most of the recent episodes and a lot of that came from them shaving the time down a bit. This week’s show was about ten minutes shorter and it didn’t feel like they had to fill in as much time as they did in previous shows. This show doesn’t need to recap everything or show all of the big points from Dynamite. Just get in, have some nice matches, show some recaps, and get out. That’s more what we got here, and while I could go for a bit of a shorter show, it was still a better outing.

Results

SCU b. Private Party – SCULater to Quen

Britt Baker b. Machiko – Lockjaw

Kris Stadtlander b. Bea Priestley – Big Bang Theory

Hybrid Two/Pac b. Best Friends/Orange Cassidy – Brutalizer to Taylor

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 30, 2019
Location: Charleston Coliseum, Charleston, West Virginia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s time to crown some new champions and that means we’re in for a tournament final. Tonight we get the first ever AEW Tag Team Champions as SCU faces the Lucha Bros for the inaugural titles. Other than that we have the contract signing for Full Gear between Chris Jericho and Cody. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Dustin Rhodes and Cody going to the signing with Jericho. Dustin hugs him and Cody gets in a car with Schiavone.

We see a clip of the end of last week’s show and the aftermath, with Adam Page and Kenny Omega hitting the ring to chase off Pac. Page wants Pac at Full Gear.

Post match, Moxley went to the back and Tony Khan needed to see him. They went into a locker room and Khan said the match with Omega is going to be unsanctioned because Moxley is too violent. That isn’t cool with Moxley, who has been working to get a win over Omega and now it won’t count because AEW doesn’t want him beating their golden boy. He accuses Tony of treating him like everyone else so Omega’s blood is on Khan’s hands.

Opening sequence.

The announcers preview the show.

The posts and buckles are Rick and Morty themed.

Sammy Guevara vs. Hangman Page

Page chops away and kicks Guevara in the face to start but Sammy is right back up with a dropkick into a bow. Guevara’s suplex gets two but Page takes him into the corner for a slap to the face. A middle rope crossbody is pulled out of the air for a fall away slam and Page clotheslines him to the floor. That’s fine with Sammy who sends Page into the barricade, allowing Sammy to go up top. Instead though he drops down for a slap to the face, which only fires Page up.

Page no sells a superkick and hits a hard lariat for the double knockdown. They head to the apron with Sammy having to escape the Deadeye. Instead Page hits a Boss Man Slam onto the apron for a big crash. Back in and a pop up powerbomb gets two on Sammy, followed by a moonsault to the floor. Sammy is smart enough to drop to the mat to avoid the Buckshot Lariat. Not that it matters as Page is right back with the right hand and the Lariat for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: B-. Page looks like a star in every sense of the word but he still needs some time and experience to become a top star. He has all the tools that you could ask for though and if he keeps going at this rate, he is going to be a big deal. It’s not like losing to him hurts Sammy either so this was completely fine for what it was.

Post match Page says he’s been losing lately but this felt good. At Full Gear, he’s going to do some cowboy s***. JR: “There’s a shirt.”

Hikaru Shida vs. Shanna

They slug it out to start and head outside early on with Shida setting up a chair for a running knee to the face. A backbreaker gives Shida two and another knee gets another near fall as it’s all Shida so far. Shanna shrugs it off though and gets fired up as we take an early break.

Back with Shanna hitting an Alberto top rope double stomp but Shida grabs a sunset driver to knock Shanna silly. They trade rollups for two each and Shida gets in the running knee for two more. The Falcon Arrow gives Shida two more and another running knee is enough to put Shanna away at 10:44.

Rating: C+. I liked this one with Shida hitting some hard strikes and Shanna getting to show off a little bit. There was a good amount of action packed into this one and Shanna looks like someone else who could be a big deal in the division. Then again that is the case for a lot of women and only Riho has really gotten to showcase herself at a high level.

Video on Brandi Rhodes going nuts last week. She seems to be doing something almost occultish and is still involved with Awesome Kong.

Here are the Rock and Roll Express (reigning NWA World Tag Team Champions) to talk about some old times in the building but here are Santana and Ortiz to take then out. Morton gets hit with a loaded sock and powerbombed off the stage through a table. The Young Bucks come out for the save.

Cody and Schiavone continue their Ric Flair from Starrcade 1993 segment and Tony talks about hanging out with Willie Nelson and Dusty Rhodes. Dusty had Willie come out first, because the star always comes out last. Cody talks about his mom being at Full Gear and how much he wants his dad to be proud of him. Tony is proud of him, which seems to touch Cody.

Best Friends/Orange Cassidy vs. Alex Reynolds/QT Marshall/Jon Silver

Cassidy and the Best Friends are dressed as Rick and Morty and the fans have masks of the characters for a bonus. And yes, Morty does the ring announcing for the Friends/Cassidy. Silver knocks Trent’s wig off and the villains cheat to clean house like villains should. Trent manages a tornado DDT to Silver so the wig can be replaced, but Marshall breaks up the hug attempt. That draw Cassidy, who takes off his costume, into the ring for the weak kicks. A dropkick into a nipup into the triple hug sets up the suicide dive. Strong Zero finishes Reynolds at 3:13.

Rating: D. Yeah I’m thinking no on this one. The Rick and Morty stuff was fine for a one off promotional deal (WWE has done WAY dumber things over the years in the same vein) but I wasn’t liking the match as the Friends and Cassidy’s acts have worn on me pretty badly. That being said, they kept this really short and it isn’t something that is going to hurt the show whatsoever.

Full Gear rundown.

Here’s Chris Jericho for the contract signing on the stage. Tony and Cody come into the building and then the arena. After a quick intro, Cody signs and Jericho teases charging at him. Jericho talks about how Cody is giving this everything he has, but it’s time for Cody to learn a lesson.

Cody needs to learn what it’s like to be a loser and Jericho signs, Jericho stands up for the big staredown and gives him a hard handshake, saying he’ll see Cody at Full Gear. Jericho says Cody can stand there all night, but he might be needed elsewhere. Sammy Guevara pops up on screen and we cut to the back where Jake Hager is beating up Dustin. His head dents the car and Hager slams the car door on his arm, ala Larry Zbyszko and Barry Windham in 1991, when Dustin was Windham’s partner.

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks vs. Kip Sabian/Hybrid Two

Kenny gets a big video gamed themed entrance and is wearing a mask that I don’t recognize. The Bucks on the other hand are in Street Fighter gear. It’s a brawl to start with Sabian hitting a flip dive onto the Bucks so Kenny has to fight off the Two on his own. The Bucks are right back in for the series of kicks to the head, setting up a springboard double stomp to Sabian’s ribs.

The Rise of the Terminators is broken up and Evans kicks Omega in the head to send him outside. That means the Sauske Special to drop Omega and it’s a middle rope hurricanrana for two on Matt. Back from a break with Omega getting the hot tag and cleaning house with Snapdragons. Everything breaks down and it’s the parade of kicks to the head. The big flip dive to the floor is blocked so Sabian tries a springboard only to dive into a triple superkick. The One Winged Angel finishes Evans at 11:27.

Rating: C+. Maybe it’s the pure insanity that the matches include or the lack of any real psychology to the whole thing but there is something that holds these matches back from me. They feel like performances instead of matches and that makes them a little bit difficult to get behind. They’re still enjoyable and I have a good time with them, but they just don’t feel the same.

Post match Santana and Ortiz, now known as Power N Pride, jump the Bucks from the crowd with Omega making the save.

Here’s Peter Avalon to rant about how terrible Charleston is but Jon Moxley comes in through the crowd with the Paradigm Shift. Moxley grabs the mic and mentions his match with Omega being unsanctioned. That means no rules but it also means that the match doesn’t count. Moxley knows AEW is trying to protect their boy and put Moxley in their box so he can’t hurt the star. He’ll beat Omega in a match even if it doesn’t exist and if you think he’s out of control, you haven’t seen anything yet. Omega’s blood is on AEW’s hands and stay the h*** out of his way. That was a fired up promo.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. SCU

For the inaugural titles and they’re just in the ring when we come back from a break. Various teams are watching in the back. It turns into a brawl to start and Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver for a very early two on Kazarian. The Sling Blade takes Sky down but we settle down to Kazarian slamming Fenix and dropping the spinning legdrop for two, with Kazarian being ready for Pentagon’s save.

Fenix is back up to clean house and Pentagon superkicks Sky on the floor. Sky is sent outside and gets kicked in the face as well, setting up a backbreaker/slingshot legdrop combination to really take him down. Back from a break with Kazarian fighting out of trouble and hitting an Angel’s Wings as an ode to Daniels.

Sky gets the hot tag and everything breaks down (again) with Kazarian somewhat missing a hurricanrana tot he floor. Back in and a pair of tornado DDT drops both Bros for two. SCULater is broken up and Pentagon hits the Pentagon Driver on Kazarian. Fenix’s rolling cutter gets two on Sky, followed by stereo crossbodies to put Fenix and Sky down. Pentagon powerbombs Kazarian through a table at ringside, followed by a splash off of Pentagon’s shoulders for two on Sky. The spike Fear Factor is blocked though and Kazarian cuts Fenix off so Sky can get a small package for the pin at 12:36.

Rating: B. I know it’s a fine rating but that was a rather disappointing result. The wrestling and action was good (though it felt WAY too similar to the six man) but it didn’t have enough time and the ending came out of nowhere. I am a sucker for the fast paced, flying all over the place matches ending with a quick change of gear into a fast pin though and the match was entertaining, but I was expecting a lot more and didn’t get it, mainly due to having everything be so rushed.

Overall Rating: B-. While it’s still a good show, this one came off as a misfire in a lot of areas. The Cody stuff wasn’t great and felt like it was just copying better angles with more talented people. I’m sure the match will be good, but it’s a little hard to get fired up about Cody vs. Jericho. The wrestling was mostly entertaining, but I feel like I’ve seen some variation of that six man a dozen times already. It was an entertaining show and certainly had more positives than negatives. Just something about it threw me off and it felt like a few steps below their previous shows.

Results

Hangman Page b. Sammy Guevara – Buckshot Lariat

Hikaru Shida b. Shanna – Running knee to the face

Orange Cassidy/Best Friends b. Jon Silver/Alex Reynolds/QT Marshall – Strong Zero to Reynolds

Kenny Omega/Young Bucks b. Hybrid Two/Kip Sabian – One Winged Angel to Sabian

SCU b. Lucha Bros – Small package

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

WrestleCon Supershow
Date: April 4, 2019
Location: New York Hilton Midtown, New York City, New York
Commentators: Excalibur, Kevin Kelly

This might be my favorite show of the year and I’ve been looking forward to seeing it again. The idea here is you don’t know most of the card coming in, with just Will Ospreay vs. Bandido in the main event being announced. A lot of wrestlers from Dragon Gate were announced but visa situations have kept them off the show. That leaves some openings on the card and I’m curious to see what we get. Let’s get to it.

We get a YOUR EVENT WILL BEGIN SHORTLY graphic for twelve minutes until the ring announcer says we’re waiting on something from the athletic commission and an ambulance to arrive.

Here’s your WrestleCon Ambassador for the evening: Road Warrior Animal (without facepaint), who goes straight for the LOD chant. He can’t do this job by himself so he introduces….RIC FLAIR, which is quite the surprise. Good thing he’s healed from that Batista beating. Excalibur: “If anyone knows how to fill time.” Flair talks about the places he’s been in New York, including an affair with Leona Helmsley. He says this is a fraternity and puts over the Road Warriors as great competitors. One night in Philadelphia they painted Dusty Rhodes’ face and it was a riot on the way to the ring.

WrestleCon is a great place and there was a time when nobody wanted 200 wrestlers in a hotel. Animal: “There weren’t enough tickets to ride Space Mountain.” Flair has another reason to be here and mentions Sunday night being more important than anything he ever accomplished. The tears are flowing and thankfully the fans don’t boo the WWE reference. This is every bit as big as Hogan slamming Andre and he couldn’t be prouder. Thank you for everything and make sure to come see him tomorrow.

Back to the YOUR EVENT WILL BEGIN SHORTLY graphic.

The widow of Mark Hitchcock, an illustrator who world for WrestleCon died on his honeymoon, thanks the crowd for remembering him.

We’re ready to go 27 minutes late.

Eddie Kingston vs. Masato Tanaka

Tanaka is a former ECW World Champion and might look better now than he did twenty years ago. They go technical to start until Eddie takes him into the corner for a hard chop. Tanaka’s famous elbow sends Eddie outside to hold his jaw, as he should be doing. Back in and Tanaka hammers down right hands before a crossbody gets two. A running STO drops Tanaka and it’s back to the chops.

Tanaka’s tornado DDT works on the second attempt but a spinning Rock Bottom drops him again. Eddie loads up a superplex but gets reversed into Diamond Dust (a flipping Stunner out of the corner, a personal favorite). A frog splash gets two on Kingston and it’s time for the required chop off. Tanaka’s elbows and forearms get the better of it and the Roaring Elbow sets up the Sliding D (sliding elbow) finishes Kingston at 7:18.

Rating: C. This was your “I hit you hard and you hit me hard) match of the night, as WrestleCon is often a show built around doing a little bit of everything. Tanaka still looks awesome and I’m not surprised to see that he can still do something like this. Kingston is hit or miss at best, but having him do something like this fits him well.

Post match Kingston says that this was his dream match after seventeen years and thanks Tanaka in Japanese.

The announcers would love to break down the next match but they don’t know what it is.

Here are the Lucha Bros for the match but before their opponents come out, Fenix thanks the fans and says they’re the best tag team in the universe. They’re here because they’re open to face any tag team and pretty soon, they’ll be facing the other brother tag team. He means the Young Bucks, who are scared of the Lucha Bros and won’t be here tonight. Pentagon swears in Spanish a big (Kelly: “NO TRANSLATION REQUIRED!”) and the fans chant it after him. Since they don’t have a team to face, they can just fight each other.

Pentagon Jr. vs. Rey Fenix

Pentagon goes straight for the rollup to start but gets sent outside for the suicide dive. Back in Pentagon hits the Alberto Del Rio double stomp and yells at the referee for only counting two. Fenix kicks him in the face but walks into the Pentagon Driver for two more. The fans chant for the team, as they should given that it’s a good match so far.

Pentagon gets tied in the ropes and it’s a rope walk kick to the face as only Fenix can do. A Canadian Destroyer gives Fenix two more but he takes too much time rolling forward and gets superkicked in the face. Pentagon one ups him with a middle rope Canadian Destroyer but Fenix is right back up to catch him on top and it’s a super Spanish Fly to finish Pentagon at 6:56.

Rating: B. Oh man that’s it? Maybe they’re running short on time or something but this should have been at least another ten minutes if you wanted to do it justice. These two are as hot as anyone could be at the moment and that’s been the case for well over a year now. I hope they get a big chance in AEW (they will) and maybe even WWE one day. This needed to be more but for what it was, it was really good.

Puma King/Samantha Heights/DJZ/Tajiri vs. Sammy Guevara/LAX/Diamante

This could be…..I have no idea actually. I’ve never heard of Samantha but that’s a common occurrence around here. Tajiri always looks weird without a mustache. Puma just laying on the middle rope for all of the entrances is a rather unique visual. DJZ is ready for Guevara’s cheap shot and let’s hit that horn noise. Puma King comes in and kicks Sammy out but it’s off to Santana for a good moonsault.

Since it’s lucha rules, the fans get to see Tajiri with Kelly talking about how easy of a time Tajiri should have with all of the language issues in the match. The kicks have Puma King in trouble and it’s off to Diamante, who gets a handshake and kneel from Tajiri before he starts chopping her. A Stunner gets Diamante out of trouble and it’s off to Heights, who hits a Sliced Bread.

Ortiz comes in and runs Samantha over before shouting SUCK THESE. I’m not going near that one so I’ll go to Ortiz blocking a monkey flip and turning it into a faceplant. DJZ comes back in and flips forward into a clothesline to send Ortiz outside. Santana comes in with a superkick as everything breaks down. It’s back to Sammy for a jumping knee to the DJZ’s face and LAX adds a double flapjack.

Sammy can’t get over for a tag (Kelly: “Joey Ryan will charge you $30 for that!”) and Diamante gets two off a splash. Sammy does his fireman’s carry squats into a running shooting star press gets two on DJZ with Samantha coming in for the save. DJZ comes back with the always stupid stop of throwing partners into each other and making one DDT another.

That’s enough for a hot tag to Puma King to clean house and a big dive to the floor hits Santana. That sets off the parade of dives with the women hitting stereo dives. Tajiri is left alone in the ring but Ortiz cuts off his dive to become the biggest heel in the match. Ortiz tries a hiptoss but gets misted while in the air (cool), setting up the Buzzsaw Kick to give Tajiri the pin at 12:02.

Rating: C+. For a random assortment of eight people into a match with no connection between the teams, I liked it. That’s the kind of thing you get at these shows and it’s one of the most fun parts. Sometimes you just need to go out there and have some wrestling with a bunch of people having a match and that’s what we got here. It’s a WrestleCon tradition and one of their better ones so well done given the people in there.

Arez vs. Flamita vs. Robbie Eagles

Eagles is Bullet Club (and yes it’s still a thing) and billed as the Sniper of the Sky. Arez gets sent outside early on and it’s a flip off between Flamita and Eagles. Flamita kicks Arez in the head but he rolls forward into a dive outside onto Eagles. Back in and Arez drops a top rope elbow on Flamita, meaning it’s time to yell at the referee for counting slowly. A standing Spanish Fly gives Flamita two on Eagles but a superplex is countered.

Instead Arez tries to climb onto Flamita’s back so Eagles dives with a high crossbody, which is countered into a Spanish Fly (or something, as it was far from a clean landing). Arez takes off his jacket so Flamita can chop him even harder because wrestling is weird. Sliced Bread drops Eagles who DDTs Flamita at the same time and they’re all down. Flamita is up first and missile dropkicks both of them down, setting up a moonsault out to the floor to drop Arez again. Back in and Flamita misses a 450, allowing Eagles to hit one of his own on Arez for the pin at 6:54.

Rating: C. Arez didn’t get to show off very much while Flamita looked like the awesome high flier that he is and Eagles came off as a well rounded star. I can see why he got the win here and he looked like someone who belonged on a stage like this. It was a bunch of spots and that’s all it was supposed to be here.

Revolt vs. Hurricane/X-Pac/Jushin Thunder Liger

See what I mean about these random teams that make the show fun? Revolt (Caleb Konley, Jake Manning, Zane Riley) are mainstays around this show and have been a big deal in PWX from Charlotte. X-Pac is in the standard gear, though with NWO logos on the legs. After the place comes unglued for Liger, X-Pac puts him over as a legend on his retirement tour. Liger and Konley start things off with a battle of poses to the crowd. After being backed into the corner, Konley gets pulled down into the surfboard and you know the fans are going to love that.

It’s off to Riley (300+lb) to face X-Pac, meaning it’s a HALL OF FAMER chant. Riley wants a test of strength but is told to suck it instead. The rapid fire legdrops have Riley in trouble but it’s too early for the Bronco Buster. Manning (he likes scouting) and Hurricane come in for a handshake and a 3 COUNT chant, meaning the fans are cultured. The danceoff begins but the good guys join hands and flip Manning off (well not Liger, who just can’t do it).

The Hurricane pose sends Manning down onto the mat and he needs a timeout to check the scouting manual. It’s enough for a cheap shot to Hurricane and Konley comes in, only to have the heroes get together for a triple suplex. Hurricane gets caught in the wrong corner though and the heat is on. Riley’s choke doesn’t get him very far so it’s already back to Manning, who gets caught with the Eye of the Hurricane.

Liger comes in for the palm strikes but a distraction lets Riley run him over. Konley and Liger hit a double clothesline and it’s off to X-Pac to clean house. The spin kicks abound and it’s back to Liger, who tries to suplex Riley for some reason. Everything breaks down and it’s the palm strike to Manning with a Bronco Buster to Riley. Hurricane chokeslams Konley and the brainbuster finishes Manning at 13:37.

Rating: C+. Am I supposed to criticize this somehow? I was never an X-Pac fan but this was a blast and exactly what it should have been, even with a little more time than it probably should have gotten. With Liger retiring, he deserves to get whatever matches he wants to have and it’s a special treat to get to see someone who has been wrestling longer than I’ve been alive and still looked great. Hurricane and X-Pac were rather good as well, making this quite the entertaining match.

Post match Hurricane and X-Pac pay tribute to Liger again, as they should.

Intermission.

So apparently power to the Fite.TV stream went down during the intermission and we missed Dragon Lee vs. Cavernario. Dragon Lee won and if it’s on the replay, I’ll watch it later and edit it in.

Shane Strickland vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Well if you insist. They go at each others’ legs to start and it’s Sabre taking him down for the first of what will likely be many leglocks. Strickland escapes and puts on another hold of his own before tying Strickland up in something like an STF. A cravate keeps Strickland in trouble but he comes back with a dragon screw legwhip but a gutbuster cuts Strickland down again.

Bored of the leg, Sabre switches up to the arm and gets in the required stomp to the raised arm. He even stands on Strickland’s head because Sabre is that big of a jerk. The overly cocky kicks to the head tick Strickland off (as they do to everyone) and it’s time for Sabre to tell him to chop. A big one to the leg takes Sabre down because Strickland was smart enough to know an armbar was coming.

The 619 to the ribs sets up the rolling cutter but Sabre is right back with another crank on the arm to take over. Strickland has had it with the shots to the face and tries another rolling cutter, but this time it’s pulled into the cross armbreaker. A triangle choke has Strickland in trouble until he powerbombs his way to freedom. Strickland grabs him by the nose (come on man) and kicks Sabre in the chest again.

A YES Kick knocks Sabre silly but he’s fine enough for a half and half suplex onto Strickland’s head. The head isn’t that damaged though as he hits a rolling German suplex. The Swerve Stomp is countered into the Rings of Saturn with Sabre’s legs and Sabre grabs a half crab for a bonus and the submission at 16:39.

Rating: B. My goodness Sabre is fun to watch. The guy can do whatever he wants in the ring and makes it look easy because he’s just that talented. Daniel Bryan was drooling over him during the Cruiserweight Classic and Sabre has gotten so much better since thin. Strickland is as smooth of a performer as you’re going to get in wrestling these days and it’s no surprise that he’s going to WWE.

Post match Strickland gets the sendoff because he’s NXT bound.

Here’s So Cal Uncensored before their match. Scorpio Sky does his thing about how he hates the town, which I still don’t quite get. Daniels praises the fans and says they want to be the top trio (which he sings for some reason) so let’s see what happens when it’s California love with a New York state of mind.

So Cal Uncensored vs. Orange Cassidy/Best Friends

Cassidy takes both hands out of his pockets and then puts them back in so Daniels grabs a headlock to knock off the sunglasses. The waistlock is countered as Cassidy puts his hands in his pockets and dances out, allowing him to chill on the mat. Cassidy runs the ropes, dropkicks Daniels down, and nips up, all without taking his hands out of his pockets. Trent comes in (Cassidy still doesn’t move his hands as he gets out, but one does come out on the apron) and chops Kazarian, who is rather confused.

Kazarian continues to be frustrated as Trent just stands there….so let’s switch teams. Trent is now part of SCU and Kazarian puts on the vest. It’s off to Sky to face Kazarian and it’s the New Age Outlaws cover with Sky trying a quick cover off a poke to the chest (the Fingerpoke of Doom was a singles match so it’s a completely different thing you see). That’s broken up and the Best Friends hit stereo fall away slams.

Double Razor’s Edges are countered with double backdrops and it’s Trent caught in the corner for a slingshot dropkick. Chuck gets in a cheap shot from the apron so Daniels knocks him down but the distraction lets Trent get in a low blow. Now it’s Chuck coming in for forearms to the back and it’s Cassidy coming in for a walk across the ring into a near hug, which is called a clothesline.

Cassidy walks around so slowly that the Best Friends both get in a few shots before Cassidy even bothers to cover. It’s back to Trent for an abdominal stretch and Cassidy puts glasses on Chuck, who slowly extends his arm for the cheating. So it’s the slacker Too Cool and Rikishi. Daniels puts the glasses on as well and it’s a slow energy fight with Cassidy. A big chop is teased but Daniels goes with a low blow so it’s off to Kazarian to take over and slap on a Figure Four to Trent.

A Backstabber hits Chuck and it’s an assisted tornado DDT on Trent, leaving Cassidy on his own. Daniels KNOCKS CASSIDY’S GLASSES OFF and it’s on in a hurry with Cassidy slugging away and hitting a double hurricanrana on Kazarian and Sky. A good looking double chokeslam takes them down again and Cassidy puts the glasses back on. That means going up top for a fall (intentional) onto Kazarian for two. The Best Friends come in to clean house again and we hit that hug. SCU has had it with this nonsense (of which they have been a part) and it’s the Best Meltzer Ever for the pin on Cassidy at 18:21.

Rating: C+. This one is going to entirely depend on your taste but my issue was it ran too long. That and you really have Cassidy take the pin here? He’s the most popular non-Liger guy on the show and you have him lose instead of say, Trent? His gimmick is fine for this kind of a show, but he’s not going to be able to do much beyond this because it’s a goofy comedy bit. That being said, this is the perfect show for something like that and it was more than good enough here. Cut off some of the time and it’s better, but it was fine for what it was. It’s just not for everyone and that’s fine.

Everyone hugs but Cassidy won’t take his hands out of his pockets for the post.

Will Ospreay vs. Bandido

Bell, Spanish Fly, Space Flying Tiger Drop, shooting star press for two on Bandido, we hit the thirty second mark. Bandido is back up with Swiss Death of all things, followed by a standing backflip World’s Strongest Slam to send Ospreay to the floor. A huge flip dive takes Ospreay down again and Bandido sticks the landing. That’s only good for two back inside and a delayed vertical suplex, including a squat, is good for the same on Ospreay.

The chops take Bandido right back down but he’s right back with the surfboard as an homage to Liger. That’s broken up so Ospreay hits a handspring into a kick to the head to put Bandido down again. A 619 over the top rope hits Bandido in the mask and it’s a delayed basement dropkick in the corner. Pip Pip Cheerio keeps Bandido in trouble and Ospreay swears a lot.

Bandido must not be a fan of swearing (attaboy) so he comes back with a one handed sitout gorilla press slam (egads man) to cut Ospreay off. Ospreay wants him to bring it and they strike it out until Ospreay snaps off a low angle dragon suplex. Stormbreaker is countered with an armdrag and a pop up powerbomb drops Ospreay again. The Robinson Special puts Bandido down again but he gets caught with a reverse hurricanrana off the middle rope (that’s a new one) for another near fall.

Ospreay fights out of something on top and hits the Cheeky Nandos kick before knocking Bandido over the barricade. You know where this is going and it’s the huge crossbody to the floor to send Bandido into the third row. Back in and a missile dropkick to the back of the head sets up Stormbreaker but Bandido reverses into a hurricanrana for two. The Oscutter is countered into a knee to the face for another two and Bandido can’t believe it. Ospreay is right back up with a Rainmaker into the Oscutter and Stormbreaker finishes Bandido at 16:51.

Rating: B+. This was exactly what it was advertised as being: two of the best high fliers in the world doing insane spots to each other for a long time. Ospreay is on another level for someone his size and Bandido is certainly no slouch in everything he does. Great match here and worthy of a main event, even though you could tell the fans were spent.

Post match Ospreay counts the money the fans throw out (Ospreay: “Four dollars! Two Cokes!” Kelly: “Not in New York City.”) and praises Bandido. Anyone who knows him knows that his mental health problems have been worse than ever recently but wrestling is the best therapy you can have. All he has is raw natural ability and they just created an art form. Ospreay thanks everyone and bows to Bandido.

Overall Rating: B. As usual, this is the show where you put your feet up and have a good time watching wrestling because it’s all about seeing what you’re getting and just having a lot of fun. You get all kinds of people coming out of nowhere and having one great match after another. It’s a blast of a show with some excellent matches and a little bit of everything for everyone. Have a good time with it and enjoy what wrestling can be.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

Family Reunion
Date: April 4, 2019
Location: White Eagle Hall, Jersey City, New Jersey
Commentators: Kevin Ford, Dylan Hales

It’s Wrestlemania weekend and that means indy shows a go-go. I’m going to be covering as many of them as I can and we’ll start with this one from IndependentWrestling.TV. I have absolutely no idea what to expect from this show and that’s going to be the case with a lot of events over the weekend. From what I can tell, this is a bunch of promotions getting a showcase under the Independent Wrestling banner. Let’s get to it.

Quick opening sequence based on the old MTV vignettes with the flag being planted on the moon.

Independent Wrestling Television Title: Jonathan Gresham vs. Orange Cassidy

Gresham, challenging here, is a technical wrestler from ROH and Cassidy is a slacker who often sleeps during matches. He’s played to the ring by a woman with a flute and brings the title out of a backpack, which apparently is a thing. Cassidy is billed as being from Wherever and his weight Doesn’t Matter. Oh and he’s Freshly Squeezed, whatever that means.

We get referee instructions and apparently this has a round system (six five minute rounds) and cards for fouls ala soccer. They go low to start and Cassidy, wrestling in sunglasses, almost in slow motion, lays down for a second, with the referee pointing out that under European rules you can’t strike a downed opponent. A graphic with all of these rules before the match would have been a really good idea.

Gresham is annoyed and throws down Cassidy’s glasses to start the second round (as the rounds apparently reset due to a fall). They suddenly start wrestling with Cassidy headlocking him down but getting reversed into a headscissors. Cassidy wiggles out and puts his feet on the ropes for a breather as the odd style is working for him at the moment. Back up and Cassidy walks out of a full nelson.

The hands go into his pockets again and he dances out of a waistlock as the method to his madness becomes a little more clear. Cassidy takes him into the corner as the second round ends. Some rather patronizing pats to Gresham’s chest makes him shove Cassidy down so that’s a yellow card.

Round three starts and Cassidy turns it up to about 14, running the ropes and going technical with Gresham, eventually catching him with a rollup called the Mousetrap (an arm trap crucifix) for the pin at 11:34. That came out of nowhere and the stunned look on Gresham’s face sums it up rather well.

Justin Sane/Kobe Durst/Cody Lane vs. Space Pirates/Brett Michael David

No rounds on this one. These guys are from Alpha-1 Wrestling in Canada and five of them hold all of the company’s titles. I have no idea who these people are so I have no idea what I’m in for here. The referee tries to hold all of the titles but they’re a bit too heavy in a funny bit. It’s a big brawl to start with Space Monkey (and yes he has a tail) moonsaulting onto a bunch of people on the floor.

Sane and David are left alone in the ring for a slugout with Davis blasting him with a clothesline. As assisted moonsault gives Shane Sabre (the pirate of the Space Pirates) two on Sane but it’s quickly off to Lang, the only non-champion in the whole match. Kobe comes in for a Codebreaker on Shane and Lane adds a Swanton, followed by Sane’s frog splash for two with Monkey making a save.

Sabre gets in a DDT for a breather but Sane pulls David off the apron. Shane is fine enough to fight off everyone at once and it’s off to Space Monkey (the Cosmonaut Primate because apparently he’s a Communist) to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s down to Lane vs. Sabre. Lane gets superplexed down and it’s Monkey adding a moonsault into David’s 450 (with the knees hitting Lane’s shoulders) for the pin at 8:35.

Rating: C-. This was the showcase match and while the titles were all over the place, it was nothing I haven’t seen done better elsewhere. It wasn’t bad at all but it was rather formula based for a six man tag. Monkey is the only one I’ve actually heard of (from Chikara) and no one really stood out all that much. Not bad, but nothing great.

Red Eagle vs. Mike Verna vs. Ethan Page vs. Arik Cannon vs. Mikey vs. Ophidian

This is a six way scramble with one fall to a finish and everyone is from a different promotion. Eagle is from Portugal, Verna is from Italy, Page is from a bunch of promotions, Cannon is from First Wrestling (no country listed), Mikey is from St. Louis Anarchy (he’s rather odd) and Ophidian (you might remember him from the Osirian Portal) is from Demand Lucha.

Thankfully there are tags with Cannon and Eagle starting things off. They trade arm work to start with Eagle whipping him into the ropes for a standoff. A dropkick puts Cannon on the floor and since it’s lucha rules, Verna comes in for a one arm buckle bomb to Eagle. Ophidian tries to come in but gets caught in a slingshot suplex off all four ropes as Verna gets to show off the power.

Mikey comes in to slam a few people but can’t do it to Verna or Page. He sends them into each other though and now the slams work a little better. A top rope splash, with Mikey calling it his finish, completely misses….and the referee slams Mikey for no logical reason. Everything breaks down (yes in this match) and it’s Page getting to clean house for a bit. Cannon’s Total Anarchy gets two on Ophidian with Verna making a save.

The very strong Verna powerbombs Eagle and World’s Strongest Slams Cannon at the same time with Ophidian making his own save. A rather spinning headscissors from Ophidian takes Verna down and it’s Eagle vs. Ophidian for a battle of the masks. They hit the pinfall reversal sequence and Eagle actually gets the pin at 7:30.

Rating: D+. You knew there was going to be something like this on a card promoted by Independent Wrestling. Verna got to show off the power but other than that, no one really stood out and the lack of time didn’t help things. Again it’s not bad, but it’s something that feels like it could be on any indy card. Makes sense, but not exactly inspiring.

The backstage interviewer promotes some other shows as the ring announcer is introducing the next match. Not the best look there people.

Jack Bonza/Mick Moretti/Bel Pierce vs. Unsocial Jordan/Caveman Ugg/Steph Dunander

From Australia. Jordan is from the App Store and Ugg is from the Third Cave On The Left and weighs eight boulders. Bonza and Jordan start things off as the announcers talk about how odd these teams are. Steph (a rather strong woman) and Moretti (the Rapscallion, meaning he’s awesome) trade shoulders with Steph getting the better of things and handing it back to Jordan.

Bonza comes back in to hook something like the third cousin of a Tequila Sunrise on Jordan, who breaks out and kicks Bonza in the face. Bel comes in for the battle of the women and kicks Steph down for a running seated crossbody. It’s off to Ugg for the first time and Pierce throws glitter at him, earning herself a chop to the chest. The announcers yell about how annoying glitter is as we get a big man showdown between Ugg and Bonza, including a loud chop off.

Ugg takes out all three opponents, including a release Boss Man Slam on Pierce. Moretti low bridges Ugg and the announcers mention lucha rules for the first time (Lucha Australia apparently) so Jordan comes in to get ankle locked by Bonza. Ugg saves Jordan from a monkey flip and hits one on Moretti to show off a bit. Steph comes back in for a TKO on Pierce but walks into a Fire Thunder Driver from Bonza as we enter the parade of finishers. Moretti grabs something like a suplex/spinebuster combination to finish Jordan at 9:05.

Rating: C. This was another messy match but I had a good time with the fun gimmicks. It didn’t need to be anything more than it was and as a showcase, I had a good time. If nothing else, those chops from Ugg were worth seeing. This made me think the promotion could be entertaining and that’s exactly the point of something like this so well done.

Isaias Velazquez/Kylie Rae vs. Robert Eagle Anthony/Shottzi Blackheart

From Freelance Wrestling. Rae is basically old school Bayley/Dakota Kai. I’ve heard a lot of good things about Rae who is having a breakout year. Anthony and Shottzi have Frank the Clown (I believe of Noelle Foley fame) in their corner. The women start things off with Shottzi kicking her in the face but Rae gets in a shoulder, setting up a low superkick to the face.

The rather tall Eagle comes in and gets to face Velazquez as things slow down a bit. A dropkick and enziguri have Eagle in trouble so he hands it off to Shottzi for a headscissors. Shottzi hits a basement dropkick which looked very low and the referee just lets it go. Rae comes in and gets caught in a surfboard from Eagle for a weird visual given the size difference.

Shottzi misses a top rope backsplash and the hot tag brings in Rae. That’s not the best idea as Eagle hurricanranas her off the top into the backsplash from Blackheart for two with Velasquez making the save. Rae is fine enough to powerbomb Anthony out of the corner but Frank grabs Velazquez to block something off the top.

Shottzi tries a Sliced Bread on the apron but gets her leg caught in the ropes for a bad looking botch. Eagle’s Death Valley Driver gets two on Rae and Frank gets in the ring to accidentally hit Eagle in the head with a sparkly shoe. Frank takes a double superkick to the best reaction of the night so far and Eagle gets superkicked into a Crossface to give Rae the tap out win at 9:41.

Rating: C-. I can see why Rae is so popular right now as her energy is infectious. This was a rather nice showcase for her and I could see her getting some bigger bookings. I’ve seen Shottzi and Velazquez before so for once, I actually had an idea of what I was watching. Just drop the clown though as it wasn’t working in the slightest.

Action Wrestling Title: AC Mack vs. Fred Yehi

This is from Georgia and Mack is defending. Mack is in a SWAT team vest and declares this his ring while doing his own introduction. Well we certainly have a heel here. Yehi is introduced as “angry, ticked off and short”. Yehi starts fast with an elbow to the face as we hear about Mack’s victories, all of which come in Georgia. Some running forearms in the corner have Mack in trouble and pulls him out of the corner for a crash.

An early powerbomb gives Yehi two and he counters the Mack Ten (looked like a cross arm Pedigree) into a Downward Spiral. The Koji Clutch has Mack in trouble so he goes to the eyes for a smart counter. A standing Meteora and a basement dropkick put Yehi down and Mack is rather cocky in a hurry. Yehi slips out of the corner and seems to hit his head, followed by a quick kick to the head from Mack.

Rating: C+. Probably the best match of the night here even though they were flying through things. Mack has some good charisma and I could see him being something in a bigger promotion down the line. Yehi has been good almost wherever he goes, though I don’t remember him actually winning a big match.

Kris Stadtlander/Solo Darling vs. Jessica Troy/Shazza McKenzie

From Women’s Wrestling Revolution. Stadtlander is an alien and Darling is taller than a stack of pancakes and slimmer than a pint of ice cream. Kimber Lee is on commentary and doesn’t like being brought around to not be in the ring. Troy pounds on Darling to start and it’s quickly off to McKenzie to work on the leg. Darling gets knocked down and kicked in the face to give McKenzie and Troy two each.

The villains chop away at Darling in the corner but a running knee in the corner misses as Lee continues to list off her accomplishments, which aren’t enough to get her on this show. Stadtlander finally gets the tag and starts to elbow away until a kick to the face cuts her off. Everything breaks down and Stadtlander catches a suicide dive from Troy but Darling spends too much time posing and gets baseball slidden to the floor.

Shazza dives onto all three of them and it’s an exchange of suplexes back inside. Stadtlander throws Troy into a Sharpshooter from Darling with McKenzie making the save. Troy’s running Meteora to the back in the corner gets two with Stadtlander diving in for a save of her own. Stadtlander is back up with a kneeling Tombstone for the pin on McKenzie at 8:02 as Darling gets the Sharpshooter on Troy.

Rating: C-. Kind of messy here but I’ve seen a few of these women before and they’re rather solid for the most part. It wouldn’t surprise me to see one or two of them in WWE eventually, but they still have some work to do before they get there. This didn’t overstay its welcome (a common theme tonight) and that’s made the matches a lot easier to watch.

A rather fired up guy named Righteous Jesse from Southern Underground Pro Wrestling out of Nashville introduces the next match and is rather excited to be here.

O’Shay Edwards/Mr. Brickster/Cabana Man Dan vs. Brett Ison/Dominic Garrini/Kevin Coo

The announcers talk about some kind of real life fight that set this match up with some of the wrestlers not wanting to be here. It feels like they’re trying to be some real life promotion and it’s feeling rather out of place. Dan kicks the monster Ison into the corner so it’s off to Garrini who gets rolled up for two. A gutwrench suplex sends Dan flying onto his face and it’s the huge Edwards coming in to clean house.

Edwards deadlift German suplexes Garrini but Ison comes in for a dropkick. Everything breaks down and Garrini dives onto Brickster. Edwards is left alone in the ring against all three so it’s a series of suplexes and some running dropkicks in the corner for two. Brickster and Dan come back in to help triple team Kevin with Edwards hitting a moonsault for two with Garrini making the save. That really should have been the finish is Edwards and company win.

Coo is right back up with a gutwrench Project Ciampa to Dan and Brickster hits a reverse Razor’s Edge into an Iconoclasm but Ison is back with a Jay Driller for no cover. Edwards counters a second attempt into White Noise for no cover again. Garrini gives Edwards a snap piledriver but Dan comes back in with the flip flops to hit Garrini in the face. Coo gets back up and tries a dragon superplex on Dan, which is reversed into a super Sliced Bread for the pin at 9:02.

Rating: D. Yeah this really didn’t work as it felt like they were trying for some ECW inspired stuff and it was rather bad. I have no idea what the story is here or why I should care. It was all over the place and no one got to stand out at all here. Easily the worst match of the show here and the very annoying ring announcer didn’t help.

Jake Parnell vs. Gary Jay

This is from St. Louis and is the culmination of a two year rival so it’s a Last Man Standing match. Why are they feuding? Not worth mentioning apparently. Parnell recently beat Jay in an I Quit match but Jay blacked out and never said he quit so we’re having this match to decide a winner. It’s better than nothing. Jay is slim, not muscular and nearly looks homeless. They exchange chops to start as we hear a bunch of gimmick matches these two have had, including a Last Man Standing match last January.

An exchange of forearms and slaps give us another standoff until Parnell headscissors him to the floor. Back to back suicide dives from Jay have the fans clearing out of the front row but Parnell gets in a clothesline. Parnell hits a suicide flip dive but Jay pelts a chair at his head. They go behind the seats before coming back to ringside with Parnell getting in a posting to take over for a few seconds. A northern lights suplex on the floor gets five on Jay and they head back inside.

They trade chops in the corner, which doesn’t exactly scream hatred to me. Jay kicks him in the face and they head to the apron for more chops. A middle rope DDT plants Parnell onto the apron so Jay goes up, only to get caught with a release belly to back superplex. That means a double count with the referee crossing his arms in the X sign as he counts, which is rather distracting. They both roll outside to beat the count at nine and Parnell climbs onto the stage for a running double stomp to the back, sending Jay face first into a chair.

Thankfully Jay isn’t dead so Parnell sends him head first into the chair again. It’s time for a door (a thing in Game Changer Wrestling, which is using the same arena so it’s actually covered here), which Parnell bridges between some chairs. You know what that means and it’s a Death Valley Driver to send Jay through the door for a big knockdown. Jay doesn’t even bother waiting on the count and finds some wrenches underneath the ring to take off a turnbuckle (callback to a previous match). He takes off all four turnbuckles so we’re down to two ropes.

Back in and Jay can’t get the hook in Parnell’s mouth as Parnell shoves it away and hits a running clothesline. Parnell hooks Jay’s mouth instead and throws him over the top, just as Jay did to him in their previous Last Man Standing match. Also not willing to wait on the count, Parnell pulls out another door as Jay is back in at around eight.

A chair is thrown in as well and Jay gets half and half suplexed through the door in the corner. Parnell still isn’t done and ties Jay’s head in the chair, only to get punched out of the air. Jay ties him in the chair instead and hits a top rope double stomp. A chair shot to the chair around Parnell’s neck for the win at 19:42.

Rating: B-. The violence was good and the ending was rather devastating but this went on too long. It felt like a main event, though I don’t know these people so I don’t know why I should be caring about these them wanting to hurt each other. What we got was good though and it was rather violent, so it was good enough for what it was supposed to be. Nothing great, but a solid main event.

Overall Rating: C. This was kind of a weird one as it wasn’t one promotion but rather a bunch of companies getting together for a series of matches. It’s nothing that I’m ever going to watch again but as basically a sampler of everything that you can see over the next few days, it worked well enough. The stream was good and for ten bucks, it’s mostly worth your money for a quick watch.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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