Uprising
Date: March 28, 2026
Location: St. Clair College SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni

It’s the second night of the Ring Of Honor/Maple Leaf Pro shows and this one has quite a great show to follow from last night. Odds are this on will deal with some fallout from last night, including another Deonna Purrazzo vs. Gisele Shaw title match and a four way for the Interim Canadian Title. Let’s get to it.

The opening video more or less says this is the sequel to Global Wars.

Michael Allen Richard Clark (MLP)/Jake Crist (Wrestling Revolver) vs. Mascara Dorada (CMLL)/Bhupinder Gujjar (MLP)

Clark and Gujjar start things off with Gujjar picking up the pace into a dropkick. Dorada comes in and sticks the landing on Crist’s headscissors. Some dropkicks put Crist and Clark on the floor, setting up stereo dives. Back in and Clark knocks Gujjar to the floor for a dive of his own and Crist gives him a Russian legsweep back inside.

Clark comes in for the pushups (they’re his thing) on Gujjar’s back, which has Gujjar up for the high crossbody. The tag brings in Dorada to clean house and a spinning slam gets two on Crist. Gujjar’s TKO drops Crist for two, only for Clark to come back in with a powerslam/sliding neckbreaker combination for two on Gujjar. Everything breaks down and Dorada dives onto Crist, leaving Gujjar to spear Clark for the pin at 11:04.

Rating: B-. Pretty standard fast paced tag match here and that’s a good way to open the show. Clark is nice in the overly cocky heel style and Gujjar is fine as a middle of the road hero. As usual Dorada was the big star here and easily the flashiest thing in the match, though he didn’t get a ton of focus. Either way, perfectly fine way to get things going.

Sheldon Jean, Bryce Hansen and Brent Banks are ready to take the Tag Team Titles, though Hansen is told to get a haircut. Hansen is annoyed and yells at some people so Daisuke Sasaki throws a chair at him.

Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers (MLP) vs. Evil Uno (ROH)/Alice Crowley (JCW)

The women trade legsweeps and covers for two each before it’s off to Uno vs. Chambers. Uno can’t get very far working on the arm so Chambers is up with a dropkick. It’s back to Crowley to kick away at Rising, with a Saito suplex for two. Chambers pulls Crowley down from the apron though and Rising gets two off a victory roll.

It’s back to Chambers to work on Crowley and Uno has to come in for a quick save. That just lets Rising choke on the rope but Crowley backdrops her way out. That’s enough for the tag off to Uno for the house cleaning. Uno is sent into Rising, allowing Chambers to grab a rollup for two. Crowley is back in with a suplex though, allowing Uno to piledrive Chambers for the pin at 8:50.

Rating: C. And we continue yesterday’s issue of MLP not doing so well over this weekend. The best thing is that Alice continues to showcase herself well. She got my attention yesterday and kept it going today. There is something to her that makes her stand out, with Rising not being far behind. Not a thrilling match, but it was nice to see another Canadian get a pin, even if Uno doesn’t work here.

The Swirl (ROH) vs. El Reverso/Mo Jabari (MLP)

Jimmy Jacobs is on commentary. Jabari and Johnson run the ropes to start, with Parker taking him down and then dropping Reverso on top. Reverso hammers away in the corner but gets taken into the wrong corner. That doesn’t last long as Reverso escapes and brings Parker back in for the comeback. This time it’s Parker being taken into the wrong corner, with Johnson stomping away and Christian adding a suplex. A double clothesline leaves both of them down though and it’s back to Reverso as the pace picks way back up

Reverso’s Canadian Destroyer gets two but Johnson powerbombs him into Christian’s knees in the corner. Chasing The Dragon gets two on Reverso as Parker makes the save, leaving all four down. That’s enough for Jacobs to get up and hand Parker a chair. Parker drops it but gets speared on the apron by Christian. Reverso gets kneed in the head, setting up a top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to give Johnson the pin at 11:35.

Rating: B-. The Swirl continues to be one of the better things about Ring Of Honor so it was nice to see them getting to do something on this show. You just want to see them get what’s coming to them and that’s a good feeling to have for some villains. Reverso and Parker were fine, but there was nothing to them that especially stood out.

We recap Bishop Dyer vs. Kaito Kiyamiya. They were partners last night but had issues and lost the match. After it was over, Dyer turned on him.

Dyer is asked why he turned on Kiyamiya. Dyer: “Because I’m an a******.”

Bishop Dyer (MLP) vs. Kaito Kiyamiya (Pro Wrestling Noah)

Dyer shoves him down to start so Kiyamiya jumps on him to slug away. Some more right hands in the corner have Dyer in trouble but he shoves Kiyamiya down again. They go outside with Dyer chopping away against the barricade but hits the post by mistake. Back in and Dyer kicks the rope for a low blow, followed by the Deep Six for two. A hard whip sends Kiyamiya crashing over the corner to the floor and Dyer rams him hard into the apron.

Back in again and Dyer misses a charge in the corner, allowing Kiyamiya to hit a running clothesline. A nice dropkick puts Dyer down but the shining Wizard is countered into an AA. Dyer’s brainbuster gets two and a chokebreaker has Kiyamiya in even more trouble. Another chokebreaker is countered with a kick to the head and Dyer’s powerbomb is countered with a sunset flip to give Kiyamiya the pin at 13:01.

Rating: B-. It’s fascinating to see someone like Dyer be a bit less than successful as a main event heel but absolutely thrive as a midcard star. This is the role he was perfect for and it worked great here. Dyer knows how to wrestle like a monster bully and ultimately he got caught as he tried to do too much. Fun match here, though say it with me: MLP loses AGAIN.

Post match Dyer knocks Kiyamiya cold and hammers on him, followed by the End Of Days.

We get the announcement that MLP is coming to TSN this July.

Rohan Raja, with Aurora Teves, wants the Canadian Title because he’s already had the Champion’s Grail for over 500 days. He’ll win the title tonight anyway.

Daisuke Sasaki (DDT) vs. Bryce Hansen (MLP)

No DQ. Sasaki’s chair shots misses and Hansen kicks him outside. Back in and Sasaki gets in the chair shot before wrapping said chair around Hansen’s neck for a ram into the post. A running boot to Hansen, whose head is still in the chair, gets two and it’s already time for a table. As usual that takes too long though and Hansen fights back, only to set up his own table on the floor.

Even Callis thinks this is taking too long and Sasaki proves him right by choking him down onto the table. Hansen is able to fight up and grab a gutwrench powerbomb from the apron through the table. That’s only good for two back inside so Hansen grabs a kendo stick. Said stick hits the top rope though and bounces back onto Hansen’s own head. The spear through the table sets up a top rope chair shot as Hansen has a seat right over there to give Sasaki the pin at 8:12.

Rating: C. This was pretty much exactly what it should have been, as Sasaki took Hansen apart and basically dismantled him in a few minutes. Hansen got in some offense, but this was about Sasaki destroying him without much trouble. It’s a good example of “don’t overthink this” and it wound up going perfectly well.

Stu Grayson is feeling the pressure going into the main event but Evil Uno comes in to fire him up.

MLP Tag Team Titles: Good Brothers (MLP) vs. Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks (MLP)

The Brothers are defending after becoming the inaugural champions last night. Anderson chops the heck out of Banks to start and then takes him into the corner to do it again. Gallows comes in for his weird uppercuts and a fall away slam as the fans are ALL behind the Good Brothers here.

A big legdrop gives Gallows two but Banks gets in a shot of his own and ax handles away. It’s off to Jean so Gallows clotheslines them both down and brings Anderson back in to keep up the pace. A backsplash gets two on Jean but a trip brings Anderson down. Jean hits a clothesline and the challengers take over for a change, with Banks getting some quick near falls.

Anderson is right back up to send Jean outside, followed by a neckbreaker to Banks. It’s back to Gallows to clean house and the belly to back neckbreaker gets two on Banks. Jean breaks up the Magic Killer so Anderson grabs the spinebuster for another near fall. The Gun Stun is broken up though and Banks gets in a belt shot for the pin and the titles at 11:02.

Rating: C+. Hey MLP finally won something! I mean of course they lost at the same time but call it a step in the right direction. The Good Brothers being the inaugural champions give the belts a bit of prestige before another team won them, which is a tale as old as time in wrestling. The pesky heels get one over on the popular veterans and we move on to see who’s next. Nothing wrong with that.

Gisele Shaw says Deonna Purrazzo beat her in Pure Rules, which isn’t the same as pro wrestling. Purrazzo won on a technicality but tonight, everything will be different.

MLP Women’s Title: Gisele Shaw (MLP) vs. Deonna Purrazzo (ROH)

Shaw is defending. They fight over a lockup to start and then trade headlocks to no avail. Purrazzo shoulders Shaw in the arm that was banged up last night, with the Fujiwara armbar sending Shaw straight to the ropes. The fight heads outside with Purrazzo sending her face first into the apron, only for Shaw to come back with a posting.

Back in and Shaw grabs an armbar with some elbows to the head as a bonus. Purrazzo fights up and wins a test of strength, followed by a running knee. The Fujiwara is broken up though and Shaw grabs an anarchist suplex for two. A spear gives Shaw two more but Purrazzo fights right back to put her down again. The Fujiwara goes on again, with Shaw making the rope to save herself.

Back up and Shock And Awe gives Shaw two so they get up and slap it out. That turns into a slugout until they trade kicks to the face, with Shaw pulling the referee into the way of Purrazzo’s boot. Shaw sends the bad arm into the post and then crushes it with the steps to make it worse. Purrazzo is back with a Fujiwara and Shaw taps but there’s no referee. Since that isn’t enough cheating, Shaw finds some brass knuckles to knock Purrazzo silly and retain at 17:25.

Rating: B. This got going with the submission attempts, though I did like Shaw just going full on villain. There’s a good way to set up a rubber match down the line in there and that could make for a nice Multiverse match. Shaw has impressed me most of the time I’ve seen her and she hung in there with an established name, albeit by cheating in almost every possible way.

Interim Canadian Title: Elimination Challenge

It’s a six man gauntlet match for the vacant title. Jay Lethal (ROH) is in at #1 and Michael Oku (RevPro) is in at #2. They trade some rather fast rollups to start and it’s off to the exchange of forearms. Oku manages a dropkick to the floor and adds the running flip dive for the knockdown. Back in and Lethal gets in a knockdown of his own, with Oku’s leg getting tied up in the ropes.

Oku has to beat the count back in so Lethal hammers away and goes after the leg some more. The chinlock goes on for a bit but the Figure Four is blocked. A DDT gives Oku two but he can’t get the half crab. Instead it’s a Lethal Combination for two, setting up Lethal’s Figure Four. That’s reversed into another failed half crab attempt so Lethal goes up for Hail To the King…which is reversed into a rollup to give Oku the pin at 12:05.

Rohan Raja (MLP) is in at #3 and sneaks in to jump Oku, with a jumping Downward Spiral finishing for Raja at 13:04. Rich Swann (MLP) is in at #4 but Raja’s manager Aurora Teves grabs his leg, meaning it’s a jumping Downward Spiral for a near fall. A choke with a knee in Swann’s back is broken up but Swann knocks him down for two. Raja heads outside and gets taken down with a running flip dive.

Swann actually puts him in a chair and gets a running start for some running boots to the face. He tries it once too often though and Raja is back up with a boot of his own. Back in and Swann superkicks him out of the air and they’re both down. A frog splash gives Swann two more, followed by the middle rope 450 for the same. Teves offers a distraction though and another 450 misses. Raja’s Backstabber into a jumping Downward Spiral finishes Swann at 20:23.

Stu Grayson is in at #5 and the cut open Raja bails out to the floor. Grayson goes outside to get him and nails a quick Pele. Teves breaks up a torture rack and is finally ejected, leaving Raja angry on the ramp. He slides back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up Knightfall (torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker) to give Grayson the pin at 24:41. Jonathan Gresham (apparently freelance) is in at #6 to complete the field but hold on though as Raja chairs Grayson down before leaving.

Gresham glares at Raja before getting in and lets Grayson get a breather before going after him. They grapple around to start and neither gets anywhere so let’s shake hands. Grayson takes him down for an armbar and Gresham gets over to the ropes in a hurry. Grayson’s hurricanrana and dropkick have Gresham on the apron and the dive connects. Back in and a battle of the chops goes to Grayson, as Gresham wants a timeout. A sneaky low blow cuts Grayson down and they go to the mat, where Gresham can’t force the arm down.

With that not working, it’s a crucifix for two on Grayson before Gresham ties up the arms. Gresham pulls on one of the legs for some painful stretching before going back to the arm. They fight over a suplex until they both crash out over the top for a nasty double crash. Back in and Gresham goes after the arm again but Grayson sends him flying with some overhead belly to bellys.

A spinning Downward Spiral into a Lionsault gives Grayson two but Knightfall is blocked. Grayson settles for a springboard tornado DDT for two but Gresham is right back to the arm in a smart move. Gresham’s crossface is broken up with a grab of the rope so it’s off to an Octopus. With that broken up, Gresham goes up and gets superplexed back down, setting up a running knee. Knightfall gives Grayson the pin and the title at 42:27.

Rating: B-. This was a match where it felt like they were going for something epic and it really just felt long more than anything else. Grayson winning was pretty obvious once they got down to the final two as there was almost no way an American was winning the title in the end. It’s a good enough main event, though anything involving an interim title feels kind of weak by definition. Still though, at least Grayson looked like a star in the end, as he did last night.

Grayson celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This show’s problem is it came after Global Wars, which was great, while this one was just pretty good. It’s certainly not a bad show and there are far worse options, but nothing on here felt must see. At the same time. MLP still feels like a higher end independent effort and I’ll absolutely take that every time. Good enough show here, though dang can the home promotion have a better success rate?

Results
Mascara Dorada/Bhupinder Gujjar b. Jake Crist/Michael Allen Richard Clark – Spear to Clark
Evil Uno/Alice Crowley b. Taylor Rising/Chris Chambers – Piledriver to Chambers
The Swirl b. Mo Jabari/El Reverso – Top rope double stomp/Death Valley Driver combination to Reverso
Kaito Kiyamiya b. Bishop Dyer – Sunset flip
Daisuke Sasaki b. Bryce Hansen – Top rope chair shot
Sheldon Jean/Brent Banks b. Good Brothers – Belt shot to Anderson
Gisele Shaw b. Deonna Purrazzo – Brass knuckles punch
Stu Grayson won an Elimination Challenge last eliminating Jonathan Gresham

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Ring Of Honor x Maple Leaf Pro Global Wars Canada
Date: March 27, 2026
Location: St. Clair College SportsPlex, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Ian Riccaboni, Mauro Ranallo

This is a co-promoted show between the two promotions and that means it is time for some brand vs. brand matches. That can make for some interesting matches, hopefully with something to help make the Ring Of Honor booking a bit better than usual. There are some titles on the line as well so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not follow MLP so I apologize in advance for any plot or character details I get wrong.

Adam Priest/Tommy Billington (ROH) vs. Eddie Kingston/Ortiz (ROH)

Kingston and Priest start things off with Priest grabbing a headlock takeover. That doesn’t last long so Kingston takes him into the corner for a back rake from Ortiz. A double suplex drops Priest, who brings Ortiz over to the corner a double suplex with Billington. Ortiz is back with a flapjack for the break and it’s back to Kingston, who is knocked into the wrong corner as well.

Kingston chops his way out of the corner but gets taken down, only for Ortiz to come in for the save. Everything breaks down and it’s a Crossface and half crab to have Kingston and Ortiz in trouble. Those are broken up and it’s a Doomsday bulldog to bring Priest down. Billington is legal though and snaps off some snap suplexes…but Kingston grabs an Oklahoma roll to pin Billington at 9:01.

Rating: C+. Perfectly nice opener here and the fans are going to be into pretty much anything Kingston does. At the same time, I really don’t see the appeal of the team with Ortiz. Maybe they’re hoping he breaks out like Mike Santana did in TNA, but putting a guy who was in a great tag team into a weaker tag team doesn’t seem productive.

Josh Alexander was supposed to be in the ring at this show but he’s hurt his knee and has to undergo knee surgery. The future of his Canadian Title isn’t clear.

Ring Of Honor Women’s TV Title: Alice Crowley (JCW) vs. Red Velvet (ROH

Velvet is defending and Crowley is from Juggalo Championship Wrestling. Crowley kicks the offer of a handshake away and gets rolled up for some early near falls. Crowley shoves her into the ropes, where Velvet hits a pair of kicks to the back of the head. They head outside with Crowley getting in a knockdown, followed by a snap suplex for two back inside.

Velvet is back up to strike away in the corner, only to miss a charge into the corner. A sitout bulldog drops Crowley and Velvet hits the running crotch attack in the ropes. Crowley kicks her in the face though and a Saito suplex gets two. An Iconoclasm pulls Crowley off the top for two but she comes back with an Air Raid Crash for two more. Velvet is done with this though and hits a quick Chef’s Kiss to retain at 8:24.

Rating: B-. This was a more physical match than the opener and they were starting to trade some good stuff in the end. Velvet’s rise up has been rather impressive as she’s a completely different kind of star than she was just a year or so ago. I could go for more of Crowley too as she showed some potential.

Deonna Purrazzo is glad to face Gisele Shaw tonight but Purrazzo has the edge because it’s Pure Rules.

Lethal Twist (ROH) vs. Evil Uno/Bhupinder Gujjar/Psycho Mike (MLP)

Lethal struts away from Mike to start so the larger Mike shoulders him down. The threat of Mike’s signature slam sends Lethal outside so Mike runs over the Swirl on the floor. Back in and the Swirl break up another slam attempt as Callis talks about Kyle Fletcher. Gujjar comes in for a running headscissors to Johnson, followed by a dropkick for two.

Back up and Gujjar gets knocked out of the corner as everything breaks down, with the villains clearing the ring. We settle down to Lethal giving Gujjar a DDT, setting up a double superkick from the Swirl. Gujjar fights out of the corner though and it’s a high crossbody to Lethal. Uno gets the tag and cleans house but runs out of wind trying to hit some running corner clotheslines.

A brainbuster onto the knee gets two on Johnson and Uno neckbreakers Lethal as well. Mike comes back in and fires off the string of slams, including tossing Christian over the top onto the other two. The big dive follows but Gujjar’s high crossbody hits Mike by mistake. A Lethal Injection drops Gujjar but he isn’t legal. Instead Lethal has to escape Mike’s slam and the Swirl is back in to strike away. Hail To The King finishes for Lethal at 12:34.

Rating: B-. Another pretty good match here with a lot of action, even though it’s not the best night for the Canadians thus far. Lethal Twist has been a solid grouping in Ring Of Honor and it makes sense to put them on the show. If nothing else, this continues their momentum for what I’m sure will be the eventual showdown with Bandido over the World Title. As for the other team, while I can’t imagine him becoming the top star, Mike has quite the charisma and the fans liked him a lot. Good for him for getting this popular.

Gisele Shaw knows what she’s doing against Deonna Purrazzo and she’s going to do it her way.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Pure Rules Title: Deonna Purrazzo (ROH) vs. Gisele Shaw (MLP)

Purrazzo is defending under Pure Rules (far more technical style, only three rope breaks as the main rule). Shaw takes her to the mat to start and works on the leg, followed by a quick curtsy. Purrazzo escapes just as fast and armdrags Shaw into an armbar. The Fujiwara armbar sends Shaw into the ropes for the break. The breather lets Shaw take her outside for a kick to the head from the apron.

Back in and Shaw hammers away but charges into a boot in the corner. They knock each other down and it’s a double breather. Purrazzo goes after the arm again but Shaw goes for something like a Disarm-Her. That’s blocked by Purrazzo so Shaw hits a hanging swinging neckbreaker, followed by another Disarm-Her. Purrazzo has to use her first rope break so Shaw grabs Shock And Awe (backbreaker into a Downward Spiral) for two.

A quick Venus de Milo sends Shaw to the ropes for the second time, followed by a piledriver to make Shaw use the third and final rope break. Shaw is back up with a Samoan driver into the Disarm-Her, with Purrazzo using the second break. Purrazzo counters something out of a full nelson and pulls Shaw into the Fujiwara. Shaw’s rope grab means nothing but it lets Purrazzo pull her into the Venus de Milo to retain at 14:11.

Rating: B. Match of the night thus far as they were getting into a good rhythm with Purrazzo having enough of an edge with the technical prowess. She’s good at this style, though I still don’t quite know why she needed a championship to go with it. Shaw is someone who has done well every time I’ve seen her and it would be nice to see her getting a shot on a bigger stage in the future.

We look at Rohan Raja becoming the inaugural holder of the Champions Grail. Stu Grayson is coming for the title.

PWA Champions Grail: Stu Grayson (MLP) vs. Rohan Raja (MLP)

Raja is defending and this is a title recognized by three promotions at once. Grayson runs him over at the bell for an early two and sends Raja outside for the suicide dive. Back in and Grayson snaps off a standing hurricanrana, followed by a legsweep to send Rana outside. There’s a big dive to drop Raja again and Grayson hits a suplex back inside. Grayson goes up but gets dropkicked out to the floor for a big crash.

Back in and Raja knocks him into the corner, setting up a hard whip to send Grayson falling out to the floor. Grayson is fine enough to hit a running clothesline but Raja shoves the referee at the ropes, allowing him to pull Grayson down. A nice kick drops Raja again and Grayson is back up to strike away. Grayson wins the battle of the clotheslines and snaps off a string of belly to belly suplexes.

A tornado DDT sets up a swinging Downward Spiral to drop Raja again and a Lionsault gets two. Raja slips out of a torture rack though and grabs a swinging Boss Man Slam into a quickly broken Rings Of Saturn. The pop up powerbomb drops Raja for two and a top rope superplex does it again. A running knee is loaded up but Raja reverses into a quick small package for the fast pin at 13:11.

Rating: B+. Grayson is someone who wrestles a certain style and that’s not a bad thing at all. He is out there flying around with everything he has and doing everything at top speed, which makes for a fun match. He does a lot better on his own than he does as part of a team and this worked well. Raja didn’t get to do much here, though his limited offense did work well. Very entertaining match here, mainly due to the energy from Grayson.

Ricochet is ready to beat Rich Swann. Yes they started off as a group of wrestlers who helped define high flying wrestling, but the difference is Ricochet has leveled up and is the better man.

Michael Allen Richard Clark (MLP) vs. Jake Crist (Wrestle Revolver) vs. Daisuke Sasaki (DDT) vs. Brent Banks (MLP) vs. Ace Austin (ROH) vs. Michael Oku (RevPro)

One fall to a finish. Before the match, Clark talks about being tired of being treated with disrespect when he is in the Canadian Pushup Hall Of Fame (please let that be a thing). The ring is mostly cleared to start so it’s Oku dropkicking Banks to start until Sasaki makes the save. Crist is back in to kick Sasaki in the face with Clark coming in to break it up. The parade of knockdowns continues with Austin getting his chance, followed by a superkick to Banks.

Clark is back with a dive to the floor to take Austin out so Sasaki hits his own dive. Crist hits a dive onto the pile before Oku can do his own so they fight onto the apron. Banks knocks both of them to the floor so Austin fireman’s carries Sasaki and Banks at the same time. The squats let Austin show off a bit and it’s time to keep knocking each other down. Sasaki Pedigrees Clark and Oku has to break up a double submission.

Everyone but Oku is down but Austin blocks a half crab attempt. Banks’ top rope twisting crossbody hits Austin and a Michinoku Driver gets two. Oku is back up with a dive onto the floor but Crist cuts him off with a Death Valley Driver. Crist’s Ki Crusher gets two so Banks is back in with a Blue Thunder Bomb. Crist cutters Banks but gets caught by Oku’s Six Star Frog Splash for the pin at 10:27.

Rating: B. I’m not huge on these matches but this was pretty much exactly what it should have been. The match was all action with Oku getting to showcase himself well. I’m not sure how much a win really matters here as Oku seems to have just been the one who got a fall first rather than being some dominant star. Either way, at least another ROH star didn’t win, even if an MLP star didn’t win.

Video on Athena, the crazy long running ROH Women’s Champion, defending against Taylor Rising, who is ready to rise.

Ring Of Honor Women’s Title: Taylor Rising (MLP) vs. Athena (ROH)

Athena is defending. They circle each other a bit to start and Athena backs her into the corner. A knockdown lets Athena smile and pose a bit but Rising is back with a headscissors. Rising’s running dropkick sends Athena to the floor but Athena pulls a dive out of the air. Athena sends her hard into the barricade and then into the steps before they head back inside. Some forearms to the back have Rising in trouble and we hit the face pull.

Athena fires off some knees to the chest but Rising is back with a quick victory roll for two. The Codebreaker sets up a 619 and Rising faceplants her for two more. What looks like a Pedigree is blocked though and Athena knees her in the head. A Tombstone gives Athena two and she stops to yell at the referee. Athena teases the O Face but gets back down and beats on Rising a bit more.

Another O Face is broken up and Rising grabs a DDT for two more. Rising’s sunset bomb gets two but Athena Saito suplexes her back down. Athena tunes up the band, only for her superkick to be blocked. Rising tries to pick her up but gets pulled into the Koji Clutch to retain the title at 12:31.

Rating: B. They were in a tough spot here as there was no reason to believe that Athena was going to lose the title on a show like this. That being said, Rising did everything she could to make it work and she had a heck of a performance. This was another good match, with Rising getting in some nice hope spots before falling short. It’s hard to make it work in this kind of a situation but they pulled it off.

MLP President Scott D’Amore announces…well actually introduces a video that announces a new weekly series, Mayhem, which will debut in July on TSN. Points for a huge announcement.

Rich Swann (MLP) vs. Ricochet (AEW)

Apparently they’ve had 75 singles matches over the years. Ricochet stalls to start before getting back inside, with Swann backing him into the corner. Swann spins out of a wristlock and we get another staredown. Ricochet pulls him down into a crossarm choke to slow the pace a bit. Swann quickly reverses into one of his own and they trade stereo dropkicks for another standoff. Swann snaps off a dropkick to the floor and adds a running flip dive off the apron.

Back in and Swann hammers away in the corner so Ricochet goes to the eyes…which just earns him a beating. Another poke to the eye cuts Swann off though and Ricochet gets in some stomping. They go outside, where Ricochet slams him face first onto the floor and heads back inside. Swann beats the count so Ricochet hits a running clothesline to the back in the corner. A running uppercut drops Swann in the corner but he’s back with a rolling clothesline for a needed breather.

Back up and some dancing punches set up a neckbreaker to give Swann two. They head to the apron where Ricochet takes over again, setting up a Lionsault for two back inside. The kickout leaves Ricochet rather frustrated so Swann kicks him in the head on top. A super hurricanrana…doesn’t work as Ricochet sticks the landing, only to get kicked in the head for two. Swann kicks away at the chest and they strike it out. The referee cuts Swann off though, allowing Ricochet to roll some suplexes (different types that is) for two. A Death Valley Driver gives Ricochet two and the Spirit Gun gives him three at 19:15.

Rating: B. This was a hard hitting match and it was entertaining, though my goodness would it kill them to have an ROH/AEW star actually take a fall here? It’s becoming a running joke here and that’s not a great thing to see. What was pretty great was these two, who obviously know each other so well, getting a chance to do it again now that Ricochet is doing something different. Rather fun match here, though it never quite hit that next level.

Multiverse is taking place over Wrestlemania Weekend!

Supercard Of Honor is on May 15!

We run down the Uprising (Saturday night) card. Of note, Steve Maclin is announced for a match though that might not be happening after he was injured at TNA Sacrifice.

MLP Tag Team Titles: Bishop Dyer/Kaito Kiyomiya (MLP) vs. Bryce Hansen/Sheldon Jean (MLP) vs. Good Brothers (MLP) vs. Gates Of Agony (AEW)

For the inaugural titles and one fall to a finish. You might know Dyer better as Baron Corbin. The Gates jump the other teams to start and the brawl goes to the outside rather quickly. Jean and Kiyomiya hit some dives before Kiyomiya and Anderson get inside to slug it out. It’s off to Gallows to strike away at Kaun in the corner and Anderson comes in to strike away.

Anderson drops Jean but it’s off to Liona to clean house. Liona chokes Anderson on the ropes and we hit the nerve hold. Hansen comes in for a forearm to take Anderson down again and Jean gets to stomp away. It’s back to Hansen for a chinlock before Anderson avoids a Liona charge. A cutter takes Kaun down and it’s off to Gallows to clean house. Gallows Jackhammers Jean for two but Kiyomiya comes back in to strike away, including a running knee for two on Kaun.

Everything breaks down and we hit a parade of knockdowns with Anderson hitting a spinebuster and Gallows adding a chokebomb. Kiyomiya makes a save with a knee to Gallows and everyone is down again. Liona throws Kiyomiya and Gallows at the same time (geez) but gets sent into the post. Dyer is sent into Kiyomiya (makes sense as it’s their first match together) and a Magic Killer drops him to give Anderson the pin and the titles at 12:35.

Rating: B. Another fast paced match that wound up being rather entertaining, though it was similar to the scramble earlier in the night. The good thing is that an MLP team FINALLY won a match (and yes they have worked here a few times before). While that team might be the Good Brothers, I’ll take it after watching Ring Of Honor and AEW lay waste to MLP all night.

Post match everyone else leaves and Dyer lays Kiyomiya out to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. This was actually a heck of a show as the last stretch of matches is one good one after another. While I could have gone for MLP winning more often, the whole show was quite impressive with nothing close to bad and a bunch of quality stuff. MLP has been one of the better independent promotions I’ve seen in a good while, as they might not do anything revolutionary but they do things well. I’ll take that over some ridiculous idea and it was a blast watching this one.

Results
Eddie Kingston/Ortiz b. Tommy Billington/Adam Priest – Oklahoma roll to Billington
Red Velvet b. Alice Crowley – Chef’s Kiss
Lethal Twist b. Evil Uno/Bhupinder Gujjar/Psycho Mike – Hail To The King to Mike
Deonna Purrazzo b. Gisele Shaw – Venus de Milo
Rohan Raja b. Stu Grayson – Small package
Michael Oku b. Ace Austin, Jake Crist, Daisuke Sasaki, Michael Allen Richard Clark and Brent Banks – Six Star Frog Splash to Banks
Athena b. Taylor Rising – Koji Clutch
Good Brothers b. Bryce Hansen/Sheldon Jean, Gates Of Agony and Bishop Dyer/Kaito Kiyamiya – Magic Killer to Dyer

Remember to follow me on Twitter and Bluesky @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Forged In Excellence Night One
Date: October 19, 2024
Location: St. Clair College, Windsor, Ontario, Canada
Commentators: Don Callis, Mauro Ranallo

So this is Maple Leaf Pro, the new promotion from former TNA executive Scott D’Amore. The card has been built up well over the last few weeks and I might as well look at the first two nights. As you might expect, there will be a heavy Canadian influence on the show, but there are some outsiders as well. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at some of the people on the show tonight and how they got here, with some classic Canadian wrestling clips thrown in. It’s almost weird seeing TNA clips in there given how D’Amore departed.

The production looks OUTSTANDING for an independent show, easily on par with TNA.

Josh Alexander/Stu Grayson/El Phantasmo vs. Rocky Romero/Alex Zayne/Trevor Lee

Well you knew Romero was going to be on a show like this. What kind of a show? Every kind of a show. Alexander works on Romero’s arm to start and elbows him down before handing it off to Grayson and Lee, the latter of whom has gotten a heck of a haircut. Grayson takes him down and hits a dropkick but Lee hands it off to Zayne.

Phantasmo comes in to take him down, followed by a very springboardy armdrag. Alexander and company grab stereo Sharpshooters but they’re quickly broken up, with Romero hitting the Forever Clotheslines on Phantasmo. Lee gets kicked into Zayne though and it’s off to Alexander to clean house. Everything breaks down and Alexander gets kicked down as Callis wants Alexander hurt before he faces Konosuke Takeshita tomorrow night.

Alexander fights up as well and hands it back to Grayson for a double clothesline. Phantasmo hits a torture rack neckbreaker but Romero sens him into Alexander. Grayson’s Nightfall (torture rack into a backbreaker) drops Zayne and Alexander hits a release German suplex on Lee. Romero’s armbar is countered into another backbreaker though and Alexander nails the C4 Spike for the pin at 13:27.

Rating: B. Heck of a choice for an opener here, as they didn’t overstay their welcome, kept the action up, and gave the fans a hot match to get things going. The Canadians winning is the most obvious result imaginable and they had a good one here, with Alexander feeling like a polished star. Rather solid match with this one and the show is off to a nice start.

Mike Bailey is ready for Konosuke Takeshita because we’re on his own home country turf.

We run down the card.

We get a history of Maple Leaf Wrestling and various great wrestling in Canada, as narrated by Bret Hart. That’s certainly a big get and there is some awesome classic footage in here.

Bhupinder Gujjar vs. QT Marshall

Gujjar is/was from TNA (he hasn’t been around in a bit) and Marshall has AEW’s Harley Cameron in his corner. Cameron mocks the Windsor fans and Marshall promises Gujjar the beating he deserves for thinking a cup of coffee in a major promotion matters. Marshall armdrags him to start and stops for some posing on the top. They fight over wrist control with Gujjar taking him down and hitting a nice dropkick for two. There’s a clothesline to the floor and Gujjar follows him out with a slingshot dive.

Back in and Marshall pulls him off the ropes for a crash to take over again. A slap to the face wakes Gujjar up though and he hits a running forearm to put Marshall down for a change. Marshall is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two but Gujjar hits some jumping shots to the face. Cameron grabs the foot though and Marshall scores with a Diamond Cutter for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C+. Not as good as the opener but it lets a named heel get a win off some simple yet effective interference. That’s always been a standard for D’Amore’s shows: they aren’t going to reinvent the wheel, but they’re going to give you completely competent wrestling with talented stars. That’s what we had here, as it wasn’t a classic or anything, but it was perfectly acceptable wrestling.

Kylie Rae is really excited to be here in Canada and was here at 6am. She’s ready to face anyone and everyone.

Kylie Rae vs. Aurora Teves vs. Laynie Luck vs. Taylor Rising

One fall to a finish. Rae shakes hands with Teves and Luck but Rising kicks her in the ribs to start fast. They trade rollups for two each and it’s a four way standoff. Rising bails to the floor and it’s Rae grabbing a crossface on Luck, with Teves making the save. Back in and Rae forearms away at Rising but Teves takes over with some rapid fire kicks. Rae takes Luck to the floor and gets hit in the face, setting up a big flip dive off the top for a massive crash. Back in and Rising gives Teves a Pedigree but Luck comes in with a top rope cutter. Rae pops up to superkick Luck and pin Teves at 6:53.

Rating: C+. As usual, you can only gets so much out of a four way match with less than seven minutes as everyone is trying to get their stuff in as fast as they can. Rae is by far the biggest star in the match and it makes sense that the promotion would want to focus on her, but she doesn’t have the best record when it comes to sticking around. Maybe this is the exception though, as she certainly has the talent to go somewhere.

Josh Alexander (after an interview with Konosuke Takeshita is accidentally shown) is glad to be back in Canada and Canadian wrestling is back too! He’s ready for Konosuke Takeshita tomorrow as they make more history.

Now we get the Takeshita interview (fair enough as someone probably hit the button early by mistake), which is part of the WrestleDream press conference with Takeshita saying he’s ready to face anywhere, anytime.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Titles: Jet Setters vs. Aiden Prince/El Reverso vs. Rogue Squadron vs. Brent Banks/Johnny Swinger

The Jet Setters (Kushida and Kevin Knight) are defending and the Squadron are Rohit Raju/Sheldon Jean. The Squadron clears the ring to start but then runs off from the threat of violence. We settle down to Knight and Banks catching the others’ kicks so Swinger comes in and gets punched out to the floor. The rapid fire changes begin until Prince rolls over to kick Knight in the face. Prince and Reverso hit stereo dives onto the champs on the floor but it’s the Squad stomping away back inside.

Raju and Jean take turns working on Prince’s arm but the champs crotch Raju against the post to cut him down. Swinger, the goof, comes in and is immediately glared back into the corner by Kushida. The Squadron takes him into the corner but Kushida rolls out and hands it back to Knight. It’s back to Prince, who gets dropped by the champs, only for the Squadron to knock everyone down.

Swinger is the only one left standing so naturally he goes up, only to get crotched back own. A bunch of people are sent outside for the series of dives but Jean comes back in and strikes away. Banks clears the ring again until Reverso hits a springboard kick to the face. Knight is back up to kick various people down until Swinger grabs a rollup for two on Kushida. That’s enough for the champs, as it’s a neckbreaker/high crossbody combination to finish Swinger and retain the titles at 16:09.

Rating: B-. Another fun match with all kinds of action, but also another match with so many people floating around that it was hard to keep track of everything. It doesn’t help that the teams aren’t the most familiar and it is already tricky enough to remember who is who. This was fun while it lasted, but it would have been better with fewer teams.

Video on the Champion’s Grail, one of the promotion’s titles. Apparently it’s a cross between Riki Choshu and Kenny Omega. That’s a heck of a mixture.

PWA Champion’s Grail: Rohan Raja vs. Jake Something

For the inaugural title and no word on what the PWA is. Raja is a former member of the Desi Hit Squad in TNA, where Something currently wrestles as well. The bigger Something powers him into the corner to start and then runs him over with pure strength. Raja gets in a shot of his own though and some forearms to the back have Something in trouble for a change. Back up and Raja starts in on the arm, with a knockdown setting up an armbar.

Raja’s neckbreaker gets two but Something uses the good arm to hit a clothesline. What looks to be a powerbomb doesn’t work so Something settles for a spinebuster for two instead. Back up and a hard forearm rocks Raja again and a one armed powerbomb (cool) gives Something two more. Into The Void (boss Man Slam) is broken up and Raja hits a Backstabber into a brainbuster. Something misses a charge and Seek And Destroy (jumping Downward Spiral) gives Raja the pin at 13:31.

Rating: C+. Nice enough power vs. non-power match here but I’m still not entirely sure what the title is supposed to be. Given the people involved, I would assume it’s a midcard title but the whole PWA deal wasn’t exactly well explained. Perfectly fine match here, though nothing that stood out in the slightest, even with someone who with as good of a look as Something.

Post match Raja says he’s defending the title around the world and wants to face the best. He’s hungry for competition, so he’ll be called Ravenous Rohan Raja. Uh sure.

Bully Ray takes credit for the house because he is the biggest star in this company (well, kind of). He doesn’t know why Raj Dhesi (formerly known as Jinder Mahal) would sign up for a tables match with Ray, but it won’t go well for him.

Bully Ray vs. Raj Dhesi

Tables match. Before the match, Ray complains about being listed as only being in the WWE Hall Of Fame rather than WWE and TNA. Oh and he’s half of the greatest team of all time. And he’s Calfzilla. And handsome. The fans chant for Dhesi, which has Ray threatening to leave for the United States. Ray promises that Dhesi will never put him through a table so Dhesi strikes away, including a jumping knee to the face. Dhesi knocks him out to the floor but Ray gets in a mic shot to the face.

Back in and Ray rakes at the eyes before grabbing a kendo stick to keep up the beating. Ray calls a fan an “old bag” and gets in a low blow but stops to yell at the referee. That’s enough for Dhesi to get in some kendo stick shots before sending the referee up to play D-Von in What’s Up. The table is brought in but the referee gets bumped, meaning Dhesi putting Ray through the table doesn’t matter. Cue QT Marshall to drop Dhesi and put him on the broken table…which is enough to give Ray the win at 8:52.

Rating: C-. This was more about the What’s Up spot than anything else, which wasn’t anything overly special. Ray has a longstanding tendency to get wins like this for the sake of heat from the crowd, but it’s rare that he gets any kind of comeuppance. Now he already has a minion in Marshall and that isn’t boding well for the rest of his time around here.

Post match Ray loads up a chair but Bhupinder Gujjar makes the save.

Ad for TNA Bound For Glory.

We preview next week’s AEW Dynamite, because Tony Khan’s stuff has to be in everything.

Gisele Shaw is ready to face Miyu Yamashita before her ROH Women’s Title shot tomorrow.

Gisele Shaw vs. Miyu Yamashita

If Yamashita wins, she is added to the Ring Of Honor Women’s Title match on Night Two. Feeling out process to start, with Yamashita working on the arm but getting reversed into a hammerlock. Back up and Shaw misses a charge so Yamashita can kick away in the corner. Shaw knocks her out to the floor but Yamashita manages a posting for a needed breather.

Back in and Shaw ties her in the ropes for some knees to the ribs, setting up the chinlock. That’s broken up so Shaw settles for two off a sitout powerbomb instead. Yamashita is back with a springboard enziguri but Shaw backbreakers her into a Downward Spiral for two more. They strike it out with Shaw getting the better of things, only for Yamashita to tell her to bring it. That’s fine with Shaw, who hits a running knee for the pin at 12:35.

Rating: B-. This was one of the better matches on the show and it was good enough for the spot. Shaw had long since felt like she was ready to become the next star in the TNA women’s division but it never went on to the next level. Beating Yamashita gives Shaw some momentum on the way to tomorrow’s title shot, but it’s probably going to take more than that to get the title off of Athena. For now though, good match.

Video on Athena, the longest reigning champion of any kind in Ring Of Honor history.

We run down the Night Two card.

Video on Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey.

Konosuke Takeshita vs. Mike Bailey

Takeshita runs him over to start but Bailey pops up and fires off some kicks. A running hurricanrana sends Takeshita outside and there’s the running hurricanrana through the ropes. The triangle moonsault drops Takeshita again and the bouncing kicks have him in more trouble back inside. They’re already back on the apron, where Takeshita catches him with a Death Valley Driver to leave both of them on the floor.

Back in and we hit the chinlock until Bailey fights up, only to get planted with a DDT for two. Bailey fights up again and fires off the kicks, setting up the running shooting star press for two of his own. The standing moonsault hits raised knees though and Takeshita hits a crazy release German suplex. They both miss kicks and counters until Bailey scores with some moonsault knees for a breather. Bailey fires off more kicks but Takeshita pulls him up for a rather devastating forearm.

Takeshita misses a running charge to crash out to the floor, allowing Bailey to hit a big springboard corkscrew dive. Back in and Bailey misses the Ultimate Weapon, allowing Takeshita to launch him face first into the middle buckle. A powerbomb out of the corner puts Takeshita down and a shooting star legdrop (just go with it) gets two. Bailey knocks him out to the floor but Takeshita is right back with another huge forearm.

Back in and Bailey’s hurricanrana staggers Takeshita, who counters the tornado kick into a very spinny Blue Thunder Bomb for a near fall. A wheelbarrow suplex into a hard clothesline gives Takeshita two more but Bailey kicks him into the corner. The tornado kick sets up the Ultimate Weapon for two but the Flamingo Driver is countered into a kneeling tombstone for two. Takeshita hits his running knee or two and Raging Fire is finally enough to put Bailey away at 24:31.

Rating: A-. I’m not a big Bailey fan but he knows how to have some rather entertaining matches, which was the case here. These guys beat the living daylights out of each other until Takeshita put him away, which is all you can hope to see. It’s the kind of main event that people will notice and for the first big match the promotion has ever presented, that’s more than enough.

Josh Alexander comes out for a staredown with Takeshita before their title match tomorrow.

Overall Rating: B. The opener and the main event are both good and the stuff in the middle is mostly acceptable. The one match that doesn’t work very well is the tables match but you kind of know what you’re getting into with that. Otherwise, I had a good time with this show as they didn’t do anything insane. There was no big angle or storyline as they focused on the wrestling instead, which is a smart move. I’ll be checking out the second night as well and they’ll be coming in off a nice start with this part.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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AND

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NXT UK
Date: August 11, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studio, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re in a new world around here as the United Kingdom Title is vacant and that means it is time for a tournament to crown a new one. Other than that, we have the usual issues to deal with, likely meaning an NXT guest star and some stuff in the pretty decent women’s division. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

We recap Ilja Dragunov getting injured and the need for a title tournament.

United Kingdom Title Tournament First Round: Oliver Carter vs. Charlie Dempsey

The rest of Die Familie is here with Dempsey and Carter is coming in with a banged up knee. Both of them get inset promos promising to win. Carter isn’t having any of this Die Familie posing before the bell and jumps Dempsey to start fast. A clothesline puts Dempsey on the floor and there’s the slingshot dive, with the knee holding up well enough. Back in and Dempsey sends him hard into the corner so the leg hits the ropes.

Dempsey takes him down by the leg for some rather painful looking cranking. Carter fights up and tries a springboard, only to hurt his leg again. Of course Dempsey is fine with going after an injured limb, setting up a northern lights suplex for two. Carter kicks out of a kneebar attempt so Dempsey ties up the leg again and fires off some forearms to the chest.

A leg trap dragon suplex gets two on Carter but that’s escaped as well. Some forearms stagger Dempsey to start Carter’s comeback but his knee gives out again. A Rock Bottom gives Carter two so he tries the superkick, only to have his knee fail one more time. Another dragon screw legwhip sets up a half crab….which Carter reverses into a cradle for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C+. Carter has come a long way and it is nice to see him getting a chance like this. He has no chance of winning the title but he got a win here and gets to keep going for one more match. It’s also weird seeing Dempsey get pinned, but he is the kind of guy who is going to be able to have a spot for as long as he wants as there is always room for a technical star.

After last week’s #1 contenders main event ended in a mess, Blair Davenport, Eliza Alexander, Amale and Isla Dawn had to be separated.

Tyler Bate is ready to be United Kingdom Champion again.

Eliza Alexander vs. Thea Hail

Alexander fires off forearms to start but gets flipped into the corner for her efforts. Back up and Hail hits a quick dropkick but gets sent hard into the corner. There’s a hair toss to start working on the hair and a camel clutch to work on Hail’s…..camels? Hail powers up and hits an enziguri but a standing moonsault hits raised knees. Alexander hits a running kick to the face for the pin at 4:14.

Rating: C-. Hail has a lot of energy and her charisma in the Chase U segments are great, but the matches aren’t quite clicking yet. It’s also a little weird to see her lose here when she’s treated as something of a project, especially to Xia Brookside’s enforcer. Not much of a match, with something of an odd result.

Amale is immediately interrupted by Nina Samuels, who calls Amale no hope to the French whatsoever. Amale rants in French before switching to English to say she’ll go through anyone to become champion, including Samuels.

Andre Chase finishes explaining why we don’t have a U in the word “color” but Eddie Dennis comes in to besmirch this university. Chase: “WHO THE F*** DO YOU THINK YOU ARE???” This is a TEACHABLE MOMENT and somehow Dennis gets a match with….Saxton Huxley? Dennis vs. Chase is as obvious of a path as you can get around here.

Teoman vs. Sam Gradwell

Rohan Raja is here with Teoman. Gradwell grinds away on a headlock to start but Teoman is back with a slap to the face. This goes as well as expected as Gradwell punches him in the face a few times, followed by a clothesline out to the floor. A Raja distraction lets Teoman sweep the leg on the apron though and we hit the chinlock back inside.

Gradwell powers up and tosses him away, with Teoman coming up holding his ankle. Even Gradwell doesn’t buy this but Raja grabs him from behind for a neck snap across the top. Teoman’s sliding forearm gets two so Gradwell fights up and slugs away. Raja gets caught pulling Gradwell off the ropes though and that’s an ejection. The distraction lets Gradwell hit a Samoan driver for the pin at 5:45.

Rating: C. Commentary was putting over how far Gradwell has come and that is absolutely right. He has gone from little more than another person without much of a personality to being the one who stands up to evildoers. That is the kind of spot that could serve him well as he is intense enough to make it work, which is exactly what he is doing.

Mark Coffey is in Sid Scala’s office when Noam Dar comes in, saying they need to talk. Dar wants a rematch and that’s fine with Coffey, who tells Scala to make a rubber match. Scala will get on that.

United Kingdom Title Tournament First Round: Wolfgang vs. Trent Seven

They take their time to start until Wolfgang shoulders him down. An armdrag into an armbar has Seven in more trouble, followed by some shoulders driven into his shoulders. Wolfgang runs him over again and they head outside with Seven being whipped into the barricade. Seven cuts off a dive from the barricade though and the beating is on back inside.

We hit the chinlock with a knee in Wolfgang’s back until he powers up, only to have his ribs give out. The ribs are fine enough for a release German suplex, setting up a basement shoulder for a double breather. A suplex into a cutter gives Wolfgang two and a fireman’s carry gutbuster gets the same. Wolfgang knocks him off the top but the Howling only hits raised knees. The Birminghammer finishes for Seven at 8:56.

Rating: C+. Nice stuff here, as Seven gets a win to continue his run. He isn’t likely to win the title either but he is in a better spot than Wolfgang, who just lost his title shot. The match was good enough too, with Wolfgang getting to dominate until Seven caught him in the end.

Overall Rating: C+. The good thing about having a tournament is that you can have a good idea of how long it is going to run. Odds are this one is going to last for probably a month, which should give us some nice action and drama. Other than that, we had the usual nice show with a bit of everything mixed in. In other words, it was your run of the mill NXT UK.

Results
Oliver Carter b. Charlie Dempsey – Rollup
Eliza Alexander b. Thea Hail – Running kick to the face
Sam Gradwell b. Teoman – Samoan driver
Trent Seven b. Wolfgang – Birminghammer

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT UK
Date: August 4, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

Things should be getting a bit more energized around here as we had the big showdown for the United Kingdom Title last week. Ilja Dragunov is going to need a fresh opponent after dispatching Wolfgang and a bigger one would be nice. This week is a title week also, as we have Meiko Satomura defending the Women’s Title against Sarray. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is United Kingdom Champion Ilja Dragunov for a chat….and he’s on crutches. Dragunov says he suffered a severe ankle injury during his title defense last week (insert clip here) and that means he cannot defend his title. Therefore it has to be vacated, but he isn’t going to talk about how hard this is for him.

Everyone back there is fighting hard every day and there is nothing special about him. He doesn’t regret anything he did in the ring and when he looks around the ring, there are bits of his soul all around the canvas. All he wanted to do was show that he could do this and the only person who defeats him is himself. Dragunov promises to come back for his title before laying the belt in the ring and walking away. Gah that’s frustrating, as I was curious to see how they were going to get the title off of him otherwise.

Chase University has come to London and see the sights, with Bodie Hayward wanting to stay at the Tower Of London. Then they go to the important place: the NXT UK Performance Center, where they find Sha Samuels basically destitute outside. Hayward has this one and thinks Shaw could make it into Chase U. This sends Shaw into a rant and we might have a match, partially due to Hayward being called a “stupid mark”. Hayward to Chase: “That guy works here?”

Johnny Saint and Sid Scala announce an eight man tournament for the vacant United Kingdom Title, with participants being announced later tonight.

Oliver Carter vs. Rohan Raja

The rest of Die Familie is here with Raja. Carter doesn’t waste time and starts striking away, including a running dropkick to put Raja outside. A quick Charlie Dempsey distraction breaks that up though and Carter gets stomped down on the floor. Back in and a hard whip into the corner keeps Carter in trouble and we hit the abdominal stretch.

That’s switched into the same thing from Carter, which is broken up without much trouble. What looks to be a fall away slam is countered with a knee to Raja’s head and a springboard moonsault scores for Carter. There’s a dive to take out the rest of Die Familie, followed by the running spinwheel kick in the corner to finish Raja at 5:23.

Rating: C. Carter getting to shine while his partner is on the shelf is a good sign for his future and I’m curious to see what he gets to do until Ashton Smith gets back. Die Familie continues its up and down success, but they were never presented as some top team so the losses don’t have quite the same sting. This one didn’t change much, but Carter fighting against Die Familie is something for him to do.

Post match Die Familie comes in to beat Carter down.

Thea Hail is happy to be here but Eliza Alexander doesn’t like her. A match seems imminent.

Teoman is happy with what happened to Oliver Carter, because that was a win. Sam Gradwell comes in and implies he doesn’t like bullies.

Sha Samuels vs. Bodie Hayward

The rest of Chase U is here too. Samuels is so broke that he has all of his possessions in a bindle. He also apparently smells bad as Hayward shoves him into the corner. The fans want Samuels to take a shower as he gets hiptossed and clotheslined. A neck snap across the top gets Samuels out of trouble and he elbows Hayward in the face. There’s a kick to Hayward’s back but he’s back up with the running shoulders to Samuels’ legs. The splash gives Hayward two but he misses a charge into the corner, setting up a spinebuster to give Samuels the pin at 4:45.

Rating: C. Another just kind of there match, though I’m not sure I get why Samuels would win here. He is so down on his luck that losing to a student would make sense, though at least he might be able to get somewhere with a win. The down on his luck story is a fun way to go, even if Samuels isn’t that interesting in the first place.

Samuels is REALLY happy with his win.

Oliver Carter is banged up, but Sid Scala comes in to say he’s in the title tournament, with his first round match coming up next week. Carter is banged up but he can go with that.

We recap Ilja Dragunov vacating the title (in a full video package, which is all the more impressive/unnecessary when it was both on this show and earlier in the same show). Here are the tournament brackets:

Trent Seven
Wolfgang

Charlie Dempsey
Oliver Carter

Mark Andrews
Joe Coffey

Tyler Bate
Kenny Williams

Women’s Title: Meiko Satomura vs. Sarray

Satomura is defending, but hold on because here is Blair Davenport to interrupt. Apparently Satomura and Sarray aren’t here for some non-apparent reason. Davenport says Satomura keeps ducking her and the title reign is due to Davenport breaking her ankle months ago. Cue Amale to say hold on, with Eliza Alexander cutting them both off to complain about not getting the title shot. Davenport doesn’t want to hear this but Isla Dawn pops up behind her and says it’s her shot. Sid Scala says we still need a main event tonight so it’s Davenport vs. Dawn for the #1 contendership.

Blair Davenport vs. Isla Dawn

Dawn kicks her down to start and cranks on the ankle early on. Back up and Davenport manages some kicks into the corner, setting up the required leg choke. Davenport sends her to the corner where Dawn gets in a knee to the face for two, allowing her to flap her arms a bit.

A running knee to the face gives Dawn two more and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and they slug it out with Davenport getting the better of things. A basement dropkick gives Davenport two of her own but Dawn is back with a hard belly to back suplex for two more. Dawn hits a top rope Meteora for two, but Eliza Alexander pulls her out for the DQ at 7:12.

Rating: C+. This was one of Dawn’s better matches but they telegraphed that finish way too hard. It didn’t make sense for Alexander and Amale to just be ok with this being for the future title shot so having Alexander interfered at least makes sense. Then again Dawn won via DQ so she should get the title shot, but you know that isn’t where this is going. Anyway, best thing on the show so far, false advertising aside.

Post match Amale beats up Davenport and the huge melee has to be broken up to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. I’m going to assume that everything was turned upside down by Dragunov’s injury and a lot of this was the fallout. The main event was a bait and switch but maybe they’re waiting for a show later in the taping cycle. This wasn’t a good show, but at least they had an excuse thanks to the Dragunov injury.

Results
Oliver Carter b. Rohan Raja – Running spinwheel kick in the corner
Sha Samuels b. Bodie Hayward – Spinebuster
Isla Dawn b. Blair Davenport via DQ when Eliza Alexander interfered

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NXT UK
Date: February 24, 2022
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another title show as Moustache Mountain is defending their Tag Team Titles against Ashton Smith and Oliver Carter. That could be quite the showdown, as NXT UK tends to do rather well when it comes to title matches. I’m curious to see what else they have on the show so let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the Tag Team Title match, as Smith and Carter are ready for their big shot at the gold.

Opening sequence.

Amale vs. Xia Brookside

They fight over wrist control to start with Amale taking her down into an armbar. Back up and a shoulder drops Brookside, who can’t believe Amale would do that to him. Amale tries to pull her out to the corner but Brookside says Amale can’t do that. Brookside: “I’M SPECIAL!” Amale counters a crossbody into a slam and a basement dropkick gets two. Brookside finally gets in a shot of her own and chokes Amale on the ropes before standing on her back for some screaming.

The armbar has Amale in trouble and the look on her makes would make you think she is being stabbed by a lightning bolt. Some elbows to the head have Amale in more trouble and Brookside mocks her again. Back up and Amale strikes away, including a running boot to the side of the head. Brookside forearms her back though and a kick to the head makes it worse. Amale isn’t having that though and sends her into the corner for a running boot to the face. The Hope Breaker gives Amale the pin at 6:17.

Rating: C+. Brookside is really starting to feel it with this stuck up brat daddy’s girl and that could suit her very well going forward. At the same time though, Amale continues to seem to be the future of the division and odds are she will wind up being the Women’s Champion one day. If nothing else, they are building her up some something and having her win matches over and over is the right way to go.

Sha Samuels and Noam Dar want to see Gallus suspended for stealing Supernova Sessions. Instead, Sid Scala is giving Joe Coffey a Heritage Cup shot. Mark Coffey can face Samuels too.

Pretty Deadly walks through a Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff interview. Mastiff tells Starz that he knows what to do. That brings us to Challenge #4: Bomber Initiative. Starz goes into Pretty Deadly’s dressing room and we cut to Pretty Deadly in their street clothes….which now have holes in the chest. Yelling ensues.

Rohan Raja vs. Danny Jones

The rest of Die Familie is here with Raja. Jones can’t spin out of a wristlock to start but some right hands in the corner work a bit better. A knee to the ribs takes Raja down and a boot to the face sends Raja outside for a Die Familie meeting. For some reason Jones decides to go outside after him and gets driven into the apron to put Raja back in control.

A running basement dropkick to the back of the head gives Raja two but his trash talk brings Jones back up. An enziguri into a belly to back suplex drops Raja again but it’s a rather slow near fall. Jones’ banged up back gives out though and it’s a Backstabber into a jumping Downward Spiral to give Raja the pin at 5:03.

Rating: C. It wasn’t a classic or anything but it was a way to have Jones get in some offense before going down to the bigger star. That was a nice rub to Jones, with is really just a guy in trunks, which makes it a little harder to find something for him to do. Not a bad match whatsoever, and Raja gave him a pretty good bit here.

Post match the big beatdown is on with Jones being left laying, though Charlie Dempsey didn’t seem sure about it at first.

Eddie Dennis whispers to Symbiosis about how an arrow has to be pulled back before it can go forward. The team looks ready to come back.

A truck driver is distracted by eating a hamburger and hits….what might have been a werewolf. The wolf/person is watching from the road as the driver looks at some fur on the road. I have no idea who or what this was supposed to be about and thought it was some weird commercial.

Sha Samuels runs into Mark Coffey for an exchange of insults before their match next week.

Die Familie again runs into A-Kid and stares at him. Charlie Dempsey calls the other two off and asks if A-Kid has something to say to him. A-Kid thought Dempsey was better than that and Dempsey says maybe.

Andy Shepherd brings out Meiko Satomura to honor her career. First up, we see a video on her title reign and Andy hands her a bouquet of flowers. Satomura says thank you but Isla Dawn pops up (with the camera going a bit wacky, like it’s in a weird world) to say she is distressed over not receiving an invite.

She thanks Satomura for giving us something to desire but now she needs her final trophy. At the moment, Satomura possesses it, so Satomura says if she wants a title shot, all she has to do is ask. Dawn says she takes things and kicks Satomura in the head. Then she takes and eats the flowers. So she’s Maleficent with a taste for flowers?

Sam Gradwell tells himself to get over having his hair being shaved but what gets to him is people, like his son, asking what happened to his mohawk. He can get over Kenny Williams doing that, but he doesn’t think Williams can get over what Gradwell is going to do to him.

We look back at Nathan Frazer challenging Ilja Dragunov for the NXT UK Title.

Ilja Dragunov accepts the challenge, even though he had to win a battle royal just to get a title shot. Then he failed, because he wasn’t ready yet. He knows how good Frazer is, but he also knows how great he can be. Frazer isn’t ready, but he’ll take his first step.

Here’s what’s coming next week.

Tag Team Titles: Moustache Mountain vs. Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith

Moustache Mountain is defending. Bate and Smith lock it up to start with Smith having to bail to the corner to escape a takedown attempt. Carter comes in and gets taken to the mat as well but manages to pull Bate into an armbar. That’s broken up and Bate takes him down, allowing Seven to come in for an assisted twisting moonsault. Carter is able to forearm him into the corner and there’s an armdrag into an armbar.

Smith comes back in and gets chopped/slammed, allowing Seven to drop a leg for two. It’s back to Bate to grind away on a headlock before unloading with forearms to both of them. Smith gets in a shot of his own though and brings in Carter, whose springboard…is pulled out of the air. Bate swings him around to knock Smith down as well but it makes Bate dizzy too. That means Carter can kick Bate in the head before a hurricanrana out of the corner sends him flying.

Carter even knocks Seven off the apron before he can do anything about it but Bate is back up with a suplex. The running shooting star press looks to set up the Tyler Driver 97 but Carter backdrops his way out. Bate settles for the rebound lariat and it’s back to Seven, leaving Bate to knock Smith off the apron. Something like Private Party’s Silly String into a tornado DDT lets Carter hit a springboard moonsault for two of his own and Seven is in trouble.

Seven sends Carter outside though and hits the Seven Star Lariat on Smith. Emerald Flosion gets two with Carter having to make a save. Bate comes back in so Smith Blue Thunder Bombs him for two of his own. An assisted moonsault (how they won the tournament) gets two on Bate and Carter is down too. A Silly String moonsault is cut off by Seven so Smith goes with a top rope Rough Ryder for two on Bate.

One heck of a Doomsday cutter drops Bate again but this time it’s Seven making the save. Everyone is down for a much needed breather Smith knocks Seven’s right hand back into Bate but Seven and Carter are knocked outside. That leaves Smith to hit a great superkick on Bate but Bop and Bang into an enziguri knock Smith silly. Bate knocks Smith silly with a left hand and covers, with Smith getting his foot on the ropes….but Seven shoves it off so Bate (who didn’t seem to see what Seven did) can retain the titles at 13:12.

Rating: B. Action packed fight here as Moustache Mountain was stretched to their breaking point here, with Seven having to tease a bit of a turn to keep the titles. Smith and Carter were keeping up from these two every step of the way and that was an awesome thing to see. Pretty great main event here and I’m not sure who is going to be able to take the titles, but at least it will be fun to watch people try.

Overall Rating: B-. As tends to be the case, the main event carried this show as the other two matches were fairly skippable. The main event was worth seeing though and it made the show feel important. I’m curious to see where some of these stories are going and then you can expect some good matches to blow the stories off. Now just get some kind of a major show scheduled and we could get somewhere special. For now though, it just continues to be the best weekly WWE show.

Results
Amale b. Xia Brookside – Hope Breaker
Rohan Raja b. Danny Jones – Jumping Downward Spiral
Moustache Mountain b. Ashton Smith/Oliver Carter – Left hand to Smith

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NXT UK
Date: November 18, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

We’re back in England and on the way to a bunch of big TV matches since there has not been any mention of a Takeover in forever around here. The big story at the moment is the upcoming Rampage Brown vs. Ilja Dragunov United Kingdom Title match, which is coming at some point in the future. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

A-Kid vs. Sam Gradwell

They go with the grappling to start with A-Kid taking him down with the headlock takeover. That’s reversed into an armbar but A-Kid flips out and grabs a cravate. Gradwell can’t flip his way out so he goes with a knee brace to the eyes to escape instead. We’re off to a face pull on A-Kid, followed by a heck of a running elbow to the face. There’s an overhead belly to belly for two and Gradwell is getting cocky. The Boston crab goes on but A-Kid slips out and kicks him in the head.

A high crossbody gets two on Gradwell and it’s a double knockdown for a breather. Back up and Gradwell gets pulled down into an omoplata, which is muscled up into a suplex for another break. One heck of a discus forearm puts A-Kid on the floor and a suplex sends him flying again. That’s good for nine so Gradwell hits him in the face for two more. The frustrated Gradwell hits him in the face but A-Kid pulls him into a cross armbreaker for the tap at 10:43.

Rating: B-. The more I watch A-Kid, the more impressed I am. He’s one of those guys who can make anything look smooth and that is always fun to watch. Change his name to something that sounds a bit more impressive and they’ve got something. Gradwell is someone who has all kinds of charisma and somehow stays popular despite not winning much of anything. I could go with the latter changing, but that doesn’t seem likely.

Gradwell looks frustrated and A-Kid looks impressed.

We look back at Rampage Brown wrecking Flash Morgan Webster last week. Webster is on the shelf with a shoulder injury and it’s not clear how long he’ll be out of action.

Ilja Dragunov is ready for his title match with Rampage Brown. Yes Brown is a monster, but Dragunov embraces the pain. Legends are written about the people who make the monsters fall, so long live the Czar. The title match is in two weeks.

Aleah James vs. Nina Samuels

Samuels pats her on the head to start and gets headlocked for her condescending efforts. They trade wristlocks until James snaps off a hurricanrana. Samuels runs her over though and stands on James’ hair, which is not exactly that nice. Three straight backbreakers keep James in trouble and Samuels cranks on the leg so hard that James kicks herself in the back of the head. That’s enough to make James fight back up with some clotheslines and a dropkick but Samuels plants her with a reverse suplex. Back up and James grabs a quick small package for the surprise pin at 4:53.

Rating: C-. James is someone who could be brought up through the women’s division in a hurry and it seems that might be what is on WWE’s minds at the moment. Samuels continues to be one of the established stars who doesn’t actually go anywhere, but who still has enough status that beating her means something. It’s not a great match, but it could moves James forward and that’s what matters.

Sam Gradwell is mad but Noam Dar and Sha Samuels interrupt with their Heritage Cup victory celebration.

Aleah James is very happy with her win but Isla Dawn attacks her and steals something from her gear.

Saxon Huxley vs. Kenny Williams

Huxley throws him around to start so Williams grabs a less than successful headlock. That earns Williams a grab by the throat and some rams into the mat but Williams gets smart by going after the leg. Williams ties the leg in the rope for a running kick before cranking on both arms at once. Back up and Huxley sends him into the corner, setting up a running big boot to the face. A running crossbody against the ropes rocks Williams again so he crawls under the ring and slides back out to post Huxley from behind. Back in and Bad Luck finishes Huxley at 5:53.

Rating: C-. Another not so great match with the rather charismatic Huxley losing to Williams, who is quite the villain. That being said, Williams is currently going by the name The Cockroach and I’m not sure how much of a future that leaves him. He has done well on his own though so maybe he can keep moving forward well enough.

Xia Brookside doesn’t like being told that she is late for training but she has a note from her dad.

Mark Andrews is happy with his win over someone as great as Nathan Frazer. Jordan Devlin comes in and tells him to start acting like more of an ace.

Teoman/Rohan Raja vs. Gallus

Joe Coffey is here with Gallus. Wolfgang throws Raja into the corner to start and it’s Mark coming in for an armdrag into an armbar. A shot to the face allows the tag off to Teoman, who gets armdragged as well. Gallus cleans house with monkey flips to the floor but Teoman ties Mark up in the apron to hammer away.

The villains take over and start the alternating stomps, including a variety to the shoulder. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Teoman runs Mark over for two instead. There’s a kick to the arm to keep Mark down and Wolfgang gets knocked off the apron. Mark doesn’t seem to mind though as he ax handles Teoman down and brings Wolfgang back in to clean house.

Everything breaks down and an enziguri into a Backstabber gets two on Wolfgang. An assisted DDT gets the same but Wolfgang hits a double clothesline. The assisted powerslam is loaded up but here is Charlie Dempsey of all people to jump Joe Coffey. The distraction lets Raja hit a jumping Downward Spiral to finish Wolfgang at 9:31.

Rating: C+. There’s something about Teoman that gets my attention and I like the option of having Dempsey join in. Raja might not exactly be a star but he is a good enough choice for a third wheel. Gallus is going to be fine as they are long since established as stars, so it isn’t like this is some big devastating loss. The Dempsey stuff has my attention though and that’s a good sign for Teoman/Raja.

Post match Dempsey, Teoman and Raja lay waste to Gallus to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. You can kind of tell when the tapings are wrapping up as there isn’t much left to go with on this show. The main event angle was good, but it’s all about waiting for the big stuff to come in the future weeks. I’m looking forward to some of these things, but they need a fresh taping to breathe a bit more life into the show after this one. The good thing is that I fully believe that NXT UK can pull that off, which is very nice to see after so many other shows have no such luck.

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NXT UK
Date: October 28, 2021
Location: BT Sports Studios, London, England
Commentators: Andy Shepherd, Nigel McGuinness

It’s time for another title match and this week that means the Heritage Cup is on the line. After spending what has felt like the better part of forever crowning a new #1 contender, it is time for Tyler Bate to defend the Heritage Cup against Noam Dar. Other than that, I’m not sure what really matters because I’m too relieved that the tournament stuff is finally over. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Mark Coffey vs. Rohan Raja

Wolfgang and Teoman are the seconds. Coffey takes him down into the armbar to start but Raja reverses, meaning it’s time to go to the ropes. Raja Codebreakers the arm and the fans are not pleased, though Coffey taking him into the corner makes it a bit better. Not that it matters though as Raja goes right back to the arm and some knees in the corner get two.

The seated armbar goes on but Coffey comes back with a clothesline and middle rope bulldog. Raja isn’t having that and plants him with a sitout powerbomb for two more, followed by a Backstabber for the same. Back up and Coffey scores with a quick kick to the head, followed by a sliding forearm for the pin at 5:55.

Rating: C. The ending was really abrupt but this was the best performance from Raja so far. He looked like someone who could hang with a bigger star like Coffey and that is a good sign for his future. This is the kind of feud that could go on for a bit, though I’m a bit surprised that Teoman hasn’t taken off more than he has. Either way, not a bad match to start things off here.

Post match Teoman and Raja jump Gallus and leave them laying.

Sid Scala is making a triple threat match to crown new #1 contenders between Oliver Carter/Ashton Smith, Symbiosis and Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff.

Charlie Dempsey is ready for his match but Gallus storms in looking for Teoman.

Myla Grace vs. Amele

Amele takes her down to start and shouts a lot before grabbing a headlock. Grace is back with some rollups for two each but Amele stomps her out of the corner to take over again. A fisherman’s neckbreaker gives Amele one and we hit the chinlock. Cue Blair Davenport to watch as Grace fights up and hits a 619 to the ribs in the corner. A tornado DDT out of the corner gets two on Amele, but she is right back with the Hopebreaker for the pin at 3:49.

Rating: C-. I get more out of Amele every time she’s on this show and it wouldn’t surprise me to see her moving up the ladder in a hurry. I’m not sure where Davenport fits into the whole thing but it could go somewhere in the future. Grace didn’t get to do much here but she showed off some skills while she had the chance.

Nina Samuels interrupts an Aleah James interview and makes fun of her for being short. James leaves and Samuels isn’t sure what went wrong.

Flash Morgan Webster comes up to Rampage Brown, who pins him up against the wall. If Webster wanted a match, all he had to do was ask.

Charlie Dempsey vs. Danny Jones

Dempsey takes him down in a hurry and works on a cravate with some grinding. Jones is back up with an uppercut and a backfist rocks Dempsey. That’s enough of being in trouble for Dempsey who goes for the leg and whips him face first into the middle buckle. A front facelock suplex gives Dempsey two as Nigel is rapid firing the British wrestler references. The rolling butterfly suplexes into the crossface chickenwing makes Jones tap at 4:48.

Rating: C+. This was a lot of fun as Dempsey is such a throwback to the old grappling style. That is something you can always use on any show because it is such a classic style of wrestling. Jones looked good in defeat here, but this was all about Dempsey, who isn’t the most impressive looking but can do some painful things in the ring.

Video on Meiko Satomura vs. Jinny before their title match next week.

Isla Dawn has her box of trophies but says she needs one more thing.

Heritage Cup: Tyler Bate vs. Noam Dar

Bate is defending and has Trent Seven in his corner while Dar has Sha Samuels. Round one begins with the two feeling each other out until Bate starts working on the arm. Dar’s twisting of the arm doesn’t last long so it’s a standoff until Bate takes him down by the head. Back up and Bate drives him up against the ropes but the round ends.

Round two begins with Bate taking him down by the foot and cranking away on the leg. That’s enough for Dar to need a breather in the ropes and they fight over the arm some more. Dar avoids a charge but has to slip out of the airplane spin. A double clothesline rocks both of them and they fight over an aggressive lockup as the round ends. Round three begins with Bate dropkicking him to the floor and then going after him. That’s enough for Dar to knock him outside with Bate hurting his knee. Back in and the Nova Roller gives Dar the first fall at 59 seconds of the round and 8:06 overall.

Round four begins with Dar throwing a rocked Bate down and taking his turns on the limbs. Bate manages a DDT but the knee is too banged up to do anything about it. The northern lights suplex drops Dar and Bate nips up, setting up a heck of a clothesline. The Tyler Driver 97 ties things up at a fall each at 2:03 of the round and 10:42.

Round five begins with Bate grabbing a dragon screw legwhip but Dar does the same to bring him off the ropes. Dar kicks him down for two but Bate is back up with a Birminghammer attempt. Samuels offers a distraction though and Dar slips out, only to miss the Nova Roller. Bate pulls him into a kneebar and they slug it out with the hold still on as time expires.

Round six (the final round, with Bate retaining in a draw) begins with another slugout until Dar kicks out the leg. Bate catches him on top with a t-bone superplex so Dar rolls outside for a breather. You don’t do that to Bate, who takes Dar out with a dive. Back in and Bate hits the rolling Liger kick but gets caught in the Champagne Super Knee Bar (I’m not sure if that is clever or not).

That’s broken up with a rolling German suplex to put both of them down but cue Pretty Deadly to go after Seven. The brawl is on as the knee bar goes on again….and Seven’s towel winds up in the ring, which is enough to make Dar champion at 2:45 of the round and 17:35 overall.

Rating: B-. I wasn’t feeling this one as much as some of the other tournament matches but what matters it they went with the right winner. After that never ending tournament, they more or less had to put the title on Dar. Bate having issues with Seven could be the start of something great, but the towel accidentally being thrown in is not the greatest. Still though, good enough match and the ending sets up some stuff.

Bate isn’t happy with Seven as Dar and Samuels celebrate to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Pretty solid show again this week, as they manage to turn the midcard title match into an event, which is a pretty impressive feat. I’m still enjoying this show every week and having fans back has made it feel that much better. More good stuff this week as things continue chugging along.

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NXT UK
Date: September 2, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andy Shepherd

With the reaction to the UK Title change out of the way, it’s time to move forward around here. Now in this case, that makes me interested in where they’re going, as NXT UK has been quite the fun show for a rather long while now. That being said, there is always the chance that WWE pulls the plug around here and none of this matters again. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Blair Davenport vs. Nina Samuels

Hold on actually as Davenport jumps Samuels before the bell and hits her with a Falcon Arrow. Officials, including Sid Scala, come out, with Davenport laying out Scala as well. No match.

We look back at Aoife Valkyrie beating Jinny last week in a heck of a fight. Valkyrie has injured her knee though and will be out of action for a “significant period of time”.

Jinny takes credit for injuring Valkyrie.

Symbiosis is ready for Saxon Huxley and whoever he can get to team with him.

Jack Starz/Dave Mastiff vs. Dan Moloney/Andy Wild

Wild can’t do anything with the much bigger Mastiff to start, including a headlock having no effect. Mastiff’s bridging northern lights suplex gets two and it’s off to Starz for the same. Moloney comes in to go after Starz’s arm but a standing armbar doesn’t get him very far. It’s back to Mastiff for the backsplash but a Wild distraction lets Moloney dropkick Starz to take over. We hit the nerve hold to keep Starz in trouble for all of ten seconds before Starz makes the tag back to Mastiff. House is cleaned and Moloney is tied in the Tree of Woe, with Starz adding a running headbutt. Into The Void finishes Moloney at 5:50.

Rating: C. Totally fine squash here with Starz and Mastiff as the latest oddball team, though they have played it straight so far. Starz has come a long way since being the whipping boy for new names and the team is doing well at what they’re trying. Nice opener here and I wouldn’t mind seeing Mastiff and Starz out there again.

Pretty Deadly danced in a fountain earlier this week, until Gallus shoved them into the water. Are they already out of challengers?

Amele vs. Emilia McKenzie

McKenzie takes her down into a leglock to start and goes with a variety of mat grappling. Back up and a running dropkick puts Amele down again and a neckbreaker gets two. Amele sends her to the apron though and a running kick to the face puts McKenzie on the floor. Back in and a corner clothesline gives Amele two and we hit the chinlock.

McKenzie’s comeback just frustrates Amele and she hammers away to drop McKenzie again. A cobra clutch sets up a running shoulder to give Amele two and McKenzie is in trouble. Amele’s shotgun dropkick into the corner sets up a running boot to the face….but McKenzie rolls her up for the surprise pin at 6:44.

Rating: C-. This was mostly a squash until the surprise ending, which will likely set up Amele to wreck McKenzie even more to set up her title shot. Amele did well here and had the aggression, though I’m not sure if she needed to lose here. It was certainly a surprise ending, though hopefully it doesn’t derail Amele’s momentum too badly.

We look back at Blair Davenport attacking Nina Samuels and Sid Scala.

Oliver Carter and Ashton Smith agree to team with Saxton Huxley next week. Carter: “I LOVE THAT MADMAN!”

Sam Gradwell and Wolfgang are ready to face each other in the Heritage Cup #1 contenders tournament.

Here’s what’s coming next week, including another look at the Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov rematch, with additional insight from legends and WWE stars. Could be interesting.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Teoman vs. Nathan Frazer

Rohan Raja is here with Teoman. Round one begins with a fight over a lockup and they take it to the mat to make it more interesting. Teoman starts cranking on the arm by driving Frazer to the mat, complete with a knee in the shoulder. Frazer fights up and doesn’t care for being hit in the face, meaning it’s a slugout to put Frazer in control. A dropkick takes Teoman down to end the round in a hurry.

Round two begins with Teoman going after the arm but Frazer hits him in the face some more. Teoman is sent outside and Frazer’s suicide dive takes him down. That’s fine with Teoman, who sends Frazer hard into the steps. Back in and a sliding forearm gives Teoman the pin at 1:03 of the round (4:43 overall) to go up 1-0.

Round three begins with Teoman kicking Frazer down and a shot to the face gets two more. Frazer manages to headscissor him outside but Teoman ties him in the ropes and stomps away. Back in and Teoman misses another sliding forearm and gets crotched on top. A springboard super hurricanrana gets two on Teoman as time expires just before the three.

Round four begins with Frazer slugging away and driving him into the corner. That’s broken up and Teoman’s missile dropkick hits Frazer in the back of the head for another near fall. Back up and Frazer grabs something like a powerslam small package at 1:50 of the round (10:51 overall) to tie it up.

Round five begins with Frazer grabbing a fast Sling Blade for two but Teoman goes right back to the arm. Teoman grabs a spinout inverted DDT for two more but Frazer drives him to the floor. A suicide dive drops Teoman and a springboard elbow connects. Hold on though as a Raja distraction means the Phoenix splash completely misses, allowing Teoman to hit….kind of a dragon sleeper into Natural Selection for the win at 2:47 of the round (14:10 overall).

Rating: B. I was expecting good things here and it lived up to the hype, as Frazer seems incapable of having a bad match and Teoman is moving up the villains’ ladder. They put together a nice match here and I liked what we were getting throughout. Teoman is probably the favorite to win the whole thing and I could certainly go for his showdown with Tyler Bate.

Overall Rating: C+. As usual, NXT UK is a good show and I don’t think that’s even a surprise anymore. The main event is by far the best thing on the card but the rest of it was far than bad. This show knows how to set something up and then knock it down, which is exactly what you should be able to do on a weekly show. It’s still mostly slow and steady and, again, it still mostly works.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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NXT UK
Date: August 12, 2021
Location: BT Studios, London, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Andrew Shepherd

It’s tournament time as we have eight people vying to become the new #1 contender to the Heritage Cup. That alone should take quite a while to cover so hopefully they have something else going on to fill in some of the gaps. I’m not sure what that is going to be, but NXT UK has surprised me before. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Flash Morgan Webster vs. Wolfgang

This is fallout from Webster slapping Wolfgang to prove a point of some kind. Webster knocks him into the corner to start but Wolfgang takes him to the mat without much trouble. That means a third slap to Wolfgang so he runs Webster over and grabs a cravate. A dropkick puts Wolfgang on the floor but he sends Webster hard into the barricade.

Back in and a hard whip into the corner rocks Webster’s ribs and it’s time for some forearms to make them worse. We hit the nearly required bearhug, followed by the slightly less required abdominal stretch. That’s broken up and Webster hits another dropkick but what looked like a tiger driver is easily countered with a backdrop. A poisonrana plants Wolfgang out of nowhere but a Swanton hits knees. Wolfgang spears him for the pin at 7:32.

Rating: C+. You can do a power vs. speed match at any time in wrestling and it is going to work out just fine. That is as basic of a wrestling match as you are going to get and it was acceptable here as well. Wolfgang isn’t one of the Coffeys and Webster isn’t Mark Andrews but they did well enough to make this work out.

In two weeks, Joe Coffey vs. Rampage Brown, knockout or submission only.

The rest of Subculture is proud of Flash Morgan Webster for coming so close to beating Wolfgang but Isla Dawn comes up behind Dani Luna and reaches for her. Luna says back off and Dawn does, though still looks creepy in the process.

Moustache Mountain is ready for Pretty Deadly, who has to face the best team around here. Tyler Bate is ready to complete the Grand Slam (Shouldn’t that be Triple Crown?) and Trent Seven is ready to get his first title.

Jinny is fine with getting to face Aoife Valkyrie in a No DQ match but isn’t happy that Joseph Conners will be locked in a shark cage.

Nina Samuels vs. Amele

Samuels gets aggressive to start by driving her into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. Amele isn’t having that and hammers away with forearms of her own. A bulldog gives Amele two and we hit the cravate. An elbow misses though and Samuels is back with a Hennig necksnap, setting up some double knees to the back in the corner. Amele is right back with a running boot in the corner but Samuels grabs back to back tilt-a-whirl backbreakers. A bridging northern lights suplex gives Amele two and a t-bone suplex into a spinebuster finishes Samuels at 4:58.

Rating: C. This didn’t have time to get very far but it was energetic while it lasted. The women’s division is in a bit of a weird place as you have the very top firmly established and then a bunch of people scattered around underneath them. These two are firmly in that secondary group and maybe this can start Amele moving up a bit. It likely won’t, but it was a good enough match.

We look back at the first Walter vs. Ilja Dragunov match, with Dragunov talking about how he gave everything he had but he will be ready next time.

We look back at Walter costing Ilja Dragunov a match against Pete Dunne this week on NXT but Dragunov laid Walter out after the match.

Saxon Huxley runs around shouting BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME. Symbiosis isn’t sure what to make of him.

Meiko Satomura is ready to defend the Women’s Title against Stevie Turner next week.

Pretty Deadly is at the WWE Warehouse and find some photos of Moustache Mountain. Right now, Moustache Mountain is the best team in NXT UK but next week, they will be the best team that Pretty Deadly has beaten.

Heritage Cup #1 Contenders Tournament First Round: Mark Andrews vs. Noam Dar

Dani Luna is here with Andrews. Round one begins with the grappling exchange and Andrews putting on an armbar on the mat. Andrews spins out of a wristlock and hits a dropkick to send Dar into the ropes. Back up and Dar pulls him down by the leg but Andrews twists him down by the arm again as time expires.

Round two starts with a test of strength, which is always odd to see from smaller guys like these two. Dar takes him to the mat for a fast two and a snapmare into the ropes of all things makes it worse. Now it’s time to work on Andrews’ arm for a bit before taking him outside for a whip into the barricade. Back in and Andrews snaps off a cartwheel into a dropkick to put Dar outside as the round ends.

Round three begins with Dar kicking the leg out to take Andrews off the middle rope. Cue Teoman and Rohan Raja to watch as Dar stays on the knee. Luna offers a distraction though and Andrews pulls Dar down for a quick double stomp. Stundog Millionaire sends Dar outside and there’s the big dive to drop him again. Back in and Andrews misses a springboard though and the knee gets banged up again. Andrews tries a Pele kick but gets pulled into a kneebar for the tap at 2:43 of the round (9:47 overall).

Round four starts with Raja and Teoman leaving and Andrews hitting a 619 onto Dar’s knee in the ropes. The leg gets snapped over the middle rope, setting up a kneebar back inside. Dar breaks that up and reverses an enziguri into an ankle lock. That’s fine with Andrews, who flips him over into a cradle for the pin at 1:38 of the round (12:03 overall).

Round five begins with Andrews hooking another rollup for two but his 619 is countered into Dar’s ankle lock. The Nova Roller is countered with an enziguri but Dar catches him on top again. Dar goes after Luna though, drawing Andrews over. That means Dar can kick him in the knee and hit the Nova Roller for the pin at 2:38 of the round (15:12 overall).

Rating: C+. They were building things up rather well here and the knee/Luna both played into the end. These matches are some of the better things about NXT UK at the moment and I could go for more of them like this. They have figured out the formula and these two made it work well, as was the case here. I’m not wild on Dar moving on, but he would be fine for a villain to make a decent run.

Overall Rating: C+. This wasn’t their strongest show of the last few weeks but it isn’t like it was a bad fifty three minutes. The action was mostly good and I liked enough of what they did. It is the kind of show where you are better off just reading are cap rather than watching the show in full, but even if you did, you would be completely fine.

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