Nervous Breakdown
Date: March 31, 2023
Location: Globe Theater, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Brian Zane, Jordan Castle

This is from Prestige Wrestling (out of the Pacific northwest), which I’ve seen once and that was a show from three years ago. I know nothing coming into this show but the card and lineup look good and that’s all you need a times. Wrestlemania Weekend has had a lot to offer so far this year and maybe this can join the good side. Let’s get to it.

Note that I am coming into this mostly blind so I apologize for not knowing history, character backstories etc.

Sonico/C4 vs. Clark Connors/Kevin Knight/Yuya Uemura

C4 is Cody Chhun/Guillermo Rosas. Knight and Chhun start things off with Knight taking him down by the arm and driving in a knee. A splash misses for Knight so he snaps off an armdrag, only to be reversed into a headscissors. Uemura and Sonico come in with the latter running Uemura over. Rosas comes in for the power but has to slug it out with Connors (who he replaced in C4). Back up and Connors Pounces Rosas down as Connors and company clear the ring.

Chhun tries to come in and the choking ensues in the corner. It’s back to Knight to take Rosas into the corner as the beating continues. A sunset flip gets Rosas out of trouble and the hot tag brings in Chhun to clean house. Chhun’s DDT gets two on Knight but he pulls a springboarding Sonico out of the air with a cutter. Chhun tries his own cutter so Knight dropkicks him out of the air, allowing him to get over for the tag to Connors. Everything breaks down and Sonico green mists Uemura, leaving Chhun to hit a dive to the floor. AMF (appears to be a fisherman’s DDT) gives Sonico the pin on Uemura at 9:55.

Rating: C+. Nice opener here as they kept the pace up and let most of the people involved get a chance. That is the kind of thing that can put the show on the right foot and they did well enough here. The ending came a bit out of nowhere though and it felt like it needed a few more minutes to really get everything together. For what it was though, not too bad.

Post match respect is shown and Chhun does a Spinarooni.

Vinnie Massaro vs. Calvin Tankman

Hoss fight and Massaro is a “nice guy” who comes out to That’s Amore. They chop it out to start with the bigger Tankman running him over with a shoulder. The fight goes to the floor with Tankman destroying Massaro’s chest with chops. Back in and Massaro’s chest is fine enough to hit a dropkick into a pose before his own chops drop Tankman. A backbreaker and clothesline give Tankman two as the back and forth continues.

Tankman charges into the corner to knock him silly but Massaro’s forearms just get on Tankman’s nerves. The strike off ensues (they’re required these days) until a half nelson slam of all things drops Tankman. With that not working, Tankman hits a discus elbow into another HARD elbow to the face to finish Massaro at 8:11.

Rating: C. This was exactly what they were advertising it as being, with a pair of big guys hitting each other until one of them couldn’t get up anymore. Tankman is someone who can move a good bit quicker than you might expect but still has the power that makes up for it. Massaro was a good sized guy as well, but Tankman felt like more of a force, which is what someone of his size is probably looking to be.

West Coast Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Title: Michael Oku vs. Titus Alexander

Oku is challenging and has Amira with him. They go with the grappling to start with Alexander taking him up against the ropes, only to get switched over for some hard chops. It’s way too early for the half crab though as Alexander bails straight to the ropes. Oku sends him to the floor and tries the Fosbury Flop, only to have to land on his feet when Alexander moves.

That takes too long though and Oku gets dropped onto the apron to cut Oku off for a change. Alexander is smart enough to stay on the back with a backbreaker but Oku elbows his way out of the corner. A DDT gives Oku two of his own and the penalty kick sends him to the floor.

That means the running flip dive to the floor, followed by a splash for two back inside. Oku’s hurricanrana is blocked so he grabs a dragon screw legwhip to work on the leg some more. Alexander is fine enough to send him into the ropes, setting up a brainbuster for two. A half crab sends Oku to the ropes for a change and he’s back with a Shining Wizard.

There’s a Lionsault for two but Alexander knocks him back again. Amira tries to come in with a mirror but the distraction lets Alexander get in a low blow. That’s enough for Amira to grab the referee, allowing Oku to hit a poisonrana. The frog splash gets two so it’s time to go after Alexander’s leg, only to have him roll Oku up and retain at 17:14.

Rating: B. This was the kind of back and forth match that will always work. Oku has grown on me a good bit over the last few times I’ve seen him as he really is smooth in the ring and capable of having a solid match with anyone. Alexander did well too and while the ending wasn’t great, it was a match that I got into and wanted to see where it went. Good job here from both.

The ring announcer is ready to introduce the next match but here is Alan Angels to interrupt. Angels talks about how the fans were saying he would be great when he left AEW but then they turned on him. Why? Is it because he dropped the Dark Order? Or because he doesn’t wrestle like the indy favorites? He can’t even get booked on this show, but he’s going to take Prestige Wrestling by storm. After a bit more insulting the fans, Angels beats up a stage hand who tries to cut him off and finally leaves.

Adam Brooks/Warhorse vs. Midnight Heat

The Heat is Ricky Gibson/Eddie Pearl while Brooks and Warhorse are teaming for the first time. Gibson and Warhorse start things off with Warhorse being rather intense and Gibson not being sure of what to do. They trade running of the ropes and Warhorse gets the better of things without much trouble.

Brooks comes in for some forearms against the ropes and a suplex into the corner. Everything breaks down and stereo dives take out the Heat, followed by a double backdrop for two on Pearl. Gibson gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and Pearl knocks him to the floor.

The whip into the corner rocks Brooks again but he kicks Heat into each other and the big tag brings Warhorse back in. A brainbuster onto the knee gives Warhorse two and Brooks is back in with a top rope Meteora. Warhorse hits a Codebreaker but accidentally gets caught by Brooks’ Swanton. A Russian legsweep/Backstabber combination finishes Brooks at 11:55.

Rating: C+. This was a very formula style tag match and it still worked well. Midnight Heat feel like a pretty polished team and they did well against a team working together for the first time. It wasn’t a match that felt like some big showdown but it was a completely competent and even exciting at times match that took up some time. Sometimes, that’s one of the best things you can do.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Miyu Yamashita

Taya takes her down to start but it’s a clean break and a bow of respect. The sliding German suplex drops Yamashita and it’s a running hip attack/running knees in the corner for two. They go outside with Taya chopping her in a chair but a missed charge sends Taya reeling. Back in and a bunch of kicks to the back give Yamashita two and she sits Taya on top for the big kick to the head. Taya knocks her off the top though and they slug it out until Yamashita hits a German suplex. Another kick to the head gets two but the Skull Kick misses, allowing Taya to hit Road To Valhalla for the pin at 7:34.

Rating: C+. They didn’t have a ton of time here and went with the hard hitting, smash mouth style that these two can do. Taya has a great mixture of the fun charisma stuff to go along with the power game while Miyu Yamashita is more about kicking your head off. I liked this one and Yamashita continues to make a nice impression over the weekend.

Timothy Thatcher vs. Robert Martyr

This is described as Martyr’s final test, as he has been fighting various other people to try to prove himself. We get a display of respect to start until Thatcher takes over on the arm. Thatcher’s cross armbreaker is blocked so they go with the standing grappling instead. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Martyr two as Thatcher is getting even more serious than he was before.

Thatcher takes him down and knees him in the ribs but Martyr is back up with some hard forearms. A hard suplex sets up a quickly broken surfboard from Thatcher, who ties him in the ropes for a forearm to the chest. Martyr backdrops his way out of a guillotine but misses a top rope splash.

Thatcher slaps on the STF and Martyr has to go to the ropes to escape. Martyr’s falcon arrow gets two and a piledriver drops Thatcher again. Thatcher is done with this and grabs a sleeper, lets go and chops him down hard, then sleepers him again for the hard hitting win at 15:37.

Rating: B-. Thatcher isn’t going to be a top star in a major promotion but he is the kind of person who will always have a place on a roster because he knows how to do the submission and grappling stuff like few others. What matters is he makes it look realistic and his style is unique enough to stand out. Watching him do this stuff is cool and Martyr was there with him for most of the match for a nice rub.

Martyr gets some respect as he leaves.

Kevin Blackwood vs. Shigehiro Irie

This is another hoss fight with Irie taking over early. Blackwood gets knocked down and a sitdown splash gives Irie a fast two. Blackwood is right back up with a missile dropkick, setting up a kick to the back. That just makes Irie glare at him so Blackwood grabs a chinlock. Irie manages a suplex and sends him to the apron for a running body block to the floor.

A top rope splash gives Irie two back inside but Blackwood is fine enough to fire off chops in the corner. That’s not going to work for Irie, who comes back with a cannonball. Blackwood kicks him in the head though and they’re both down. Irie catches him on top though and it’s a super Samoan drop for two. Blackwood’s Tombstone only gets one but a top rope double stomp to the chest finishes Irie at 12:04.

Rating: B-. Solid stuff here again as Irie is another hard hitter who can do some rather violent things. At the same time, Blackwood was moving well enough to feel like an underdog who had to overcome the odds. It felt like a big win for Blackwood and that is how you boost someone up against a guest star.

What seems to be a company boss announces that this is the new So Cal home for Prestige Wrestling. Cool.

Aja Kong vs. Masha Slamovich

Slamovich forearms away to start and that just seems like a bad idea. Kong gives her a running shoulder and strikes Slamovich down without much trouble. They head outside where Kong hits her with a chair and throws Slamovich into a variety of things. Another chair to the back has Slamovich in more trouble, setting up a crossface back inside.

Slamovich manages a few kicks to the face for two but Kong blasts her with a running clothesline for two more. The spinning backfist sets up the hard suplex but Slamovich German suplexes her down. A Shining Wizard gives Slamovich two, only to have Kong run her over again. The spinning backfist finishes for Kong at 8:54.

Rating: C+. This was about getting Kong in the ring to knock someone silly with that backfist as she has done for years. A legend beating a young star isn’t a bad thing, especially on a show like this. Slamovich might have gotten in a bit more offense, but for what it was, they had a good one here.

Kong helps Slamovich up post match.

Time Splitters/Ultimo Dragon vs. Team Filthy

That would be Alex Shelley (the reigning Prestige Champion, having taken the title from Lawlor)/Kushida/Ultimo Dragon vs. Tom Lawlor/Royce Isaacs/Jorel Nelson. Royce starts with Kushida to start but says he wants Dragon, which is exactly what he gets. Dragon gets shoved into the corner early on and then loses a test of strength.

Somehow he flips out of it though and takes Royce down, only to be shoved away again. A running shoulder manages to drop Royce so it’s off to Kushida vs. Lawlor. They go to the mat with Kushida getting the better of things, allowing Kushida to bring Shelley in. That sends Lawlor SPRINTING across the ring to bring Nelson in but the Time Splitters clean house. All three good guys take turns twisting Nelson’s arm and a double suplex gets two.

Everything breaks down and Royce takes Shelley outside for a suplex….which he walks around the ring. That leaves Lawlor to take down his jean shorts to reveal jegging shorts but Royce misses a middle rope splash back inside. The hot tag brings in Dragon to clean house and Kushida adds a top rope chop to Royce’s head.

With some blood on his chest, Kushida has his Hoverboard Lock broken up and Team Filthy hits a sweet triple team sequence into an STF on Kushida. Everything breaks down and Dragon grabs a reverse Figure Four on Royce, which has to be broken up. The Time Splitters kick Royce down and Dragon grabs a rollup for the pin at 19:43.

Rating: B. Much like the previous match, this was about getting a legend in the ring but the match was better. They had the time to build things up and Dragon more than held up his end out there. Royce felt like a heck of a monster who can do a few things, while Lawlor and Nelson didn’t get to do much. Pretty awesome main event, with the good guys sending the fans home happy.

Post match Dragon leaves but Sami Callihan leads a Pro Wrestling Revolver invasion as we have a promotional war. The Prestige locker room runs out for the save and the challenge for the war is on.

Overall Rating: B-. This was a good show as Prestige does some more nice work. The wrestling was strong, they had a nice mixture of long and shorter matches, nothing was bad and I liked most of what I saw. All in all, you can tell there is a history here and they have put in the effort to make their stuff work. It’s one of the better non-one off shows of the weekend so check these people out if you get the chance.

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

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Strong
Date: May 7, 2022
Location: Fairmont Hotel, Dallas, Texas
Attendance: 582
Commentators: Matthew Rehwoldt, Kevin Kelly

So this is a regular episode of the New Japan Strong show which was taped following their Lonestar Shootout special in Dallas, Texas over Wrestlemania weekend. The show was not advertised as a Strong taping so it was kind of a surprise to see the event split in two. This is the more storyline based stuff so let’s get to it.

Note that I do not following Strong so I apologize for missing any plot points or character details.

I was in the building for this show, sitting directly across from the entrance.

Bullet Club vs. Stray Dog Army

That could be Chris Bey/Hikuleo vs. Barrett Brown/Bateman. Well in theory at least as Hikuleo isn’t in Bullet Club gear and seems to be having issues with the team. Brown and Bey start things off with a feeling out process until they go with the classic messing with each others’ hair. Bey holds up Too Sweet and gets a middle finger until Bey takes him down for a basement dropkick. A snap half and half suplex drops Bey and Bateman comes in for a heck of a chop.

Hikuleo tags himself in though and runs over the rather large Bateman, allowing Bey to get in a cheap shot on the floor. Back in and Bey elbows Bateman in the back for two, setting up Hikuleo’s legrop for the same. This lets commentary talk about how Hikuleo doesn’t seem to be overly rocking Bullet Club gear. Bey comes back in to work on a Fujiwara armbar before kicking at the chest….which just gets a glare from Bateman.

Hikuleo gets in a few more shots though, allowing Bey to grab a chinlock. Bateman finally fights up and makes the tag off to Brown, who kicks Bey in the face for two (with Hikuleo making no effort to break it up). Everything breaks down and Brown superkicks Hikuleo, who is back with a chokeslam for the pin at 12:18.

Rating: C+. The Bullet Club continues to look good every time he is in the ring and Hikuleo is a nice monster, Club loyalty issues aside. Other than that, Bateman is a weird enough looking big guy and Brown was passable in the time he was in the ring. Nice opener, with the Club winning to hopefully strengthen their bond a bit more. Maybe they need therapy?

Hikuleo walks away from a Too Sweet as we hear about Hikuleo’s family having issues, which may have been due to Jay White.

Jonah vs. Blake Christian

This was actually filmed last, which didn’t make a ton of sense. The much bigger Jonah takes Christian to the apron without much trouble before throwing him to the ground for a bonus. Christian avoids a charge in the corner though and kicks him in the ribs for a needed breather.

With Jonah on the floor, Christian tries a slingshot dive and gets pulled straight out of the air. Back in and Jonah whips him hard into the corner and we hit the waistlock. Christian fights up and hits a springboard tornado DDT, setting up a springboard 450 for two. Since it worked once, Christian tries another springboard but gets headbutted out of the air. The Tsunami finishes Christian at 6:52.

Rating: C. Jonah is one of those big guys who feels like he should be a major deal somewhere but is mainly stuck being the athletic monster. That Tsunami still looks awesome and if Jonah wants in WWE or AEW, he’ll be there as soon as possible. Christian is good as the smaller speed guy, but he was little more than a designated victim here.

Team Filthy vs. Alex Coughlin/Fred Rosser/DKC

That would be Tom Lawlor (Strong Openweight Champon)/JR Kratos/Royce Isaacs for Team Filthy, who wear tiny cowboy hats to the ring. You might remember Rosser better as Darren Young from WWE. Kratos jumps Coughlin on the floor and it’s a brawl just after the bell. DKC goes after the rather large Kratos to no effect until we settle down to Rosser hitting a Death Valley Driver on Isaacs.

That’s it for Rosser’s offense at the moment though as he gets taken into the corner for the stomping from Lawlor. Something like a seated abdominal stretch her Rosser in more trouble and Kratos hits a running splash in the corner. Kratos knocks DKC and Coughlin off the apron and we pause for some Filthy pelvic thrusting.

Rosser manages a backbreaker to plant Isaacs on the apron as everything breaks down again. DKC pounds away at Lawlor’s chest as Coughlin and Kratos have brawled to the back. That leaves DKC to take down Isaacs and Lawlor, the latter of whom is taken down by Rosser. Isaacs is back up with a super powerslam (cool) to finish DKC at 11:13.

Rating: C+. Oh yeah you could feel the storyline material here as they have a feud for the title going here and Rosser feels like a star. That is one of the bigger surprises that I’ve seen in wrestling in a good while as I wouldn’t have bet on Rosser turning himself into something that much more interesting. Well done, and the match worked too, especially with Kratos looking like a monster and Rosser feeling like a star.

Post match, Rosser says he is going to be the next challenger for Lawlor’s title, but Lawlor says no. Lawlor says he’s ready to prove that Rosser is the same non-star he was ten years ago. That being said, Lawlor will throw him a bone: if Rosser can beat Royce Isaacs and Jorel Nelson (Isaacs’ regular partner) at the same time, he can have a title shot. Rosser thinks about it to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. It isn’t a show I would want to watch on a regular basis but they have some good stuff here, including a focus on some wrestlers that you might not see otherwise. This felt a bit like New Japan’s minor league show with an American feeling and that worked. The matches were all at least ok and the show flew by, which makes for a pretty nice combination over just shy of an hour. Good show and I can see why it has fans.

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

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IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #106
Date: April 18, 2020
Location: Auditorio de Tijuana, Tijuana, Mexico
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, AJ Kirsch

We’re still in Mexico and that means both that the Super Series continues and that MLW is rapidly running out of canned television. They can’t have more than one or two shows left after this and after that, it could be a long time before we see them again. Last week was a good show though so maybe we can go out on a roll. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Alexander Hammerstone costing Mance Warner and Savio Vega a tag match last week.

Warner went through fire last week and broke a bunch of other things too. Now he wants Hammerstone and the National Openweight Title in the parking lot.

Opening sequence.

Douglas James is ready to show Averno what he is because he loves contact and will never say die.

Douglas James vs. Averno

They take their time to start before going to the grappling for an early standoff. James pulls him into a choke but Averno is straight over to the rope. A dropkick puts Averno on the floor but he trips James down and onto the apron. James gets sent hard into the barricade and then face first into the apron to make it worse.

Back in and a buckle bomb rocks James for two but he wins a chop off. A hurricanrana sends Averno to the floor for a suicide dive, followed by a Meteora back inside. That’s good for one of the slowest counts I’ve seen in a long time so Averno BLASTS James with a forearm…..and that’s a knockout win for Averno at 6:20.

Rating: C. They were hitting each other pretty hard here until the end, which involved hitting someone even harder than usual. Averno seems like a pretty big star and winning via knockout is always something that can make someone look good. Nice back and forth brawl here with a surprising finish.

AAA – 2

MLW – 1

We look at Injustice attacking Brian Pillman Jr. three weeks ago.

Davey Boy Smith Jr. wishes Alicia Atout a happy birthday and is ready to face Team Filthy. As for Brian Pillman Jr., he’s banged up but cleared for Tijuana.

Injustice can’t wait to become the new AAA Trios Champions. They’re not worried about Pillman being healthy either, because he has to be paying off the doctors to clear him. Jordan Oliver continues to grow on me week after week.

Video on Vikingo, a crazy talented high flier.

The Dynasty snuck across the border and hid from locals. Richard Holliday will be defending the Caribbean Title against some yokel named Chessman. And no, Hammerstone does NOT know anything about going to a pharmacy.

Dan Lambert and Low Ki got in an argument on Busted Open Radio.

Here’s the Top Ten:

10. Dominic Garrini

9. Low Ki

8. Richard Holliday

7. Mance Warner

6. King Mo

5. Tom Lawlor

4. Brian Pillman Jr.

3. Myron Reed

2. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

1. Alexander Hammerstone

Pagano wants Jacob Fatu and the World Title.

Alexander Hammerstone hits on Alicia Atout, offering her a couples tanning session. Mance Warner runs in and jumps him.

Post break the brawl continues but we lose the camera feed in a hurry.

Here’s who else will be involved in the Super Series.

Video on Team Filthy.

Team Filthy wants the Tag Team Titles and start on the road tonight. They don’t like the Von Erichs chilling in Hawaii while the two of them are here working.

Update on Warner and Hammerstone: there is no update. As luck would have it though, they brawl out of a room as the update (there is no update) is announced.

Team Filthy vs. Puma King/Xtreme Tiger

It’s Dominic Garrini/Tom Lawler and yes the Tiger King jokes abound. We get a glitch in the video as Tiger is shown in the ring, followed by his entrance. Lawlor strikes away at Tiger to start but gets taken down. That’s fine with Lawlor, who tells him to bring it on. Another takedown lets Tiger talk trash and a kick to the face drops Lawlor again. Lawlor isn’t happy with the fans yelling at him so it’s off to Garrini instead. Puma comes in as well to work on a wristlock but Garrini runs him over.

That just earns him a powerslam and a backsplash from King as the fans start making a lot more noise. Lawlor gets in a cheap shot from the apron though and it’s a suplex to put King down. The villains take turns beating on King in the corner but a quick roll allows the hot tag to Tiger so house can be cleaned. A top rope legdrop between the legs (that’s a new one) hits Lawlor and King grabs the Rings of Saturn on Garrini.

Lawlor is in with a cross armbreaker on Puma at the same time but Tiger keylocks Lawlor at the same time too. That’s all broken up so Garrini chokes King until Tiger makes the save. Tiger is fine enough to escape a beatdown and hurricanrana Garrini to the floor. Something like a reverse Koji Clutch has Lawlor in trouble until Garrini makes a save of his own. Lawlor is back up with a Superman Punch into another choke from Garrini.

King makes another save (get the complete set) and superkicks Lawlor, followed by the springboard dive onto Garrini. La Majistral gets two on Garrini but Lawlor is back in for a forearm to King’s head. Something close to Chasing the Dragon plants King with Tiger making yet another save. Lawlor has finally had enough and chokes Tiger out at 11:14, with the referee taking FOREVER to call for the bell, despite Tiger tapping.

Rating: B-. They might have had one too many saves here but it was the right way to go with Team Filthy starting their paths to the Tag Team Title match. Lawlor is one of the most successful stars the company has ever had so him going after any title is a good idea. Not a bad match either, with King and Tiger both looking good.

AAA – 2

MLW – 2

We go to the back for Alicia’s birthday party but Warner and Hammerstone fight in. Hammerstone goes into the cake to end the show, because classics never die.

Overall Rating: C+. The wrestling was good enough and they advanced the main feud at the moment, though the promotion vs. promotion stuff can only go so far. They’re coming up on the bigger names though and at least we got some solid action on the way to those matches. Good enough show here and hopefully that can continue.

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

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

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

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IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #102
Date: March 21, 2020
Location: 2300 Arena, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: AJ Kirsch, Rich Bocchini

I’m not sure what is left from this show, but there assuming they taped their event in Mexico, they might have another four weeks left after this one. We’ll get to that later though as this one is all about fallout from last week. Therefore, it’s time for an eight man tag with Team Filthy vs. Davey Boy Smith Jr./the Von Erichs/Killer Kross, which could be a big deal. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at last week’s brawl which set up the eight man tag.

Mance Warner has been attacked by the Dynasty and therefore, Maxwell Jacob Friedman is banned from the building. Warner will be in the corner of Richard Holliday’s mystery opponent though.

El Lindaman vs. Zenshi

Feeling out process to start with the stronger Lindaman going for a waistlock, only to get rolled up for two. They spin up to a standoff and Lindaman slaps the hand but spins around into a discus forearm to rock Zenshi. That earns Lindaman a face first flip onto the mat and Zenshi hits a standing moonsault to the back for two. Zenshi dives to the floor, only to have Lindaman nail his own running flip dive.

After Lindaman poses on the stage a bit, he drives Zenshi back first into the apron. Back in and it’s time to work on Zenshi’s bad shoulder, with a Fujiwara armbar sending him over to the rope. A legdrop to the arm sends Zenshi to the apron, where he uses the good arm for a handstand into a kick to Lindaman’s head. Zenshi grabs a good looking slingshot neckbreaker but has to fight out of another armbreaker attempt.

A northern lights suplex sends Zenshi into the corner and a German suplex rocks him again. That’s fine with Zenshi, who hits a Pele for the double knockdown. The strike off goes to the stronger Lindaman until Zenshi starts the flips. A jumping kick to the head looks to set up a running cutter, which is countered into something like a Blue Thunder Bomb. Lindaman tiger suplexes him for the pin at 8:14.

Rating: C+. This is one of the places where MLW is at its best: taking two talented wrestlers who have never had the real chance to shine on their own (Zenshi has to a bit but only in spurts) and letting them have a nice TV match. Lindaman used technique and power to beat the high flier and that’s one of the easiest stories to tell. If you have people who can do the work, the match will follow and that’s what happened here.

Smith and company are ready to win because they have friends. Kross’ eyes are creepy as usual.

Mance Warner won’t say who his mystery man is.

Richard Holliday thinks the opponent could be Mance’s garbage truck driver or Kwang.

Contra Unit is ready to embark on a mission and prepare for the upcoming war. They still have soldiers hidden among us.

Pagano is still coming.

Holliday says he shouldn’t be in this match because Warner was too drunk to pick an opponent.

Injustice attacked Brian Pillman Jr. when he was with some fans. Davey Boy Smith Jr. made the save.

Richard Holliday vs. ???

Warner comes out and introduces…..Blue Meanie as the ECW name de jour. Dancing ensues as Warner sits in on commentary. Holliday even tries the dancing as there is no contact in the first minute. The fans don’t like the idea of Holliday dancing so they dance together until Holliday jumps him from behind over two minutes in. A clothesline drops Meanie so Holliday can dance again, only to have Meanie duck a clothesline. Some right hands get two but Holliday elbows him in the back of the head for two. Holliday heads outside to yell at Warner and have a beer, but Warner spits his in Holliday’s face, drawing the countout at 5:23.

Rating: D. Now this is the kind of harmless match I can tolerate. Meanie didn’t do anything to make him look close to Holliday’s level and Holliday lost because he did something stupid. This isn’t going to do any real damage and furthers Holliday vs. Warner. This was perfectly fine booking if you just had to have the ECW guy in there.

Injustice doesn’t seem to like AAA or Brian Pillman Jr.

Top Ten:

10. King Mo

9. Low Ki

8. Mance Warner

7. Maxwell Jacob Friedman

6. Richard Holliday

5. Brian Pillman Jr.

4. Tom Lawlor

3. Davey Boy Smith Jr.

2. Myron Reed

1. Alexander Hammerstone

Low Ki is ready to fight King Mo whenever he’s ready. Low Ki: “Mo, you look a little bit punch drunk. When I’m done with you, you’ll be kick s*** faced.”

Mo hasn’t seen Low Ki knock anyone out because he’s a low key fraud. They fight next week.

And now, I kid you not, cooking with LA Park and Hijo de LA Park. Seriously they make sausage and eggs while talking about how great they are and promise to win matches. It turns into a metaphor for what people will need to beat them. Park eventually quits because he has no salt. This goes on for nearly five minutes.

Warner has challenged MJF to an Empty Arena Loser Leaves MLW match.

Team Filthy vs. Von Erichs/Davey Boy Smith Jr./Killer Kross

Team Filthy is Tom Lawlor, Erick Stevens, Dominic Garrini and Rip Von Erich. Hold on though as Lawlor has to insult Philadelphia and its fans before we can get going. The fans tell him to shut the f*** up so Lawlor tells them there are kids in the crowd….and screw this place. It’s a big brawl around the ring to start until Lawlor and Ross wind up inside to officially get things going. A Sling Blade gets Ross out of trouble and it’s a running boot to the face in the corner to rock Lawlor again.

Lawlor takes Ross down though and the beating is on in a hurry. Stevens comes in and gets suplexed into Ross in the corner so Rip can kick him in the back. An enziguri allows the hot tag to Kross though and suplexes abound. A spinwheel kick drops Kross, who pops right back up to glare at Lawlor. Everything breaks down and Rip hits Smith low before grabbing a chair. Marshall cuts him off with the Claw though and it’s the claw slam into the moonsault for the pin at 7:49.

Rating: C. Just a match for the most part here and that’s all it needed to be. Rip is out there for the sake of taking the fall and there is nothing wrong with that. Don’t make this more complicated than it needs to be, especially given all of the people involved here. Smith vs. Lawlor could be a good brawl down the road, and there are other options in there on top of it. They didn’t burn those off here either and that’s a good sign.

Post match Kross says we’re not done and grabs a board. As that is set up in the corner, Stevens and Garrini beat up Ross outside. That’s not important though as Rip is powerbombed through the board to…..set up one more brawl into the back. King Mo breaks a board over Kross’ back, siding with Team Filthy to end the show. That’s an interesting twist.

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this show well enough as the booking made sense throughout, even if the wrestling itself wasn’t all that great. I’d assume that they have some matches taped from Mexico and that could keep them going for a few weeks, even though those shows tend to be in their own universe instead of following the major stories. Good stuff this week though, and hopefully they continue in the future.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #19
Date: August 24, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schaivone

We should be running out of matches from the New York tapings but tonight we’ve got something big. This week it’s Fenix and Pentagon Jr. defending the Tag Team Titles against ACH and Rich Swann. That should be a heck of a match, even though Swann and ACH lost to the Hart Foundation last week. Let’s get to it.

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

We recap last week’s Dojo Fight with Tom Lawlor defeating Parrow but having to save his trainer Seth Petruzelli.

Lawlor swears vengeance. Tonight the Dirty Blonds face Team Filthy and next week, Lawlor will send Colonel Parker’s stud Jake Hager to the glue factory.

Opening sequence.

The Stud Stable is really not happy with Parrow. Colonel Parker is proud of the rest of his team though. Hager is ready for Lawlor next week.

Dirty Blonds vs. Team Filthy

That would be Fred Yehi/Simon Gotch for the ones in need of bathing. Yehi starts with Patrick and knocks him around with little to no effort. It’s off to Brien, who gets kicked into a good looking belly to back suplex as the early control continues. A neck snap across the top rope puts Gotch down though and it’s Scott coming in to hammer him upside the head. Yehi gets suckered in so a double suplex can drop Gotch. The referee is yelling at Brien so Lawlor hits Patrick in the back with a chair, which he throws to Parrow. Gotch grabs a small package for the pin at 3:07.

Rating: D. Nothing to the match due to the time, but it does keep the feud going. That being said, I’m not sure why the feud is continuing. I don’t remember the Stable winning a single match in the story yet, which makes me wonder why it’s still going. At least the better team is winning, though it’s not like the Stable is horrible or getting squashed.

ACH and Rich Swann complain about the heat but they’re ready to be Tag Team Champions.

Tommy Dreamer is ready for WarGames and goes over the history of some of his career in Florida. WarGames has been around before the Elimination Chamber or Hell in a Cell and you lay it all on the line out there. He’s ready for Sami Callihan, who has done everything imaginable to him before. Dreamer’s idol Dusty Rhodes (who invented WarGames) is going to have the best seat in the house when Dreamer becomes the Innovator of Violence in his first WarGames. Good stuff.

Matt Striker goes over the rules of WarGames and plugs the rest of the card. I’m looking forward to that show.

Ricky Martinez vs. ???

Martinez is Salina de la Renta’s (sweet goodness this week) newest client. The unnamed jobber bows to Martinez to start but has his kick to the head shrugged off. A backbreaker sets up a belly to back faceplant to give Martinez the pin at 1:01. It was a little sloppy, but that’s how you make someone look like a star.

Video on Low Ki vs. John Hennigan from last week.

Low Ki says he told us so and he’s accepting challengers from anywhere, including a Club or from the Underground.

Clip of Team Strickland getting jumped last week.

Sami Callihan doesn’t care about Dreamer being on the team because he’s ready to do whatever it takes.

Abyss promises to bring the violence to WarGames. That’s why you bring him in.

We look back at the opening match.

Lawlor wants his World Title match but can only see the Stud Stable. He wants Hager next week and the match has been set.

Salina, now in a different outfit, has no comment on the lawsuit from Fenix and Pentagon Jr. Low Ki is going to make short work of Fenix because no one is going to cut his plans short. The interviewer being intimidated by Salina continues to be a good little story.

Tag Team Titles: ACH/Rich Swann vs. Lucha Bros

Fenix and Pentagon are defending. Pentagon and Fenix handle their own introductions because luchadors introduce luchadors. The champs get knocked to the floor to the start and Swann declares himself the best in the world. He and ACH take their time getting ready to dive though and Fenix rolls back in for a double cutter. A powerbomb/top rope double stomp DESTROYS Swann for two as a suicide dive sends ACH into a bunch of chairs in the crowd.

Back in and Swann’s chest is ripped apart by some chops, followed by a running kick to the leg. Fenix puts on the chinlock to keep Swann in trouble as the announcers debate whether Konnan made up all the issues with Salina to steal her talent. ACH comes in and gets kicked in the leg again, followed by the big chop against the ropes. A springboard headbutt (looked like it was going to be a springboard hurricanrana but Fenix pulled up) rocks ACH instead but he’s right back with a sliding kick to Fenix’s head.

ACH slingshots down onto Pentagon and a Rock Bottom backbreaker into a snap German suplex gets two on Fenix. The champs are right back up though as Swann gets on the apron to see ACH send them into each other. Swann comes in with a hurricanrana to Fenix and a superkick to Pentagon. Fenix gets caught on top and Swann hurricanranas him onto Pentagon for two as it’s time to get fired up.

Stereo tiger bombs get two on the Bros but Pentagon is back up with a Sling Blade. The Codebreaker into the top rope double stomp has Swann down and ACH gets superkicked out of the air. ACH is fine enough to send the champs together and fireman’s carry them both at a time. Fenix slips off so ACH throws Pentagon onto him before collapsing. Swann and Pentagon set up the big showdown and slug it out but the Pentagon Driver (good one) is only good for two.

Somehow Fenix is back up and rolls into a cutter for two on ACH, only to have Swann hit a quick middle rope 450 for the same. Everyone is spent so they shout a lot and chop around in a circle until everyone is down again. Fenix and ACH forearm it out and Swann knocks Pentagon down with one shot. Stereo handspring cutters from ACH and Fenix both miss and it’s another group knockdown. ACH gets caught on top but he catches Fenix on top just as quickly. Swann goes after him and gets sunset bombed back down. ACH is knocked outside and it’s the spike Fear Factor to retain the titles at 16:18.

Rating: B+. This was all about four guys beating each other up and doing a bunch of flips and kicks in the process. That’s all it needed to be too and I had a blast watching them do these painful looking things to each other. There was no logical way to put the titles on Swann and ACH after last week’s loss but egads they made it a fun match on the way. Really good stuff here and a ton of fun.

Quick video on LA Park, who will face Pentagon at WarGames.

Overall Rating: C+. The rest of the show wasn’t great but the main event eats up about a third of the time and that’s all awesome stuff. Other than that though, things are looking up towards WarGames and I’m actually looking forward to the show. Just keep things going strong as we get closer to the big show and build it up well, which is all you can hope for with a wrestling show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #18
Date: August 17, 2018
Location: Melrose Ballroom, New York City, New York
Commentators: Tony Schiavone, Matt Striker

We’re still in New York and that means we have a big time World Title match as Low Ki defends against John Hennigan (or whatever they’re calling him this week). While I doubt they’ll change the title again so soon, it should be an entertaining match, which is almost always the case when Hennigan is involved. Let’s get to it.

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

In Memory Of Jim Neidhart.

We recap Hennigan beating Teddy Hart to earn the title shot in a rather flippy do match.

Before the show, the Hart Foundation got in ACH and Rich Swann’s faces before their match later. Brian Pillman Jr. is already nailing his dad’s mannerisms.

Rich Swann/ACH vs. Hart Foundation

That would be Teddy Hart and Davey Boy Smith Jr. with Pillman in their corner. Before the match, we get the Canadian national anthem. Striker: “Tony why are you taking a knee?” Tony: “Well I did play high school football.” Teddy shakes ACH’s hand but won’t look him in the eye for a show of disrespect. Smith shoves the much smaller ACH down with ease and Smith strikes a quick pose. ACH’s chop just hurts his own hand but a dropkick to the leg makes some more sense.

Smith calmly runs him over and it’s off to Hart vs. Swann. Teddy easily takes him down into the Rings of Saturn, though they don’t last long. Instead Swann nips out of a wristlock, leaving Hart to climb the corner and bounce around into a wristdrag. Back up and Hart snaps off a powerslam for two, drawing a chant for Teddy. Hart jumps over him in the corner, lands on Swann’s back, and snaps off a Code Red.

ACH makes a save so everything breaks down with Smith throwing them both to the floor as we take a break. Back with ACH hitting Hart with a Pele and a frog splash but Smith makes the save. The cocky ACH puts on the Sharpshooter with Smith making another save, albeit an angrier one this time. Swann goes up but Pillman hits him low with a cane shot, allowing Hart to hit an electric chair Backstabber for the pin at 10:14.

Rating: C+. I like ACH and Swann but there was no question about pushing the Harts here. It makes far more sense as they have a big family name, work well together, and can get some attention on your product. Smith is a force and could be a big deal if he’s pushed properly, which somehow hasn’t happened anywhere yet.

We get a WarGames Control Center (SWEET) with an explanation of the match’s rules, which seem to be the original version (SWEET AGAIN). In addition to the show’s namesake match, there will be a World Title match plus PCO vs. Brody King. The tickets are only $10, which is actually a steal.

Shane Strickland (in an Austin Theory shirt) is ready to announce the newest member of his WarGames team but first he has to give John Hennigan a scouting report on Low Ki. Strickland’s advice: don’t let him kick you in the head. The team isn’t worried about Team Callihan adding Abyss, but here is Team Callihan to jump them from behind. Tommy Dreamer makes the save and is officially part of Team Strickland.

Hennigan is banged up before his title shot tonight.

Konnan is very pleased with Fenix and Pentagon Jr. leaving Salina de la Renta and joining him because they’re like scarecrows: they’re outstanding in their field. Ok that was actually kind of clever. Fenix and Pentagon seem very pleased with their decision.

Tom Lawlor is training at his dojo with Seth Petruzelli when the Stud Stable comes in for the Dojo Fight. They’ve got a referee with them (they come prepared) and Jake Hager talks trash, but it’s going to be Parrow fighting for the Stable instead. Lawlor throws some rights and lefts to start before driving Parrow against the cage. Parrow gets him on the ground and swings Lawlor into the cage to break up an armbar. Back up and Lawlor uses a pipe in the ceiling to hit a hurricanrana (giving me flashbacks to the Dungeon matches back in the WWF) before slapping on a Kimura for the tap.

Not a match, but an MMA guy beating a wrestler in an MMA fight isn’t the most shocking thing in the world. I’ll certainly give them big points for doing something different though, as having the same matches over and over again is rarely a good idea. This worked well enough. Post fight, Lawlor refuses to let go of the hold until he sees Petruzelli down and goes over for the save.

Salina intimidates the interviewer and Low Ki isn’t scared about having to defend against Hennigan tonight. Ki is looking forward to Hennigan’s challenge and promises to make him a sacrificial lamb. Hennigan needs to go back underground because the impact of tonight is going to be brutal.

We get a tale of the tape for the title match. Always appreciated.

MLW World Title: John Hennigan vs. Low Ki

Hennigan is challenging and has bad ribs from earlier. Thankfully Ki is in regular gear instead of the suit. Feeling out process to start as Tony gives us some history of Black Friday Management (thank you, as it was treated like something we should know despite being from the original incarnation of MLW). Hennigan drives him into the corner but gets pulled into an armbar over the ropes.

That’s broken up in a hurry so they go to the mat for a grappling session. Hennigan works on the leg as Striker mentions that Hennigan will be in WarGames. Makes sense given the segment earlier. Ki steals Hennigan’s bandanna and you know that makes things more serious. They separate again as we’re still waiting for this to really take off. A test of strength takes Hennigan down and Ki actually breaks his bridge a few times. You don’t often see that.

They grapple some more with Ki grabbing a guillotine choke, sending Hennigan straight to the ropes. We get a rare smile from Ki and it’s a lot more intimidating than I was expecting. Hennigan knees him into the corner but a springboard is broken up and the big crash to the floor has Hennigan in trouble. Ki walks him around the ring while adding in some chops and it’s off to a triangle headscissors back inside.

A gutwrench keeps Hennigan in trouble as Salina continues her evil stare. Hennigan can’t get him up for a suplex so Ki grabs an abdominal stretch to keep things logical. The hold is broken and Hennigan goes with right hands to the head in the corner, which is probably a smart move as grappling hasn’t been his strong suit so far. The sliding German suplex drops Ki, with Tony saying he’s never seen it before, even though Hennigan used it last week.

Rating: B-. This is actually a tricky one as they went in a completely different direction than you would have expected. I’m not sure if it worked nearly as well as they were expecting, but it was certainly different. As long as it’s not a disaster, which this wasn’t, I can give them credit for trying to do something new. I’d have preferred to see their usual stuff, but what they did was more than fine and it was a good match as a result.

Next week: Team Filthy vs. the Dirty Blonds and ACH/Rich Swann vs. Fenix/Pentagon Jr. for the Tag Team Titles.

Overall Rating: C+. They did things differently almost all the way up and down the card here and that’s a good sign. You can’t just keep doing the same stuff over and over again because things are going to get stale. There’s nothing wrong with having a signature style, but you have to mix things up often enough to let that style work better in the long term. That’s what they did here and it helped a lot. I’m also liking the build towards WarGames better than what they did for Battle Riot, so things are starting to come together on the more long term aspects of the show.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2003 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/07/23/new-book-kbs-complete-2003-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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

IMG Credit: Major League Wrestling

Fusion #12
Date: July 6, 2018
Location: Gilt Nightclub, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Rich Bocchini, Tony Schiavone

We’re getting closer to Battle Riot, but it’s not exactly clear how that’s going to go with this promotion. I mean, the fact that we’re only about three months into things might have something to do with that. There are several stories to pick from around here so hopefully things continue to be the solid hour of wrestling that I’ve gotten used to. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at Sami Callihan and company attacking everyone, mainly focusing on MVP. Tonight it’s a Boiler Room Brawl between MVP and Callihan. That sounds like a really, really bad idea.

Opening sequence.

ACH/Rich Swann vs. Team Filthy

The fans are WAY behind Swann and ACH here, which makes sense as they’re a rather good choice for a team. Swann nips out of Gotch’s wristlock to start as ACH is dancing along the apron like a bit of a nitwit. A dropkick puts Gotch down as Tony thinks Swann and ACH are one of the top ten teams in MLW. I’m having trouble thinking of five of them so we’ll chalk this up to Schiavone being Schiavone. Lawlor comes in and knees his way out of an armbar as the announcers start talking about 80s tag teams, none of whom really have anything in common with the teams in the match.

Lawlor sits in the middle of the ring and offers ACH a chance so it’s a dropkick to the face for two. It’s off to Swann for some dropkicks on Gotch, who pulls him down by the arm for an attempted cross armbreaker. That’s blocked as well but here are the Dirty Blonds for a staredown with Team Filthy. Swann and ACH dive onto the four of them but since we don’t have enough going on, here’s Jake Hager to throw Lawlor into the barricade. Back in and ACH’s brainbuster into a frog splash from Swann is enough for the pin on Gotch at 7:14.

Rating: C. Now that’s a bit better job at setting up a tag division. You have three teams here, plus the champs and another one or two, which gives you a few options for feuds. That’s already more impressive and well put together than almost anything WWE has done in years. When you consider the amount of names WWE has by comparison, there isn’t much of an excuse.

Salina de la Renta arrived earlier today, insulted an interviewer, and wouldn’t talk about the bounty.

Colonel Parker and Hager aren’t happy with what Lawlor did to his hat. Revenge is sworn.

Announced for Battle Riot: Aerostar, Maxwell J. Friedman, Leo Brien, Michael Patrick, Rey Fenix, Vandal Ortagun, Simon Gotch, Drago. That’s going to be a heck of a match. Also announced: Shane Strickland vs. Sami Callihan, the Lucha Bros defending against Aerostar/Drago, Jimmy Havoc vs. Brody King and PCO (Why is he such a big deal all of a sudden?) vs. Homicide.

Salina isn’t happy with Sammy Guevara and fired him from her hot tub.

Next week: Hager vs. Lawlor.

Lawlor says he’ll win.

Low Ki vs. Ricky Martinez

Low Ki runs him over at the bell and throws some right hands, already making this a more diverse offense than most of his matches. Some elbows in the corner rock Martinez even more as the announcers talk about Salina. A running dropkick sets up a kick to the head to give Ki the pin at 2:29. Total squash, as it should be.

In the back, Low Ki says it’s not about a bounty but about an investment. Strickland needs to spend time with his family before the public execution.

Barrington Hughes wants Leon Scott (one of Callihan’s goons) for the brawl a few weeks back.

Here’s this month’s top ten:

10. Barrington Hughes

9. Teddy Hart

8. Jimmy Havoc

7. Maxwell J. Friedman

6. ACH

5. Rey Fenix

4. Sami Callihan

3. Low Ki

2. Pentagon Jr.

1. Tom Lawlor

Strickland isn’t worried about the bounty because being the World Champion always means there’s a price on your head. Everyone has attacked him and if Low Ki is the next one up, bring it on.

MVP vs. Sami Callihan

Boiler Room Brawl. The room is tiny and Sami looks scared but since there is barely any room to hide, they’re off to the eye gouging in a hurry. Sami gets a cage door slammed on him a few times with Bocchini saying it’s shades of the Freebirds and the Von Erichs. I’ll yell about that later. They hit each other with more metal objects and Sami leaves, defeating the purpose of a Boiler Room Brawl.

MVP follows him into the hallway but Leon Scott jumps him, only to be taken down in short order. Cue Sawyer Fulton to offer another failed save as MVP kicks Callihan low. Sami hits him with a chair but gets hit in the face as this is already not doing much for me. They’re already in the arena because there was nowhere near enough room in the Boiler Room to make the gimmick mean anything. The fight heads into the crowd with MVP being sent into a post for very little effect.

Sami gets hit in the head with a beer bottle to even less effect. He sends MVP into various things, including the ring, but stops to throw some chairs inside. A piledriver onto the chair is blocked and MVP hits the Playmaker onto the chair, which really should just hurt his own knee instead of Callihan.

Since that’s the worst finisher I can think of at the moment, Callihan pops up and sends the chair into MVP’s hands (not even close to the head) for two of his own. It’s baseball bat time but MVP spears him down and grabs the bat. Cue the goons again and the distraction lets Callihan take the bat away again. The shoulder breaker gets two so MVP spits in his face, earning a bat to the head for the pin at 11:32.

Rating: F. It was somehow worse than I was expecting as they hit each other over and over with the boiler room part taking all of four minutes. This feud isn’t interesting and hasn’t been since it started, which isn’t exactly thrilling when you get a boring match as a result. Tony kept hyping up the idea of this being the first Boiler Room Brawl in about twenty years. Maybe there’s a reason it wasn’t around?

Overall Rating: D. If Low Ki is the best part of a show, you know they’re not doing things right. This was pretty easily the weakest show of the series, all because of the main event. Battle Riot is looking better though because of how stacked the card really is. Everyone has to have a bad show and MVP leaving soon is going to help. I was never a fan of the guy and it makes things better to not have him around. Really bad main event here and the show suffered as a result.

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

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

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

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