Smackdown – October 24, 2008: Get On With It Already
Smackdown
Date: October 24, 2008
Location: Entertainment Center, Laredo, Texas
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz
It’s the last show before Cyber Sunday and Smackdown has the more interesting parts of the pay per view card. That includes Big Show vs. Undertaker in a violent match with rules to be determined, which is oddly the most interesting thing on the card. Other than that, WWE is begging you to care about Vladimir Kozlov in the World Title scene and I’m really not sure it’s clicking. As for tonight, Undertaker vs. HHH should do just fine. Let’s get to it.
Here is HHH to get things going, asking if everyone is as sick of Vickie Guerrero as he is. He lists off some of her annoying habits, including being an annoying hag. This time though, he can get away with it because a Twinkie truck was outside so she’ll be grazing for hours. For tonight though, he has to face Undertaker, because it favors Vickie Guerrero. If he doesn’t make it through Undertaker tonight, he might not make it to Cyber Sunday and all of the votes will mean nothing.
This brings out Jeff Hardy to interrupt, saying he knows the audience a bit better than HHH. Hardy thinks he’ll get the title shot and win at Cyber Sunday, which brings out Vladimir Kozlov. He thinks he’ll get voted in and be champion, but HHH has no idea what Kozlov said. HHH also doesn’t care who he faces and then Pedigrees Hardy.
In the back, HHH runs into the Undertaker. Unfortunately he doesn’t apologize.
Maryse/Natalya vs. Maria/Michelle McCool
Hurricane Helms pops in to suggest the women are attractive and McCool works on Maryse’s arm. Natalya’s distraction lets Maryse get in a shot of her own…but here are Jesse & Festus with a mariachi band (Erg, again?). Maria is distracted and misses the tag, allowing Maryse to roll McCool up for the pin. This was in the category of “here’s a Divas segment disguised as a match”.
Colons vs. Bam Neely/Chavo Guerrero
Non-title. Primo takes Guerrero down to start and Guerrero is already looking frustrated. Neely comes in and gets sent into the corner, allowing Carlito to get the tag for a suplex. It’s already back to Guerrero, with Neely distracting Primo so Guerrero can get in a Liger kick. Back up and Neely hits Guerrero by mistake, allowing Carlito to come in with a springboard flipping afro to the face. Something like Cross Rhodes gets two with Guerrero making the save, but Neely goes after Guerrero, who runs away. The Backstabber gives Carlito the pin on Neely.
Rating: C. Oh no. Not the end of Guerrero and Neely! I had basically forgotten that Neely was even on the roster at this point as he hasn’t done anything important in months. It doesn’t help that he wasn’t any good on his best day so this felt more like a way to write off a team who was pretty much already gone.
Post match Hurricane Helms pops up to suggest that Guerrero and Neely could split, ending that amazing team.
Kizarny is coming.
John Cena is returning and celebrities like him a lot.
Michelle McCool yells at Maria about her lack of focus but she’s off to find Festus. Wouldn’t McCool want Maria unfocused before their title match?
Primo hits on Brie Bella but Carlito interrupts, seemingly with no idea what he did. Then Jesse & Festus chase the mariachi band by them, with Maria following them all. Can you tell they don’t have much to talk about on this show?
R-Truth/Kung Fu Naki vs. MVP/Shelton Benjamin
During the entrances, Hurricane Helms pops up to mock MVP for the loss of his tunnel? I like Helms, but is he ever going to actually wrestle? MVP and R-Truth start things off but MVP wants Funaki, with Tazz immediately starting the rhymes. Funaki strikes him into the corner and it’s already off to Benjamin. A belly to back suplex drops R-Truth and it’s back to MVP for the overhead belly to belly. R-Truth clotheslines his way out of trouble and the tag brings Funaki back in to strike away. The Crane Kick puts MVP down for the pin.
Rating: C. Odds are that’s about it for Funaki winning matches like this and that’s not a bad thing. He’s a goofy guy who is going to be doing comedy segments and this one win gives him a bit of credibility. At the same time, MVP continues to have issues getting to his big money bonus and that could lead to some interesting desperation.
Primo goes to hit on Brie Bella and she is suddenly not interested at all. Carlito consoles him but Great Khali comes in to say watch the Kiss Cam.
Here is Khali, with Runjin Singh, for the Kiss Cam. Apparently Khali has gotten some love letters from various fans, including Bruce from San Francisco. With that out of the way, one woman gets to kiss Khali, but Singh brings in a second, heavier, woman. Singh has Khali kiss her because that would take a real man, so kissing ensues. And that’s it. Sweet goodness this is a fillery show.
Kizarny is still coming. We’re not even an hour and a half into this show and we’ve seen this guy twice.
Cyber Sunday rundown.
Undertaker is ready to seal Big Show and Vickie Guerrero’s face on Sunday. As for tonight, he’s ready for HHH as well. Believe it or not, he didn’t have much to say on this show.
The Brian Kendrick vs. Super Crazy
Kendrick’s tickle has been defeated and he still has Ezekiel Jackson with him. Crazy jumps him to start fast and gets in a quick backdrop, followed by a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Kendrick gets in a cheap shot though and finishes in a hurry with the Kendrick.
Post match Jackson lays Crazy out.
Video on the recent tour of Mexico.
HHH vs. Undertaker
Non-title. Undertaker shoulders him down a few times to start but HHH is back up with the right hands in the corner. Naturally you don’t do that to Undertaker, who unloads with right hands and the corner clothesline. Undertaker grabs an armbar and a half nelson of all things to stay on the arm.
Old School is broken up though and it’s a double clothesline to leave both of them down. Undertaker is back up with Snake Eyes but the big boot is cut off with the jumping knee. The Pedigree is countered as well though and now the big boot gets two. Another Old School attempt is broken up and HHH superplexes him right back down.
They head outside with HHH being sent hard into the steps but the Last Ride doesn’t work. A jumping clothesline gives Undertaker two more and HHH is right back with a spinebuster. The Pedigree and Tombstone are countered so HHH hammers away in the corner, earning himself a Last Ride. That’s enough to bring in Big Show to jump Undertaker for the DQ.
Rating: B. They did a good job here, as the DQ ending came at the right time. They had me wanting to see who was going to win and while the interference was the only good option, it would have been nice to see these two have a big time match. This did feel big and while it’s not enough to save the show, it was by far the best part.
Post match Show lays both of them out with fists and chair shots.
Post break Undertaker and Show are gone so here is Vladimir Kozlov to beat HHH down to end the show.
Overall Rating: D+. Oh my goodness they have got to get past Cyber Sunday. The problem is there are either no specific rules to build matches around or no matches at all. That’s basically saying we find out everything on Sunday and then the matches can take place. It’s not working, because these television shows have nothing to do and you get stuck with a show like this one. Nothing show here, with even a forgotten HHH vs. Undertaker match not being enough to save it.
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Smackdown – October 17, 2008: Advance And Be Recognized
Smackdown
Date: October 17, 2008
Location: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Tazz, Jim Ross
We’re getting close to Cyber Sunday and the question now is who will be challenging HHH for the World Title. That should make for an interesting choice, as we get to see just how high Jeff Hardy can run up the margin for his win. Hardy has his hands full already tonight though as he has to face Vladimir Kozlov. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of the wild ending last week, with Undertaker costing Big Show a World Title shot. That left Vladimir Kozlov to jump HHH, with Jeff Hardy making the save.
Opening sequence.
Here is Big Show, with Chavo Guerrero, who Show saying this isn’t going to go well. Show can’t believe that Undertaker has been messing with him again because they are going to fight at Cyber Sunday. The fans are going to be able to pick the stipulation, with the choices of Last Man Standing, I Quit and a Knockout Match. Tonight, Show is going to demonstrate all three of these things.
Big Show vs. ???
KO Match. Commentary doesn’t know who he is (I do, as it’s Joey Ryan) but he’s knocked cold in about ten seconds.
Big Show vs. ???
I Quit match and it’s another unnamed wrestler (Ryan Taylor, who wrestled under a bunch of names, including Tyler Rust and Rust Taylor). Show makes him give up with a cobra clutch in about thirty seconds.
Big Show vs. ???
Last Man Standing and this would be none other than a VERY young Matt Jackson (with Hurricane Helms popping up to mock Jackson’s sideburns). Guerrero sets up a table and Show chokeslams Jackson through it for the win at a whopping minute and a half or so. Totally fine segment, but more importantly all three options are realistic choices. KO Match is the most likely, but the other two wouldn’t be insane and that’s great to see.
Post match, Jackson is put in a neck brace and Taylor is still out cold on the floor. The devastating was a success.
Tag Team Titles: Colons vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder
Hawkins and Ryder are challenging. Carlito takes Hawkins down for a legdrop to the back but Ryder’s distraction lets Hawkins take over. Hawkins’ waistlock has Carlito in more trouble but he’s up rather quickly for the tag off to Primo. The pace picks up with a jumping shot to the face getting two on Hawkins as everything breaks down. A quick missile dropkick retains the titles in a hurry.
Rating: C+. That was quick and I was half expecting a title change. The good thing is that the Colons are a fine team who work well together and they do well when they’re given the chance to get in the ring. There is still hardly a tag division around here and a match that only gets a few minutes isn’t that interesting, but at least the champions were out there.
Video on John Cena’s recovery from neck surgery, as he was at the arena about five hours after the operation to visit the wrestlers.
MVP is focused on winning one more match as it gives him a big incentive package.
MVP vs. R-Truth
R-Truth hiptosses him out of the corner to start but gets sent outside for a crash. Back in and MVP’s chinlock doesn’t last long so R-Truth is back up with the spinning forearm. A shoulder to the ribs and an ax kick finish MVP off in a hurry.
Funaki comes in to see Vickie Guerrero and Big Show, who throw him out. Maryse, in a French maid costume, comes in and wonders why she is in a match tonight. Guerrero suggests that it’s for a chance to get a title shot. With Maryse gone, Great Khali comes in and is given a match with Undertaker. That doesn’t work for Khali, so Show gets in his face for some less than subtle threats.
Kizarny says…I have no idea actually but he seems to be on his way to Smackdown.
The Brian Kendrick and Ezekiel Jackson come to the ring for a match but Kendrick has a TICKLE in his throat and can’t wrestle. Jackson can though.
Ezekiel Jackson vs. Super Crazy
After Hurricane Helms asks if Jackson’s tights come in the right size, Jackson runs Crazy over and finishes with a release Rock Bottom in rather short order.
Post match Kendrick celebrates and hits the Kendrick. On Crazy if that’s not clear.
HHH watches a clip of Vladimir Kozlov brawling with Jeff Hardy last week and says it shows him how much they want to be champion. If you want to do that though, you have to go through him and that’s not an easy task. Pretty simple promo here and I’ll take that over one of his long speeches.
Undertaker vs. Great Khali
Runjin Singh is here with Khali. Undertaker strikes away in the corner to start but gets reversed for the big chops. With those not really working, Khali knocks him down and grabs the vice grip. Undertaker breaks that up as well but here is Big Show to jump Undertaker for the DQ.
Rating: C. This was another match that didn’t have time to do anything, which is a theme tonight (granted that’s the point in some of the cases). At the same time, there is something to be said about keeping Khali’s matches short and WWE seems to understand that. This was about getting Undertaker vs. Show further along and it worked fine for a fast angle advancer.
Post match Show grabs a chair, but Khali slaps it out of his hand for Show costing him the match. Khali leaves but Undertaker gets the chair to crack Show in the back.
Next week: HHH vs. Undertaker. Ok then.
Maria vs. Maryse vs. Natalya vs. Victoria vs. Brie Bella
Say it with me: Fuzzy Dice On A Pole match and the winner gets a Divas Title shot against Michelle McCool. Natalya wastes no time in turning on Victoria and Maryse has to cut Bella off. Maria knocks Maryse down as well and gets the dice (which are bigger than her head) to win rather quickly. This was as dumb as it sounds.
Video on John Cena, who is just peachy. He’s on his way back.
Jesse & Festus vs. Ryan Braddock/Kenny Dykstra
The bell rings and Festus goes Festus, sending the rather big Braddock into the corner. Jesse comes in for an elbow and a headlock but Dykstra pulls him down without much trouble. The chinlock goes on and Hurricane Helms pops up to mock Dykstra a bit. Jesse gets up and brings Festus back in to clean house. The fireman’s carry flapjack ends Dykstra.
Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash with Jesse getting in his big move: the hot tag to Festus. That’s what he does as well as anything else but it’s not like they’re trying to say he’s anything better. I keep forgetting that Dykstra is around but he’s fine enough for a slightly named jobber.
Remember Kizarny? The one who was coming? He still is.
Maria runs into Michelle McCool, who is looking forward to their match. Maria doesn’t look overly convinced but Jesse & Festus come in. The latter has a flower for Maria, who seems appreciative. Scared, but appreciative.
Cyber Sunday rundown.
Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov
HHH is on commentary. After a quick promo about how he wants the title, Kozlov powers Hardy into the corner for the shoulders to the ribs. A powerslam gives Kozlov two and he sends Hardy into the post a few times. We take a break and come back with Hardy staying on the arm as this is totally one sided thus far. Some headbutts and a belly to belly give Kozlov two but Hardy is up for a quick Whisper In The Wind. Something off the top misses so Kozlov headbutts him in the chest for the fast pin.
Rating: C+. This was a total squash for Kozlov as Hardy got in a Whisper In The Wind and that’s about it. The idea here is an attempt to make Kozlov into someone that the fans want to see face HHH at Cyber Sunday so he squashed the person the fans REALLY want to see get the spot. That’s not likely to work, but at least they were trying.
Post match HHH gets in the ring for the staredown as WWE continues their efforts to try to make fans care about Kozlov. It won’t work, but they’re trying.
Overall Rating: C+. They weren’t exactly focusing on the wrestling here with a bunch of short matches. Instead the focus was on building towards the two big matches at Cyber Sunday and oddly enough, Big Show vs. Undertaker was WAY more effective. If nothing else, they had something kind of unique with Big Show demonstrating the matches and I’ll take that over another boring Kozlov match. Not a great show overall, but the big stories got the focuses that they needed.
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WWE Vault: Best Of Tajiri: Wrestling Needs People Like Him
Best Of Tajiri
Commentators: Joey Styles, Cyrus, Joel Gertner, Michael Cole, Tazz, Mauro Ranallo, Daniel Bryan, Corey Graves, Tom Phillips
This is where this series gets somewhere interesting, as you have another talented star who never got a ton of attention. Tajiri might have been my favorite ECW star as he was the definition of “you know what you’re getting” but he did it really well. There are going to be a lot of kicks around here so let’s get to it.
Opening video.
From Anarchy Rulz 1999.
Tajiri vs. Little Guido vs. Super Crazy
Elimination rules, Big Sal is here with Guido and ECW ran this match roughly 839 times. Tajiri gets taken into the corner to start but kicks his way out, allowing him to send Guido out to the ramp. A headscissors puts Crazy out on the floor but a big dive is cut off. Crazy hits a springboard missile dropkick but Guido is back in with a springboard high crossbody for two. The camel clutch to Crazy lets Tajiri add a basement dropkick so Guido loads it up again, only for Tajiri to dropkick Guido in a smart move.
They head outside where Tajiri hits a great Asai moonsault but goes back inside where Sal gets to wreck people. Back in and Guido stomps away until Tajiri suplexes him for two. Tajiri sends Guido over the barricade but Crazy is right there for the huge springboard moonsault to take them both down. Back in and Sal gets dropkicked off the apron and through a table, leaving Tajiri to grab a Tarantula.
That’s broken up with a hard dropkick and we reset a bit. Crazy surfboards Tajiri and even rolls him around the ring a bit before adding in a dragon sleeper. We go to the double submission on Tajiri with a camel clutch from Crazy and a Boston crab from Guido, which somehow isn’t a submission.
Instead Guido chops away at Crazy and gets two off an Unprettier. Guido gets tied in the Tree Of Woe for a rather nasty dropkick, followed by Crazy’s moonsault for the pin on Guido at 9:20. Tajiri immediately kicks Crazy down but Crazy is right back with kicks of his own. That gives us a standoff until Crazy puts him down for a springboard moonsault.
Tajiri is back up with the handspring elbow for two but Crazy is right back with a sitout powerbomb for two. A tornado DDT drops Crazy, who is right back up with an inverted tornado DDT for a VERY delayed near fall. The first moonsault connects but Tajiri blocks the second and hits a heck of a running dropkick. The brainbuster gives Tajiri the win at 14:41.
Rating: B. These guys could do this match in their sleep and that’s not a bad thing. There is something fun about watching the three of them do their stuff and look awesome doing it, which is what you would always get out of this. Tajiri’s kicks are always painful to see and he stuck with them for the simple reason of they worked. Throw in a nice brainbuster and what else did he really need? Well other than mist but that should be standard equipment for a wrestler.
From ECW On TNN, January 21, 2000.
Tajiri vs. Super Crazy
This is a Mexican Death Match (anything goes) and we’re joined in progress for some reason. Tajiri kicks him into a headlock and we take a break. We come back with Tajiri hitting a baseball slide in the Tree Of Woe, meaning it’s time for the chairs. Three of those chairs are put into Crazy’s face for the baseball slide, which is enough to bust him open.
The table is loaded up inside and Tajiri slides the chairs down said table like a glass on a bar, with Crazy having to duck. The top rope double stomp hits Crazy but the table doesn’t break, so Tajiri does it again with some force for the snap. One heck of a kick to the head rocks Crazy again and he can’t stand up, with Tajiri mocking him in a rather hilarious bit. Crazy is back up with a backbreaker into a top rope moonsault and they head out into the crowd.
Tajiri is laid on a table and of course there’s a moonsault to drive him through. They get back inside so Crazy can hammer away in the corners, naturally with the fans counting in Spanish for a nice touch. The also bleeding Tajiri hits a quick handspring elbow but Crazy gets up first anyway. A spinwheel kick to the back of the head gives Crazy two but Tajiri kicks him low.
That means a bridging German suplex can give Tajiri two and he baseball slides Crazy out into the crowd. The Asai moonsault connects as well, with Tajiri looking rather insane. Back in and another table is set up but Crazy hits a heck of a springboard missile dropkick. Crazy gets his own table and tries a powerbomb, only to get misted. That’s fine with Crazy, who powerbombs Tajiri through a table for the pin at 12:53 shown.
Rating: B. This was in the Death Match family (thankfully the ECW version) as they beat the fire out of each other. They beat the fire out of each other and Crazy surviving the mist in the end was a good visual. These two, along with Guido, were the ones who could be put together in any combination to fill in a good deal of TV time in a rather successful way.
From Judgment Day 2003.
Chavo Guerrero is injured and Eddie Guerrero needs a new partner, so he picks….well I think you know here.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle
Team Angle is defending in a ladder match. It’s a brawl to start with Guerrero being sent into a ladder and Tajiri kicking Haas down. Benjamin makes the save and a double elbow puts Tajiri down. Guerrero can’t get very far as Benjamin gorilla presses him onto Haas’ knee. The ladder is loaded up and Guerrero tries to backdrop Tajiri onto the champs…but it really doesn’t work as Tajiri gets caught in the ropes.
Guerrero hits a quick dive to try and save things a bit but Haas and Benjamin are back up for a climb. Tajiri gets smart with a handspring elbow to take the ladder down and it’s a double basement dropkick into the ladder to double crotch Haas in the corner. Haas is sandwiched between some ladders for a slingshot hilo from Guerrero but Benjamin is back in for the save.
Guerrero gets powerslammed into a ladder in the corner and Tajiri is laid on a ladder on the ropes. Benjamin’s big dive off the ladder crushes Tajiri and Haas goes up, only for Guerrero to dropkick it out. Guerrero gets whipped hard into a ladder in the corner, with Tajiri dropkicking the same ladder into Benjamin’s face. Tajiri is back up with some rather hard kicks and some less hard ladder shots.
The Tarantula has Haas in more trouble, with Benjamin making the save with a ladder of his own. Back in and Guerrero gets beaten down in the corner but manages a monkey flip to send Benjamin into another ladder. It’s still too early to get too far up the ladder though as the champs cut Guerrero off again.
Guerrero knocks Benjamin down for a big crash into a frog splash and we need another breather. Haas and Guerrero go up the ladder, with Guerrero snapping off a heck of a sunset bomb. Benjamin tries to make a save but gets misted by Tajiri, allowing Guerrero to pull down the titles for the win at 14:16.
Rating: B+. They weren’t exactly reinventing the match here but what they did was get rather physical rather quickly. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it was cool to see the chemistry between Guerrero and Tajiri coming together pretty much out of nowhere. This is a bit of a hidden gem and it’s nice to see a talented guy finally getting a chance to show what he can do, even if it’s due to an injury.
From Smackdown, May 22, 2003.
Smackdown Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Eddie Guerrero vs. Team Angle
Tajiri/Guerrero are defending without ladders involved this time. Tajiri and Benjamin start things off with the former kicking away at both Teams. Angles? Team Angles? Anyway Guerrero has to save Tajiri from a double suplex before coming in anyway. Some shoulders in the corner don’t do much to Guerrero, who snaps off a middle rope armdrag to take over. It’s back to Tajiri for the big kicks and Guerrero takes them down again. Tajiri hits a big dive to the floor and we take a break.
We come back with Benjamin neckbreakering Guerrero into a sunset flip, with Tajiri making a save. Another neckbreaker sets up some cravates, followed by a rather nice suplex from Benjamin. The Haas Of Pain has Guerrero in more trouble but Tajiri is in with the dropkick to the head for the save. Benjamin and Haas take turns putting on abdominal stretches but Guerrero is back up with a top rope wristdrag/headscissors to get out of trouble.
It’s back to Tajiri to fire off the kicks, setting up the handspring elbow. A tornado DDT gets two on Benjamin as everything breaks down. Haas breaks up the Tarantula and Benjamin catches Tajiri with a Dragon Whip. Guerrero grabs a chair and hits the referee before throwing it to Haas. Since Guerrero is smart enough to not blast the referee with the chair (so he can get back up quickly), Haas gets disqualified to retain the titles at 15:54.
Rating: B-. This was a very different kind of match than the one with the title change (obviously) and it wound up being a completely fine enough showdown. I’m not sure about going with the cute finish over having Guerrero and Tajiri get a pin in their first title defense but Guerrero can make anything work. Good TV match here, but the ending was a bit of a stretch.
From Smackdown, July 31, 2003.
New US Champion Eddie Guerrero comes out in his low rider but the hydraulics aren’t working. He goes to check some things…and Tajiri is in the trunk with the mist to blind him. Guerrero insists that he can’t wrestle, but the referee says compete or forfeit the title (geez that’s kind of ridiculous when Tajiri jumped him).
US Title: Tajiri vs. Eddie Guerrero
Tajiri is challenging and we’re joined in progress with Tajiri kicking away. This lets commentary recap their feud, as Guerrero turned on Tajiri after they lost the titles and put him through a windshield. Tajiri strikes away and they go outside, where Guerrero gets in a quick shot of his own to take over. Back in and Tajiri kicks away, only to get elbowed in the face.
The slingshot hilo gets two and the fans approve as the villain takes over. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Guerrero goes up. That earns him a big kick and a superplex back down for the nasty crash. One heck of a monkey flip sends Guerrero flying again and he rolls outside, with Tajiri sending him into the steps. Tajiri sends him into the announcers’ table and fires off a rather hard kick to take him back inside.
The handspring elbow and a tornado DDT drop Guerrero again but Tajiri can’t follow up. The rather delayed cover gets two so Tajiri is back to the kicks. Guerrero grabs the yet to be named Three Amigos with the third being reversed into the Tarantula. With that broken up, Guerrero distracts the referee and gets in a low blow. Back up and the mist hits the referee by mistake, meaning the Buzzsaw Kick doesn’t even get a cover. That means Guerrero can get in a belt shot and then steal Tazz’s water to wash the referee’s eyes. The frog splash retains the title at 12:17.
Rating: B. Again, you could kind of guess how well this one was going to go as they’re too talented to have it be bad. Tajiri was getting a rare chance to show what he could do on his own and he hung in there with Guerrero. At the end though, Guerrero’s cheating was too much for even the mist to overcome and Guerrero gets to retain. Solid match.
From Smackdown, September 25, 2003.
Cruiserweight Title: Tajiri vs. Rey Mysterio
Tajiri is challenging. They fight over wrist control to start until Mysterio snaps off a middle rope hurricanrana. La majistral gives Tajiri two and he sends Mysterio hard into the corner. The Tarantula has Mysterio in more trouble but he gets in a kick to break up the mist (which is running down Tajiri’s mouth). Mysterio sends him outside for a heck of a springboard dive and we take a break.
We come back with Tajiri kicking him out of the air and going after the ribs. Tajiri kicks him down for two more and it’s off to a bodyscissors to work on the ribs some more. Back up and a gutbuster gives Tajiri two and the bodyscissors go on again. This one doesn’t last long and it’s Tajiri kicking away at the ribs even more. Mysterio finally comes back with a sitout bulldog for two, plus a top rope moonsault press for the same. A wheelbarrow suplex gives Tajiri two of his own and he nails a running dropkick in the corner.
The Michinoku Driver gets two more as Mysterio is in big trouble. Back up and the referee almost gets bumped, with Tajiri’s kick to the head knocking said referee silly. Mysterio comes back with the 619 but Tajiri is back with a nasty superkick. Another referee comes in to count two before going to check on the first referee. That’s enough for Tajiri to get in the mist and a Buzzsaw Kick for the title at 15:06.
Rating: B. This was more about Tajiri getting to take Mysterio apart and eventually win the title through some shenanigans. There is something rather fun about watching Tajiri getting to rip someone apart piece by piece, which slowed Mysterio up enough. Then it was thrown out the window for the sake of mist to the face and a kick to the head, which fits in well after Tajiri’s recent heel turn. Good stuff here, again.
From the Cruiserweight Classic.
Second Round: Tajiri vs. Gran Metalik
Metalik grabs a headlock to start but has to flip out of a headscissors for a standoff. They trade armdrags and sweep the leg for two each and that’s another stalemate. Another headscissors has Tajiri down but he bridges up into a leglock and Bryan is rather impressed on commentary. That’s reversed into an ankle lock on Tajiri, which is reversed into a rollup for two more.
Metalik sends him outside and hits a heck of a superkick, only for Tajiri to get in an even harder kick. A neckbreaker gives Tajiri two and he grabs the chinlock. Metalik fights up but gets kicked into the corner. That’s reversed into a springboard missile dropkick to send Tajiri outside, setting up a heck of a rope walk dive (Bryan approves again).
Back up and another Tajiri kick is countered into a dragon screw legwhip over the rope. Metalik works on the leg but Tajiri is back up with a heck of a kick to the head. The baseball slide in the corner gives Tajiri two and he counters a middle rope hurricanrana into a powerbomb for two more. The reverse Rings Of Saturn has Metalik in more trouble but he escapes again. This time he’s back up with the Metalik Driver for the pin at 10:43.
Rating: B. This is why you bring Tajiri back in, as he puts over a star like Metalik on his way out of the tournament. He’s an established name and the kind of person who can make someone else look good. The fans might not know much about Metalik, but they know he can beat Tajiri so he has some status to him. That’s the point, and it came after a hard fought match.
From NXT, December 28, 2016.
Tag Team Titles: Tajiri/Akira Tozawa vs. DIY
DIY is defending and we’re in Japan. Gargano and Tozawa start things off and head to the mat, with Tozawa easily slipping out of a headscissors. They trade armdrags until Tozawa ducks a low superkick for a standoff. That means it’s off to Tajiri vs. Ciampa to fight over wrist control, with Tajiri slipping away for a clean break. Tajiri takes him down for an armbar and a technical off goes to another stalemate.
Tozawa comes back in and tries a slam but gets driven into the corner for a running knee. Ciampa is back on the arm but gives him a clean break of his own. Tozawa manages to get over for a tag and Tajiri grabs some rapid rollups for a bunch of near falls as we take a break. We come back with Tozawa kicking at Ciampa, who reverses one of them into a backbreaker out of the corner for two. It’s back to Gargano for the seated abdominal stretch but he dives into a gutbuster.
That’s not enough for Tajiri to come back in though as Ciampa cuts it off like a good champion should do. Tozawa kicks his way to freedom though and now it’s back to Tajiri to clean house. Everything breaks down and the champs are kicked to the floor for Tozawa’s big dive. It works so well that he does it again, followed by a suplex for two on Ciampa back inside. Gargano comes back in with the slingshot spear for two of his own but gets caught in the Tarantula.
Back up and Gargano’s rolling kick to the head gets two more and it’s back to Tozawa for the trading of forearms. Ciampa gets toll the German suplexes and everything breaks down, meaning it’s a string of German suplexes to leave everyone down. A discus lariat puts Tozawa down and Project Ciampa gets two with Tajiri making the save. Meet In The Middle finishes Tozawa to retain at 20:56.
Rating: B+. Here you had a fine example of a match where the result wasn’t in doubt, as DIY wasn’t about to lose the titles to a makeshift team, but the fans had a good time. The match wound up working well and Tajiri and Tozawa worked nicely together. If nothing else, it was nice to see the serious version of Tozawa, who is a lot better than the comedy version that he would wind up being for such a long time.
Overall Rating: B. There’s a reason I’ve always liked stars such as Tajiri. He was never going to be the top star in a major promotion, or even a top star almost anywhere outside of maybe a smaller place. What he was going to be was a dependable hand who could be slotted into just about any midcard spot. He’s a hard hitting, technically sound star who could hang with talented stars. I love seeing unheralded stars getting this kind of a spotlight and it showed just how good Tajiri could be (even with zero mention of William Regal and Torrie Wilson).
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Smackdown – September 5, 2008: HHH Doesn’t Know Baseball
Smackdown
Date: September 5, 2008
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz
It’s finally the last show before Unforgiven and that means we aren’t likely to be in for the most thrilling show. Other than the World Title situation, Undertaker is still mad at Vickie Guerrero, which means we could be in for a lot of more spooky stuff which leads nowhere. Hopefully we have something better than last week, which was dreadful. Let’s get to it.
We open with a recap of Vickie Guerrero being scared of Undertaker, who is swearing vengeance. Vickie has begged for forgiveness but Undertaker doesn’t seem agreeable.
Opening sequence.
Here is HHH to get things going. He explains the concept of the Championship Scramble, which sounds like something you order at Denny’s at 3am. Now he’s never been great at math, but he has about a 15-20% chance of keeping his title but here is Shelton Benjamin to interrupt. Benjamin talks about what it is going to take to retain the title and he is the gold standard when it comes to talent.
We see a clip of Benjamin laying HHH out last week, though HHH points out that it came after HHH beat him. HHH calls him a good cheap shot artist and invites him to come try his luck face to face. Cue MVP to interrupt, saying he’s better than HHH, Benjamin and “the Charismatic Enigma” (MVP: “Whatever that means.”). MVP and Benjamin argue but HHH asks how long they’ve been in this company.
HHH says this is the week before a pay per view so he comes to the ring to talk about defending his title at the pay per view. HHH: “That’s called a promo.” He then explains what is supposed to happen: While he’s doing his “promo” (yes he does the finger quotes), these guys interrupt him and talk a bunch of trash that they know they can’t back up.
HHH then proceeds to insult them and their families or something like that, leading to them attempting to beat him up. Then he fights back, sending them running off to the back and we don’t see them the rest of the night. That’s a very simple formula but apparently it isn’t ringing a bell to them. HHH: “I swear to you, I am going to be champion for like the next century.”
Cue The Brian Kendrick, who gets decked, and Ezekiel Jackson, who offers a distraction so Kendrick can kick HHH down. MVP and Benjamin run in for the beatdown but Jeff Hardy runs in for the save. Jackson breaks up the Swanton but HHH is back up with a chair, which just annoys Jackson a bit. The slightly less serious promos continue around here and they continue to be father funny.
Bam Neely vs. R-Truth
Chavo Guerrero is here with Neely. R-Truth armdrags him to start but gets driven into the corner so Neely can hammer away. The neck crank doesn’t last long for Neely as R-Truth fights up and hits the jumping kick to the face. The spinning forearm and the top rope missile dropkick connect, setting up the ax kick for the fast pin on Neely.
Here is Undertaker (with Peacock cutting off his entrance) to say that he won’t forgive Vickie Guerrero. Instead he plans to kill her, put her in a coffin and light it on fire so she’ll be in H*** with her husband Edge. Then the lights go out and Undertaker disappears.
MVP vs. Shelton Benjamin
Non-title. Before his entrance, Benjamin pops up on screen to talk about how precious gold is, but he is even more precious. Both of them seem freaked out over Undertaker vanishing and keep looking over their shoulder as they come to the ring. They go straight to the brawling, with MVP getting the better of the slugout on the mat. Benjamin knocks him to the floor though and MVP teases leaving, only to deck Benjamin for coming to get him. Back in and Benjamin jumps over him but MVP scores with a running big boot. Benjamin shrugs that off though and grabs Paydirt for the fast pin.
Rating: C+. Benjamin winning is fine and in this case it has a bit of a build towards the title match at Unforgiven. I like the idea of mixing things up a bit here, which you don’t get very often with heel vs. heel matches. It lets things feel a bit fresher, and that is something that is often welcome after seeing the same people rotated against each other.
Maryse insults Maria’s hand made gear, saying we don’t want a wardrobe malfunction tonight. Maryse’s gear is custom made and Maria might not have the curves to fit into them.
Maria vs. Maryse
Maria charges at her to start and the brawl is on, with the two of them heading outside. Maryse hits a clothesline to take over, followed by a backbreaker for two back inside. A catapult sends Maria throat first into the ropes and Maria flips over for a reverse chinlock. Back up and Maria snaps off a running headscissors but misses a high crossbody. The DDT gives Maryse the quick pin.
Post match Michelle McCool comes out to stare Maryse down.
The Brian Kendrick vs. Jeff Hardy
Ezekiel Jackson is here with Kendrick. Hardy starts fast by hammering him down in the corner but Kendrick gets in a kick to the back of the head. Kendrick grabs something close to a dragon sleeper, followed by another kick to the head for another two. The chinlock goes on for a bit before Hardy avoids a charge into the corner. Hardy hits the slingshot dropkick and hits a sitout gordbuster to plant Kendrick again. An Alley Oop gets two and they head outside, where Jackson gets in a cheap shot by sending Hardy into the barricade. Back in and the Kendrick gives Kendrick the pin.
Rating: B-. These guys worked well together and Kendrick’s rather surprising push continues. What matters the most is that he feels like enough of a wildcard that he has to be watched on Sunday. The more options there are to leave with the title the better and this helped Kendrick get closer to that spot.
Vickie Guerrero arrives and is livid at a wheelchair waiting on her, as she did NOT order it. Now get these cars out of her way! The cars are not in her way.
Super Crazy vs. Ryan Braddock
Crazy kicks him down to start and the fans seem to approve. Back up and Braddock hits a shot to the back of the head, only to charge into a boot in the corner. Crazy hits the moonsault for the fast pin.
Post match here is Vladimir Kozlov to drop Crazy and demand better competition. Cue the Big Show to mock his own lack of action lately, but he’s feeling a little competitive too. They’re both ready to go but here is Vickie Guerrero to tell Kozlov to get out. Vickie tells Show to get out as well, or face indefinite suspension.
With no one else in the ring, Vickie talks about Undertaker, saying she has lifted his suspension and even apologized. She will no longer be a victim because she has been through so much in her life. Therefore at Unforgiven, she will get what she wants: an apology from Undertaker. Without Edge or someone to fight for her, this is really not working.
Brie Bella vs. Victoria
Victoria starts fast and grinds her down with a headlock. That’s broken up and Bella pulls on both arms before sending Victoria outside. Victoria rams her into the apron and they go back inside, where Victoria sends her right back outside. Brie crawls underneath the ring again and is out the other side rather quickly, setting up the rollup to pin Victoria again. Must be grabbing a Gatorade or something under there.
WWE is at the Republican National Convention and want you to vote.
Raw Rebound, again all about Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels.
Unforgiven rundown.
HHH is asked about his matches tonight and on Sunday, with the question being about his greatest concern. HHH: “Right now, probably global warming or maybe the economy.” Anyway, he talks about looking your next challenger in the face and here’s Jeff Hardy. HHH isn’t sure if anyone can complete a thought without being interrupted. Hardy is sorry for interrupting the “promo” and calls himself HHH’s problem at Unforgiven. HHH says Hardy already has two strikes against him and there’s the old saying: three strikes and you’re out of the game. I think the saying actually goes “HHH doesn’t know how baseball works.”
HHH vs. Great Khali
Non-title lumberjack match, with the other people in the Scramble as lumberjacks. Khali hits an early clothesline to start and sends HHH outside, where the lumberjacks get in a stomping. We take a break and come back with Khali working on a nerve hold (you knew that was coming).
The elbows in the corner have HHH in more trouble as Tazz actually explains the idea of a lumberjack match. I actually love it when commentary does stuff like that, as it’s something longtime fans know, but what about someone who is watching for the first time? Take ten seconds and clear it up for them.
Anyway, HHH gets knocked outside where the villains jump him, with Hardy going over for the save. Hardy gets taken out and the chokebomb gives Khali two back inside. HHH actually goes up and hits a middle rope shoulder but the lumberjacks pull him outside for another beating. Hardy flip dives onto them for the big save, leaving HHH to hit the spinebuster. The Pedigree is blocked again though and Khali gets the vice grip, which is actually broken up. A headbutt staggers Khali and HHH hits the Pedigree for the pin.
Rating: C+. These two had an odd chemistry together and this worked well enough. The lumberjacks at least tied into everything else and HHH gets to slay a giant to look like he’s a bigger deal on the way to the title match. That’s all you need out of something like this and it was still better than the lame battle royals on Raw.
Post match Hardy goes in to help HHH up and then gives him the Twist Of Fate (fans are NOT sure what to make of that) to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This had some good enough parts, oddly enough with most of it coming from HHH. The Undertaker/Vickie Guerrero stuff continues to be the most “get this over with” story going, but the stuff with the World Title is holding up well. Most of the action was just ok, but I laughed a lot at the opening promo and the main event worked well enough. Now just nail it at Unforgiven.
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ECW On Sci Fi – September 2, 2008: They Broke Mark Henry
ECW On Sci Fi
Date: September 2, 2008
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Matt Striker
It’s the last ECW before Unforgiven and I have no idea what they’re going to do with this week. At the end of the day, there is nothing left for them to do before the Championship Scramble and that isn’t overly promising. These shows are only so interesting in the first place and this isn’t giving me much more hope. Let’s get to it.
We open with the Dirt Sheet, with John Morrison saying he once beat Stephen Hawkins at Parcheesi 44 times in a row. Miz is ready to win the ECW Title in his hometown at Unforgiven, even if Morrison didn’t qualify. Morrison says he’s been to the top of the mountain and had time to drink a soda (I shouldn’t be chuckling this much at John Morrison), that is bogus.
With that out of the way, here is our first guest, so cue ECW Champion Mark Henry, with Tony Atlas. Morrison says this will be better tonight and they won’t even make fun of Henry’s belt extender. Henry isn’t happy but here is second guest, Chavo Guerrero, with his theme music replaced by a Miz and Morrison performed hummed version (Henry is completely unable to hide his smile).
Chavo isn’t happy, so Morrison tells Kerwin in the truck to come see him after the show. Chavo wants his ECW Title back but Morrison says he lost it like six months ago so he should be over it. We move on to Finlay, who can’t be here tonight because he couldn’t find a babysitter for Hornswoggle. Instead, we have Finlay’s family, which is Morrison and Miz on the Titantron in front of a bar, doing some very bad Irish accents.
Miz starts doing a dance and everyone is just openly smiling and laughing. The real Finlay and Hornswoggle come out, with Hornswoggle kicking Uncle Miz in the leg. Morrison is ready to bring out Jeff Hardy (Miz: “It’s Matt.” Morrison: “Whatever.”), who Finlay remembers beating Morrison to qualify for the Scramble. Hardy mocks everyone, including Bam Neely, but Henry doesn’t want to hear this.
Henry threatens Hardy, who hopes that Atlas gets some rest on Saturday because he has a lot of saves to make at Unforgiven. Morrison and Miz jump Hardy and the brawl is on so here are Tommy Dreamer and Evan Bourne to get in on this. Nothing special brawl, absolutely hilarious stuff from Miz and Morrison.
Post break the fight almost breaks out again in the back but Teddy Long makes the eight man tag. And don’t worry about ruining the Dirt Sheet, because it was ruined when Miz started talking.
Gavin Spears vs. Super Crazy
Spears says this is his second chance to make a first impression and he’s ready to go. Crazy spins out of a wristlock to start and pulls Spears into a quickly escaped leglock. Back up and Spears fires off some knees to the chest before going with a more basic stomp to the back of Crazy’s head. Crazy fights up and gets taken right back down and Spears grabs something like a crossface. That’s broken up as well and Crazy kicks him down, setting up a quick moonsault for the pin.
Rating: C-. It’s pretty easy to see why Spears didn’t take on his first attempt on the main roster. Nothing he did here stood out in any way and it made for a dull match. Crazy was a fine choice to work with him as Crazy can do stuff with just about anyone, but this wasn’t working and it showed badly.
Ricky Ortiz vs. Ryan Braddock
Ortiz, who is still undefeated, manages to get about a dozen people spinning his towel. If you can’t get that over in Pittsburgh, just pack it in already man. Braddock grabs a headlock to start but Ortiz fights out. That doesn’t last long either as Braddock comes back with a middle rope knee to the head for two.
Striker makes a Welcome Back Kotter reference and I dislike that I’m smiling a bit as a result. Ortiz fights out of a chinlock so Braddock knees him in the head. The chinlock goes on again for a bit longer this time but Ortiz gets up again. A sitout powerslam sets up a middle rope shoulder, followed by the Big O to give Ortiz the pin.
Rating: C. Ortiz is the definition of “he’s there” and that’s not going to work long term. There was nothing to the match and nothing makes Ortiz stand out. The deal is that he’s undefeated and in theory he’ll put over a bigger name eventually, but that doesn’t make this any easier to watch. Braddock was nothing more than a warm body for Ortiz to beat up, though Braddock does at least have a decent look.
Raw Rebound, focusing entirely on Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho, with the title situation not even being mentioned.
WWE is at the Republican National Convention.
Unforgiven rundown.
Evan Bourne/Tommy Dreamer/Matt Hardy/Finlay vs. John Morrison/Chavo Guerrero/Mark Henry/Miz
The respective seconds are here too. Hardy and Morrison start things off before Dreamer comes in to take over. Finlay adds a clothesline but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Guerrero. An atomic drop gets Finlay out of trouble and another clothesline connects. Finlay is back up and ties Chavo in the ring skirt so Hornswoggle can take Neely out as we take a break.
Back with what sounds like Morrison calling Hornswoggle a bet wetter, plus Guerrero giving Bourne a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Bourne is back up to kick Miz down and a standing moonsault gets two. Henry comes in to launch Bourne into the air for a crash and it’s back to Miz for a chinlock.
Bourne gets sent outside for a stomping from Neely, and a running knee from Morrison, which is at least more legal. The chinlock goes on back inside and Bourne is driven back into the corner for daring to fight up. Bourne finally manages a hurricanrana to Guerrero and it’s off to Dreamer to clean house. A bulldog gets two on Guerrero but Henry comes in to start the smashing.
Some knees in the corner set up a crossface chickenwing from Guerrero but Dreamer is out pretty quickly. Hardy comes back in, only for Henry to drop him with a clothesline. The splash misses though and Broune is up with the shooting star press. Dreamer adds a frog splash and Finlay clears out the rest of the team. The Twist Of Fate gives Hardy the pin to quite the crowd reaction.
Rating: B-. This worked rather well and felt like a big time house show main event. Above all else, I’ll take it over the usual matches we see around here. It helps when you have a match to build towards rather than just doing the same stuff over and over again. Hardy continues to feel like the biggest star around here and building around him is far from a bad idea. The rest of the people did fine, but this was about Hardy and Henry, which makes sense.
Overall Rating: B-. The main event was the only match that was worth seeing and they actually did a nice job of setting things up for Sunday’s title match. Throw in the outstandingly funny opening segment and it was more than enough to carry the other lame matches. It wasn’t a great show or anything, but I laughed more than once at the Dirt Sheet and I’ll take that every time.
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TJPW vs. DDT vs. GCW
Date: April 19, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Dave Prazak, Veda Scott
So I think the title of this one kind of speaks for itself, as we’ll be seeing three different promotions come together for something of a three way dance. That offers a variety of different options, with some of the names being a bit less than familiar. These shows have done well before, even if they’re as standalone as you can get. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino (TJPW) vs. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai (TJPW)
So this isn’t so much three promotions against each other as all ten of these women are from TJPW. Before the match, Misao (the resident superhero) says they are all friends and requests a clean fight. That earns her a kick in the ribs and we’re ready to start fast. Suzume dropkicks Stone down for two and then rolls her up for the same. A springboard armdrag takes Suzume down but she sends Stone into the corner.
It’s off to Endo, who is dropped with a sitout gordbuster but we pause for Raku to put Endo on her pillow for a nap. Then Raku and company run over her in some improper napping etiquette. A five woman cover gets two with all of Endo’s partners making the save. Arai comes in to kick Raku in the face a few times, followed by a running clothesline for two. It’s off to Misao for a heroic running crotch attack against the ropes but Arai gets in a big boot. Misao’s high crossbody gets two and it’s off to Aino for something like a spinning Vader Bomb.
Arai dropkicks her way out of trouble and it’s off to Watanabe, who catches Aino in a giant swing. An over the shoulder backbreaker is escaped and they trade shoulders until Aino grabs a suplex. A Polish hammer drops Aino and it’s off to Suzuki vs. Mizuki to pick up the pace. Mizuki wastes no time in sending her against the ropes for a running dropkick, followed by a high crossbody for two.
Arai comes in with a full nelson slam and everything breaks down, with Suzume grabbing a sleeper on Mizuki. That’s broken up and they trade rollups for two each. A double reverse DDT puts Arai down and a pair of top rope bulldogs connect. Stone hits a Lethal Injection on Suzume but Watanabe slams Stone and Misao at the same time. Yeah she’s time but she thinks she’s a monster so she’s strong. Or something. Mizuki is back up for her tabletop suplex (the Cutie Special, because of course) to pin Suzuki at 10:14.
Rating: B-. They did a nice job of getting this many people into the match when they had so much going on. It’s always hard to get ten people active in a match and they only had so much time to start. It was a nice way to get all of these people onto the card and as usual, Misao is just so likable. Good opener here, with quite a bit of fun to be had.
Kidd Bandit/Shota (GCW/DDT) vs. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi (TJPW/DDT)
Bandit and Tatsumi start things off with Tatsumi snapping off an armdrag and then avoiding some spinning kicks. Honda comes in and gets his leg caught in the ropes on the way in, which seems to be par for the course for him. Shota comes in and drops down, with Honda almost falling over him. Some bad looking Steve Austin tributes (Honda is bald so….he’s a klutzy Austin?) have Shota down but Honda gets sent to the floor.
Shota rakes Honda’s back, causing Honda to steal a woman’s hat (making him about the fourth person to do so this week, with commentary mentioning the hat’s history). Back in and Bandit kicks Honda down for two as commentary says the plan is to keep beating Honda up and the team will win.
A rake to the back of the head puts Honda down again but he gets a boot up in the corner. Naturally Honda takes too long going up top and gets punched out of the air but he does manage to bring Tatsumi back in. A flying hip attack drops Shota and a running elbow gets two. Shota’s neckbreaker gets him out of trouble and it’s back to Bandit for an airplane spin. A hard knee gives Bandit two but Tatsumi fires off a jumping hip attack.
Honda comes in, trips again, and then trips over Bandit as well…so he needs the mic? Honda says his retirement is near and he can’t do this anymore, but first he wants to tell us a fairy tale. He holds up a Too Sweet sign and says he wants to meet a famous TikTok influencer. Apparently he called said influencer but found out that it was d*** talk and then pokes Tatsumi in the eye (I’m going to assume I missed something in that joke). Everything breaks down and Honda goes up, only to dive into some raised feet. Bandit rolls Honda up for the pin at 10:02.
Rating: C+. I’m not sure what to make of this but I hadn’t seen Honda before and he amused me enough. I’m really not sure what the point of that story/joke thing was and I think that might be the best for me. Another goofy comedy match and that’s perfectly fine on a show like this one.
Bandit and Shota dance in celebration.
Starboy Charlie/Yuni (GCW/DDT) vs. Los Desperados (GCW)
Los Desperados are Arez/Gringo Loco, likely in search of 1 Called Manders. Loco and Charlie start things off with the fans rather behind the former. They go to a test of strength with the bigger Loco getting the better of things and they take turns diving over each other. Charlie backflips over him and hits a spinwheel kick, setting up some hip swiveling. Yuni and Arez come in to trade wrist control until they switch to the flips.
Arez gets taken down with a headscissors and then a spinning armdrag, with commentary thinking Arez underestimated him. Loco comes in with a gorilla press into a sitout powerslam (that looked good) for two and we settle down so Arez can hit a loud chop. The Falcon Arrow sets up a flipping Fameasser (cool) so Charlie comes in for the save. That’s fine with Arez, who dives onto Loco and they roll over until Arez can hit a tornado DDT on Charlie.
A nice Swanton crushes Yuni for two but it’s time to open his shirt so the chops are even worse. Arez loads up another chop but flips the fans off for daring to ask for ONE MORE TIME. Nice guy. Charlie gets chopped as well but manages to get some feet up in the corner. A top rope headscissors takes Loco down and stereo moonsaults to the floor drop Arez and Loco.
Back in and a double bulldog gets two on Arez, followed by Charlie’s double Pele. A poisonrana plants Loco and Yuni’s hurricanrana gets two. Charlie’s shooting star hits raised knees though and a pair of powerbombs (including a top rope helicopter bomb to Yuni) gives Los Desperadoes the double pin at 11:22.
Rating: B-. This was a much more story based match and I got into it well enough. Charlie and Yuni were outmatched but fought from underneath like a pair of underdogs are supposed to do. It worked well and was a more serious match than most of what we’ve seen on the show so far.
We look at Atticus Cougar beating Fuego del Sol yesterday at Joey Janela’s Spring Break to take Fuego’s mask and seemingly end his career.
Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Kamifuku (TJPW) vs. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone (GCW)
Yuki has some rather long legs. Uehara and Havok start things off with a battle over arm control. Havok knocks her back and hits a middle rope dropkick for two, only to get dropkicked into the corner. Yuki is in for a Helluva Kick for two but Havok grabs a facebuster into a neckbreaker.
That’s enough for Moone to come in and kick away, only for Yuki to grab something like an Octopus. That’s broken up and everything breaks down, with Moone hitting a Blue Thunder Bomb for two. Yuki is back up with an STO into a leg lariat. The middle rope Fameasser finishes Moone at 7:02 (appropriately enough, the area code for Las Vegas).
Rating: C+. Pretty simple and to the point tag match here and that’s a fine way to go. Sometimes you can just slow things down a bit and let them do their thing, which is what they did here. I don’t believe I’ve seen much of Havok and Moore before but they did a nice job here, even against what seemed to be a more experienced team.
Marcus Mathers/Shoko Nakajima/Super Crazy (TJPW/GCW) vs. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik (DDT/GCW)
It’s a brawl to start with Mathers leapfrogging Ilusion before he can even take his ring jacket off. A spinning high crossbody gives Mathers two and he slams Sheik down for a bonus. Mathers goes up top but dives into a low blow to cut him off in a hurry. Ilusion missile dropkicks Mathers down and it’s off to Sheik to hammer away. Sasaki drops a leg between the legs but Mathers would rather slug it out than tag.
That earns him another knockdown due to general stubbonrness but he gets over to Nakajima for the tag anyway. Nakajima comes in with a running boot in the corner and a springboard kick to the Sasaki’s head. That just earns her an escaped crossface so it’s off to Sheik for a suplex. A way too long guillotine legdrop misses and it’s off to Crazy vs. Ilusion. Crazy gets to clean house, including a sitout powerbomb for two. Something like a lifting abdominal stretch matches Ilusion tap out at 8:50.
Rating: B-. Mathers is starting to show me something on these shows and that’s a good sign for his ID future. He’s a talented guy who can do some impressive stuff in the ring. At the same time you have Nakajima being fine enough and Crazy somehow still being good enough to overcome his gain in size.
1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh (GCW/TJPW) vs. Microman/Yukio Naya (GCW/DDT)
Itoh has a cowboy hat on and does part of Manders’ Dead Or Alive entrance. Microman and Itoh start things off and the fans are very impressed. They trade the cute poses and Itoh isn’t sure what to make of this…so she kicks him down. The ten right hands in the corner don’t work because Itoh can’t reach his head (that’s funny).
Microman hits a right hand of his own into a dropkick for two, earning himself a facewash in the corner. It’s off to Manders to knock Naya off the apron and Microman gets stomped down. Manders and Itoh take turns biting his fingers but Manders misses a basement lariat. A rake to the eyes lets Microman hit a 619 and a legsweep suplex puts Manders down. Naya comes in for a running splash in the corner and loads up a chokeslam but Manders….points finger guns into his chest.
That makes Naya drop to his knees so Manders can drop him, allowing Itoh to come in with a high crossbody. Naya scares Itoh, who tells her to bring it on and yells her back into the corner. That makes Itoh break down in tears…and Microman is crying too. Even Manders cries and we get a group hug, with Naya having to cry too.
They all hug (the fans approve), and then the fighting is on again. Itoh puts her hat back on for a double cover on Naya but Manders accidentally lariats her down. Naya plants Manders and Microman adds a bottom rope splash. An assisted splash from Microman pins Itoh (who was begging him not to do it rather than rolling away) at 11:29.
Rating: B-. This was the kind of goofy fun and that’s all it needed to be. They clearly weren’t trying to do anything serious with this match and it still went fine enough. The crying spot was funny and it’s not like most of these people are supposed to be taken seriously in the first place. Goofy comedy can be fun and that’s what they had here.
We look at part of Sabu vs. Joey Janela at Spring Break. There was A LOT of barbed wire.
John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont (GCW) vs. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata (GCW/DDT)
Hardcore and the weapons are in the ring before they get going. Murdoch and Katsumata slug it out to start and it’s already time for the skewer sticks…which they use to stab themselves in the head. Tremont and Warner come in and it’s time for a door, which is slingshotted to Tremont’s head to bust him open. The fight heads outside (commentary is shocked) and Warner gets crotched on the post. Katsumata hits a crossbody onto Murdoch and Tremont and they actually go back inside.
Murdoch chairs Katsumata down and then throws him head first into a chair in the corner for two. Some rams into the steps give Tremont two but Katsumata dropkicks a chair into Murdoch’s face. Warner gets the tag (because a match with this many weapons need tags) and sets up four chairs so they can sit down and hit each other in the face. Warner and Katsumata are sent through doors and a Death Valley Driver finishes Katsumata at 9:36.
Rating: C-. Yeah I’m never sure what to make of a match like this, as you had people spiking themselves to start the show. That doesn’t exactly make for my kind of match and I’m not wild on what I had to see. Trying to have actual tagging was a bit of a relief but that’s about all there was here. Just not my thing at all.
Konosuke Takeshita/Masha Slamovich (DDT/GCW) vs. Miyu Yamashita/Shinya Aoki (GCW/TJPW)
Slamovich and Aoki get things going with Aoki getting two off an early rollup. That’s not going to work for Slamovich, who gets to kick Yamashita down without much trouble. It’s off to Takeshita and Aoki for some grappling on the mat with Aoki getting two off a cradle. The fans are behind Aoki as they trade rollups for two each. Aoki’s Figure Four is turned over and they’re quickly back up again.
They trade European clutches for two each and then take turns escaping chokes. Yamashita comes in to forearm away at Takeshita to no avail. Everything breaks down and Slamovich and Takeshita slam their way out of chokes. Takeshita forearms Yamashita out of the air but can’t hit Raging Fire.
Yamashita manages a skull kick and they’re both down. Slamovich comes back in for an exchange of kicks and everything breaks down again. Aoki’s dive onto the floor is pulled out of the air for a brainbuster, leaving Yamashita to hit an AA for no cover. Slamovich is back up to kick her down, setting up the White Knight Driver for the pin at 11:10.
Rating: B. Pretty easily the best match of the night and that’s not surprising seeing who was in there. I’m not overly familiar with Aoki but he held his own in there with someone as good as Takeshita. It was an entertaining match and well done without much in the way of screwiness so we’ll call this a win.
We look at the GCW Tag Team Title match from Spring Break with Alec Price and Jordan Oliver winning the titles.
BZW Tag Team Titles: Mao/Yoshihiko vs. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd vs. Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi
Mao/Yoshihiko (the latter of whom is a doll and sporting a taped up head after getting busted open at a recent show) are defending (from BodyZoi Wrestling, a Belgian promotion). We start with a three way test of strength between Yoshihiko, Lloyd and Cartwheel and I don’t like where this is going. Naturally Yoshihiko takes over and grabs a hurricanrana but they all throw dropkicks for a standoff.
A triple tag brings in Price, Sumi and Mao, with Sumi getting chopped down over and over. Sumi grabs a pop up hurricanrana on Price but Mao grabs Yoshihiko to trip Cartwheel down. A double hurricanrana drops Cartwheel again and it’s time to hammer away in the corner. Mao and Yoshihiko hit some double Cannonballs in the corner but Price is back up with a kick to the head, forcing Yoshihiko to poisonrana Mao.
Yoshihiko gets launched into the crowd for the big crash and Lloyd Lionsaults Cartwheel and Sumi. Mao is back up with a double northern lights suplex to Price and Lloyd but gets caught with a double moonsault. Yoshihiko makes the save and everything breaks down, with Mao bringing Yoshihiko in off the tag. Yoshihiko is spun around into a hurricanrana and everyone is down. A string of DDTs leave Yoshihiko to suplex Cartwheel and Sumi at the same time.
Price takes Yoshihiko up and naturally we get a Tower Of Doom. Mao’s top rope splash gets two on Price and everyone is down again. The big brawl is on and it’s Yoshihiko getting to fire off some superkicks and most of the people wind up on the floor, meaning it’s time for some dives. This includes a multi flip dive from Yoshihiko who mostly overshoots the pile. Back in and Mao gives Sumi a reverse superplex faceplant (that’s cool) to retain at 13:48. Commentary complains about Yoshihiko not having a Cagematch profile because wrestling is weird.
Rating: C+. I never know what to make of the Yoshihiko stuff but it certainly has an audience. The biggest thing here though is that the match went fairly long and the joke started to get old. You can only do so much when you have to wrestle yourselves and that can make for a tricky situation. The rest of the match was fine enough, but this was just wasn’t my thing (again).
And we’re off the air really fast.
Overall Rating: B-. This was the kind of show that can be a lot of fun as it wasn’t meant to be anything more than a bunch of people getting together and having matches. That’s all it needed to be and it worked well enough. The good thing is they had a big mixture of styles instead of doing the same stuff over and over. I had fun with it and that’s the idea of a show like this one.
Results
Hyper Misao/Jada Stone/Mizuki/Raku/Yuki Aino b. Arisu Endo/Miu Watanabe/Shino Suzuki/Suzume/Yuki Arai – Cutie Special to Suzuki
Kidd Bandit/Shota b. Antonio Honda/Rika Tatsumi – Rollup to Honda
Los Desperadoes b. Starboy Charlie/Yuni – Double pin
Wanaka Uehara/Yuki Famifuki b. Brooke Havok/Sandra Moone – Middle rope Fameasser to Moone
Marcus Mathers/Shoka Nakajima/Super Crazy b. Daisuke Sasaki/Ilusion/Dark Sheik – Lifting abdominal stretch to Ilusion
Microman/Yukio Naya b. 1 Called Manders/Maki Itoh – Splash to Itoh
John Wayne Murdoch/Matt Tremont b. Mance Warner/Shunma Katsumata – Death Valley Driver to Katsumata
Mao/Yoshihiko b. Alec Price/Jimmy Lloyd and Jack Cartwheel/Kazuma Sumi – Reverse superplex faceplant to Sumi
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Super X Grand Prix Championship Wrestling Luchamania 2: Any Day Now People!
Luchamania 2
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Neonopolis, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: TMD, Joe Dombrowski
This is from Super X Grand Prix Championship Wrestling in case you need quite the mouthful of a promotion. As you can probably guess, this is going to be a lucha themed show and that could go in a variety of ways. Hopefully we have some good quality here because these things can go nuts in a hurry. Let’s get to it.
We open fast with Juventud Guerrera getting in a fight with Gringo Loco. Apparently their singles match will be merged into a tag match with Jack Cartwheel and Super Crazy, who were scheduled for a singles match of their own. Running an angle at the start of a show is kind of a weird way to go.
Speaking of weird, we go with a split screen of commentary and the empty ring.
The ring announcer polls the fans on the new main event and gets a special cheer for the nonfunctional microphone.
We then stall for a good while as we wait on the opening match, with commentary making Monday Nitro jokes.
Mondo Avion/BackSeat Boyz vs. Team FSW
The latter would be Dahmir Morningstar/Jimmy Jack/Phil Godfrey. Jack, who appears to be a country boy, atomic drops Avion to start and it’s quickly off to Morningstar, who gets taken into the corner. JP Grayson comes in with a middle rope shot to the ribs but Morningstar hits a quick dropkick for two. The rather big Godfrey comes in for a backdrop but it’s off to Tommy Grayson to stomp away.
We pause for Godfrey’s headstand so Tommy strikes away, only to get caught with a fall away slam. It’s back to Jack vs. Avion with the latter hitting a dropkick to take over. JP comes back in to stomp away in the corner but Jack suplexes both Graysons. The tag brings in Morningstar to pick up the pace and strike away, only to be sent shoulder first into the post. Tommy hits a basement dropkick to drop Morningstar and a Paisan Elbow into a legdrop gets two.
We hit the chinlock for a bit, followed by a modified Vader Bomb out of the corner for two more. A triple kick in the corner gets another near fall but Morningstar finally gets in a high crossbody for a needed breather. Godfrey comes in to clean house, including a side slam. JP cuts him off with a missile dropkick and a double lifting slam plants Jack. Avion’s top rope splash is enough for the pin at 13:57.
Rating: B-. Fairly by the numbers but still effective six man here, with enough high flying to make it feel like the traditional lucha match. It was a fun way to get the show going and the fans seemed into it so they were going well to start here. The Boyz were a good heel team, with Avion not really feeling that different from his partners. Jack and Godfrey aren’t your traditionally sized lucha guys, but they were fine in what they were doing.
Commentary talks for a good while between matches. I’m not sure if this is planned or some sort of delay but how can you not have your second match ready? This isn’t exactly a major show so you can’t have your wrestlers set to go? The entrances for the second match start about fifteen minutes after the previous match ended. That’s pretty much fifteen minutes of dead air and that’s not a good idea at all.
El Mexikal vs. Aztek King vs. Norman Harras vs. Vaquero Fantasma
Commentary has been turned WAY down, to the point where it’s almost just a whisper. Fantasma rolls across the ring to start and they all stare at each other a bit. Some dropkicks leave Fantasma and Mexikal in the ring, where they pose instead of fighting. An exchange of armdrags send both of them down and that’s up for a standoff. Fantasma dives over the top onto Harras before King and Mexikal get back inside.
A spinning faceplant puts Mexikal down but Fantasma is back in with a crossbody. Harras seems to miss a shot to Fantasma, who reverses a suplex into a rollup for two. Back up and Harras plants Fantasma for two before kicking him outside. King comes back in with a clothesline, followed by a big dive out to the floor. Mexikal and Fantasma get back inside to trade running shots in the corner until Fantasma gets two off a rollup. Mexikal kicks Fantasma in the head and hits a corkscrew shooting star press for the pin at 7:34.
Rating: C+. This was the usual all over the place match, albeit without as many high spots. Instead it was four guys running around and doing their thing, with Harras being a bit less high flying than the others. That’s a perfectly fine thing to see and more what you might have expected from a show like this one.
And now, more stalling between matches. Thankfully they trim it down here to only about nine minutes.
Arkangel Divino vs. Ultimo Maldito
We do get some graphics here, which is nice as fans might not be familiar with these guys. Maldito flips him off rather than shake hands before being backed into the corner. That doesn’t last long so Divino shoulders him down and hits a running hurricanrana. Maldito rolls outside so Divino takes him down with a big running flip dive. Back in and a basement superkick gives Divino two and a Lethal Injection connects for the same. Maldito comes back with a discus lariat for two and they head outside, with Divino getting chopped up against the post.
Back in and something like a dropkick version of Shattered Dreams gives Maldito another near fall. Divino is back with a Code Red for two more and a superkick connects, setting off an exchange of strikes to the face. A Canadian Destroyer plants Maldito again and we get a double down. An armdrag sends Maldito outside and Divino hits a moonsault to take him out again. Back in and Divino’s moonsault hits raised boots, followed by a bottom rope moonsault for two. A super hurricanrana gives Divino the pin at 8:28.
Rating: B-. Nice enough match here as they aren’t hiding that this is a basic good vs. evil match. As usual, it’s a good sign when you have a match where you can tell what is going on despite not being familiar with the wrestlers. They were working a basic match but did it fairly well, which I’ll definitely take over screwing up a bunch of stuff.
Respect is shown post match. That’s a nice Maldito.
The time between the matches is cut way down here, making it feel almost normal.
Rey Horus vs. Laredo Kid
Kid won’t shake hands to start and tells the fans to shut up. Horus gets knocked into the corner to start and a flip dive connects. Back up and a big slap rocks Horus again before Kid gets to rain down right hands in the corner. Horus fights up and snaps off a hurricanrana to the floor, setting up the required big dive. Back in and Kid kicks him down for two more, complaining about the count in the process. Horus grabs a standing Spanish Fly for two but Kid might kick him low. A Michinoku Driver gives Kid two but Horus is right back with a Code Red into a rollup for the pin at 6:45.
Rating: C+. Another perfectly watchable match here but they can’t have two of the better stars on the show go a few more minutes? They were just getting going and then it was time to wrap it up in less than seven minutes. I’m not sure why these matches are going so short but it’s not helping what could be some good matches.
And now, more stalling, with commentary talking about a Ric Flair cosplayer to fill time. Eventually they talk about the main event, but we’re pushing twenty minutes between the end of the match and the start of the entrances of the main event. That’s insane.
Juventud Guerrera/Super Crazy vs. Gringo Loco/Jack Cartwheel
The brawl is on to start and it’s Cartwheel and Guerrera (who is in great shape) in the ring. Cartwheel takes him into the corner but Guerrera fights out as the other two come in. Loco and Cartwheel collide so Cartwheel grabs the referee to hide. That doesn’t work overly well but Cartwheel is back up with a handspring elbow to Crazy in the corner.
An assisted moonsault gets two on Crazy and Loco’s Swanton gets the same. Crazy fights up for a knockdown and it’s off to Guerrera to pick up the pace. The Juvy Driver hits Cartwheel for two but Loco is back up. Cartwheel misses a dive off the top though and gets caught with another Juvy Driver for the pin at 7:01.
Rating: C+. The biggest surprise here was Guerrera being in crazy good shape. You have Crazy who is huge compared to his ECW days but Guerrera didn’t look that good twenty years ago. The match was a pretty standard story and that’s not a bad way to go, with Guerrera looking good in his comeback for the win. Cartwheel taking the pin was a bit weird, but it could have been a lot worse.
Overall Rating: C+. Where is the rest of this show? The video runs less than two hours and we had about forty five minutes of action bell to bell. There were ridiculously long stretches between matches and while I’d assume some of that was for the sake of merch tables, there has to be a better way to go about doing this. I liked what we saw and the wrestling itself wasn’t bad at all, but DANG this was a weirdly put together show.
Results
Mondo Avion/BackSeat Boyz b. Team FSW – Top rope splash to Jack
El Mexikal b. Aztek King, Norman Harras and Vaquero Fantasma – Corkscrew shooting star press to Fantasma
Arkangel Divino b. Ultimo Maldito – Super hurricanrana
Rey Horus b. Laredo Kid – Code Red
Juventud Guerrera/Super Crazy b. Gringo Loco/Jack Cartwheel – Juvy Driver to Cartwheel
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Ninth Islvnd
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Swan Dive, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Mike Wexler, Pollo del Mar
Every Wrestlemania Week I try to see what I can find from a random independent promotion and that’s what we’re doing here. This is Oasis Pro Wrestling and I know absolutely nothing else about it. I’ve glanced at the card and it looks interesting enough so let’s get to it.
We finally go to the arena a mere thirty minutes into the Youtube video (after looking at the logo all that time) and look at the card, which we can’t see because of logos on the screen. This goes on even longer as we are almost forty minutes into the video with only a few seconds’ long shot of the arena thus far.
Apparently most of the people on this show are Polynesian. So we have a theme.
The South Pacific Savages (Journey Fatu, Juicy Fatu, Iosefa Parisi) to say this show means a lot to them, though their audio gets much lower, making it a bit hard to understand them. They bring out two other men to hype up the crowd and we’re ready to go.
Tha Islandahz vs. Elliott Rey/Gigi Furiosa
This is a Dojo Showcase, because you always want to start off with your students and the Islandahz are Damu and Tui. Furiosa works on Damu in the corner but gets double teamed by the far bigger Islandahz. The audio goes way up as Furiosa fights up with a clothesline to make the tag off to Rey. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere so Rey runs him over. It’s back to Furiosa (del Mar: “Why?”) but Tui doesn’t want to lock up with a woman.
Eventually he does and whips her in, where Damu gets in a knee to the back. Damu pulls Furiosa down by the hair and the referee doesn’t see the tag to Rey, leaving him rather annoyed. The tag goes through a few seconds later though and it’s time to clean house. Commentary gets on Rey for playing to the crowd too much and then he clotheslines Furiosa by mistake. Tui hits a Samoan drop into a moonsault headbutt (which the camera missed) to pin Rey at 8:39.
Rating: C. I’ll give it a bit of a break because they’re students but this wasn’t exactly much to see. I mean, I’m assuming it wasn’t much to see because the camera was all over the place and it was hard to keep track of what was happening. The Islandahz were doing an impression of just about any Samoan tag team while the other two were some odd pairing who didn’t work well together. That’s not much of a start.
Hoka vs. Midas Kreed
The much bigger Hoka grabs a headlock to start but gets caught with a dropkick. A swinging neckbreaker takes Hoka down and a superkick sends him into the ropes. Hoka comes back with a clothesline for two and we hit the chinlock. That’s broken up and Kreed fires off some running forearms, setting up a middle rope cutter for two. Hoka is right back up with a Boss Man Slam and a running palm strike finishes Kreed at 6:38.
Rating: C. Basic power vs. speed match here and that’s always a fine way to go. Neither of them exactly stood out here but at least I could see what was going on most of the time here. Hoka wasn’t bad and his Boss Man Slam looked good enough, to the point where it definitely should have been the finish.
Adrianna Mosley/The Samoan Reaper vs. Melanin Mafia
The rather tall Reaper’s shoulder doesn’t do much to the rather wide Sancho Dimera. It’s off to the women, with Mosley hitting a DDT on Beatrice Domino (an awesome name). Mosley sends her flying off a northern lights suplex but Domino gets in a shot of her own. The reverse chinlock doesn’t last long and it’s off to Dimera, who apparently weighs over 700lbs. Some forearms keep Mosley down and it’s back to Domino for another reverse chinlock.
Mosley fights up and strikes away, including a headbutt which the camera showing the three inch gap between them (Domino sells anyway). A clothesline puts Domino down and the double tag brings in Reaper for a side slam on Dimera. Everything breaks down and Mosley gets in a Stinkface on Domino, followed by Reaper’s running hip attack on Dimera, who will apparently eat anything. We’ll thankfully move on from that as everything breaks down and Reaper spears Dimera, with Mosley doing the same thing to Domino. Reaper’s top rope splash ends Domino at 10:24.
Rating: D. Oh yeah this really didn’t work. This was a throwback to something of a freak show match, with the massive Dimera and the large enough Mosley making for more of a “this is a weird thing to see”. The action was bad too and it made for quite a long ten minutes. This was pretty horrible and that’s not a good sign.
Sean Maluta vs. Sonico
At least I’ve heard of these two. Hold on though as here is a manager with a man named Harman Cheema. Apparently Cheema represents India so he needs to be on the show. Sure why not.
Sean Maluta vs. Harman Cheema vs. Sonico
It’s a brawl to start and Cheema goes to sit in the crowd, leaving Sonico to jump Maluta. Now Cheema comes in but gets sent outside for a dive from Sonico. Back in and Sonico hits a Swanton but gets dropped by Maluta. Cheema splashes Sonico in the corner as the fans talk about Cheema’s back hair. Maluta is helped to the back after being injured and Cheema’s manager tries to bring in a chair. Sonico takes it away and hits the manager with it before throwing it in Cheema’s direction. A brainbuster through the chair gives Sonico the pin at 6:45.
Rating: C. I’m assuming Maluta got hurt somewhere in there but this was just a bunch of spots until someone won. The chair being brought in felt like it was out of nowhere, which makes sense given how all over the place this was. Sonico and Maluta have spent some time in AEW so at least they’re decent, but you can only do so much with so little time.
Post match Sonico gets in a shot on the manager too. Commentary approves.
Afa Jr. vs. Chris Nastyy vs. Hero Leo vs. Noah Kekoa vs. Solomon Tupu vs. Valu
Afa Jr. is better known as Manu and this ring is not big enough for six people to be scrambling. Nastyy is entering himself in the match (like we saw in the previous match) because he’s 1/78th Polynesian. Nastyy gets punched and headbutted to the floor, leaving Kekoa (formerly Kona Reeves) to hit Afa low.
Nastyy gets pulled outside again and it’s Tupu coming in to forearm it out with Kekoa. Valu comes in for an exchange of shoulders with Tupu before they both shoulder Nastyy down. Afa Jr. is back in with a superkick, leaving Nastyy to get taken down with a Boss Man Slam. Afa’s top rope splash is good for the pin on Nastyy at 4:10.
Rating: D-. Again, what are you supposed to do when you have six people in a match and four minutes to do anything? Most of the people here didn’t get to stand out as the only story of the match was Nastyy getting beaten up. It was like they just did a few things until someone, in this case the biggest star, won. What fun.
Ten minute intermission, which is included in the video.
Pacific Seas Title: El Fatal vs. Gringo Loco
Fatal is defending and dropkicks him to the floor for a running flip dive. Back in and Fatal knocks him down again but gets caught with a faceplant into a superkick. A sitout exploder suplex gets two on Fatal but he kicks his way out of a waistlock. Fatal’s top rope hurricanrana drops Loco as Sonico (Fatal’s stablemate) comes out to watch. Fatal misses a corkscrew moonsault and a middle rope Canadian Destroyer gives Loco two. The referee almost gets bumped so Fatal gets in a low blow. A double underhook Codebreaker retains the title at 4:24.
Rating: C-. He’s not a huge star but Loco is at least a name. That’s one of the few things they have on this low budget show and he’s in there for about four minutes? If you want your champion to feel like a star, use the outsider you have to make him look better. That’s the idea here in theory but what are you supposed to do with less than five minutes?
Ignore commentary getting the name of the title wrong.
South Pacific Savages/Zilla Fatu vs. The Mane Event/Jack Cartwheel/Super Crazy
The rather large Crazy almost falls off the stage on the way to the ring. Mane starts fast with a moonsault onto the Savages and Crazy gets in a dive of his own. It’s a big brawl on the floor and you can’t really tell what is going on. Zilla throws a bunch of chairs and Cartwheel gets beaten down. We finally settle down to Crazy choking Parisi and hitting him with a dropkick. Juicy comes in to run the Mane Event over and Lyon has to save Black from destruction. Juicy’s top rope splash connects and Zilla gives Cartwheel a pop up Samoan drop. Black goes up but dives into a Samoan Spike to give Zilla the pin at 6:50.
Rating: F. This was barely a match as the first half or more was spent on the big wild brawl where you could barely tell what was going on. That’s in addition to Crazy looking horrible and slow, plus almost no one really getting any sort of focus. The Savages/Fatu winning was no surprise, but could you at least try having a match?
Post match Juicy thanks the fans for coming out to end the show.
Overall Rating: D-. Yeah no. I get that this was a low budget show but there were some names on here with talent who could have done far better. Instead, it’s a bunch of short matches (the one match that broke ten minutes was horrible) and a total mess of a main event. It says a lot when the best thing on the show was a six minute match between two people I’ve never seen before. Really bad stuff here and that’s not a good thing to see when they’re probably getting their biggest audience ever.
Results
Tha Islandahz b. Elliott Rey/Gigi Furiosa – Moonsault headbutt to Rey
Hoka b. Midas Kreed – Palm strike
Adrianna Mosley/The Samoan Reaper b. Melanin Mafia – Top rope splash to Domino
Sonico b. Sean Maluta and Harman Cheema – Brainbuster through a chair
Afa Jr. b. Chris Nastyy, Hero Leo, Noah Kekoa, Solomon Tupu and Valu – Top rope splash to Nastyy
El Fatal b. Gringo Loco – Double underhook Codebreaker
South Pacific Savages/Zilla Fatu b. Mane Event/Jack Cartwheel/Super Crazy – Samoan Spike to Black
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WrestleCon Supershow 2025
Date: April 17, 2025
Location: Palms Casino Resort, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Nick Knowledge, Veda Scott
This is one of the biggest independent shows of the week, though in this case it is being presented by GCW as part of the Collective. The matches have pretty much no continuity and are designed to have the most fun possible. That can make for some very entertaining shows and hopefully they continue the tradition. Let’s get to it.
We open with a tribute video to Mark Hitchcock, a former Highspots employee who passed away, with the show being named in his honor as a result.
Team Arez vs. Team Gravity
Arez, Latigo, Toxin, El Bendito, Canis Lupis
Gravity, Spider Fly, Aero Panther, Fight Panther, El Vengador
This is the show’s signature ten man tag and the participants were not announced until their entrances. I apologize in advance for getting the wrestlers wrong, but even commentary doesn’t seem sure which is which. Latigo and Vengador start things off with Vengador working on an armbar but getting rolled up for two. Back up and Vengador works on the arm before Latigo gets another rollup for another two, meaning it’s another standoff.
Arez and Aero runs the ropes rather quickly before flipping next to him. Aero misses a kick to the face and they get up for another standoff. Gravity and Toxin come in with the bigger Toxin slamming him down. Gravity sticks the landing on a flip attempt though and does his moon walk deal, followed by an armdrag out to the floor. The tease of a dive sends Toxin bailing and it’s off to Fly vs. Latigo as we’re getting back to the start of the lineup.
Latigo throws Fly into the ropes but gets sent outside in a heap. Lupis and Bendito both come in and toss Fly into the air for a nasty crash down. Gravity comes in and gets caught in a five on one beatdown. Toxin is tossed into a big backsplash onto Gravity and for some reason we look at one of his partners rather than the cover. Vengador manages to send Arez to the floor and it’s off to Panther to pick up the pace. The Panthers hit big dives and Arez and Latigo follow with dives of their own. Back in and Fly and Gravity hit a hurricanrana and super armdrag, leaving Vengador to faceplant Toxin out of the corner.
Fight gets caught with a bunch of superkicks but a quintuple superkick misses. Lupis is planted with a big spinning slam for two before it’s time to fight over the double…er, triple…uh, quadruple suplex….and then with the other eight huddled together, Aero suplexes Arez onto the pile for an insane visual. Gravity and company go up for dives to the floor, leaving Lupis to hit a super swinging Side Effect for two on Fight. Fly gets triple teamed inside and Arez hits a top rope double stomp for the pin at 16:10.
Rating: B. These wild lucha matches have become a staple of a lot of shows these days (Ring Of Honor went nuts with them for a bit) and they’re still fun. This one didn’t have quite the star power, but there is something special about seeing these people getting this kind of time to showcase their talents. It might not be the highest quality match from American standards, but it is a great display of a very different style and that worked very well.
Post match money is thrown into the ring in quite the sign of respect.
As is tradition, we have a special ambassador for the show: Sean Mooney! And he looks about the same as he did back in the day! The fans seem happy to see him and he thanks them for the reception. Mooney plugs his appearance at WrestleCon and the Wrestlemania IX documentary on Peacock. He’ll be hosting a panel on the show at WWE World and hopes the fans come see him. Mooney wishes the fans a great time to wrap it up. This was a nice surprise as Mooney is someone who has just kind of slipped through the cracks, with even his podcast not being that well known.
Ninja Mack vs. Mascara Dorada
Dorada plays to the crowd a bit to start before winning a battle over a lockup. That’s good for a clean break so Mack works on a wristlock to take over. Dorada reverses into one of his own and walks on his hands into an armdrag, leaving even Mack impressed. They go to the top, with Dorada trying a super hurricanrana but Mack sticks the landing, because of course he can do that. Back up and Mack offers a handshake but instead it’s time for a martial arts pose.
Dorada is kicked to the floor for a series of backflips into a dive, only for Dorada to dive back inside. That means Dorada can hit a big dive of his own and they go up to the stage. Dorado shrugs off some chops and hurricanranas him down the steps, setting up one heck of a dive to the floor. Back in and Mack kicks him down again before flipping out of a sunset flip attempt. Mack’s sitout powerbomb gets two but he misses a….I guess a Phoenix 630? Dorada grabs something like a Razor’s Edge Dominator, setting up a shooting star press for the pin at 9:07.
Rating: B. Yeah this was fun and was the kind of match you would have expected, though it never quite got all the way up to that high gear you might have thought they would do. Mack was doing his incredible flips but Dorada felt like a bit more of a complete star in the ring. Good, high flying match here, and a nice change of pace after the more wild opener.
Sin City Scramble
This is a seven person Royal Rumble with two minute intervals but it’s one fall to a finish and it can only take place when all seven are in. Vaughn Vertigo is in at #1 and TJP is in at #2. They fight over a wristlock to start until TJP takes him down into the headscissors. Vaughn reverses into one of his own but TJP slips out. A rollup to TJP gets…nothing because it doesn’t matter yet. TJP takes him down by the leg but Vaughn kicks him down and hits a standing moonsault…for two, because the referee screwed up.
Super Crazy is in at #3 and takes Vaughn down to work on his legs. TJP breaks up something like an abdominal stretch but Crazy chokes him in the corner. Mike D. Vecchio is in at #4 and comes in with a nice step up elbow to put Crazy down. Vecchio runs over TJP as well and drops him with a suplex as the power/athleticism is on full display here. A double suplex drop Vecchio and it’s 1 Called Manders in at #5.
Manders chops away at Vecchio but Vaughn is back in with a Swanton to a standing Manders (who was nice enough to stay bent over for the better part of ever). Crazy moonsaults onto a bunch of people at ringside and Vecchino shooting stars onto everyone else. Cheeseburger is in at #6 and he slugs away at Vecchino, which goes as well as you would expect. A superkick into the Shotei palm strike puts Vecchio on the floor and TJP hurricanranas Crazy to the outside.
That leaves us with one mystery entrant and it’s….Danhausen in at #7 to complete the field. It’s one fall to a finish so Danhausen curses Cheeseburger, who almost shoteis himself. Cheeseburger fights back though and gets northern lights suplexed. TJP is suplexed as well but Danhausen hurts his hand chopping Vecchio. Danhausen manages a running dropkick to send Vecchio outside so Manders is back in…and gets cursed. Danhausen takes him out and puts the teeth in Vaughn’s mouth. The pump kick is enough to give Danhausen the pin on Vaughn at 16:32.
Rating: B-. This was the definition of fun, goofy stuff at the end, but Vecchio looked like an interesting prospect. Most of the rest of the stars were fine, though Crazy was not exactly looking great. Danhausen was the focus here though and, in addition to looking much more muscular than in previous appearances, it was nice to have him back.
Matt Mako vs. Matt Riddle
Mako is billed as the Evolution Of Combat so I think you get the idea here. They do shake hands and get started and we get a pose off, as tends to be the case on occasion. We get a WELCOME MATT chant before they go to the grappling, with Riddle going for the arm. That’s broken up so it’s a LET’S GO MATT/YOU SUCK MATT dueling chant as the crowd amuses themselves.
Riddle goes for the arm again but Mako gets out, with the fans thinking that MATT IS GONNA KILL YOU. They trade kicks to the chest until a Mako chop fires Riddle up. The chop off has both of them cringing and a cross armbreaker sends Riddle over to the ropes. Back up and Riddle strikes away, setting up a gutwrench suplex into some Brotons. A fisherman’s buster gives Riddle two and he’s starting to get fired up.
They forearm it out with Riddle being knocked into the corner for a boot choke. Mako gets pulled into a triangle choke over the ropes before a suplex sends him flying. Riddle gets in a super fisherman’s buster and the Floating Bro connects for two. Mako catches him on top and pulls Riddle down into a cross armbreaker but Riddle forearms him in the face. The Bro Derek finishes Mako at 9:53.
Rating: B-. This is where the Supershow can be more fun as they know how to mix things up with a nice variety. That’s what you had here, with more of an MMA inspired match. It’s a style that makes sense in modern wrestling and it helps when you have someone who has such an extensive background in the style. Riddle is a talented star, but the baggage that comes with him can be quite the issue. Let him stay around here and be awesome, because he’s quite good at this style.
Maki Itoh vs. Mickie James
Itoh sings herself to the ring and does her big song to get things going. They take their time to get going before going to the mat for a headscissors. Itoh gets out and gives her a cute look, leaving James a bit confused. James wins a test of strength but Itoh takes her down with James running to the floor.
James grabs the mic (James: “Found it!”) and says that there are a lot of people getting in the ring this weekend in an effort to get their five stars. Meltzer has never put her over though (her words) but she’s here to entertain the people. She hasn’t wrestled in about a year but she was interested in facing Maki Itoh, who is pretty good. Itoh is also a J pop star and James is Hardcore Country, so what about a sing off?
Itoh sings and James says she has no idea what she just said but she knows it was awesome. James sings about beating Itoh up and her lack of curves (to the tune of her theme song) before decking Itoh with the mic (the fans are NOT pleased). A boot to the face puts Itoh down and James chokes away but Itoh flips her off. Itoh is back up with a headbutt for two and she avoids the top rope Thesz press. The Mick Kick misses and they trade rollup for two each, setting up the MickieDT for the pin at 14:24.
Rating: C. I have absolutely no idea what this was but it was one of the weirdest things I’ve seen in wrestling in a good while. James just went into some random rant about Meltzer and then did a weird heel turn. It wasn’t even much of a match, but this is only going to be remembered for the bizarre part in the middle.
Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki
Dan Severn (now with white hair) is guest referee and we have four two minute rounds. They slowly strike away at each other with the exchange of chops going nowhere. Butterbean jabs away in the corner and tries to lift Suzuki up, with Severn not being able to break it up as the round ends. They keep grappling in the corner and Severn has to break it up.
The second round begins with Severn having to make them go to their corners, with the round being almost half over by the time he calls for the bell. So we reset the clock as this is turning into an even bigger mess by the minute. Suzuki takes him down and they fight over a leglock, meaning some grunting until the time runs out. After a sixty second rest period, round three begins with Butterbean punching him in the ribs. Suzuki slugs back and then takes it to the floor where they brawl to a double countout at 9:06.
Rating: F. Oh this was terrible and that shouldn’t be a surprise. They’re both in their late 50s and Butterbean isn’t exactly a wrestler (he’s had three matches since 2012) so what was this supposed to be? It’s a good example of something that sounded fun on paper but then reality set in and there was no way around the whole thing. Absolutely awful.
Post match the brawling and sneering continues, with MMA legend Don Frye getting involved. The fans want one more round (masochists) and Suzuki is willing to do it but they announce the double countout again to make sure that this isn’t fun.
TMDK vs. Flip Gordon/Michael Oku/Hechicero
We get a BAD DUDE (Tito)/OKU chant off before Oku and Haste officially start things off. Neither of them can get anywhere with the grappling so Oku snaps off a running hurricanrana. Tito comes in to shoulder Gordon down but he pops back up and it’s off to Hechicero vs. Sabre Jr. for the real showdown. Sabre’s wristlock is quickly broken up so they tie their legs together and go to the mat. Hechicero pulls him down into a rollup but Sabre is right back up for a standoff.
More grappling doesn’t go anywhere so Hechicero takes him into the corner for some stomping. Oku comes in and allows the tag to Haste, who slams Oku down. It’s off to Tito to plant Oku again before Oku is dropped onto the apron. Sabre ties the legs up for some cranking, followed by Haste’s one arm belly to back suplex for two. Oku DDTs his way to freedom though and it’s off to Gordon to clean house. Some moonsaults get two on Haste but it’s back to Tito to drop Gordon. A dive to the floor hits Gordon again but he forearms his way to freedom.
Hechicero comes back in to kick Tito in the corner before choking Sabre in the ropes. They go to the mat where Hechicero grabs the rolling cradle, followed by a kick to the face. Oku comes in for a European clutch for two on Sabre. The half crab sends Sabre over to the ropes so Oku kicks the leg out again.
Hechicero comes back in for a surfboard, with his partners hitting a double bulldog. Everything breaks down and Sabre is fine enough to grab a cross armbreaker on Gordon. That’s broken up so Oku DDTs Haste to send him outside. Gordon hits a suicide dive but Sabre avoids his 450 back inside. Sabre grabs an armbar to make Gordon tap at 21:33.
Rating: B. This was a good, back and forth match, though it really just made me want to see Hechicero and Sabre go nuts with holds and submissions on their own. The other four were just kind of there for the most part, with only Oku standing out. At the same time, you had Gordon feeling like a relic of a past generation, which was so strange to see. Good main event, but it could have been better with some tweaks.
Post match Sabre teases coming after Oku’s British Heavyweight Title to end the show.
Overall Rating: C+. This show started off well and then just crashed hard until the main event helped it a lot. I’m not sure if it’s GCW taking it over or something else, but this was not as fun as the previous years’ editions. Hopefully this was just a one off, as the show can be a blast but this one was something that feels like it sounded better on paper rather than what we actually got.
Results
Team Arez b. Team Gravity – Top rope double stomp to Spider Fly
Mascara Dorada b. Ninja Mack – Shooting star press
Danhausen won the Sin City Scramble – Pump kick to Vaughn
Matt Riddle b. Matt Mako – Bro Derek
Mickie James b. Maki Itoh – MickieDT
Butterbean vs. Minoru Suzuki went to a double countout
TMDK b. Hechicero/Flip Gordon/Michael Oku – Armbar to Gordon
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Smackdown
Date: August 22, 2008
Location: iWireless Arena, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz
Summerslam has come and gone and the big story is that Undertaker destroyed Edge inside the Cell, which should get rid of him for a good while. Other than that, HHH dispatched the Great Khali in a match that was better than expected, meaning he’s going to need a new challenger. Let’s get to it.
We open with a look at the Smackdown matches from Summerslam.
Opening sequence.
Vickie Guerrero welcomes us to the show and says we haven’t been seeing the real her in recent weeks. Everything she has done has been because of Edge, because she corrupted who she was as a person. Now she is free to be her real self with Edge stuck in the same h*** he put her in. She has made some changes, and one of the things she feels the best about is reinstating the Undertaker. Another thing is the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, which will see five people wrestling for twenty minutes with unlimited falls. Whoever gets the last fall will be WWE Champion. Tonight, we find out the competitors.
Maria vs. Natalya
Natalya fireman’s carries her down without much trouble to start but Maria reverses into a headlock. Back up and they fight over wrist control until Maria snaps off a snappy armdrag. Some kicks to the leg don’t work very well though as Natalya is back with a dragon screw legwhip. Natalya cranks on the leg until Maria fights up and hits some clotheslines. A Bronco Buster gets the fans a bit more interested…and here is Maryse to go after Maria for the DQ.
Rating: C-. This was little more than a few moves going on until the ending, which just kind of happened. Maria feels more and more like the Smackdown version of Kelly Kelly, who is the young, up and coming star who needs a lot more experience. The potential is there, but Maria is going to need some more time before it happens.
Post match the beatdown is on but Michelle McCool comes in for the save.
La Familia runs into the Big Show, who talks to Vickie Guerrero like a child. He’s happy for the Championship Scramble and he’s ready to face anyone in a qualifying match….but Vickie forgot to put him in one.
Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Battle Royal
Scotty Goldman, Super Crazy, Armando Estrada, Funaki, Brian Kendrick, Curt Hawkins, Brian Kendrick, Jimmy Wang Yang, Vladimir Kozlov, Ryan Braddock
Big Show is sitting at ringside and this is one of the lamest battle royals I’ve ever seen. A bunch of people get together and toss Kozlov before Goldman is sent out as well. Then Show comes in and tosses most of the people, with Ezekiel Jackson saving Brian Kendrick…which is enough for Kendrick to win, as Show threw everyone else out and then stepped over the top (as apparently he was in).
Rating: D+. The match was barely a thing but points for a clever ending. I guess I’ll take this over another one off match with little in the way of drama, but this was more of a joke than anything else. That being said, they got through it quickly and Kendrick being in the title match is more interesting than most options.
Post match Kendrick does a victory dance for a nice touch.
R-Truth talks about how the truth is what you do when people aren’t watching. It’s about respecting who you are and getting better every day to build a better future. He’s been on the bottom but now he’s heading for the top.
Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: MVP vs. Festus
Jesse is here with Festus. Before the match, we hear from MVP at Summerslam, where he promises to win the WWE Title. Festus freaks out at the bell but MVP knocks him into the corner anyway. A suplex sends MVP down for two and a clothesline is good for the same. Festus fall away slams him into the corner, only for MVP to pull him into the post. The logical armbar goes on and MVP cranks away, with Festus finally fighting up.
Some fight hands connect while the left arm is left hanging but the bad arm is sent into the corner again. MVP cranks on the arm again….as we see a sign saying “I Love My Mommy And Grandma.” Well that’s just sweet. Festus fights up again and hits a running elbow, setting up something like a running seated senton. A big boot sends MVP outside, where he kicks Jesse in the face. That’s enough of a distraction for Festus to get counted out. Oddly there’s a delay between the ten count and MVP being declared the winner, with MVP’s music starting before the bell rings, making for a bit of a weird situation.
Rating: C-. It’s kind of odd to go with two fairly screwy endings in a row, especially when it’s a star like MVP against Festus, who is almost a novelty. Obviously it’s the right result, but you would think there would be a better way to go than a bunch of sitting around pulling on Festus’ arm. Pretty dull match here, with MVP being capable of better.
Post match the bell turns Festus off again so MVP boots him out to the floor.
Classic On Demand: Trish Stratus b. Stacy Keibler in a swimsuit contest. Same exact clip from Raw.
Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Finlay
Non-title and Hornswoggle is here with Finlay. Before the match, Benjamin talks about how being a champion is about being obsessed with gold. He doesn’t like Olympic phenom Michael Phelps being called the new Gold Standard, because there is only one of them. Finlay wastes no time in taking Benjamin down for some face ripping before driving him into the corner.
A headlock grinds Benjamin down a bit so he bails into the corner for a needed breather. Back up and Benjamin tries to go low on Finlay, who takes him out to the floor where a lot of seething can ensue. They go back inside where Finlay can crank on the leg a bit, with Benjamin going to the ropes. A missed charge sends Finlay shoulder first into the post, giving Benjamin a rather nice target. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on, followed by one heck of a kick to the back of the head to have Finlay curled up in the corner.
Finlay bails to the floor for a second, where he ties a sliding Benjamin up in the ring skirt for some clubberin. Benjamin knocks him back into the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benjamin working on a neck crank Finlay jawbreaks his way to freedom for two but Benjamin grabs the neck again. Back up again and Benjamin hits a dragon whip, followed by the t-bone to cut Finlay down again for a delayed two. Finlay fights up but here is Mike Knox to go after Hornswoggle, allowing Benjamin to grab Paydirt for the fast pin.
Rating: C. They went pretty long here until the ending, which was more about setting up Knox vs. Finlay in an ECW feud. They could have done the same match in less time and things would have been that much better. Benjamin getting the nod is fine as it isn’t like he’s doing anything important with the US Title.
Post match Knox beats up Finlay a bit more.
We look back at Chris Jericho punching Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summerslam.
La Familia isn’t sure why Undertaker hasn’t arrived yet. Chavo Guerrero thinks he might even be holding a grudge. Maybe Vickie Guerrero should apologize?
Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Jeff Hardy vs. Great Khali
HHH is on commentary. Hardy slugs away to start but is quickly knocked outside for his efforts. Back in and Khali stomps away before the nerve hold goes on. With Hardy ground down, the tree slam is loaded up (HHH looks nervous) but Hardy goes up to slip out. That earns him a chop out to the floor but Hardy is back in with a Twist of Fate. The Swanton is loaded up but Runjin Singh offers a distraction (Khali was about 80% of the way across the ring so that thing wasn’t coming close anyway). HHH isn’t having this and pulls him down before chairing Khali in the head. The Whisper in the Wind into the Swanton finishes for Hardy.
Rating: C. I’m hoping HHH has to deal with Khali again, as that was quite the heelish move for someone who was just trying to protect his title. Hardy is one of the hottest things in WWE at the moment so he almost had to be in the title match. It also wouldn’t have been the best idea to ask Khali to go for twenty minutes, so there wasn’t much of a choice to be made here.
Post break HHH is in the ring to talk about the challengers coming for the title in the Championship Scramble. The fifth person in that match is a 12 time World Champion and someone who has won everything in every kind of match. Cue Kenny Dkysktra to interrupt because he should be in the match too. The Pedigree lays him out in a hurry, with HHH saying it was good to see him.
Here is La Familia to offer an apology to Undertaker, complete with a standing ovation. Cue Undertaker, with Vickie (eventually) saying she gave Undertaker a chance for revenge on Edge at Summerslam and now she wants a chance to be forgiven. If Undertaker needs more time, they can do this next week and she even gets on her knees to beg him. Undertaker says “look at me woman” because he isn’t here for an apology, but rather Vickie’s soul. The fight is on with Undertaker getting beaten down for a bit, only to fight up and clean house. Undertaker does the throat slit to Vickie to end the show.
Overall Rating: C. I do appreciate a show with a central theme running throughout, but this wasn’t their best effort. The qualifying matches set up a nice field for Unforgiven, but it would have been nice to have them be a bit less dull. The ending with Undertaker hunting Vickie isn’t the most thrilling thing either and feels like something rather simple and not that interesting. This show set up the one match at Unforgiven but it didn’t have me wanting to see anything until then.
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