IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #26
Date: October 12, 2018
Location: War Memorial Auditorium, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re still in Fort Lauderdale and have to be near the end of this taping cycle. Things are still interesting around here and the road to the next big show is already starting to look good. They’ve built up some rather nice feuds over the next few weeks and if the matches are as good as the stories, they’ll be fine. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

The Hart Foundation is claiming another conspiracy because Rich Swann apparently had a concussion in his match with Teddy. That’s not fair to them you see, because no one talks about the positive things that Teddy has done for the business. There’s something so great about Teddy’s sour face.

Vandal Ortagun vs. Brian Pillman Jr.

This is Pillman’s singles debut and the Hart Foundation is at ringside. The fans are behind Pillman, as you probably could have guessed. Pillman shoves him into the corner for the patronizing pat to the chest and then some stomping to really take over. Ortagun stops a charge in the corner with a raised boot but Pillman snaps off a scoop powerslam (good one too). A hard knee to the face gets two and it’s off to a seated abdominal stretch. Back up and Ortagun forearms away, followed by a sideways Backstabber for two. Pillman is right back up with a spinning chop to the back and a swinging neckbreaker for the pin at 4:37.

Rating: D+. Well he needs a much better finisher (as do most people who use the swinging neckbreaker variations) but you can see his dad shining through here, which is a very good sign. This was just a squash and you can only get so much from such a match, but that’s how you bring along someone without much ring experience.

Post match the Foundation throws Ortagun to the floor.

Rush is coming soon.

Jimmy Yuta vs. Hijo De LA Park

This is Park’s debut and Salina de la Renta is out with him. Yuta takes him down by the leg to start and a very loud fan wants Park’s leg broken. Park’s wristlock goes nowhere so they trade armdrags until it’s a standoff. A bow and arrow has to be broken since Yuta’s shoulders are on the mat so he goes with a jumping backsplash for two instead. Some chops cut Yuta down again and Salina is rather pleased. Or she’s just evil. You never can tell with her.

Yuta gets sent outside for a suicide dive, allowing Part to throw him inside again for a whip with a belt. A Rock Bottom backbreaker into a German suplex gives Park two and it’s time to trade the chops. Yuta gets two off a sitout powerbomb and Park gets the same off a running Codebreaker out of the corner. Park misses a moonsault though and it’s a reverse implant DDT to give Yuta the pin at 7:02.

Rating: C. Uh….ok then? Yuta is someone who can be built into something around here and there’s nothing wrong with that as he’s a young, talented guy. That being said, I’m not sure what the point is in having Park lose right before he’s going to get a title shot at a big show. Especially in his debut. At least the match was pretty good, as Yuta is starting to find his footing.

Stokely Hathaway (a good heel manager) is coming back.

Tom Lawlor laughs off the idea of Shane Strickland not showing up.

Jimmy Havoc is ready to fight Sami Callihan in any kind of match. It was Callihan running away from him when they fought through this building and Havoc will make him run away again.

Rich Swann is ready for Teddy Hart tonight. ACH is ready to have Swann’s back.

Fightland Control Center. The Lucha Bros will defend against LA Park and his son, plus Shane Strickland gets his World Title rematch against Low Ki.

Teddy Hart vs. Rich Swann

The Hart Foundation and ACH are here as well. We get a handshake and hug with Hart getting on the ropes to pose a bit. Swann does the same and of course gets jumped from behind by the smarter veteran. A kick to the face sends Hart into the corner but Smith grabs the foot, allowing Hart to hit a torture rack backbreaker to take over again. Hart’s snap powerslam (must be a stable signature) lets him talk some trash, including bragging about the awesomeness of Canada.

A hammerlock DDT gets two and a Lionsault gets the same, albeit with Hart pulling him up at two. The top rope moonsault hits raised knees though and Swann flips over him, followed by a backflip into a dropkick. Now the Lethal Injection connects for two and a low superkick keeps Hart in trouble. A good looking frog splash gets two more but Hart is right back with an ankle lock. That goes nowhere so Hart heads up top, only to be taken down with a hurricanrana.

Hart bails to the floor and gets taken down by a suicide dive, leaving Swann to stare Smith down. That’s enough of a distraction for Hart to grab a snap suplex on the floor. Since the chairs are locked together, Hart settles for a piece of barricade instead but first, it’s a suplex on the platform. Swann hits a desperation flip dive off the platform but Hart shrugs it off and slams him onto the piece of barricade.

An Arabian moonsault onto Swann onto the barricade has him in even more trouble and a hanging piledriver (think the Orton DDT but a piledriver instead) knocks Swann silly. Bocchini points out the concussion, which is the kind of detail that you would forget as it was only mentioned once earlier. Swann is somehow fine enough to superkick him on the apron and hit a quick cutter.

Both guys are barely able to stand up so Smith lifts Hart back inside. That just earns him a Phoenix splash for two so Swann heads up again, only to get distracted by Smith again. He’s fine enough to roll through a hurricanrana though and puts on a Sharpshooter (although with a completely different method of starting).

Like any good Canadian, Hart isn’t about to give up to a Sharpshooter and dives over to the rope. Smith offers ANOTHER distraction (because ACH is the most worthless friend ever) and Hart hits a low blow to set up a super Canadian Destroyer. The electric chair backbreaker is enough for the pin on Swann at 18:52.

Rating: B. The stuff on the floor took up too much time but this was a heck of a fight with both guys trying to out perform each other. Hart is known for his crazy athleticism and high flying abilities so having someone like Swann go out there and hang with him every step of the way is a good sign. ACH basically disappeared halfway through the match and was completely worthless so Swann didn’t exactly lose clean here. Good match, as the Hart Foundation continues their rise.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show about the middleweights and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s the same thing that has worked for years in NXT: focus on one thing one week and a different one later, but treat both of them as important. That’s what they did here and it will help them down the road. Instead of having these smaller guys treated like they’re lower on the totem pole, you have them just waiting for their next time on the grand stage. Those are two different things and it goes a long way in the future.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Smackdown Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/09/07/new-book-kbs-complete-smackdown-2003-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #19
Date: August 24, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schaivone

We should be running out of matches from the New York tapings but tonight we’ve got something big. This week it’s Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defending the Tag Team Titles against ACH and Rich Swann. That should be a heck of a match, even though Swann and ACH lost to the Hart Foundation last week. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap last week’s Dojo Fight with Tom Lawlor defeating Parrow but having to save his trainer Seth Petruzelli.

Lawlor swears vengeance. Tonight the Dirty Blonds face Team Filthy and next week, Lawlor will send Colonel Parker’s stud Jake Hager to the glue factory.

Opening sequence.

The Stud Stable is really not happy with Parrow. Colonel Parker is proud of the rest of his team though. Hager is ready for Lawlor next week.

Dirty Blonds vs. Team Filthy

That would be Fred Yehi/Simon Gotch for the ones in need of bathing. Yehi starts with Patrick and knocks him around with little to no effort. It’s off to Brien, who gets kicked into a good looking belly to back suplex as the early control continues. A neck snap across the top rope puts Gotch down though and it’s Scott coming in to hammer him upside the head. Yehi gets suckered in so a double suplex can drop Gotch. The referee is yelling at Brien so Lawlor hits Patrick in the back with a chair, which he throws to Parrow. Gotch grabs a small package for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D. Nothing to the match due to the time, but it does keep the feud going. That being said, I’m not sure why the feud is continuing. I don’t remember the Stable winning a single match in the story yet, which makes me wonder why it’s still going. At least the better team is winning, though it’s not like the Stable is horrible or getting squashed.

ACH and Rich Swann complain about the heat but they’re ready to be Tag Team Champions.

Tommy Dreamer is ready for WarGames and goes over the history of some of his career in Florida. WarGames has been around before the Elimination Chamber or Hell in a Cell and you lay it all on the line out there. He’s ready for Sami Callihan, who has done everything imaginable to him before. Dreamer’s idol Dusty Rhodes (who invented WarGames) is going to have the best seat in the house when Dreamer becomes the Innovator of Violence in his first WarGames. Good stuff.

Matt Striker goes over the rules of WarGames and plugs the rest of the card. I’m looking forward to that show.

Ricky Martinez vs. ???

Martinez is Salina de la Renta’s (sweet goodness this week) newest client. The unnamed jobber bows to Martinez to start but has his kick to the head shrugged off. A backbreaker sets up a belly to back faceplant to give Martinez the pin at 1:01. It was a little sloppy, but that’s how you make someone look like a star.

Video on Low Ki vs. John Hennigan from last week.

Low Ki says he told us so and he’s accepting challengers from anywhere, including a Club or from the Underground.

Clip of Team Strickland getting jumped last week.

Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Dreamer being on the team because he’s ready to do whatever it takes.

Abyss promises to bring the violence to WarGames. That’s why you bring him in.

We look back at the opening match.

Lawlor wants his World Title match but can only see the Stud Stable. He wants Hager next week and the match has been set.

Salina, now in a different outfit, has no comment on the lawsuit from Fenix and Pentagon Jr. Low Ki is going to make short work of Fenix because no one is going to cut his plans short. The interviewer being intimidated by Salina continues to be a good little story.

Tag Team Titles: ACH/Rich Swann vs. Lucha Bros

Fenix and Pentagon are defending. Pentagon and Fenix handle their own introductions because luchadors introduce luchadors. The champs get knocked to the floor to the start and Swann declares himself the best in the world. He and ACH take their time getting ready to dive though and Fenix rolls back in for a double cutter. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp DESTROYS Swann for two as a suicide dive sends ACH into a bunch of chairs in the crowd.

Back in and Swann’s chest is ripped apart by some chops, followed by a running kick to the leg. Fenix puts on the chinlock to keep Swann in trouble as the announcers debate whether Konnan made up all the issues with Salina to steal her talent. ACH comes in and gets kicked in the leg again, followed by the big chop against the ropes. A springboard headbutt (looked like it was going to be a springboard hurricanrana but Fenix pulled up) rocks ACH instead but he’s right back with a sliding kick to Fenix’s head.

ACH slingshots down onto Pentagon and a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a snap German suplex gets two on Fenix. The champs are right back up though as Swann gets on the apron to see ACH send them into each other. Swann comes in with a hurricanrana to Fenix and a superkick to Pentagon. Fenix gets caught on top and Swann hurricanranas him onto Pentagon for two as it’s time to get fired up.

Stereo tiger bombs get two on the Bros but Pentagon is back up with a Sling Blade. The Codebreaker into the top rope double stomp has Swann down and ACH gets superkicked out of the air. ACH is fine enough to send the champs together and fireman’s carry them both at a time. Fenix slips off so ACH throws Pentagon onto him before collapsing. Swann and Pentagon set up the big showdown and slug it out but the Pentagon Driver (good one) is only good for two.

Somehow Fenix is back up and rolls into a cutter for two on ACH, only to have Swann hit a quick middle rope 450 for the same. Everyone is spent so they shout a lot and chop around in a circle until everyone is down again. Fenix and ACH forearm it out and Swann knocks Pentagon down with one shot. Stereo handspring cutters from ACH and Fenix both miss and it’s another group knockdown. ACH gets caught on top but he catches Fenix on top just as quickly. Swann goes after him and gets sunset bombed back down. ACH is knocked outside and it’s the spike Fear Factor to retain the titles at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This was all about four guys beating each other up and doing a bunch of flips and kicks in the process. That’s all it needed to be too and I had a blast watching them do these painful looking things to each other. There was no logical way to put the titles on Swann and ACH after last week’s loss but egads they made it a fun match on the way. Really good stuff here and a ton of fun.

Quick video on LA Park, who will face Pentagon at WarGames.

Overall Rating: C+. The rest of the show wasn’t great but the main event eats up about a third of the time and that’s all awesome stuff. Other than that though, things are looking up towards WarGames and I’m actually looking forward to the show. Just keep things going strong as we get closer to the big show and build it up well, which is all you can hope for with a wrestling show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #18
Date: August 17, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

We’re still in New York and that means we have a big time World Title match as Low Ki defends against John Hennigan (or whatever they’re calling him this week). While I doubt they’ll change the title again so soon, it should be an entertaining match, which is almost always the case when Hennigan is involved. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jim Neidhart.

We recap Hennigan beating Teddy Hart to earn the title shot in a rather flippy do match.

Before the show, the Hart Foundation got in ACH and Rich Swann’s faces before their match later. Brian Pillman Jr. is already nailing his dad’s mannerisms.

Rich Swann/ACH vs. Hart Foundation

That would be Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. with Pillman in their corner. Before the match, we get the Canadian national anthem. Striker: “Tony why are you taking a knee?” Tony: “Well I did play high school football.” Teddy shakes ACH’s hand but won’t look him in the eye for a show of disrespect. Smith shoves the much smaller ACH down with ease and Smith strikes a quick pose. ACH’s chop just hurts his own hand but a dropkick to the leg makes some more sense.

Smith calmly runs him over and it’s off to Hart vs. Swann. Teddy easily takes him down into the Rings of Saturn, though they don’t last long. Instead Swann nips out of a wristlock, leaving Hart to climb the corner and bounce around into a wristdrag. Back up and Hart snaps off a powerslam for two, drawing a chant for Teddy. Hart jumps over him in the corner, lands on Swann’s back, and snaps off a Code Red.

ACH makes a save so everything breaks down with Smith throwing them both to the floor as we take a break. Back with ACH hitting Hart with a Pele and a frog splash but Smith makes the save. The cocky ACH puts on the Sharpshooter with Smith making another save, albeit an angrier one this time. Swann goes up but Pillman hits him low with a cane shot, allowing Hart to hit an electric chair Backstabber for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C+. I like ACH and Swann but there was no question about pushing the Harts here. It makes far more sense as they have a big family name, work well together, and can get some attention on your product. Smith is a force and could be a big deal if he’s pushed properly, which somehow hasn’t happened anywhere yet.

We get a WarGames Control Center (SWEET) with an explanation of the match’s rules, which seem to be the original version (SWEET AGAIN). In addition to the show’s namesake match, there will be a World Title match plus PCO vs. Brody King. The tickets are only $10, which is actually a steal.

Shane Strickland (in an Austin Theory shirt) is ready to announce the newest member of his WarGames team but first he has to give John Hennigan a scouting report on Low Ki. Strickland’s advice: don’t let him kick you in the head. The team isn’t worried about Team Callihan adding Abyss, but here is Team Callihan to jump them from behind. Tommy Dreamer makes the save and is officially part of Team Strickland.

Hennigan is banged up before his title shot tonight.

Konnan is very pleased with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. leaving Salina de la Renta and joining him because they’re like scarecrows: they’re outstanding in their field. Ok that was actually kind of clever. Fenix and Pentagon seem very pleased with their decision.

Tom Lawlor is training at his dojo with Seth Petruzelli when the Stud Stable comes in for the Dojo Fight. They’ve got a referee with them (they come prepared) and Jake Hager talks trash, but it’s going to be Parrow fighting for the Stable instead. Lawlor throws some rights and lefts to start before driving Parrow against the cage. Parrow gets him on the ground and swings Lawlor into the cage to break up an armbar. Back up and Lawlor uses a pipe in the ceiling to hit a hurricanrana (giving me flashbacks to the Dungeon matches back in the WWF) before slapping on a Kimura for the tap.

Not a match, but an MMA guy beating a wrestler in an MMA fight isn’t the most shocking thing in the world. I’ll certainly give them big points for doing something different though, as having the same matches over and over again is rarely a good idea. This worked well enough. Post fight, Lawlor refuses to let go of the hold until he sees Petruzelli down and goes over for the save.

Salina intimidates the interviewer and Low Ki isn’t scared about having to defend against Hennigan tonight. Ki is looking forward to Hennigan’s challenge and promises to make him a sacrificial lamb. Hennigan needs to go back underground because the impact of tonight is going to be brutal.

We get a tale of the tape for the title match. Always appreciated.

MLW World Title: John Hennigan vs. Low Ki

Hennigan is challenging and has bad ribs from earlier. Thankfully Ki is in regular gear instead of the suit. Feeling out process to start as Tony gives us some history of Black Friday Management (thank you, as it was treated like something we should know despite being from the original incarnation of MLW). Hennigan drives him into the corner but gets pulled into an armbar over the ropes.

That’s broken up in a hurry so they go to the mat for a grappling session. Hennigan works on the leg as Striker mentions that Hennigan will be in WarGames. Makes sense given the segment earlier. Ki steals Hennigan’s bandanna and you know that makes things more serious. They separate again as we’re still waiting for this to really take off. A test of strength takes Hennigan down and Ki actually breaks his bridge a few times. You don’t often see that.

They grapple some more with Ki grabbing a guillotine choke, sending Hennigan straight to the ropes. We get a rare smile from Ki and it’s a lot more intimidating than I was expecting. Hennigan knees him into the corner but a springboard is broken up and the big crash to the floor has Hennigan in trouble. Ki walks him around the ring while adding in some chops and it’s off to a triangle headscissors back inside.

A gutwrench keeps Hennigan in trouble as Salina continues her evil stare. Hennigan can’t get him up for a suplex so Ki grabs an abdominal stretch to keep things logical. The hold is broken and Hennigan goes with right hands to the head in the corner, which is probably a smart move as grappling hasn’t been his strong suit so far. The sliding German suplex drops Ki, with Tony saying he’s never seen it before, even though Hennigan used it last week.

Rating: B-. This is actually a tricky one as they went in a completely different direction than you would have expected. I’m not sure if it worked nearly as well as they were expecting, but it was certainly different. As long as it’s not a disaster, which this wasn’t, I can give them credit for trying to do something new. I’d have preferred to see their usual stuff, but what they did was more than fine and it was a good match as a result.

Next week: Team Filthy vs. the Dirty Blonds and ACH/Rich Swann vs. Fenix/Pentagon Jr. for the Tag Team Titles.

Overall Rating: C+. They did things differently almost all the way up and down the card here and that’s a good sign. You can’t just keep doing the same stuff over and over again because things are going to get stale. There’s nothing wrong with having a signature style, but you have to mix things up often enough to let that style work better in the long term. That’s what they did here and it helped a lot. I’m also liking the build towards WarGames better than what they did for Battle Riot, so things are starting to come together on the more long term aspects of the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 12, 2018
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

With Slammiversary less than two weeks away, there isn’t much left to be done. Most of the card is already set up but last week’s show saw a big angle in the return of the original LAX. I’m sure that will set up a match at the pay per view, which is starting to look like a heck of a show. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of the LAX split, which has been far better than I was expecting.

Opening sequence.

OG’s vs. ???/???

That would be Homicide/Hernandez and it’s a complete squash with a Border Toss ending one of the jobbers at 58 seconds.

Post match King says Konnan’s time is done so King decided to take him out. Konnan is a smart man though so King brought in the OG’s. When Konnan restarted LAX, he went with the young boys instead of these two guys who don’t need your cheers. That’s why at Slammiversary, it’s a street fight. Good followup here as they didn’t waste time and set up the match in short order. That’s what you should have done and if we get a fired up response, everything will be copacetic.

Shotzi Blackheart recently impressed at a RISE event and gets to face Allie tonight. She’s ready to go.

Video on Blackheart.

OVE talks about how great they are and they’re ready to show their greatness in six man matches in tonight’s main event.

Shotzi Blackheart vs. Allie

Shotzi has long green hair and is from the Black Lagoon so I’m already a fan. A shoulder puts Allie down to start and Blackheart grabs something like a Muta Lock but pulls on Allie’s arms instead of her face. This is getting more and more promising. Back up and they chop it out until Allie misses a charge in the corner and we hit a quickly broken chinlock. Shotzi misses a missile dropkick and Allie gets two off a German suplex. The running Codebreaker puts Shotzi away at 5:45.

Rating: C. It’s a small sample size but Shotzi looked good for the most part here. Hopefully she’s brought back for some more shots as the division can always use some extra talent. Allie’s transformation from fun Bayley style character to serious has worked well and the change in gear helps too. You can only be so serious in the goofier looking gear but the Allie shirt and black pants give her a very different vibe.

Post match Tessa Blanchard comes out to beat Allie down.

Grado annoys Eli Drake, who hits on Katarina. A match is set for tonight.

Tessa is tired of Allie interfering in her business so she took Allie out.

Long recap of Tommy Dreamer vs. Eddie Edwards. Eddie’s turn has been great, but Dreamer being involved has sucked away a lot of the interest I had in the story.

The silhouetted woman is still coming but seems to have red hair.

Austin Aries knows Moose isn’t going to beat him and doesn’t think much of a retired, washed up football player (“I’m not talking about Moose.”) being here tonight. He’s looking forward to hearing what DeAngelo Williams has to say.

From Slammiversary 2013, Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell had a heck of a Last Man Standing match.

Josh Matthews brings out Williams, who happens to be Moose’s friend. If nothing else I could go for seeing him have another match. Williams has been training with Moose and thinks Aries is trash. We see a clip of the training and here’s Aries with a rebuttal. The fans chant for Aries, who says he knows his own name.

Aries asks why Williams isn’t in training camp and realizes it’s because no one wanted to sign him. He and Moose can bond over their lack of winning championships and Aries has a message for Moose. That would be a left hand but Aries misses a chair shot. Williams takes it away so Aries kicks him low and blasts him in the back. With Moose not around, this was about as good as it could have been.

KM and Fallah Bahh are having the same talk they have every week when the Desi Hit Squad comes in. They want to bring glory to India (we know) so KM yells at him. Gama Singh says that’s typical of North Americans. Well that’s irony.

Eli Drake vs. Grado

Grado has Katarina and Joe Hendry in his corner. Drake jumps him from behind and fires off the shoulders in the corner. A hurricanrana out of the corner of all things puts Drake down and Grado slugs away. Drake fires off a clothesline and the Gravy Train is good for the pin at 2:06.

Post match Drake accuses Hendry of trying to steal Katarina. I mean, yeah.

Video on Aries vs. Moose.

Killer Kross is ready to end Petey Williams next week.

Matt Sydal says his third eye is open and he isn’t an underdog at Slammiversary. Size doesn’t matter because if it did, he wouldn’t have a career. Good line.

Moose calls in to say he’ll be here next week to face Aries face to face.

We get a sitdown interview with Madison Rayne, who can’t believe what she’s going to be doing at Slammiversary. The lights flicker and Madison gets up to look for Su Yung. The interviewer disappears and THE TIME HAS COME is written on a wall. Yung’s dress is seen leaving the room and Madison opens a door to follow her but the camera cuts off.

OVE vs. Fenix/Pentagon Jr./Rich Swann

Tornado rules. Pentagon and Sami get in each others’ faces to start until six superkicks stagger everyone. Swann and Sami are the only ones left standing and Swann flips over him to speed things up. They kick each other as well though and it’s another knockdown. The Lucha Brothers beat up the Crist brothers and kick Dave in the face in the corner for two. Sami low blows Pentagon and suplexes Fenix into him, followed by a heck of a clothesline to take Fenix’s head off.

Swann is right back with a dive though, only to have Jake flip dive onto everyone. Not to be outdone, Fenix springboards into a twisting dive of his own, giving us a pretty awkward IMPACT WRESTLING chant. Dave superplexes Swann onto the pile and we take a well deserved break.

Back with the Tower of Doom into a powerbomb from Jake for two on Fenix. Jake puts Fenix up top but gets punched back down, setting up a very high angle Swanton. Swann starts kicking Sami down but eats a piledriver for two with Pentagon making the save. The Pentagon Driver gets two on Sami and Pentagon is stunned.

A series of cutters take almost everyone down, including Jake diving off one corner to cutter Swann, who was diving off another for an awesome visual. Sami gets caught in a spike Fear Factor for two in a rather ridiculous kickout. Another Fear Factor onto the apron destroys Jake and Swann kicks Callihan in the head. Swann’s super hurricanrana is countered into a powerbomb though and Callihan’s Get Out Of Here is good for the pin at 17:51.

Rating: B+. Heck of a main event here, rather ridiculous kickout for Sami aside. I can’t imagine Pentagon losing his mask at Slammiversary (it’s too valuable to him elsewhere) and Sami losing would be the right call. Other than that though, this was a rather fun match and Swann is looking like a star in the heavyweight division. I’m still not sure why he couldn’t do that in WWE, but then there would be no point to the cruiserweights having their own division. In other words, exactly how it is now. Really good match and a lot of fun in the style OVE should be doing most of the time.

Back to Madison, who follows Yung outside and gets surrounded by the bridesmaids. They come up to her but disappear, leaving Yung to grab Rayne to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. What does it say when this might have been the best TV show of the week? I’m looking forward to Slammiversary and most of the matches are looking very good. The show wasn’t perfect but the big stories are looking great and I’m curious to see who wins some of the pay per view matches. This is the best they’ve been in a long time and if that continues, they might be onto something.

Results

OG’s b. ???/??? – Border Toss

Allie b. Shotzi Blackheart – Running Codebreaker

Eli Drake b. Grado – Gravy Train

OVE b. Rich Swann/Fenix/Pentagon Jr. – Get Out Of Here to Fenix

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: July 5, 2018
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re getting closer to Slammiversary and things are starting to take shape. The stories around here are getting better but they still don’t have that one big blow away idea that could get them some staying power. That’s been the case for a long time though and unfortunately it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show in rapid fashion.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Fenix

This could be good. Feeling out process to start with Swann doing about eight nipups in a row to get out of a wristlock. That’s fine with Fenix who bounces on the top rope to send Swann outside. You wouldn’t be able to do that. The fans chant for both these guys as they miss kicks and trade forearms for a standoff. Swann gets kicked to the floor but avoids a dive, setting up a dropkick off the apron to put Fenix down.

Back in and Fenix gets caught on top, banging up his knee in the process. The knee is fine enough to moonsault into an armdrag though as these two just don’t stop. There’s the big flip dive to the floor but Fenix misses a moonsault back inside. Of course he keeps backflipping though and cutters Swann for another close two.

Fenix’s Lethal Injection is countered with Swann standing on his hands (of course) so Fenix has to try it again, this time connecting for a double knockdown. Back from a break with a chop off until Swann gets two off a fisherman’s buster and a middle rope 450. Fenix is right back with an over the shoulder sitout Tombstone for two of his own, followed by a Muscle Buster spinning into a driver for the pin at 13:30.

Rating: B. Well that was awesome. They didn’t try to do anything else here other than taking two high fliers and have them throw out one cool move after another. Fenix is as good as anyone right now and Swann could hang with him, making this a very entertaining match. The four way at Slammiversary should be a blast.

Post match OVE runs in to beat Fenix down but Pentagon makes the save. Fenix is helped up but Pentagon turns on him, only to unmask as Sami Callihan. Swann tries to make a save but gets caught in the numbers game. Cue the real Pentagon for the save and a big flip dive. That probably sets up a six man and I could go for that as Pentagon is looking more and more like a superstar every week.

The announcers preview the rest of the show.

KM shouts an apology to Fallah Bahh and promises to prove his loyalty tonight.

Allie and Madison Rayne are ready to face the monster Su Yung and her undead bridesmaid. Allie knows you need light and darkness and Yung brought out another side of her.

Killer Kross vs. Fallah Bahh

This better be a squash. Bahh can’t run him over to start and Kross drives him into the corner without much effort. A running splash in the corner and a bunch of chops are no sold and Kross hits a running clothesline of his own. Some shots to the head rock Bahh and a Saito suplex puts Bahh down. A standing choke knocks Bahh cold for the win at 2:27.

Post match Kross stays on him but KM comes in for the save. That earns him a beating too so Petey Williams runs down with a chair. Two shots to the back have no effect so he pelts the chair at Kross’ head to knock him outside. I’d call it a stretch to put Bahh out there as Kross’ first opponent (and Kross didn’t really have any impressive offense aside from the suplex) but a character like this shouldn’t be selling anything for a long time. Williams is now next on the list, but him being able to knock Kross outside should have taken a few weeks, not on the first night.

Jimmy Jacobs says he’s ready to send Kongo Kong after Brian Cage because Kong has beaten everyone he’s gone against. Cage is the bad guy who snapped when he lost his first match, but Kong is just doing what a monster does. Jacobs wants Cage to lose and because he’s a princess, he gets everything that he wants.

Clip of Rob Van Dam vs. Sting from Slammiversary 2010.

The Desi Hit Squad is excited for their win but Gama Singh comes in to say follow his instruction if they want to become World Champions. It’s all about bringing honor to India. As it always is.

A silhouetted woman is coming.

Su Yung/Undead Maid of Honor vs. Allie/Madison Rayne

The fight starts early with Rayne and Allie hitting stereo Thesz presses. Allie sends the Maid into the corner to start and gets two off a Russian legsweep. Yung comes in for a side slam/sliding neckbreaker combination but Allie crawls over for the tag to Rayne. Everything breaks down and the Chance of Rayne (A cutter. Just because her name is Rayne doesn’t mean every one of her big moves has to be a rain pun.) drops Yung.

It’s not even good for a cover as Yung gets up and tries the Panic Switch, which bumps the referee. Rayne hits Cross Rayne (What does that even mean?) but Tessa Blanchard runs in to jump her from behind. Blanchard beats her down while Allie fights with the bridesmaids. The hammerlock DDT is broken up by Allie and another Cross Rayne ends the Maid at 6:04.

Rating: D+. Not the worst here and I like Yung having her own minions instead of tagging with one of the other Knockouts. It doesn’t make sense to have her suddenly be friendly with everyone so the Maid was a good idea. Blanchard running in makes enough sense, but having interference and a ref bump along with all the other minions at ringside was a lot for a six minute match.

Konnan says he has proof of who attacked him and LAX is nervous. King wants to see the proof and gets very defensive about it.

Singh trains the Hit Squad in the rain.

OVE, with Sami in Pentagon’s mask, speaks high school Spanish before yelling about Pentagon ruining everything. The six man is set for next week.

Austin Aries talks about wanting to be a wrestler growing up and paying a lot of dues. That’s different than Moose, who was an NFL player who was handed everything and then got a pass into wrestling because he was an athlete somewhere else. Aries doesn’t need a coach to make a game plan for him. After Slammiversary, Moose will be lucky to make the XFL. Now that’s taking it too far.

Konnan is on the phone and says he’s exposing the fake King for what he is.

A bloody Tommy Dreamer rants about Eddie Edwards throwing everything away because of an obsession. He doesn’t want to see Eddie go down that path and be right about everything. Of course he isn’t sleeping with Eddie’s wife because she’s 25 years old and look at Dreamer. Now it’s Dreamer who is obsessed with Eddie.

The House of Hardcore rules match is set for Slammiversary.

The announcers run down some of Slammiversary’s card and next week’s show.

Katarina vs. Rebel

Grado is out with Katarina, hopefully meaning he doesn’t talk. They trade some rollups to start until a headscissors sends Rebel into the corner. Rebel scores with a flapjack and a torture rack drop (which looked weird as Katarina is so tall) but gets caught in a sloppy tornado DDT. A Rock Bottom backbreaker ends Rebel at 3:05.

Rating: D. I don’t know if it was just Rebel not being very good or Katarina being rusty but this didn’t do much for me. They weren’t exactly looking polished out there and both of them botched more than one move. Thankfully they kept it short, but this didn’t exactly inspire me on either one of them.

Post match Grado does the Shawn Michaels pose in front of Katarina. I didn’t find the goofy guy with the beautiful girlfriend trope funny when Santino Marella did it so many times and I don’t find it funny here.

Post break Grado and Katarina are in the back when Katarina says she has a surprise for him. Joe Hendry, a Scottish wrestler, comes in and sings about how he makes things better in Impact. That could be interesting, especially if it splits up Grado and Katarina.

Kongo Kong vs. Brian Cage

Kong wins an exchange of shoulders so Cage hurricanranas him to the floor, followed by a big no hands flip dive. Or as Callis describes it, “WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT???” Back in and Kong counters a powerbomb with a hurricanrana out of the corner of his own. A World’s Strongest Slam drops Kong again and there’s a 619 just because he can. Cage gets two off a German suplex but Kong’s chokeslam is good for the same. Kong goes up but Cage catches him in a top rope superplex to shake the ring. An F5 gives Cage the pin at 5:05.

Rating: C. This was every Cage/Kong match I’ve seen since their debuts: Cage does things that no human being should be able to do and Kong makes me embarrassed to be a wrestling fan. The hurricanrana was more Kong falling backwards than anything athletic and it doesn’t make up for all the horrible stuff he does, not even counting his overall terrible look. Cage is an attraction, Kong is a disaster, as always.

Here’s Konnan to offer his evidence. First though he calls out King, who Konnan says put a hit out on him. Konnan was the one who bailed King out of a lot of trouble, including possible domestic violence. King wants the proof so here it is: those calls that King said Konnan made to give him orders from the hospital never happened. King is exactly what he used to be: a talking glory hole. Fans: “GLORY HOLE!” Josh: “It’s trending on Twitter.”

King admits that he did it because Konnan’s time is over. Konnan needs to leave before he gets shot in the back of the head like Old Yeller. Santana and Ortiz are told to pick their side and they flip King off. Konnan says King didn’t get the job done but he says he did. Cue Homicide and Hernandez to beat down Konnan, Santana and Ortiz, doing their best Paul Heyman/Randy Rose/Dennis Condrey pose to end the show. I liked this a lot and while it’s copying the Midnight Express angle from 1988, it was a great angle and took place thirty years ago. If this is anywhere near as good, they’re in outstanding shape.

Overall Rating: C+. A good match to start and a hot angle to finish it are more than enough to make this show work. There are still a bunch of issues to resolve (Kross not flattening a normal sized opponent is up there) but the World Title feud is heating up, despite the wrestlers not actually being in the same place, and the pay per view looks good. I’m actually digging the show right now and if that continues, they’re heading in the right direction.

Results

Fenix b. Rich Swann – Muscle Buster driver

Killer Kross b. Fallah Bahh – Choke

Madison Rayne/Allie b. Su Yung/Undead Maid of Honor – Cross Rayne to Maid

Katarina b. Rebel – Rock Bottom backbreaker

Brian Cage b. Kongo Kong – F5

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #11
Date: June 29, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

Things are starting to take shape around here but at the same time, there is still new stuff being addle every week which makes the show that much more fun to watch. We’re also getting closer to Battle Riot later this month, which should be a lot of fun if they do it right. I’m not sure what to expect tonight so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of last week’s show with Barrington Hughes fighting Sami Callihan’s goons.

Hughes, with a bandage around his head, says he was jumped from behind by something made of metal. They’re not done quarreling or rumbling.

Opening sequence.

We look back at Kotto Brazil beating Vandal Ortagun last week.

Kotto is proud of his win but here are Callihan’s goons and Callihan himself to jump Brazil from behind. Callihan says that’s a message for MVP, as that feud is still going. They take Kotto away.

Ariel Dominguez vs. Jaye Skye

This is a Prospect match and Dominguez weighs 140lbs. They lock up in the corner but here are Su Yung and Zeda Zhang (from the Mae Young Classic) to beat them both down for a no contest after about a minute.

Video on Low Ki wanting to claim the bounty on Shane Strickland. He wants to burn the house of Swerve to the ground. The bounty is now up to $60,000. I don’t like Low Ki but the low voiceover is a very nice touch and rather creepy.

Newly announced for Battle Riot: Tom Lawlor, Brody King, Low Ki, Jimmy Havoc, Samu, Leon Scott. Yes that’s Headshrinker Samu. I’m not sure I get it either.

Also announced for the show: Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Joey Ryan for the inaugural Middleweight Championship. That’s rather abrupt.

MVP finds Kotto (no idea how) along with a phone featuring a message from Callihan, who wants to meet him in the boiler room.

Fred Yehi vs. Sammy Guevara

Sammy has Salina de la Renta with him along with a big bodyguard. In the back, Team Filthy offers Fred what sounds to be a rather insincere good luck. A trip to the mat goes nowhere and Yehi runs him over with a shoulder. Back up and Guevara does a standing backflip instead of a leapfrog, which is rather impressive looking. Unfortunately it doesn’t do much good as Yehi grabs the arm to take over. A release German suplex drops Guevara for two but he belly to belly suplexes Yehi into the corner to cut him off.

Guevara puts him in a fireman’s carry to do some squats but Yehi slips out and forearms him in the face. There’s a powerbomb for two on Guevara and it’s time for a sloppy looking sequence where they seem to mistime multiple spots, including Guevara slipping out of a full nelson and getting covered for two. Yehi is tired of the missed spots and grabs a Koji Clutch for the tap at 6:31.

Rating: C. Yehi is getting more and more fun to watch every time he’s out there and Guevara is fine for a cocky heel who can get what’s coming to him. This worked fine and gave Yehi a win that he needed. You can go a few places with someone like him but it doesn’t matter if he doesn’t win at least a few times.

Post match de la Renta ignores Guevara’s excuses.

We look back at Yung and Zhang’s attack earlier.

Team Filthy runs into Low Ki and thank him for building up the bounty money. Low Ki brings up Lawlor being #1 contender and points out all the #1 contenders who have lost their shot. Oh and Low Ki is getting the next title shot anyway. Ki’s voice really is great for things like this.

We look back at Callihan attacking MVP until Brazil made the save, only to have Callihan and company beat them both down with the baseball bat.

Callihan says what happened to Brazil was just a warning to MVP. The boiler room challenge is thrown out again.

We look back at Team Filthy beating Jimmy Havoc down about a month ago.

Havoc is sitting by Team Filthy’s hot tub and says he’s watching them.

Clip of Fenix and Pentagon becoming Tag Team Champions.

Team TBD is arguing and can’t be interviewed right now.

Rich Swann vs. ACH

Tom Lawlor is on commentary and isn’t pleased with both guys dancing before the bell. Lawlor: “I want to beat somebody up.” Swann rolls away from an early chop in the corner as Bocchini asks why the prize in Team Filthy Open Challenges is so low. ACH gets in a roll of his own and backflips into a standoff. There’s a dropkick to put ACH down but Swann doesn’t seem interested in being very aggressive.

An attempt at a handspring bulldog is pretty easily countered as ACH pulls him out of the air and it’s off to a chinlock. A backbreaker into a snap German suplex gives ACH two and we’re right back to the chinlock. Rich: “How do you counter that suplex?” Lawler: “Don’t get caught in it in the first place.” ACH hits him in the back and we hit the third chinlock in about six minutes. I mean….do an armbar or something. Swann fights up and grabs a headscissors for two and a jumping hurricanrana brings ACH off the ropes.

ACH gets in a double stomp to the back and kicks him in the head but comes up holding his shoulder. It’s fine enough for a middle rope frog splash and a one armed deadlift German suplex gets two. Lawlor: “But what if he had two???” Swann is right back up with a Lethal Injection and they’re both banged up. A slow slugout goes to Swann off a kick to the face for two but the standing 450 hits boots. Swann tries la majistral but ACH lays down on it for the surprise pin at 12:37.

Rating: B-. This was a different kind of match as neither was wanting to go that high as neither was willing to find out if the other was that much better. ACH needed the win a lot more than Swann, but it’s kind of surprising to see someone with Swann’s WWE status and being so new take a loss. Still though, not too bad.

Overall Rating: C+. This show isn’t great but I’ve yet to see a bad episode from these guys. They put on good shows with stories that have been put together logically and you can start to see where things are supposed to go. I like what I’ve been seeing and that’s not something I can say happens with a lot of promotions with more time than this one.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #7
Date: June 1, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

With Pentagon out of the way, it’s time for Shane Strickland to find a new challenger to the World Title. I’m not sure who that can be as Tom Lawlor would seem to be one of the best options but he’s busy with Jimmy Havoc at the moment. Other than that, you never can tell what you might see on this show, which can be both good and bad. Let’s get to it.

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

The backstage interviewer is outside Jeff Cobb’s (Lucha Underground’s Matanza) locker room when the Stud Stable comes in with Colonel Parker promising to put Cobb on a stretcher tonight.

Opening sequence.

Jake Hager vs. Jeff Cobb

Hager is better known as Jack Swagger and is part of the Stud Stable. Cobb, who the fans seem to like, is a fellow wrestling machine but is built more like Samoa Joe. Hager wastes no time in taking Cobb into the corner and tossing him across the ring in an impressive power display. A German suplex gets Cobb out of trouble for a few seconds but a clothesline to the back of the head takes him right back down. It’s too early for the ankle lock so the announcers start talking about the rest of the card instead of what’s going on here. Dang it MLW not you too.

Cobb fights out of a chinlock and forearms away in the corner but charges into a pair of boots. The Vader Bomb gets two but Cobb is fine enough to hit an Oklahoma Stampede for two of his own. Cobb can’t hit the Tour of the Islands and misses the standing shooting star press as well. The second Vader Bomb hits boots but Hager reverses into the ankle lock for the tap at 6:40.

Rating: C. Hager is someone who could be a player around here as he has the WWE pedigree and still looks like a killer. The Stud Stable could use a singles name like him too as just being a tag team isn’t going to get them very far. Cobb is a good choice to have around as well but given a loss like this, which was mostly one sided, I’m not sure how big he’s going to be around here.

Cobb is taken out on a stretcher and after a break, goes into an ambulance with a fractured ankle. That’s a great way to get the ankle lock over early on.

Quick look at Strickland retaining last week.

Shane says that was a hard match last week and is glad that the title is still around his waist. He runs into Salina de la Renta, who says it’s not over. Shane isn’t intimidated but she says be careful what you wish for. She has someone in mind for him.

Next week: Fred Yehi vs. Tom Lawlor.

Team Filthy doesn’t think anything of Yehi because he’s a little guy (“About yay high.”).

Sami Callihan and his big bald (and still unnamed) friend say they’re still taking over everything. Thanks for the update on that one.

Maxwell J Friedman is having some champagne at ringside.

The MLW Top Ten:

10. ACH

9. Jake Hager

8. Joey Janela

7. Barrington Hughes

6. Jimmy Havoc

5. MVP

4. Sami Callihan

3. Rey Fenix

2. Pentagon Jr.

1. Tom Lawlor

So Lawlor is #1 contender. I guess that should do it for Havoc’s deal, at least for now.

Rich Swann vs. Kotto Brazil

This is Swann’s MLW debut and he’s dancing, despite not having the fastest music in the world. We get a CAN YOU HANDLE THIS chant to start and the dancing continues, so at least Swann still has some holdover appeal from WWE. They trade headlocks to start before switching to a long pinfall reversal sequence into a standoff. A jumping Stunner from Brazil cranks the pace up a little bit and a springboard forearm makes Swann hold his face.

Brazil grabs a chinlock (needs more grabbing of the chin) to keep things in control as Friedman doesn’t seem impressed. Swann is back up with a dropkick and the pace actually slows a bit. A SHH chop is loaded up in the corner but Swann punches him in the face instead. Something like a torture rack with Swann on one knee and bending Brazil down a bit has him in more trouble as Swann is being very, very cocky here. Like, to the point where he’s almost a heel which….isn’t the worst idea in the world.

A missile dropkick gets two on Brazil and now it’s an abdominal stretch with Swann picking up the leg off the mat. With that going nowhere, Swann goes up and dives into….I think it was supposed to be a dropkick but was kind of a leg to the ribs instead. A Blockbuster (which actually connects) gives Brazil two but Swann comes back with a Lethal Injection. Brazil pulls him down into a reverse Rings of Saturn (Naomi used it for a bit last year) and then a Crossface for good measure. Swann makes a rope and they slug it out with Brazil going down, setting up the Phoenix splash to give Swann the pin at 12:59.

Rating: C-. What in the world was that? Like really, what were they going for here? If you’re bringing in Swann, a former champion in WWE and someone who got a strong reaction, as a heel (which is doable), don’t have him go move for move with someone who has never actually won a match around here. If you’re bringing him in as a face, which seems to be the idea with Friedman not being pleased, don’t have him being so cocky and having so many problems. This should have been about seven minutes shorter and more of a squash, so I’m really not sure what they were going for here.

They shake hands post match to make things even more confusing. Swann leaves but here’s Sami Callihan to hit Brazil with a baseball bat.

Sami Callihan vs. Joey Janela

Sami has two monsters with him, one of whom is the bald guy we’ve seen before but the other is an even bigger guy with messy hair (who appears to be Sawyer Fulton from NXT). If nothing else, Sami has a cool nickname with the Worldwide Desperado. Joey has Aria, who apparently used to be a backstage interviewer around here, in his corner as usual. Friedman is still at ringside so maybe we’re not done yet.

Janela knocks Callihan into the two monsters (with Fulton being seen on the jacket of the guy with hair, meaning we at least have one person confirmed) and the fans are rather pleased. Back in and Callihan clotheslines him down but Joey forearms away with reckless abandon. That just earns him a piledriver on the apron (they use that way too much) and we take a break. We come back with Janela hitting a sunset bomb for a breather and a Death Valley Driver gets three….but there’s a boot on the ropes.

So we keep going with the fans still behind Janela, though they oddly quiet down when he scores with some superkicks. Sami’s piledriver is no sold (erg) and he hits a fifth superkick before going down. A slugout goes to Janela but he misses a moonsault for a big crash. They head outside with Janela being sent into Friedman, who beats the heck out of him for messing up the champagne. Back in and Sami’s double underhook shoulder breaker is good for the pin at 9:03.

Post match Friedman beats up the bloody Janela even more and pours champagne on him to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was the first real miss of the series with only one debut hitting and two matches being ranging from badly booked to just not being interesting in the first place. Maybe it’s me not liking some of the people on this show but it’s not a good sign when the Stud Stable and Colonel Parker were the best things on the show. I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt until next week but I really hope this isn’t the way they’re heading most of the time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the NXT The Full Sail Years Volume III (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/05/25/new-book-nxt-the-full-sail-years-from-dallas-to-new-orleans/

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

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

205 Live
Date: December 5, 2017
Location: Valley View Casino Center, San Diego, California
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

We’re in a weird place with this show as the big #1 contenders match is coming up on Raw, making this show all the less important. On top of that, Enzo Amore is out of the country this week and has put Drew Gulak in charge. I’m sure nothing bad will come of this whatsoever. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap of Gulak becoming the second entrant in the #1 contender match by winning a four way last night on Raw.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Gulak to open things up by asking how we are all doing. His mentor has appointed him as the leader of the Zo Train but this Monday, Drew is going to become the new #1 contender and face Enzo to become the new Cruiserweight Champion. It’s PowerPoint time but Cedric Alexander comes out to cut him off for their match. Hang on a second though, as Drew is using his new authority to delegate matches. Therefore, Cedric will be facing someone else tonight. Someone who has been S-O-F-T as of late.

Cedric Alexander vs. Noam Dar

Gulak sits in on commentary. Dar cranks on a headlock to start but Cedric nips up and scores with a good looking dropkick. He stops to glare at Gulak though, allowing Dar to kick out at two. Dar gets sent outside where Gulak points out an incoming dive, allowing Gulak to kick Cedric down to take over.

Back in and Dar works on the arm until he realizes that isn’t getting him anywhere. Instead he kicks Cedric in the face, only to be kicked away. The springboard clothesline gets two but another kick cuts Cedric down. Dar goes up but Gulak freaks out, saying they talked about this. He comes back down and walks into the Neuralizer, followed by the Lumbar Check for the pin at 5:44.

Rating: D+. Nothing special here, aside from Gulak getting to show off some more of his entertaining personality. Dar is still one of the least interesting performers on the roster and Enzo looking down on him isn’t doing him much good. I have no idea why Swann is in the title picture instead of Cedric but I’d bet on WWE not paying much attention.

205 Live is running some house shows next month.

Swann, Mustafa Ali and Akira Tozawa are fired up for the tour. Ali switches over to Gulak, who made him miss Enzo. The interviewer comes up to ask Swann about Gulak being in charge of the Zo Train. Swann doesn’t mind though as he’s going to go out and stay classy San Diego.

Brian Kendrick vs. Gran Metalik

Kendrick has Jack Gallagher with him. Earlier today, the two of them talked about being glad Kalisto is gone tonight. Metalik grabs an early springboard wristdrag to start and Kendrick needs a breather. Back up and Metalik runs the ropes into a middle rope dropkick, followed by a dive onto Gallagher. A springboard missile dropkick takes Kendrick down again but Metalik heads into the crowd.

With a running start, Metalik drives over the barricade for a hurricanrana to keep Kendrick in trouble. Gallagher grabs Metalik’s leg though and Brian gets in a few shots to take over. Back in and we hit the choke on the ropes but it’s too early for Sliced Bread. Instead it’s a knee to the face and the Captain’s Hook to give Kendrick the win at 5:48.

Rating: C+. This was a tale of two halves with Metalik dominating the early part but getting completely destroyed in the end. I’m still a fan of Metalik but it’s pretty clear that he’s only going to be there to put others over. It was more entertaining than I was expecting, even if Kendrick vs. Kalisto is little more than a way to get Kalisto back on track.

We look back at Nia Jax having a thing for Enzo.

Gulak yells at the Zo Train, again comparing the team to the Justice League. The thing is Ariya Daivari is Wonder Woman: a fierce warrior with a great sense of fashion.

Hideo Itami is still coming. We get some tweets from some members of the roster, who are excited to have him around.

Tony Nese vs. Rich Swann

Gulak is in Nese’s corner so Swann brings Cedric with him. Nese wastes no time in kicking Swann down into the corner and then sweeping the leg to put him on the floor. That’s fine with Swann who pops up for a middle rope flip dive to take Nese down as well. Back in and Nese takes over again, this time slapping on a bodyscissors.

The situp kicks to the ribs keep Swann in trouble but Nese misses a Lionsault. He’s fine enough for a sitout pumphandle powerslam though and Swann is right back in trouble. Said trouble only lasts a few seconds though as Swann is right back up with a spinning kick to the head, followed by the Phoenix splash for the pin at 7:59.

Rating: C-. Another rather dull match to end a rather dull show. Swann winning was obvious and it’s not a good sign when Gulak being upset at not wanting to upset Enzo was the most entertaining part. You could have had any member of the team out there and it wouldn’t have changed a thing, which isn’t the best sign in the world.

Post match Gulak calls in the Zo Train but the villains take forever just standing there, allowing Tozawa and Ali to come in for the save to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This is a tricky one to grade as it was built around Drew Gulak, who was rather entertaining. The problem is the show itself didn’t work, mainly because none of this matters. We’re building towards Swann vs. Gulak for the title shot but with that match already set up and Enzo not here, none of this really matters. It made the show feel like a waste of time, which is what happens when you focus so much of your storytelling on one idea. The wrestling was really lackluster though and it made for a dull night, which isn’t a good sign when things need to be picking up.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 21, 2017
Location: Toyota Center, Houston, Texas
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s one of the final shows from Houston as we hit the cruiserweight division. Enzo Amore is still Cruiserweight Champion and the question now is who comes next. Kalisto has been dispatched (again) and it’s not clear who will be going after the title again. The show is being turned into a faction warfare and that could go multiple ways. Let’s get to it.

The Zo Train (minus Drew Gulak) has a Thanksgiving dinner prepared in the back. Enzo (in a Randy Savage shirt) says he’s now 5G and therefore they’re all connected. He’s gotten them all matches tonight but they better rep to Enzo brand like a barbell. If they do well, Christmas could come early in the form of a recommendation for a Cruiserweight Title shot. Enzo wants to know where Gulak is but here’s the Gobbledy Gooker. Naturally that’s Gulak, who says he’s the Gobbledy Gulaker. Gulak: “You told me to loosen up!” Enzo is disappointed.

Opening sequence.

The announcers chat for a bit.

Drew Gulak vs. Akira Tozawa

Street fight. Gulak comes out in jeans, which is a really odd look for him. Drew isn’t usually into this but if Enzo is from the streets, Drew needs to help clean them up. However, that might get his hands dirty so it’s time for a very special POWERPOINT PRESENTATION! Or not as Tozawa cuts him off, sending Drew into a near fit. Gulak bails to the floor with his hands covering his ears as the chanting starts early this week.

Back in and Tozawa kicks him in the chest, setting up some screaming. Tozawa kicks him outside again but the suicide dive is countered into a suplex onto the ramp. A clothesline messes with Tozawa’s throat, meaning no more chanting. That’s rather evil and something you wouldn’t have expected from a show like this.

Some chairs are thrown in but Gulak would rather slap him in the face for two instead. Drew puts the No Chants sign in the corner but gets suplexed through the handle, which has to be rather painful to at least a few inches of skin. The fans want tables so Tozawa pulls one out, only to get suplexed into the corner as well.

The table is set up in the corner but have to settle for Tozawa throwing Drew over the announcers’ table instead. A good looking flip dive off said table has Gulak in even more trouble and it’s time for more weapons. Tozawa puts a trashcan over him and swings away with a kendo stick. The top rope backsplash through the table ends Gulak at 11:12.

Rating: B. They were getting close to that next level here but they never could flip the switch on. Tozawa is good for a hardcore brawler and it was cool to see Gulak move up to another level of violence every now and then. Good, hard hitting brawl here that needed a little more to become great.

Hideo Itami is coming to 205 Live. Well it’s not like he’s going to do much in NXT so get him up here while he’s healthy.

Tony Nese doesn’t think much of Itami but Amore seems nervous. If Nese doesn’t get, better, he won’t be on the Zo Train much longer. Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and Mustafa Ali come in and trade some insults.

Tony Nese vs. Mustafa Ali

Hang on a second as Nese needs to show off the abs. That just earns him a wristlock though and even a slam won’t break it up. Now that’s some dedication. Nese goes with some stomping but gets sent outside for a heck of a flip dive from the top. Ali might not have the best charisma in the world but he can throw some pretty dives.

Back in and Nese grabs a chinlock to slow things down, only to miss a charge into the corner. Ali switches things up a bit with a rolling X Factor instead of the rolling neckbreaker but he can’t follow up. The 054 takes way too long though and Nese sends him HARD into the post. The running knee in the corner ends Ali at 7:05.

Rating: C. Just a quick match here with Nese giving the Zo Train what is likely its only win tonight. This feels like the kind of show designed to give the fans a lot of stuff to cheer for and Nese winning should keep it from being a clean sweep. It helps that Nese is a simple character who does his thing quite well. I mean, it’s hard to argue with someone being in that kind of shape.

Daivari and Dar are ready to impress Enzo too. Enzo will be in the front row, but Gulak, back in the turkey suit, is stuck in time out.

Ariya Daivari/Noam Dar vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Enzo is at ringside. Daivari and Cedric start things off with a rather long feeling out process until Cedric scores with a dropkick. Swann comes in for the Rolling Thunder as Enzo is talking to the fans. It’s off to Dar, who gets caught with a good looking springboard clothesline. Cedric’s ankle scissors is countered with a kick to the ribs though and it’s time for some villainous control.

Both guys take turns kicking away as Enzo continues to talk trash from the floor. Alexander finally rolls away and makes the diving tag off to Swann for almost no reaction. Enzo breaks up the Phoenix splash though and Daivari’s frog splash gets a rather close two. If back to Dar who gets kicked in the head but Cedric goes after Enzo, earning himself a baseball slide from Dar. Back in and Swann kicks Dar in the head again, setting up the Phoenix splash for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: C+. The energy was there, even if the fans weren’t exactly thrilled. Swann and Alexander are a good tag team and every time they’re out there, I can’t help but wonder why they’re not a midcard team on the main roster. It’s not like the shows have anything better at the moment.

Post match Enzo comes in to beat on Swann until Tozawa and Ali come down. Cue Nese and Gulak to cut them off though and the big beatdown ensues. Enzo hits a top rope splash onto both guys and it’s a group dance to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. This was a strong show by 205 Live’s standards and I’m glad to see them having a little more energy. That being said, I’m rarely a fan of having one storyline completely dominate the show like this. If you’re not a fan of the good guys vs. the Zo Train, there’s no reason to watch the show. In theory this sets up Itami as the next star, but it wouldn’t shock me to have him just be another name on Amore’s list. If nothing else I’d love to see Cedric get the title at some point, as he’s certainly earned it. Good show this week.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 14, 2017
Location: Spectrum Center, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

We’re back stateside now and as luck would have it, today is Kalisto’s birthday. I’m thinking that means cake and of course you know what that means. In this case it’s also the go home show for Survivor Series, meaning we’ll be getting what is hopefully the final build between Kalisto and Enzo Amore. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Kalisto says he’s going to celebrate his birthday by beating down Drew Gulak before he wins the Cruiserweight Title back on Sunday.

Gulak and Amore are next to a massive birthday cake with Enzo talking about the Zo Train ending if he loses the title. Tonight, he needs Drew to make this a better 205 Live.

The announcers preview the show as the opening stall continues.

Jack Gallagher/Brian Kendrick vs. Rich Swann/Cedric Alexander

Tornado rules with Cedric as the hometown boy, meaning there’s quite the chant to start things off. It’s a brawl to start before all four head outside with Swann being sent into the barricade. That’s fine with Cedric who pops Kendrick in the jaw to take over again. Gallagher hits a heck of a dropkick to knock Cedric over the announcers’ table leaving Swann to get beaten down in the ring.

The villains take turns knocking them off the apron until Alexander finally gets in a dropkick on Kendrick. One heck of an elbow to the jaw staggers Gallagher for a great visual and a Spanish Fly gives Cedric two. Kendrick comes back in to take Cedric down and the Captain’s Hook goes on. Swann’s save attempt is countered into a Fujiwara armbar but he’s still able to catch Cedric’s tap attempt.

Cedric has to break up a double submission on Swann, basically guaranteeing the end of the match. Sliced Bread #2 gets two on Cedric but it’s Swann coming back in with some superkicks. Kendrick crotches him on top though and a double super hiptoss drops Rich for a rather close two. It’s Cedric right back in with the springboard clothesline but Gallagher breaks up the Lumbar Check by dropkicking the knee out. Swann superkicks the heck out of Gallagher and hits a diving tornado DDT onto the floor. Back in and the Lumbar Check puts Kendrick away at 10:55.

Rating: B. These guys had a heck of a match here and that’s exactly what it needed to be, especially in what should blow off the feud. They’ve been feuding for way too long now and needed a gimmick match to really wrap things up. It’s a good match though and one of the better things this show has had in a long time.

Ariya Daivari comes out and says this might be the last episode of the Zo Show. The show isn’t being canceled or anything (Are we sure about that?) but it might as well be if Kalisto wins the title on Sunday. Mustafa Ali comes out and doesn’t think much of Daivari sucking up to Enzo so much, but maybe it has to do with all the cake. On top of that though, Daivari looks stupid.

Ariya Daivari vs. Mustafa Ali

Ali starts fast with a superkick and steals Daivari’s jacket before hitting a high crossbody for two. The springboard is broken up though and Ali crashes out to the floor. Back in and Daivari gets two off a clothesline, followed by a chinlock. I’ll take this time to do anything else as my interest is rapidly draining.

Since it’s just a chinlock, it’s a spinebuster for two on Ali as we’re firmly in the lack of charisma period that Daivari constantly has going on. Ali fights back up and scores with a dropkick, only to get caught in a reverse DDT. The frog splash gets two but Ali is right back up with a super hurricanrana. Since this is an Ali match, that sets up the 054 for the pin at 7:13.

Rating: D+. The wrestling was fine but egads how many times can we watch these two have the same match? Ali is better in the ring but if you’ve seen one of his matches, you’ve seen all of them. Daivari on the other hand is a charisma vacuum who drives any interest he could possibly have out of the matches. Watchable match but better suited for the insomnia cure than anything else.

Akira Tozawa comes in to wish Kalisto a happy birthday and good luck.

Kalisto vs. Drew Gulak

There are balloons and cake at ringside so you know the ending from here. Before the match, Enzo says Kalisto is going to get a beating for a birthday gift. Since it’s Enzo, that takes a few minutes to actually say. Gulak slams Kalisto down to start but gets caught in a quick headscissors. They head outside with Enzo running his mouth (shocking) to allow Gulak some cheap shots.

Back in and we hit the neck crank, meaning it’s time for the fans to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY. A slam sends Kalisto into the ropes and we’ve got a bad knee. They tease going into the cake before Drew wisely goes back to the knees with a surfboard. Kalisto rolls away into the hurricanrana driver, followed by a suicide dive. Enzo kicks the knee out though and Drew belts out some Happy Birthday. The dragon sleeper takes too long though and it’s the Salida Del Sol to give Kalisto the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C. This was all you could have expected it to be and Kalisto winning was the only possible ending. Gulak is fine as a lackey for Enzo, though I’m not sure how much longer we can keep going with this stuff. The match was acceptable enough and Kalisto getting a win hopefully means he wins the title on Sunday (though it won’t).

Post match Enzo goes after Kalisto but has to kick Gulak in the head. Enzo bails but Kalisto chases him down and sends him into the cake (the one in the back, as opposed to the one in the arena) to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Aside from the opener, this was a completely run of the mill show here as we’re getting ready to finally wrap up Enzo vs. Kalisto, meaning it’s finally time to get someone fresh challenging for the title. The show is still watchable but there’s nothing here that you haven’t seen before. The cake stuff was fine, though completely standard stuff for a not very interesting title match on Sunday.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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