IMG Credit: WWE

Dynamite
Date: April 8, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Chris Jericho

We’re still in wherever the heck we are for the second week of what seems to be a marathon taping session. That’s probably the only way to get through the current situation so this is how things are going to be for a good while. The big story tonight is the start of the TNT Title tournament so let’s get to it.

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

Jake Roberts asks if you would prefer to be staring down a train coming at you or face Lance Archer. Last week, Archer destroyed Marko Stunt, which made Roberts wonder how insane Stunt is. Then there’s Cody, who might be better off losing to Shawn Spears to avoid facing Archer in the second round.

Lance Archer vs. Alan Eagles

Archer shoves Eagles down, choke suplexes him across the ring and finishes with the Blackout at 2:09.

Preview of the rest of the show.

Britt Baker vs. Hikaru Shida

They shove each other to start until Shida forearms her in the face a few times. Baker avoids a dropkick and bails out to the floor for a breather. Back in and they grab each other by the hair with Baker being taken down in the corner. A Fameasser gives Baker two and she punches away at the face, with Jericho talking about how she’s making her own patients. Britt sends her into the ropes and talks a lot of trash, even going to the floor to talk straight into the camera.

That’s enough for Shida to get up and stalk Baker, only to get sent into the barricade. Shida comes back and puts her over the barricade, where some of the jobbers posing as fans hold Baker in place. A running knee hits Baker and we take a break. Back with Shida hitting a suplex and pulling Baker into a triangle choke until a rope is grabbed. Baker comes back with a Sling Blade into a butterfly suplex for two on Shida.

Shida gets to the rope before Lockjaw can go on and a shot tot he face busts Baker’s nose. A Michinoku Driver gets two on Shida but baker pulls her down into Lockjaw, only to stop to put on a glove. That’s enough for Shida to escape and knee her in the face but Baker hits a low superkick as the blood is all over Baker’s face. Shida gets choked on the rope but they fight to the top with Baker getting dropped hard onto the buckle. Shida’s running knee finally finishes Baker at 17:04.

Rating: B+. Well that came out of nowhere. This might not have been a great match but it was a great fight with the two of them beating the heck out of each other and making me wonder which of them was going to survive. I got sucked up into this one and it was an awesome match which far exceeded expectations.

Kenny Omega and Michael Nakazawa try to figure out a team name for tonight. Nakazawa suggests Best Friends and Omega has to explain things. The real Best Friends and Orange Cassidy come in and complain about the name so they’ll be having a match for the rights to call themselves the real best friends. That made me sigh rather heavily.

Here are the Top Five tag teams:

5. Best Friends

4. Lucha Bros

3. SCU

2. Young Bucks

1. Dark Order

Women’s Top Five

5. Riho

4. Britt Baker

3. Yuka Sakazaki

2. Kris Stadtlander

1. Hikaru Shida

Men’s Top Five

5. Darby Allin

4. Kenny Omega

3. Cody

2. Chris Jericho

1. Jake Hager

Video on Jake Hager vs. Jon Moxley for the World Title next week in a No Holds Barred match. Moxley fights for the love of the sport while Hager fights for prizes and money. Hager’s wife says he has to win or don’t come home. Moxley has come a long way but Hager is a different kind of opponent. Hager’s training partners think he’s ready to destroy Moxley. They’re both ready though and it could go three minutes or thirty minutes. Good video, even if they don’t have a long history together.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears, who have a long history before they face off in the tournament.

Best Friends vs. Kenny Omega/Michael Nakazawa

Nakazawa has his baby oil ready, sending Jericho into a rant about the things you would find on him before a match. That would include a fork and a pencil, with Tony sounding bewildered. Taylor armdrags Omega to start, much to Jericho’s approval. It’s off to Nakazawa to chop Trent against the ropes, earning himself an even harder chop. Therefore, it’s baby oil time so Trent’s chops have no effect. Meaning Nakazawa and Omega can stomp away.

Trent gets crotched against the post with Nakazawa pulling on his legs and marching forward as we take a break. Back with Nakazawa crotching Trent on top and sliding him down the rope as Shawn Spears, in the crowd, can’t understand the oil. Omega comes in for the chinlock but Trent fights up and gets the hot tag to Taylor for the house cleaning. Everything breaks down and the Best Friends hit suicide dives but hang on because Orange Cassidy has to come in for the triple hug.

That’s broken up though, meaning Omega and Nakazawa try their own hug. That one doesn’t work either so Nakazawa can miss a double clothesline on the Best Friends, leaving Jericho almost cracking up on commentary. Cassidy gets back in and Nakazawa takes the sunglasses. Don’t worry though as Cassidy as another pair so he can dive on Omega. Trent’s tornado DDT gets two on Nakazawa but he misses a charge in the corner. Omega misses a charge into the corner though and Trent hits a running knee.

A pop up sitout powerbomb gives Chuck two on Omega and everyone is down. Hold on though as Nakazawa pulls off his underwear for a Claw on Trent, which Jericho says is enough to make him submit. Nakazawa does it to Omega by mistake though and it’s Eat Defeat into a half and half suplex to drop Nakazawa for two more. Omega gets sent into the barricade and it’s Strong Zero for the pin on Nakazawa at 16:32.

Rating: C-. I think you know my thoughts on this kind of comedy by now and watching a sixteen minute version of the whole thing wasn’t exactly my thing. That being said, I can live with it a lot more when it’s all comedy and lighthearted instead of stopping a serious match for the jokes, so this was nowhere near as bad/annoying as some of the others.

Post match, all five of them hug.

Brodie Lee yells at some Creepers for not being in their best looking gear. He’s here to make things better so get it together. They go inside the building because Lee has an idea for them.

Britt Baker isn’t cool with what Hikaru Shida did to her but don’t worry because she can fix it. She’s a dentist.

Video on Hager being dominant in two sports. Moxley talks about how violent it’s going to be next week. Hager keeps talking about how he’s a winner and winners win championships. Moxley doesn’t know if Hager can dig down deep enough for this, but Hager doesn’t care what Moxley has done on the way to the match. All that matters is Hager knows he can win, but Moxley promises to f*** him up.

Matt Hardy talks about the Inner Circle, including Chris Jericho brainwashing Jake Hager. Then Jericho tried to recruit Vanguard1, which isn’t cool with Hardy. He requests Vanguard1 bring him the shirt from last week, but Vanguard1 has lit it on fire. Hardy wants Jericho to come to the Hardy compound for the Elite Deletion.

Brodie Lee vs. Lee Johnson

Lee kicks him in the face twice in a row and hits a slingshot hilo for a bonus. A suplex makes it worse and a discus lariat to the back of the head finishes Johnson at 1:29. As it should be.

Post match, Lee stares down Marko Stunt for reasons I don’t want to understand.

Video on Cody vs. Shawn Spears.

TNT Title First Round: Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Brandi is here with Cody. Spears gets sent to the apron early on as Jericho rants about Aubrey Edwards hassling him all the time. Tony: “Isn’t she just doing her job?” You can guess Jericho’s reaction to that one. Spears’ knees to the ribs don’t do much good so he bails to the floor off the threat of a Figure Four. Cody rolls him up a few times as Jericho tries to figure out what is left for Cody if he loses here.

A pump kick drops Spears again but the moonsault misses, allowing Spears to grab a piledriver for two. We take a break and come back with Jericho talking about how great Canadians are. Jericho: “There’s a guy in Guatemala who is pretty good though.” Spears suplexes him onto a piece of the barricade at ringside and Cody seems to have banged up his heel.

A springboard frog splash hits Cody’s knees though and the comeback is on. The snap powerslam gets two but the Disaster kick misses, allowing Spears to spinebuster him for two. Back from another break with Spears pulling out a table but getting knocked down, allowing Cody to finish putting the table up. They get back in and Cody gets caught on top with a release belly to belly superplex for the double knockdown.

Brandi gets on the apron and her distraction almost gets her knocked through the table. Instead Spears AA’s Cody from the ring through the table for the huge crash. That’s good for a very slow nine count so Cody gets back in for a pair of Cross Rhodes for a near fall. Cody puts on the Figure Four….for the pin at 21:32. That’s a weird one as Spears wasn’t out or anything and was still fighting.

Rating: B. Good enough here and that ending was rather surprising. The AA through the table looked great and I liked the match more than their All Out version. Spears is still little more than a good hand, but this was better than his usual outings. Cody winning was the only logical call and I’m glad to see where they’re going with the whole tournament.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a heck of a show with two rather good matches and a tag match which only kind of got on my nerves. They’re going to be in a different mode for a long time to come and it was nice to see that they know how to make things work in this situation. Solid show here and if this is a preview of things to come, I’ll be rather pleased.

Results

Lance Archer b. Alan Eagles – Blackout

Hikaru Shida b. Britt Baker – Running knee

Best Friends b. Michael Nakazawa/Kenny Omega – Strong Zero to Nakazawa

Cody b. Shawn Spears – Pin in a Figure Four

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: April 1, 2020
Location: Undisclosed Location
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody

It’s off to a new location this week as the Daily’s Place parking lot has been taken over by Coronavirus patients. Therefore we’re off to some other place instead, likely for a bunch of taped shows. In theory we’re on the road towards Double Or Nothing but that depends on if the show actually takes place. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody and Tony welcome us to the show and get straight to the second half of the first round of the TNT Title tournament:

Kip Sabian vs. Dustin Rhodes

Lance Archer vs. Colt Cabana

We run down the card.

Kenny Omega vs. Trent

Orange Cassidy and Chuck Taylor are here as well and the wrestlers are acting as a rather small crowd again. Kenny headlocks him down to start but Trent is back up with some running knees to take Kenny down. Back up and Kenny chokes away in the corner before sending him outside outside for the big flip dive, taking out Cassidy and Taylor as well. A backbreaker plants Trent and another one gets two, followed by a hard whip into the corner to stay on the back.

Trent gets in a shot to the face though and knees away in the corner. We hear about the six star match from Revolution as Trent hammers him down to the floor. Kenny snaps off a German suplex on the floor and hits a brainbuster onto the knee. Trent is right back with a tornado DDT though and Kenny gets tied in the ropes. There’s the sliding German suplex to drop Omega again and we take a break.

Back with Trent hitting a piledriver for two but having another tornado DDT broken up. Kenny hits the snapdragon and a powerbomb sets up a V Trigger to put them both down. Omega heads up top but gets caught in a German superplex with Kenny landing HARD on his head. Thankfully he’s fine enough to hit another V Trigger and the One Winged Angel for the pin at 20:07.

Rating: B-. This was one of those matches that was more long than good, which is understandable with a show where they need to fill in a lot of time. It certainly wasn’t bad by any means but it felt like a lot of doing moves for the sake of doing moves. That landing on the superplex was scary though and I was rather relieved when Omega got up. It looked that bad on the landing.

We look back at last week’s Matt Hardy vs. Chris Jericho showdown.

Hikaru Shida vs. Anna Jayy

Yes Jayy. Shida knees her down to start but misses a dropkick, allowing Jayy to hit her own running knee. Another knee gets Shida out of trouble but she has to glare at Britt Baker, allowing Jayy to get in a slap. A slap to the face annoys Shida, who is back with a forearm (Cody: “DANG!”) to drop her in a hurry. Jayy grabs a running blockbuster and ducks a crucifix, setting up some rollups for two each. Shida is done with this though and grabs a suplex, followed by a Falcon Arrow for the pin at 4:59.

Rating: C. Despite her odd name, Jayy looked good here and got to showcase herself a little bit. It’s a good thing to see some wrestlers getting a chance here as you never know when you might find someone new in a spot like this. Shida continues to be one of the best stars in this division and when we get back to normal, she needs to be getting a title shot sooner or later.

We look at Jake Hager choking Jon Moxley out on Dark.

Hager calls Moxley stupid for thinking he can hang in a fight with him. Moxley says he’s the World Champion but he’s still miserable. Chris Jericho talks about how the Inner Circle is in this for themselves instead of the fans like Moxley talks about. Hager knows Moxley is beneath him because he is the undefeated MMA fighter who can choke Moxley out. Moxley likes the idea of a challenge because he lives for danger. Even Jericho says he wants Hager to win the World Title because it’s another title for the Inner Circle. In two weeks, it’s an empty arena no holds barred match for the title.

Jake Roberts talks about how Lance Archer is ready to destroy everything AEW has put together. After tonight, Jake and Archer want Cody, if his wife will let him face Archer that is.

Marko Stunt vs. Lance Archer

Archer knocks out the tech guys on the way to the ring. A clothesline drops Stunt before the bell but Archer lets Stunt get in some free shots. Those earn him a bit shot to the face and Archer steps on his face for a bonus. A release suplex (cool) sends Stunt flying but he manages to get in a suicide dive. Some running dropkicks stagger Archer but he’s back with a heck of a Pounce. Archer gives him a hard chokeslam and the Blackout (a reverse Razor’s Edge flipped forward into a slam) finishes Stunt at 3:47.

Rating: D+. There is something so cathartic about watching Stunt get beaten up. The guy is fine for a mascot but this is about all he should ever be used for in the ring. He got in a little offense (which he didn’t need) but some of the major destruction was rather nice. Well done enough here.

Post break Archer chokeslams him off the apron and onto some people at ringside.

Brodie Lee is at a board room table talking to the Dark Order. He talks about how he was beaten and downtrodden but now he’s here. One of the masked men is told to stand next to him but he can’t remember what Brodie told him to say, which makes Lee rather mad. Another masked man yawns and Brodie yells at him as well, because it shows weakness. That would be more Vince-style stuff as this really is where we’re going with him.

Natural Nightmares vs. Dark Order

That would be two masked men, who Colt refers to as 8 and 9. Marshall teases putting on the Dark Order mask but hits 8 instead, meaning the beating is on in a hurry. A backsplash gives Marshall two and Dustin’s powerslam gets the same. 9 gets Marshall into the corner for some chops but Marshall suplexes his way to freedom. It’s back to Dustin to clean house with a bulldog and powerslam, followed by a dive to the floor. Marshall hits his own dive, setting up the Dominator/sliding cutter combination for the pin on 8 at 4:09.

Rating: C-. Not a bad little match here as the Nightmares continue to be a perfectly fine team. They’re not likely to ever go that far but they’re a good enough team for a spot like this. Maybe they get a one off title match down the line and that’s a good enough role for them. Marshall is good in the ring and Dustin can still go despite being in his fifth decade as a regular wrestler. That’s not too bad.

Post match here’s Brodie Lee to powerbomb 8 and glare at 9 before walking away.

Chris Jericho is in his hot tub with a little bit of the bubbly, talking about how today is a national holiday. It’s April Fool’s Day, which is held in honor of the Elite. You have Hangman Page hanging around with his horse, Nick Jackson with his new baby, Matt Hardy calling himself Dumba**-cus and the Tiger King himself, Cody.

Jericho hypes up WarGames but here’s Vanguard 1, with Jericho trying to say he’s sorry. Instead, he offers Vanguard 1 a spot in the Inner Circle, complete with what looks like a baby size shirt. Vanguard 1 flies away with the shirt so Jericho says release the hounds. Five dogs run out and give chase but they can’t fly, leaving Jericho to shout “I’M GONNA GET YOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!!” It would take everything Jericho has to get over a feud with a drone and….he’s getting close.

Matt Jackson has set up a ring on Nick’s tennis court so Nick can get back in ring shape. Nick is getting ready but he isn’t sure when he’ll be ready to return.

Sammy Guevara/Shawn Spears vs. Darby Allin/Cody

Cody and Spears start things off with Shawn’s headlock working more than the average version. Darby comes in for an ax handle to the arm but hang on as Sammy needs to vlog during the match. He asks for a kiss from Brandi but she takes his camera away, allowing Darby to drive Sammy into the barricade. Cody and Darby tease double dives but Sammy and Shawn move out of the way as we take a break.

Back with Spears knocking Allin to the floor so Guevara can stomp away. The chinlock keeps Darby down but hold on as Sammy bets $50 that Shawn can’t suplex Darby for 10 seconds. Hold on though as Sammy wants to go double or nothing on a 15 second suplex. Sammy gets his money back so Spears has one more bet on a 20 second suplex. This time Darby slips out though, leaving Sammy to collect the money and Darby to collect the tag to Cody.

House is cleaned, including the snap powerslam for two on Sammy. The Cody Cutter gets two on Sammy and it’s a Figure Four to Spears. Sammy makes a fast save so Cody drops him with Cross Rhodes. Cody gets sent over the apron so everyone can get in a few shots (including some from Britt Baker’s shoe). Back from another break with Sammy choking Cody on the rope as Tony gets to plug JR’s new book. Cody fights away and hits a top rope moonsault on Spears, allowing the tag off to Darby.

Rating: C+. That dive at the end was enough to bring this up another notch and that’s where Darby works well. Those dives are dangerous but entertaining, and thankfully Allin can do some more things besides the insanity. They did a fine job of setting up the first round of the tournament as well so it was a nice way to go out with one of the better matches of the night. I’ll even throw in a few bonus points for continuing the funny gambling gag.

Post break Darby lays Cody out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. Not one of their best shows but, as usual, even their weaker shows are more than entertaining enough. There was some good wrestling in here and some segments to back it up, while also building towards later. Dynamite has been around for about six months now and as I’ve said before, if this is their low end stuff, they’re going to be fine for a long time to come.

Results

Kenny Omega b. Trent – One Winged Angel

Hikaru Shida b. Alexa Jayy – Falcon Arrow

Lance Archer b. Marko Stunt – Blackout

Natural Nightmares b. Dark Order – Dominator/sliding cutter to 8

Sammy Guevara/Shawn Spears b. Darby Allin/Cody – Rollup with tights to Allin

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: March 31, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Cody
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Cody

Things have been shake up a bit around here and that might be a good thing. Last week’s show saw a bunch of squash matches to go with the competitive matches and that is the kind of thing that can help the show going forward. Sometimes you need to mix things up and that is what AEW is doing, at least with Dark. Let’s get to it.

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

Cody and Tony welcome us to the show and we get the big news of the show: the first half of the first round of the TNT Title tournament:

Cody vs. Shawn Spears

Sammy Guevara vs. Darby Allin

The other half of the first round will be unveiled tomorrow night on Dynamite and the final takes place at (the still scheduled as of tonight) Double or Nothing.

Matt Sells vs. Sammy Guevara

Sells is very 80s. They walk around the ring for a bit to start with Cody referencing the Mulkey Brothers for an old school feel. Sammy easily slams him down, goes up top, and hops back down for a slap to the face. Some Madison Rayne hip thrust faceplants to the mat have Sammy in trouble but he’s right back up with a spinning kick to the face.

A rolling cutter pus some posing gives Sammy two, but he pulls Sells up before the pin. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Sammy does squats with Sells on his back. Sells is back with a neckbreaker, only to have Sammy knee him in the face. The Burning GTS (good name for the reverse AA into a knee to the face) finishes Sells at 5:30.

Rating: C-. Little more than a squash here but Sells made a bit of an impression. I could go for more of him as there is always room for a nostalgia character like him. Sammy getting a near squash win is a good idea for him too as he needs some momentum going into the TNT Title tournament.

Post match Sammy says no one can do what he does so anyone who wants some, come try him. They’ll all bow before the king.

Shawn Dean vs. Shawn Spears

Cody drops the address of the Davis Arena in Louisville, Kentucky as he recaps his feud with Spears from last year. Some snapmares into a cartwheel have Dean down and a clothesline cuts off his comeback attempt. The running Death Valley Driver finishes Dean at 3:40.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t as impressive as the first match but that’s partially because Spears isn’t as entertaining as Guevara. It was fine enough to give Spears a win, but the last year really has shown that he is little more than a good hand in the ring. Maybe he can do something else later on, though it is going to need a heck of a reboot given where he is at the moment.

Preston Vance vs. Darby Allin

Vance isn’t waiting and suplexes Allin off the ropes during the pre-match posing. Darby avoids a charge though and Vance crashes hard into the post. Back in and Vance kicks him in the face (nice one too) and it’s Allin getting chopped in the corner. A missed charge in the corner sends Vance outside and it’s Allin hitting the suicide dive. Back in again and Allin strikes away, setting up the Code Red for two. Vance is fine enough to hit a pair of cutters for two but Allin grabs the flipping Stunner. The Coffin Drop finishes Vance at 5:20.

Rating: C. I liked that one more than I would have bet on as Vance certainly has a good look. He got to showcase himself a bit here and that is the kind of thing that something like this gives him a chance to do. Allin getting to overcome some adversity and win in the end is a good thing as the star power he has for someone with his experience is astounding.

Jon Moxley vs. Faboo Andre

Believe it or not, this is non-title and Faboo is from the Butterfly Garden. Moxley is behind a camera to start before walking through the empty stands to get to the ring. Well it’s certainly different. Moxley stomps away in the corner but Faboo slips out of a suplex. That earns him a clothesline and a Gotch style piledriver into the STF finishes Faboo at 1:17.

Post match it’s Jake Hager running in to choke Moxley out. He lets go and slaps Moxley to wake him up a bit before leaving, with Moxley tackling the referee in his confusion.

The hosts wrap us up.

Overall Rating: C. I had a good time with this show and that’s one of the things that you aren’t guaranteed with a show like Dark. This was an old school Superstars style show and I liked what we got to see here. They aren’t likely to discover the next big star, but these guys are going to get to look like a big deal in their local companies and that means a lot for their futures. At the same time, the AEW stars get to look good and dominant, making it a success for everyone. Well done in a nice change of pace.

Results

Sammy Guevara b. Matt Sells – Burning GTS

Shawn Spears b. Shawn Dean – Running Death Valley Driver

Darby Allin b. Preston Vance – Coffin Drop

Jon Moxley b. Faboo Andre – STF

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: March 24, 2020
Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz

This is a special edition of the show as they are cramming it full, for the sake of bringing in some indy wrestlers to work some dates in light of the Coronavirus epidemic. That’s nice of them, and much to my relief, the extra matches are being crammed into the same amount of time as usual. Let’s get to it.

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

Taz and Excalibur run down the card.

Jake Hager vs. Joe Alonzo

Hager pounds him in the back to start and throws Alonzo down with a wheelbarrow suplex. A Rock Bottom out of the corner sets up the head and arm choke to finish Alonzo at 1:26. Total squash.

Matt Sells/Jon Cruz vs. Natural Nightmares

Sells and Cruz have a woman named Skyler Moore with them while Brandi Rhodes is here with the Nightmares. Dustin armdrags Cruz down to start and a clothesline turns him inside out so Marshall can get two. It’s off to Sells for some hip swiveling so Marshall returns the favor with a clothesline to give Dustin two of his own. Sells’ palm strike gets two on Marshall and a middle rope double stomp to Marshall’s arm keeps him down. Marshall grabs a Lethal Combination on Cruz and it’s back to Dustin for the snap powerslam. A Dominator/sliding cutter combination finishes Cruz at 4:22.

Rating: C. Perfectly watchable and acceptable tag match here and that’s all it needed to be. The Nightmares have turned into a nice little team and while I don’t think they have much of a future as far as going up the ladder, they’re good for a match like this and maybe as some dark horse challengers for the titles one day.

SCU vs. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears

Christopher Daniels and Frankie Kazarian for SCU here. Anthony wristlocks Kazarian to start as Tully Blanchard is filming the match on his phone. An armbar has Kazarian slowed down even more and it’s off to Spears, sending Kazarian backing up. That’s quite the suckering in though as Spears charges into an armdrag and it’s off to Daniels in a hurry.

Everything breaks down in a hurry and Anthony pulls Daniels outside for a beating. Anthony comes in for a spinning gutwrench faceplant for two and it’s Spears mocking the THIS IS AWESOME chants (with claps of course). Three straight slams give Anthony two and we hit the chinlock. That doesn’t last long either as it’s Spears coming in, only to get rolled up twice in a row.

Kazarian comes back in and starts to clean house, including making Spears hit Anthony by mistake. Spears gets knocked outside, leaving Anthony to hit a rolling Death Valley Driver for two on Kazarian. Everyone gets back in again and Anthony runs Spears over this time. That’s enough for Spears, who walks out again, leaving Anthony to take the Best Meltzer Ever for the pin at 10:34.

Rating: C. Another nice little match here with Anthony getting to show off a bit. They had mentioned that Anthony had wrestled for over twenty years and you could see the experience on display. It’s not a great match or anything, but given that it should have been little more than a squash and wound up being fine, I’m pleased.

Kip Sabian vs. Suge D.

Penelope Ford is here with Sabian and her kiss to Sabian lets Suge get two off a rollup. Suge walks into a Dropkick to the face though and it’s time to start choking in the corner. A missed charge gives Suge a breather but he gets caught in a hanging swinging neckbreaker. Suge trips him down though and gets in a discus forearm, only to get half and half suplexed. Sabian grabs a grounded Octopus for the tap at 4:40.

Rating: C-. Suge isn’t someone I’m overly familiar with but he had some charisma and got a change to show what he can do in the ring here. It’s not a good match or anything but Sabian needed a win in there somewhere as it feels like he has gone months without doing anything of note. Fine enough way to showcase a lesser known name too.

Colt Cabana vs. Brandon Cutler

Cabana takes him down in a hurry to start but offers Cutler a free hand for a break. That earns Cutler some sarcastic applause so he does the same as Cabana, who gets wristdragged down. Both of them miss each other a lot until Cutler armdrags him into a quickly broken armbar. Cabana tries a clean break out of the corner but makes sure to talk a bit of trash, earning himself a shot to the head. A hurricanrana sends Cabana outside for a suicide dive but Cutler misses a dive back inside. An elbow to the head sets up the Superman Pin to finish Cutler at 4:32.

Rating: D+. This wasn’t my style but Cabana knows how to do this match in his sleep and can turn up the serious if he needs to at any time. He’s a nice asset to have around here due to that versatility and AEW is smart to keep him in spots like this at the moment. Cutler continues to just a person on the roster but they could do a lot worse.

Post match, respect is shown.

Corey Hollis/Mike Reed vs. Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela

Janela even gets pyro before he pulls Hollis into the corner by the wrist. Kiss comes in for the handspring slap as Taz talks about not liking so many tags in so little time. Hollis gets kicked into a German suplex from Janela and we get some comedic posing. Reed sneaks in for a knee to Kiss’ face and another knee breaks up Kiss’ bridge.

The chinlock doesn’t last long and Hollis kicks Kiss in the face for two. A belly to back suplex doesn’t work as well though as Kiss flips out and brings Janela back in. Everything breaks down and it’s a running kick to Reed in the corner. Janela climbs onto Kiss’ back for the top rope elbow, followed by a flying splits splash to give Kiss the pin at 6:15.

Rating: C-. It was just a step above a comedy match but at least Kiss finally beat someone. It’s not like this is going to mean anything in the long term but for a final match on a pretty packed show, it worked out well enough. I’ve seen Skyler before and I don’t need to see Janela ever again so at least things even out a little bit.

Overall Rating: C. Now this is more of what Dark should be like week to week. There isn’t a need to have some ten to fifteen minute match with the lower half of the roster. Just get them in, get them on camera, and move on to someone else. It’s a good example of less is more and that’s what I got here, as the show breezed by and nothing overstayed its welcome, or even really came close to it for that matter. Nice change of pace here and it worked well.

Results

Jake Hager b. Joe Alonzo – Head and arm choke

Natural Nightmares b. Matt Sells/Jon Cruz – Dominator/sliding cutter combination to Cruz

SCU b. Robert Anthony/Shawn Spears – Best Meltzer Ever to Spears

Kip Sabian b. Suge D. – Grounded Octopus

Colt Cabana b. Brandon Cutler – Superman pin

Sonny Kiss/Joey Janela b. Mike Reed/John Skyler – Top rope splits splash to Reed

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: February 28, 2020
Location: Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, Kansas City, Missouri|
Commentators: Excalibur, Taz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

This is a bit of a special edition as the show was uploaded on Friday instead of the usual Tuesday due to Revolution on Saturday. Odds are it is going to be the same kind of show as we always see and I’m not sure what that is going to mean. It’s all going to depend on the wrestling, which tends to be the case more often than not. Let’s get to it.

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

Sonny Kiss vs. Luther

Rating: D. Luther was far from a disaster but getting me to care about a “death match legend” from Japan 20 years ago is a bit of a stretch. Having Luther here as a low level villain isn’t going to hurt anything but the Nightmare Collective stuff was a big waste of everyone’s time. This could have been worse, though it’s nothing I’m needing to see again.

Post match Jimmy Havoc chases Luther off.

Tony and Dasha are excited for Revolution.

Dark Order vs. Michael Nakazawa/Peter Avalon

Before the match, Leva Bates tells Avalon to stop insulting every town they come to and hands him a book called “Don’t Be A D***.” Nakazawa loads up the baby oil but Avalon says no because he doesn’t want comedy. Avalon tags himself in and immediately slips on the oil as we’re in comedy land. Nakazawa comes back in and gets beaten up in the corner but uses more oil to escape a suplex. That’s enough for Avalon though as he walks out, leaving Nakazawa to take the Fatality for the pin at 2:56. This may be the biggest waste of time I’ve seen in a good many years.

Video on Cody vs. MJF.

Here’s where AEW is coming.

Britt Baker vs. Miranda Alize

Alize was on Impact last week. Baker takes her down by the arm to start but it’s way too early for Lockjaw. Alize can’t escape so it’s a forearm to the face. The chinlock doesn’t last long and Baker chokes away in the corner, followed by a kick to the jaw. A fisherman’s neckbreaker and the reverse Sling Blade set up the Lockjaw to finish Alize at 5:13.

Rating: C-. Just an extended squash for Baker here and that’s fine. It seems like she has been waiting to jump up to the next level for months now and it has just never clicked. You could still see it happening, but I’m not sure when it will. Alize didn’t get to showcase herself much here but she has potential if she ever gets a chance.

Brandon Cutler/Shawn Spears vs. Private Party

Hold on though as Private Party needs to throw their beads into the crowd. Cutler and Kassidy start things off and they take turns missing each other. Quen misses a running enziguri and all three try dropkicks for another standoff. Spears comes in for a chop but gets pulled into the corner so Quen can sunset flip Kassidy into a moonsault press for two.

It’s back to Cutler, who springboards in with a forearm to Kassidy so Spears can hammer away in the corner. The spinebuster plants Kassidy and Spears drops him onto the apron for a bonus. A legdrop gives Cutler two but Kassidy is back with an enziguri, allowing the hot tag to Quen. The sitout bulldog/faceplant combination puts Spears/Cutler down, meaning Spears is ready to leave. Gin and Juice finishes Cutler at 9:24.

Rating: C. Just a match for the most part and the same ending that we’ve seen from Spears before. The Tully Blanchard Search For The Perfect Partner story is getting old in a hurry, mainly because Spears has been turned into one of the least important people in the company. And that’s how they’re using Blanchard?

Tony and Dasha say goodbye. Their importance on this show is waning every week.

Overall Rating: D+. This is such a strange show and it rarely goes outside of its comfort zone. That being said, the show is far from terrible and they get a lot of talent in the ring. It’s better than having them sit on the sidelines as they’re being kept warm for later if necessary. The show wasn’t great this week but it served its purpose well enough, even if that purpose isn’t the most important for AEW.

Results

Luther b. Sonny Kiss – Camel clutch

Dark Order b. Michael Nakazawa/Peter Avalon – Fatality to Nakazawa

Britt Baker b. Miranda Alize – Lockjaw

Private Party b. Brandon Cutler/Shawn Spears – Gin and Juice 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

Dark
Date: February 25, 2020
Location: State Farm Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s another week and I still don’t know what to expect from this show. They get into a rhythm and then it goes flying out the window the next week. The shows are fine enough most of the time but there are weeks where I don’t need to see most of what they are presenting. Let’s get to it.

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

Excalibur and Tazz run down the card with Tony Schiavone nowhere in sight.

Jimmy Havoc vs. Marko Stunt

The rest of the Jurassic Express is here with Stunt. Havoc misses an early charge and gets knocked to the floor for some suicide dives. A diving tornado DDT plants Havoc again but he’s fine enough to hit a buckle bomb back inside. Cue Dr. Luther and Mel to watch on the stage as Havoc hits a brainbuster and cranks on the neck.

Stunt gets a boot up in the corner but dives into a Crossface to work on the neck a bit more. The neck is bent around the turnbuckle and a fisherman’s suplex gives Havoc two. Stunt fights up with an enziguri and dropkicks Havoc outside, but this time he just sidesteps a suicide dive. The Acid Rainmaker finishes Stunt at 7:32.

Rating: D+. Same thing I always say about Stunt: it’s a nice story once, but it’s too much to believe that anyone has any real difficulty beating him. They didn’t go too long here and Stunt’s offense was mainly fluke shots that Havoc could shrug off, but it looks and feels like Havoc is beating up a twelve year old. The long hair and tiny frame make it impossible to believe and that’s not something that is going to get better.

Tony and Dasha (hey she still exists) talk about….not much really.

Dark Order vs. Strong Hearts

Fallout from the Dark Order trying to recruit Cima to the team. Evil Uno and T-Hawk start things off with Hawk chopping away but getting stopped with a poke to the eye. Grayson comes in and gets his leg dropkicked out, allowing the Hearts to set up a basement dropkick to the face. Something like a reverse Rings of Saturn keeps Grayson in trouble but he drives Hawk into the corner to cut him off. Some right hands keep Hawk in trouble and Uno adds a big boot.

A jumping knee into a clothesline gets two but Hawk gets in a quick powerbomb. That’s enough for the hot tag off to Cima so house can be cleaned as everything breaks down. The double suicide dive takes the Order out and it’s a missile dropkick to Uno back inside. Uno is fine enough to hit a DDT/Samoan drop combination on the Hearts though and it’s a toss into a powerbomb for two on Hawk. The Fatality finishes Hawk at 8:35.

Rating: C+. That’s one of the best things I’ve seen from the Dark Order so far but what matters most is having the Exalted One show up and be impressive. I’m not sure who it is going to be but they have a few options, some of which could be rather successful. If it doesn’t work though, the team is done for all intent and purpose so they better get it right.

Come to see Dynamite!

Kip Sabian vs. Joey Janela

Falls count anywhere so Janela low blows him on the stage for two at the bell with Penelope Ford making the save. Sabian knocks Ford down by mistake and it’s time to fight by the stage. That lets Ford hit a big dive off the stage with a crossbody but Janela is fine enough to hit a superkick. Ford gets in another distraction though and Sabian hits a flip dive to put Janela down.

They get inside for the first time with Sabian pulling on something like a reverse Koji Clutch until they fall outside again. The fight goes into the crowd with Janela throwing a drink in his face and taking it back to ringside. Janela’s dive off the barricade gets chaired out of the air but Sabian dropkicks a chair by mistake. A prosthetic leg to the head has Sabian drown again and it’s time to set up a table at ringside.

Sabian is back with a half and half suplex on the apron for two, followed by the swinging neckbreaker through the table. Two more tables are set up but Ford is back up with a top rope hurricanrana to Janela. That just earns her a toss into Sabian, who knocks the table over but doesn’t break it. Janela hits a hard kendo stick shot to the head for the pin at 12:29.

Rating: C+. The match was fine enough but I haven’t cared about this feud (or anyone involved in it) since the beginning and this match, which hopefully is the finale, is no different. Janela and Sabian fighting over Ford isn’t worth caring about and they both desperately need something different. It’s a boring feud and hopefully AEW can figure that out.

QT Marshall and Dustin Rhodes are ready for their tag match.

QT Marshall/Dustin Rhodes vs. Shawn Spears/Peter Avalon

Brandi Rhodes and Leva Bates are the seconds. Marshall gets hiptossed down to start and that means an early SHH. Dustin comes in for a running knee into a standing twisting moonsault for two on Avalon as the oldest person in the match gets to pick up the pace. Spears’ headlock works a bit better and he tries the Goldust deep breath.

Dustin’s uppercut doesn’t do much good so he goes with the ten right hands in the corner instead. Everything breaks down and Dustin and Marshall get in some stereo dancing jabs. We settle down to Spears dropping Marshall back first onto the apron to take over, allowing Avalon to get two off a leg lariat. Marshall gets away for the tag without much trouble though and it’s Dustin coming in to clean house.

Spears manages a spinebuster though and Marshall gets sent off the top for a big crash to the floor. Back up and Dustin grabs the Code Red for two but Spears runs him down again. A twisting frog splash gets two, only to have Avalon tag himself in. That means a left hand from Spears, who walks out on Avalon to seal his fate. Leva grabs Dustin’s foot to break up Shattered Dreams so it’s a spear from Brandi, followed by Shattered Dreams anyway. A powerslam/sliding reverse suplex combination finishes Avalon at 11:41.

Rating: C. I liked this one well enough but this Spears Needs A Partner deal isn’t going anywhere. The fact that they are already repeating the same idea with the same people isn’t a good sign and I don’t know why I would want to see it again. Not a terrible match but it belongs on a show like this one instead of anywhere near the main show.

Overall Rating: C-. This is a great illustration of the divide between the top half of the roster and everyone around here. The show was full of a bunch of wrestlers who have little reason to be anywhere near Dynamite (not the case with everyone here, but the majority of them). There is a big difference between the two pools of talent and I don’t know how necessary it is to keep showing these matches. Not a bad show, but not one you’ll ever need to see.

Results

Jimmy Havoc b. Marko Stunt – Acid Rainmaker

Dark Order b. Strong Hearts – Fatality to T-Hawk

Joey Janela b. Kip Sabian – Kendo stick to the head

Dustin Rhodes/QT Marshall b. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears – Powerslam/sliding reverse suplex combination to Avalon

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: February 4, 2020
Location: Wolstein Center, Cleveland, Ohio
Commentators: Excalibur, Tazz
Host: Tony Schiavone

This show has gone in a very different direction over the last few weeks as they have been averaging about half an hour. I’m not sure what that means for the future but it’s been rather nice just getting in and getting out. Granted the show hasn’t been around long enough to exactly have a history or lineage so it could be completely different this time. Let’s get to it.

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

Tony welcomes us to the show and talks about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He’s rather glad that KISS finally got in….six years ago.

Jurassic Express vs. Brandon Cutler/Sonny Kiss

Marko Stunt/Jungle Boy for the Express here. Stunt and Cutler start things off as we hear about Stunt being exactly a foot shorter than Cutler. Not something I’d point out but Stunt is unique or something and that makes it fun. Some rollups give Stunt two and it’s off to Jungle Boy, who ducks underneath a moonsault out of the corner. A multiple springboard armdrag puts Cutler down and it’s off to Kiss for the splits armdrag. Jungle Boy gets laid over the middle rope and Kiss flips forward into a kick to the ribs. This of course means dancing, which is a theme for this match.

Boy beats up both of them at once and launches Stunt onto him in a flipping splash. Cutler is right back to run Stunt over and a swinging slam gives Cutler two. A hurricanrana finally gets Stunt over to the corner though and it’s Boy coming in to clean house. Something like a Last Chancery (with Cutler on his knees instead of on his stomach) has Cutler in trouble but Kiss makes the save. That earns Kiss a trip to the floor and Boy puts Cutler in a Gory Stretch. Stunt comes off the top with a flipping Stunner for the pin at 7:28.

Rating: C-. It was a step above a squash and that’s a good thing, mainly as it didn’t go on too long. Stunt getting a pin is more acceptable in this situation, though it’s still a big stretch to believe that anything he does can do much damage. That being said, Cutler and Kiss are the lowest of low level wrestlers so it’s not like it makes a difference.

We go to therapy with Brandi Rhodes because we need to get her on the show. She knows something isn’t right and has visions of the therapist wearing her own clothes. Brandi needs to let go of the people she hates. I wouldn’t mind if we let go of this story in general but that’s just me.

Mel vs. Hikaru Shida

Back in and Mel hits an enziguri to drop Mel, followed by a snap suplex for two. Mel kicks her down and drops a leg for her own near fall. A few shots to the face are shrugged off and Shida hits a running knee to the face for two more. Luther offers a distraction so Kong can interfere, only to hit Mel with the kendo stick by mistake. Another running knee finishes Mel at 8:16.

Rating: D+. This is another match that just kind of happened, which tends to be the case with the women’s division. The Nightmare Collective is still one of the least interesting groups (out of several of them) in AEW and I don’t need to see them around all that often. Shida is one of the better women in the division, but the thing is such a mess these days that it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Post match Shida leaves so Kong yells at Mel, who fights back. She and Mel double team Kong and send her through the barricade. A legdrop off the steps leaves Kong down. I’m not sure how one of the most dominant female wrestlers ever will deal with an old hardcore “legend” and a loser like Mel.

Here’s where Dynamite is coming.

From the Jericho cruise.

Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford vs. Kenny Omega/Riho

Gotta get Riho in there. She and Omega are in matching pink and white because they’re long term partners. In Japan but that’s just something we’re supposed to know about. As a bonus, there’s no commentary here and it’s shot indy style with a handheld camera. Ford slaps Omega to start and they lock up as the fans chant for AEW while declaring this wrestling. An exchange of headlocks lets Ford take him down, only to have Omega reverse into a headscissors.

Sabian comes in and says he wants Riho, who works on her own wristlock. That earns her a forearm to the back but she hits a running dropkick and armdrag. Sabian slams her a few times but Riho slips out of a third and brings in Omega to clean house. A running powerslam gives Omega two and it’s Riho coming in for a double stomp and half crab. Back up and Sabian sends them into the corner together but Omega comes out with the jumping Fameasser for two.

It’s back to Riho for some chops in the corner but he takes her over to Ford for the standard stomping and choking package. We’re clipped to Sabian dropping Riho into a camel clutch so Omega can come in for the save. Omega stomps away on her so Ford comes back in to punch Riho in the stomach for two. Riho kicks her down and headscissors Sabian, allowing another hot tag to Omega. You Can’t Escape gets two and Riho’s high crossbody is good for the same.

Sabian scores with an enziguri to Omega and Ford is back in for the handspring elbow. We’re clipped again to Ford hitting a Codebreaker and Sabian adding a legdrop to the back of the head to give her two. Omega finally hits a V Trigger on Sabian and the women come in again, this time with Ford hitting a Stunner for another near fall. Riho misses her top rope double stomp and it’s back to Omega for the slugout and Snapdragon on Sabian. Ford hits Omega low though, leaving Riho to Snapdragon Sabian as well. Omega Snapdragons Ford to even it up and the One Winged Angel finishes Sabian at 16:49.

Rating: C-. Ignoring the parts with Sabian and Omega selling for people half their side or the continued push for Riho, this was a lot longer than it needed to be and not something that needed to be broadcast. It’s one thing as a special feature for the live crowd but having the lack of commentary and handheld camera deal made it feel like I was watching a bad indy. The action was good enough but this didn’t need to air and would have been better left on the cruise deck.

Post match Omega talks about how wrestlers like him are told to stay in their place but this was the beauty of pro wrestling. Now they’re running international TV from a cruise ship and we get some applause for everyone involved. Goodnight and goodbye.

There is no update on Awesome Kong.

Best Friends vs. Shawn Spears/???

It’s another mystery partner and this time that would be….Colin Delaney, with Tully Blanchard thinking he looks good on paper. Is there a point to this story other than making Blanchard look stupid and out of touch? Orange Cassidy and Tully are here of course. Spears flips Cassidy off to start but gets hammerlocked by Trent for his efforts. That’s escaped but Spears cuts himself off from the TEN.

Some chops have Spears wincing and Trent knees him in the chest to send him outside. Delaney (who was the loser jobber in ECW about ten years ago) comes in and armdrags Chuck into an armbar. They flip around a bit into a standoff so Spears comes in at the same time, allowing Chuck to beat them both up. The ring is cleared but Delaney and Spears break up the big hug. Delaney wants his own hug but Spears goes to hug Tully instead.

Back in and Spears gets in an argument with the referee over a count before Delaney grabs a chinlock on Chuck. That’s broken up and it’s Trent coming back in to chop away. A hard clothesline drops Delaney and a running flip dive takes him down as well. Things settle back down and Trent slips out of a double suplex and brings Chuck back in. Soul Food into a half and half suplex gets two on Delaney but Spears crotches Trent on top.

Delaney hits a top rope Stunner into Spears’ Death Valley Driver for two with Chuck making the save. Everything breaks down again so let’s get the Cassidy vs. Blanchard showdown. All four hands go into the pockets and Cassidy does the kicks to the legs but Spears jumps him from behind to break that up. Trent sends Delaney into Spears and it’s a running knee to set up the big hug. That’s enough for Tully and Spears who walk out, leaving Delaney to take Strong Zero for the pin at 15:03.

Rating: D+. What exactly was the point of this? To continue the joke of “Spears needs a partner” which is leading….where? Spears has shown that he is little more than just a hand in the ring and Tully is there with him for the sake of they have nothing else for him. If the best you have is having him put his hands in his pockets so Orange Cassidy can do his signature deal, stop bringing Blanchard out there because he’s a lot more valuable than that.

Delaney and the other three have a group hug.

Tony says goodnight.

Overall Rating: D. So to recap, we had what should have been an extended squash, a match that focused entirely on the Nightmare Collective, that weird indy special match and the latest edition of Spears Needs A Partner/Blanchard Isn’t That Bright. We needed nearly an hour and twenty minutes to get through that? This felt like the lower level card getting their shine and showing why they’re the lower part of the card.

Omega and Riho are the only names of value here and they were in a complete throwaway match which had nothing to do with what they’re doing. It was a waste of time tonight and not a good show, which isn’t a good feeling. Stick with the short and sweet stuff or recaps, not these long, drawn out matches which don’t serve much of a purpose other than catering to people already watching your promotion.

Results

Jurassic Express b. Sonny Kiss/Brandon Cutler – Gory Stretch/Flipping Stunner combination to Cutler

Hikaru Shida b. Mel – Running knee

Kenny Omega/Riho b. Kip Sabian/Penelope Ford – One Winged Angel to Sabian

Best Friends b. Colin Delaney/Shawn Spears – Strong Zero to Delaney

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: January 14, 2020
Location: Landers Center, Southaven, Mississippi
Commentators: Excalibur, Dave Brown
Hosts: Tony Schiavone, Dasha Gonzalez

It’s a special show this week as we focus on the legends of Memphis wrestling. This was teased back on last week’s Dynamite but then it was “hey check out Dark for that thing we built the advertising for this show around”. I can always go for a legends ceremony so hopefully we get some cool stuff here. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence. This show has an opening sequence?

Excalibur and Dave Brown, open the show in the style of the classic Memphis show. They even have the tracking issues on the side of the screen. It’s a nice touch, but please tell me that Excalibur won’t spend most of the show doing a Lance Russell impression.

The hosts welcome us and send it to the legends ceremony.

There are a bunch of legends in the ring and each gets their own introduction with a quick bio:

Handsome Jimmy Valiant

Kevin Lawler (representing Brian Christopher (and he looks EXACTLY like him) and realistically Jerry Lawler)

Dave Brown

Shane Russell (representing his father Lance Russell)

Austin Idol

Doug Gilbert (representing his family and, to a much lesser degree, himself)

Rock N Roll Express (biggest reaction so far by a mile)

Lanny Poffo (representing his family and, to a much lesser degree, himself)

We get a ten bell salute to all of the legends who have passed away.

This was VERY nice and a cool moment and felt like it was done out of pure respect and honor rather than trying to pop a bigger audience. In a pretty rare moment, I have no criticisms of this at all.

Brandon Cutler vs. Darby Allin

They lock up to start as Brown talks about seeing Flex Kavana in Memphis, who is better known as the Rock. The lockup keeps going even as Allin goes up and monkey flips him (Brandon, not Brown). A shoulder puts Cutler down and a dropkick sends him into the corner. Cutler gets in his own whip into the corner and a very spinny Boss Man Slam gets two.

Allin is right back with a Fujiwara armbar before dropping a knee on the arm. That’s broken up as well and Cutler slaps on a torture rack, which is broken up with a pull of the hand. Allin is busted open over his nose and Cutler makes it worse by crotching him on the top. A running legdrop with Allin hanging in the ropes puts him on the floor. Back up and Allin knocks him away and hits a quick suicide dive to put Cutler down again. The front flip Stunner drops Cutler and it’s the Coffin Drop to give Allin the pin at 9:02.

Rating: C. Cutler continues to be your designated jobber to the stars and that’s not the worst role to have. He’s going to be around as long as he wants to be due to his connection to the Young Bucks and he can do well enough in the ring to back it up. Allin continues to be a potential top star of the future and the cult response to him is growing.

Nyla Rose vs. Shanna

Shanna jumps her from behind in the aisle and the beatdown is on early. Rose drives her back into the barricade but can’t hit a powerbomb on the floor. Instead Rose shrugs off a kick to the head and hits a spinebuster to make it even worse. A table is loaded up but Shanna escapes another powerbomb and spears Rose off the apron through the table. Cue the referees to break it up. No match.

After a quick chat with the hosts, Shanna’s interview is broken up by Rose, who says Shanna just made this personal. She tries to cut a promo of her own but Shanna starts the fight again.

Here’s where AEW is coming over the next few weeks.

Gunn Club vs. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears

Tully Blanchard is with Avalon and Spears and that would be Billy and his son Austin. Before the match, Austin says if the crowd gets loud enough, Billy might hit the catchphrase. He manages to pull it off but here is Peter Avalon (with Leva Bates) to talk about the royal history around Memphis, with one king having a restaurant so bad that after you eat there you’ll die just like another king. Leva apologizes and we’re ready to go.

Spears tells Billy to suck it and it’s time to walk around a bit before the contact begins. Billy shoulders him down a few times and Spears winds up kneeling in front of Billy’s crotch. Imagine what he is told to do from there. Austin, with the headband, comes in and Spears bails to the apron for a little while. Avalon comes in as well so Austin picks up the pace, setting up a hiptoss into a neckbreaker for two.

It’s back to Billy, meaning Leva has to save Avalon from a powerslam. Spears’ chops just annoy Billy so he chops away until Spears wants time out. Austin comes in and misses a dropkick, allowing Spears to send him into the post a few times. It’s back to Avalon to work on the arm some more but Austin fights up with a clothesline. The hot tag brings Billy back in to clean house as everything breaks down. Avalon rolls Austin up for two but walks into the Fameasser for the same. Spears gets sent into the barricade and it’s the cobra clutch slam into a Swanton from Austin for the pin at 11:05.

Rating: C-. Just a match here to get the Gunns on TV and that worked out well enough. They’re not a great team and Austin looked rather green. That’s going to happen to everyone at some point though so it’s really way too early to say anything about him. The rest of the match went fine and it wasn’t bad by any stretch. Just kind of there really, but Austin wasn’t a disaster.

Tony and Dasha wrap us up in a hurry.

Overall Rating: C+. That legends ceremony helped bring this way up as it was easily the best part of the show. What mattered most here was keeping the show shorter over the last few weeks. I’m good with this show being just shy of an hour after a few weeks approaching an hour and fifteen minutes. The show has stopped being anything worth seeing most weeks, but it has also gotten less annoying so we’ll call it a little bit in both directions.

Results

Darby Allin b. Brandon Cutler – Coffin Drop

Gunn Club b. Peter Avalon/Shawn Spears – Swanton to Avalon

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

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