IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: July 28, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

We’re back to the long form show as this week is going to have more content than an episode of Dynamite. This time around the show is featuring 12 matches over the course of an hour and fifty minutes for reasons I don’t think I want to understand. Hopefully we at least get some good action. Let’s get to it.

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

Quick announcer preview.

Initiative vs. FTR

That would be the official name for Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler, because you want to lose in style. The Young Bucks are watching at ringside and Tully Blanchard is in the bleachers. Harwood headlocks Avalon down to start and it’s off to Cutler in a hurry. Wheeler’s distraction lets Harwood get in a shot from behind, because FTR needs to cheat against these goofs.

Avalon comes back in for a double flapjack for one on Wheeler, who sticks out his leg for a tag. That doesn’t count as Harwood was too far down the apron though, in a rule you don’t see used all that often. Wheeler grabs a headlock but gets belly to belly suplexed….right into his own corner so it’s Harwood coming back in. Avalon’s right hands actually stagger Harwood so it’s back to Wheeler, who misses a charge in the corner. Avalon hits a split legged moonsault for two but Harwood BLASTS him with a clothesline. Cutler is knocked outside and it’s the Mind Breaker to finish Avalon at 7:16.

Rating: C-. They didn’t even bother with teasing the upset here as FTR isn’t going to be losing for a good while. It’s almost weird to see the spike piledriver being used in modern wrestling but it is a heck of a finisher. Cutler and Avalon having a name doesn’t make things much better for them, but at least they’ve found a niche here. Granted it’s a losing niche, but it is still a niche nonetheless.

Post match Revival shakes hands with the Bucks.

Michael Nakazawa/Pineapple Pete vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Kiss loads up a headscissors on Nakazawa to start but Nakazawa pulls out the baby oil (here we freaking go). Janela takes it away though and sprays it on the back of Kiss’ trunks, which Nakazawa’s face is pulled into. Taz: “….what the heck was that?” Exactly what you should have expected? Pete sprays more oil in the middle of the ring so Kiss’ handspring elbow doesn’t work. It’s off to Pete who gets a running start and slides off of Nakazawa’s oiled back to crash into Kiss in the corner but a jumping hug doesn’t work due to slippage.

Janela comes in with a double dropkick and it’s Kiss coming back in to trade some missed charges with Pete. Pete’s knee to the face gets two on Kiss but he escapes a double suplex and makes the hot tag to Janela. A German suplex into the corner rocks Nakazawa and there’s a Death Valley Driver. Nakazawa is sent outside for a suicide elbow from Janela, followed by a top rope splash for two on Pete. Back in and Nakazawa underwear claws Pete by mistake and it’s a shot to the face from Janela. Kiss adds the top rope splits splash for the pin on Pete at 5:19.

Rating: F. Nakazawa is the definition of the kind of “comedy” wrestling that I can’t stand. Not only is his stuff not funny in the first place, but he does the same bits every week. There’s all of the oil nonsense and then the underwear claw always goes onto the wrong person. How many times can they do the exact same gag over and over and over? Kiss and Janela aren’t going to become a top team, but they work well together and Kiss’ athleticism and gymnastics are very impressive.

Skyler Moore vs. Abadon

Abadon does her crawl to the ring and takes Moore down to hammer away. A lot of yelling scares Moore but she slugs away anyway and grabs a DDT. Back up and Abadon pops her neck and chases Moore outside. A whip into the barricade has Abadon in trouble and a World’s Strongest Slam gets two. Abadon is right back with the Widow’s Peak for the pin at 3:17.

Rating: D+. Abadon plays the creepy monster well and not being able to feel pain is one of those classic ideas that will always work. They need someone to stand out as different in the women’s division and Abadon certainly fits the description. Moore doesn’t win much but she looks different enough to make herself a bit memorable.

Shawn Spears talks about the importance of the black glove. He is ready for people trying to take his throne, which is why the glove is self defense.

Dark Order vs. Shawn Dean/Will Hobbs

Evil Uno and Stu Grayson for the Order with the rest of the team on the stage. Grayson takes Dean into the corner to start and it’s off to Uno for a shot to the face. Grayson’s kick to the chest keeps Dean in trouble but he enziguris Uno down. Not that it matters though as Grayson comes back in for a Rock Bottom. A side slam/springboard elbow plants Dean again until he grabs a swinging neckbreaker.

Hobbs has been dropkicked off the apron though, meaning Dean has to hit a running flip dive onto Uno instead. Back in and the hot tag brings in Hobbs to clean house, including an Oklahoma Stampede for two on Uno. Everything breaks down and it’s the Knightfall to Hobbs, setting up the Fatality to finish Dean at 5:44.

Rating: C-. This could have been a lot worse, though I don’t quite buy the Dark Order as the top challengers to the Tag Team Titles. Hopefully their title match can be a good one without a ton of drama, though a surprise isn’t out of the question. Dean and Hobbs are still good for a quick appearance like this though and that’s a valuable thing to have.

Scorpio Sky vs. Corey Hollis

Feeling out process to start as they fight over a hammerlock into a standoff. Sky gets in an atomic drop into a Russian legsweep for two before hitting a good dropkick. Hollis heads outside and sweeps the leg before hitting a shot to the face. A middle rope spinning kick to the head gives Hollis two more but Sky blocks a Stunner. Some small packages get two each until Sky kicks him in the face. The Stundog Millionaire gets Hollis out of trouble but his top rope splash hits raised knees. The TKO finishes Hollis at 5:21.

Rating: C. I know I say it every week but man alive is Sky smooth in the ring. He can do this kind of thing against anyone around and that makes him a very easy watch. I could go for more of him on a higher level and that doesn’t seem to be too far out of the realm of possibility. They played Hollis up as someone of note here too so maybe he’ll be around in the future.

Penelope Ford vs. Kenzie Page

Kip Sabian is here too. Ford sends her into the corner for a running clothesline to start but Page hits a clothesline of her own. A charge is sent into the middle buckle though and Ford glares down at Paige for daring to try something. We hit the fish hook camel clutch and commentary goes into a Fresh Prince routine since Ford is from Philadelphia. Ford hits a Stunner but charges into a superkick. That just earns Paige a Lethal Injection into a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 4:47.

Rating: D+. Ford has come a long way in the last few months and that’s great to see. This wasn’t much of a match though as Ford isn’t ready to be out there squashing people. Paige is another one of the several jobbers that they throw into these spots, so it wasn’t like Ford had the greatest stuff to work with in the first place.

Wardlow vs. Aaron Solow

Solo’s strikes have no effect and Wardlow knocks him hard into the corner. Some hard shots in the corner set up a swinging release Rock Bottom and Wardlow hits a heck of a clothesline. Wardlow knees him out of the corner and the referee stops it at 2:54.

Post match Wardlow stays on him and hits the F10.

Dark Order vs. Best Friends

Oh well where would we be without TWO Dark Order matches??? It’s Alex Reynolds and John Silver for the team here and they jump the Friends from being to start. They head outside with the Friends being sent into the barricade but shrugging it off to take over without much trouble. Back in and we get the big hug but Strong Zero is broken up. A Stunner into a German suplex gets two on Trent and the Order takes turns raking their boots over his face.

Silver hits a running double leg takedown for two and Reynolds hits a cutter for the same. Trent shrugs off some YES Kicks and hits a few forearms, only to have Reynolds take Chuck down to break up a hot tag attempt. A double torture rack faceplant gets two on Trent but he’s back with a belly to back suplex to Reynolds. The hot tag brings in Chuck and Silver is thrown into Reynolds in the corner. Chuck’s Falcon Arrow gets two on Silver as everything breaks down. The Awful Waffle finishes Silver at 9:09.

Rating: C-. This was every middle of the road Friends match you’ve seen in a long time. The action was fine, the story was fine, but it was the Dark Order’s B team vs. the Best Friends. As usual, that’s where the matches on this show keep losing me: after an hour, I really don’t need to see these people out there for nine minutes before the obvious conclusion.

Post match the Dark Order chases the Friends off.

Lance Archer vs. Frankie Thomas

Archer has Jake Roberts with him and carries a production worker to the ring. Thomas gets in his face and is Pounced down to start. Hold on as Archer needs to point down at Lee Johnson before heading outside, where he pulls Thomas’ slingshot dive out of the air. Back in and Archer sends him hard into the corner but the Blackout is escaped. A chokeslam sets up the EBD Claw for the pin at 3:22.

Rating: D+. Another match that was similar to everything you see from Archer more often than not. It can be fun to see Archer beat people up like this but can we find something for him to do already? He hasn’t had an important feud since the TNT Title match with Cody and that didn’t go so well for him. Find something else for him, please?

Orange Cassidy vs. Serpentico

Cassidy takes his time getting ready and then avoids a charge in the corner. The hands go into the pockets and it’s a dropkick into the nipup. The threat of a Superman punch sends Serpentico bailing to the floor so he pulls Cassidy down by the leg. A slingshot double stomp sets up a short DDT for two. Cassidy sends him outside again and hits the suicide dive but gets caught up top. Serpentico hits a superplex and rolls through, only to get cradled to give Cassidy the pin at 3:17.

Rating: D+. And so, AGAIN, it’s similar to everything we usually see from Cassidy. He did the hands in the pockets, the nipup, the lazy stuff and then the rollup pin. It’s almost like this show has nothing left to offer and is nothing more than putting wrestlers in the ring for the same stuff they do on the shows that matter.

Post match Serpentico charges at Cassidy, who hits the Superman punch.

Sammy Guevara vs. Fuego del Sol

Low Rider is here with Sol. Sammy takes him down with ease to start and the cockiness is flowing early. A front facelock goes on but Sol uses a springboard to reverse it into a rollup for two. Something close to a 619 in the corner connects but Sammy knees a springboard out of the air for two of his own. Sammy’s delayed vertical suplex gets two more and it’s time for a fireman’s carry with squats. Sol is sent outside so Sammy can strike a pose back inside. Back in and Sol hits a faceplant but misses a corkscrew Swanton. Another knee to the face sets up GTH to finish Sol at 5:13.

Rating: C-. I’m glad to see Sammy back as he really is that great to watch in the ring. The confidence is insane for him and it’s something that makes the Inner Circle better. Sol and Rider weren’t exactly great opposition but the point here was for Sammy to get his feet wet again so they worked out fine.

Post match it’s a GTH for Rider as well.

Private Party is ready for the main event and Big Money Matt Hardy comes in to say he likes the two of them. The more over they are, the more over he stays. Now go win by any means necessary. Kassidy: “Wow Big Money Matt. Kind of a d***.”

Private Party vs. Santana and Ortiz vs. SCU

Matt Hardy is here with Private Party. Kazarian and Kassidy start things off and they go to the mat for a bit of a surprise. Ortiz tags himself in and throws Kassidy outside, allowing Kazarian to get in a kick to the face. A neckbreaker drops Kazarian though and Santana comes in with a moonsault off of Ortiz’s back. It’s off to Daniels to double team Santana for two and he falls into the corner for the tag to Quen.

The camel clutch/jumping double stomp hits Daniels but Matt isn’t happy with Private Party posing instead of following up. Santana and Ortiz come in to continue the beating on Daniels and things slow down with the choking in the corner. A sitout powerbomb into a kick to the face gets two with Kassidy making the save. Daniels and Ortiz hit a double clothesline for the double knockdown and the rolling tag brings in Quen.

That means the running flip dive onto Santana and Ortiz, setting up Kassidy’s Lionsault for two on Ortiz. It’s back to Quen for his half of a top rope splash/top rope legdrop and everything breaks down. Ortiz hits a flipping Stunner on Daniels but gets caught by Kazarian’s slingshot DDT. Kassidy dives onto Daniels and Ortiz low blows Quen for the pin at 10:49.

Rating: C. This was the only thing on the show that got my interest up whatsoever and that’s because it felt different. For once it wasn’t the same matches we see week after week with the people being rotated in and out. It’s nice to not have a match where you know what’s going to happen the second you see who the big star is and that was so nice after an hour and a half of the same stuff.

The Dynamite preview takes us out.

Overall Rating: D+. I had to take multiple breaks to get through this thing because this is far from the most interesting way to watch a wrestling show. In addition to having WAY too many matches on the show, the biggest problem is there is nothing going on between them. Other than that Matt/Private Party promo, it’s match after match after match with the same commercials bridging the gaps. This show had the same problem that most Raw’s have: you get through a long stretch and then can’t believe how much time is left. I’m not sure why AEW feels required to put EVERYONE on these shows but it really drags them down a lot.

Results

FTR b. Initiative – Mind Breaker to Avalon

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. Michael Nakazawa/Pineapple Pete – Splits splash to Pete

Abadon b. Skyler Moose – Widow’s Peak

Dark Order b. Shawn Dean/Will Hobbs – Fatality to Dean

Scorpio Sky b. Corey Hollis – TKO

Penelope Ford b. Kenzie Paige – Fisherman’s suplex

Wardlow b. Aaron Solow via referee stoppage

Best Friends b. Dark Order – Awful Waffle to Silver

Lance Archer b. Frankie Thomas – EBD Claw

Orange Cassidy b. Serpentico – Cradle

Sammy Guevara b. Fuego del Sol – GTH

Santana and Ortiz b. Private Party and SCU – Low blow to Quen

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: June 9, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur

Last week’s show was a nice change of pace as it was down to about forty five minutes, making things feel a lot better. This week though it’s a different world as we have World Champion Jon Moxley in action. Hopefully the show is as easy to watch as it was last week. Let’s get to it.

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

Taz and Excalibur welcome us to the show.

Fuego del Sol/Low Rider vs. SCU

Kazarian legsweeps del Sol to start and it’s quickly off to Sky for a knee to the ribs. A butterfly suplex gives del Sol two and Rider comes in with a springboard missile dropkick for the same. Rider misses a charge in the corner though and it’s a hot tag to Kazarian to clean house. The hiptoss neckbreaker hits del Sol (always looks cool) and SCU Later finishes him at 2:58.

Alan Angels joins the Dark Order and is renamed 5.

Lee Johnson vs. 5

Some more of the team is here with 5. Johnson shrugs off the beating in the corner to start and dropkicks 5 to the floor. Back up and 5 sends Johnson arm first into the post and starts working it over. A fireman’s carry slam plants Johnson but he’s right back up with some clotheslines. The leg lariat drops 5 and he gets knocked to the floor for a big running flip dive. Back in and the Blue Thunder Bomb gives Johnson two but 5 hits a hanging DDT onto the apron. Brodie Lee comes out to watch as 5 hits a modified Backstabber (boots instead of knees) for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C. The match was pretty much skippable but what matters is they gave Angels something to do after some rather impressive performances on this show. That opens up some doors as it gives the wrestlers an added incentive to work hard around here while also boosting the company’s roster. That’s a good sign going forward and a smart thing to do.

Post match, the rest of the Dark Order, minus Lee, beats down Johnson.

Santana and Ortiz vs. Musa/Brady Pierce

Ortiz flips Musa down by the arm to start and they trade some standing switches. A rake to the back keeps Musa in trouble and a sitout powerbomb makes it worse. Pierce’s save fails as both of them are sent outside for a moonsault from Santana. Back in and Santana throws Musa into the corner for the tag to Pierce, who misses a quick moonsault attempt. Pierce and Musa are laid on top of each other in the corner for the assisted Cannonball. The Street Sweeper finishes both of them at 5:09.

Rating: C-. Santana and Ortiz are getting more and more entertaining every week, which says a lot given how good they were in the first place. They’re the kind of team who works so well together and it’s fun to see how well they gel as a unit. Give them some big matches already because they can hang with (if not beat) any team in the company.

QT Marshall tells Dustin Rhodes that their tag match is now a singles match for himself. Dustin isn’t pleased and seeing the Natural Nightmare shirts that Allie made doesn’t make it better. Brandi gets a special one and asks who the f*** this is for, as it’s about three sizes too big.

Butcher And Blade vs. Pineapple Pete/Anthony Catena

Butcher drives Pete into the corner to start and goes Arn Anderson with an eye rake across the rope. It’s off to Blade for a beating in the corner as the announcers run down the name Pete (which is an inside joke of course). A fisherman’s neckbreaker into a fisherman’s DDT plants Pete and it’s off to Catena. Blade hits a Stunner into Butcher’s hard clothesline and the running powerslam gets two. The suplex onto Blade’s knees finishes Catena at 3:59.

Rating: D+. It isn’t often that getting rid of the talented manager makes things that much better but it was the case here. Butcher and Blade were little more than heel goons to start so it is nice to see them getting to do something for a change. The match was total destruction, and that’s a nice way to rebuild a team like Butcher and Blade.

QT Marshall vs. Zack Clayton

Allie, Brandi Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes are all here with Marshall, though Allie goes over for commentary. Marshall knocks him down to start as Allie talks about all of the training she has been putting Marshall through. Clayton sends Marshall over the top so he skins the cat but Clayton dropkicks him to the ramp. That’s enough to send Allie down to ringside as Clayton hammers away even more back inside.

A knee drop gives Clayton two and the powerslam is good for the same. Clayton goes for the turnbuckle so Brandi gets on the apron, only to be knocked down onto Dustin. Marshall uses the distraction to hit a Lethal Combination as Brandi is clutching her wrist. Allie claims a broken nail so Marshall checks on her, much to Dustin’s annoyance. Allie grabs Clayton’s leg (it isn’t clear if Marshall saw it) and the Red Delicious is enough to give Marshall the pin at 5:19.

Rating: C-. The match was nothing of course but it’s rather nice to have a story going on around here. It’s not a hard story to set up with Marshall siding with Allie over the team, though it’s not like Allie has been completely evil or seems to have some other motivation. Maybe that comes later though, as you know a Rhodes story is going to get the attention.

Christopher Daniels vs. Sonny Kiss

Daniels slams him down to start and works on the arm but Sonny bounces out of a wristlock. The armbar has Daniels in trouble and it’s an armbar into another one. Let’s do that a third time until Sonny gets two off a forearm. The fourth armbar goes on and you can feel Daniels’ frustration setting in. Back up and Daniels sends him hard into the corner, setting up the STO into a Crossface.

Sonny grabs the rope and a much more aggressive than usual Daniels stomps away in the corner. Sonny fights back with a dropkick into a hurricanrana, setting up the standing hurricanrana for two. A victory roll gets the same and there’s a spinning kick to Daniels’ head to drop Daniels again. Daniels counters a quick flip though and kicks him in the ribs, setting up the Angel’s Wings for the pin at 8:25.

Rating: C. This was more interesting from Daniels as he is better as a heel than a face. It certainly wasn’t a full on face turn or anything, but it was cool to see him showing a different side of himself. Let some of that aggression out, especially when he is against someone whose style might frustrate him. If nothing else, a split from SCU could be rather interesting.

Jurassic Express vs. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler

Marko Stunt is wearing Luchasaurus’ shin guards, which look like chaps on him. See it’s funny because he’s small. Avalon laughs off the idea of facing Stunt so Luchasaurus comes in to chop him over to Cutler instead. Cutler tries to bail to the floor but gets grabbed by the head and pulled back inside. A superkick gives Luchasaurus two but Cutler scores with an enziguri.

That just earns him a wheelbarrow suplex and it’s off to Stunt, who is dropped down onto Cutler for two more. Avalon comes in and gets caught in a super hurricanrana but Stunt spends too much time looking at Leva Bates. That lets Avalon slam him off the top and Cutler slaps on a torture rack (Taz: “The Total Package Brandon Cutler.”). Stunt gets out of a gorilla press and tornado DDTs Avalon, allowing the hot tag to Luchasaurus.

House is cleaned in a hurry and it’s time for Cutler and Avalon to fight. Stunt dives onto both of them but gets caught and tossed onto Luchasaurus. He throws them right back for a double knockdown but Avalon kicks them both down. Avalon hits a sunset bomb into a slingshot elbow from Cutler. Luchasaurus dodges a double running knee and nips up before Stunt springboards in with an armdrag to Cutler. Stunt hits his own Tail Whip and a double chokeslam finishes Avalon at 10:38.

Rating: D+. Remember every complaint I’ve ever had with Stunt matches? It was all of the same ones here, with so many “See, he’s SMALL” deals that it gets annoying in a hurry. I can’t quite say Cutler and Avalon are above this, but egads man. How many people have to be in the ring with him and not just pummel him into a pulp?

Jon Moxley vs. Robert Anthony

Non-title and Brian Cage is standing near commentary. They wrestle to a quick standoff to start and Anthony bails to the floor to get out of a headlock. Moxley trips the leg to take Anthony down, which Taz says he saw coming because he knows this stuff. That’s where Taz can be really really valuable as he’s viewed as someone with a knowledge of this stuff and can explain it very well.

Moxley takes him down again and goes to the arm as Cage doesn’t look overly impressed. Anthony is sent outside for a suicide dive, with Moxley coming up favoring his shoulder a bit. Back in and Moxley starts in on the leg with some dragon screw legwhips and the half crab. A release suplex drops Anthony again and it’s time to wrap his back around the post. There’s a Hartbreaker around the post but Anthony grabs a quick tilt-a-whirl faceplant.

Taz is losing his mind over Anthony not covering and going for a surfboard instead, which is pretty sound advice. Moxley’s Gotch style piledriver is countered into a Death Valley Driver for two. The Paradigm Shift is countered as well but Moxley slams him off the top. A double chickenwing slam plants Anthony for a surprise two so it’s the Texas Cloverleaf to make him tap at 13:10.

Rating: C-. This was an angle rather than a competitive match and commentary did a great job of making the story clear. Moxley was trying to show off in front of Cage and didn’t take Anthony seriously until the ending, when he finished Anthony pretty much with ease. That’s a good way to go, and I’m not sure how the title match is going to play out. It’s nice to have that feeling and hopefully they can keep it up. Also, big points to Taz here, who called the match perfectly given the circumstances. He stood out here, which is rare for commentary.

A quick Dynamite preview takes us out.

Overall Rating: C-. The show is watchable and it’s nice to have some bigger names and angle advancement, but it’s the same thing I ask almost every week: why does it need to be this long? You had eight matches here and two of them had any major (or even moderate) angle advancement. You couldn’t cut out two of those? Say the SCU match and Jurassic Express? Those matches don’t make the show any bigger of a deal and just extend it longer than it needs to be. Just let them have the night off instead. It’s not that important to get them in the ring every week and it makes the show feel long, which isn’t good.

Results

SCU b. Fuego del Sol/Low Rider – SCU Later to del Fuego

5 b. Lee Johnson – Backstabber

Santana and Ortiz b. Musa/Brady Pierce – Double pin after a Street Sweeper

Butcher and Blade b. Pineapple Pete/Anthony Catena – Suplex onto Blade’s knees to Catena

QT Marshall b. Zack Clayton – Red Delicious

Christopher Daniels b. Sonny Kiss – Angel’s Wings

Jurassic Express b. Peter Avalon/Brandon Cutler – Double chokeslam to Avalon

Jon Moxley b. Robert Anthony – Texas Cloverleaf

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: June 2, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Taz, Excalibur

Now we get back to something a little bit less interesting with the night of the jobber matches. Usually that would mean the night of squash matches, but that’s not how it tends to work for whatever reason. The biggest problem with the show is how long it tends to run, so hopefully it’s a bit shorter tonight. Let’s get to it.

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

We run down the (rather shorter) card.

John Skyler vs. Billy Gunn

Austin Gunn is in his dad’s corner and Skyler bails into the corner to start. Billy grabs an armbar to send him right back into the corner and a hammerlock makes it worse. Austin is rather pleased so Skyler heads outside to glare at him. Back in and Gunn hits a spinebuster….but Austin tells him not to use a powerbomb. Instead it’s the Fameasser to finish Skyler at 3:39.

Rating: D+. Just a quick match here and there’s nothing wrong with Billy getting a win over a low level guy. Austin being the big cheerleader plays into the roles that the two of them have had in the stands, though I’m not sure how much of a future they have together. The father and son thing is a nice touch though so it’s not exactly torture.

Earlier today, Brandi and Dustin Rhodes are ready for a tag match tonight but there’s no QT Marshall. Cue Marshall in a Corvette, with Allie in the passenger seat. Brandi and Dustin aren’t sure about this but Marshall and Allie leave, promising to be back in a bit. Dustin says bring something to eat so Marshall throws him the apple. Brandi isn’t letting that happen because it’s nasty.

Joe Alonzo/Jon Cruz vs. Butcher and Blade

Butcher and Blade jump them to start and the beating is on in a hurry. Butcher sends Alonzo flying and it’s Blade sending him into the corner for the early beating. A side slam/legdrop combination plants Cruz but he gets away for the tag to Alonzo. The comeback is cut off in a hurry as Butcher runs him over without much trouble. An assisted spinning Rock Bottom gives Butcher two but Alonzo gets in a kick to make the quick tag. That just earns Cruz a suplex onto Blade’s knees for the pin at 5:20.

Rating: C-. This was an extended squash and that’s not a bad thing. Butcher and Blade have never gotten out of the blocks and they barely ever win a match. Maybe not having Allie around is a good thing for them as she is going to get all of the attention. The tag division has all kinds of potential so the team has their work cut out for them, but maybe it can work.

Peter Avalon and Brandon Cutler aren’t sure if they can win, but Leva Bates insists that she is the missing element that they needed.

Christi Jaynes vs. KiLynn King

Jaynes lays over the top rope during King’s entrance and doesn’t seem overly nervous. A running shoulder drops King so Jaynes throws in some dancing. They trade rollups for one counts until King grabs an armbar. She even swings Jaynes down, which looks a good bit painful. Jaynes finally gets her into the corner and hammers away before standing on King’s hair. Some more dancing and a kick to Jaynes’ back gets two but King is back up with a release German suplex. They trade rollups and Jaynes grabs the tights for the pin at 4:02.

Rating: C-. They were working fast here and that’s not a bad thing. Jaynes is someone with all kinds of star power and I can see why they would give her the win here. King isn’t quite the same level of star but she certainly has a lot of potential so there wasn’t a bad choice here. Not a bad little match, but the time hurt them a good bit.

Big Game Leroy/EJ Lewis vs. Santana and Ortiz

Leroy is playing a Nintendo Switch and has to be reminded that the match is about to start. Commentary says this is Santana and Ortiz’s first match since “all the way back at Double Or Nothing.” Indeed, all the way back ten whole days. Santana kicks the Switch out of Leroy’s hands and the stomping is on in the corner. Lewis comes in but Ortiz takes him down to set up a running backsplash as the beatdown is on in a hurry.

The Gory Stretch goes on and Santana comes in for some chops. There’s a kick to the face and Santana insists that it is supposed to hut. Lewis’ comeback is cut off with a superkick and a Michinoku Driver gets two. Ortiz throws Lewis into the corner so Leroy can come back in. The assisted Cannonball sets up the Street Sweeper to finish Leroy at 5:10.

Rating: C. Another extended squash but Santana and Ortiz are a more entertaining team than Butcher and Blade. The two of them beat the heck out of Leroy and made you see why they were signed in the first place. Leroy was a funny jobber with the Switch and Lewis took a heck of a beating so what else could you need?

Natural Nightmares vs. Brandon Cutler/Peter Avalon

Brandi Rhodes is here with the Nightmares, Leva Bates is here with Cutler/Avalon and Allie sits in on commentary. Dustin and Cutler start things off as Allie is swooning over QT. With the feeling out process going nowhere, it’s off to Avalon vs. Marshall, the latter of whom hits a suplex for some applause from Allie. Leva offers a leg trip and Marshall is sent outside for a suicide dive from Avalon. It’s off to Cutler for a springboard forearm and Avalon’s leg lariat gets two.

Cutler comes back in for an enziguri into a Swanton with Dustin having to make the save. Marshall kicks him away though and the hot tag brings in Dustin to clean house. Everything breaks down and Avalon and Cutler get in an argument, meaning Bates has to break up the Unnatural Kick. Brandi comes in for a Stunner/cutter on Bates, who is thrown into Avalon. That leaves Cutler to take Dustin’s Canadian Destroyer and a cutter from Marshall is good for the pin at 7:28. Brandi dubs the cutter the Red Delicious.

Rating: C-. This was fine despite the lack of drama as to the winner. That’s all it was supposed to be and they did a good enough job with the Allie stuff. I’m not sure what her big plan is, but at least she’s back on screen and that’s a good thing. I have a feeling it winds up being more about Brandi than anyone else, but that is often the case with anything involving her.

After a quick Dynamite preview, Marshall declares Allie the apple of his eye.

Overall Rating: C. Sweet merciful chicken wings this is so much easier at about 45 minutes than an hour and a half. This was a perfectly fine low level supplemental show, with the quick promos adding a little something as well. The length is the big appeal though as you don’t feel drained after you’ve seen an hour and still have three matches to go. Keep it like this, I beg of you.

Results

Billy Gunn b. John Skyler – Fameasser

Butcher and Blade b. Joe Alonzo/Jon Cruz – Suplex onto Blade’s knees to Cruz

Christi Jaynes b. KiLynn King – Rollup with tights

Santana and Ortiz b. EJ Lewis/Big Game Leroy – Street Sweeper to Leroy

Natural Nightmares b. Brandon Cutler/Peter Avalon – Red Delicious to Cutler

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: May 13, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re coming up on Double Or Nothing and that means things are going to be pushing forward this week. The big story coming out of last week was the return of Santana and Ortiz to put the Inner Circle back to full strength. I’m not sure where things can from here but it should be interesting either way. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here’s Lance Archer to beat up a backstage worker. He and Jake Roberts get in the ring with Jake talking about how he isn’t interested in giving Brandi Rhodes an apology. Jake has been watching Archer’s work…..and here’s Cody, in his truck, to carefully run over some rather breakable barricades. Cody has his fists taped up and kicks Archer low to take the fight to ringside. Archer drops him on the apron (Jake: “Cody went boom.”) but Cody is right back up. A chair shot has no effect on Archer but he slips out of the Blackout. The Cody Cutter is blocked as well but Roberts says not now and the villains leave. This worked well.

We run down the card.

Video on the depth of the tag team division. They really do have a lot of options.

Best Friends vs. Jurassic Express

Is there some rule that says the Best Friends have to be on every show??? Orange Cassidy is here as well of course. Jungle Boy armdrags Chuck to start so it’s off to Trent to chop at Luchasaurus. The Tail Whip drops Trent so it’s back to Boy, who gets caught on top. Chuck puts Trent on his shoulders so Boy missile dropkicks him down. Luchasaurus comes back in for a kick to the head as everything breaks down.

A chokeslam is broken up and it’s a double suplex to drop Luchasaurus. There’s the big hug but Boy flip dives onto both of them as we take a break. Back with Chuck fighting out of the corner and handing it off to Trent for the tornado DDT on Luchasaurus. Orange Cassidy starts playing cheerleader but here’s Fenix to jump him from behind. MJF jumps the barricade to post Boy and it’s the Awful Waffle to give Chuck the pin at 10:48.

Rating: C. This wasn’t great but it did its job well enough. I’m curious about the random attacks but I’m sure it’s going to be leading somewhere. What we got here was good enough, even if I could go months without seeing another Best Friends match. At least Luchasaurus didn’t take the fall, but it’s not much better to have Boy get pinned as he’s on his way to a match at Double Or Nothing.

Post match Wardlow jumps Marko Stunt and has a staredown with Luchasaurus. For once Excalibur does something useful, explaining that the people involved in the random attacks are part of the Casino Battle Royal at Double Or Nothing and are trying to get an early advantage. That line took five seconds and cleared everything up.

Jon Moxley arrives and has nothing to say.

Hikaru Shida vs. Kris Stadtlander vs. Britt Baker vs. Penelope Ford

One fall to a finish with Stadtlander being knocked down to start (Tony: “The alien is down on the mat.”) as Baker goes after Shida to make up for the broken nose. Stadtlander makes the save so Ford crossbodies Stadtlander and Shida at the same time. That earns her a double nip up so Baker grabs the Lockjaw on Shida. Stadtlander makes the save by grabbing Baker’s face, earning herself a whip into the corner. Back up and everyone gets knocked down and we take an early break.

We come back with Stadtlander fighting up but getting caught in Baker’s Canadian Destroyer. Ford cutters Baker down for two and Stadtlander Michinoku Drivers Ford for the same. Stadtlander gets sent into the corner and Shida is suplexed into her for a crash. Ford’s reverse hurricanrana sends Stadtlander outside and Baker follows her with Lockjaw. The distraction lets Shida knee Ford in the face for the pin at 10:24.

Rating: C+. This was almost all action and the women’s division continues to make great strides. They’ve come a very long way in a short amount of time and that’s awesome to see. It was a rocky part of the show at first but things have picked up to the point where it can be downright enjoyable more often than not. Shida vs. Nyla Rose should be good stuff too, likely at the pay per view.

Pineapple Pete says he’s happy that Jericho has given him a new name because it’s made life sweet. He takes a drink from a pineapple in case you needed a visual.

Kenny Omega/Matt hardy vs. Santana and Ortiz

Omega gets jumped before Matt comes to the ring so here’s Matt to bite Santana for the save. Hardy gets to the ring and it’s officially Omega and Ortiz to start. The running Fameasser gets Omega out of trouble and it’s off to Matt for a neckbreaker. The WONDERFUL legdrop allows the tag back to Omega for the chops in the corner.

We take a break and come back with Omega caught in a Boston crab but fighting out without much trouble. Ortiz comes back in to poke him in the eye and gyrate the hips a bit. Omega doesn’t seem pleased and fights back, allowing the hot tag off to Hardy. Santana is sent head first into multiple buckles as house is cleaned in a hurry. The Side Effect gets two on Santana but Matt has to break up the Street Sweeper.

Omega dives onto Santana and the Twist of Fate gets two with Ortiz making the save. The shotgun dropkick puts Omega in the corner for the assisted backsplash and another near fall. Hardy is back in with a double underhook neck crank but here’s Sammy Guevara, limping on a chair and in a neck brace. Hardy kicks the chair away and gives him a Twist of Fate (our hero). The V Trigger catches Ortiz on top and it’s a Twist of Fate to finish at 17:15.

Rating: B-. This one felt lone but Omega and Hardy getting revenge and a win back after last week’s big loss is a good idea. They did what they needed to here and Sammy coming out was a great thing to see. What matters is keeping the momentum going towards whatever these guys are doing at Double Or Nothing and they did that here.

Darby Allin still doesn’t want Taz’s help. It’s Taz who doesn’t get it, and Allin mentions that he was third in the Idaho state wrestling tournament.

We talk about the Casino Battle Royal, which will have nine entrants and staggered entrances again.

Hikaru Shida, who is confirmed for the title shot at Double or Nothing, promises to win. Nyla Rose comes in and kendo sticks her down. Nyla: “I FOUND YOUR KENDO STICK B****!”

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Lee Johnson

MJF jumps him from behind to start and the trash talk is on in a hurry. Johnson gets sent outside with MJF telling the wrestlers in the crowd to help him. There’s an apron bomb to knock Johnson silly and it’s a shoulder breaker back inside. A Fujiwara armbar makes Johnson tap at 2:44.

Post match MJF talks about being ready for Jungle Boy. He still has some ring rust though and needs to shake that off against Marko Stunt next week.

Chris Jericho vs. Pineapple Pete

Jericho has the Inner Circle with him and his own Pineapple Pete shirt. Pete slugs away to start and hits a running elbow in the corner, followed by a second for good measure. That just earns Pete the Judas Effect for the pin at 1:04. This was worth it just for JR’s response to hearing that the match was taking place.

Post match Jericho says that with the threat of Pineapple Pete dispatched, it’s time to move forward. He’s heard that Hangman Page has moved to North Carolina to pick berries and the Young Bucks are hiding in California. That brings him to the Elite, because while the world is reacting to the Coronavirus, the Inner Circle is acting. That’s why they have created the Stadium Stampede match. Imagine what the Inner Circle can do to the Elite in an 80,000 person seat football stadium. They can bring it at Double Or Nothing.

Cue Vanguard 1 with the stolen shirt, which Jericho takes back. He had warrants out in seven states for Vanguard’s arrest. We see Vanguard’s perspective and he says WE ACCEPT. Tony: “He speaks drone.” Jericho asks about Vanguard joining the Inner Circle but doesn’t get an answer. That’s fine with Jericho, who introduces Vanguard to the newest member of the team: Floyd the baseball bat. Cue Matt Hardy, so the Inner Circle, including Jericho with a baseball bat, to run away.

We run down next week’s card.

Christopher Daniels vs. Brodie Lee

Lee, with 10, is wearing the AEW World Title and declares himself champion. Daniels is tossed to the floor and a shot to the face knocks him down again. The rest of SCU argues with Lee though and Daniels gets back up for a suicide dive. The Arabian moonsault takes Lee down again and a slingshot elbow gets one. Lee is right back up with a big boot and the boot choke is on. The swinging Boss Man Slam gets two and we take a break.

Back with Daniels countering a backdrop into a DDT and a hurricanrana staggers Lee again. 10 offers a distraction so SCU cuts him off. Daniels grabs the Koji Clutch so SCU and Colt Cabana come in to cut off the Dark Order’s interference. Lee and Daniels aren’t couched so the match keeps going, with Daniels hitting Angel’s Wings for one. The Best Moonsault Ever press gets two so Daniels goes up again, only to dive into a powerbomb. The discus lariat finishes Daniels at 12:33.

Rating: C+. This was a good win for Lee and sets up the title match well. You can only get so much out of squash after squash so beating someone with Daniels’ reputation, especially after kicking out of his finisher like that, is a good way to go. They did this the right way and hopefully we get something even better from Lee vs. Moxley.

Post match Lee grabs the title so here’s Jon Moxley for the fight. Lee sends a member of the Dark Order after Moxley and leaves with 10 and the title. Moxley says Lee is going to pay for this with interest. The World Title is about a lot more than a piece of metal. At Double Or Nothing, Lee may very well find that his AEW career is over before it started. Moxley beats up the masked man to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The point of this show was to set up Double Or Nothing and they did that very well. The wrestling was mostly good (though not all of it) and they made me want to see the pay per view. What helped a lot here was how they didn’t spend too much time on any one thing. It was a good balance of material from a lot of the feuds and that helps a lot on a show like this. They didn’t blow anything away here, but they accomplished the important goal.

Results

Best Friends b. Jurassic Express – Awful Waffle to Jungle Boy

Hikaru Shida b. Kris Stadtlander, Britt Baker and Penelope Ford – Running knee to Ford

Kenny Omega/Matt Hardy b. Santana and Ortiz – Twist of Fate to Ortiz

Maxwell Jacob Friedman b. Lee Johnson – Fujiwara armbar

Chris Jericho b. Pineapple Pete – Judas Effect

Brodie Lee b. Christopher Daniels – Discus lariat

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dynamite
Date: January 15, 2020
Location: Watsco Center, Miami, Florida
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone

It’s the first half of Bash At The Beach, with the second half coming next week from a boat (yes a boat). The big story this week is the fallout from last week with Jon Moxley turning down Chris Jericho’s offer of a spot in the Inner Circle with a champagne bottle. That all but guarantees a title match at Revolution so it’s time to built things up. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory of Rocky Johnson, though JR makes sure to mention La Parka, Kendo Nagasaki and Pampero Firpo passing away recently as well.

The set has a beach theme, complete with a lifeguard in a swimsuit.

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page vs. Santana/Ortiz vs. Young Bucks vs. Best Friends

They don’t waste time on this show. One fall to a finish for the #1 contendership. Trent shoulders Nick down to start but Nick is back up to miss a kick to the face, giving us a standoff. Page comes in to knock Chuck down so it’s off to Matt vs. Kenny, who shake hands before we’re ready to go. Santana tags himself in and everything breaks down for a bit, with the Bucks taking over again.

It’s Trent getting caught in the Bucks’ corner with Matt hitting the rolling northern lights suplexes. Matt tries one too many though and gets caught with a tornado DDT. It’s Chuck coming in to take over, including a standing Sliced Bread and a sitout powerbomb for two on Matt. Santana breaks up the big hug though and it’s a double belly to back flip to plant Matt. The big flips have Santana and Ortiz in even more in control and it’s the passing delayed vertical suplex to Matt.

Ortiz even throws in the Eddie Guerrero dance for a nice moment. Matt hits the flip Stunner out of the corner but since Nick isn’t on the apron, he tags Omega in instead of Page. Omega cleans house with Snapdragons all around and everything breaks down again. Page moonsaults onto Ortiz and Chuck but Omega’s dive is broken up. Santana hits a springboard flip dive onto Page and Omega, followed by Chuck and Nick hitting stereo flip dives.

Trent one ups them all thoug by superplexing Matt onto the huge pile at ringside to put everyone down. We get the huge group suplex with the Bucks, Omega and Page being suplexes at the same time, with Orange Cassidy coming in for the deciding help. That means a big hug and JR is dying of laughter.

The Best Friends hit stereo piledrivers on Omega and Page and there’s Strong Zero to Omega, with the Bucks having to make the save. The Bucks clean house with superkicks and Page runs into a knee from Chuck. Santana and Ortiz get superkicked to the floor, leaving Trent to have to save Chuck from the Meltzer Driver. Page tags himself in though and low bridges Trent to the floor, leaving Chuck to take the Buckshot Lariat/V Trigger combination to give Page the pin at 16:34.

Rating: A-. This was a blast with almost all action for the better part of seventeen minutes. I know it might not be the best in terms of psychology or build but that’s not the point here. It was a crazy, fast paced match and even managed to advance Page’s issues with the rest of the Elite. Great stuff, set up a title match and had storytelling as well.

Post match the Bucks aren’t happy with Page.

Here’s Cody, looking very Miami Viceish, to address MJF’s conditions for a match. We look at the stipulations (Cody can’t touch him until Revolution, Cody has to take ten lashes on live TV and Cody has to face Wardlow in a cage match) and Cody gets it. He understands what it’s like to have someone steal your thunder so maybe MJF understands that once Wardlow debuts, people will think MJF should be carrying his bags. He’s willing to take the lashes, but the easy one is not touching MJF until Revolution.

Cody is already living rent free inside MJF’s head and everyone knows MJF is stalling. MJF has wanted to be famous his entire life and he’s living off the old school wrestling people saying he’s a real villain. Cody accepts the stipulations and is willing to take the lashes because at Revolution, he’ll give MJF his own scar. More good stuff from Cody here, who feels like a star. That’s impressive in a white suit.

Joey Janela talks about looking forward to a new year but got hit low by Penelope Ford. Now Ford is with Kip Sabian, so Sabian can bring it on. Joey is ready to face Fenix next week and get the year on track in a good way.

Mel/Brandi Rhodes vs. Hikaru Shida/Kris Stadtlander

Luther is here with Mel and Brandi, as commentary tries to explain that we should know who Luther is. Stadtlander goes after Brandi but Mel blocks her, leaving Luther to stop Shida in the aisle. Shida isn’t having that and beats him down with a kendo stick to get inside and save Stadtlander.

Mel gets sent outside to start so Stadtlander kicks her from the apron (clearly missed) and then moonsaults from the apron to the floor for….kind of a slap to the back at best. Shida grabs the chair for the step up knee to Mel’s face as Luther has the referee by mistake. We settle down to Mel choking Shida, followed by Brandi getting in some choking of her own. Stadtlander tries to come in for the save so Brandi and Mel do the switch without making a tag.

JR isn’t sure why you wouldn’t just make a tag when you’re in control and we take a break. Back with Stadtlander coming in and hitting a spinning slam for two on Brandi. Mel makes the save so Shida comes in with a missile dropkick which grazed Mel at best. Brandi spears Stadtlander down for two and Mel plants her down for the same. Shida is back up with a superplex to Mel so Stadtlander can hit a running knee for two. Brandi gets knocked off the apron and it’s a kneeling Tombstone to finish Mel at 11:15.

Rating: D. This thing dragged really badly and felt a lot longer than it actually was. There were a lot of noticeable botches as well with several shots just completely missing. Brandi and Mel didn’t work in the ring here whatsoever while Stadtlander and Shida deserve a lot better than what they got here. This didn’t work in the slightest and was just bad on a lot of levels.

A member of the Dark Order talks to the supreme leader about some cases they’re working on. They want Michael Nakazawa, Brandon Cutler and Hangman Page, all of whom have already been interested in the team or are prime targets. See, now this works, mainly because Evil Uno isn’t involved.

Jon Moxley vs. Sammy Guevara

Moxley drives the expensive car into the arena to show off. Sammy hits a running dropkick in the corner to start but Moxley sends him into another corner and hits a clothesline. A springboard cutter plants Moxley to send him outside though setting up the big running flip dive so Sammy can pose a bit. Moxley is right back up but can’t hit the Paradigm Shift on the apron. Instead Sammy hits a middle rope double stomp to the apron and then poses in the ring for a bonus.

We take a break and come back with Sammy hitting a running shooting star press for two. Moxley’s headlock driver gets two and he goes up top, only to get caught with a super Spanish Fly. A jumping knee to the head sets up a torture rack flipped into another knee to the face for two on Moxley and Sammy can’t believe the kickout. Sammy tries a moonsault press but Moxley pulls him straight into a rear naked choke for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. This was Sammy’s big match here as he looked awesome and put up more of a fight than he has in any match he’s had to date. He was hanging in there with Moxley until the surprise ending, which offers another direction for Moxley. I liked this one a lot more than I would have bet on and it wasn’t the glorified squash I was expecting.

Post match Chris Jericho’s music hits and the lights to out. They come back to reveal the Inner Circle so the big beatdown is on in a hurry. Everyone gets in a shot and Jericho pulls a spike off of his jacket. It goes into Moxley’s eye, which is finally enough to bring out the referees.

Post break, Jericho says that was all on Moxley because they offered him the keys to the kingdom and he smashed a champagne bottle on Jericho’s head. They’ll beat up the Jurassic Express next week when Jericho wipes the deck with Jungle Boy’s hair. Oh and they’ll see Moxley next week, even if he can’t see them. Sammy hits on the interviewer before leaving, which fits him perfectly.

Butcher and the Blade/Maxwell Jacob Friedman vs. Diamond Dallas Page/QT Marshall/Dustin Rhodes

MJF is wearing an “I BANGED DALLAS’ DAUGHTER” shirt, complete with the Diamond sign. Page, who is actually wrestling without a shirt, and MJF start but it’s already off to the Butcher before anything happens. Marshall comes in to face Butcher so it’s already back to MJF as we’re doing that thing. A cartwheel gets on MJF’s nerves and his offer of a handshake just earns him a middle finger.

Dustin comes in and cleans house but Wardlow slips in the diamond ring for a cheap shot. Bunny and Wardlow both get in their cheap shots and we take a break. Back with “Michael” Jacob Friedman dropping down onto Rhodes’ back and striking a few poses. He drops down onto some raised knees as well to crotch himself (an old Arn Anderson spot) and Dustin sends him outside, allowing the hot tag to Page.

House is cleaned with discus lariats all around and a Diamond Cutter drops Butcher. Another Cutter to Page is blocked so Dustin hits a middle rope Canadian Destroyer instead. Now the Cutter connects to send MJF to the floor and Dustin Cannonballs off the apron onto Butcher and Blade. Page DIVES OFF THE TOP ONTO EVERYONE and we spend so much time looking at replays that we miss MJF rolling up Marshall with trunks for the pin at 10:32.

Rating: C. Butcher and Blade look more and more useless every single week and that’s not going to help them. It doesn’t help when Bunny is getting every bit of the attention and that isn’t going to stop anytime soon. MJF getting the pin was the only logical option to pick here but Page was the star of this match and looked like he did 20 years ago (when he was in his 40s, because he’s that much of a freak).

A drunk Hangman Page interrupts SCU’s interview but Omega breaks it up. Omega shows respect and everything is cool, mainly because he gets Page out of there.

Darby Allin vs. Pac

The winner faces Moxley next week for the #1 contendership. Darby starts flipping a lot and dropkicks Pac down, only to walk into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A shotgun dropkick puts Pac on the floor but he’s fine enough to counter a hurricanrana into a swing into the steps. Back from a break with Allin being sent into the barricade and a missile dropkick connecting back inside. Allin reverses a super Samoan drop into a super crucifix bomb and the adrenaline is flowing.

A Coffin Drop to the floor drops Pack again and a Code Red gets two on Pac back inside. Pac cuts off a baseball slide by tying Allin in the ring skirt and a hard clothesline gives Pac two. We get a quick pinfall reversal sequence and we have five minutes of TV time remaining. Pac grabs a sitout powerbomb for two, with Tony freaking out on the kickout. Allin gets headbutted off the top though and the Black Arrow to the back finishes Allin at 11:46.

Rating: B-. This was a good example of how to pick someone apart as Pac destroyed Allin’s back the entire match. Pac vs. Moxley should be a heck of a fight and the cool atmosphere should make it even better. Allin continues to wrestle very hard every single week and he has become a star by doing it. Nice match here and Pac looks like a killer.

Post match Pac declares himself #1 contender because Moxley can’t go next week. Pac is coming for Jericho and the title but Tony cuts him off. We see Moxley, with his eye bandaged, being loaded into an ambulance but he gets out and comes to the ring. Moxley says he’ll wrestle blind if he has to and promises to go on to Revolution because it’s his title shot.

Overall Rating: B+. They were this close to having a classic show but the women’s tag and the six man didn’t do them any favors. What worked here worked very well though with the great opener and some awesome angle advancement throughout. It was a heck of a show with everyone working hard and Revolution really starting to take shape. I liked this one a lot and if you fix the glaring problems, it’s their best show ever by a mile.

Results

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Santana and Ortiz, Best Friends and Young Bucks – V Trigger/Buckshot Lariat combination to Taylor

Kris Stadtlander/Hikaru Shida b. Mel/Brandi Rhodes – Kneeling Tombstone to Mel

Jon Moxley b. Sammy Guevara – Rear naked choke

Maxwell Jacob Friedman/Butcher and the Blade b. QT Marshall/Diamond Dallas Page/Dustin Rhodes – Rollup with trunks to Marshall

Pac b. Darby Allin – Black Arrow

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dark
Date: December 24, 2019
Location: American Bank Center, Corpus, Christi, Texas
Commentators: Excalibur, Colt Cabana
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s the final Dark of the year and since there is no Dynamite tomorrow, I’m not sure what to expect from this one. That makes things a little more interesting, though there is a good chance that it is going to be a normal show. Your individual taste on that may vary, but having a show on Christmas Eve might not be the brightest idea in the world. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony and Dasha give us the usual welcome, albeit with more Christmas references than you get in most weeks.

Sammy Guevara vs. Brandon Cutler

Sammy is already filming during the entrances so the holiday isn’t messing with his routine. We hit the posing in the corner before Sammy rolls away and dances a bit. A dropkick puts Cutler down and Sammy spins into a pose, followed by the headlock for a bonus. Cutler is right back with a dropkick into the corner and a pose of his own, setting up a suplex to the floor. A big flip dive to the floor drops Guevara, who is right back up with a corkscrew dive.

Cutler is back up as well with a suicide dive and some right hands, only to have Sammy hit a top rope double stomp to the chest onto the apron. Hold on though as Sammy needs to yell at the fans on the mic before getting two. That’s a rather Guevara move to make and it fit him very well. Sammy goes up, points at Cutler, and then drops down for a chinlock instead. Cutler is back with a kick to the head and a Phenomenal Forearm gets two.

Another kick to the head rocks Cutler this time though and a springboard cutter plants him as well. The shooting star press connects but Sammy barely covers, allowing Cutler to roll him up for two in a great false finish. That’s enough for Sammy, who hits something like a reverse GTS for the pin at 7:48.

Rating: C. As much as Cutler is just a warm body in the ring, this was a great showcase for Sammy, who got to showcase himself while also getting a win. He’s such a slimy heel that you want to see get beaten up, which isn’t something you get to see done so well very often. The near fall off the crucifix was a great little moment, but this was the Sammy Guevara show and I had some fun with it.

Tonight, Joey Janela is yelling TIMBER to end Shawn Spears once and for all. He’s the man you won’t forget.

Hybrid 2 vs. Private Party vs. Santana/Ortiz vs. Best Friends

The Hybrid 2 and Santana/Ortiz are backdropped over the corners but they pull the other four outside. Back in and Evans hammers away at Chuck, only to charge into a boot in the corner. Kassidy comes in for the screaming right hands but it’s Santana coming in and allowing a blind tag to Ortiz for a springboard crossbody. Santana hits two Amigos but hands Kassidy off to Ortiz for the delayed third.

Santana and Ortiz aren’t sure what to do but it’s the Best Friends hugging in the ring to break that up. The Friends hit stereo flip dives to take everyone out and it’s Cassidy hitting a dive onto Santana/Ortiz. Back in and Silly String drops Trent but Santana counters another attempt. The referee gets distracted and it’s the loaded sock to Cassidy. The Street Sweeper finishes Kassidy to give Santana the pin at 16:04.

Rating: B-. This was the kind of match where you knew what you were getting and it was still a good time. It worked just fine and they all got to look good for at least a little while. All of the dives and flips were cool and it was a good way to get the crowd going. Now granted if this took place after Dynamite then it missed the purpose but at least the fans got to have some fun.

Here’s Pac, who brings out Michael Nakazawa (with commentary saying that this is taped after Dynamite so no, Pac hasn’t had him captive for six days) to continue the beating. If Kenny Omega doesn’t give him the rubber match, this will continue.

Joey Janela vs. Shawn Spears

Back in and Spears crotches him on top but Janela keeps rolling away as Spears goes up top over and over. The fans chant TEN so Spears does a cartwheel and flips them off. Janela fights back and they head to the floor with Janela using a chair as a launchpad to knock Spears into the crowd. After a quick cameo from a fan dressed as Jesus, Spears comes back with a spinebuster. Tully gets in the ring and we get some shots of Jesus threatening to beat him up. The distraction lets Janela knock Spears down and drop a top rope elbow for the pin at 7:42.

Rating: C-. This was mainly a feel good match that was just a step above comedy, which is fine for what it was supposed to be. Janela vs. Spears has not been a thrilling feud so blowing it off here in a goofy match is the best option they had. There’s nothing wrong with a fun match like this and that’s what they went with here. The fans reacted well to it and that’s as good as you can get.

Post match Janela offers Spears a beer before dropping him with a Stunner. Eh it was filmed on Austin’s birthday so fair enough.

Overall Rating: C+. This is the kind of show I’ve been wanting Dark to be. They didn’t waste time and they didn’t spend forever recapping things that the audience is already going to know. The show was three matches and a quick segment. Keep things tight and moving, because that’s the point of a show like this. I liked what we got here and if they keep going like this, they’ve got a smart use of their time.

Results

Sammy Guevara b. Brandon Cutler – Reverse GTS

Santana/Ortiz b. Hybrid 2, Private Party and Best Friends – Street Sweeper to Kassidy

Joey Janela b. Shawn Spears – Top rope elbow

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW Wrestling

Dynamite
Date: December 11, 2019
Location: Curtis Culwell Center, Garland, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur

We’re down in Texas for one of the last two shows of the year. This time around the focus is going to be on a Texas Street Fight between the Young Bucks and Santana and Ortiz, which should be a heck of a battle if they’re allowed to be themselves. Other than that it’s time to get ready for next week’s World Title match between champion Chris Jericho and Jungle Boy. Let’s get to it.

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

Jon Moxley vs. Alex Reynolds

Paradigm Shift finishes Reynolds at 8 seconds.

Post match Reynolds’ partner John Silver takes the Paradigm Shift as well. Cue the Inner Circle to surround the ring though, with Chris Jericho getting into the ring to praise Moxley for his success. They have a history together, with Moxley having asked him for advice ten years ago. Then they became adversaries and beat each other up, with Jericho gaining his respect. Now they’re here in AEW and Jericho wants him to join the Inner Circle. Jericho gives him until after the holidays and leaves him with the shirt.

Video on the Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz, with Excalibur talking about how the street fight rules favor the Bucks.

The announcers preview the show.

Butcher and the Blade vs. QT Marshall/Cody

The Bunny is with the Butcher and the Blade. During Cody’s entrance, MJF mocks Cody’s misfortunes over the last few weeks and is looking forward to this one. Cody tags himself in to start and hammers on the Blade to start. The snap powerslam puts him down so it’s off to Butcher. Marshall comes in but the Bunny offers a distraction so Butcher can take over as we go to a break.

Back with Marshall jawbreaking his way out of trouble but getting pulled down again. An enziguri off the ropes gets Marshall a breather though and the Blade misses a charge in the corner, allowing the hot tag to Cody. The Disaster Kick hits the Butcher and a high crossbody gets two.

A double springboard cutter gets two more but the Figure Four is broken up, allowing Bunny to get in a rake to the eyes. Marshall tags himself in and hits a handspring tumble over the top to take both of them down. Back in and Marshall hits Cross Rhodes on the Blade and a twisting Swanton gets two. Butcher takes Cody down though and it’s a Stunner for Marshall. The suplex onto the double knees finishes Marshall at 11:04.

Rating: C. This was angle advancement more than anything else but the act works well for the Butcher and the Blade. That being said, the Bunny is going to be the star of the team no matter what they do as they aren’t the most interesting team on their own. That being said, putting someone like the Bunny out there is going to get attention and that’s what they got here.

Post match Darby Allin comes out to help Cody up and seemingly offer his friendship.

Here are MJF and Wardlow for a chat. First though, MJF says one of the grips was laughing last week when Cody made fun of his Cross Rhodes. Therefore MJF has him get in the ring and kiss the ring. With that out of the way, it’s Cross Rhodes for the grip anyway. That brings MJF back to Cody, who is a great wrestler and incredible on the microphone, but one man is better.

Last week MJF liked Cody’s business proposal, but MJF already has as much money as he needs. What he wants is for Cody to suffer. Last week Cody called him a knockoff Chris Jericho, which may have been because of the scarf. The fans think it’s fake, which is what MJF thinks of when he hears Cody’s name. You have the fake hair and the fake teeth, plus Cody’s fake feelings about the fans.

MJF brings up the lisp and says he knows Cody wants to get his hands on him more than anything else. The people want to see it too so Cody is on….with a catch. We won’t be hearing those stipulations in a hick place like Texas though, which is why we’ll hear them in Jacksonville on January 1. What matters is that MJF is in control because he’s better than Cody and Cody knows it. MJF is just great on these kinds of promos and can command the microphone like few others.

Alex Reynolds is in his hotel room when the Dark Order commercial comes on. The TV talks to him, saying they know he’s sick of losing and there is strength in numbers. John Silver comes in and asks what Reynolds is listening to.

Big Swole vs. Emi Sakura

A drop toehold lets Sakura rake the back, with Excalibur saying it’s like a Freddie Mercury cat. Sakura pulls her back into a surfboard and we take a break. Back with Sakura throwing her down and starting the clapping to the tune of We Will Rock You. A tilt-a-whirl backbreaker plants Swole but hang on because we need the mic stand.

The abdominal stretch with the mic stand included is….quickly broken up because the referee takes it away. JR isn’t impressed but seems to like it better when Swole takes it away for some James Brown. Sakura spins her into a backbreaker and gets two off a spinning Vader Bomb. The moonsault misses though and Swole kicks her in the face for two. Dirty Dancing (discus forearm) finishes Sakura at 10:38.

Rating: D+. Yeah forgive me for not getting interested in a match that turned into Freddie Mercury vs. James Brown for the sake of unfunny comedy. I don’t know what the appeal is of the Mercury stuff but it’s about as dumb of a thing this company does aside from the Librarians. Swole is growing on me though and they seem interested in pushing her so maybe they can make something.

Pac wants his rubber match with Kenny Omega or he can’t be responsible for his actions.

Kip Sabian/Shawn Spears vs. Kenny Omega/Hangman Page

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian but there’s no Tully Blanchard. We do get an insert promo from Tully though, talking about how you have to find the partner who meshes with him. Maybe Sabian can be that for Spears. Page sends Sabian into the ropes to start and it’s time to run a bit. A kick to the chest puts Sabian down and it’s off to Omega for the chop. Kenny hits a running hip attack in the corner but gets knocked outside, leaving Page to fight both of them off as we take a break.

Back with Omega fighting back against both of them and dropkicking both legs out at once. A running jumping Fameasser/bulldog puts both of them down again but a Ford distraction lets Sabian get in a Backstabber. The springboard missile dropkick gets two and there’s a hurricanrana to keep Omega rocked. The fans want cowboy s*** but settle for Ford’s hurricanrana off the apron as they keep getting in all of the spots from the Dark match between Sabian and Omega.

Ford comes in again and hits a handspring elbow in the corner, setting up Sabian’s fisherman’s suplex for two. Omega slips out of the Deathly Hallows though and it’s the V Trigger to put Sabian down. The lights go out and it’s…..Tully Blanchard tied up on the stage with Joey Janela waiting on Spears.

They fight on the stage with Spears saving Tully (who looked like he was tied up ala a bad gangster movie) and then head to the back. Back inside and Kenny hits the snapdragon on Sabian, setting up the V Trigger to the back of the head. Page tags himself in though and hits the Buckshot lariat for the pin at 11:32. Kenny isn’t sure but then takes the win for being a win.

Rating: C+. The unintentionally funny scene of Tully looking like the damsel in distress on the train tracks aside, this was a nice tag match with page showing some issues of needing a win. Omega vs. Page could be interesting, though Sabian didn’t get any favors here because Ford looks like a far bigger star.

Brandi Rhodes talks about how AEW is nothing without her. Riho is gone for weeks at a time and Britt Baker keeps talking about her boyfriend. Kris Stadtlander’s offer still stands as the family is waiting on the alien to come home. There is someone else, with a shaved head, whose back is to the camera but Brandi won’t let us see their face. This continues to be a thing that does not need to exist.

Luchasaurus vs. Sammy Guevara

Jericho and Jake Hager replace Schiavone and Excalibur on commentary. Sammy is here alone but Luchasaurus has the rest of the Jurassic Express with him. A running dropkick into the corner has Luchasaurus in very limited trouble so it’s a big boot to put Sammy on the floor. Sammy gets dropped onto the apron and we take a break. Back with Sammy kicking away, with Jericho saying Sammy is kicking the tar out of him. Jericho: “Yeah tar! It’s what killed the dinosaurs!” The moonsault misses though and Luchasaurus hits the reverse powerbomb for the pin at 6:32.

Rating: C. This is a step up for Luchasaurus and it’s a very good sign that he is getting these bigger matches. The idea of eventually pushing him to the top of the card certainly sounds interesting and it wouldn’t shock me to see it happen one day. Yes he’s a gimmick, but with that size, power and talking ability, they can find a way around it.

Post match Jericho and Hager go after Luchasaurus so Stunt and Jungle Boy come in for the save. Boy hits a quick hurricanrana on Jericho with Stunt counting the pin.

Revolution is coming to Chicago on February 29.

The announcers talk about next week’s Dynamite when Jericho comes up to shout that IT DIDN’T COUNT.

Young Bucks vs. Santana and Ortiz

Anything goes and this is officially sanctioned with the winners getting a Tag Team Title shot next week. Santana and Ortiz, plus Sammy Guevara, jump the Bucks during the entrance. The beatdown is on with Brandon Cutler’s save earning himself a powerbomb through the stage. The Bucks fight back though and it’s an Indytaker to plant Sammy on the stage as well.

A Swanton off the entrance puts Ortiz through a table for two despite the lack of a bell. Matt launches Nick for a dropkick to Santana but hang on as Matt needs to point at SCU in the front row. They get inside for the first time with Santana getting in some shots with the rolled up sock. Nick is put in a chair and beaten up with various weapons, only to have Nick come back with a Dallas Cowboys helmet to avoid a lot of the pain.

A double spear takes Santana and Ortiz down but Santana gets in a shot to the ribs and steals the helmet. He then SPITS ONT HE HELMET, because he just wasn’t evil enough yet. Santana and Matt are sent through tables at ringside so Ortiz hits the Cannonball to put Nick through another table as we take a break. Back with Nick hitting a 450 onto a trashcan onto Ortiz for two, with Hager making the save.

Nick kicks the referee in the face by mistake as Dustin Rhodes comes out to deal with Hager. More Bang For Your Buck hits Ortiz but there is no referee. Cue Aubrey Edwards to count two but Nick gets knocked off the apron and through another table. The Street Sweeper onto a trashcan gets two with Nick making another save. Another Street Sweeper onto some chairs is broken up and Nick bulldogs Ortiz onto said chairs. The Meltzer Driver onto a chair finishes Ortiz at 14:30.

Rating: B. They got the wild stuff in and the interference made sense in this case. Sometimes you need to have the wild brawl which actually counts and the Bucks vs. SCU is enough of a dream match. A title change wouldn’t surprise me either as AEW has made no secret of the Bucks being the top team in the promotion. Just give them the titles already so they can get on with it already. Good match here though as the teams have chemistry together.

Post match SCU comes in to hold up the titles to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked more of this than I didn’t and other than the stupid battle of the musicians deal in the women’s match, it was a mostly solid show. Next week is the big one though and AEW isn’t really hiding that. We could be in for a rather nice evening if we can have the big matches deliver. Nice effort this week, but it was just setting the table for the major show.

Results

Jon Moxley b. Alex Reynolds – Paradigm Shift

Butcher and the Blade b. QT Marshall/Cody – Suplex onto double knees to Marshall

Big Swole b. Emi Sakura – Dirty Dancing

Kenny Omega/Hangman Page b. Kip Sabian/Shawn Spears – Buckshot lariat to Sabian

Luchasaurus b. Sammy Guevara – Reverse powerbomb

Young Bucks b. Santana and Ortiz – Meltzer Driver to Ortiz onto a chair

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Dark
Date: December 3, 2019
Location: Sears Center Arena, Chicago, Illinois
Commentators: Excalibur, Nyla Rose
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzales

I’m not sure what to expect from here and that is one of the best things you can say about a show like this. I know it’s going to be a collection of matches, but it’s kind of nice to see the wrestlers getting out there and showing what they can do without the storylines to keep things in place. That can be a bad thing too, which is what makes the show a bit more interesting. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Maxwell Jacob Friedman winning the Dynamite Diamond and Diamond Dallas Page almost getting in a fight with Friedman’s bodyguard Wardlow.

Shanna will not be on commentary after an attack at the hands of Nyla Rose, who will be taking her place.

Brandon Cutler vs. Jimmy Havoc

They start with the wrestling as Havoc crucifixes him for two and grabs a wristlock. Cutler can’t get his own armbar as Havoc bites the arm, as he tends to do. A right hand to the face rocks Cutler again so he moonsaults over Havoc and hits a flying forearm as Excalibur goes into a rather long run on sentence. Havoc bails to the floor and grabs the staple gun to prevent a dive.

Back in and a low blow keeps Cutler in trouble, meaning it’s back to the ear for more biting. There’s a poke to the eye for a bonus, setting up a suplex into the corner for two. The Acid Rainmaker is broken up so Havoc bites him again, with Rose saying it’s because of some new cologne. Havoc hits a double stomp to the chest but Cutler sweeps the leg, setting up a legdrop to the apron. A springboard elbow gives Cutler two but it’s the Acid Rainmaker to give Havoc the pin at 7:55.

Rating: C-. In a way this was more effective for Havoc than most of the hardcore stuff because there is only so much you can get out of all the same stuff every time. Havoc isn’t someone who is going to get a lot of wins so putting him out there like this is as good as you’re going to get. It was more or less a squash, which is about all you can do with Cutler, who isn’t going to win anything of note.

Post match Havoc staples a $10,000 check to Cutler’s head.

In the back, Cutler yells at Havoc and is told that he’s being fined. Havoc says he’s a villain so he doesn’t care about the $10,000 fines for each use of the staple gun. Makes sense in a way.

Dark Order recruitment vignette.

Video on the Blade/Butcher/Bunny debuting and attacking Tony.

Shawn Spears vs. Sonny Kiss

Tully Blanchard is here with Spears. Kiss backflips out of a wristlock to start and drops into the splits as Spears isn’t sure what to do here. After knocking Kiss down, Spears gets in some dancing of his own, with the fans giving it a TEN. Kiss gets in a knockdown of his own and hits a splits legdrop, only to get knocked outside. Back in and the Death Valley Driver finishes Kiss at 3:59.

Rating: D+. Total squash here and that is the best thing it could have been. The best sign out of the whole thing is Kiss being left as a comedy jobber. A lot of fans were worried about less serious characters like Kiss being pushed to the top of the card but that has not been the case and it is quite the relief.

Post match Spears and Blanchard spike piledriver Kiss on the floor.

We look at Dustin Rhodes’ interview being interrupted and a brawl erupting.

We see Christopher Daniels jumping the Lucha Bros, setting up Daniels vs. Pentagon Jr. on Dynamite.

We look at the end of Chris Jericho vs. Scorpio Sky with Jericho retaining the title and being confronted by Jon Moxley as a result.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

We go to a documentary feature called Jurassic Planet, featuring a narrator talking about Jungle Boy in the wild. Luchasaurus is seen eating some leaves and the two form a friendship….before running into the dancing Marko Stunt. They have something here and it doesn’t involve Stunt.

Jurassic Express vs. Santana and Ortiz

That name sounds better than Proud and Powerful and they use it enough so I’m going with it. Santana and Jungle Boy start things off with Santana taking him into the corner for a somewhat insulting chop. They hit the mat and fight over a wristlock until Boy snaps off a hurricanrana. A dropkick sends Santana into the corner so Marko can come in, allowing Boy to spear him into the corner.

That leaves Stunt in the ring though and it’s a dropkick into a German suplex to knock him silly. A belly to back suplex lets Santana pose and we get the delayed vertical suplex with a few trades back and forth. Stunt eventually reverses into a small package for two on Santana but Ortiz is right back in with a Falcon Arrow.

Everything breaks down and Santana and Ortiz ram them together to take over again. Jurassic Express is sat in some chairs and Cannonballed right back out of them for the big crash. Back in and Stunt has to crawl to the rope to escape the Boston crab. That’s enough for the tag back to Boy and a high crossbody gets two on Ortiz.

A sunset flip into a jackknife cover gives Santana two with Stunt diving off the top for the save. Stunt launches off of Boy’s back for a running DDT and Boy lifts Santana up onto his shoulder. That lets Stunt come off the top with a flipping cutter into a spinning Big Ending for two and the fans are getting into the kickouts. Boy gets sent to the floor though and it’s a powerbomb into kick to the face from Santana for the pin on Stunt at 13:24.

Rating: C. You know every complaint that I’ve had about Stunt so far? It’s the exact same thing here. I can’t get around how small he is as he’s more or less a wrestling mascot with the stupid dancing over and over. Yes the fans cheer for him, but he was a novelty act at first and the novelty has worn off in a hurry.

Post match here’s Sammy Guevara for the beatdown but it’s Luchasaurus coming out for the save. The chokeslam into the standing moonsault crushes Ortiz but here’s Jake Hager. They slug it out until the Inner Circle gets up to beat Luchasaurus down, only to have the Young Bucks come in for the save. Luchasaurus and Boy throw Stunt through the air for a Canadian Destroyer.

Tony and Dasha wrap things up.

Overall Rating: C-. I’m not sure what was up with them on this night but dang it wasn’t exactly working. Last week’s Dynamite wasn’t great and this show was one of the weaker Darks they’ve aired yet. The ending helped, but aside from that, which will likely be shown on Dynamite, there was nothing to see here and that is becoming more of a trend on Dark. It isn’t a bad show, but it’s one I don’t think about after it’s done and it wouldn’t hurt much if it was dropped. Oh and keep Rose FAR away from commentary. She had a few decent moments but she was much more annoying than anything else.

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Brandon Cutler – Acid Rainmaker

Shawn Spears b. Sonny Kiss – Death Valley Driver

Santana and Ortiz b. Jurassic Express – Kick to Stunt’s head

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: AEW

Full Gear
Date: November 9, 2019
Location: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore, Maryland
Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur

Despite being less than a month and a half after the debut of their weekly television show, it is already time for their next pay per view. The big main event tonight is Cody vs. Chris Jericho for the latter’s World Title, but if Cold loses he can never challenge for the title again. I’m not sure what is going to happen there and that makes things more interesting. Let’s get to it.

Preshow: Britt Baker vs. Bea Priestly

There is a ramp to the ring for an old WCW feel. It’s a fight to start with Baker taking her down but not being able to get in the Lockjaw. Priestly is right back with some kicks to the chest and choking across the ropes until Baker is able to fight back up with some forearms of her own. A double clothesline gives us a double knockdown and it’s Baker up first with a Sling Blade.

Priestly is right back with a bridging belly to back suplex for two and it’s off to an arm trap choke to keep Baker in trouble. The slow crawl gets Baker over to the ropes for the break so Baker is right back up with a Canadian Destroyer for two of her own. A Paige Turner looks to set up Lockjaw but Priestly stacks her up for two instead. Baker tries it again and this time Priestly has to tap at 11:22.

Rating: C. Just a match for the most part and it’s time for Baker to get closer to the title scene, even though Riho already beat her. I would have gone with Priestly winning here as she seems like someone who could take the title from Riho and then drop it to Baker (or Allie) eventually but they’re going with the Baker push again, which is far from a terrible idea. Just push someone up against Riho though.

Post match here are Brandi Rhodes and Awesome Kong with the latter laying out Priestly. Brandi whips out a knife (yes a knife) and it’s time for a haircut.

The opening video focuses on the pressure to prove that you are the best over and over, including tonight.

Young Bucks vs. Proud And Powerful

Just call them Santana and Ortiz. The Rock N Roll Express is in the front row. Ortiz hits Matt in the face for an early cheap shot and everything breaks down in a hurry. Matt spears Santana down and it’s the stereo dives out to the floor. We settle down to the Bucks working on Santana’s arm and it’s off to Ortiz, who gets armdragged into an armbar. Santana: “WHAT HAPPENED???”

Ortiz slaps Santana’s foot but that’s not a tag, which does not please the fans. Now the referee doesn’t see a tag to Santana and it’s another armbar. The referee’s shirt gets untucked and it’s Ortiz sneaking in for a cheap shot to Nick. Everything breaks down and it’s a Boston crab to Nick and a Gory Stretch to Matt, with everyone standing together in one big ball for a heck of a visual. That lets LAX beat on Nick with some shots to the back but it’s off to Matt pretty quickly.

Everything breaks down and a big dive takes Ortiz down on the floor. Nick goes leg first into the post though and Ortiz is all over the injury, like any good heel should be. That’s not enough as Nick gets thrown at the Rock N Roll Express, with Santana blowing his nose at them for a bonus. Back in and Matt gets knocked to the floor, setting up another shot to Nick’s legs to cut off the comeback bid.

There’s a dragon screw legwhip for two but Nick uses the good leg for the superkick. Matt comes in for the rolling northern lights suplexes, including a double version for a double near fall. The standing moonsault/top rope splash combination gets two but Nick gets pulled out to the floor. Ortiz rolls Santana backwards so he can cutter Matt for two as we hit the fifteen minute mark.

The Street Sweeper is countered with a belly to belly suplex for a little Steiner Brothers and it’s Nick coming back in for a double superkick. The powerbomb/Sliced Bread #2 combination gets two on Ortiz but the leg gives out on a Meltzer Driver attempt. Nick spits his gum at Ortiz so Ortiz puts it in his mouth, meaning it’s Nick forearming both of them at once. That’s cut off by a powerbomb though and the Street Sweeper gives Santana the pin at 21:10.

Rating: B+. This was exactly what fans wanted to see out of this match as it really was two of the biggest teams in the world today going at it on the big stage. That being said, they really need to cut out the dives, cutters and false finishes as they go through so many of them in a single match that it takes away the impact they have. It’s one thing if it happens here, but how many matches are going to have several of them all over again?

Post match Sammy Guevara comes in for the beatdown, bringing in the Express for the save. Ricky Morton hits a Canadian Destroyer and a suicide dive to stand tall.

Here’s the rest of the card that you already paid to see.

Hangman Page vs. Pac

Pac beat him a few weeks ago and Page wants revenge. It’s a brawl to start with Pac being sent outside, which of course means a dive. Back in and Pac gets his knees up to block a running shooting star press and it’s time for Pac to hammer away. A running knee in the corner gets two and there’s a kick to the face for a bonus. Pac snapmares him into a chinlock as the pace continues to go slowly.

The delay lets JR rant about refereeing, though clarifying that this match’s referee is doing it right. Pac’s running kick to the head rocks Page again and it’s time to stare at the crowd. The chinlock goes on again, with JR saying Page looks like Tony Schiavone getting out of a tanning booth. Pac misses a middle rope Phoenix splash and Page hits a big clothesline. A spinebuster sends Pac to the apron where Page hits a Boss Man Slam.

The middle rope moonsault to the floor drops Pac again but he’s fine enough to roll to the floor before the Buckshot Lariat can launch. Page goes out after him and gets brainbustered onto an open chair. For reasons of modern wrestling, that isn’t two weeks/months away from the ring but rather Page coming back inside and telling Pac to kick him harder. Pac gets crotched on top so Page hits a super fall away slam to put them both down.

The Buckshot Lariat is countered into the snap German suplex but Page is right back with a pop up powerbomb. The Deadeye is countered into the Brutalizer but they fall into the ropes for the break. Page can’t hit the Buckshot again but he’s able to block a low blow. A hard clothesline sets up the Deadeye for the pin on Pac at 18:51.

Rating: B. So in a match where someone too a brainbuster onto a steel chair, he wins the match five minutes later? Sure why not. They beat each other up well here and it gives Page the big win, though I’m not sure where he is supposed to go from here. We’ve done Jericho vs. Page already and there isn’t anything else for him to do at the moment. Maybe we get a trilogy match, but at least round two was good.

We look at the preshow.

Shawn Spears vs. Joey Janela

Grudge match after Janela put a cigarette in Spears’ manager Tully Blanchard’s soda, so they tried to pull out his tongue with pliers. Spears chops away to start but gets knocked outside with Janela hitting a quick hurricanrana. That’s fine with Spears, who powerslams him on the floor to start in on the back.

They head inside with Spears working on the back, including a chinlock with a knee in said back. Janela’s back gets rammed into the apron and Spears ties him into the corner by the hair. That’s broken up and Spears grabs a Sharpshooter to work on the back some more. Janela makes the ropes and hits a superkick, followed by a top rope flip dive to the floor. Back in and Spears catches him on top with a superplex for two more.

Spears gets sent outside though and it’s a suicide dive (take a shot) to give Janela two again. Janela goes up top so Spears catches him with a backbreaker onto the buckle and it’s time to go for a turnbuckle pad. The referee deals with that so Tully does the spiking in a spike piledriver to knock Janela silly. A running Death Valley Driver finishes Janela at 11:28.

Rating: C. Both of these guys continue to just exist for the most part. Spears has gotten a little better, mainly because he has actually won a few things. Janela on the other hand comes off as someone who just kept showing up one day and then was allowed to have a match to make him happy. Tully getting more involved is a good idea too, and hopefully it happens more often.

Kip Sabian is glad to be teaming with the Hybrid Two because he can trust them and rely on them. Penelope Ford comes up and kisses him on the cheek, saying it’s time to bring some sex appeal to the company. Ford: “Why be bad, when you can be super bad?”

We recap the Tag Team Title tournament.

Tag Team Titles: SCU vs. Lucha Bros vs. Private Party

SCU is defending and this is one fall to a finish. Kazarian headlocks Quen down to start so Quen flips to his feet for a standoff. Fenix comes in and counters the whip to the floor, setting up the kick to Kazarian’s back. Everything breaks down for a bit until Fenix suplexes Kazarian for two. It’s Pentagon coming in for some kicks of his own, including a superkick to Kazarian’s jaw.

There’s a double clothesline and it’s off to Kassidy for a kick to Pentagon and a springboard X Factor for two. Quen takes Kassidy’s place and it’s the camel clutch into a double stomp to the back of Pentagon’s head for two more. The Bros are back with a Doomsday Dropkick to Quen, followed by a monkey flip Cannonball for their own near fall. The spike package piledriver is broken up though and Quen hits a Backstabber for two as Kazarian makes the save.

Quen hits a dropkick and brings in Sky for some kicks of his own. A slingshot cutter sets up a dragon sleeper on Fenix, who gets caught in a cutter from Kazarian. Everything breaks down and it’s time for the series of dives, with Fenix walking the ropes for a knee to Sky’s face to cut him off.

More dives ensue, with Fenix hitting a big corkscrew version onto the pile. Kazarian hits an assisted tornado DDT on Fenix for two with Private Party making the save. Quen drops the perfect shooting star on Kazarian for two more, because that move isn’t allowed to EVER get a pin. Gin and Juice is broken up and it’s the SCULater to finish Quen at 12:02.

Rating: B-. Entertaining stuff, but it feels like the kind of match that we see at least once a week around here. I like SCU retaining and Private Party taking the loss isn’t going to hurt them. The Lucha Bros or Santana/Ortiz would make great next challengers and you have to expect that to be the case in one way or another, though the latter would be more likely. It’s a fun match, but it’s been done better.

Post match the Bros beat up the champs until a third masked man runs in for the save. He unmasks as….Christopher Daniels.

Video on Riho, who is awesome and was trained by Emi Sakura, her challenger for the Women’s Title. Kenny Omega makes sure we know how big this is.

Women’s Title: Riho vs. Emi Sakura

Riho is defending and we hear about them being in the ring together in one way or another 287 times. An early test of strength goes to Sakura off a legsweep and a dropkick puts Riho down again. Riho gets sent outside but she’s back up in time to block a dive to the floor. The top rope double stomp to the apron rocks Sakura and it’s off to a half crab to keep the champ in control.

Sakura fights right back with a surfboard that doesn’t last long so Riho is up with a high crossbody for two more. A spinning Vader Bomb gives Sakura her own two and a tiger driver makes it worse, only to have Riho pop up for a fast double stomp before Sakura can get up.

Riho hammers away and hits a middle rope double stomp to put Sakura in more trouble. The top rope double stomp gets two with Sakura bridging up for the kickout. Riho is right back with a spinning pair of knees to the chest before spinning around into a rollup for a stacked up pin to retain at 11:17.

Rating: C+. Well worked, nice technical match here with Riho doing enough to make up for the size different. Sakura is hardly huge but she’s bigger than Riho, which isn’t that hard to do. Riho has to wrestle the right style to be believable and she did that here. The story worked well enough, though it was a pretty basic way to do everything. That’s fine enough, but it could have been more.

We recap the World Title match. Cody needs to win and is willing to never challenge for the title again should he not win here. Jericho is as arrogant as he can get and that is one of the best things about him. He also had Cody’s brother Dustin’s arm broken by the Inner Circle.

AEW World Title: Cody vs. Chris Jericho

Cody is challenging and has MJF with him while Jericho has Jake Hager. There is a sixty minute time limit and if we go the distance, Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko and Great Muta are here to pick a winner. The fans give Jericho a HAPPY BIRTHDAY chant and he bails to the floor at the bell. Back in and Cody works on a hammerlock to send Jericho to the ropes, meaning it’s a cartwheel from Cody for a little mind game.

Back up and Jericho grabs a headlock before shouldering Cody down. The Dustin Rhodes pop up uppercut rocks Jericho so he goes to the floor and glares at Malenko. Cody is right back with a dive (in front of the judges) and it’s time to work on the arm. Some good cranking has Jericho in trouble but he sends Cody down hard onto the ramp, with Cody coming up bleeding.

We get a breather for the doctor to check on Cody so Jericho sits down in a chair in the ring as he should. Cody comes up favoring his ribs but Jericho is right on the cut forehead in an attempt to get the doctor to stop it. Hager gets in a cheap shot behind the referee’s back and Jericho puts a knee in the ribs to drop Cody again. Cody fights up and knocks Jericho down, only to have the moonsault hit knees.

The chinlock doesn’t last long so Jericho dropkicks him down for two and we hit the chinlock with a knee in the back. The Lionsault hits raised knees as well though and Cody hits a springboard cutter (Has there been a match yet that didn’t include a cutter? The Women’s Title maybe?) to start the comeback. There’s the Disaster Kick to knock Jericho off the apron and even Cody’s mom gets in some yelling.

Back in and the Alabama Slam (with Excalibur blanking on the name) out of the corner plants Jericho again. The Figure Four goes on as Excalibur remembers the name of the Alabama Slam (JR: “DING DING DING!”) but Hager gets in a cheap shot for the save. Cody goes with a rollup instead but the kickout sends him into another shot from Hager as JR is losing his mind at the cheating. MJF yells at Hager and gets mauled for it, allowing Jericho to get in a belt shot.

The very slow cover gets two but the Judas Effect is countered into Cross Rhodes. JR wants Cody to pull….I’m going to assume leg because JR is rather unbiased but Jericho kicks out anyway. Back up and Jericho knocks him into the ropes, setting up a whipping with the weight belt. Cody fights back and puts Jericho up, only to get pulled down into the Walls in the middle of the ring. It’s broken up so Jericho tries it again, this time making it the Liontamer. Cody is in trouble and MJF throws in the towel to keep the title on Jericho at 29:33.

Rating: B-. This was a tricky one to grade and I’m going to have to let the ending sink in a bit. What matters here is finding a way around the ending, but what would matter the most here would be to have MJF turn on Cody, though you could go the other way also. Good match, but it felt like they were stalling at times. That being said, they were VERY smart to not drag this out any longer. It felt a little long, but thank goodness the judges were red herrings.

Post match MJF looks crushed as the Inner Circle has some bubbly. The team leaves and Cody tells MJF it’s ok….and then MJF kicks him low and gives us a great evil smirk. A fan throws a bottle at him on the way out. That was a heck of a heel turn, even it if was far from shocking.

We recap Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley. They’ve been trying to fight for months now but this is the rescheduled match after Moxley was hurt. Moxley has promised violence so the match is unsanctioned.

Kenny Omega vs. Jon Moxley

Anything goes. Moxley goes straight at him to start and it’s a Boss Man Slam to put Omega down early. The trashcan is brought in but they fight to the floor with Moxley being put over the barricade. Kenny hits a running dropkick over the barricade, followed by a beer to the head. The regular trashcan is poured onto Moxley and a stomp off the barricade crushes him again.

Omega’s moonsault is broken up though and it’s time to go back to ringside. That means Moxley can pull out a barbed wire baseball bat and some shots to the back have Omega pounding the mat in pain. Moxley puts the wire on Omega’s back and stomps on it as the fans are impressed. Back up and Omega blocks a shot to the face before trying a snapdragon, only to have Moxley rake it across his arm. That’s a good storytelling device as Omega is in Moxley’s world here.

Omega gets in a trashcan shot to the head and it’s table time, plus the barbed wire broom. Moxley throws the trashcan at his head to break it up though, only to have a dive cut off with a broom to the head. Back in and Omega sweeps Moxley’s back to keep the blood flowing. The bat across the face cuts Moxley open and it’s a running Fameasser onto the bat to make it worse.

The Regal Roll sets up a middle rope moonsault with the trashcan for two….and it’s time for a board of mousetraps. Yeah I’m done with this now as this is CZW level nonsense. Omega hits a jumping knee but gets clotheslined down. Moxley drops him onto the mousetraps and now, it’s time for some big gold chains. They get wrapped around Omega’s mouth before Moxley pulls out a spike.

That’s blocked with a chain to the ribs but Moxley suplexes him onto the chains. Omega hits the snapdragon suplex and a second one makes it even worse. The chain goes around Moxley’s throat to choke him over the rope but Omega’s hands slip to get Moxley to the floor. Omega hits a big flip dive through a table and takes his sweet time finding a bag of….broken glass.

A Sky High puts Moxley onto the glass for two and Omega drags him through the glass to set up a Sharpshooter. Moxley has to crawl through the glass to get to the ropes, thankfully with the referee not calling for the break and only watching as Moxley climbs the ropes for the break. Omega tries to put the glass in Moxley’s mouth but gets German suplexed into the glass.

Some V Triggers rock Moxley and they head to the ramp. Omega calls Page and the Bucks to bring something out but the say that’s too far. They reluctantly bring out….a big barbed wire spider web board. The One Winged Angel is loaded up but Moxley reverses into a suplex to send them both into the wire and get a lot of gasping.

A bunch of people come out to help them escape and Omega hits him with something made of metal. The V Trigger sends Moxley through a wall covering a spotlight and stay down for a bit. Back in and it’s a Paradigm Shift onto the glass for two so Moxley grabs a knife and cuts up the mat away from the ring.

The pad is pulled back as well and the wood is exposed. Omega backdrops him onto the wood and hits a V Trigger, setting up a Paradigm Shift to Moxley onto the wood….for two. END THIS ALREADY. Omega’s Phoenix splash hits wood and Moxley gets two more. An elevated Paradigm Shift onto the wood finally finishes Omega at 39:22.

Rating: D+. That’s the one that is going to get the most arguments and I completely understand that one. They went on WAY too long here and you could have cut at least ten to fifteen minutes out of it. Some of the near falls near the end had me sighing because it just kept going for whatever reason. The violence and hardcore elements went further than I was good with, though it didn’t get all the way to the point of no return (the mousetraps were at least kept…..yeah I’m not finishing that). I completely get why people are going to like this, but it’s a case of a match not being for me.

Overall Rating: B. That main event took a lot out of what was an otherwise rather good show. There are still some things that I would change but they’re getting to a point where they have an established style. That may or may not be to your liking, but it is a good thing for them to figure out something that works for them. I would still cut down some of the lengths, but the action itself is good enough. Stick with what works and fix what didn’t and they have something, but that main event is going to divide the audience, at least somewhat.

Results

Proud And Powerful b. Young Bucks – Street Sweeper to Nick

Adam Page b. Pac – Deadeye

Shawn Spears b. Joey Janela – Running Death Valley Driver

So Cal Uncensored b. Lucha Bros and Private Party – SCULater to Quen

Riho b. Emi Sakura – Rollup

Chris Jericho b. Cody when MJF threw in the towel

Jon Moxley b. Kenny Omega – Elevated Paradigm Shift

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