IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 14, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

It’s another big night this week with a double main event. First up we have Moose vs. Eli Drake in a #1 contenders match with the winner getting a World Title shot against Austin Aries at Slammiversary. Other than that we have Brian Cage challenging X-Division Champion Matt Sydal, which sounds like a way for Impact to find a way out of giving Cage the title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at both matches, which is really all that matters on this show.

Opening sequence.

Grado comes out for a match but here’s Eddie Edwards to jump him with a kendo stick. Eddie rants about losing his chance to kill Sami Callihan last week and blames Tommy Dreamer, who he promises to expose. Cue Dreamer, who is somehow being featured again on a show in 2018. Dreamer says things have changed since his time but Eddie asks if Dreamer would change anything he ever did.

That earns an admission that Tommy is a hypocrite but he tells Eddie to leave it alone. Eddie says he hasn’t talked to his wife in a week and Dreamer says he knows. As you might expect, Eddie isn’t happy that Dreamer is talking to his wife and violence almost breaks out. Tommy shoves him down and gets caned in the head, because we’re probably getting Eddie vs. Dreamer at Slammiversary for some reason. Eddie beats on Dreamer even more before leaving without looking sorry.

Post break Dreamer is livid and leaves, saying he’s done around here.

The announcers preview the rest of the night.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Rebel

More kicks have Rebel in trouble and Taya mocks the LET’S GO REBEL chants. Rebel avoids a charge in the corner and scores with some forearms but a running knee to the face doesn’t warrant a cover. A middle rope moonsault misses and Taya spears her down, setting up the Road To Valhalla for the pin at 5:42.

Rating: D. Just a squash here with Rebel not exactly being the toughest of competition. Taya is kind of being left out in the cold at this point with Yung running the division and Allie being the only real challenger around, unless they actually try to trot Madison Rayne out there again. I mean, it would be a long stretch so you can probably pencil it in at this point.

Post match Taya calls out Madison Rayne for next week. So yeah, they really are going with Madison as the next #1 contender. Sure why not.

The classic clip of the week: the Unbreakable triple threat. I’ve heard of worse ideas.

Sydal says he isn’t worried about Cage because the muscles are just hiding inner weakness.

Callihan says last week was a win because Eddie is about to lose everything.

Cult of Lee vs. KM/Fallah Bahh

The huge Bahh rubs his stomach and shoves Lee down so it’s off to Konley instead. KM comes in to break up some double teaming and they crush the Cult against each other. Bahh and KM roll over the two of them on the mat but Bahh hits him by mistake, allowing the Cult to dropkick Bahh down. A rollup gives Lee the pin on KM at 3:25.

Rating: D-. So we have a comedy team breaking up before they’ve had any kind of success whatsoever. Well that’s good actually as the team was one of the worst and least funny that I’ve seen in a very long time. I don’t get the appeal of Bahh and I don’t get why KM isn’t working in a mouse trap factory somewhere. At least they didn’t get a title chase or anything.

Post match KM shoves Bahh down and says he’s done.

Video on Moose vs. Drake.

King has gotten LAX a Tag Team Title match next week. Diamante still isn’t convinced and doesn’t join in on the celebration. She leaves with LAX and King sits down, saying that the world is his.

From Philadelphia in the ECW Arena.

Moose vs. Eli Drake

No entrances or special hype as the match just starts with Drake jumping Moose from behind. They head outside where Moose whips Drake into the barricade but misses a charge. Drake gets in a not great looking Death Valley Driver onto the apron but gets chopped rather hard back inside.

A basement corner dropkick has Drake in more trouble and the chokebomb out of the corner gives Moose two. Drake powerbombs him for two and scores with Blunt Force Trauma. Thank goodness he got a better finisher than that weak looking thing. Moose (with Josh saying he has a stupid name) misses a charge into the post but still slips out of the Gravy Train. A spear gives Moose the title shot at 8:48.

Rating: C-. Why do I have a feeling that the lack of entrances or introductions is because this was just a regular match at a house show that they slapped a stipulation on to make things easier? This was just a regular match and there was hardly any urgency or drama, though Moose winning is an interesting idea. I doubt he wins the title, but it wouldn’t completely stun me.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Kiera Hogan

No DQ. Kiera wastes no time in pulling her to the floor and ramming Tessa face first into the apron over and over. Back in and a right hand puts Tessa on the floor again, followed by a baseball slide into a hurricanrana. Tessa gets in a flapjack on the ramp though and a dropkick to the back gets two inside.

We hit an abdominal stretch for a few moments but Kiera is right back out with some forearms. That just earns her a beating and Tessa grabs a chair. A hammerlock DDT gives Tessa two and she’s so annoyed at the speed of the count that the referee gets shoved down. Kiera gets in a chair shot and a low superkick for two but Tessa grabs a half nelson and spins Hogan face first into the chair for the pin at 8:07.

Rating: D+. I like both of them but this wasn’t much to see. Tessa getting the win and getting to be aggressive are a good thing but it’s nothing all that great, especially after Yung and Allie have been showing better aggression as of late. I do however like the multiple stories in the Knockouts division and pushing Tessa is a good idea.

Video on the X attacker.

The announcers accuse Petey Williams but Callis wants to let the investigation takes its course.

El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Jake Crist

Jake stomps away in the corner and grabs a dragon sleeper to keep Fantasma in trouble. With that going nowhere, Jake goes with a choke in the corner until Fantasma grabs a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. A rollup gives Fantasma the pin at 3:20.

Rating: D. Another match that didn’t have time to go anywhere here and wasn’t exactly interesting in the first place. I remember being really into OVE when they debuted and were just doing cool moves but now they’re just heels who shout a lot and call it being villains. Fantasma isn’t much better but he’s a little bit ahead of either Crist.

Post match Dave Crist and Callihan come in to beat Fantasma down. They go for the mask and here’s Pentagon Jr. for the save. That’s kind of interesting.

X-Division Title: Matt Sydal vs. Brian Cage

Cage is challenging. Sydal circles him to start and chants a lot. There’s no contact in the first minute but things pick up in a hurry with Cage grabbing him by the head and lifting him up for a fall away slam, albeit after some human sized curls. Some corner clotheslines rock Sydal but here are Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong.

The distraction lets Sydal knee Cage in the face and choke with his leg. Cage catches a boot though and grabs a capture suplex, followed by a superplex for two. The discus lariat misses so Cage settles for a buckle bomb. Sydal goes to the floor and Cage throws him back in, only to be sent into the steps by Kong to give Sydal the countout win at 6:04.

Rating: D. Well that wasn’t exactly surprising. Unfortunately it also wasn’t exactly good, engaging, entertaining or a match that managed to keep Kongo Kong off my TV. I’m not exactly thrilled by Kong vs. Cage, but I’m not exactly thrilled by much of anything involving Kong. Cage could win the title later, but I’d expect him to be more towards the World Title scene than anything else.

Overall Rating: D. Bleh indeed. This was a bunch of short matches, none of which were very good, and a lot of angle advancement which isn’t the most thrilling in the world. I really don’t need Dreamer and Kong being pushed into pay per view feuds but some of the other stuff does get my attention. Aries vs. Moose should be fun and the Knockouts division could be interesting, though they need another big time face in there. While not horrible, it certainly wasn’t good and nothing on it was particularly required viewing.

Results

Taya Valkyrie b. Rebel – Road To Valhalla

Cult of Lee b. KM/Fallah Bahh – Rollup to KM

Moose b. Eli Drake – Spear

Tessa Blanchard b. Kiera Hogan – Spinning faceplant into a chair

El Hijo Del Fantasma b. Jake Crist – Rollup
Matt Sydal b. Brian Cage via countout

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: June 7, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

So tonight is all about attempted murder. Over the last few weeks, Eddie Edwards has vowed revenge against Sami Callihan and tonight they’re meeting in an unsanctioned street fight. Since Eddie is a little nuts, he’s promised to, and I quote, murder Callihan in the woods. This could be fascinating so let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap covers most of last week.

Tag Team Titles: Drago/Aerostar vs. Z and E

Z and E (DJZ/Andrew Everett) are defending. Drago takes DJZ down by the leg to start but has to fight out of an armbar. Aerostar springboards in and flips forward around the ring about six times in a row. Back up and a whip into the corner lets Aerostar walk around the ropes as Callis wants to know how Aerostar’s mask stays lit up. Also, why doesn’t Everett throw water on him for an electrocution? There’s way too much attempted murder around here.

Some flips allow the tag off to Drago for a double elbow to the face as the champs stay in trouble. DJZ comes back in and hits an armdrag and headscissors but his double flip attempt is thrown down in a heap to put the champs in trouble again. We hit the chinlock on DJZ before a backdrop puts him on the floor for a break. Back with Everett coming in for a double handspring elbow and a dropkick for two on Aerostar.

The champs miss a double Lionsault (cool) and get double springboard dropkicked down for their efforts. DJZ suicide dives onto Drago and Everett adds an Asai Moonsault for another big crash. Of course Aerostar is right after them with a double springboard dive, followed by a rope walk hurricanrana for two on Everett. The moonsault hits raised feet though and the ZDT sets up a 630 from Everett to end Aerostar at

Rating: C+. If Z and E are an indication of how things are going to go around here with the new regime, I’m all for it. They’re a pair of talented guys who didn’t get to do anything before so let’s throw them together and give them something to do. Not everyone needs to win a title but when you have these talented guys in the X Division, why shouldn’t they get a title run? It’s not like the division is full of teams so make one and let them see what they can do. I mean, if this run winds up being a failure (and there’s no sign that it will be), is that much worse than Scott Steiner as a champion in 2018?

The announcers recap/preview.

Sonjay Dutt and Petey Williams argue over the X attacker and Williams leaves.

Video on Su Yung winning the Knockouts Title last week.

This week’s classic clip: Rob Van Dam vs. Tommy Dreamer from Turning Point 2010.

The returning Diamante comes to the LAX clubhouse and wants to know what’s going on. So they’re really bad at communications? King comes in and things get a little more serious. Homicide comes in as well and leaves with a briefcase as tensions rise.

Cult of Lee vs LAX

LAX has King with them. The Cult gets beaten down in short order and Santana’s dropkick gets two on Lee. Some double teaming puts Santana in trouble and the announcers talk about the idea behind the Cult, which still doesn’t quite work. I mean, they’re just not really cultish and Lee doesn’t seem to be ahead of Konley in superiority.

Santana rolls out of a rollup attempt and backflips into a cutter, allowing the double tag to bring in Ortiz and Konley. Everything breaks down and Lee German suplexes Santana so Konley can get a quick rollup for two. Ortiz is back in though and it’s a wheelbarrow faceplant into a cutter to give Santana the pin on Konley at 7:24.

Rating: C-. LAX getting back on the winning track is the right move and that should mean good things for both them and the division. There’s a story to be told there with Konnan missing and the team falling apart but getting back together when King is around. If Konnan comes back later on, it could get very interesting very fast.

Here’s Eli Drake with the returning Fact of Life. Since it’s been a long time, he’s going to name the Top Five Dummies in Impact Wrestling. First up at number five, the entire crowd, who is just jealous of Eli. Number four, the man who eats bananas, Austin Aries. More on that later. Number three is Impact management. Number two….it’s the Impact fans again, YEAH! That leaves us with number one and it’s Moose. Eli wants to face Moose next week in a #1 contenders match so here’s Moose to respond. The fight is on and Drake hits a low blow and a Gravy Train before turning the podium onto Moose. The match is on for next week.

Brian Cage vs. Rohit Raju

Raju gets all fired up and kicks Cage in the face, only to eat Weapon X for the pin at 1:16.

Post match here’s X-Division Champion Matt Sydal to say his third eye shows him weakness in Cage. An F5 leaves Sydal laying.

Preview for next week’s card, including Moose vs. Drake and Sydal vs. Cage.

Edwards is in the woods and tells the cameraman to film everything, including death.

Austin Aries joins Josh via Skype and won’t say where he is on vacation. Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary and says it doesn’t matter how he won the World Title because all that matters is he won. While Aries doesn’t care who he faces at Slammiversary, he expects Drake to win because of his experience.

Last week was the Slammiversary press conference. Johnny Impact is back after getting married and, of course, GAIL KIM WAS THERE! Yeah she’s from Toronto where the show will be held but what’s the excuse the rest of the time?

Madison Rayne talks about what a big deal it was to beat Tessa Blanchard last week. She wants to get the title for the sixth time.

Tessa Blanchard says she didn’t lose last week because she’s not a loser. Kiera Hogan comes in to laugh a bit and gets thrown down. Hogan shoves an anvil case into her legs and gets stomped down next to a garbage can.

Moose is all fired up to win the title shot next week.

Eddie is hunting through the woods and demands that Sami, who can be heard shouting, come out and face him. Sami appears but Jake Crist jumps Eddie instead, earning him a choking with a branch. Eddie pulls a big piece of wood out of his car but Dave Crist pops out of the trunk to jump him. That earns him a hood slam onto his back and now it’s Sami for the big showdown. Eddie strikes first but Sami uses the bat to block the stick. Sami goes for the eyes and tries to stab him with a bull skull but gets rammed into a tree and monkey flipped.

A branch to Sami’s head draws blood (with the camera cutting in good time to show the branch touching the head, then Eddie screaming, then Sami gushing blood) but before Eddie can kill him, cue Alisha and Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt) in a car (How did they know where this was happening? And how did Eddie and Sami know where to be? “In the woods” is a pretty generic location. How formal was the agreement for the attempted murder?) but the distraction lets Sami get away. Eddie hits Tommy with the bat in frustration and screams that it’s never over to end the show as Alisha tends to Tommy.

This felt like something similar to the Final Deletion matches but nowhere near as over the top. Eddie continuing to snap and get further and further into his obsession with Callihan is a good story but I’m not sure how far it can go. There has to be a blowoff at some point and that’s likely to take place at Slammiversary, though I’m not sure how it’s going to end.

Overall Rating: C-. This definitely wasn’t a wrestling heavy show (at least in the second half) and focused more on storylines and getting things ready for Slammiversary. Therefore it’s not a great show on its own but it’s a show that will do them something good for the future. This company has a good history of succeeding on the bigger shows and if they build it up well, Slammiversary could be no different.

Results

Z and E b. Drago/Aerostar – 630 to Aerostar

LAX b. Cult of Lee – Wheelbarrow Cutter to Konley

Brian Cage b. Rohit Raju – Weapon X

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 31, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

It’s a big night tonight with the Under Pressure special, headlined by Austin Aries challenging Pentagon Jr. for the Impact Wrestling World Title. Pentagon won the title last month at Redemption in a three way but Aries is getting his rematch in a singles match. Other than that, Allie is defending the Knockouts Title against Su Yung in a casket match. Let’s get to it.

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

Earlier today, Sonjay Dutt held a talent meeting (because Sonjay is a boss around here) about the X attacks. The locker room says they have to stick together.

We get a rapid fire series of hype videos about the entire card.

Opening sequence.

Eli Drake vs. Scott Steiner

They were Tag Team Champions and fell apart due to colliding egos. Drake talks trash to start and gets shouldered down, followed by the overhead belly to belly. A slingshot shoulder drops Steiner but the Push Up Elbow gives Steiner two. They head outside with Steiner driving him into the barricade but getting posted to cut him off again. Back in and Drake misses a Lionsault, only to put Steiner up in an electric chair for a throat first drop drop across the top rope. Steiner shoves the referee away so Drake sneaks in a chair shot for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: D. That needs to be it for Steiner as he’s not exactly doing anything in the ring or on the microphone, the latter of which being the only thing he’s good for anymore. Drake didn’t get much of a rub off the win but it was short and he got a quick Tag Team Title run out of it so now he can move on.

Callis and Matthews talk about the rest of the show.

We recap Tessa Blanchard vs. Madison Rayne. Tessa debuted a few weeks ago and talked about how she was that much better than everyone else. Madison didn’t like it and the match was set up as a result.

Madison Rayne vs. Tessa Blanchard

Feeling out process to start with Tessa scoring off a quick tilt-a-whirl slam. A kick to the face gets two on Madison and Tessa dropkicks her in the back, allowing more cockiness and trash talk. Tessa grabs a swinging neckbreaker for two and we hit the chinlock. Madison fights back up with a northern lights suplex but a hanging Downward Spiral cuts her right back off and gives Tessa two. Some swearing at the referee looks to set up the hammerlock DDT but Madison reversed into a rollup for the surprise pin at 6:09.

Rating: D+. I’m sorry what? I would really hope that this is leading somewhere else as Madison hasn’t done anything in forever and Tessa is as complete of a package as they’ve had in a long time. They did seem to be suggesting that Madison won on a fluke because Tessa was too cocky, but I’m really not sure about having Tessa lose in any way so soon after she debuts.

LAX is in the clubhouse and Kingston has some rather fetching women for the guys, plus a match with the Cult of Lee next week.

Video on Brian Cage wrecking people around the world.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Brian Cage

Dezmond gets shoved around by raw power to start but manages a dropkick to send Cage outside. A running splash and some kicks have very little effect so Cage throws him back in. Xavier’s DDT is thrown away with a butterfly suplex and we hit that Terminator clap. Dezmond is smart enough to hit and move, including another kick to send Cage to the floor for a Space Flying Tiger Drop (I love wacky Japanese names for moves). Back in and the Final Flash gets one and that’s about it for Dezmond’s already limited chances here. The Drill Claw gives Cage the pin at 5:40.

Rating: D. Dezmond got in a lot here but the ending was never in doubt. I can appreciate a good monster, especially one with such a great look, and it’s nice to have the designated victim getting in some offense. Cage is just more important than the lower card of the X-Division and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Cage as a World Title contender by the end of the year.

Austin Aries says he’s the man who makes the belts matter because that’s how it works around here. Back in the day he breathed some life into this place and that’s what he’s going to do tonight. This time it’s one on one and we get to find out what Pentagon Jr. has. He may have no fear, but after tonight he’ll have no title. Good promo.

We recap Allie vs. Su Yung. Allie is terrified of Yung, who made it even worse when she got rid of Allie’s freaky friend Rosemary. Now Allie seems ready to tap into the dark side to defeat Yung once and for all.

The undead bridesmaids bring out the casket.

Knockouts Title: Allie vs. Su Yung

Allie is defending and comes out with the Rosemary face paint, which actually works very well for her. The champ wastes no time with some clotheslines and a suplex into the corner as Yung seems freaked out by the paint. Yung takes her down into a bodyscissors and calls for the casket to be opened, forcing Allie to look at it. Back up and Allie misses a charge into the corner but fights out of the casket. A running clothesline off the casket drops Yung and we take a break.

Back with Allie missing another charge and getting kicked in the face, knocking her backwards with her legs underneath. Yung’s chair is kicked away with Allie using it for a Codebreaker instead in a smart counter. A superkick knocks Yung into the casket but she gets her leg out for the save. That means the Mandible Claw to knock Allie out, giving Yung the title at 11:48.

Rating: C-. Nothing much here but Allie losing makes sense. Rosemary is going to be gone for a long time and there’s a story to be told with Allie maturing and eventually fighting back against the evil Yung could work. The division is very stacked with heels right now though and I’m not sure who else could take the title from Yung.

From Destination X, the Last Rites match between Sting and Abyss. This would be the one where the fans chanted FIRE RUSSO.

Pentagon has no fear and knows that Aries is great, but he’s not great enough.

Diamante thinks there’s something up with LAX and Kingston.

Petey Williams, who was the most vocal in the talent meeting, is found standing over Sonjay with the X symbol over him.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards.

Eddie is ready to go murder Sami in the woods (his words) and tells Alisha to stay here.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr.

Aries is challenging and his Grand Championship isn’t on the line. Pentagon takes his time on the floor and Aries takes him down with a suicide dive to start fast. The champ puts him up against the post and chops away, hitting the post on the second attempt. They get inside for the opening bell and Aries has the Last Chancery in short order. With the hold broken in short order, Aries ties the string from the mask to the ropes.

You do NOT do that to a luchador and Pentagon gets fired up, only to eat a missile dropkick. Aries sends him face first into the middle buckle and the middle rope elbow to the back gets two. They slug it out with Pentagon kicking him outside and we take a break. Back with Pentagon chopping even more and hitting the back to back Sling Blades.

Hang on though as Aries gets back in and swears a lot, saying this needs to restart. Pentagon is game and gets forearmed into a Death Valley Driver onto the apron. Since it’s a World Title match, Pentagon pops up and hits the Fear Factor on the apron. That means another double countout at 18:40 but, of course, we start it again at Pentagon’s insistence. Aries tells the referee to ring the bell, kicks Pentagon low, and hits the brainbuster to regain the title at 20:21.

Rating: B. This felt very much like an Impact main event: long (in a good way) and doing its job, but nothing that is going to be remembered in a few hours. These matches just don’t have the best staying power and that’s part of why Impact has issues getting anywhere: Aries turning heel is smart, but am I supposed to be upset that Pentagon got screwed? I don’t know much about Pentagon other than a catchphrase. In other words, build up the characters and this will be better.

Overall Rating: C+. These special episodes work rather well for Impact as they take their time and get through everything that they’re supposed to. The matches might not have been good and at least one booking decision was questionable, but the storytelling was fine for the most part and that’s what they need to get down. The X attacker continues to interest me, but egads they could blow that horribly. Overall not a great show, but the good storytelling made it work well enough for a big night.

Results

Eli Drake b. Scott Steiner – Chair to the head

Madison Rayne b. Tessa Blanchard – Rollup

Brian Cage b. Dezmond Xavier – Drill Claw

Su Yung b. Allie – Yung put Allie in the casket

Austin Aries b. Pentagon Jr. – Brainbuster

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 24, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re back to an old problem that this show has had many times before: not much is really standing out. Sure there’s some good stuff going on, but it’s not exactly sticking as something that leaves much of an impact. The big stories are still Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr. and Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards, but they’re both starting to feel a bit long. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a long and rather detailed recap of last week’s show. That’s a good idea.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Drago/Aerostar

Drago wastes no time in diving onto everyone with a corkscrew dive and Aerostar adds a springboard trust fall dive. They head inside for the opening bell and Jake kicks Drago in the head. We hit a very early chinlock but Aerostar comes in for the save. A dropkick to the face keeps Dave in trouble but Jake kicks away to take over. We go split screen to show Eddie Edwards arriving with a kendo stick and ignoring his wife’s pleas for him to stop. Cue Eddie with the stick to hit Jake in the back for the DQ at 4:40.

Rating: C-. I was starting to get into this one as OVE was doing the stuff that made them work in the first place. The Eddie goes psycho stuff is interesting but I’m almost worried about where it’s going to go. Eddie as a psycho who eventually goes full heel could have potential and it seems that they’re going that way, though I’d be worried about an attempt to make Sami a face in some twisted way.

Post match Eddie’s wife Alisha pleads with him to stop but six people have to hold him back.

Post break Alisha yells at him but Eddie vows to destroy Eddie. She accuses him of becoming Sami.

The announcers talk about next week’s show.

LAX vs. Cult of Lee

They head outside for a brawl to start as the announcers talk about LAX needing to win to get back on track. Ortiz gets sent into the steps and Santana posts himself by mistake (that’s the kind of problems some good Konnan advice could prevent) as we take an early break. Back with Ortiz in trouble and getting forearmed in the face.

A belly to back gets two but a suplex into a Stunner is enough for the hot tag to Santana. Everything breaks down and a Death Valley Driver/DDT combination (cool) gets two on Konley. LAX loads up some kind of a double team with a wheelbarrow slam but Lee pulls Ortiz to the floor, allowing Konley to roll Santana up (with trunks) for the pin at 11:39.

Rating: D+. This didn’t have time to go anywhere with the break in the middle but the downward spiral for LAX continues. I’m curious to see how they get out of this, especially with the chance that Konnan isn’t coming back. LAX is a good team and it’s clear that they have something in mind for them, though they need someone new to feud against.

Jimmy Jacobs says Moose is the problem and Kongo Kong is going to solve that tonight.

KM is giving Fallah Bahh another pep talk. They run into Grado and Katarina with KM asking what she sees in him. Apparently she likes big guys.

To fill in some time, here’s a segment from 2013 with Jeff Hardy and Bully Ray hyping up their World Title match at Lockdown.

We look back at Madison Rayne saving Kiera Hogan from Tessa Blanchard last week.

Madison says the Knockouts Division is built on respect and doesn’t like the bullying she saw last week. Tessa comes in and rants about Madison getting involved in her job. Next time, meet her in the ring. That’s what she did last week.

DJZ and Andrew Everett know they can compete with any team and will face anyone. Scott Steiner and Eli Drake come in for some yelling. This turns into Drake and Steiner arguing.

X-Division Title: El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal is defending. Fantasma offers a handshake so Sydal bows to him and touches the mask. A quick takedown has Sydal glaring up at him before sending Fantasma to the apron. That’s fine with the masked one who headscissors Sydal down for two and the champ begs off. An armbar into something like a one armed cobra clutch has Fantasma in trouble and a standing legdrop gets two.

Fantasma fights up and a baseball slide puts Sydal on the floor as we take a break. Back with Sydal being dropped face first onto the steps but avoiding a top rope double stomps. The Thrill of the Kill is broken up so Fantasma grabs a modified Indian Deathlock of all things. With that not working, he just slams Sydal’s knee into the mat but Matt grabs his stacked up cradle to retain at 13:18.

Rating: C+. I’m still not wild on Sydal as champion with this third eye thing which isn’t fitting him very well. Granted it’s still better than having Josh Matthews there, which didn’t fit him either. Fantasma did well enough here and is fine for something like this, at least with putting on a good singles match instead of a messy four way spot fest.

LAX rants about everything falling apart when Eddie Kingston comes in. He says Konnan is in a good place and that he’s the next in the chain of command. It’s time to get LAX back to where they were before by getting them back to their roots.

Video on Austin Aries vs. Pentagon Jr.

The announcers talk about the World Title match and say they’ve stepped up security to prevent attacks this week.

Dezmond Xavier vs. Petey Williams

The winner gets to face Brian Cage next week. Feeling out process to start with Xavier’s headlock takeover not getting him anywhere. Some standing switches go nowhere so Xavier hits a great dropkick for two. A headscissors to the floor has Xavier down and we take a break. Back with Petey grabbing a chinlock and getting two off a belly to back suplex. Petey takes him to the corner but gets German superplexed back down.

That means a big flip dive to the floor but it’s too early for the Final Flash. The delayed Downward Spiral plants Xavier and a crucifix gives Petey two. Petey’s slingshot Codebreaker isn’t enough to set up the Canadian Destroyer do Dezmond kicks him in the head. The backflip kick to the head sends Xavier on to next week at 12:01.

Rating: C+. They were really starting to turn it up at the end but that wasn’t enough to make it especially good. I’m glad they went with Xavier as he’s more interesting than Williams, who still only has one move for the most part. I need more to a match than hearing him trying for the Destroyer fourteen times in a match.

Allie is in Rosemary face paint (that actually works very well) and says she knows this isn’t what Rosemary wants but it’s how it has to be.

Next week, Allie defends against Su Yung in a Last Rites (casket) match.

Moose vs. Kongo Kong

There’s no Jimmy Jacobs in sight this week. Kong shoves him away to start and hits the big clubbing forearms to the back. Moose’s dropkick doesn’t have much effect so they head outside with Moose being sent hard into the steps. The Cannonball crushes Moose against the steps and gets two back inside.

We hit the nerve hold (as required), which Kong makes look even lazier than usual. A shot to the back cuts Moose off but he wants Kong to hit him even harder. The running corner dropkick finally puts Kong down but the Game Changer is countered into a fireman’s carry backbreaker for two. Kong’s top rope splash misses and it’s three straight bicycle kicks to set up a slam. The spear puts Kong away at 8:56.

Rating: D. Moose was trying here but there’s a firm limit on what you can do with Kong. That nerve hold in the middle looked terrible and it was more of the fat man offense that looks embarrassing instead of anything good. I’m hoping we don’t get another match between these guys because Jacobs wasn’t here. Kong needs to go away for good and hopefully slaying the monster causes just that.

Post match the X logo appears on screen and we see a recap of the attacks. A voiceover talks about death riding with him as we see Jacobs down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a really flat show with nothing really standing out and little of interest. Some of the wrestling was perfectly fine but it didn’t make me want to see more. The X attacker is interesting, though you can pretty easily pencil it in as Brian Cage (not a bad thing). It’s nice to have something to keep you interested, because Drake arguing with Steiner, the same tag matches we’ve seen for a long time and Sydal with the third eye isn’t doing it for me.

Results

OVE b. Aerostar/Drago via DQ when Eddie Edwards interfered

Cult of Lee b. LAX – Rollup with trunks to Santana

Matt Sydal b. El Hijo Del Fantasma – Stacked Up Cradle

Dezmond Xavier b. Petey Williams – Backflip kick to the head

Moose b. Kongo Kong – Spear

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 17, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Josh Matthews

Last week’s main event wasn’t the most interesting as it left us without many places to go in the World Title scene. Pentagon Jr. easily dispatched Eli Drake and likely only has a rematch with Austin Aries to go. Other than that, it’s hard to say where things are going to go around here. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at the big stories, including Brian Cage’s World Tour, the X attacker and Sami Callihan jumping Don Callis last week.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: DJZ/Andrew Everett vs. Eli Drake/Scott Steiner

Drake and Steiner are defending. Everett and Drake start things off but DJZ comes in for an early double spinebuster. Steiner gets in a shot to the back though and a neckbreaker drops DJZ. The belly to belly (not butterfly Josh) suplex gets two and it’s back to Drake to drive DJZ into the corner.

Steiner’s super Samoan drop plants DJZ but not well enough as a kick to the face allows the hot tag to Everett. Everything breaks down and Drake tries the Gravy Train on DJZ but a Codebreaker from Everett sets up a Code Red for a rather creative near fall. Drake breaks up Everett’s springboard but Steiner chairs Drake in the head by mistake. A quick standing shooting star from Everett is good for the pin at 6:22.

Post break the new champs celebrate and say it’s been a long road for the both of them. They’ve been a team for ONE WEEK. I know that’s not exactly what they were going for but it was a bad line.

Madison Rayne is here for commentary for the next match.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Kiera Hogan

Kiera jumps Tessa right after the bell (nothing wrong with that) and Madison approves. Unfortunately that means Madison was doing commentary, which really isn’t her strong suit. Tessa is right back with a forearm and a hanging Downward Spiral to really take over. The trash talking begins but Kiera comes back with forearms and a step up Fameasser for two. That’s it for Kiera though as a cutter and a hammerlock DDT are enough to give Tessa the pin at 4:06.

Rating: D. Just a squash to get Tessa off the ground and likely the start of a setup for Madison vs. Blanchard. That’s not the most thrilling thing but it’s better than having Madison on commentary. She doesn’t have much emotion and is really analytical, which doesn’t make for the best wrestling announcer. Blanchard looked good though.

Post match Blanchard stays on Hogan but Madison comes in for the save.

Earlier today Grado and Katarina accused Jimmy Jacobs and Kongo Kong of being the X attacker. Jacobs threatened Grado with Kong so Katarina set up the match.

We recap Sami Callihan vs. Eddie Edwards, focusing on Sami’s series of attacks on various people, which drove Eddie over the edge.

Pentagon Jr. is ready for tonight’s tag team main event because he’s brought the Chocolate Champion (I don’t get it either) El Hijo Del Fantasma.

Kongo Kong vs. Grado

Can they just destroy each other? Oh and we’re never getting an explanation for how Grado is allowed back are we? Grado walks away from him to start before his right hands have no effect. A single uppercut drops Grado and a belly to belly gets two. Grado’s punches and Bionic elbow don’t do much but a top rope shoulder puts Kong down for a second. That’s about it though as a hard slam sets up the top rope splash for the pin on Grado at 3:34.

Rating: F. Imagine that: taking two of my least favorite people on the roster and putting them in a short, nearly comedy match wasn’t something I was going to enjoy. Kong is still a big fat guy who is nowhere near as impressive as Impact thinks he is while Grado is a small, uninteresting guy who is nowhere near as entertaining as Impact thinks he is. And those are their good points.

Post match Katarina bails as Grado gets hit with the steps but Moose comes out to break up another attempt.

LAX runs into the Cult of Lee, who laughs about Konnan being gone. I’m sure a match is coming.

Tommy Dreamer tried to talk Eddie out of the street fight but Eddie won’t hear it. This ends when Sami has no blood left.

Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan

Street fight from House of Hardcore. Eddie wastes no time and attacks him before the bell, including a kick to the face. A suicide dive knocks Sami into the barricade and there’s something metal to the head. Josh gives us a full history of Sami being all evil until Sami gets in a pipe shot to the ribs. Eddie knocks a spike out of Sami’s hands but a Death Valley Driver on the ramp cuts Eddie off. They head to the ring (which they haven’t been in yet) and Eddie DDTs him on the apron, allowing them to finally get inside.

A kendo stick duel goes to Eddie as Josh compares this to Dreamer vs. Raven. At least they’re just saying what they’re doing this time. Sami spits in Eddie’s face and goes low, setting up Get Outta Here for two. Two chairs are set up and a Falcon Arrow onto them gives Sami two more in what I thought was the finish. Back up and the Boston Knee Party gives Eddie the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C. So what’s the next match? I mean, you know that’s not going to be the end of the feud so what do they have next? My guess: something else where Sami is despicable and Dreamer tries to talk Eddie out of doing this because of something that happened in ECW twenty years ago and Sami is the most evil, horrible thing in the world while still not being anything more than someone who can’t get by without bad brawling. Just a hunch of course.

Post match Eddie chokes him with the bat until security comes out for the save. Dreamer comes out to stare at him as I wonder how well an Eddie heel run could go. Just don’t have him join Sami in some nonsensical turn.

From Destiny World Wrestling in Canada.

Brian Cage vs. Facade

Thankfully Josh gives us a quick bio on Facade, which is still more than when Cage beat the Noah World Champion last week. Facade gets thrown around to start and a powerbomb against the post makes things even worse. For some reason the cameras are staying on a wide shot, which isn’t the best look for a wrestling show. Some chops in the corner have Facade in trouble and a swinging full nelson slam gets two. We’re clipped to a pumphandle faceplant getting two on Facade, followed by a sitout Alabama Slam for two. Weapon X is good for the pin at 7:50 shown.

Rating: D+. The match quality was nothing compared to what we got last week but Josh told me something about this guy and Cage won in a squash from what we saw. This was Cage going around wrecking everything in front of him and it was a fun squash. I got more out of this than I did last week and that’s the point of this whole Cage deal.

From No Surrender 2011, Austin Aries beats Brian Kendrick.

Earlier today, KM praised Fallah Bahh on his weight loss. Next up, hair care. And a tie over bare chest. Bahh tried to hit on Kiera Hogan.

We recap the night.

We run down the card for next week and Under Pressure, two weeks from now. Aries will challenge Pentagon Jr. for the World Title in the main event.

We go to a cemetery where Su Yung and the undead bridesmaids are burying Rosemary. They drop the casket and set it on fire as Yung hisses. Nothing else is said.

El Hijo Del Fantasma/Pentagon Jr. vs. Austin Aries/Matt Sydal

Sydal and Fantasma start us off in a preview of next week’s title match. A headlock takeover gets Fantasma out of early trouble and it’s a standoff. Fantasma snaps off a hurricanrana and a double tag gives us Aries vs. Pentagon. The champ says CERO MIEDO and gets bopped on the chin. A kick to the ribs cuts Aries off and it’s time to go for the arm, sending Aries to the floor and us to a break.

Back with Pentagon superkicking Aries from the apron and Fantasma’s suicide dive getting caught on the ropes. Pentagon takes Aries back inside and grabs a chinlock, followed by What’s Up with Pentagon as D-Von and hitting a dropkick instead of a headbutt. A wheelbarrow Codebreaker combination gets two on Sydal but he’s right back up with a jawbreaker/backbreaker combination to both masked guys.

Aries’ slingshot corkscrew elbow keeps Fantasma in trouble and a top rope ax handle rocks him again. Sydal knees Aries in the face though and the hot tag brings in Pentagon for the Sling Blades. Fantasma’s cutter drops Sydal but Matt hurricanranas him off the top. Pentagon Jr. breaks up the shooting star with a superkick and the Thrill of the Kill gives Fantasma the pin on Sydal at 19:05.

Rating: C. Completely standard main event tag match here with two feuds put together to make a tag match. Fantasma pinning Sydal is fine and the right way to set something up for next week. Aries vs. Pentagon still doesn’t feel big no matter what they do, which is part of what’s wrong with Impact as a whole. The World Title should feel bigger than at least almost everything and that’s just not the case right now.

Overall Rating: D+. As usual, the problem with the new regime shines through: they’ve completely stabilized the stories but they’re not the most thrilling. Pentagon vs. Aries feels like nothing special, I forgot that Sydal was X-Division Champion, the comedy stuff isn’t funny and the Tag Team Titles are on life support because there are about three teams and Scott Steiner just lost a title. They need something interesting and big, which hasn’t been the case in a good while.

Results

Andrew Everett/DJZ b. Eli Drake/Scott Steiner – Standing shooting star press to Drake

Tessa Blanchard b. Kiera Hogan – Hammerlock DDT

Kongo Kong b. Grado – Top rope splash

Eddie Edwards b. Sami Callihan – Boston Knee Party

Brian Cage b. Facade – Weapon X

El Hijo Del Fantasma/Pentagon Jr. b. Austin Aries/Matt Sydal – Thrill of the Kill to Sydal

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

A few weeks before Wrestlemania, rumors began to surface. A mass exodus from Impact Wrestling was on the horizon, with the piece de resistance being the potential WWE return of Bobby Lashley. When the rumors were proven to be true, it should have been enormous news, but there was a major problem.

Bobby Lashley had returned.

It’s now almost two months later and Lashley’s return has fallen flatter than Titus O’Neill on a ramp. Easy jokes aside, let’s take a look at why the return has been such a failure.

First off, we must look at the return itself. In the world of WWE, MMA is currently king. Brock Lesnar is Universal Champion, Shayna Bazler is NXT Women’s Champion, and Ronda Rousey is treated as the biggest coup to the women’s division ever. In Bobby Lashley, you have a man who has been successful in the world of MMA, to the tune of a 15-2 record in his career. He’s every bit the legitimate fighter that Brock Lesnar is, but in the two months he’s been back, I can’t think of one instance where his MMA background has been mentioned. Not one.

Without that MMA background, he’s just Bobby Lashley, a guy that hasn’t been seen in WWE for about a decade. What was he doing in the decade away, baking cookies?

Now, I might be able to look the other way on this glaring omission if the re-debut itself positioned Lashley in a positive way. It did not.

Perception is everything in wrestling. Think back to 1999. In WCW, Chris Jericho was in the cruiserweight division and everyone in that division was positioned as such that they were less than the “important” members of the roster. They were a side show, and they would always be the side show. Realizing this, Chris Jericho left WCW to join the WWE. Now, had WWE debuted Jericho in a segment with Taka Michinoku in their Light Heavyweight division, I’m sure he would have done ok in that role, but he again would be treated as someone that lacks importance. Instead, the WWE chose to debut him in a segment with their biggest star, The Rock. This told the audience right away that Jericho was important, not fodder.

Conversely, the returning Bobby Lashley returned as the latest guy to interrupt Elias, which, while fun, tells the audience that he’s just like everyone else. Midcarders galore had interrupted the former drifter, so those new to Lashley see him as just another guy annoyed by the midcard heel.

Imagine though, if instead, his return went something like this: Paul Heyman is gloating in the ring about how even WWE’s golden boy Roman Reigns couldn’t defeat Brock Lesnar. No WRESTLER can beat Brock Lesnar…….and cue Lashley’s music. Out he comes, with Michael Cole explaining how Lashley is back after a decade of dominating in MMA. He stands toe to toe with Lesnar and they fight with no one getting the upper hand. They are pulled apart and the segment ends.

In this scenario, Lashley looks like a killer and a savior, and you don’t even have to follow up on that segment for months. That feud is ready to go when you want, and Lashley in the meantime looks like an enormous deal and someone to fear.

Going back to reality, we got Lashley the former star and quite honestly, he didn’t look or seem any different than he was in 2008. That’s not a good thing, considering his run from that time period was largely mediocre due to his total lack of personality. To alter that perception, this past Monday WWE decided to air an interview with Lashley to show the fans “what he’s all about”. What we got was an awkward sit-down where Lashley showed no range of emotion and told stories about his sisters. I suppose this is supposed to make us see him as a “family man”, but this is another case of WWE not understanding what they have.

The presentation of a Bobby Lashley should be simple. He’s similar to Brock Lesnar in that he’s huge, a successful athlete, and powerful. He also sounds like a 12-year-old when he speaks, so limiting that is always for the best. All you need to do is show him killing people and give him reason to do so. For a good idea of how, see how TNA booked him (yes, I’m praising TNA. Enjoy it while it lasts because it won’t happen often).

As it stands, we have a musclebound midcarder who’s happy to be back after a long hiatus, and one who’s first run we can’t even talk about because he once wrestled on behalf of our current US President. This is fixable though with an eventual turn on Braun Strowman. Maybe then we’ll get the Bobby Lashley we all want to see. It certainly can’t be any worse than the flop of a run we’re getting now.

Eric Cordova is the host of the Mouth of the South Shore Radio Show which can be found and followed at:

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 10, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentator: Josh Matthews

We’re still dealing with the Redemption fallout while also starting the build towards Slammiversary. Tonight’s big deal is Eli Drake cashing in his Feast or Fired briefcase for the World Title shot against Pentagon Jr. You also have Austin Aries roaming around near the title and some other people aren’t far behind. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with Josh Matthews in the studio talking about Sami Callihan wrecking a recent ceremony in Don Callis’ honor. Apparently Sami is livid at Callis for throwing in the towel to save Eddie Edwards at the WrestleCon show and wanted revenge.

There’s currently a meeting going on regarding Sami’s future. We’ll cut into whatever to let you know the outcome.

It’s off to the ceremony in Toronto with Anthony Carelli (Santino Marella) giving Callis an award. Cue Sami to attack Callis and beat him down while busting him open. Fine angle, but Callis has been on camera around here for less than a month. That’s quite a lot of faith to bet on fans caring about something like this.

The regular opening video talks about Drake vs. Pentagon.

Opening sequence.

Andrew Everett/DJZ vs. LAX

Santana and DJZ start things off with a rather speedy exchange until Ortiz comes in for some double teaming to take over. It’s off to Everett for a failed fireman’s carry gutbuster as Santana is keeping his eyes open for anyone trying to interfere. Santana’s cutter gives Everett two and Josh gives us updates on the meeting: it’s still going on. I’ll take nothing new Josh over nitwit/stupid/self praising Josh. Everett rolls over into a kick to Santana before rolling over to DJZ for the tag.

DJZ sends them together so Ortiz DDTs Santana in that spot that is still so stupidly contrived. A double kick takes DJZ down but a double kick takes LAX down. Everything breaks down and DJZ tornado DDTs Ortiz, only to walk into a Santana superkick. Everett hits a very good looking top rope Asai moonsault to drop Ortiz but Ortiz is up a few moments later for a suicide flip dive. The Street Sweeper is broken up and DJZ rolls Ortiz up for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: B-. This is a good idea as there’s only so much you can do with a two or three team tag division. Everett and DJZ aren’t breaking the mold or anything we haven’t seen before but the division needs bodies right now and there’s nothing wrong with that. LAX’s downward spiral is interesting and I’m kind of curious to see what’s behind the whole thing. Nice match too.

Grado is still waiting on his girlfriend but Joseph Park says he smells a rat. Cue Katie Lea Burchill/Winter (now known as Katarina) name she’s going by now to hug Grado and say she’ll see “James” (Park) later.

Austin Aries wants Eli Drake to win tonight because he knows he can beat him.

Rohit Raju vs. Grado

Before Josh can say it: WHO IS THE DESI HIT SQUAD AND WHY SHOULD I CARE? Raju jumps Grado while he gives Katarina his hat but can’t suplex the rather rotund one. Some running boots to the face in the corner give Raju two and we hit the chinlock. Grado is back with a side slam and a falling splash, which Josh calls unique. That would be true, if Ortiz didn’t do the same thing in the previous match.

We go split screen for a second to show that the meeting is still going. Grado takes too much time with his dancing punches and gets kneed in the face. A swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker gets two but Grado is right back with an elbow to the head and the Cannonball for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I never cared for Grado in the first place and now I’m not sure if he’s supposed to be a heel or a face. By nature he’s a face but if you put a hot manager with anyone, it’s going to make them a heel almost by default. Unless Katarina is with him to stay in the country or just using him or something, I’m not sure I get this.

Joseph Park is the latest X victim. Given that one of his finishers is called Weapon X, Cage is a possible suspect.

Video on Tessa Blanchard, who has wrestling in her blood and has to be the best.

Eli Drake and Scott Steiner are in the back with Drake saying tonight, he becomes the new belt collector. Steiner doesn’t like the idea of Drake saying he’ll do this himself.

Drago vs. Aerostar vs. Taiji Ishimori vs. El Hijo Del Fantasma

Lucha rules and the winner gets a future X-Division Title shot. Now that’s all I ask. Ishimori and Fantasma are sent to the floor in about thirty seconds, leaving Drago and Aerostar to trade covers. The other two replace them in a hurry and a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker gets two on Ishimori. A good looking middle rope moonsault to the floor drops Drago and we take a break.

Back with Drago kicking Fantasma in the mask and hitting an ankle scissors to take Fantasma down again. Ishimori comes back in with a Regal roll for two on Drago. All four get back in and Fantasma superkicks Drago down. Ishimori drops Fantasma as well and all four are down for a bit. Drago is sent outside for a dive from Ishimori, followed by a dive each from Fantasma and Aerostar. Back in and Aerostar powerbombs Ishimori into the corner for two but the Thrill of the Kill gives Fantasma the pin on Aerostar for the pin at 16:43.

Rating: C+. This didn’t have the energy or the pace as last week’s six man but thank goodness they did something about giving us a new #1 contender. You can’t have these guys out there doing all kinds of crazy stuff and popping the crowd and not move them up, at least a little bit. Good match here, as you probably expected.

Eddie Edwards goes into the meeting and demands that Callihan not be fired. Management tells him to do what he has to do away from the Impact Zone.

From House of Hardcore in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Moose vs. Kongo Kong

Joined in progress with Moose hitting a dropkick but getting thrown to the floor. Kong follows him out and whips Moose into the barricade as Josh talks about Callihan and Edwards over and over. Kong’s waistlock doesn’t get him very far so he sends Moose shoulder first into the post. Moose switches to a more simplistic offense by shouldering him down but Jimmy Jacobs comes in with a chair for the DQ at 6:08.

Rating: D. Leave it to Kong to pull the good match streak to a grinding halt. I still don’t care for these matches from outside promotions but at least they have something here where it’s continuing a storyline with people we know. Unfortunately one of those people is Kong and I still have no clue why he’s getting so much time, unless he works for dirt cheap.

KM wants Fallah Bahh to become the best man that he can and we get shots of them screaming into the camera.

Montage of KM training Bahh to make him lose weight while eating various bad food. Bahh passes out.

From Pro Wrestling Noah and if what I can find is correct, this is from June 4, 2017.

Brian Cage vs. Takashi Sugiura

Joined in progress with Cage hitting a delayed vertical suplex, followed by a standing moonsault for two. Josh: “If the Avengers ever needed a new member, and they do after Infinity War, they should get Brian Cage.” That’s getting rather close to a spoiler. Cage hits the apron suplex for two more but Sugiura knees him down and hits some running knees in the corner.

A superplex attempt is broken up but Sugiura snaps off a top rope hurricanrana to put both guys down. There’s a buckle bomb to drop Sugiura and an F5 gets two. A German suplex and running knee give Sugiura the same but Cage blasts him with the Tornado Claw for two more. The Drill Claw is good for the pin on Sugiura at 7:49.

Rating: C. They really couldn’t find another match from within the last ten months and had to go this far back? The World Tour idea is fine but come up with something a little more recent. The match was watchable, though telling me who Sugiura was would have been nice, albeit completely beyond Josh’s capabilities. As someone who doesn’t watch Noah, I have no idea if that was a big, middle of the road or meaningless win for Cage, because I don’t know if Sugiura is an all time great, a midcarder, or a jobber. I’m sure I could find it, but Josh and Impact need to be telling us these things. Why that’s so much to ask, I’m not sure.

From Destination X 2009, Suicide wins the X-Division Title.

Allie is looking in a mirror and has flashbacks to last week. She finds a doll with a note pinned to it and opens it up. While we don’t see what it says, Allie looks a little disturbing when she looks in the mirror, almost like something is trying to take control of her.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Eli Drake vs. Pentagon Jr.

Pentagon is defending and Steiner isn’t here with Drake. They trade catchphrases to start and Drake sends him into the corner to stand on his head. Back to back Sling Blades give Pentagon two as Aries is watching in the back, banana in hand. A powerslam cuts Pentagon off as we’re told that next week, House of Hardcore will present Edwards vs. Callihan in a street fight. At least there’s a storyline reason for going to another promotion this time.

We hit the chinlock for a bit before Pentagon headscissors Drake out to the floor. A superkick to the ribs knocks Drake out of the air and the Codebreaker out of the corner gets two. The Gravy Train doesn’t work and Drake misses a top rope Lionsault, allowing Pentagon to hit the Pentagon Driver for the pin at 7:09.

Rating: D+. Uh, where’s the rest of this match? Pentagon defends against a guy who was World Champion about three months ago and it’s barely hyped up and seven minutes long with a clean finish? We didn’t deserve a little more than that for a match like this? Anyway at least the briefcases are already done instead of having them hanging over our heads like the Money in the Bank briefcases so score one for Impact.

Overall Rating: C+. This show was on a roll in the first hour and then rolled off a cliff in the second with some bad matches and lame ideas that didn’t go anywhere. They’re doing a better job of setting up the other promotions’ matches as they seem to have a point now, at least some of the time. The show was watchable but they need to put it together in a better order to really make things work. That and get a louder bell. Seriously I had to rewind four matches tonight to hear where they started. Get something louder.

Results

Andrew Everett/DJZ b. LAX – Victory roll to Ortiz

Grado b. Rohit Raju – Cannonball

El Hijo Del Fantasma b. Aerostar, Taiji Ishimori and Drago – Thrill of the Kill to Aerostar

Moose b. Kongo Kong via DQ when Jimmy Jacobs interfered

Brian Cage b. Takashi Sugiura – Drill Claw

Pentagon Jr. b. Eli Drake – Pentagon Driver

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: May 3, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Things are starting to get more interesting around here and a lot of that is stemming from the World Title scene. Pentagon Jr. won the World Title at Redemption and now a nice list of people are starting to go after him. It seems that Austin Aries is at the top of the list, but there’s also Scott Steiner, who is getting to be a bigger and bigger name as the weeks go by. Let’s get to it.

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

We open with a rather detailed recap of last week’s show.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Eli Drake with the Tag Team Title and the World Title Feast or Fired briefcase. Standing on the middle rope, Drake talks about all the dummies that he sees around the arena tonight. Why are they dummies? That’s because they’re booing one half of the World Tag Team Champions. He’s out here with the briefcase and now he wants to talk about becoming a two time World Champion.

Then Austin Aries and Pentagon Jr. want to come out here and talk about being champion, but that doesn’t matter because they’re not E-Li-Drake. Eli is cashing in his briefcase next week and Pentagon can take a one way trip on the Gravy Train while Drake takes the World Title back. Cue Pentagon for CERO MIEDO and trash talk ensues. Things don’t get physical and they both leave.

The announcers run down the card.

Earlier today, Kiera Hogan said she was ready to challenge Taya Valkyrie to a rematch. Tessa Blanchard came and laughed at her for thinking that any of it mattered. All that matters is Tessa and that’s not changing.

Grado is back (erg) and talks to Joseph Park about his (Grado’s) newest hot woman. Cue Austin Aries to mock them both and give Grado a banana.

OVE vs. KM/Fallah Bahh

KM runs Jake over to start as the announcers talk about an upcoming seminar in Pittsburgh later this month. Jake drives him into the wrong corner and it’s off to Dave for some choking. KM manages to suplex them both at the same time and it’s off to Fallah for a big man crossbody. Both Crists are down so Bahh rolls over the two of them in succession and then does it again for good measure. Jake pops up and superkicks Bahh down for a rollup and the pin at 3:43.

Rating: D+. So Bahh and KM are the newest oddball tag team, meaning you can probably pencil them in for a title run later in the year. Just by being a team they’re already in the top four (at worst) teams in the division and that’s a problem for this promotion. At this point, it might be a good idea to just drop the Tag Team Titles. You have two hours a week and that’s not enough to make those work very well, especially not with the low level of attention they put on the belts.

Moose promises to win the World Title this year. Jimmy Jacobs comes in and laughs the idea off so Moose chokes him. Jacobs issues a challenge for Moose to face Kongo Kong next week. Tell me they wouldn’t have him go over Moose too.

Taya Valkyrie vs. Kiera Hogan

Rematch from Redemption. Taya wastes no time in sending her face first into the buckle but misses a charge. Kiera knocks her to the floor but here’s Tessa to jump Hogan for the DQ at 2:43.

Tessa beats the heck out of Hogan post match.

Video on Brian Cage.

From World Series Wrestling in Australia.

Brian Cage vs. Brodie Marshall vs. Mick Moretti vs. Slex

It’s not mentioned but this is a Wrestle Circus Ringmaster Title match with Cage defending. At least Josh explains who the three people are and it’s a big brawl to start with Marshall being sent outside. Marshall crawls away from Moretti (sounds like an Ivory tribute) but it’s Cage coming back in with a running hurricanrana. Cage backdrops Marshall and it’s time for a pose down with the fall smaller Moretti.

Marshall takes an F5 and Slex hits Cage by mistake, meaning his days are numbered. Moretti’s F5 to Cage is no sold and he carries Moretti and Marshall at the same time for a double fall away slam. A big no hands flip dive takes all three down but Slex gets two off a springboard spinning kick to the face. Moretti hits a fisherman’s buster on Slex for two but Cage hits a buckle bomb to drop Slex. There’s a German suplex to Cage but he pops back up and hits the Drill Claw on Slex to retain at 7:57.

Rating: D+. This might as well have been Cage beating up three jobbers in the Impact Zone. The wrestlers were fine but I know as much about them as I do about any given local competitors, which is what TNA never understands: I need a reason to care about these people and at the same time, a reason to believe they’re a threat to Cage. That wasn’t the case here and that’s really annoying.

Drago/Aerostar/El Hijo Del Fantasma vs. Dezmond Xavier/DJZ/Andrew Everett

Lucha rules. Fantasma and Xavier (who has done nothing after winning the Super X Cup last year) start things off and it’s a standoff, allowing Aerostar to come in with a springboard hurricanrana. Things speed up in a hurry and the luchadors clear the ring without much effort. Everett scores with a springboard spinning kick to the face and let’s hit those upcoming date announcements because it’s not like there’s anything going on in the ring at the moment.

Fantasma chops Everett to slow things down and a kick to the face gives Drago two. Things speed up again as Everett goes to the floor and it’s off to Dezmond for a Backstabber. Everett and Dezmond try stereo Lionsaults from the same rope (cool) but only hit mat. It’s off to a four way submission until Aerostar breaks it up, likely due to the high levels of implausibility. Stereo Octopus Holds are broken up with stereo kicks to the face, followed by Xavier hitting a cartwheel into a moonsault onto the floor.

DJZ, with the horn, hits a dive of his own. Fantasma adds his suicide dive and Aerostar hits a springboard trust fall to take us to a break. Back with the luchadors down and the three Americans going to the top (same corner) for a trio of top rope splashes/dives for three near falls. Aerostar is back up with a springboard backsplash for two on DJZ, only to have Dezmond backflip kick Aerostar. Everett catches Aerostar on the top and the DZT is good for the pin at 16:32.

Rating: B-. It was fun, as most lucha matches are, but this went longer than it needed to go. These things don’t need to go very long as you get the idea in the first half. Why go longer and lose the impact that they can have later? And as a bonus, why are none of these people going after the X-Division Title? Could it be because there’s a certain group that goes after that title and these guys aren’t in it for whatever reason?

They do the big post match handshake. It wasn’t THAT good of a match.

Aries asks Drake about cashing in next week and wishes him luck. Not that it matters as he’s coming for the title no matter what. He knows he can beat Drake too.

We look at Ultimate X from Destination X 2012 with Zema Ion (DJZ) winning the title.

KM and Bahh argue with KM saying he can change Bahh’s life and make him cool. As they talk, we see someone else down in the back. The X symbol is seen again.

Last Friday, Eddie Edwards was released from jail when Tommy Dreamer came up and had him get in a car. Eddie: “Really?”

X-Division Title: Taiji Ishimori vs. Matt Sydal

Sydal is defending. They start slowly until Ishimori sends him to the floor for a teased springboard dive. Back from a break with Sydal grabbing an inverted Muta Lock, followed by a spinwheel kick. Double knees in the corner rock Sydal but he goes right back to the leg in a smart move.

The standing moonsault hits Ishimori’s legs but he has to roll through the 450. With that not working, the Tombstone into the double knees to the chest rock Sydal again. Not that it matters as he pops up and pulls Ishimori off the top for the front flip into the rollup to retain at 11:55.

Rating: C+. Nice match but I’m still not sure how interesting Sydal is as champion. The third eye and all that jazz doesn’t exactly thrill me and while his matches are good, they’re nothing all that great. Ishimori is a case of I’ve seen him a few times and I don’t need to see him again. He’s perfectly fine, but these ten minute matches aren’t going to let him showcase how good he can be.

Dreamer talks to Eddie about wasting so much time of his life trying to beat one person and says you can’t do this in 2018. You can however continue talking about ECW. It’s only been seventeen years.

Rosemary doesn’t want Allie at ringside with her tonight because that’s how it has to be.

LAX is panicking because they’ve lost everything, including the money and the girls. Maybe sell the clubhouse?

Su Yung vs. Rosemary

Yung tries to jump her on the floor and the fight starts on the outside with Yung being sent into the steps. The Panic Switch plants Rosemary on the floor and here come the army of demonic bridesmaids with a casket. There was no bell so no match.

Allie comes out for the save but the bridesmaids pull her away. Rosemary is back up and grabs the kendo stick to point at Yung. Su spits in her eyes and hits a Panic Switch off the stage through a table. Rosemary is put in the casket to end the show. Why do I have a feeling this is going to turn into Rosemary as Yung’s minion?

Overall Rating: C+. I liked this more than I was expecting to as it feels like they’re starting to turn things up a few notches. It’s nice to see them do something fresh and while they’re still doing some of the stories from before Redemption, at least they’re starting to go in some different directions with those stories. Better than what they’ve been doing lately and I can more than take that.

Results

OVE b. Fallah Bahh/KM – Rollup to Bahh

Kiera Hogan b. Taya Valkyrie via DQ when Tessa Blanchard interfered

Brian Cage b. Brodie Marshall, Mick Moretti and Slex – Drill Claw to Slex

DJZ/Andrew Everett/Dezmond Xavier b. Aerostar/El Hijo Del Fantasma/Drago – DZT to Aerostar

Matt Sydal b. Taiji Ishimori – Front flip into a rollup

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Hi, my name is AB Morales, otherwise known as Killjoy from WrestleZone Forums. A good buddy of KB since he started this website and he’s offered me a column spot here. Thank you very much for your time and reading my first piece here and I hope to do more.

It feels like it was such a long time ago, but years ago the options for wrestling were quite scarce. WWE was obviously the most accesible. But if you were not a fan of WWE for one reason or another, the pickings were slim. But alternative did exist. It’s name was controversial. As was it’s image. It was TNA: Total Nonstop Action Wrestling. Now, it wasn’t controversial because it was this edgy product pushing the boundaries. No, it’s because for many, it was a terrible product that just looked nice. But for others, it was the wrestling company that wasn’t embarrassed to say it was wrestling. That wasn’t shilling its cellphone app as if you were too dumb to know how your phone worked. For all it’s faults, TNA was there to be the second choice. And many took it. But as we know, over time they fell behind with the advent of other the counter online services and the rise of other companies across the world. TNA was no longer the alternative. There were far more now.

As TNA, now Impact Wrestling, struggled to grasp to its audience and dealing with it’s own internal turmoil, their fanbase dwindled. Their brand name diminished in the public eye and the company has been on the bring of death several times. But come 2018, there’s a VERY minor sense of optimism towards the now called Impact Wrestling. Coming off a Pay-Per-View most consider good. Other’s as it’s best show in years, there is a sense of establishment to Impact that it has not had since losing its Spike TV deal in 2014. Characters are being established, they’re grasping their placement on the card and for once, you can feel optimistic about their weekly TV. Sure, it’s not perfect. It still has the faults TNA is known for. But Impact once again feels like an alternative worth selecting.

With the likes of Pentagon Jr, Brian Cage, Aerostar, Drago, Fenix and Hijo del Fantasma from Lucha Underground coming in to bolster their roster, Austin Aries being both a familiar and established top star for the promotion and other acts like the new LAX, Allie and Rosemary growing their name as well as the feud between Eddie Edwards and Sami Callihan seemingly giving Impact it’s highest ratings on Pop TV since the advent of the Broken Universe, things do seem to be looking up for Impact. Not to mention, it also seems like after a lot of turmoil and chaos that the company has finally found a stable management.

At the end of the day, what I’m trying to say is that Impact Wrestling is not as bad as it used to be. I know that’s not the most endearing thing to say, but as someone who went through heck and high water for TNA’s sake for many years, I want to give it another go. While no one can deny the superiority of NJPW or that ROH is another choice, Impact is still the most accesible alternative to the WWE out there. It’s also far more open to work with other companies as evidenced by their alliance with Lucha Underground which has been a great help to both promotions. While time will tell if Impact Wrestling has indeed found it’s second footing, I can say that I’m cautiously positive about them right now. They’re clearly in a better place now than they have been the past 3 years.

Thank you for your time, my name is AB Morales. You can find me in the following.

Facebook | Where I have my own personal blog with daily wrestling updates and even cover anime and videogames once in a while.

Twitch | Where I stream videogames and do occasional art streams.

Twitter | Where I do….., well it’s Twitter.

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: April 26, 2018
Location: Impact Zone, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re past Redemption and that means it’s time to get ready for Slammiversary. What that means is kind of up in the air at this point but it really could go in a variety of directions. Above all else though, we have a new World Champion as Pentagon Jr. defeated Austin Aries and Fenix in a triple threat match on Sunday. Let’s get to it.

Here are the Redemption results if you need a recap.

We open with a long recap of Redemption, including results from every match.

Earlier today, Austin Aries talked to the roster and said he’s still the Grand Champion so it’s now the top title. Aries makes a bunch of excuses and Moose calls him out on them before walking out. The rest of the people leave as well. Sounds heel turnish to me.

Opening sequence.

The pay per view set is now the regular set.

Brian Cage vs. Trevor Lee

Lee drops to the floor for a meeting with Caleb Konley to start before a shoulder drops him to the floor again. Cage throws him around and shrugs off a forearm but a Konley distraction lets Lee kick him outside. Back in and a bridging German suplex gives Lee two and Konley adds in some choking. That’s enough for Cage who Hulks Up and hits a powerslam, followed by the apron superplex. The Drill Claw puts Lee away at 5:04.

Rating: D+. Cage is starting to run through some bigger names and it wouldn’t shock me if the names get bigger and bigger as we move forward. There’s a certain monster quality to him and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him near the World Title picture within the next year or so. Lee isn’t going to lose anything by getting destroyed here, but it was nice to have him get in some offense.

A livid Eddie Edwards arrived earlier today and ran into Tommy Dreamer (in a Lucha Underground shirt). Tommy told him to go be with his wife but Eddie shoved him out of the way.

Here’s Eddie in the arena to talk about putting Sami Callihan in the hospital. He’s not done though because he wants to put OVE in there right next to Sami. Cue OVE for the 2-1 fight and Eddie runs through them before grabbing the kendo stick. We cut to the hospital room where someone in a wheelchair with balloons covering his face rolls up to Alisha Edwards’ bed. It’s a very banged up Callihan, who says he wants to talk.

OH MY GOODNESS how stupid can Eddie be? A few weeks ago he sees OVE in his wife’s hotel and then LEAVES after checking on her for a few seconds. Now he leaves her IN THE SAME HOSPITAL WHERE CALLIHAN IS STAYING??? My goodness I know he’s a face in wrestling but Sting would find this dumb.

We look at Sunday’s main event.

Classic clip: the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D at Bound For Glory. I really wouldn’t point out that one half of your Tag Team Champions was old eleven years ago.

Video on DJZ, who is back after over a year away.

Moose vs. Braxton Sutter

Sutter’s pre-match promo is cut off by Moose’s music. Moose throws him into the corner to start and dropkicks him out to the floor in a heap. Sutter gets in a whip to send Moose into the barricade, followed by a suplex into the corner for two. That earns Sutter a running elbow and running dropkick in the corner, followed by a spear for the pin at 3:32.

Rating: D. Nearly a total squash here, which makes sense as Sutter has announced that he’s done with the promotion. It’s not like Sutter has done anything of note in the company and now that he and Su Yung seem to be done, there’s no reason to not have him go out on his back like this.

Post match the fans chant HAPPY BIRTHDAY at Moose. He wants Pentagon Jr. and the World Title.

Matt Sydal promises to retain the X-Division Title against Taiji Ishimori. A commotion is heard and we go to see someone (not clear who) unconscious with an X on their chest.

LAX wants the titles back but also want to know what’s happened to Konnan.

Knockouts Title: Taya Valkyrie vs. Allie

Allie is defending. Taya wastes no time in jumping Allie and hammering away in the corner. Allie’s comeback is cut off in very short order as Taya powers her down without much effort. A running dropkick in the corner only hits buckle and Allie is in even more trouble. Taya is all fired up but the Road to Valhalla is broken up, allowing Allie to hit the superkick and Codebreaker to retain at 4:17. That was pretty much all of her offense.

Rating: D. Nothing to this one and Taya deserved more than that in a title shot. Allie shrugged off everything Taya threw at her and won with her regular stuff in short order. The match needed more time, but then we wouldn’t have been able to plug the Steiner Brothers vs. Team 3D match and that’s WAY more important.

Post match Su Yung appears, flanked by a bunch of dead brides. They load up a casket but Rosemary appears for the showdown. The lights go out again and Su is gone.

Slammiversary is in Toronto.

KM yells at Fallah Bahh, his partner for next week. Why in the world are these two getting TV time?

Eddie goes to the hospital to see Alisha, who isn’t happy with him leaving her there. He goes into Callihan’s room and beats the heck out of him until a bunch of doctors make the save. This crazy Eddie character is actually working for me.

Video on Kongo Kong vs. Johnny Impact from last week.

Tag Team Titles: Eli Drake/Scott Steiner vs. LAX

Drake and Steiner are defending. Before the match, Steiner says he promised he’d win “last night” (which he says twice) because he’s world famous. Konnan was at Taco Bell due to a discount on burritos so we know his priorities. The champs stall on the floor for a long time before Ortiz drives Drake into the corner to start. Santana comes in for a chop of his own but gets taken outside and sent into the steps by Steiner as we take a break. Back with Steiner getting two off a belly to belly as he picks Santana up.

The fans chant for LAX but get cut off when Steiner “hits” a belly to belly superplex (not rotating enough and nearly falling backwards). It’s back to Drake (thankfully) for a chinlock as we hear that Edwards has been arrested. Well duh. Santana rolls over for a tag so Ortiz can get two off a short DDT. The Death Valley Driver gets two more on Drake but the Street Sweeper is countered into a powerslam (ala Rick Steiner back in the day) to pin Ortiz and retain the titles at 10:54.

Rating: D+. Steiner continues to be scary with some of those near botches, but at least they have a “big name” on the roster now right? Steiner does offer some star power but really, how much is he going to be able to offer without maiming someone? I can’t imagine that he’s going to be around very long but I’m still not a fan.

Post match Drake holds up the World Title briefcase and suggests that he’s cashing in right now. Actually it’s just a warning, but here’s Aries anyway. Back from a break, Aries says he’s healing from a dislocated elbow and looks at the “suitcase”. The fans chant for Aries, who says he wishes they were here on Sunday. The Grand Championship is what matters now but he’ll get the World Title back soon enough.

Drake wants to fight Pentagon, Aries and the Easter Bunny because it means he’s getting the title back. Cue Pentagon Jr. to say CERO MIEDO (zero fear) but Steiner and Drake beat down Pentagon and Aries. They fight back and clear the champs out of the ring, leaving Aries and Pentagon to stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. I wasn’t feeling this one, as there wasn’t a lot in the vein of storyline advancement and the wrestling was nothing of note. Allie and Rosemary continue to be an interesting team but really, there’s not much else to go on here. That being said, they have a ton of time to get ready for the next pay per view so it’s not like this needed to be incredible. Not the worst, but nothing that pulled me in.

Results

Brian Cage b. Trevor Lee – Drill Claw

Moose b. Braxton Sutter – Spear

Allie b. Taya Valkyrie – Codebreaker

Eli Drake/Scott Steiner b. LAX – Powerslam to Ortiz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of the WWE Grab Bag (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/03/23/new-paperback-kbs-grab-bag/

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

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