Survivor Series Count-Up – 2001 (Original): The Final Showdown

IMG Credit: WWE

Survivor Series 2001
Date: November 18, 2001
Location; Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro, North Carolina
Attendance: 10,142
Commentators: Jim Ross, Paul Heyman

And we have arrived. It’s the end of the Invasion tonight as the main event is Alliance vs. WWF, winner takes all. Naturally the WWF is going to win, but the point was how do we get to that point? It’s a Survivor Series match which at least fits the name of the show and the theme of it. I’ll save my thoughts on the angle as a whole for the end of the review because it’s certainly something that’s historic enough for it’s own thoughts.

Also on the card we have a series of unification matches between the WCW titles and the WWF Titles, but there’s no world title unification match as that would come at Vengeance, in the famous night where Jericho beat Austin and Rock. Oh I almost forgot. HHH is out with injury at this point so he’s not here.

He’ll be back in about two months though to the absolute loudest pop I’ve ever heard. This certainly has the chance to be a good show, but there are several flaws in it that just on paper I can see holding it back from doing so, but maybe I’m wrong. Let’s find out.

For some reason that I don’t get, the poster is Torrie and Lita standing back to back. They look sexy, but what’s the point here?

We open with a very nicely done video package talking about the greatest moments in company history. This does a very good job of showing some of the highlights of the company and tying it in to the current storyline. This was well done.

The theme song for this show is Control by Puddle of Mudd, so that’s all we’ll be hearing all night. That’s a good thing though because it’s a good song. JR and Heyman (Lawler had left the company in February because his wife had been released and he left in protest. The witch left him and he was rehired and would be back next to JR the following night) talk about how this is the biggest PPV of all time. I thought this was 2001, not 1987.

European Title: Christian vs. Al Snow

Christian is in the Alliance at this point, but due to this song and video, he is AWESOME.

Dang that’s awesome. He’s still more or less a comedic guy here, but he’s coming around. I have no idea why he’s with WCW and ECW here, but whatever. Apparently this match was made on Heat, so take that for what it’s worth. Christian cuts a promo before the match, being a basic heel. He says he’s in South Carolina and various things like that. Snow comes out to the Tough Enough music which I always thought was a great song.

Ross gets a great line in about Christian: I’d like to buy him for what he’s worth and sell him for what he thinks he’s worth. That’s not bad at all. More or less this is designed to just give us a good opener as Snow is certainly solid enough to put on a good match. Christian is just ok, so Snow is one of the best choices there was to put in there with him. Naturally all the commentators can talk about is the main event.

For once, I’m ok with that as it really was a big match from a storyline perspective. Snow throws some of the weakest looking punches I’ve ever seen. It’s the most basic move there is and Snow’s are horrible. I’ve never liked that headbutt move that Snow does. I mean the one where he grabs the other guy’s arms and does a series of headbutts. It just looks odd indeed. Ross apparently thinks the back of the head is pretty, as he calls a reverse DDT the Unprettier.

It doesn’t really matter because it didn’t hit but whatever. Actually it does matter because he messes it up again when it hits. Snow hits a quick rollup for two so at least he’s awake. Snow hits the Snow Plow but Christian gets his foot on the rope. Snow looks at the foot but celebrates anyway, setting a fine example for his young wrestlers. The Unprettier ends this a few seconds later.

Rating: C+. Eh, it was there and it didn’t suck. Since it was made an hour ago, how much can they really put together out there? I’m fine with this though as it’s certainly not bad. It’s kind of a weird choice for an opener, but I can see what the point of having it on the show was. Not bad, but certainly nothing great at all here.

Austin is here and the rest of his team is thinking he’ll turn back to the WWF tonight. Vince said that was going to happen tonight, which has everyone in the Alliance panicking. I really hate that name. It doesn’t roll off the tongue at all. Angle and Austin nearly get into it again.

Vince and Linda debate about whether or not they should be worried about tonight. Cole interrupts them in a short sleeved shirt that is just odd looking on him. Speaking of odd, seeing Vince and Linda as a married couple and talking is something I can never remember seeing other than this. It kind of works. Vince more or less says that tonight it’s not a gamble because he has a 6th team member, implying Austin. Regal pops up and says nothing of importance.

William Regal vs. Tajiri

They used to be friends (a long time ago) and then Regal turned heel and beat up Torrie, who was Tajiri’s girlfriend at the time, leading to this. I absolutely love Tajiri’s music. This was supposed to be him vs. X-Pac in a unification match as they were Cruiserweight and Light Heavyweight champions respectively, but Pac was injured. Yeah I was stunned to hear that too.

Regal is freshly heel here, having screwed Angle out of the WWF Title against Austin and becoming Alliance commissioner. There’s just not a lot to talk about in this match as it’s just an intense fight. These guys are hammering the heck out of each other which is nice to see for a change. We get the always cool looking spot of Tajiri (or anyone) getting their head caught between the top and middle ropes.

That’s just sweet every time you see it for some reason. After getting out, Tajiri hits a heck of a kick on the head of Regal. This is a brawl to say the least. And Regal hits a butterfly powerbomb out of nowhere for the pin. Well that was abrupt. Post match Regal beats on him some more and Torrie, rocking some skin tight leather pants, runs out to check on him. Regal beats her up too.

Rating: C. It’s about three minutes long and the finish came out of left field. This should likely be N/A, but the three minutes were rather good with some very hard shots in there. It was good, but that ending was just out of nowhere. Not bad for what they had to work with though so I’ll say it’s ok.

We get a recap of Test vs. Edge, which more or less consists of Test stealing the IC Title from Edge and the Edge winning the US Title. Foley then made a unification match for tonight. It’s very simple, but at least with Test stealing it there’s some history here which is more than you’ll get for most matches in today’s product.

Test is in front of a mirror when Stacy comes up. She implies she’ll sleep with him if he wins after he hits on her. She is so ridiculously hot here it’s not fair.

Edge says that Test is going to lose. He’s ridiculously over at this point as he was on the brink of cracking into the main event and was having the best matches of his career. Unfortunately an injury would put him out for a year in February.

Unification Match: Edge vs. Test

Edge is rocking the Rob Zombie music here, so it’s completely awesome. Edge is over here, but not to the level he would reach once he went to Smackdown exclusively. Hey, did you know that Pat Patterson won the IC Belt in a tournament. Ross advises Edge to use his heart. We’ll ignore the fact that it’s an involuntary muscle and if Edge didn’t use it he would be dead and say that’s good advice as Test really was freakishly strong.

They’re doing that ignore thing, yet Heyman of all people brings the focus back to the title match at hand. Or is it titles match? I’m not sure. Edge really needs to go back to face. It just works better for him. As great as he is as a heel, him as a face is just awesome. This is somewhat back and forth but Test is mainly in control. Ross is once again ticking me off as he’s just running down Heyman while Paul is trying to talk about the match.

Ross actually takes the hint from Paul and talks about Test for a bit. That’s something you don’t see every day. There’s just no drama here at all for some reason. The main reason for that is the match is a lot of punching and kicking so it’s only so interesting. Now we’re getting better here with some nice fast paced kickouts. Test even hits a spear and not a bad one at all. Man he can do more than four moves. Test over Cena apparently.

Anyway, Edge of course kicks out as Heyman talks over and over again about how that’s Edge’s move and Test stole it. The pace speeds up pretty well which gets the crowd into it a lot more. See what happens when you stop just laying around and doing nothing at all? You get a crowd reaction, which is a good thing. Do it more often and you get bigger reactions. That’s basic wrestling psychology, yet sadly enough so many wrestlers don’t get it.

Edge hits the spear and Test kicks out of it as well, and it gets the crowd up and moving even more. I can’t believe it. They’re having more action and it’s getting a better reaction. I’m blown away. Anyway, enough of this sarcastic nonsense, as Test goes for a pumphandle slam and gets rolled up to unify Edge.

Rating: B-. This is a tale of two matches for sure as the beginning was putting me to sleep but it had a strong finish, which is good as it’s the most stuck in the minds of the fans. This was ok, but not much beyond it. I liked it, but I’m a mark for both guys, so therefore it’s unlikely a lot of people would like it. It wasn’t bad, but not great.

Stephanie is worried as Kurt tries to calm her. Stephanie is a bad actress. Like, really bad.

Lita and the Hardys are worried about their match and apparently something is wrong with Matt. This led to a long heel turn for Matt which took nearly a year to pull off. It led to Mattitude though, so it was completely worth it. Lita…yes, in all senses of the word. She runs into Trish coming out of Matt’s locker room. This is before their epic rivalry had really kicked into high gear. Trish in a tight white t-shirt and leather pants is an even bigger yes, if that’s possible. My goodness those are some hot women.

Unification Tag Titles: Hardys vs. Dudleys

This is in a cage by the way. Stacy is managing the Dudleys here and is perhaps the second sexiest she’s ever looked after this same look with glasses. There’s obviously history here but the latest one is from Smackdown where Lita knocked Stacy off the apron and Matt caught her, upsetting Lita. What in the world? What sense does that make? Lita knocks the other chick off and sees Matt beneath her which ticks her off? That is just freaking stupid.

There’s no Lita with the Hardys for no apparent reason, and apparently Matt and Jeff’s dad is a postman. That’s the kind of little trivia we should hear more of. Because this match and era is stupid, you have to tag in and out. Yep, that makes GREAT sense. Jeff is wrestling in a hat because he lives in the moment, whatever that means. Hearing Heyman talk about characters he created is very fun as you can just tell how much he loved ECW. That never gets old.

Excellent shot of Stacy’s camouflaged shorts. In another thing that the announcers (read as Heyman) does well here is point out that Matt and Jeff are the hometown boys. I didn’t catch that and that’s the commentator’s job: point out the little things like that which we might forget. Anyone that ever says that the Divas aren’t beautiful is a freaking idiot. Sorry they just keep showing Stacy and this tagging in and out thing is freaking stupid.

After five or six minutes we FINALLY do something with the cage. To be fair the wrestling is pretty good, but it just makes me wonder what the point of the cage is. Heyman saying WHAT A RUSH makes me chuckle. Jeff tries to escape but it fails as the heels are completely dominating. This is a rather long stretch of the heels dominating which is common in tag team cage matches.

I’m just waiting on the slam of one of those Dudleys into the cage to swing the momentum into the home town boys’ favor. For some reason I think of the Dukes of Hazard when I think of the Hardys. That just popped into my head and I have no idea why. And there’s our stupid heel moment to change the match. Jeff is down in the middle of the ring and both Dudleys go to a top rope. The tagging aspect has been forgotten at this point as it should be.

D-Von misses the headbutt because Jeff rolls out of the way. That’s fine as it’s pretty much the only counter there is to that move. Bubba, ever the genius though, jumps anyway because he’s so much faster than D-Von and he crashes too. Matt takes them both down with a double clothesline and we’re reversed with the faces now in control. Eventually Bubba calls out for a table, which Stacy pulls out.

She shows part of her shapely figure to the referee and picks his pocket to get the table in. That was at least simplistic. Matt gets out and it’s 2-1. D-Von gets thrown into the cage, and Ross says it doesn’t taste like chocolate. Allow me to ask again; WHERE DOES HE COME UP WITH THIS STUFF? And I don’t ask that because it’s funny or witty. I ask that because it MAKES NO FREAKING SENSE! Anyway, Matt is out and D-Von is on the table while Jeff is alone on the top of the cage.

You know what’s coming next. Instead of climbing down, the future 3 time world champion misses the Swanton off the cage and crashes to allow the Dudleys to get the easy pin. Matt isn’t happy, and he’s right. That was SO STUPID. Ross saying Jeff couldn’t resist the temptation is much more ironic than it should be.

Rating: B+. This would be an A if they hadn’t had the tagging thing, but I think it’s getting upgraded because of it. I had this as a B but the more I think about it the more I think that the tagging part at the beginning helped it a lot.

It made me think that in the middle where they just stopped doing it that the thought process was this is too important so screw tagging, let’s just get it all out there. That’s the beauty of a slow build: it makes the payoff much sweeter. Considering how many times these teams have fought, to still be able to have a good match is impressive.

Foley is at WWF New York where he isn’t happy about not being at the show. He points out that as Commissioner he should be there but Vince told him not to, so the Commissionership is a joke. This was part of an angle where Foley pretty much hated his job which he got back after Vince fired him.

He would be gone very soon, with this possibly being his last night in the role. After a little research, I’m right, as other than I think being on Raw the next night in a pretaped segment, he wouldn’t be back until June of 2003 as a guest referee.

Scotty is heading to the ring when he runs into Test. Scotty is actually a freaking jerk to him and gets the beating he deserves. Not because of being a jerk, but because Test wants his spot in the battle royal. My goodness Test and Stephanie need some acting lessons.

Immunity Battle Royal

Simple concept here: since the losing company goes out of business, the winner of this match can’t be fired for a year. First of all, how sweet of a rule would that be? You have a year where you can do whatever the heck you want and no one can say a word about it. The winner of this tries to do that, but it didn’t work out that well. I’ll do what I can to list the participants as they all come out in clusters according to their company affiliation.

Note: the Alliance comes out to Bodies by Drowning Pool. If you’re a fan of that kind of music and have a chance to go see them, go out of your way to do so. The live performance I saw of that song is without a doubt the greatest live song I have ever heard. The girl I was with at the show looked at each other and said in unison: that freaking rocked. They were just an awesome live band and second to only 3 Doors Down (who had light years better production values to be fair) as best I’ve ever seen.

Anyway, while this awesome song plays, we have Justin Credible, Lance Storm (who come out next to each other which is awesome looking for any true ECW fans), Shawn Stasiak, DDP, Raven, Dreamer, some guy I don’t recognize that might be Stevie Richards, Billy Kidman, Hurricane and Test for the Alliance. For the WWF, APA, Crash, Funaki, Saturn, Chuck Palumbo, Hardcore Holly, Albert, Billy Gunn and Spike. My eyesight isn’t that good.

I found a list online about halfway through. For some reason in case you’re wondering, the WWF comes out to Control, the show’s theme song. Stasiak is gone in about two seconds after charging at Bradshaw and being thrown out. Test drops to the floor and fights Albert who never got in for some reason. Something tells me this is going to be hard to call, which is partially why I’m terrified of the Rumbles.

Tazz comes out, ticking off Heyman. Tazz had left the Alliance because he hated Austin and his leadership. So far it’s your standard battle royal formula of people throwing punches, kicks and knees while trying to throw a single person over for about five minutes to look like they’re really doing something while not doing anything at all.

Grego….Hurricane I mean, gets knocked the heck out by Bradshaw and the clothesline. Albert launches Saturn out. For the life of me I’ll never understand why in such a civilized country as ours there’s still so much bald on bald violence. And they’re both from Boston. What are the odds? I’ll also never get why Albert never got a harder push. The guy had all the tools to be a solid heel, so why didn’t it work? Give him a manager and it would have gone fine.

He’s not someone that needs a lot of story behind him. He’s just a big scary looking dude. What more could you ask for? People are going out rather fast now as it’s mainly just dead weight in there that no one cares about. For the life of me I will never get why Billy Gunn got so many freaking pushes. They never ended and they never worked. The Outlaws got over, but Road Dogg was the more important part.

When you think of that team, what’s the first thing in your head? Road Dogg and the catchphrase. Billy’s line was made popular by DX, not him. I think there’s seven left at this point. As best I can tell it’s Richards, Kidman, Billy, Tazz, Bradshaw,, Test and Albert. There goes Richards so we’re down to six. Lance Storm is in there as well. Tazz yells at Heyman and he’s thrown out. In a cool spot, Bradshaw gets rid of Kidman with a fallaway slam over the top rope. That was sweet looking.

The final four are Test, Gunn, Storm and Bradshaw. Bradshaw misses a boot to Storm’s head by about six inches and hurts his leg which I think is legit. He actually hits a neckbreaker that was good though. For some reason the announcers are arguing about Stephanie. The final two are Test and Billy, with Test kicking the tar out of him to win it.

The only problem was that it was obvious given the Scotty segment earlier, but that’s what was expected. Heyman does a very funny bit where he explains what the repercussions of the match are like this: “So no matter what happens, *whispers* the Alliance will win, Test will not be fired no matter what (the Alliance will win!). It’s much funnier than it sounds.

Rating: N/A. I’m going with no rating because it’s a battle royal. How do you grade that? The ending was obvious, but it’s a battle royal. Other than the Rumble, they’re more or less the same, so what do you want me to say?

Now we have a completely random video package of clips of mainly the ten guys in the main event. This is totally out of context and the song has no words or build up to it. It’s just a three minute video of the feud with no words or anything. It’s also the video….OH! This is the WWF Desire videos that they used to run. The original song was My Sacrifice by Creed, but I’m guessing they were way too expensive.

At the time Creed was the hottest thing in the world so that makes sense. The Desire videos were a series of videos that they made attempting to show how important wrestling was. They sound clichéd but they really were freaking sweet at the time and still are. Check them out as they’re worth it. The song fits really well too.

Shane and Booker speculate about whether they can trust Austin or not as we have another few minutes to fill. My only guess is that this is an intermission or something. It’s been about 6-7 minutes since the last match ended. Is there a point to this?

Women’s Title: Trish vs. Jackie vs. Lita vs. Ivory vs. Molly vs. Jazz

Trish’s legs are possibly better than Stacy’s. That’s saying a freaking ton. And now we get to look at Jackie. I can’t stand her. Lita gets a HUGE pop. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it here now: Trish vs. Lita is one of the best feuds I’ve ever seen regardless of gender. It’s the best natural rivalry I’ve seen other than Bret vs. Shawn, which is saying a lot. Molly’s theme music can introduce herself as the song says “Holy sidekicks Hurricane! It’s Mighty Molly”, just as she’s being introduced.

Jazz is debuting here and might as well be the black Chyna. The problem: no one had a clue who she was and she got zero reaction. The rules here are that there are four on the apron and two in the ring so there you go. Ivory and Jackie try to do a nice technical sequence and it just fails in every sense of the word. Trish’s shorts…my goodness that’s not right. More or less it’s a bikini bottom but skin tight.

Other than Lita these women pretty much sucked in the ring. They’re the stereotypical “good” divas that can’t do jack in the ring but we’re told they can and somehow they’re considered good which shows just how weak the division is. We get a Lita chant as naturally everything falls apart and it’s just a wild finisher fest. Trish and the heavenly form send Jazz to the floor and it’s Ivory vs. Trish, who hits the bulldog for the title.

This was her first reign and the first champion after Ivory. She was a complete underdog at this point so this was shocking. Obviously she would improve massively, but this was a big shock. As we transition to the main event, Ross gets a gay joke in about Heyman that surprises me. He says he wouldn’t mind Trish coming into him from behind. I listened to it twice to make sure I didn’t understand it and that’s what he actually said.

Rating: D+. This was a mess, but the looks of Trish and Lita make it pass. It was there for the T & A anyway so who cares. The ending was about as low a level of being historic as you can get while still being historic, so this is technically important, but yeah, it’s about the looks, plain and simple.

After Ross and Heyman bicker like two year olds, Vince addresses his team. We have Big Show, Kane, Taker, Jericho and Rock, with Taker getting a good pop and Rock getting a bit one as he jumps around looking like an idiot. He talks about how if they lose tonight, they will be an embarrassment to everyone and no one will forgive them.

He goes on to list off some names in company history that they would be letting down, including Buddy Rogers (no reaction), Gorilla Monsoon (BIG pop), Andre the Giant (Big pop as he’s looking straight at Taker, bringing about more symbolism than should be allowed), and High Chief Peter Maivia to no reaction at all as I don’t think most people knew who he was. He says forget about Austin tonight.

Jericho just looks out of place there next to Rock and the big three. Also, how appropriate it is to have three super heavyweights given Vince’s affinity for big power guys. Vince was supposed to be on this team but he gave his spot to Big Show, which I like. Vince isn’t a wrestler and for once he makes it about the wrestlers and not him. That’s a good thing. This was a really good speech actually.

Team Alliance (Austin, Booker, RVD, Angle, Shane) come down the hall. Austin is WWF champion and Rock is WCW champion at this point. Let’s hit the recap button for this as the teams might need some explaining, but not a ton. Vince said he had enough of the Invasion and threw out the challenge for this match, which Stephanie and Shane (the owners of ECW and WCW respectively) agreed to.

There’s three main points to this match. First, Angle turned on Vince and the WWF to join the Alliance. Second, Rock and Jericho hate each other, which is a nice touch. Finally, the Alliance doesn’t trust Austin. As for Austin joining the team, it made little sense when he jumped because he said the Alliance guaranteed him the best matches that he could get. By joining them, wouldn’t he be fighting the same guys he had been fighting for years?

Isn’t that saying that the WWF guys are better than the Alliance guys? Or am I reading too much into this? We get a very good video package showing all of the ten people fighting each other, which sounds simple but it’s better than it sounds. It ends with a shot of Austin and Rock, which is the feud in a nutshell.

Team Alliance vs. Team WWF

After literally ten minutes of introductions, we’re ready to go. Stephanie dancing to Booker’s music was either funny, hot, or just plain sad. I can’t decide. Immediately it’s Rock vs. Austin, which makes sense I suppose as they’re the real core of this feud. Before you get any other ideas, this isn’t WWF vs. Alliance. It’s a WWF angle, plain and simple. Both guys hit the Thesz Press and the F you elbow with Shane saving Austin despite him not particularly needing it.

Booker vs. Rock follows as we redo Summerslam from this year. Booker was the WCW Rock, complete with the catchphrase to open his song, the People’s Champion mantra, and the finishing move. And that is reason 384 why WCW failed. I need to make a list of that someday. Shane saves Booker this time, so at least that makes sense. WCW violence erupts as Jericho beats up Booker for a bit.

Ross and Heyman argue over who put ECW out of business which is amusing, mainly because according to storyline purposes it’s still in business but whatever. RVD gets a pop and a half. Jericho and Van Dam have a good little match here, as Jericho is wrestling his light weight style which is where I always thought he was best. Today he tends to use the heavyweight style which just doesn’t work that well for me. Jericho hooks the Walls on a counter and Heyman is PANICKING.

Shane of course makes the save though. After a double tag it’s Kane vs. Angle which is an interesting match to say the least. Angle was in between stages in his career here as he’s somewhere between All American good boy and rampaging psycho that knows more ways to hurt people that should be legal. He had recently made Kane tap and Angle Slammed Big Show, so obviously he was on a role at the moment.

Also, this was just after he and Austin had finished an awesome feud with Angle hitting levels of intensity in promo cutting that I didn’t know existed. Those two beat the living tar out of each other, throwing each other all over the place with suplex after suplex in something that was just plain awesome. And because this is pro wrestling they’re friends a month later. Just as I say this, Angle gets a sweet German on Kane. Shane saves Angle as that’s number four.

Now we’re up to Taker and Angle, which is nothing short of a classic most of the time except for when it’s not. Taker hits a sweet kick to Booker’s head to take him down, and of course Shane makes the save again. It makes sense if nothing else though, as he’s the guy with everything to lose. Taker goes for Old School as evidenced by shouting OLD SCHOOL! I really don’t get the point of him doing that. It’s not like he used a wristlock that often.

After Shane makes another save to save us from Booker and Taker’s slow period, Austin comes in. The fans are still way into him, which goes to show how popular he was. Austin vs. Taker really was an epic rivalry. It’s kind of reminiscent of Hogan and Andre when you think about it. You have the big vocal face of the company vs. the guy that’s great but stays in the background most of the time. It’s a simple story but it goes in depth once you look into it a bit.

After the second Old School in about three minutes, Shane…oh screw it you know what he does by now. Taker just starts punching the tar out of Angle which never gets old. Heyman finally does what everyone has wanted to do for years and asks JR what the deal is with his obsession with taking men to the woodshed. Ross has nothing to say as Big Show comes in for the first time, rocking that one piece swimsuit he used to wear.

Naturally he lasts about a minute as an Angle Slam, axe kick, 5 Star and a Shane elbow drop end him to make it 5-4. Can the forces of evil really overcome the forces of good? Heck if I know as there’s at least half an hour left in this match. In a funny moment after the pin, Shane is dancing around celebrating as Rock is waiting on him. The Alliance guys point it out to him and he slowly stops dancing before turning around and looking scared. That was great.

Rock’s punches seem to miss by about a mile to me, but maybe I’m missing something. After a Kane chokeslem, a Taker tombstone and a Lionsault, we’re tied up. Heyman as usual is priceless during this. Angle comes in now as we need a spatula for Shane. I love how Heyman is freaking despite the fact that Shane got the same treatment that Show got earlier. Also I love how he complains about how stupid Show is, despite him taking Show in as the ECW Champion in about five years.

It’s Angle vs. Jericho now in another match that has a natural rivalry that I’ll never get tired of watching. I’ve come to the conclusion that Booker is just flat out boring. He’s been in there about three times now and he’s just killed the momentum every single time. He’s slow and boring, which is a bad combination to consist of.

Ross points out the same thing I noticed earlier about how the WWF is mainly power, which makes sense as most of the Alliance guys are finesse or technical guys, which is either a very subtle and nice touch, or a complete coincidence. The WWF team beats up RVD, prompting Heyman to say he believes they’re trying to isolate him. Well thank you very much for that. I never would have noticed.

Booker and RVD are in at the same time with Kane, who naturally gets no help from his partners because, you know, that would be helpful. Van Dam had pinned Kane and Taker this past week, so he’s hot right now which is kind of a joke considering Kane is in there, but it wasn’t that funny. I need to work on my comedy more I think.

The Five Star (which is still the most amazing live move I’ve ever seen) hits but Kane grabs Van Dam by the throat, leading to Booker running in, which leads to the massive brawl that you knew was coming. During the fracas, Van Dam hits a kick from the top to eliminate Kane. In a cool moment, Taker has one member of the Alliance in each of the corners and keeps them there by running back and forth, clotheslining them all in order.

He does about eight clotheslines in a row before knocking Booker to the floor. Angle takes a Last Ride but Booker comes in with a chair. Taker knocks him down but walks into the Stunner. Angle is dragged over and despite not being legal, gets the pin. That takes us down to Rock and Jericho vs. Austin, Booker, RVD and Angle. Dang that’s a lot of gold between six guys. Booker kicks/knees the tar out of Rock.

Rock hits a DDT and covers Booker but it doesn’t work, which it shouldn’t have any way as Booker’s shoulder was about right inches off the mat. Booker is thrown into Angle, allowing him to be rolled up to make it 3-2. I like that actually, as it’s not something stupid and it actually makes sense for Booker to go out that way.

Rock hooks a cool move on Van Dam as RVD’s back was to the Great One and Rock more or less powerbombs him down, but does it with one arm so it’s like a roll up from the top which gets two. Jericho is finally back in and they nearly botch a spot, but Jericho makes a last second save to turn it into a swinging neckbreaker. That was nice. In a sequence that’s just flat out awesome due to what it means now.

Jericho avoids a split legged moonsault and hits the Breakdown for the pin on Van Dam, which looked awful because Van Dam dropped to a knee so the move got ZERO reaction. The reason it’s cool is Van Dam missed what is now Morrison’s finisher to get caught in Miz’s finisher. That’s awesome and one of the biggest reasons I love watching old wrestling. You get to see stuff like that which wouldn’t have meant a thing eight years ago but now is kind of cool, or at least it is to me.

Who would have guessed it would come down to the four guys that have been fighting on both sides? We have two fights going on at once, with Austin hitting a slingshot on Rock, who of course oversells by more or less throwing a flying headbutt into the post. Heyman says they can find a spot for Rock if nothing else for his t-shirt sales.

We move to Austin vs. Jericho which is a feud that could have been great but never happened, I guess due to a generation gap. I think I might see why now as they badly botch a spot and the bad attempt at a save just fails miserably.

Jericho and Angle are in there now and Jericho hooks the ankle lock as we continue to shame the history of Ken Shamrock, who would win the TNA World Title in about nine months. Actually it was the NWA World Title at the time, but it was exclusive to TNA so whatever. The heels take their time beating on Jericho which at least makes sense. It’s fairly slow and boring, but it’s working to an extent I suppose.

We get a double hot tag to give us Rock vs. Angle. Rock hits the awful belly to belly to set up the even worse Sharpshooter to which Angle shockingly taps. More on that later. Since Rock is a jackass, he won’t let go until Austin knocks him off. Heyman’s panicking is just great here. Jericho can’t get the Walls, but Austin does of all things, but they last about a second. Austin is bleeding, and of course it’s profusely since it’s PPV.

Since it hasn’t been mentioned all match, we suddenly remember that Austin might be jumping, despite Vince saying it was nonsense. Austin counters Jericho’s roll up into one of his own, and wouldn’t you know it, the final two are Rock and Austin. For the life of me, I NEVER would have seen this as the final two. Ok that’s a lie but whatever. As Austin and Rock are getting going, Jericho hits Rock with the Breakdown, which technically should be a DQ.

Actually it shouldn’t be since it’s his own team so never mind. Rock naturally kicks out. Jericho heads back to the ring but Taker comes out for the save. That’s a feud that sadly never happened. They just had their first match in September of this year. That’s saying a lot. If Rock ever sold any big spot properly I think I’d have a heart attack. I get the point in doing it, but it’s just way too much most of the time, at least in my eyes.

They fight to the floor and land in the most famous of all places. Rock lands some punches square in the shoulder of Austin which for some reason keep him down. Ross and Heyman are just laying into each other on commentary and it’s great. I have no issue with the announcers being biased in circumstances like this. Austin hooks a bad Sharpshooter because we have to have a Montreal reference at every major show in history.

Austin isn’t even leaning back on it so it just looks like Rock has his legs up. There’s no heat on the move at all from the crowd because it looks so awful and no one buys that Rock is in a lot of pain at all. A belt shot from Austin misses and it’s the third bad Sharpshooter of the night. Dang is this some golden edition of the Montreal reference package or something? It’s a sad thing when Rock’s Sharpshooter is better than someone else’s but that’s the case here.

In a cool scene, Austin has the WWF belt and is holding onto it as he tries to get to the ropes. For once, Ross points something out and says being champion is Austin’s life and is the reason he won’t tap. That’s ridiculous because it’s been made clear that champions won’t get fired, but at least Ross is trying. In a stupid thing, Austin gets the ropes but Rock pulls him away, so Hebner keeps checking for the submission. Yeah that makes a lot of sense.

On the second time though Earl makes him break it. What’s the point of that? Y am I wasting my time trying to figure this out? Since it’s Rock vs. Austin, Rock hits a Stunner, allegedly on the inventor of it, but I don’t see Mikey Whipwreck anywhere. Nick Patrick runs out to pull Hebner out to prevent the three as Heyman says he’s a licensed official.

For some reason the idea of taking the test for your refereeing license amuses me. What’s the test like? If you mess up more than three counts you don’t pass? Do you have to learn how many taps there are in a proper tap out? Ok it’s not as funny as I thought it was. Austin hits a Rock Bottom of his own but of course he kicks out. Austin beats up Patrick, because that’s just what he does.

Since it’s a major PPV, Hebner goes down. Rock takes another Stunner and amazingly only oversells a bit. There’s no referee though as I wonder why Vince doesn’t just call for the bell on his own. It’s his show, so it’s not like it would be mind blowing. Angle runs out and screws the Alliance by hitting Austin with the belt straight into the Rock Bottom for the perfectly timed conscious Hebner to end the Alliance. The crowd was electric over this.

Heyman is at a loss for words, which shows how huge of a moment this is. Ross screams that Heyman is out of work AGAIN, which is great. Fink’s announcement of the winning organization is absolutely perfect. Stephanie is crying badly as the WWF guys are celebrating. What I meant earlier was that Angle was apparently sent into the Alliance by Vince, and it turned out that Angle, not Austin, was the one that would turn all along.

This wound up ticking off Taker, setting up his heel turn and massive haircut. Oh look, it’s Vince to take credit for something that he played absolutely zero part in. It’s good to know that some things never change. The sight of Vince holding up his arms in triumph in a WCW town no less takes us out.

Rating: B. The two problems here are very obvious. First of all, there was zero chance that the WWF would lose. Second, it was beyond obvious that it would come down to Austin vs. Rock in their I guess 23rd PPV ending fight. The match itself is good if not very good, but there’s just no drama whatsoever, which they clearly tried to put in by having Jericho and Rock against four guys and then Jericho screwing Rock.

Even still though, the ending was never once in doubt. I get that it had to be that way, but they booked themselves into a huge corner here and it showed badly. I don’t think this could have been a classic, but it was about as good as it could have been.

As for what happens after this, the next PPV, Vengeance, would be the famous night where Jericho beat Rock and Austin in one night for the first ever Undisputed Title. Allegedly that was supposed to go to HHH but he wasn’t completely healed yet. He would take the belt from Jericho at Mania. Also, tomorrow night Flair would show up as the person that bought up Shane and Stephanie’s stock and became co-owner in a shocker.

That would eventually lead to the Brand Split which still defines the company to this day. As for the rest of them, nothing of note happened at all. Naturally the major stars of the Alliance stayed while a lot of the weaker guys became jobbers. The Brand Split really did help a lot of issues as it saved a lot of jobs. Who cares that the fans hated it? Since when have we cared what they think? Oh and on a final random note, Lawler would be back tomorrow on Raw.

Overall Rating: C+. The problem with this show as a hole is simple: other than the main event, not a thing mattered. No one cared about anything but the Survivor Series match. While the other stuff is technically important, no one cared and that’s all there was to it. The show is good enough, but the lack of drama just kills it. If it were me, I would have waited at least another six months for this, but granted I wasn’t around for it and there could have been outside factors.

I can’t imagine what they could have been, but they might have existed. The show is worth checking out for the historic aspect, but I’d say just check out the cage match and the main event, because other than that the show is completely forgettable. I barely remembered anything about the card at all when I watched it if that tells you anything. Not really recommended, but it’s not bad enough to recommend to avoid.

Ok, so now that the show is over, my thoughts on the Invasion as a whole. Clearly it wasn’t what it could have been had they been patient and waited about another year to have Hogan, Nash, Flair, Goldberg and I guess RVD out there. Flair showed up on Raw the next night, Hall, Nash and Hogan in February, so it’s not like these guys were an eternity away. But that’s not the biggest issue I see in why it failed. Take a look at Team Alliance for this show.

We have Austin, Angle, Booker, RVD and Shane. In other words, three WWF guys and one each from ECW and WCW. That’s where this show and plan falls apart on all levels. This never was about WWF vs. ECW or WCW. It was about putting down the other two companies to stroke Vince’s ego even more which is evidenced at the end of the show. Vince celebrating is the last thing you see, as it’s his moment again rather than the company’s or the wrestlers’.

That’s why the company is in the shape it’s in now: it’s all about Vince. Think about all the bad comedy angles that go on, especially with the guest hosts. It’s because Vince has no idea what’s funny anymore. He’s mainly on Raw and that’s where the stupid stuff happens. Smackdown and ECW are well written, action-oriented shows, which is what they’re supposed to be.

On paper this looks awesome, but with so few people that actually make sense in this, there was just no way it could work. It could have worked had it been given more time and effort, but there’s just no way to pull off what should have been the biggest storyline of all time in six months, plain and simple.

 

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

 




Bound For Glory 2020: They Still Need To Work On That

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Bound For Glory 2020
Date: October 24, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s the biggest night of the year, or at least it is on paper. Bound For Glory has long since been the top show in the company, though Slammiversary tends to be more fun. Maybe they can change things around a bit this year, though the card isn’t giving me the best vibes. Let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Deaners vs. Rascalz

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. The Deaners start with the double teaming but Wentz fights out and hits a handspring knee to Cody’s face. Jake throws Dez at Wentz to cut that off but Jake’s dive is cut off with a kick to the head. Back in and Dez catches Cody on top but Jake powerbombs both Rascalz down. A Swan dive gives Cody two with Wentz making the save so it’s time for the rapid fire kicks to Jake. The toss moonsault hits knees though and it’s T2G (whatever that means) to finish Dez at 3:36.

Rating: C-. Just a quick opener here to get some people in the ring and that’s perfectly fine. The match didn’t go anywhere because it wasn’t even four minutes long, but at the same time, I don’t get the Deaners. They’re fine for a gimmick comedy (work with me here) team but over the Rascalz? Really?

The opening video is an extended version of the same Eric Young vignette that has played for months. He promises to end Rich Swann.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. TJP vs. Jordynne Grace vs. Chris Bey vs. Trey Miguel vs. Rohit Raju

Raju is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. The champ tries to walk at the bell but gets thrown back in, only to have Mack clothesline TJP by mistake. Grace and Mack are sent into each other, meaning TJP and Bey can argue over who gets to beat up Raju. Bey and TJP slug it out and trade takedowns as Callis brags about how many languages he can (allegedly) speak. Trey is back in with a dropkick to Bey’s back, followed by a low superkick for two.

Mack takes Bey’s place for some flipping before sending Trey outside with a flying shoulder. Grace shoulders Mack down for two but he slams her without much hesitation. It’s TJP coming back in to tie up Mack’s legs, plus Trey’s at the same time. For a bonus, it’s a chancery on Raju and a headlock on Grace. See, it was cool when he did this once on Impact, but when he does it over and over, it stops being cool or clever and becomes obviously staged, which isn’t usually a good idea.

Grace breaks it up and chokes TJP until Raju comes back in to take over on everyone. Raju takes Grace down and shouts EQUALITY before knocking Miguel off the apron. A suplex gets two on Grace (Raju: “She’s got some spunk doesn’t she?”) but Mack is back in to run Raju over. Now it’s Mack getting to clean house until he and Raju are left in the ring. Everyone else gets on the apron and starts beating up Raju until Mack hits the Samoan drop into the standing moonsault.

That’s broken up by everyone else and it’s Grace diving onto Raju and TJP. Mack dives onto all three of them and Bey dropkicks Trey off of TJP’s shoulders….well into the general vicinity of the pile. Bey hits a good looking no hands dive onto a bunch of people but it’s Raju rolling up TJP for two. TJP’s crucifix bomb gets the same with Grace making another save, only to get tied in the Tree of Woe.

Everyone goes to the corner so Grace pulls herself up for the Tower of Doom. She’s still tied up though so Raju hits an Alberto double stomp for two as Mack makes his own save. It’s time for the parade of finishers until Grace has to break up the kneebar on Raju, setting up the Grace Driver for two on TJP. Grace is sent onto Mack and Bey, leaving Trey to splash TJP. That means Raju can come back in with a running knee though and steal the pin on TJP to retain at 13:20.

Rating: B-. It’s the kind of insanity that you expect from the X-Division and therefore it was entertaining, but at the same time, it’s still the junk food match that you have grown to know from these people. I’d still like to see a one on one match for the title, but Raju being the kind of champion who escapes with the title makes this fit more. This is like checking off a box at Bound For Glory, so at least they covered it.

Here’s what’s coming tonight.

The wedding party is still having issues and the wedding is going to have to be in the ring. Most of them are off for the Call Your Shot gauntlet though.

Heath and Rhino are ready for the Call Your Shot. The previous segment heard Josh asking for help with audio issues and this one had a director counting them in. Tighten that stuff up already people. It’s only been ten plus years of issues.

We run down the Call Your Shot gauntlet. It’s a Royal Rumble with twenty entrants and then we have a singles match at the end. If Rhino or Heath win, Heath has a contract but if neither of them win, Rhino loses his contract.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

Rhino is in at #1 and Daivari (who is RIPPED), making a return to the company, is in at #2 with one minute intervals. The threat of an early Gore sends Daivari bailing to the floor with Rhino following him to start the brawling. Daivari sends Rhino head first into the announcers’ table and it’s Larry D. in at #3 (after two minutes). A splash crushes Rhino and they both try to get him out as it’s back to the regular one minute interval so Crazzy Steve can come in at #4.

Steve goes after Larry with some right hands and biting to the head until Daivari makes a save. It’s Acey Romero in at #5 and a double standing splash crushes Steve but he isn’t eliminated yet. Tenille Dashwood (with Kaleb With A K) is in at #6 and her entrance takes so long that Havok (also with a K) is in at #7 before Dashwood can do anything. Havok headscissors Romero down and Kaleb With A K gets powerbombed. Brian Myers is in at #8 as the entrances are going really fast. Myers gets rid of Steve and it’s Swoggle in at #9 for his required appearance.

Myers and Swoggle team up to get rid of Daivari before Myers tosses Swoggle for a bonus. Tommy Dreamer is in at #10 and this week’s tribute is Road Warrior Animal (to be fair, the shirt is for sale for charity). Therefore, Dreamer sits down and puts Myers on his shoulders so Swoggle can come back in and play Hawk (off the middle rope that is) on a mini Doomsday Device. Alisha Edwards is in at #11 and Dreamer is thrown out. Myers gets rid of Edwards as well and Kiera Hogan, with Tasha Steelz is in at #12.

Dashwood stops for a picture with Myers and is thrown out as well. At least they’re keeping the ring clear, as they should. Hogan stomps Havok down in the corner and it’s Taya Valkyrie, with Rosemary and John E. Bravo, in at #13. Taya chops at XXXL, who crash into each other (because they’re not that bright), setting up the double hip attack in the corner. Fallah Bahh, with Hernandez’s money because banks aren’t a thing, is in at #14 and Havok shoves Hogan out, only to get tossed by Taya.

XXXL gets rid of Taya and it’s James Storm in at #15. House is cleaned and it’s a Last Call to get rid of Larry D. Storm can’t slam Romero and it’s Adam Thornstowe in at #16. That goes nowhere so it’s Luster the Legend in at #17. Reno Scum double teams Storm and it’s Heath in at #18. A neckbreaker drops Myers and there’s a jumping knee to Luster, with Heath tearing either his groin or abdomen in the process. Heath is clearly in pain as he slugs it out with Acey and clotheslines him out. Myers is tossed as well and it’s Sami Callihan in at #19.

With no one else being eliminated, it’s Hernandez in at #20 to complete the field. That gives us a final grouping of Rhino, Bahh, Storm, Thornstowe, Luster, Heath, Sami and Hernandez. Bahh gets caught in the corner with Hernandez going for the money and throwing it to the floor, with Bahh being eliminated as he gets it back. Hernandez goes after Bahh, followed by Thornstowe and Luster going out to get us down to four.

Sami superkicks Storm out as he tries to skin the cat and gets rid of Heath (Sami: “I DON’T CARE ABOUT YOUR KIDS!”). We’re down to Rhino vs. Sami, which is now a regular match. Sami rakes his eyes and the Cactus Special gets a quick two. A chair is brought in but the referee tells Sami to put it down. Sami actually does, allowing Rhino to hit the Gore for the pin at 26:24.

Rating: C+. Not a great match or anything, but they had the logical ending (Heath winning had he stayed healthy wouldn’t have shocked me) and a few nice surprises. I could go for more of Storm being around as he’s a legend around here, though I’m almost scared to imagine what they would do with him. They kept this moving too, which is always a major plus for something like this. Good enough stuff here and they didn’t do anything stupid, so well done.

Rhino gets a trophy for the win.

The North say their backs are against the wall but that’s where champions shine. They’re ready for all of the teams they’re facing tonight because they’re that good. It has been 94 days since they have had the gold and tonight they are going back onto their throne.

We recap Moose vs. EC3 for the TNA World Title. EC3 returned and took the title with the intention of destroying it to control his narrative. I’m still not sure what that means, but the promos have been intense enough to make up for it. Moose got the belt back but has to defeat EC3 at an undisclosed location.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. EC3

Moose is defending (I think?) and they’re in a warehouse. There’s no EC3 to start but he pops up with his hood over his head for dramatic effect. We’re in cinematic mode as they slug it out with Moose hitting a Rock Bottom. EC3 is right back with an exploder suplex and some stomping in the corner but Moose kicks him low. Moose asks if he can see the picture and sends him into the corner as the music changes. More right hands have EC3 busted open and Moose grabs a chair from the floor.

Back in and EC3 sweeps the legs to hammer away as the music changes again. They head outside with EC3 talking about meaning and purpose before throwing him into the barricade. Back in and EC3 talks about how Moose has let people take things from him. The title means everything and Moose needs to become who he is supposed to be. EC3 loads up the One Percenter on the title (with a quick highlight reel of the move playing) but Moose shoves him off and hits No Jackhammer Needed.

Moose hits him with the title, asks if this is what EC3 wants, hits him with it again, hits him with it a third time, waits for the package on their feud to play, and hammers away even more. EC3 is done so Moose picks him up and asks if this is what he wants. EC3: “YES!” The people around the ring start the MOOSE chant and EC3 tells him to control his narrative. Moose says thank you and hits one more belt shot. That’s enough for Moose to leave and EC3’s followers carry him out at we’ll say 9:50.

Rating: C-. I’m sure there’s some kind of a deeper meaning here and that’s all well and good, but the Control Your Narrative thing seems to be the kind of thing that makes sense to EC3 and not much else. The action was fine but I really don’t need to see a cinematic match again, especially when it isn’t quite the most thrilling feud in the first place. It was fine, but hopefully this is it between them, assuming EC3 is even sticking around.

We look back at the Rock inducting Ken Shamrock into the Hall of Fame. One might think they would advertise this a little more in advance but that’s not what we do around here. There is also no mention of Bret Hart or Mick Foley sending in comments, which aren’t on the company’s YouTube page yet either unless I’ve missed them.

We recap Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards. Shamrock and Sami Callihan are a thing now and Sami has made Shamrock into his old self again, meaning a violent heel turn.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami Callihan is here with Shamrock. They circle each other to start and it’s Shamrock hammering away in the corner. A knee to the face drops Eddie again and Shamrock takes his back on the mat. Shamrock traps the arm and gets in some shots to the back of the head. Eddie can’t roll out so it’s a chinlock to keep him in trouble. A rope is grabbed so Shamrock takes him down by the leg again, sending Eddie straight back to the rope.

Back up and Shamrock punches him out to the floor, meaning it’s time for the hard kicks. Eddie gets back in and it’s a running knee in the corner as this has been all Shamrock so far. Eddie finally hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a breather but can’t even cover. It’s time to start cranking on Shamrock’s leg and Eddie sends him throat first into the bottom rope. Eddie’s dive hits Shamrock and Callihan, followed by a missile dropkick for two back inside.

The tiger bomb gets two but Shamrock grabs the arm, with Eddie having to stack him up for the break. The Backpack Stunner connects but Eddie has to headbutt his way out of a rear naked choke. Eddie hits the Boston Knee Party but goes with a half crab instead of covering. Sami makes the lights go out though and they come back up with Sami, with the bat, in the ring. Eddie gets rid of him with the kendo stick but walks into a belly to belly from Shamrock. The ankle lock makes Eddie tap at 12:32.

Rating: C+. This took its time to start but grew on me, even if it was very similar to a Brock Lesnar style WWE match, albeit with smaller people. Shamrock plays the monster well, especially with the MMA style offense. This was a good match and I can live with Shamrock winning on his Hall of Fame weekend, though I’m not sure where these two go from here.

We recap the Tag Team Title match. The North held the titles for over a year but then the Motor City Machine Guns returned and won the titles. The Good Brothers showed up and got their title shot with pure star power, while Ace Austin and Madman Fulton are just kind of here too to make it a four way.

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns vs. The North vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. Good Brothers

The Guns are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Hold on though as the North jumps Alex Shelley on the way to the ring and Alexander gives him a Jay Driller on the stage. That means something around here so Sabin is fighting on his own here (though they don’t even bother getting Shelley a stretcher). Sabin tries to fight the North on his own but walks into a dropkick from Page to cut him down in a hurry. A dropkick to Page’s knee slows him down and Austin tags himself in to start taking over on Sabin.

Fulton hammers away as well but Alexander tags himself in and hits a running clothesline as it’s back to Page, with Sabin taking quite the early beating. A knee to the face lets Page get in an arrogant two but Alexander misses a moonsault. Fulton brings himself back in and sends Sabin hard into the corner again. A middle rope legdrop into a splash gets two on Sabin and there’s a delayed suplex slam. Sabin finally takes Austin down though and there’s a rolling DDT to Fulton.

Austin spends too much time checking on Fulton, allowing Sabin to bring in Anderson to clean house. The spinebuster plants Austin and Gallows comes in for the belly to back neckbreaker for two. We get the big showdown between Gallows and Fulton and they fight out to the floor. Sabin comes back in for some forearms to Anderson, but Austin gets the tag again.

Everything stays broken down and Sabin hits a running flip dive from the apron to take Alexander down. The Cradle Shock gets two on Austin with Page making the save. The North slam Sabin off the top, setting up the double spinebuster for two more. Sabin breaks up the Northern Assault and brings in Anderson as everything breaks down again. Austin hits a springboard spinning kick to Gallows’ head and a running dropkick puts him on the floor.

Austin winds up on Fulton’s shoulders but the North hammer on Fulton to bring him down to his knees. More strikes to the face drop Austin as well but Alexander has to escape the Magic Killer. The Gun Stun is blocked as well and Page hits Anderson with the belt for the pin and the titles at 14:28.

Rating: C+. Another good enough match and I can’t say I’m stunned at the Canadians getting the titles back on the show where Don Callis runs things (no I’m not serious). The North winning is a little surprising but you can almost guarantee that the Good Brothers are getting the titles sooner rather than later. Shelley being out isn’t good, but it is kind of nice to see one less person out there. Mostly insane here and there are only so many stories that can be told in something like this, but the action was good enough and that’s all it needed to be.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo apologize for not helping Taya win earlier but it’s cool because it’s wedding time. Havok comes in and it’s time to bring James Mitchell back. Taya doesn’t think much of Bravo but he said he wears the pants in the relationship and can do this himself.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Deonna Purrazzo. Rae thinks Purrazzo is out to get her for some reason and Purrazzo thinks Rae isn’t serious enough. Rae has been #1 contender for months and it’s finally time for her title shot.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Kylie Rae

Rae is challenging…or at least she would be if she was here. Purrazzo, with Kimber Lee, laughs off Rae not being here and issues the open challenge. This is a little disturbing as Rae legitimately no showed the event and it isn’t clear why or where she is. She was in Nashville the day before, but never came to the show. Hopefully everything winds up being ok, but that’s a scary situation. Anyway, we now have a replacement.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo vs. Su Yung

Su is challenging, Kimber Lee is here with Purrazzo, and Madison Rayne joins commentary. Yung crawls around to start and then hammers away in the corner. Some stomping puts Purrazzo on the apron for a slugout, capped off by a side slam onto the apron. Back in and they roll around for some near falls, followed by a hurricanrana out of the corner for two. Purrazzo finally gets in a shot to the face and starts in on the arm, as is her custom.

The arm is wrapped around the rope as Madison teases getting back in the ring to face Purrazzo. Something like a Koji Clutch has Yung in trouble and Purrazzo stomps on the arm to keep her down. The running knee drop misses but Purrazzo ties her up in the ropes for a baseball slide (that’s a new one) to the floor. Back in and a release German suplex sends Yung flying but she’s right back with a DDT for the double knockdown.

They get back up to slug it out with Yung getting the better of things without much effort. A running splash in the corner puts Purrazzo on the floor for a breather so Yung sends her shoulder first into the post. Yung puts her in a chair for a dive off the apron, followed by a Pedigree for two back inside. It’s time for the bloody glove but the referee gets bumped. Yung plants Purrazzo for no cover, as Lee comes in with a quick chair shot to Yung’s back.

Instead of covering, Purrazzo loads up the Pillmanizing on the arm, only to get caught in the Mandible Claw. The red mist gets rid of Lee but Purrazzo gets her down into the Fujiwara armbar. That’s countered into the Claw again but Purrazzo breaks that up as well. A Stunner into the Panic gives Yung the title back at 15:05.

Rating: B-. They almost had to switch the title with the surprise change of pace and they got the ending right enough. The last few minutes had a few too many shenanigans though and it hurt things a bit. What we got worked well enough though and Yung getting the title back is fine, even if Purrazzo gets it back pretty soon. Hopefully Rae is ok though, because that’s more important than anything else.

The Knockouts Tag Team Titles are coming back and the next champions will be crowned at Hard To Kill on January 16.

We recap Eric Young vs. Rich Swann for the World Title. Swann eliminated him from the World Title match at Slammiversary, then Young injured Swann’s knee. Then he injured Swann’s knee again and injured Swann’s knee again. Now it’s title time.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young vs. Rich Swann

Swann is challenging and has to dive over Young’s lunge for his legs. The second attempt works but Swann kicks him away and snaps off a headscissors. A dropkick puts Young on the floor and we take a bit of a breather. Swann sends him chest first into the post and Young takes another breather on the ramp. Back in and Swann knocks him outside again, setting up a flip dive off the apron. Young finally drops him onto the apron though and pulls on the neck a bit outside.

Back in and Swann hits what looks like a super Rey Mysterio sitout bulldog….and Young covers him for two instead. Ok then. There’s a twist of the neck and a running clothesline gives Young two. We hit the neck crank, followed by another clothesline with Young telling Swann to GO AWAY. A neckbreaker gets two and the neck gets bent around the top rope. Young gets two off a Death Valley Driver as he’s certainly mixing up the neck work.

There’s a right hand in the corner and Young tells him to stay down (again). Some more forearms to the face fire Swann up and he unloads on Young for a change. Young goes up top but gets tossed back down and they’re both on the mat for a bit. A super hurricanrana sets up a frog splash for two on Young but he bites his way out of something else on top. Young’s top rope elbow to the back sets up a Crossface to pull on the neck even more but Swann makes the rope.

Another slugout goes to Swann until Young catches him with a torture rack neckbreaker for two. Something close to a Figure Four sends Swann to the ropes again and he kicks Young in the head. The running Phoenix splash gets two on Young but he catches Swann in the Tree of Woe. Swann manages to pull himself up for a cutter out of the corner into a Lethal Injection. The phoenix splash gives Swann the pin and the title at 21:33.

Rating: B. It’s a good match and the neck work went well, plus Swann wining the title is a plus, but this felt like it should have been for the TV Title. Josh going on and on about how the dark cloud was now gone from over Impact Wrestling just came off as stupid as Young had only been champion for about a month and a half. This never felt like a Bound For Glory main event coming in and that was the case here as well. Certainly a good one, but the main event of the biggest show of the year is way too much.

The roster comes out to celebrate with Swann, which is still quite the overreaction.

Overall Rating: B. The main event is kind of a perfect microcosm for the whole show: it’s quality stuff for the most part and nothing is overly bad, but there was nothing on here that felt important. I kept thinking the main event should have been something else, but what in the world on here is supposed to be some big match or moment? Impact really needs to work on building up their big match feeling, but that has been the case for years. Good show and worth a look if you have time. Just don’t expect to be blown away by…well anything actually.

Results

Rohit Raju b. TJP, Jordynne Grace, Trey Miguel, Willie Mack and Chris Bey – Running knee to TJP

Rhino won a Call Your Shot gauntlet match last eliminating Sami Callihan

Moose b. EC3 – Belt shot to the head

Ken Shamrock b. Eddie Edwards – Ankle lock

The North b. Good Brothers, Motor City Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton – Belt shot to Alexander

Su Yung b. Deonna Purrazzo – Panic Switch

Rich Swann b. Eric Young – Phoenix splash

 

 

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




Bound For Glory 2020 Preview

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Yeah you might have forgotten about the company but Impact Wrestling is back on pay per view with their biggest show of the year. The card has been built up as well as it can be, but that is kind of a firm limit. The show isn’t exactly jumping off the page at me, though Impact Wrestling has managed to surprise me before. Hopefully that is the case again so let’s get to it.

Pre-Show: Rascalz vs. Deaners

There is something so fun about the Rascalz. I have a good time watching them but their win/loss record could be a lot better. There is only so much you can do when you can’t consistently win and that has been a problem for them for a very long time now. Hopefully they can get a lot better, and there are only a few ways to do that. We might be seeing it here.

I’ll take the Rascalz, for the double reason of I like them and I can remember which one is which. The Deaners got a lot out of Wrestle House but they are still more of a gimmick tag team than anything else. Maybe they can become a bigger deal one day, because while they’re not terrible, they leave a lot to be desired. Give me the Rascalz in a fast paced match.

Ken Shamrock vs. Eddie Edwards

This is a tricky one as Shamrock is entering the Hall of Fame this weekend but probably shouldn’t be beating someone like Edwards, who was World Champion just a few months ago. Then again, Shamrock wins a good amount of matches that he probably shouldn’t be winning, meaning that this could be in play. Shamrock has been impressive enough in his return, but that might not be enough to beat Edwards.

That being said, I’ll take Shamrock here, as Impact Wrestling REALLY likes honoring its legends, even though Edwards has been far more successful in the company than Shamrock. Edwards can absorb a loss far more easily than Shamrock, and if the idea is to make Shamrock a machine again, he shouldn’t be losing his first big match after the heel turn.

Call Your Shot Gauntlet Match

It’s your usual casserole of wrestlers who have nothing else going on (yes Tommy Dreamer is in there too) and the winner gets a title shot of their choice. The catch is that if Rhino or Heath win, Heath gets a contract and Rhino gets to keep his job. You can probably knock out a few of the options in a hurry, so at least it’s a little bit more limited of a field to pick through.

I’ll take Heath to win and go with the layup of the two of them going for the Tag Team Titles in the more feel good moment. It isn’t like most of the people involved have much of a story anyway and winning a ten person gauntlet match is only so difficult in the first place. Hopefully they don’t stay out there too long though, which is always a big danger in something like this. And go with the right winner of course, as in the person that I picked.

X-Division Title: Rohit Raju(c) vs. Chris Bey vs. Jordynne Grace vs. TJP vs. Trey Miguel vs. Willie Mack

Blast it with these messy matches. The X-Division has actually been a division as of late and now we are getting another one of these big car crash matches for the sake of getting everyone involved rather than having one challenger for a change. Raju is a fine choice as the heel champion who escapes with the title that he doesn’t really deserve and that is a good role to have in a match like this. There are a lot of ways this could go and that could make for something interesting.

I’ll take….eh give me Bey to get the title back here, if nothing else because I’ve liked a lot of what I’ve seen from him. Odds are Raju winds up retaining the title and escaping again, but that’s a bit of a traditional pick and Impact Wrestling likes to mix things up a bit. I’m not sure if that is what they are going to do here, but it really could go a lot of ways and that is a good thing.

TNA World Title: Moose(c) vs. EC3

So EC3 was the big surprise at the end of Slammiversary and he has set his sights on Moose. Now why did he do that? Honestly I’m not sure that I know as he has been going on and on about controlling your narrative…and I don’t know if I quite understand what the heck he is talking about. I know he wants to get rid of the TNA World Title to change his legacy or something, but that’s about as far as I can go.

The only other place I can go is to the place where EC3 wins the title, as he should here. There is no reason to have Moose retain here, though I’m not sure what else to expect from the match. It is going to take place in an undisclosed location and I wouldn’t be shocked to see this as a cinematic match, because we haven’t had one around here in awhile. Just have it regular please. Is that so much to ask?

Tag Team Titles: Motor City Machine Guns(c) vs. Good Brothers vs. Ace Austin/Madman Fulton vs. The North

The Good Brothers have become the biggest stars in the company almost by default and now all they need is the gold. They showed up announced at Slammiversary and were instantly treated as some of the most important people in the company, overshadowing the entire tag team division in a hurry. They don’t need the titles, but it doesn’t exactly do the titles much good for the Good Brothers to not have them.

Actually I’ll go with the instinct and pick Austin and Fulton to win, with the Good Brothers hunting them down for the regular title match later on rather than winning the four way here. This has gotten most of the recent main event slots and while it isn’t (or at least shouldn’t) main event the show, it is going to be one of the more important matches on the card. Odds are the Good Brothers win, but I feel like a gamble.

Knockouts Title: Deonna Purrazzo(c) vs. Kylie Rae

This feels like it was supposed to take place months ago but then the Wrestle house deal slowed everything down. Rae has become one of the perkiest stars the company has seen in years while Purrazzo is more of an assassin who can rip anyone apart whenever she feels like it. That being said, when your opponent has a move called Smile To The Finish, it’s hard to cheer against them. Throw in the fact that Rae is more innocent than the Easter Bunny and it’s hard to argue against her.

I’ll take Purrazzo to win here and crush everyone’s dreams, as she just hasn’t held the title long enough to lose it yet. Rae is someone who could smile her way through anything and it seems like she could be back in the title scene down the line without much effort. Maybe she takes it from Purrazzo one day, but I really don’t think it is going to happen on Saturday night.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eric Young(c) vs. Rich Swann

And then there’s this, which does not feel like a main event of the biggest show of the year no matter how revered the company wants to make it sound. This feels like it should be for the X-Division Title halfway through the show rather than (probably) headlining everything. Swann came back from a long injury at Slammiversary and eliminated Young from the World Title match, only to have Young take out the knee. Now Swann is back for revenge and the title.

Swann has to win here right? I can’t imagine that Impact Wrestling would go with Young as a long term champion, but then again I can’t believe that we’re seeing him as the champion again in the second place. I’ve liked Swann for a long time now and hopefully he is back to his old self. He should win the title here, though I’m not sure if he is ready for that point. Then again, it’s not like the title feels all that important most of the time anyway.

Overall Thoughts

I’ve thought this for a good while now but this show has been surpassed by Slammiversary as the most important of the year. I know Bound For Glory gets all of the attention and that’s perfectly fine, but this really doesn’t feel like the big showcase event. I’m sure the matches and action will be good as Impact Wrestling almost always delivers when they focus on their in-ring product, but I can’t really bring myself to get overly interested in the show.

 

 

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




Impact Wrestling – October 20, 2020: The Safe Way To Go

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 20, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the go home show for Bound For Glory and that probably can’t come soon enough. The company has been limping into the show and they could use a nice boost before we get to Saturday. Tonight is probably going to be a lot of building up what is already there and that could go either way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Heath vs. Rhino vs. Hernandez vs. Cousin Jake vs. Alisha

Whoever wins is the last entrant in the Call Your Shot gauntlet but whoever takes the fall is the first entrant. Alisha yells a lot and shoves some people so Hernandez puts her on the top rope and tussles her hair. She jumps onto Heath’s back but gets driven into the corner, leaving Rhino and Hernandez to slug it out for all of five seconds.

The guys head outside and Alisha dives onto three of the four. Back in and Rhino hammers on Hernandez in the corner but Jake comes in to choke Rhino in another corner. Alisha comes in to break up the dive but Jake breaks up the Border Toss. Rhino Gores Alisha by mistake and in his shock, Hernandez grabs a rollup for the pin on Rhino at 4:45.

Rating: C-. This didn’t last long but it was fast paced while it lasted. Rhino going in first is something that makes a lot of sense given what they are doing with he and Heath so hopefully it works out in execution. Alisha got to shine a bit here as well, which isn’t often the case for her and came off well enough.

Announcers preview tonight and Saturday.

Video on Moose vs. EC3, which is still about someone fighting for a title that doesn’t exactly count. It sounds like their match will be cinematic as well and….yeah I’m having trouble caring.

Jimmy Jacobs sits down with Moose, who doesn’t seem interested in talking about anything but EC3, who won’t be happy after Bound For Glory. Moose leaves, so three guys in EC3 gear come in and kidnap Jacobs, throwing him into a van. Make your own Samoa Joe/ninja jokes.

John E. Bravo yells at the wedding party about the wedding for being so terrible at their jobs. Apparently Kaleb With A K will be the photographer but here’s Taya Valkyrie to complain about everything, but Bravo storms off.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about how important the Knockouts Title is in this company’s history. Do you want someone like her as champion or Kylie Rae? Being smiley and happy isn’t a game plan! All it took was Purrazzo breaking Susie’s arm to send Rae over the edge and on Saturday, she isn’t winning the title.

Havok vs. Rosemary

If Rosemary wins, Father James Mitchell can be brought back to officiate the wedding. Havok squeezes her down by the hand to start but misses a legdrop to give Rosemary two. Havok’s reverse DDT is blocked so Rosemary hits one of her own for two more. A guillotine is broken up with a suplex and Havok is getting serious. Rosemary gets a boot up in the corner though and a high crossbody gives her two. Back to back spears finish Havok at 3:27.

Rating: C-. Like Mitchell wasn’t going to be back for the wedding. There was no reason to bring him up if he wasn’t going to be here and he ties into the story so well that it would be insane to not have him here. I’ve been digging the wedding story so far and hopefully the payoff works as well.

Video on the Tag Team Title match. The Motor City Machine Guns have the titles, the Good Brothers want them, and the North and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton do in fact exist as well.

Here’s a sneak peak at Talk N Shop: Full Gear.

Kylie Rae says Deonna Purrazzo is more interested in making people think she is better rather than actually being better. Rae wants to be a role model to young girls and she is going to be ready for everything Deonna has for her at Bound For Glory.

The EC3 guys bring Jacobs into a building and put him into a chair, with EC3 sitting next to him. EC3 says it’s just the two of them so ask him a question. Right now they’re in a narrative, and now Moose is the adversary that EC3 wants to face. EC3 met the Moose he has been waiting to fight on that bridge last week but Moose is a FALSE IDOL.

Last week, EC3 saw it in his eyes and Moose was starting to control his narrative. Moose has to learn, but it has to be at EC3’s hands. EC3 fights for control and purpose but also for himself. The whole point of this is to take the TNA World Title and burn it, just like Moose’s legacy. I’m still not sure I get what the heck EC3 is talking about, but he’s selling it well.

Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards

Sami walks into an atomic drop to start but blocks a belly to belly suplex with a rake to the eyes. They fight to the floor with Sami getting his own eyes raked this time. Sami hits his own belly to belly onto the ramp though and Eddie is in trouble. Back in and Sami grabs a brainbuster for two and we hit the chinlock. Eddie fights back up so Callihan whips him into a corner to stop the comeback cold.

The real comeback starts with a clothesline and a super hurricanrana sets up the Blue Thunder Bomb for two on Sami. They slug it out from their knees and then chop it out from their feet until Sami goes for the eyes again. Some running forearms set up the tiger driver for two more on Sami and Eddie is stunned. The Boston Knee Party is loaded up so Sami grabs his phone and…makes Ken Shamrock appear. The distraction, and a handful of tights, is enough to finish Eddie at 8:35.

Rating: C+. They were having a good match here until the annoying ending, though at least the hacking deal was a little more funny than what you get most of the time. Eddie vs. Shamrock doesn’t exactly get my interest up, but then again it is a match between two big names. Sami is just kind of there at the moment, and I’m not feeling the Shamrock partnership, but it’s certainly a fresh match.

Post match Shamrock locks Eddie’s ankle again.

We recap the X-Division Title match, which is Rohit Raju running from everyone but getting caught against them all at once. Raju is doing really well now that he is getting a chance, but I could go for a smaller field in the match. Like two people for instance.

Willie Mack/Trey Miguel/TJP vs. Rohit Raju/Chris Bey/Jordynne Grace

Raju starts with Mack but taunts TJP into a chase, allowing Bey to take TJP down. Mack comes in for the spinning slam into a legdrop for two on Bey but Raju breaks up TJP’s headscissors out of the corner. Grace comes in to hammer away on TJP for two before reluctantly tagging Raju in.

TJP avoids Grace’s Vader Bomb though and it’s the hot tag bringing in Miguel as everything breaks down. We get the parade of knockdowns so Raju knees Miguel down for two, with TJP stealing the cover. Bey hits a springboard cutter so Raju steals his own near fall, meaning the argument is on. Raju takes Bey down so Bey is back with the springboard cutter to Raju, giving Miguel the pin at 5:25.

Rating: C. It was a big mess and having Raju get on someone’s nerves to take the fall fit him perfectly. That being said, it was another X-Division match with all of the insanity that you always get in a match like this. Good action, but it’s going to be even zanier on Saturday and I’m a bit over that kind of a match in this division.

Video on Eric Young vs. Rich Swann, with Eric destroying Swann’s knee over and over but not being able to keep him out of the title match. In other words, it’s something else where Young isn’t as good as people think he is. You would think he’s used to it by now.

We get a sitdown interview with Young, who blames Swann and Scott D’Amore for what has happened to them. He hasn’t caused any of this because he said what he would do. Everyone should know what happens if you get in his way and now he has a purpose to stop Swann. Cue Swann for the fight with the camera being knocked down. Dang they’re trying with this thing but it’s only going so far.

Bound For Glory rundown.

Good Brothers vs. The North

Anderson and Page start things off with Page being sent outside. Everything breaks down in a hurry and we take a break in a hurry. Back with Gallows hammering away on Alexander in the corner before Anderson comes in to slug away as well. Now it’s some stomping in the corner for a change of pace as we hear about how awesome the North was when they held the titles.

Alexander gets in a shot to the face and it’s time to put Anderson in the corner for a change. A full nelson backbreaker from Alexander sets up a backbreaker from Page for two and the chinlock is on again. It’s back to Alexander for another chinlock but he charges into a big boot in the corner. The hot tag brings in Gallows to clean house but Alexander breaks up the Magic Killer. The slugout it on and it’s a no contest (double DQ, whatever) at 11:12.

Rating: C. They worked a pretty simple formula here until the ending which (wisely) protected both of them until the ending. It’s nothing that we haven’t seen done better over and over but at least they didn’t have someone take a fall and then come back to win the titles on Saturday. The North is still great, but the Good Brothers feel like stars and that’s what matters.

Post match the Machine Guns and Ace Austin/Madman Fulton run in for the big brawl. The Guns and the Brothers clear the ring and get in the fight with the Brothers easily taking them down and standing tall to end the show. It’s kind of amazing to see this close the show again, as it feels like it has happened a lot more often than not as of late.

Overall Rating: C. This was right down the middle and playing everything safe, which is exactly what it should have been. There was no need in trying to do something ridiculous here or throwing something else into a card that was already made. They did a little bit with the wedding for a slight bit of variety, but this was nice and safe, as it should be in a situation like this. After some weaker shows, something this simple is the right call so they made the right decision.

Results

Hernandez b. Heath, Rhino, Cousin Jake and Alisha – Rollup to Rhino

Rosemary b. Havok – Spear

Sami Callihan b. Eddie Edwards – Rollup

Trey Miguel/TJP/Willie Mack b. Rohit Raju/Jordynne Grace/Chris Bey – Springboard cutter to Raju

Good Brothers vs. The North went to a no contest when all four brawled

 

 

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




Impact Wrestling – October 13, 2020: The Opposite Feeling

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: October 13, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

We’re almost up to Bound For Glory and that means it’s time to add in a few more matches before building up everything that has already been set. The show is still lacking that one big match to really make it feel special and I’m not sure what could fill in that role. That’s kind of a problem on the biggest show of the year. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Moose is yelling at Scott D’Amore for being put in a match in an undisclosed location. D’Amore reminds him that it will also be against an opponent who doesn’t work here for a title he never won. Moose has no time for this and storms off.

We cut to EC3 saying Moose is controlling his narrative. EC3 holds up the title and we cut to Moose, saying he knows where he needs to go.

Opening sequence.

Rosemary/Taya Valkyrie vs. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan vs. Nevaeh/Havok

Rosemary waistlocks Nevaeh to open things up but gets rolled up for a fast two. It’s quickly off to Taya vs. Nevaeh with Taya being taken into the corner. Havok comes in for a splash as Tasha and Kiera are talking trash from the apron. Taya gets knocked into the corner and Kiera comes in for a running shot to the face. That’s broken up with Taya driving Kiera into the corner for the tag off to Rosemary.

It’s off to Nevaeh even faster and a suplex gets two on Kiera. A double whip into the corner has Nevaeh in trouble and Tasha grabs a chinlock. Nevaeh hits a belly to back faceplant and it’s off to Havok to clean house. Everything breaks down and it’s Taya cleaning house, including a big dive off the top to take out Havok, Nevaeh and Kiera. Tasha teases a dive but has to stop when she realizes that the referee is checking on everyone so it’s a little dancing instead. Rosemary cuts her off with a spear and it’s a Wing Clipper (needs a name) for the pin on Steelz at 9:17.

Rating: C-. This was a little too messy and it wasn’t the best thing in the world as a result. You can only get so far with this many people running around, though Taya and Rosemary continuing to win is a good idea. The problem is they don’t really have anything to accomplish, though I’m curious to see where the wedding story is going from here.

Post match Havok and Nevaeh stare down Rosemary and Taya. Didn’t we do that match earlier?

Josh and Madison preview the show.

John E. Bravo yells at the wedding party about everything being so expensive. Johnny Swinger brags about beating Buddy Landel in Mid-Atlantic but Crazzy Steve tries to break things up. A match is made for later. For the first time we have the date confirmed for two weeks from now.

Rosemary appears to Havok, who she needs to bring back Father James Mitchell to officiate the wedding. Havok knows this is going to keep going so next week they can have a match. If Rosemary wins, she’ll bring Mitchell back but if Havok wins, Rosemary lets all of this go and Mitchell stays gone. Deal.

Fallah Bahh vs. Crazzy Steve

The referee checks Bahh for weapons so Steve starts gyrating his hips. Steve wants Bahh to take his shirt off to reveal the hidden money but Bahh drives him into the corner. A running crossbody hits Steve but Bahh makes sure to grab his chest to make sure the money is there. Steve is back with a sleeper and pulls Bahh’s shirt off to reveal the money. A rollup pins Bahh at 2:47. These wedding matches still make me chuckle.

Rhino comes to see Heath, who is now in the Call Your Shot battle royal at Bound For Glory. If either of them win, Heath has a contract, but if neither of them win, Heath never has a chance around here. They have a match later tonight so Heath runs off to get ready. Scott D’Amore comes in to ask when Rhino is going to tell Heath the other part: if neither of them win, Rhino’s contract is done too.

Kaleb With A K introduces our next match.

Tenille Dashwood/Tommy Dreamer/Brian Myers/Cody Deaner/Johnny Swinger vs. Cousin Jake/Hernandez/Alisha/Rhino/Heath

The winning team will face off in a five way next week for the #20 spot in the Call Your Shot battle royal. Swinger and Heath start things off, with Swinger getting in some Hindu squats. There’s no contact to start so it’s off to Tenille vs. Alisha with Tenille grabbing a headlock. Tenille takes her down for a basement clothesline and it’s time to start the trash talk. Cody comes in so Alisha tags Hernandez…who hands it right off to Rhino instead. Cody grabs a headlock (Cody: “I’M GONNA BEAT RHINO!”) but Rhino runs him over with a shoulder.

Jake and Dreamer come in with Jake hitting his own running shoulder. It’s off to Hernandez to bearhug Tommy, who bites his way to freedom. Hernandez knocks all of the opponents off of the apron but Dreamer pulls Myers in, which counts as a tag. Heath comes in for a jumping knee and neckbreaker to Myers, who is right back with a shot to the face. Swinger tags himself in and the Wake Up Call gives Heath the fast pin at 7:18.

Rating: D+. This was fine for what they were going for here as there was no reason to do anything more than have a quick match with Heath getting the pin. The battle royal should be a good enough match and it doesn’t need to be anything more than that and a way to fill in some time. Heath continues to be amusing and he fills in that role rather well.

Sami Callihan and Eddie Edwards get in a fight in the back until Ken Shamrock comes in to lock Eddie’s ankle.

Eric Young asks Jimmy Jacobs thinks will happen to Rich Swann if he tries to wrestle at Bound For Glory. Young wants some answers about Swann so he’s going to the ring tonight to get them.

Kimber Lee vs. Kylie Rae

Deonna Purrazzo is here with Lee. Rae gets taken into the corner to start as the camera cuts are on fire to start. The threat of a Crossface has Lee fighting Rae off and she bails outside when Rae tries a running knee in the hurricanrana. A hurricanrana into a kick to the face gives Rae two but Lee tries a German suplex off the apron. Naturally that’s blocked so Lee settles for a powerbomb onto the apron instead.

Back in and some eye rakes have Rae down again but she grabs the leg for a failed STF attempt. Lee gets two off a delayed vertical suplex and it’s time to crank on the leg. That’s reversed into a cross armbreaker but Lee is right back out with a basement clothesline. Rae makes the comeback and gets two off the Kylie Special but Lee grabs a pop up sitout powerbomb for the same. A short arm clothesline puts Lee down again but Rae has to get rid of Purrazzo. That’s fine enough though as the STF finishes Lee at 9:49.

Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t so much the point here as they were all about setting up the title match at Bound For Glory. They did a nice job of making you believe that Rae is a threat to Purrazzo, though she is a completely different kind of beast. Rae is getting better and better every time she is in the ring so hopefully that continues at the pay per view.

Post match Rae won’t let go so Purrazzo comes in, only to get beaten up as well.

Here are the Good Brothers for a chat. They’re glad to be here and they know they’re the best. They still need the titles though and those are coming at Bound For Glory.

Doc Gallows vs. Madman Fulton

Karl Anderson and Ace Austin are here too. Gallows knocks him into the corner to start but gets caught with Snake Eyes. A clothesline puts Gallows on the floor but he pulls Fulton out there with him. They fight up the ramp and it’s a double countout at 1:19. Fair enough, though quite disappointing.

Actually never mind as they’re continuing after the break and it’s now a street fight. Fulton hammers him down and sends Gallows into the barricade. A trashcan is put over Gallows’ head for a shot with a stick but Gallows is back with a beer shot to the head. Some chair shots have Fulton down but he comes back with a big boot. Fulton wedges a chair in the corner but charges into it, allowing Gallows to chokeslam him through some more chairs for the pin at 9:40 total.

Rating: D+. It’s a pure garbage brawl and the break in the middle didn’t help things. Fulton has cooled off a lot in recent weeks and while he’s still a big deal, he isn’t on the level of the Good Brothers. Then again, based on how things are going around here at the moment, the Good Brothers are probably the biggest stars in the promotion, which is kind of a weird way to go.

Here’s what’s coming at Bound For Glory and next week, much of which will lead into the pay per view.

Here’s Eric Young to complain about how he has to deal with a bunch of nonsense eleven days before Bound For Glory. He wants to hear that Rich Swann quit and wants to hear it right now. We cut to Scott D’Amore, who gets a phone call from someone who has done something for him. D’Amore has something to do and, after a break, D’Amore is coming to the ring. Young demands that D’Amore say he has the night off at Bound For Glory. D’Amore says that Young did extensive damage to Swann’s leg, which is enough for Young.

Eric goes into a rant about how D’Amore works for him now, so D’Amore asks what happened to Young. D’Amore remembers when Young was in Team Canada and being treated like garbage everywhere else. But now he’s this? What happened? Not that it matters, because Swann is going to be cleared for Bound For Glory and the title is on the line. Young snaps and beats the heck out of him in the corner until Swann runs out for a Lethal Injection to send Young running.

Moose drives to a bridge and finds EC3 holding the TNA World Title. EC3 says Moose is a mix of every wrestling personality he has ever seen. The fight is on, with EC3 knocking him down and picking up the title again. EC3 asks who Moose is and says it wouldn’t be so funny if it wasn’t so sad. Moose gets back up and hammers him down to take the title back. A bloody EC3 laughs as Moose leaves with the title.

Overall Rating: D. This company is limping into its biggest show of the year and this was another really bad step on the way. The biggest problem is Bound For Glory just feels like a collection of matches instead of anything important. The top three matches are a four way for the Tag Team Titles, EC3 and Moose fighting over a title that doesn’t count, and Eric Young vs. Rich Swann in a match that feels like it should be for the X Division Title.

What on here seems like it’s something important? Maybe the ten person tag to set up a five way to set up the last entrant in a battle royal for a future title shot? Or the six way for the midcard title? The show isn’t coming off like an important pay per view but rather some kind of a packed gimmick show that doesn’t actually have a gimmick. Slammiversary felt important and interesting. This feels like a show we have to get through. That shouldn’t be happening, but it’s all we have.

Results

Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary b. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan and Nevaeh/Havok – Wing Clipper to Steelz

Crazzy Steve b. Fallah Bahh – Rollup

Cousin Jake/Hernandez/Alisha/Rhino/Heath b. Tenille Dashwood/Tommy Dreamer/Brian Myers/Cody Deaner/Johnny Swinger – Wake Up Call to Swinger

Kylie Rae b. Kimber Lee – Smile To The Finish

Doc Gallows b. Madman Fulton – Two handed chokeslam through chairs

 

 

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




Impact Wrestling – September 1, 2020: The Bad Ending

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: September 1, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s a big show this week after the two weeks of big shows as the World Title is on the line again. This time it’s Eric Young challenging Eddie Edwards because this company sees something in Young as a major star. I’m not sure what that something is but I’ve yet to actually see it. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Sami Callihan vs. Rob Van Dam

Katie Forbes is here with Van Dam but her gyrating distracts Rob, allowing Sami to knock him off the apron. Rob gets sent into the barricade as Josh asks if Father Time has finally caught up with Van Dam. Josh can be a little slow on the uptake at times. They get back in and Katie’s need for attention lets Sami kick him in the face again. Katie finally does something right by grabbing Sami’s foot but the slingshot legdrop only hits apron. Another trip puts Sami down as Madison thinks Katie might cause Van Dam a lot of trouble.

Now the spinning kick to the back over the barricade connects and it’s a faceplant back inside. Rolling Thunder hits knees though and a low cutter drops Van Dam again. Katie gets on the apron AGAIN but this time it actually works as Rob hits a running kick to the back of the head. The split legged moonsault connects but the Five Star takes way too long. A hanging cutter out of the corner plants Van Dam for two so Katie just comes in this time. Even commentary is begging for the referee to eject her as Rob gets a rollup, which Sami reverses for the pin at 7:22.

Rating: C-. Katie got annoying here and that’s what they were going for. I could see them doing something where Katie is the reason Van Dam is losing and he refuses to admit that he’s gotten old. It could go a few ways and if it means Katie is off TV for a little bit, I guess I can just suffer through the horrible, tragic loss.

Post match Katie yells at Sami so Rob jumps him from behind. Katie adds a running hip attack in the corner and holds the chair over the face for a running dropkick from Rob.

The announcers preview the show.

Hernandez beats Fallah Bahh at arm wrestling and gets paid. Reno Scum comes in and wants the money for looking for Heath. There’s no sign of him but Hernandez says no pay until they beat Rhino.

Rosemary, Taya Valkyrie and John E. Bravo rant about everything going on with the three of them as of late.

And now, Wrestle House.

Everyone is trying to get Johnny Swinger out of a room because Crazzy Steve got to dress him (thanks to winning last week). Susie promises not to make fun of him so he finally comes out, dressed like a clown. Swinger: “Matt Borne is laughing at me.” Tommy Dreamer comes in and makes Bravo the referee between Rosemary and Taya.

Reno Scum vs. Rhino

The brawl starts in the aisle with Rhino fighting away but getting caught in the corner. Some right hands to the face have Rhino in trouble as we take a break. Back with Rhino being sent into the corner so Luster can punch him down. A falling headbutt gets two and we hit the chinlock. Thornstowe’s cheap shot from the floor cuts off the comeback so Rhino goes outside and Gores Thornstowe down. The referee gets distracted….and the cameraman (ahuh) comes in with the Wake Up Call to Luster, giving Rhino the pin at 7:14.

Rating: D+. It’s not like there is anything else of note for Heath to do so letting him team with Rhino again is fine enough. Rhino has been doing nothing but playing the hits for years around here so it’s not like it’s taking apart some other big story. That and the Heath4Impact stuff is a lot better than VINCE DIDN’T USE ME RIGHT.

Post match Scott D’Amore sends security out to get rid of Heath.

An EC3 promo interrupts Moose. EC3 says Moose can come find him, or the TNA World Title will be sent back to him piece by piece. Moose freaks out and tells a production worker to call the cops. After Moose leaves, the guy reveals a Control The Narrative shirt so that isn’t likely working.

Karl Anderson tells some guys a story about Doc Gallows falling asleep in a bar when the Rascalz are told to come over. They can’t because they have Ace Austin and Madman Fulton tonight. The Good Brothers don’t seem to mind and plug their future beer.

Back at Wrestle House, Swinger tries to tell Bravo that if he plays his cards right, he could get Taya and Rosemary. Bravo doesn’t listen to Swinger, who leaves.

The Deaners and XXXL get in a fight over the beer and we go cinematic as they fight around the house. Dreamer gets in a plug for Impact and a ping pong match breaks out breaks out between Cody and Acey. Larry punches the wall by mistake, followed by the ping pong ball going into Cody’s mouth. Cody is thrown into a trashcan but comes back to slug away at Acey…who is knocked into an elevator. Cody takes the stairs and then steals a bicycle, allowing him to miss a clothesline on Acey.

Back upstairs, Cody gets a long running start (as in long enough for Acey to get back upstairs and talk to Larry) but the charge misses, allowing Acey to pull Larry out of the way. Cody is back and they fight into XXXl’s room, where they find the beer bottles. A DDT plants Larry, which turns him into Lawrence. Jake knocks him out but Susie pops in. The violence brings out a flash of Su Yung, allowing Susie to walk out…with very bloody hands. Dreamer names her the winner and runs off. This stuff is such goofy fun.

Rascalz vs. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin

Dez and Wentz for the Rascalz. Dez rolls away from Fulton to start and gets on the monster’s nerves with a slap to the face. More escapism allows the tag off to Wentz for some double team striking to put Fulton down for two. Fulton finally gets back up and stomps away at Wentz’ back, allowing Austin to slingshot in with a legdrop.

The playing card cuts the finger and it’s back to Fulton for some corner choking. The referee yells at him, allowing the tag to Dez who gets to kick away at everyone. That ticks Fulton off and he misses a charge out to the floor. Wentz hits a dive over the top onto Fulton and Dez hits the Final Flash to finish Austin at 4:51.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have much time, which is a shame as I like everyone involved in the match. It’s nice to see the Rascalz get a pin, though it is kind of amazing to see how far down Ace has fallen since Slammiversary. They didn’t have a lot of time here but we got some good stuff out of what they had.

Post match the Motor City Machine Guns come out and praise the Rascalz for a bit. This turns into a challenge for a title match to next week but Ace and Fulton jump the Rascalz from behind. The Guns make the save.

Deonna Purrazzo is annoyed at how under dressed people are for her black tie celebration. No Willie Mack, shoelaces do not count. Purrazzo is annoyed but asks Kimber Lee to be her security for the match.

Rohit Raju is admiring the X-Division Title. TJP comes up to ask about a title shot but Raju says he has to beat Chris Bey. That sets off some rhyming and TJP leaves.

Rosemary vs. Taya Valkyrie

John E. Bravo is referee. Taya starts the trash talk by calling Rosemary an emo kid who shops at Hot Topic. Rosemary comes back by mocking Slam Town and the slapping begins. Bravo breaks up the brawl so Taya kicks her in the chest to set up the running hip attack. More yelling at Bravo lets Rosemary drive her into the corner and then hit a spear. A lot of yelling ensues but a double kick to the head sets up a double knockdown. Both of them miss charges into the corner but Taya grabs the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 3:35.

Rating: C-. It was weird to see a Wrestle House match go this long but it helps that you had two of the better options in the ring. This worked out well enough, though I’m surprised that it actually had a clean finish. They needed to have something definitive like this so this was not only surprising, but kind of necessary.

Post match Bravo tries to check on Rosemary but she shoves him away. Bravo whips out a ring and says he can manage Taya and marry Rosemary too. Everyone is stunned and Taya gives her blessing. Rosemary: “You do know we’re a demon right?” Rosemary accepts. Kylie Rae says that’s sweet but can we get back to the Impact Zone now? Taya says sure and they get in the ring.

The Deaners are very banged up and want beer, but they realize there was only one bottle under Larry’s bed. We cut to Crazzy Steve who admits he took the beer because he couldn’t read the labels. Back in the ring, Taya is congratulated for finding an activity they all liked. They all touch hands and warp away. I guess they ran out of taping.

The ring is surrounded and Kimber Lee introduces Deonna Purrazzo for her celebration. We start with a toast and Purrazzo talks about how she has painted a masterpiece since she debuted. No one is ruining her night but here is Jordynne Grace to congratulate her on her wins. Enjoy the title reign, because it isn’t going to last. Cue Tenille Dashwood, who says it’s great that everyone is here for her return. Tenille is coming for the title but Grace goes to get in her face. The Wrestle House Crew appears in the ring and Susie and Kylie Rae clear the ring with ease. Rae winds up with the Knockouts Title.

Brian Myers is ready to offer Willie Mack a handshake next week. Moose comes in to ask if Myers has seen EC3 so Myers sends him down the hall.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eddie Edwards vs. Eric Young

Eric is challenging and wears a mask to the ring because…well it isn’t like anything else makes him stand out. Eddie isn’t waiting but charges into an elbow to start. He’s fine enough to snap off an overhead belly to belly for two and there’s a chop in the corner. Eddie snaps the throat across the top to send Young outside and we take a break. Back in and Eddie punches him to the apron and they both go outside.

That goes fine for Eddie as they go back up to the apron, where Young snaps off a neckbreaker to take over. Back in again and another neckbreaker gives Young two and it’s time to stomp away. Another neckbreaker gets another two and we hit the neck crank. A heck of a forearm rocks Eddie but he snaps off the Blue Thunder Bomb to put both guys down. Eddie strikes him into the corner but Young gets up and chokes him from the middle rope. The Backpack Stunner gets Eddie out of trouble and an enziguri in the corner rocks Eric again.

Young knocks him off the top though and the top rope elbow gets two. They strike it out and Eddie kicks him off the apron to the floor. Eddie dives onto hit but hurts his knee on the landing. Back in and Eddie gets two off the tiger driver with a grab of the knee messing up the cover. Eric rolls to the floor from the threat of the Boston Knee Party so Eddie hits a dive, messing up the knee even more. Back in and Young grabs the title, which is quickly taken away. That lets Young hit Eddie with the hockey mask, setting up the piledriver for the pin and the title at 15:41.

Rating: C. I think my thoughts on Eric Young are well known enough at this point so allow me to say GAH! Of all the people they have available on this roster, they pick ERIC YOUNG to win the World Title? Are people really that fascinated by his big bugged out eyes and calling himself a maniac that he should be the top man in the promotion? This is rather frustrating as Eddie hadn’t even been champion long, but I guess Young is more interesting because….I really have no idea actually. Uh, Canada? I guess? Maybe?

Post match Young stays on Eddie by cranking on the knee until security breaks it up.

Post copyright notice, Moose finds a stalker style collection of photos of himself, including some from yesterday and at his hotel. A bunch of threads come together over a map, where Moose says he needs to go. He pulls down the board and finds a message behind it saying YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a weird show overall as they were jumping all over the place. I kind of liked that though, as you had a nice mixture of stuff as they seem to be on a fresh taping cycle. The show was rather energetic and I liked some of it, aside from the result of the main event. That being said, more Kylie, Rosemary, Rascalz and Dashwood are certainly good things so hopefully they keep this up next time.

Results

Sami Callihan b. Rob Van Dam – Rollup

Rhino b. Reno Scum – Wake Up Call to Luster the Legend

Rascalz b. Madman Fulton/Ace Austin – Final Flash to Austin

Taya Valkyrie b. Rosemary – Road To Valhalla

Eric Young b. Eddie Edwards – Piledriver

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




Impact Wrestling – July 21, 2020: After The Mystery

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 21, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

We’re done with a decent enough Slammiversary and the big story is all of the new people around here. I’m not sure what that is going to mean going forward but they have enough momentum that having just a so so pay per view isn’t going to derail them. We have about four months before Bound For Glory so there is a lot to get through before then. Let’s get to it.

Here is Slammiversary if you need a recap.

EC3 tells us how we have been controlled for our whole lives, either by corporations, politicians, those that love us or someone else. Are we going to fight back? Control your narrative, like he is going to do. You have been warned.

New opening sequence.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey

Bey is defending in a rematch from Slammiversary, which rarely works well for the former champion. Bey wastes no time in hitting a running dropkick in the corner before hammering away on the mat. Madison talks about losing on Saturday because she wanted to live a day in the life of Josh Matthews. Egads. Mack fights back with a right hand but gets sent throat first into the bottom rope.

That’s enough to send him to the floor but he pulls a slingshot dive out of the air and slams him down hard. Back in and Mack elbows away in the corner, only to miss a charge. Bey’s neckbreaker out of the corner gets two and we hit the chinlock. A double stomp to the back lets Bey rap a bit, only to miss a standing moonsault. Mack doesn’t like Bey trying his move and hits a pop up right hand. The Six Star misses though and the Art of Finesse retains the title at 5:35.

Rating: C. They kept this moving here and while it wasn’t great, the action was fast enough for a start. I’m not sure what is next for Mack, but losing twice in three days, including clean here, isn’t the best look for his future. Bey is quite good as well though and has several challengers lined up, all of whom could have some awesome matches with him.

Slammiversary recap/show preview. This includes saying that Rich Swann’s night turned into “the ultimate horror story.” Do you REALLY want to reference that show?

Here are the good brothers, with Karl Anderson getting in a Scott Hall “Hey yo.” Anderson: “I’ve always wanted to say that.” After talking about how big “The Big LG” Doc Gallows looks, Anderson talks about how they took over Slammiversary and how they’re the best in the world. They are here to take over and dominate everyone, which is why their shirts have sold out and why Slammiversary was trending #1 worldwide.

They’re ready for some beers but here are Ace Austin and Madman Fulton to interrupt. The Good Brothers showed up and came straight after the top guys, because the best in the business is looking right at them. Austin slaps the beer out of Anderson’s hand and the fight is on, with the Brothers cleaning house with all of no effort.

Heath (Heath: “I’ve got a last name. I just can’t use it anymore.”) can’t get into the building.

Rhino and Hernandez agree to a match for all of the arm wrestling money. Didn’t they do that last week?

Bey and his two handlers are having some champagne when Rohit Raju comes in and takes the glass to give a toast to the new champ. He offers his services to watch Bey’s back, insisting that he is better than Johnny Swinger. Bey will keep that in mind.

Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz vs. Nevaeh/Havok

Steelz and Nevaeh start things off with Steelz getting suplexed down and crucifixed for two. Havok comes in for a backbreaker into a sliding clothesline, meaning it’s off to Hogan. That earns her a big boot from Havok and a Hennig necksnap from Nevaeh. Hogan gets in a cheap shot from behind to put Nevaeh in the corner though and the stomping is on.

Nevaeh blasts Steelz with a clothesline and elbow to the face, allowing the unseen tag to Havok. A swinging neckbreaker is enough for the seen tag to Havok meaning it’s some running hip attacks in the corner. Everything breaks down and Steelz hits Havok with a chair for the DQ at 6:05.

Rating: C-. It feels like we see these teams fighting every week or so anymore and that makes things feel rather repetitive. Commentary was talking about bringing back the Knockouts Tag Team Titles and while the division is getting some more depth, that doesn’t mean it needs another pair of titles running around. Develop it first, because right now you have these four and maybe a few other makeshift teams. That’s not enough for titles.

Post match Havok Tombstones Hogan.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Eddie Edwards b. Bobby Lashley to win the World Title on Impact, October 6, 2018.

Sami Callihan blames Ken Shamrock for the loss on Sunday. Shamrock says talk to him last week.

Rob Van Dam and Katie Forbes are back and Forbes is tired of wearing clothes. Next week, everyone gets a free preview.

Hernandez vs. Rhino

They hand the money to the referee and Rhino hits a Gore for the pin at 19 seconds.

The North wants to know when they get their celebration. They have dominated tag team wrestling for a year but then the Motor City Machine Guns show up and get treated like royalty in one night. If the Guns want the celebration, come take the titles.

Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) is coming.

We get some rapid fire promos from everyone who won on Sunday. They’re all happy and proud and looking forward to the future.

Deonna Purrazzo talks about proving herself on Sunday when Kylie Rae comes in. She’s the next challenger so Deonna goes for the armbar but Rae slips out and the brawl is on.

Here’s Eddie Edwards for his first comments as champion. Eddie talks about the journey to get here and now it is time for a new journey to begin. He wants to be the kind of champion that you can believe in and things are about to change. There has not been a title defense in five months so he is going to change that by defending it every week. He is living proof that anything is possible and he wants to give the title credibility.

Cue Eric Young but Eddie cuts him off, saying Young deserves a beating for what he did to Rich Swann. Eric says Eddie is lucky that it was Rich in his cross hairs instead of Edwards. None of this has anything to do with Eddie because Eric made all of this. The fight is on and referees break it up, allowing Young to get in a cheap shot. Hopefully we can get Young out of the way sooner than later.

Moose isn’t putting up his title every week like Eddie because this title is too prestigious. He isn’t worried about EC3 but he’ll face Fallah Bahh tonight.

Eddie isn’t worried about Eric Young but here’s Trey, who requests and is granted a title shot next week.

TNA World Title: Fallah Bahh vs. Moose

Moose is defending and TJP is here with Bahh. Moose shoves him away to start so Bahh fires off some chops in the corner. A running boot to the face rocks Bahh though and a shoulder drops him. There’s a boot across Bahh’s face but Bahh is back up with a running elbow in the corner. The Samoan drop is broken up with a rake to the face and No Jackhammer Needed retains the title at 3:38.

Rating: D+. This is an idea that is going to work for the time being as Moose can spear half the roster until he gets to face someone noteworthy (and by that I mean EC3). It’s a funny gag and they can drop the TNA deal whenever it’s done so it isn’t a big deal going forward. Bahh is still big but you can really tell how much weight he has lost, which is quite impressive.

Post match EC3 jumps Moose from behind with an inverted DDT.

In the parking lot, Ace Austin and Madman Fulton taunt the Good Brothers. Cue Reno Scum to jump them from behind, allowing Austin and Fulton to escape.

Rosemary and John E. Bravo come into a rather nice house. Rosemary seems to hint at something between them but Bravo doesn’t get it, meaning the frustration is on. Cue Taya Valkyrie, much to Rosemary’s annoyance. Rosemary snaps her fingers and various wrestlers start appearing. Next week: Wrestle House! I’ve heard worse ideas.

Tag Team Titles: The North vs. Motor City Machine Guns

The Guns are challenging. Page and Shelley start thinks off with Shelley cranking on the arm. That’s reversed into a headlock and it’s an early standoff. Sabin comes in but his shoulders bounce off of Alexander. An Octopus hold doesn’t work much better so Sabin goes with the armdrags to take over. It’s already back to Page to pound Shelley but everything breaks down and the champs are sent outside as we take a break.

Back with Shelley striking away at Page in the corner but an Alexander distraction lets Page get in a shot to the face. Alexander holds Shelley so Page can stomp away as the champs take over. Shelley’s elbow to the head just earn him a half nelson backbreaker with Sabin coming in for a save. The handoff suplex puts Shelley down again but Alexander misses a moonsault. There’s the hot tag to Sabin and the pace picks up in a hurry.

The champs are sent into each other and Sabin’s tornado DDT gets two on Page. Sabin dives onto Alexander on the floor and Shelley’s standing Sliced Bread gets another two. Shelley’s spinning Downward Spiral sets up a Gargano Escape on Page, with Sabin grabbing a Texas Cloverleaf on Alexander at the same time.

They’re both broken up at the same time and it’s Sabin slugging it out with Alexander. Everything breaks down again and it’s a cutter into a wheelbarrow suplex to plant Sabin for two more. Shelley is sent outside and Sabin gets kicked in the head, but the Northern Assault is countered into a small package to give the Guns the titles back at 14:14.

Rating: B. This really was the kind of a main event that would have been better off with a crowd there to spice it up. They had a good match, though it didn’t quite hit the level that they were shooting for. The North losing after such a long reign is fine, but having the title match so soon after the Guns’ return didn’t exactly let the title change get the build that it needed.

Jimmy Jacobs leaves but Heath sneaks inside to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The main event was good but you could tell that some of the fire was missing from the past few weeks. That isn’t the biggest surprise as you could go a long way based on the mystery appearances. The problem though is you then realize that two of the big names were Heath Slater and Eric Young, which doesn’t have the same pop once you get over the surprise. It’s still a fine show, but it wasn’t what it was over the last few weeks.

Results

Chris Bey b. Willie Mack – Art of Finesse

Havok/Nevaeh b. Tasha Steelz/Kiera Hogan via DQ when Steelz used a chair

Rhino b. Hernandez – Gore

Moose b. Fallah Bahh – No Jackhammer Needed

Motor City Machine Guns b. The North – Small package to Page

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




Impact Wrestling – July 14, 2020: Speed Bump

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 14, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Madison Rayne

It’s the go home show for Slammiversary and that’s actually a pretty nice feeling for once. The shows building towards the pay per view have been well done and if they manage to make it work this time, we could be in for a heck of a show on Saturday. Yeah Saturday, as almost everyone outside of WWE has changed up their pay per view schedule in a pretty smart move. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

Rosemary/Kiera Hogan/Tasha Steelz/Kimber Lee/Taya Valkyrie vs. Alisha Edwards/Kylie Rae/Susie/Nevaeh/Havok

Steelz is taken into the corner to start with Havok and Nevaeh starting with the rapid fire double teaming. Lee gets kicked to the floor as the villains are all sent outside early on. That means a big beatdown of Nevaeh, with Susie hitting the flip dive from the apron. Havok tosses Alisha onto the pile and Havok adds the suicide dive. Taya cuts off Rae’s dive though and it’s Kylie getting beaten down for a change.

Rosemary’s bicycle kick into a German suplex from Taya gets two. Taya adds the running knees in the corner as Josh is WAY too excited about the state of the Knockouts division, with Madison having to tone him down. Steelz sends Rae right back into the corner to cut off a comeback bid and it’s Lee coming in for a chinlock. Back from a break with Rae ducking a right hand and diving over for the tag to Susie, which commentary completely ignores. Everything breaks down into the parade of secondary finishers until Rae superkicks Lee into Susie’s Panic Switch for the pin at 13:11.

Rating: C. There’s only so much that you can get out of a match like this but it’s about as good of a preview as you can have for the gauntlet match. There are several options for the win and that could make for some interesting stuff on Saturday. The wrestling was fine enough and there wasn’t much of a point here other than having most of the participants out there.

Post match Susie seems to twitch a bit, but everything breaks down into another big brawl until Kylie stands tall.

Here’s your preview for tonight and Sunday.

Madman Fulton and Ace Austin are in Dayton, Ohio, with Fulton not being happy about being back in OVE territory. Ace says if there is one thing he has learned in his five years in wrestling, it’s that you have to go back to where you started.

Hernandez and Rhino have been arm wrestling around the arena for over a week.

Moose tries to recruit Hernandez and Rhino to be his partner tonight and costs Hernandez the win. Hernandez wants to fight Rhino outside and that’s an easy yes.

Flashback Moment of the Week: Chris Sabin wins Ultimate X at Slammiversary 2013.

XXXL vs. Deaners

Points for the cameras shaking during XXXL’s entrance. Josh likes the idea of hunting, fishing and roasting marshmallows at the Deaner compound. Madison: “….you need to stop.” Jake and Larry collide to start with Jake popping up from the shoulder and getting in a slam. Cody is slammed onto Larry for two but Larry forearms his way over to Acey for the tag. A running clothesline gives Acey two and there’s the Pounce to send Jake into the corner. Larry kicks Cody down into a powerbomb but Jake makes a blind tag and steals the pin at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Well that happened and there isn’t much else to be said about something like this. Again, the tag teams seem to be trading wins back and forth and no one is really gaining anything. It wasn’t a good match or anything either, though XXXL looked decent enough in a short form.

Post match XXXL lays out Jake with a Demolition Decapitator, seemingly turning heel.

Moose asks Rohit Raju to be his partner tonight. Raju agrees, even though he’s the final option.

Johnny Swinger tells Chris Bey that he’s going to straighten things out with management. Swinger goes to the referee, saying that he’s been talking to Cancel Culture (must be taped out of order) and they think he’s a qualified emotional support companion.

Video on Willie Mack vs. Chris Bey for the X-Division Title at Slammiversary.

Bey hits on Gia Miller and calls Swinger, who of course is outside, an idiot. Swinger says the office won’t budge and Bey is on his own at Slammiversary.

Video on Deonna Purrazzo vs. Jordynne Grace.

We get a sitdown face to face interview with Purrazzo and Grace. Purrazzo signs the contract but pauses Grace to tell her what she’s getting into on Saturday. Grace signs and says Purrazzo doesn’t know what she’s into right now. Grace knocks her down and leaves.

Video on Ken Shamrock/Sami Callihan vs. the North.

Shamrock and Callihan know they don’t trust each other but they could win some gold. Callihan is likely to turn on Shamrock anyway, so Shamrock promises to break his neck for trying.

Moose/Rohit Raju vs. Tommy Dreamer/Crazzy Steve

Even commentary points out that Raju is always standing around backstage with nothing to do. Dreamer headlocks Raju to start but gets driven into the corner for trying a hammerlock. A suplex drops Raju though and it’s off to Steve, who gets slammed head first into the mat. Moose comes in for the fall away slam but misses the spear into the corner.

It’s back to Dreamer to lose a slugout as everything breaks down. Raju breaks up Dreamer’s dive and hands it back to Moose to hammer away. Dreamer punches Moose out of the air though and grabs a DDT. The double tag brings in Steve and Raju as the pace picks up a good bit. Everything breaks down again and Raju knees Steve in the face. Steve is right back up with a middle rope DDT to finish Raju at 6:14.

Rating: D+. Another match that was just kind of there as it seems they are scraping the bottom of the barrel of whatever they have left from the taping cycle. That is also true of Dreamer, who somehow gets a pretty big time pay per view match when you have how many people on the roster without much to do?

Austin and Fulton get to the gym in Dayton.

Rhino and Hernandez meet in the parking lot with Rhino wanting the money he won in the arm wrestling. Rhino kicks him low and chokes against a production truck but Hernandez throws something at him and gets in a few shots. A trashcan and a traffic cone are brought in and Rhino hammers away (seemingly at the camera in one shot as we’re in Cinematic Mode). Eventually they’re both spent and agree to split the money.

We recap the World Title situation, with the triple threat match being set up to crown a new champion. This is the same video package we saw last week, or at least really close to it.

Austin and Fulton train, while Austin talks about becoming the World Champion on Saturday. Slammiversary isn’t about the mystery opponent or Edwards or Trey. It’s about Austin becoming the youngest World Champion of all time.

A new Slammiversary vignette suggests three people returning.

Eddie Edwards talks about everyone being different. Everything in his career has led him to Slammiversary, starting with his training at Killer Kowalski’s wrestling school. He was born to be the World Champion and now he’s back here for a reason. Eddie has fought through everything to be here and he has no choice but to win the title.

Slammiversary rundown.

Trey and Wentz sneak into the Dayton gym while Austin is lecturing in the ring. A trashcan shot staggers Fulton and they lock him in a closet. Trey and Ace get in a fight with Trey shoving him over a chair and hammering away. Ace sends him into a wall though and hits him with a broom, followed by a chair to the back. Trey gets in a crotching on the barricade and slugs away some more but Fulton is back up. Wentz returns with a barbed wire chair and the villains bail to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a case where they could only do so much with what they had. They didn’t have much left to pull from so they probably had to film some stuff at the last minute. It worked as well as it could have given the circumstances, but it’s a shame that they had to hit a speed bump on the way to Slammiversary. I’m curious about what they’re going to have next week, but Slammiversary still looks good.

Results

Kylie Rae/Susie/Nevaeh/Havok/Alisha Edwards b. Tasha Steelz/Kimber Lee/Kiera Hogan/Taya Valkyrie/Rosemary – Panic Switch to Lee

Deaners b. XXXL – Rollup to Larry

Crazzy Steve/Tommy Dreamer b. Rohit Raju/Moose – Middle rope DDT to Raju

 

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




Impact Wrestling – May 19, 2020: Steady And Steady

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 19, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

Things are getting interesting around here as the tournament is starting to pick up. That’s going to continue this week and we’re also going to be seeing more of the TNA World Title, as Moose gets to show us more of his relative insanity. To cap it off though, Johnny Swinger gets his X-Division Title shot and they wouldn’t be that insane, right? Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Ace Austin vs. Rhino

Austin is Ken Shamrock’s replacement after Shamrock was attacked last week. Madison brings up a good point: Ace just got off a big X-Division Title reign and he wasn’t one of the top eight people in the company? Throw in Moose, Tessa Blanchard and Willie Mack and he’s not even in the top eleven. But Rhino and Hernandez are? Anyway, Rhino powers him to the floor to start as we need an early breather.

Back in and Rhino’s headlock doesn’t last long so the threat of a clothesline puts Austin on the floor again. They try it again and this time Rhino loads up a Gore to scare Austin outside for the third time. Rhino follows him this time but gets sent into the barricade. That’s one upped with a backdrop over the barricade but Austin posts him to get an extended breather.

Rhino dives in to beat the count so Austin pounds away and hits a springboard kick to the face for two. We hit the chinlock but Rhino is right back up for a double clothesline. It’s Rhino up first with some right hands to the head but Austin drops him again. Ace heads up top, only to get superplexed back down for two. Austin finds a well placed chair in the corner but Rhino takes it away, only to have the referee take it away again. That lets Ace get in a shot with the baton and the Fold is good for the pin at 10:43.

Rating: C. It’s kind of amazing how much easier it is to sit through just Rhino as opposed to Rhino and the ECW goons. Here he was just someone out there to put Austin over and that’s not a bad thing. Austin is someone with a potential future around here and having Rhino put him over might be a nice little boost. They had a decent power vs. speed match going too so it works well all around.

Earlier today, Moose and Josh sat down with Josh saying Moose is walking around with a worthless title. Moose says this ends when someone beats him but Josh says you can’t just decide a match is for a title. That does not sit well with Moose, and Josh bringing up Suicide having Moose pinned last week makes it even worse. Moose is willing to give Suicide a rematch and that’s it.

Kiera Hogan offers to mentor Tasha Steelz. Her way of saying it: “If I like you, I’ll snatch a b**** for you. If not, you get snatched by that b****.” Steelz is in.

Here what else is coming.

Dave Crist vs. Crazzy Steve

The rest of OVE is here with Dave. Steve elbows him into the corner to start and there’s a dropkick to the knee to take Dave off the apron. Cue Joseph P. Ryan to watch as Dave takes Steve down and pounds away back inside. Some knees to the head keep Steve down and Dave grabs an armbar. OVE adds some choking from the floor and Dave grabs a Falcon Arrow for two. Steve is right back up with a middle rope DDT for the fast pin at 4:07.

Rating: C-. The OVE losing streak continues and I’m almost worried to think about who is going to be the new leader to turn the tide. No one is really standing out and that means there are so many possibilities, some of which might not be the best moves. Steve is a strange choice to bring back but there are far worse choices.

Post match Steve leaves so Fulton yells at both Crists. Fulton says he’s done and chokes both of them for questioning them. Makes sense actually.

Rosemary talks to Taya Valkyrie’s stuffed dog and implies that Taya is gone. John E. Bravo comes in to complain and Rosemary seems to apologize and almost flirt a bit. That….kind of works actually.

XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Bahh and Acey start things off and it’s time for the power lockup. Acey misses a running dropkick and gets splashed, allowing the early tag off to TJP. Larry comes in as well and shoves TJP around without much effort. The right hands in the corner don’t do much damage to Larry so it’s time to take off the legs. A low crossbody gives TJP two and Bahh comes back in to pound Larry down.

TJP starts working on the arm before Bahh goes simple with the corner splash. Acey makes a blind tag from the apron though and drops TJP with one shot as we take a break. Back with Larry chinlocking TJP before switching to a bearhug. Those go nowhere so it’s a spinebuster for two instead. The waistlock keeps TJP in trouble for a bit but Acey knocks Bahh off the apron.

As tends to be the case, the hot tag goes through just a few seconds later, meaning Bahh gets to clean house. Acey Pounces Bahh to break up the belly to belly and TJP is sent outside. Now Acey gets knocked outside as well and the belly to belly gets two on Larry. The Banzai drop is broken up but Bahh drops Larry. TJP adds a frog splash for the pin on Larry at 13:38.

Rating: D+. This was longer than it needed to be and I didn’t get into the whole thing. XXXL might already be hitting their ceiling as you can only get so far with the two big guys doing big guy things. TJP and Bahh have a good chemistry together and hopefully they can get a nice push in the future. Then again they already had the big title shot and came up short, so their time might already be over.

TNA World Title: Moose vs. Suicide

Moose is defending and there’s something interesting about Josh being fine with Suicide being from a video game but has a problem with Moose picking up the title in a warehouse. As per Moose’s request, we get the Big Match Intros and now we’re ready to go. Josh brings up that Suicide almost won the title last week so Madison says that the Cleveland Indians ALMOST won the World Series. Well she’s off the good list now.

Moose misses the spear as Suicide runs the ropes early on, including hanging in the ropes to make Moose miss a charge to the floor. Back in and Suicide grabs something like an Octopus hold, followed by a basement dropkick to the side of the head. They head outside with Moose picking him up for some swings into the barricade. Suicide has to dive back in, prompting Josh to say “and the match rolls on.” That time with WWE really did rub off on him.

Back in and Moose throws Suicide down without much effort, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner. There’s another throw as the total dominance is on. Some clotheslines bounce off Moose and he wants to know if that’s all Suicide has. A fourth clothesline drops Moose though and he misses some charges into the corner.

Suicide hits a few running corner dropkicks and a Lionsault gets two. That’s enough for Moose as he gets serious and stomps Suicide down in the corner. Suicide is right back with the Codebreaker and some low superkicks, meaning it’s time to go up. The high crossbody connects but Moose rolls through and grabs the tights to retain at 11:07.

Rating: C+. Aside from bringing up the horrors of the 2016 World Series, I had a good time with this as they have the chemistry to make something like this work. There was no reason to believe that the title was going to change hands but Suicide gave it a go here and they had a pretty good match. Moose being all delusional works for him and it seems to have some staying power.

Michael Elgin talks about how people might not like him now but they will appreciate what he is. Ken Shamrock came in and talked about being the World’s Most Dangerous Man. Then he got knocked out by someone tough. Elgin has promised to be World Champion and what he says will happen happens.

Chris Bey gives Johnny Swinger a pep talk. Swinger: “Thanks for being a brother, brother.” The first round at the Landing Strip is on him after he wins the title.

X-Division Title: Johnny Swinger vs. Willie Mack

Mack is defending and Swinger jumps him from behind to start. Some rams into the corner set up an elbow drop for two as Josh thinks Swinger winning could open the door for a Simon Diamond return. Mack grabs the swinging slam (that’s gimmick infringement) and drops a leg for two. The Swinger Neckbreaker gets two but Swinger celebrates anyway. That just earns him a Samoan drop into the standing moonsault to retain at 3:18.

Rating: D+. That’s all it needed to be as Mack is a star and Swinger is an entertaining joke. They didn’t need to do anything more than have a quick match here with Mack not really breaking much of a sweat. It worked well here and Swinger continues to be perfectly amusing in his role.

Post match Swinger won’t let go of the title and chop blocks Mack. Cue Chris Bey for the double beatdown.

The North is still in Canada because Ethan Page has rented the arena for a month. The referee comes in so here’s Cody Deaner of all people to say he’ll team with the referee to challenge for the titles. They’ll do it next week at the Deaner Compound. The North is in but the referee says he can’t do this. Cody says he has another Deaner to be his real partner.

Preview of next week’s show.

#1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Michael Elgin vs. Sami Callihan

Sami has a bad ankle coming in thanks to Ken Shamrock at Rebellion so Elgin drives him into the corner and points at the ankle to start. Sami’s chops just annoy Elgin so he kicks the ankle out. That just earns him a rake to the eyes but Elgin is back to the ankle, sending Sami outside for a breather. Back in and a quick DDT gives Sami two, followed by a pump kick to the floor.

Sami wraps the arm around the barricade so Elgin drops him leg first onto the same barricade. Elgin sends the leg into the post for a bonus but Sami pulls him face first into the post for a breather. Back from a break with Sami in major trouble so Elgin holds out his face to give Sami a free shot. A rollup gives Sami two and they slug it out until Elgin blasts him with a clothesline. Sami knocks him to the floor though and there’s a suicide dive. Back in and Sami gets two off a suplex but Elgin crushes the leg all over again.

A running shot to the knee in the corner gets two, followed by the half crab to make things even worse. That’s broken up but Sami collapses before the big clothesline connects. Sami manages a German suplex and a clothesline of his own gets two. The Cactus Special is countered but Elgin blasts him with a spinning backfist. The Elgin Bomb sends Elgin to the next round at 18:48.

Rating: B. As much as I’m not wild on turning Sami face, I can go with the idea of Sami fighting through the ankle injury to survive against the monster. They told a nice story here and that’s hard to do in a situation with such a clear winner. Elgin was always going to win this, but it’s not like Sami is heavily damaged when he’s fighting on one leg.

Here are the updated brackets:

Ace Austin

Hernandez

Trey

Michael Elgin

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, tournaments have a tendency to serve as a solid anchor for a show like this and it worked well here. Elgin would seem to be the odds on favorite to win the whole thing but we could be in for some interesting showdowns on the way there. Other than that, the show wasn’t exactly must see but the company is still improving and feels steady, which is the best thing that can be said about a company like Impact.

Results

Ace Austin b. Rhino – Fold

Crazzy Steve b. Dave Crist – Middle rope DDT

TJP/Fallah Bahh b. XXXL – Frog splash to Larry

Moose b. Suicide – Rollup with tights

Michael Elgin b. Sami Callihan – Elgin Bomb

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




Impact Wrestling – April 21, 2020 (Rebellion Night One): It Wouldn’t Be Impact

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 21, 2020
Location: Skyway Studios, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Madison Rayne, Josh Matthews

It’s the first night of Rebellion and it’s taking place in an empty arena, just like all of the other big shows at this point. I’m not sure what we’re going to see due to how many people might not be available for the show and that could make for an interesting show. The company has done well in recent weeks so hopefully they can keep it up. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video talks about how everyone wants to be here and make their mark.

OVE vs. Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/???

It’s mystery partner time and it’s….Crazzy Steve? There’s a name I haven’t thought of in a long time but it’s better than some ECW guy staggering out there. Josh: “How cool is it to see Crazzy Steve back in Impact Wrestling?” Not all that much really as he wasn’t that big of a deal. Dreamer and Jake Crist trade standing switches to start before the former rolls out of a wristlock. Jake takes him down and does a nipup before challenging Dreamer to do the same.

It doesn’t work so Rhino and Steve come in to help him with one, because Dreamer is a legend you see and we need him to do his comedy spots to help make America feel better. Steve and Madman Fulton come in but Steve isn’t THAT crazzy, meaning it’s off to Rhino instead. Some forearms knock Fulton over to the corner for the tag off to Dave, meaning Steve is willing to fight for a change.

We actually hear something about the Menagerie as Fulton chases Steve off and takes Rhino into the corner for shoulders to the ribs. A suplex is escaped though and it’s back to Dreamer to clean house. Everything breaks down (Rayne: “Does anyone in this match follow the rules?” Josh: “Nope.”) but it’s Dreamer getting taken into the wrong corner as things settle right back down.

Dreamer and Jake collide for a double knockdown and it’s back to Rhino vs. Dave. A running shoulder in the corner and a belly to belly gets two on Dave, meaning everything breaks down for real. Fulton throws Jake over the top onto Dreamer but Rhino Gores Dave for the pin at 9:33.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t very good but, as usual, the old guys beat the young ones for the sake of keeping up with tradition. I understand the story of OVE being lost without Sami Callihan, but there was no one else available to beat them but Dreamer, Rhino and whoever they could find? I’m sure Dreamer does a lot of good stuff for the company behind the scenes. I just don’t get why he needs to do so much in front of the scenes.

Josh and Madison run down the card.

Tessa Blanchard and Eddie Edwards aren’t here tonight so we get an interview with Eddie, who is sitting in front of a lot of shoes. It was a hard decision to not come to the show but he couldn’t put his family in that kind of a risk. Elgin is going to brag but he should know deep down what kind of wrestler Eddie is.

Elgin talks about becoming Ring of Honor World Champion but that wasn’t enough. Neither was beating Kenny Omega in New Japan. Now he wants more and wants to be at the top of the list of Impact Wrestling World Champions. Tessa is claiming to be stuck in Mexico but the truth is she’s scared. She was ready for the shallow end but tried to dive into the deep end. Elgin is becoming World Champion.

Rascalz vs. XXXL vs. Fallah Bahh/TJP

Dez and TJP start things off with a technical exchange and it’s TJP taking him to the mat with a headlock. A cross armbreaker is broken up in a hurry so Dez scores with a dropkick. The Octopus cuts off Dez’s tag attempt but Wentz comes in for the save, including a parade of superkicks. Something close to a Last Chancery sends TJP over to the ropes so some strikes put him down again. Bahh makes a save and we take a break.

Back with Larry and Bahh slugging it out and a spinebuster giving Larry two. Acey comes in for a double shoulder to drop Bahh as the big man double teaming continues. Larry grabs the chinlock with TJP making a save, earning himself a big shove from Acey. That lets Bahh come back with a spinning belly to belly and some running shots in the corner.

We take another break and come back again with Larry and Bahh slugging it out again until Bahh hits a Samoan drop. Everything breaks down and the Rascalz start the rapid fire kicks to the big guys. Acey accidentally charges into Larry in the corner but Larry is back up to drop TJP. Acey pounds a bunch of people, including Dez to give Larry two. A low bridge puts Acey on the floor though and it’s time for some superkicks into a springboard cutter on Larry. The Final Flash gives Dez the pin at 14:01.

Rating: C+. As usual, these matches are only going to be so good. They’re limited in what they can put together with six people in there and no personal reasons for them to be fighting. It worked well enough though and it’s nice to see the Rascalz get a win for a change. Nothing that hasn’t been done before but it was good enough.

We get a message from the North, who aren’t worried about being in Canada because it’s like an extended vacation in the best country in the world. They’re going to find Canadian challengers and defend these titles as only they can.

Rich Swann is here to support Willie Mack’s shot at the X-Division Title. Swann says don’t worry about the Tag Team Titles because Mack has worked long and hard to get here. Go get the title.

We recap the X-Division Title match. With Swann injured, Mack went after the X-Division Title and became #1 contender. Champion Ace Austin had Swann beaten up but he’s here anyway as Mack gets his title shot.

X-Division Title: Willie Mack vs. Ace Austin

Mack is challenging and Austin takes his time adjusting his gear to start. The stall continues with Austin bailing to the floor a few times, followed by a right hand to send him outside again. We get started properly with Austin grabbing a rollup and bailing again, only to have Mack follow him this time. Austin gets sent into the barricade but avoids the reverse Cannonball back inside.

That means Mack gets tied up in the Tree of Woe for some stomping to the ribs but Mack reverses a high crossbody into a Samoan drop. The standing moonsault connects and Mack pounds away even more as the aggression is starting to come out. Austin knees him in the face for two as things slow down a bit. Trouble in Paradise sends Mack into the corner but a springboard hurricanrana is countered with a sitout powerbomb.

One heck of a forearm puts Austin down as Josh and Madison bicker again, as only a married couple can. Now the reverse Cannonball connects but the Stunner is countered. The Fold gives Austin two and it’s his turn to be ticked off. Another Fold is countered into a pop up cutter for another near fall and Josh can’t believe it.

Mack goes up for the Six Star but Austin goes to the corner….so it’s a Coast to Coast to show off even more. Now the Six Star misses so Ace goes up and crotches Mack for trying to pull him down. Mack hits something like a Stunner on the top (that didn’t really work) to send Austin flying, setting up the Six Star for the pin and the title at 13:30.

Rating: B-. I like both of these guys so this was a fun one. They needed to switch the title as Mack has been built up for so long now that he had to win something eventually. Austin is going to be fine and it wouldn’t shock me to see him move towards the World Title scene. He was a great X Division Champion and it should be a bright future for him.

Swann comes out to celebrate with Mack.

Post match, Mack makes sure that this is cool with Swann, who insists that everything is ok. Johnny Swinger comes in to say that the Mack N Pack Connection will live on in the fans’ hearts forever. He could use a title shot, but for now they can go hunt for rats. Swann and Mack don’t look impressed as Swinger goes to get the Cadillac.

We recap Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan. Kylie is happy to be here and Kiera isn’t happy with that.

Kylie Rae vs. Kiera Hogan

Kylie makes sure to fold her shirt properly before throwing it outside. Kiera isn’t pleased and gets taken down into a quick STF (Smile to the Finish) attempt. That means a trip to the rope as commentary talks about Kiera and the smoke. Kylie pulls her face first into the middle turnbuckle and stomps away on Kiera’s back. The Kylie Special is broken up and Kiera plants her down for two. A kick to the back gets two more and we take a break.

Back with Kylie missing a charge into the corner as we get a Taylor Wilde reference. Kiera’s chinlock doesn’t last long so she goes with some running forearms instead. Kylie gets in a superkick and an exchange of superkicks put them both down. They slug it out from their knees with Kylie getting the better of it and another superkick gives Kylie two. Kiera kicks her in the head for two more but Kylie gets in a whip to the corner. Now the Cannonball can connect for two so Kiera is back up and pounding away. That just earns her the Smile to the Finish for the tap at 9:25.

Rating: C. This was Kylie’s big time debut and it was fine enough for what it was. Kylie is someone who could be a more serious happy Bayley character and having her beat a low level bully like Kiera was a good start. It was the first of many steps though and that’s a fine way to get going.

Commentary runs down next week’s card.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Ken Shamrock. Various videos and graphics labeled ICU had been popped up, eventually being revealed as being Sami’s doing. Sami is now a hacker and says he is the real World’s Most Dangerous Man, setting up a feud with Shamrock. A fireball to Shamrock’s face didn’t hurt either.

Ken Shamrock vs. Sami Callihan

Unsanctioned, meaning anything goes. The fight starts on the floor with Sami hitting a suplex to take over early on. Shamrock is whipped into the barricade but it just seems to wake him up. That means a posting for Sami and Shamrock through him through the barricade. Shamrock goes to the stage for a running dive (must have been all of three feet) to drop Callihan again.

They go to the back and we take a break, meaning it’s cinematic time. Sami gets in a cheap shot with a trashcan lid but a low blow cuts him down. Shamrock hammers away with rights and lefts but here’s OVE to jump him from behind. They hold Shamrock for Sami….who hits the three of them with a pipe. We get some the Good, the Bad and the Ugly style music as they head outside to finish this. Sami sends him into a production truck and grabs a sleeper, only to get thrown down. The ankle lock knocks Sami out at 11:02.

Rating: D+. It started out well and then came down hard in a bad way. At the end of the day, it was a match designed to hide Shamrock’s weaknesses and the camera work was the usually weird stuff. Then you have Sami turn on OVE, which should be a big deal. That’s all well and good, but then he loses like that? For the life of me I don’t get why you would go with Shamrock here, especially after Sami had the big new character. Then again, it wouldn’t be Impact without some head scratching results.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good and the title change helped, but going with Dreamer, Rhino and Shamrock getting wins makes my head hurt. You have young names who could do something around here but they lose to the old guys. Shamrock might be one thing, but Rhino and Dreamer? In 2020? Come on already. Not a bad show at all, though it had two bad spots holding it back.

Results

Tommy Dreamer/Rhino/Crazzy Steve b. OVE – Gore to Dave

Rascalz b. XXXL and TJP/Fallah Bahh – Final Flash to Larry

Willie Mack b. Ace Austin – Six Star Frog Splash

Kylie Rae b. Kiera Hogan – Smile to the Finish

Ken Shamrock b. Sami Callihan – Ankle lock

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