One Night Only: Amped Anthology Part III
Date: October 13, 2017
Location: Orleans Arena, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Cyrus Fees, Chael Sonnen

I’m still not done with this thing but at least I’m onto the second half now. Believe it or not we’re still on the tournaments, which is almost all these shows are about. Hopefully we can get some good action in here to make the show work well enough, though it’s not like the first two parts have been inspiring. Let’s get to it.

Here are Part II’s results if you need a recap.

The opening video (remember that these shows are comprised of four hour long episodes) previews tonight’s show, focusing on a women’s triple threat.

Opening sequence.

Video on Virgil Flynn, who I don’t think I’ve heard of outside of this show.

Nex Gen Title Tournament First Round: Virgil Flynn III vs. Trevor Lee

Lee shoves him down to start and picks up the much smaller Flynn for some ragdolling. Flynn sends him into the ropes though and nails a running slap but a springboard is broken up with a kick to the rope. A forearm to the face gets two as PJ Black is watching from the ramp. Flynn’s comeback is countered with a gutwrench faceplant but he’s fine enough for a tornado DDT.

Lee gets sent outside for a big running flip dive, followed by a running backsplash for no cover. Lee’s spinning crossbody gets two and a bridging German suplex is good for the same. Flynn is right back up with a forearm to the face and a top rope hurricanrana (West Coast Pop without the springboard) is good for the pin at 9:11.

Rating: C-. There’s a certain kind of indy cruiserweight match that you can almost call spot by spot and move by move and that’s what you had here. Neither of these two were exciting and the match wasn’t exactly shocking. It was completely watchable but absolutely nothing beyond that.

Shelton Benjamin says he has a concussion and will be on the shelf for the time being.

Nick Aldis is ready to become the World Champion. He’s done it before and he can do it again, a stance Jeff Jarrett seems to share. Aldis knows Chris Mordetzky is more than a musclehead and he’ll be ready.

Black hands Flynn a cup of water and knocks it out of his hands.

Here’s Karen Jarrett for a chat. She talks about last month’s women’s three way match with Christina Von Eerie moving on to the Women’s Title match. Before we get to the other qualifying match, here’s Bullet Babe Amber Gallows for a chat. She’s looking forward to this but here’s Tease N Sleaze (Kenny King and Joey Ryan) to say these two just destroyed the ratings in three minutes. Stripping ensues and Jarrett’s response of “Do you know who our husbands are?” doesn’t exactly work well. Karen gets a little more serious and tells them to get out because the women are main eventing. Amber cleans house.

The announcers talk about the tournaments.

Katarina Leigh, Laura James and Amber Gallows want the Women’s Title. Karen would be happy with any of them winning.

Christina Von Eerie is ready for whoever gets the other spot.

Women’s Title Tournament First Round: Katarina Leigh vs. Amber Gallows vs. Laura James

Katarina is Catrina/Winter/Katie Lea/whatever other names she’s gone by. Amber’s offer of a Too Sweet gets her a kick to the ribs from Katarina. James gets two off a PerfectPlex to Amber and it’s Gallows getting double teamed. A big boot knocks James off the apron but Leigh hits one of her own on Gallows.

The double teaming continues with a Boston crab/camel clutch combination but, as always, the fight over the fall begins. Gallows uses the break to roll Leigh up for two, followed by a neckbreaker/DDT at the same time for two more. A superkick drops Leigh and the Amber Alert (X Factor) gives Gallows the pin on James at 4:55.

Rating: D+. Well that happened. They tried to turn this into a major match but it felt like any match you would see on any indy show. Gallows was treated as a major star and better than the others, which at least gives Von Eerie a challenger. What we got here was nothing special though and not exactly main event worthy.

Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows come out to celebrate.

A preview for next week’s episode wraps up the first show.

We get a preview for the second week, which is still such a weird thing to see on a long show like this.

Tease N Sleaze aren’t happy with what happened at Amber Gallows’ hands so Joey is ready to deal with anyone, man or woman.

Kevin (Killer) Kross isn’t happy with the result of his first match but he never gives up. Why he goes from a full head of hair to bald and back in a single video isn’t clear.

Juicy Joey vs. Kevin Kross

Kenny’s early distraction doesn’t work and it’s Kross taking him down into a front facelock. Joey sends him outside though and Kenny actually does something right by stomping away. Kross’ leg is wrapped around the post and Joey has a target. The leg is fine enough for a release German suplex to take Joey down but he’s right back on the leg to keep Kross in trouble. The comeback doesn’t take long with Kross hitting a kick to the face and an exploder suplex. Some rolling suplexes (regular into a fisherman’s into a Saito) finish Joey at 5:30.

Rating: D+. The leg going absolutely nowhere was annoying but they were smart to have the hometown boy Kross win. Joey isn’t the most polished worker in the world it was a good idea to keep things moving here. Kross has a lot of potential but there’s only so much you can do with these restrictions. He didn’t exactly get much better in the ring in the next few years anyway.

We recap Chris Mordetzky insulting Mickie James (Nick Aldis’ wife) at Chael Sonnen’s pushing. Aldis came out and got full nelsoned.

Amber Gallows wants the Women’s Title.

Video on Aldis vs. Mordetzky. They used to be friends but Mordetzky has become a jerk, who even implies that he and Mickie used to have something going on.

Video on the four way for the Nex Gen Title.

Joey and Kenny argue but agree to focus on their next tag match instead.

GFW Global Title Tournament Semifinals: Chris Mordetzky vs. Nick Aldis

Aldis is ticked off and punches him out to the floor, followed by a back elbow to the face back inside. Chris gets knocked outside again and more right hands keep Mordetzky in trouble. A missed dropkick lets Mordetzky take over, much to Sonnen’s delight. That means a camel clutch for a bit, followed by the standard stomps to the ribs. Mordetzky stays on the ribs as Sonnen wonders about the lack of the Adonis Lock. Well Mordetzky never was known as the brightest guy in the world.

A front facelock at least starts in on the neck before having to go with a spinebuster to cut Aldis off. The threat of the Adonis Lock is countered with a clothesline and they’re both down. Aldis is back up with what looked like a brainbuster for two and the King’s Lynn Cloverleaf sends Adonis to the rope. Mordetzky hits a sitout spinebuster for two of his own but the Adonis Lock is countered into the Spine Shaker to give Aldis the pin at 11:18.

Rating: C. Mordetzky is very close to the top of the list of people who were supposed to be a big deal once they got out from underneath WWE’s thumb but he’s the exact same guy who didn’t work in WWE. He’s big, muscular, and spends most of the match trying to get a full nelson. That doesn’t make an interesting match and Aldis, while good, isn’t good enough to make this a strong match.

In the back, Mordetzky yells at the referee to no avail.

Preview for the Nex Gen Title match on the next show.

The next episode begins with a big preview of the Nex Gen Title match. It would be nice if we had seen these guys have more than one match before they’re fighting for a title.

Here’s Jeff Jarrett for a chat. He puts over Las Vegas as a great city where all of the tournaments are going to wrap up. Shelton Benjamin is out of the tournament due to a concussion but here’s a loudmouthed manager to yell about the crowd as he comes to the ring with Chris Mordetzky, who is carrying flowers. He introduces himself as Stu Stone, the official business manager for Mordetzky.

They’re upset about something that happened with Mickie James so Mordetzky has these flowers as a peace offering. Mordetzky should be put in the tournament in Benjamin’s place but that’s a big negative. Chris leaves and Stu yells at Jarrett for making a bad decision. Jeff goes to punch him out but Mordetzky makes the save.

Post break Jeff rants to Karen Jarrett about what just happened.

The four participants in the Nex Gen Title match arrive.

In case you haven’t gotten enough of them yet, here’s a video on the Nex Gen Title match. Maybe we could see these people in the ring instead of in all these videos? This eats nearly fifteen minutes and is just a bunch of “this guy is awesome and this guy is awesome and this title is SO important”.

Nex Gen Title: PJ Black vs. Jigsaw vs. Virgil Flynn vs. TJP

For the inaugural title and it’s one fall to a finish. We get the Big Match Intros just in case you haven’t waited long enough yet. Black won’t shake Jarrett’s hand before the match so we can have a heel. A double superkick puts Black on the floor to start and the other three go for some rapid fire rollups for two each. Black is back in and gets sent outside almost immediately and Flynn does a big spinning headscissors on Jigsaw.

Since we haven’t done it in a few seconds, Black comes back in and gets triple dropkicked out of the air to send him outside. Just give him the title already. TJP gets the Black Widow on Jigsaw before switching to an Indian Deathlock. Just to show off, he gets a northern lights suplex for two on Flynn at the same time. Jigsaw sends TJP outside and slightly botches a backbreaker on Flynn. TJP dives back in to break up a cover and puts Jigsaw in a surfboard with Virgil making a save.

Black is back for a brainbuster on Virgil but Jigsaw hurricanranas him to the floor. Everyone goes to the floor so Flynn dives onto the pile for a big crash. Back in and Jigsaw ties Black in the Tree of Woe for a top rope double stomp from another corner (normally known as a dropkick but not to these commentators) for two. Jigsaw’s kneeling over the back piledriver gets two on TJP with Black making the save. Flynn takes out Black and Jigsaw but charges into a superkick from Jigsaw.

Back up and Jigsaw gets caught in a Doomsday crossbody, leaving Black to hit a Lionsault for two. TJP knocks Black off the top and it’s Flynn with a 450, only to have Jigsaw double stomp (not a dropkick this time) Virgil in the back for the save. Black is right back in though and it’s another 450 to finish TJP at 11:19.

Rating: B. They really telegraphed Black winning the title here, though it was still a good match. The problem is this is nothing that hasn’t been done several times before and several times better by more interesting people. You have to have a match like this on your show and that’s ok, but this is nothing I’m going to remember in a few hours.

Next time: Chael Sonnen gets to talk.

This time: Chael Sonnen gets to talk.

Here’s Chael Sonnen, who does indeed get to talk. Sonnen insults the fans for not knowing how to handle seeing a mega star. There are celebrities and stars and then there is Chael Sonnen. He wants the people to chant his name and take his picture. Now they should introduce themselves to each other. Those people you just met? They’re Chael Sonnen fans.

Anyway Sonnen introduces the highest paid athlete in the spot: himself! He wants a match and doesn’t care who he’s facing. Sonnen goes on a rather nice rant about all the people he can beat before saying he needs to get to his latte in his dressing room so cut his mic. Sonnen has great charisma and can talk, so this was a lot better than I was expecting.

Juicy Joey introduces us to his new partner: Oozing Austin (Jakob Austin Young, an indy guy who hasn’t done anything of note), because Kenny Klimax is gone and Joey likes multiple partners.

Tag Team Title Tournament Semifinals: Tease N Sleaze vs. Reno Scum

Scum starts fast and takes over on Austin with Luster chopping him down in the corner. A neckbreaker over the ropes keeps him in trouble but it’s off to Joey, who gets punched in the head as well. Something like a bulldog sends Joey face first into Luster’s knee and Thornstowe’s standing moonsault….allows the tag to Austin without much effort.

Thornstowe gets caught in the corner and it’s Joey whipping him into another corner, allowing for some hip thrusting on the mat. Austin’s suplex lets Joey come in for the two count so Thornstowe is right back with a double Blockbuster. Joey gets tied into the Tree of Woe and a Razor’s Edge sends Austin into him. A curb stomp/top rope stomp finishes Austin at 8:30.

Rating: D+. That’s one of the best Scum matches I’ve ever seen and the fact that they were faces probably had a lot to do with it. They beat up an annoying team here, though the switch from Kenny to Austin was rather notable. Austin didn’t show anything here and Joey was just a guy, which is weird today given how much he’s blown up. Not a good match, but not terrible for just a step above a squash.

Of note: the brackets show the Bullet Club in the semifinals, which commentary already said that they had been replaced by another team. I know it’s a taping situation, but that doesn’t exactly make this look well put together.

Kongo Kong is getting his toenails clipped when he shoves his handler (the clipper) away.

Here’s the co-star of Roddy Piper’s final movie for a chat. The movie, the Masked Saint, is now getting great reviews but here’s Tease N Sleaze to interrupt. Joey doesn’t want to hear from this guy because no one takes wrestling more seriously than Joey does. Austin has the chance to make up for the loss, so he punches the actor out…and that’s it. Well I’m depressed.

Luke Gallows says the Bullet Club is missing the show because they got booked in Japan. They’ll be back for the Tag Team Titles.

The Bollywood Boyz are now in the finals against Reno Scum. Good for them.

PJ Black interrupts the announcers to smile at the camera.

Kevin Kross is ready for his three way match to become the new #1 contender. It’s weird hearing him talk like a rational human after his Killer Kross days. Brian Myers (Curt Hawkins) is a serious wrestler but he’s getting dropped on his head today.

Kongo Kong vs. Brian Myers vs. Kevin Kross

For the #1 contendership to the Global Title, which doesn’t actually have a champion yet. Kong’s lackey Henry Maxwell handles Kong’s introduction. Before the match, Kevin gets in an argument with MMA fighter Phil Baroni in the front row. Kong goes to the apron to start and Maxwell tells the other two to fight. Chael’s thoughts on Maxwell: he’s a good guy but he’s quit the business since the tapings took place. Kross and Myers go outside to jump Kong and the double teaming begins inside.

Kong fights them off and sends Myers outside so a splash can get two on Kross. A double chokeslam lets Kong go up top and it’s a double superplex to bring him back down. There’s a double spinebuster to take him down again but Kross fisherman suplexes Myers for two instead. A cannonball gets two on Kross so Myers gives him an enziguri. Kong powerbombs Myers onto Kross’ knees and the top rope splash lets Kong finish Myers at 8:45.

Rating: D+. Actually not terrible here and I’m rather surprised by that one. Kong continues to be one of the most embarrassing wrestlers I’ve seen in years though it makes sense to set up a monster for the first champion to face. Myers was his usual game self and Kross has potential, though he needs something to tie it all together. Maybe being a psycho.

Overall Rating: D. While it’s not terrible by any measure, it’s very, very dry and boring, which for me is a lot worse. There is absolutely nothing on here that feels inspired, fresh or even all that good in the first place. While I can understand that this isn’t meant to be watched in marathon form, there is NOTHING on here that would make me want to keep watching for more than about two weeks.

It’s all about the tournaments and I really need more than just one tournament match after another. You get a very minor story here and there but it doesn’t make for good TV and I wanted to stop multiple times throughout. Thank goodness there’s only one part left, but to suggest that this had any sort of a future is ridiculous.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: March 15, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Things are rolling along as usual around here, which means a lot of the same stories that kind of need to go somewhere already. That’s one of Impact’s biggest problems and it’s been the case for years: they don’t seem to know how wrap up stories so things just keep going on and on for months. Hopefully we get some advancement soon because the good things that they have are rapidly approaching their expiration date. Let’s get to it.

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

Standard opening recap.

Opening sequence.

OVE vs. Rich Swann/Willie Mack/Tommy Dreamer

Yes seriously. It’s a brawl to start with Swann and Callihan being left in the ring until Rich kicks him to the floor. The good guys are left inside until it’s Dreamer and Sami starting things off, allowing Callis to talk about Dreamer sticking his nose into everything. Preach it man. Mack comes in to work on Jake’s arm and Dreamer adds a bottom rope ax handle. Dave takes over on Dreamer and it’s off to Sami for an elbow drop.

The Cactus Piledriver is countered though and it’s a catapult to send Sami into the corner. Mack comes back in for a powerslam and the standing moonsault, followed by a nip up. Dreamer drops an elbow and does his version of a nip up (it’s funny because he’s old and fat), leaving Mack and Swann to do their dives.

Instead of diving, Dreamer runs to the apron and climbs down for some right hands (it’s funny because he’s old and fat if you didn’t get the same joke a minute ago). Back from a break with Swann fighting out of Sami’s chinlock but getting caught in Jake’s reverse Rings of Saturn.

With that broken up, Dave works on the leg until a kick to the head lets Dreamer get the hot tag. Sami comes in to spit in Dreamer’s face as everything breaks down. Dreamer knocks all three of them into a corner for a running cannonball from Mack, and it’s stereo frog splashes onto the Crists. Tommy even hits his own splash onto Sami (BECAUSE HE’S OLD AND FAT!) but Callihan pops up and hits the Cactus Piledriver for the pin at 19:03.

Rating: C-. So now the heel commentator’s line is “Dreamer needs to go away because he keeps stealing spots from people”? Why would I disagree with that? Is is because Dreamer is a legend who won’t go away? Or is it because he’s old and fat and makes fun of being old and fat? It’s not funny but you can’t make fun of Dreamer because he was in ECW or something.

Brian Cage asks Johnny Impact, in a neck brace, if he’s ready for tonight. Johnny says he’ll be there. The swerve is strong with this one.

Video on Impact vs. Cage, with the title on the line tonight.

The Rascalz are in their circle when Moose joins them and wonders what’s up with Melissa Santos. Moose punches them all for making fun of his clothes.

Here’s Glenn Gilbertti to call out Scarlett Bordeaux, who he fights next week. Instead he gets a clown.

Glenn Gilbertti vs. Kikutaro

He’s a Japanese comedy guy in a mask. They fight over arm control to start with Kikutaro stopping to dance. Some shoulders don’t work so Glenn punches him down and whips Kikutaro across the ring over and over. The chinlock goes on for all of two seconds so Glenn slams him down but misses the Village People’s Elbow (with a YMCA dance). Kikutaro hits part of a Shining Wizard but a missed moonsault lets Glenn hit the Chartbuster (Stunner) for the pin at 4:23.

Rating: D. It’s kind of hard to complain that much about this story as it’s mostly harmless and isn’t getting a ton of time. Scarlett is going to beat Gilbertti up and the fans will be happy while no one of value takes a loss. They’re giving the story about five minutes a week and that’s all they need to do. In other words, this was harmless.

Taya Valkyrie isn’t worried about defending the Knockouts Title because her husband is in danger tonight.

Reno Scum vs. KM/Fallah Bahh

Rematch from a few weeks ago when Scum lost but beat them up after the match. It’s a brawl on the floor to start with Scum taking over and sending Bahh into the steps. KM gets punched in the corner until an enziguri drops Luster. There’s no Bahh though, meaning KM has to clothesline Thornstowe down before making the real hot tag. The Samoan drop gets two on Thornstowe, followed by Luster going shoulder first into the post. That’s enough for Bahh to hit a belly to belly for the pin on Thornstowe at 4:32.

Rating: D. Another nothing match but that’s the best way to use Scum. They’re just loud and obnoxious which isn’t enough to make me want to see them stick around. I don’t say this often but KM and Bahh deserve better than this. Hopefully this was just for the Las Vegas tapings as I really don’t want Scum around regularly.

Konnan asks the Lucha Bros when they’re giving LAX their rematch. That’s not happening so Konnan threatens them as they leave.

Post break Konnan tells them that there’s no rematch yet. LAX doesn’t seem worried because it’s going to be a street fight.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Jordynne Grace

#1 contenders match. Tessa can’t do much with the power to start so Jordynne runs her over with a clothesline. The threat of a splash in the corner makes Tessa pull the referee in front of her, meaning it’s a hard forearm to Jordynne’s face. The hanging Downward Spiral is countered but Tessa grabs the Codebreaker for two instead. That kickout doesn’t sit well with Tessa so she hammers away but walks into a spinebuster.

Back from a break with Tessa unloading with forearms until a Michinoku Driver gets Jordynne out of trouble. A Muscle Buster is broken up and Tessa hits some kind of a swinging reverse DDT. Tessa goes up but spends too much time talking about Gail Kim, allowing Grace to slam her down. An elbow to the face staggers Jordynne but she’s right back with the Grace Driver (pumphandle driver) for the pin at 10:21.

Rating: C. Nice power match here, even if we’re just killing time until Kim vs. Blanchard. I mean, you have to give them time to set up the 194 video packages on how legendary and amazing Kim really is. Grace going after the title could be interesting as you can only have a monster like her in the midcard for so long.

Tessa sells the heck out of the driver and barely moves. After she finally gets up, Tessa snaps, yells about Kim some more and beats up the timekeeper. Gail Kim comes in for the save and clears the ring.

United We Stand ad.

Tessa yells at Scott D’Amore and demands something be done about Gail. Speaking of Gail, she comes in and yells as well, earning herself a suspension. This story really doesn’t warrant such a long build.

United We Stand rundown.

GWN Flashback Of The Week: Brian Cage vs. Eli Drake from last year’s Lucha Underground vs. Impact show.

Rosemary tries to get inside Allie’s head and find the Bunny. Allie says it’s gone and laughs because Rosemary looks pathetic. Rosemary: “WHERE’S THE BUNNY?” This is more interesting, even though we had to sit through all those losses for Allie and company.

Callihan yells about Swann turning his back on OVE. Now he’s going to take everything from Swann, starting with the X-Division Title next week.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake

Eddie and Raj start things off and trade some right hands before it’s off to both partners. It’s already back to Edwards to chop Raju, who brings Raj back in for a flapjack into a sliding knee from Raju. A jumping Downward Spiral gets two and Eli gets knocked off the apron. That’s too much for him so he comes in sans tag to beat up the Squad, which amazingly enough isn’t all that hard. Gama Singh gets on the apron for a distraction so Drake throws in Kenny, allowing Eddie to knock Raju cold for the pin at 5:21.

Rating: D+. The Hit Squad is less annoying than they used to be but they’re still not an act that I want to watch every week. Drake and Edwards are fine as a team and Drake getting a tweener push is rather interesting for a change. He’s still one of the best talkers in the company and it’s a good idea to see him getting this kind of a chance. Throw in the eternally good Edwards and they might have something here.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage

Impact is defending and comes out first…being carried unconscious on Killer Kross’ back. Kross has a cinder block with him too and grabs a chair for a bonus. Security runs in and gets beaten up so Kross can put Johnny’s head against the block. Taya tries to bring Cage in for the save but he stays on the ramp as Cage yells at Taya instead. Cage finally comes in and takes out Kross, allowing Taya to hit Cage low. Impact nips up and destroys Cage, putting the block on his head and blasting it with a chair. Kross laughs from the floor to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. The main event angle was nice and FINALLY advanced the story somewhat, though the rest of the show left a lot to be desired. You can only get so far with doing the same stuff over and over, but for some reason Impact is fine with spinning their wheels on stories for months at a time. There’s a long way to go before Rebellion but you can at least see the card being set up. As usual: some good stuff here and there, just not enough that makes you want to come back.

Results

OVE b. Tommy Dreamer/Rich Swann/Willie Mack – Cactus Piledriver to Dreamer

Glenn Gilbertti b. Kikutaro – Chartbuster

KM/Fallah Bahh b. Reno Scum – Belly to belly to Thornstowe

Jordynne Grace b. Tessa Blanchard – Grace Driver

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards b. Desi Hit Squad – Kendo stick to Raju

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: March 8, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

I’m not sure what to expect this week as we have the latest round in the main event four way feud, which hasn’t been great so far but last week offered a bit of a twist with Johnny Impact injuring his neck. Other than that we have the in-ring debut of Scarlett Bordeaux, which screams screwy angle. Let’s get to it.

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

Preview/recap.

Opening sequence.

Rich Swann vs. Ethan Page

Non-title. Swann starts with his flip over Page and scores with a dropkick, only to get punched into the ropes. A reverse implant DDT gets two and a backbreaker makes things even worse for Swann. Page stops to pose again but it doesn’t seem to matter as he’s fine enough to stomp away in the corner.

A running flip neckbreaker gets Swann out of trouble and sets up the running flip dive to the floor. Swann’s frog splash (heck of a good one too) gets two but he gets crotched on top, setting up a Snowplow for two. They trade forearms, punches and kicks to the face until Swann hits a long string of them, setting up a Lethal Injection. The middle rope Phoenix splash finishes Page at 8:01.

Rating: C+. This is the kind of opener I can get behind. They didn’t stay out there too long but had enough time to put on an entertaining match with both guys getting to show off. Swann is becoming a bigger and bigger star around here and Page has put on consistently good matches for weeks now.

Post match here’s OVE to address Swann again. This is the night that Swann finally joins OVE because Swann has said that Sami Callihan is family. Swann puts on the shirt and the team poses, leaving Swann to lay the three of them out and bail in a scene that worked for Diamond Dallas Page in 1997 and works for Swann here.

LAX asks Konnan to get their rematch for the Tag Team Titles. Konnan says let him do his job and watch the Lucha Bros vs. the Rascalz.

The announcers recap last week’s injuries to Brian Cage and Johnny Impact.

The annoying interviewer tried to talk to Cage and got thrown out.

Ace Austin vs. Jake Atlas

Austin loves cards and maybe some slight of hand magic. Atlas’ wristlock doesn’t work to start and it’s Austin rolling forward with a legsweep and kick to the back. A bicycle kick gives Atlas one and Austin is right back with a double springboard kick to the face. Something like Murphy’s Law takes Austin down for two but he stomps Atlas down and hits a running Blockbuster (the Fold) for the pin at 3:29.

Rating: C-. Atlas got in a lot of offense here but Austin has the charisma and style to make him look like a star. I’ve seen him before and he’s got everything he needs to be a big deal. As usual it depends on how Impact handles him, which has been a hit or miss set of results over the years.

Johnny Impact, in a neck brace, and Taya Valkyrie join us via satellite for an interview with the annoying reporter (this guy has to be a rib on someone). Cage is getting his title shot no matter how bad Johnny’s neck is.

Reno Scum wants a rematch with KM and Fallah Bahh.

Here’s Alisha Edwards for a chat. Her contract expires at the end of this month and she has some decisions to make. She enjoys hitting people with kendo sticks but maybe it’s time to start a family. Cue the Desi Hit Squad with Rohit Raju saying it’s time for a woman to make some sense. Having a family is her job and women need to stay out of the ring. Alisha slaps Gama Singh and here’s Eddie Edwards to clean house with Kenny. The Squad beats him down but Eli Drake makes a rather slow save.

Cage isn’t happy with the reporter, who shows him a clip of something that gets on Cage’s nerves even worse.

Eddie thanks Eli but isn’t interested in going after the Tag Team Titles. Alisha says Eli is all Eddie has left so take what you can get. Eddie agrees to team up against the Desi Hit Squad next week. The one thing I get out of this: Alisha shouldn’t be talking.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: Jeremiah Snake (Sami Callihan) vs. Eddie Edwards from last year’s Impact vs. Lucha Underground show.

Moose and Killer Kross are happy with injuring Impact and Cage. They should both get title shots and if they don’t get them, it means more pain.

The Rascalz talk about getting superpowers from a robot. They talk about wearing masks and mock Moose’s pink sports coat.

Su Yung/Undead Maid of Honor/Allie vs. Rosemary/Jordynne Grace/Kiera Hogan

This is the Dark War (meaning it’s fought under a red light) for Allie’s soul and I’d assume anything goes here. James Mitchell is at ringside to make things all the more evil. It’s a brawl to start until we settle down to tagging, because that’s what you do in a War. Kiera throws Yung around to start and we get the Allie vs. Rosemary showdown. At least I think we do as I can barely see what’s going on here.

Grace comes in for a heck of a release German suplex on Allie to give Kiera two but Yung offers a distraction. That’s enough for Allie to snap off a cutter and we take a break. Back with Allie clotheslining Kiera down for two, followed by the slow stomping in the corner. Su grabs an armtrap choke on Kiera but it’s back to Allie, who gets kicked in the head. The hot tag brings in Rosemary for the big showdown and everything breaks down. Rosemary drops Allie and it’s the parade of secondary finishers. Yung mists the Maid by mistake and a spear gives Rosemary the pin on Yung at 11:54.

Rating: D+. This was a run of the mill six woman tag, which isn’t what you expect from a match billed as the Dark War. I was having more problems telling who was who in the whole thing and that made for a pretty disappointing story. To be fair though, that was the case with the entire story as Allie going evil was a complete disappointment from almost every side.

Post match Rosemary puts Allie on a leash and drags her away, launching a thousand fanfics in the process.

Glenn Gilbertti is still trying to figure out what he’s doing and Konnan sends him to yell at Don Callis. A fight is teased but it’s Killer Kross instead. The lights go out and screaming ensues.

Back from a break with Gilbertti hearing Vince Russo’s voices and looking for Callis. He thinks he finds Cody and the Young Bucks but is mistaken again. Scott D’Amore says Callis is on commentary because that’s his job. Gilbertti is NOT wanted for commentary but comes to the desk anyway.

Josh Matthews brings out Scarlett Bordeaux for her first match, though I’m not sure if the full body suit and heels are the best attire. The talent search made sense because those people were all falling over themselves so they weren’t going to be a success in the ring. Gilbertti was the biggest disaster though, which draws him into the ring for some yelling. Gilbertti: “You know what’s going to happen if you wrestle. You’re going to suck.” She slaps him in the face and a challenge is thrown out. Gilbertti tells her to spend a week cooking, but Scarlett promises to make him her b**** next week.

Rosemary tells Kiera and Jordynne to leave because she’ll take care of Allie from here. Kiera isn’t happy but Jordynne says she’s good now.

Tessa Blanchard is in a #1 contenders match next week and is willing to beat Grace if she has to. It’s all just punishment for taking out Gail Kim.

Rascalz vs. Lucha Bros

Non-title with Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz for the Rascalz. Xavier and Fenix start things off and they circle each other for the first minute. A kick to the ribs has Fenix in some short lived trouble but the Bros start firing off the kicks, including a superkick to Wentz on the floor. Back in and the Codebreaker/top rope double stomp to the back combination sets up the wheelbarrow splash for two on Xavier.

Some right hands and elbows get Xavier out of trouble long enough for a tag off to Wentz and a handspring knee to the head hits Pentagon. Back up and Pentagon kicks Wentz’s leg out on the ropes but Xavier is right there with the big flip dive (launched by Wentz to make it even better) onto both Bros. Wentz’s Swanton into the Final Flash from Xavier gets two on Pentagon, leaving Fenix and Xavier to slug it out again. Pentagon is back up though and it’s a superkick into the Pentagon Driver to finish Wentz at 7:48.

Rating: B-. I could have gone for more of this and that’s a good way to end a show. The big thing here was the Rascalz hanging with the champs and looking good in a match they weren’t going to win. The Lucha Bros are going to have another match with LAX and then Rob Van Dam and Sabu (because reasons) so there wasn’t any doubt here. It was still fun while it lasted though as the Rascalz have become some of my favorites around here in a hurry.

The Bros go to the back where they run into Konnan. They ask him (in Spanish with subtitles and then English because wrestling reasons) to tell LAX not to mess with their masks because that’s not what men do. Konnan tries to calm things down and says LAX wants a rematch. That’s not happening because it’s too soon (fair) but Konnan says he’s not asking. Next time he sees the champs, they better have a date.

Overall Rating: C+. It was a good show overall with some nice wrestling including a strong main event, but there was no way around that Dark War being such a terrible result. You call it a war and don’t even have it hardcore? The storytelling worked well in spots and that’s where Impact does best. Nice show here as they keep moving forward in the right direction.

Results

Rich Swann b. Ethan Page – Phoenix splash

Ace Austin b. Jake Atlas – The Fold

Rosemary/Jordynne Grace/Kiera Hogan b. Su Yung/Undead Maid of Honor/Allie – Spear to Yung

Lucha Bros b. Rascalz – Pentagon Driver to Wentz

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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

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

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

So I took in the OVW vs. Impact Wrestling One Night Only Show in Louisville’s Davis Arena on Saturday night. That would be the same place where John Cena, Randy Orton, Brock Lesnar and Batista among others got their start (for all intent and purpose). It was a long night and mostly fun, but there was one problem.

I managed to delete my notes because that’s what I get for trying to take notes on my phone instead of on paper as I usually do. Since the show is debuting this weekend I’ll wait for the full thing to do an entire review, but here are some quick highlights.

The Davis Arena is a warehouse on the outskirts of Louisville and if you don’t know it’s there, you would never find the place as it’s the second warehouse from the road. The place holds about 350 seats (400 at best) but there’s certainly a feeling that some important stuff has gone on in here. As you walk in through a small hallway, there are some drawn pictures of some of the legends who have worked there, which is a really nice touch.

I paid for the meet and greet (total cost including general admission seating: $20 for one of the best bargains I can ever remember) with most of the roster, which was quite the disorganized mess and not really worth the extra $10 on top of the ticket. Most of the Impact wrestlers were there while the OVW wrestlers were mainly ignored. I got a handshake from Brian Cage (nice guy), Eddie Edwards (who apologized for being on his phone as I came up and seemed to be having a good time) and Moose (who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else).

Sami Callihan was at the end and I’ve never seen someone who can go from calm and polite (asked him to sign my card that they gave you upon entry and he shook my hand, smiled a bit and handed it back with a thank you for one of the most polite exchanges I’ve ever had) to on in the blink of an eye. Once I got to my seat, you could see Callihan doing various shenanigans with fans, including clapping along for random chants, being carried about by (the gigantic) Sawyer Fulton or just being an energetic guy oozing charisma. He stood out more than anyone else on the show by a mile and it’s easy to see why he’s become a big deal in the last few years.

Since a lot of the show was built around OVW talents I won’t go into all of the matches here but there were some highlights:

Sinn Bodhi (Kizarny) is doing the I’m A Weird Freak thing and actually comes off as weird for a change, which is a nice surprise.

Madison Rayne (who walked by me at the meet and greet as she was setting up) might have had her return match for Impact here and blew away every woman in OVW. The women they haven’t aren’t bad but you can see the difference in experience and quality.

One of OVW’s younger guys is named Justin Smooth, a tall guy with a good build. He’s got a long way to go but there’s some potential there.

Johnny Impact was an unannounced surprise and got involved in a match which became a three way for the World Title. You would think you might advertise an OVW legend but the show was already sold out so it’s not the biggest mistake in the world. He and Eddie Edwards worked most of the match with OVW mainstay Adam Revolver, who did enough to make this match of the night.

The OVW act that really made an impression was a tag team called King’s Ransom, a pair of brothers (Leonis and Maximus Khan. They may be twins but they’re close enough that you need to look at them closely to tell a difference.) who look like muscular Usos and wrestle a power style. From what I can tell they’re still in their rookie year, with the first match I can find for them coming in April 2018. They have a lot of work to do (promos are far from great) but that look and style is going to get them somewhere. The two of them stood out, which doesn’t often happen on a show like this.

Speaking of not standing out, current OVW Champion Tony Gunn is….nothing special to put it mildly. He’s a guy in trunks whose nickname is Shotgun Tony Gunn, who calls himself the Gunn Show and stands 5’11 and weighs 200lbs. His promos are rather weak as well and I don’t get what OVW sees in him. He and Callihan (who have been doing an angle on OVW TV) were the main event, which went about 28 minutes and featured a ton of interference from Impact and OVW wrestlers. It was good, but Gunn isn’t someone I can ever picture myself caring about.

Overall, it was a fun night and you can’t beat the price (Seriously, $20 for a show and meet and greet with free parking?), plus getting to go to the Davis Arena, which is an important place in wrestling history, was the real highlight. Good show, and hopefully that holds up on the broadcast.

IMG Credit: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: March 1, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

The Las Vegas swing continues as we continue to build towards Rebellion. The big story coming out of last week was LAX seemingly turning heel by attacking and unmasking the Lucha Bros, though LAX was provoked. Other than that it’s the same World Title scene we’ve had for months now as Brian Cage is chasing the title with Moose and Killer Kross running around too. Let’s get to it.

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

Standard opening recap, meaning it’s well done.

Opening sequence.

Willie Mack vs. Jake Crist

Dave Crist is in Jake’s corner. Mack isn’t wasting time and Thesz presses Jake for some right hands. A swinging slam gets two as the fans are behind Chocolate Thunder. Jake sends him outside for a suicide dive, a flip dive and a diving tornado DDT for a good looking trio. Back in and Jake’s high crossbody is countered into a Samoan drop with a standing moonsault getting two. The Codebreaker connects but Dave shoves Mack off the top for the DQ at 3:23.

Rating: C. It was exciting while it lasted but you can only get so much out of a three minute match that existed to set up an angle. There’s something so engaging about Mack and that was on display here. The Crists are both very talented as well and they got to show it off in the limited ring time here.

Post match Tommy Dreamer (egads) comes out, saying he’s spent thirty years trying to write the wrongs of pro wrestling (Fan: “THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL WRESTLING?”). The match is on after the break.

Tommy Dreamer/Willie Mack vs. Crist Brothers

Tommy goes straight to the food from the crowd as we head inside for the opening bell. Some double elbows and a jumping legdrop get two on Jake and it’s time to start in on the arm. A blind tag lets Dave come in and it’s a top rope backsplash to Dreamer’s eternally injured back. The chinlock lasts even shorter than usual so Dreamer fails at a sunset flip attempt to keep himself in trouble.

An enziguri gives Jake two and it’s off to another quickly broken chinlock. With the holds not working, Jake goes up and gets superplexed right back down. Mack comes in to pick up the pace and the Stunner sends Jake outside. That leaves Dave to take a Death Valley Driver into the frog splash from Mack for the pin at 6:46.

Rating: D+. Dreamer comes in, does his Dreamer thing, and leaves. I’m glad Mack got a win, though you would think there would be a better choice to pair him with than Dreamer. At least he didn’t pin one of the Crists, even if he’s someone who doesn’t exactly offer much in terms of value, mainly due to him always being around in so many promotions.

Johnny Impact doesn’t like the implication that he’s handing out title matches as favors. The only reason Brian cage hasn’t gotten a title shot is the interference from Killer Kross and Moose. Just get rid of them and the title match is there.

KM/Fallah Bahh vs. Reno Scum

I didn’t get Scum back then and I don’t get them now. Adam Thornstone tries to slam Bahh for some reason and the pain is on in a hurry. KM comes in for some elbows in the corner but gets taken into the other corner so the beating can begin. A standing legdrop gets KM out of trouble and it’s back to Bahh for a running crossbody. Back to back rolls crush Luster and it’s a Rocket Launcher into a Samoan drop to finish Thornstone at 4:36.

Rating: D. Yeah I still don’t get them. Scum are two guys with an uninteresting look who don’t do anything in the ring that sets them apart. I’m not a fan of KM and Bahh either but they’re certainly better than what Scum was doing. They’re not a good team and I’m not sure why Impact brought them back in.

Post match Scum beats them up to try and get some heat.

Glenn Gilbertti annoys Ethan Page and runs into producer D’Lo Brown. He finally gets into the creative office and thinks we should have an X-Division tournament. The unseen creative laughs at him instead and sends him off for coffee. Gilbertti: “I’ve booked with Vince before!” Voice: “Wrong Vince!” I get the joke and laughter isn’t coming.

KM and Bahh want revenge.

United We Stand rundown.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: LAX defends the Tag Team Titles against Killshot/The Mack at Impact vs. Lucha Underground from last April.

Eli Drake congratulates Eddie Edwards on his win but says he won too. It was Eli drawing out the old Eddie last week and Eddie got a win. They can win the Tag Team Titles together but Eddie is fine with Kenny as his partner.

Scarlett Bordeaux’s in-ring debut is next week.

Tessa Blanchard vs. Delilah Doom

Fallout from Tessa attacking Delilah last week. It’s a fight to start with Doom hammering away and hurricanranaing her down. A top rope armdrag does it again but Tessa counters another hurricanrana into a sitout powerbomb. Tessa’s Saito suplex gets a delayed two as she’s not exactly intimidated here. A running elbow to the back misses though and Doom scores with a 619. Doom gets two off a crucifix bomb but Tessa powers her up and gets the Buzzsaw DDT for the pin at 5:00.

Rating: C-. This was a nicely done story with Tessa breaking a bit of a sweat against the newcomer, who got to show off a little bit here. There wasn’t much of a doubt here but at least they tried to make you believe that Doom could pull off the upset. Tessa is gearing up for her big showdown with Gail Kim though, which may or may not be the best idea.

Tessa says she’s getting her rematch for the title or else.

Cage says he can team with Impact if the World Title is the prize.

Rosemary is excited about the challenge for the war and tells Kiera Hogan to stay out of it. Kiera isn’t happy with that suggestion so Rosemary agrees to let her fight. But once Allie is back, they’re done.

Ethan Page vs. Zachary Wentz

Wentz flips out of a very early wristlock and Page isn’t sure what to do with this kind of speed. A handspring elbow is countered into something close to an F5 and a tilt-a-whirl faceplant gives Page two. The chinlock goes on so Wentz comes back with an enziguri into a shooting star for two of his own. Wentz’s dive is countered into a butterfly backbreaker of all things but Page stops to yell at the NFL alumni and gets in a shoving match with one of them. With Page distracted, Wentz hits a big springboard dive, followed by a springboard cutter for the pin at 4:55.

Rating: C. Match of the night so far though that’s not saying much. Wentz and the rest of the Rascalz are a fun team to watch and can have entertaining matches with anyone. Page isn’t bad either as I’m digging his stuff more often than not and this was no exception. Doing something with the NFL people is fine for a short story and I can’t imagine it’s going to be more than that.

Gilbertti talks to Dreamer and says he was hired as the new suckup. They find the Anthem owl and Dreamer throws him into a room with the thing. Gilbertti comes out and spits feathers.

Ace Austin is coming next week.

We recap Rich Swann vs. Sami Callihan, who were friends back in the day but now Swann wants nothing to do with him, including joining OVE. That’s not cool with Sami, who wants to be paid back by corrupting Swann like he does to everyone else.

Moose and Kross agree to work together. How many times have we heard something like this? Moose: “Tick friggin tock.”

LAX says they treated the Lucha Bros like they would treat anyone else that disrespects them. Konnan freaks out and says that’s not what he wanted so next week he’ll handle things. LAX better not screw it up.

Preview of next week’s show.

Moose/Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage

Kross and Cage slug it out to start with Cage picking him up for a backbreaker. Impact slingshots in with a legdrop and punches Kross into a corner for the tag off to Moose. That goes badly for Moose as well as he gets sent into the corner for some running elbows. A superkick into a gutwrench suplex sends Kross flying and we take a break.

Back with Moose’s rake of the eyes allowing the tag to Kross, who gets kicked in the face. The apron superplex sets up Impact’s breakdancing legdrop but Johnny stays on the mat, holding his neck. He’s fine enough to crawl over to Cage for the tag and it’s a spinebuster to plant Kross. Cage fights away but gets kicked out to the floor and here are the referees to check on Impact.

It’s enough of a distraction for Kross to hit Cage with the belt to bust him open. Back in and Moose hammers on the cut before dropping the backsplash for no cover. The bloody Cage gets pulled back to the corner as Johnny is checked on the floor. Cage and Moose trade clotheslines and Cage manages an F5 to Kross. Cue Taya Valkyrie to check on her husband as the Krossjacket Choke with a spear are enough to knock Cage out at 14:50.

Rating: C+. Again more storytelling than wrestling here, but the problem is how late they’ve waited to get to something interesting in the story. This feels like an Impact heel turn as Cage trusted him when he shouldn’t have and it allows Impact to avoid facing Cage again. Not a bad match at all though and it advanced the story, which was the point.

Impact is carried out and Cage is unconscious to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This ranged from pretty lame to fine and that’s about what I’ve grown to expect from the regular shows around here. Some of the stories are moderately interesting but there’s not enough to make me want to see the show week to week. I would say there’s been more good than bad though and the big bad hasn’t been there, so at least things are stable instead of all over the place. In this case, that’s a great relief.

Results

Willie Mack b. Jake Crist via DQ when Dave Crist interfered

Tommy Dreamer/Willie Mack b. Crist Brothers – Frog splash to Dave

KM/Fallah Bahh b. Reno Scum – Rocket Launcher into a Samoan drop to Thornstone

Tessa Blanchard b. Delilah Doom – Buzzsaw DDT

Zachary Wentz b. Ethan Page – Springboard cutter

Killer Kross/Moose b. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage – Krossjacket Choke to Cage

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: February 22, 2019
Location: Sam’s Town Hotel & Gambling Hall, Las Vegas, Nevada
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re on to Las Vegas now after a pretty good run down in Mexico. The question now is where we go from here as the road to….is it the New York show or the April pay per view now? Either way the main event scene isn’t likely to be great, which has been the problem for far too long now. At least we can get the Tag Team Title stuff going again though, which has been great every time. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap looks at Uncaged, which was one of their better shows in a while.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Johnny Impact for a chat. He said he’d be a fighting champion and he has been, then he said he’d retain the World Title last week and he did that too. Last week he did everything he said he would and beat three people, so it’s time to move on. This brings out Moose, who seems to disagree. Moose doesn’t want to hear this crying because other people cost him the World Title last week. Cue Killer Kross to say he hates Moose and his outfits. The clothing is too far as Moose gets in Kross’ face. Impact decides that that they can have a match right now for the #1 contendership. Here’s a referee and we’re ready to go.

Killer Kross vs. Moose

Impact is on commentary. Kross shoulders Moose down but Moose nips up so it’s a running clothesline in the corner to actually do some damage. Moose gets two off a rollup and yells at the referee, allowing Kross to score with a low blow. They fight to the floor where Kross throws coffee in Impact’s face, leaving Moose to kick the champ in the jaw. That’s enough to draw Johnny inside to jump both of them for the no contest at 4:10, though he hit Moose first so that should be a DQ. It won’t be, but it should be.

Rating: D+. This was an angle instead of a match, though I’m getting really tired of the whole No Contest that should be a DQ finish. It’s as basic of a wrestling rule as you can get but it’s ignored because this is the only thing they can think of. Have Moose and Cage beat on Johnny and have the referee throw it out or something, but stop making this stuff up as you go.

Post match Brian Cage comes in for the save.

Announcers. Preview.

Don Callis has hired Glenn Gilbertti (Disco Inferno) for the Las Vegas shows. I smell unfunny comedy.

Konnan fires up LAX.

Impact thanks Cage but says he can’t have a title shot with those tow running around. They should team up to get rid of Moose and Kross but Cage doesn’t trust him. Impact has a contract though and Cage seems interested.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: the six man interpromotional match from the Impact vs. Lucha Underground WrestleCon show. That’s certainly different.

The Rascalz are in their circle when Gama Singh comes in to say they can’t beat the Desi Hit Squad. Drugs are exchanged and they can’t keep up with Gama. Uh, Gama is a heel right?

Reno Scumm is coming back.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

The Rascalz (Trey Miguel/Dezmond Xavier here) aren’t themselves after the previous segment. Raj rolls Dezmond up for a very fast two and the villains take over in the corner. Xavier gets in a dropkick but Trey is too high to tag. Instead he gets tagged in and starts the kicks with no issues, because the Rascalz are a weird team. Everything breaks down and the Squad’s wheelbarrow DDT combination gets two on Miguel. Not that it matters though as the Rascalz hit a double 619 in the corner, setting up Trey’s top rope Meteora for the pin at 6:13.

Rating: C-. I guess the good Desi match was a one off because this was nothing all that noteworthy. The Rascalz are still a good team and they have more than enough time to be advanced somewhere else. Right now they’re just being put out there as the fun act and there’s nothing wrong with doing that for a long time.

Eli Drake says the Book of Eli says don’t raise your hand to him, which is what Eddie Edwards did last week. He’s coming down on Eddie for not listening to him and tonight, he’ll show Eddie the way. Hardcore wrestling makes you a loser and no one can stop him.

Sami Callihan comes in to see the injured Rich Swann. The beatdown last week was out of love because Rich’s big brother is here. Callihan called Swann from Japan when Swann needed him because Swann is the most talented person Sami has ever met. A nurse comes in to say Callihan has to leave because this is family only. Callihan leaves and Swann looks confused.

Eli Drake vs. Eddie Edwards

Drake hides on the floor from the threat of Kenny the kendo stick for a long time (smart) before we’re finally ready to go. An early shoulder has Eddie in the corner though he seems more happy than anything else. Eddie is right back up with a hiptoss and armdrags because he can do the wrestling when he wants, as opposed to when Drake wants. Drake gets sent outside and Eddie crotches him against the post for the funny visual. Instead of covering though, Eddie has a seat on the ramp for a few moments.

Back in and Eddie ducks his head, allowing Drake to hit a running DDT but the middle rope elbow misses. Drake tries a Lionsault of all things but crash lands, allowing Eddie to hit the backpack Stunner for two. A Blue Thunder Bomb gets the same but the Boston Knee Party is countered into the Gravy Train which is countered into a rollup to give Eddie two.

Eddie gets the same off a tiger driver but stops to go after the stick, allowing Drake to bust out a Burning Hammer…for two. Come on if you’re going to use one of the most devastating moves ever, it should be the pin. The frustrated Drake goes for the stick but gets rolled up with a jackknife cover (a wrestling move) for the pin at 9:58.

Rating: B-. I like the idea of this feud and they’re getting into some more complicated stuff with it. Eddie wanting to be crazy and violent but allowing himself to go back to his roots (which are still inside him) is an interesting story and I’m wondering where it’s going. Drake getting to talk is a very good thing and the more of it we get to see, the better.

Tessa Blanchard isn’t getting a rematch for the Knockouts Title and blames Gail Kim. Impact management can’t protect Gail forever though and Tessa will get to her one way or another.

Gilbertti can’t get inside.

Alisha Edwards vs. Delilah Doom

Doom is a bit more energetic than you would guess. Edwards starts fast with a hip attack against the ropes but misses a charge, allowing Doom to hit a 619. A high crossbody partially hits as Edwards slipped coming off the top…and here’s Tessa to jump Edwards for the DQ at 1:46. Now that’s how you do a DQ.

Post match Doom goes after Tessa and gets Batista Bombed for her efforts. The Buzzsaw DDT makes it even worse.

Ace Austin is coming. Cool.

Doom wants to fight Tessa next week.

Impact is partnering with the NFL Alumni Association for some charity work. Nothing wrong with that.

James Mitchell comes in to see Allie, Su Yung and an Undead Bridesmaid. He’s here to offer a deal: Su’s dark army against his own. If Su wins, she gets Allie free and clear (Doesn’t she already have that?) but if Mitchell’s team wins, they (not sure who he’s with, though it’s likely Rosemary) gets Su.

Taya Valkyrie thinks Tessa whining is funny. Tessa can cry like a baby all she wants but Taya isn’t helping her.

Tag Team Titles: LAX vs. Lucha Bros

The Lucha Bros are defending but get jumped in the aisle to start the fight. LAX gets inside so Ortiz can take Fenix out with a running flip dive. We take a break and come back for the opening bell with Ortiz hitting Fenix in the head with what looked like the insert of a shoe. Pentagon breaks things up and has the big showdown with Santana. A superkick has Santana in trouble until Ortiz comes back in to help him hit his own superkick on Pentagon. An assisted swanton sets up a Lionsault/legdrop combination but here’s Fenix…who charges into a Downward Spiral. What a great save.

We settle down to Fenix in trouble as the fans aren’t sure who they like more. Fenix kicks them both down and hands it off to Pentagon for a double high crossbody. The Sling Blade drops Santana and a double superkick hits Ortiz. The Pentagon Driver gives Pentagon two on Santana and the Lucha What’s Up makes it even worse. Santana is back in with a rolling cutter on Fenix and the Street Sweeper gets two. Back in and Fenix starts kicking away, including a dive onto Santana. The spike Fear Factor finishes Ortiz at 7;33.

Rating: B. These four can do now wrong, even if it’s with a shorter form match like this one. They beat each other up with one big spot after another and it’s nice that they didn’t spam the moves as much this time. LAX will be back later on due to pure talent but it makes more sense to go with the Lucha Bros right now as they’re just that good.

Post match Konnan congratulates the champs and tells LAX to do the same. LAX offers the handshakes but get taunted instead, meaning it’s a beatdown and unmasking to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. There’s more than enough good wrestling to carry a show on here and that’s what matters most. The storytelling is still a weakness, but if they focus more on the action than on the stories, they can have a way forward. Now unfortunately that kind of a show doesn’t have the best track record, but I’d rather they do something well than do something weak over and over.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2000 Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Part 1 (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/02/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-thunder-reviews-volume-vii-january-june-2000/

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: February 15, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

We’re still in Mexico City and the big story coming out of last week saw the Lucha Bros become the new Tag Team Champions with about 184 piledrivers. The big question now is where things go from here, though tonight being the Uncaged special should help a lot. That means a stacked card, including the World Cup match (meaning a company vs. company tag) and a four way for the World Title. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks at tonight’s big matches, mainly focusing on the World Cup and the World Title. Makes sense.

Opening sequence.

Knockouts Title: Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie

Street fight with Tessa challenging while wearing jeans and a shirt that her dad wore back in the 80s. Tessa charges up the ramp with a chair but gets taken down for some right hands. They get inside with a table already set up in the corner as Tessa loads up a chair in the corner. Taya runs her over and sends things outside but takes too long posing, allowing Tessa to blast her in the head. A running dropkick drives a chair into Taya’s head into the barricade but the champ is back with a sign shot.

Tessa takes a beer to the face but she wraps a chair around Taya’s neck and drives it into the post. Since this is modern wrestling, Taya is up without much damage done. Back in and we hit the choke with a cable cord and it’s time to rip off Taya’s shirt. Taya finally manages to send her into the chair in the corner, followed by a chair driving a metal sheet between Tessa’s legs. Tessa is right back up and throws in a bunch of chairs, one of which is pelted at her head.

Taya gets thrown onto a pile of chairs though and we take a break. Back with the two of them sitting in the chairs for a slap off until Taya kicks a chair into Tessa’s face for two. A spear drives Taya into the table in the corner but they bounce off for a good visual. It works so well that they do it again and the thing still doesn’t break. Tessa loads up a regular table but gets shoved outside for a big plancha from the top. Back in and Taya hits a top rope double stomp through the table to retain at 17:56.

Rating: B-. They beat each other up here and it felt like a fight, which is exactly the point. Taya needs a fresh challenger and while Tessa is still the best in the whole division, it’s time for someone to take her place. She can be back later on with no issues as she’s that good, though they had a good match here to wrap up the feud.

The announcers preview the show.

GWN Flashback of the Week: Team Impact vs. Team AAA from Bound For Glory 2017. At least it ties into later tonight.

Team Impact is ready to win tonight but they’re not sure on the team captain. Sami Callihan goes to take care of something so Eli Drake takes charge and gives them a pep talk.

Ethan Page vs. Willie Mack

Mack is now Hot Chocolate. Page slugs away to start but Mack does a dancing handstand in the corner because he can. A double nipple twist has Page in more trouble so he grabs a running DDT to take him down. Mack’s suplex puts Page down but a middle rope enziguri of all things (that’s a new one) gives Page two. Mack hits his running strikes in the corner, including the reverse Cannonball. A standing moonsault gets two so Page kicks him in the head a few times. Those have limited effect on Mack’s hard head and the Stunner finishes Page at 5:03.

Rating: C-. Didn’t have time to go anywhere but Mack is ready to break into the next level. That’s the case with every promotion he’s in and for some reason it just never happens. This might be the place though as Mack is getting pushed well enough around here and stays on TV, even in a quick match like this one.

Killer Kross says tonight is like a 3-1 handicap match for Johnny. Everyone pays the toll.

The Crist Brothers follow Mack and seem to jump him.

Team AAA speaks Spanish.

Here’s Sami Callihan for a chat. Everyone knows he and Rich Swann are brothers and what Swann said last week is fake news. Sami has given him multiple chances to join OVE so tonight is the final offer. A serious Swann comes out and throws the shirt away again so the fight is on. Sami gets the better of it and piledrives Swann on the stage, followed by a toss through a table.

World Cup: Team Impact vs. Team AAA

Impact: Fallah Bahh, Eli Drake, Eddie Edwards, Sami Callihan

AAA: Hijo Del Vikingo, Aerostar, Puma King, Psycho Clown

Elimination rules and thankfully we get a mention of Callihan vs. Drake from last year. Clown and Callihan slug it out to start as Callis wonders if Callihan can be traded to Mexico. A middle rope crossbody takes Callihan down and it’s off to Aerostar for a top rope corkscrew crossbody, followed by a Codebreaker in the corner. Drake comes in and hammers away but Aerostar quickly brings in Vikingo.

The pace pics up and the fast tags begin, capped off by King brainbustering Edwards for two. That’s enough to bring Bahh in for the first time with a belly to belly suplex planting King. Everyone comes in for the big staredown but wind up on the floor just as fast. Back in and King snaps off a running hurricanrana to Edwards.

Aerostar hits the first running dive (How did we not get to one of those yet?) and Bahh dives off the apron for a bonus. Vikingo adds a crazy springboard inverted moonsault before going up again, only to get powerslammed down by Drake. It’s time for the kendo stick but Edwards doesn’t like it, allowing King to roll Drake up for the elimination at 9:01.

Back from a break with Callihan chinlocking King until Bahh slams Callihan onto him for a near fall. Since Bahh isn’t very good, a single shot slows him down and it’s off to Vikingo to springboard Codebreak Callihan. Vikingo gets to clean house and kicks Bahh into the corner without much effort. A dive is countered into a powerslam though and Vikingo is out at 15:49. Aerostar comes in for a variety of dropkicks before avoiding a Banzai Drop to pin Bahh at 16:40.

It’s Edwards in now and a rolling cutter takes him down, only to have the Boston Knee Party take care of Aerostar at 17:39. We’re down to King/Clown vs. Callihan/Edwards and King powerbombs Callihan for two. Not to be outdone, Callihan piledrives King for the elimination at 18:39 to continue the rapid fire eliminations. Clown says bring it on and beats both of them up in a hurry until a Boston Knee Party takes him down.

Not so fast though as Sami wants the pin and gets rolled up to make it one on one at 20:06. They slug it out with Eddie being sent outside for a suicide dive. Back in and Clown gets two off Sliced Bread #2 but here’s Drake to hit Edwards with the kendo stick. Clown grabs la majistral for the final pin at 23:12.

Rating: C+. The best thing I can give this one is that it didn’t feel long and the right team won, though it’s not like this means anything long term. To be fair though, it’s not like it was supposed to and the whole World Cup thing is just a nice bit of marketing. All in all, it’s perfectly watchable and that’s not a bad thing to have going for you.

Reno Scumm is coming back. Dang it why?

We look back at the Lucha Bros taking the Tag Team Titles from LAX.

Konnan is going to get LAX one more shot but that’s it.

Allie and Su Yung are panicking about Rosemary, who seems to hack the feed.

Scarlett Bordeaux is in bed in lingerie and promises to make her in-ring debut in Las Vegas.

Next week: Edwards vs. Drake.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Johnny Impact vs. Brian Cage vs. Killer Kross vs. Moose

Impact is defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Moose gets low bridged outside early on and it’s time to kick people in the head. Cage sends the champ outside though and it’s the big flip dive onto all three of them. Back in and it’s a double powerbomb to plant Impact but Moose and Kross fight over the pin. I’m as shocked as you are but the alliance actually continues, this time with a double teaming on Cage.

Shockingly enough, Moose rolls Kross up for two and there’s the first suplex to Moose. Impact gets back up and starts cleaning house until Moose kicks him in the head. The chokebomb out of the corner gets two on Impact but Cage German suplexes both other monsters at the same time. Everyone hits everyone in the face until Impact’s springboard spear hits Cage for a four way knockdown.

It’s Impact up first and they all heads to the corner for the required Tower of Doom. Instead of covering, Kross switches gears a bit with a cross armbreaker on Impact but Cage makes the save with a dragon sleeper to Kross. It’s Kross up again with some suplexes all around but Impact kicks him in the face for two more. A pop up powerbomb into a backsplash gives Moose two, only to walk into the Drill Claw from Cage. Impact is right up with Starship Pain for the pin on Moose at 10:37, just as Cage had Kross pinned off the Drill Claw.

Rating: B-. It was entertaining while it lasted and the more I think about it, the more I think it should have been a bit shorter like this. The problem is that it’s still not a great story and Cage has no reason to be annoyed here because he lost the match completely clean. I’m not sure why this is going to keep going, even though it feels like it has been forever already.

Overall Rating: B+. This was one of the action shows and that’s where Impact works best. The worst match was the short Mack vs. Page match and even that was perfectly watchable. What we got here was almost all wrestling and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially when Impact isn’t the best storytelling company in the world. I had a very good time here and it worked quite well with one of their better shows in a long time.

Results

Taya Valkyrie b. Tessa Blanchard – Top rope double stomp through a table

Willie Mack b. Ethan Page – Stunner

Team AAA b. Team Impact – La majistral to Edwards

Johnny Impact b. Moose, Killer Kross and Brian Cage – Starship Pain to Moose

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 8, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Don Callis, Josh Matthews

Things are starting to pick up around here with one of the biggest matches we’ll be seeing in Mexico as LAX defends the Tag Team Titles against the Lucha Bros. That could be a heck of a match with four guys who can work well together and tear the house down with the right amount of time. It’s likely to be better than the World Title feud, which still isn’t doing anything of note. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening recap opens while serving as a recap.

Opening sequence.

Willie Mack/Rich Swann vs. Crist Brothers

The Brothers jump the gun before the bell and take over to start, though I’m not sure the match ever officially got underway. Mack gets sent outside and it’s Swann caught in the wrong corner for the double teaming. That doesn’t last long though as Mack comes back in and sends the Brothers outside for the running flip dive. Back up and the Brothers drop Mack onto the apron, setting up a Crossface back inside.

Mack crawls over and bites the rope for the break (that’s certainly different) so Dave superkicks him into a rollup for two. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Jake goes with a chinlock to mix things up a bit. It’s back to Dave and a double clothesline allows the hot tag to Swann. Everything breaks down and Rolling Thunder into a splash gives Swann two but the Brothers are right back up with a spike Tombstone for the same. A double Stunner from Mack sets up a double handspring cutter from Swann, setting up the middle rope 450 to finish Jake at 9:40.

Rating: C. The ending came a bit out of nowhere but Mack and Swann work very well together, meaning this was a pretty nice little match. Swann vs. Callihan could be interesting and the backstory being filled in will help them out a lot. What we got here was good though, which tends to be the case in openers on this show.

We recap the ending of last week’s main event with Brian Cage allowing partner Johnny Impact to get speared down.

The Lucha Bros promise to win the titles.

Next week: Impact defends against Killer Kross, Moose and Brian Cage.

GWN Flashback Moment of the Week: LAX returns. This was during the time when Bruce Prichard and Dutch Mantell were around. Remember any of that? I’m not sure why you would, but you might for reasons of self induced pain.

Allie vs. Kiera Hogan

Allie is looking for Rosemary during her entrance. Su Yung and Jordynne Grace are here as well. Kiera goes straight at her in the corner with some running elbows and a clothesline gets two. A choke shove sends Kiera into the corner though and Allie gets two of her own off a sliding clothesline. The announcers ignore the match to talk about anything else in the coming weeks, even ignoring Kiera hitting a superkick for two.

Allie misses one of her own and Kiera hits something like an Edge O Matic. Su tries to throw in the bloody glove so Grace takes her out without much effort. With Kiera down, Allie thinks about the glove but realizes it would summon Rosemary, allowing Kiera to get up and hit the fisherman’s neckbreaker for the pin at 5:22.

Rating: D. Hey look: Allie loses again, which really shouldn’t be much of a surprise anymore. Like I said last week, if she and Su don’t ever win anything, why is she someone that needs to be dealt with? Allie being scared of Rosemary is fine and the story hasn’t gotten old and stale yet, but they need to find a better way to tell it pretty soon.

Johnny isn’t happy with the announcement of the four way when Cage comes in to say he’ll see him next week.

Rob Van Dam and Sabu will face the Lucha Bros at United We Stand (the Wrestlemania weekend show). That would have felt old ten years ago and now it’s even worse.

Allie and Su go looking for Rosemary and a new message appears: “The witching is upon us. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.”

Rohit Raju vs. Trey Miguel

Raju isn’t happy with the rolling around to start and yells at the fans as Callis says Raju wants to be like Gama Singh but would be lucky to be like Sonjay Dutt. Trey’s chinlock doesn’t last long so he springboard dropkicks Raju outside instead. A suicide dive is countered though and a faceplant onto the apron has him in trouble. Raj Singh gets in some cheap shots from the floor and it’s time to strike it off.

Raju actually gets the better of it with a shot to the knee and a right hand to the head for two. Trey is right back up with a double stomp to the back as this is getting more time than I was expecting. There’s a 619 in the corner, followed by a jumping neckbreaker for two on Raju. Back up and a sitout gordbuster gets two on Trey and a sliding knee to the back of the head (ala Adam Cole) is good for the same. The other Rascalz superkick Raj, leaving Trey to hit another 619 into a Meteora for the pin at 8:28.

Rating: C+. I….liked this? I’m not sure how to handle a world where a match featuring someone from the Desi Hit Squad actually entertains me but that’s what happened here. It’s no masterpiece or anything but what we got was fun enough and kept me entertained. Just keep it to singles matches and things can be completely adequate.

We look at Team AAA before the World Cup match.

Scarlett Bordeaux makes her in-ring debut in Las Vegas.

Sami Callihan vs. Puma King

Puma has been entertaining in MLW. Sami jumps him from behind to start but King is right back up with a superkick and it’s time to make some noise. There’s a running flip dive to the floor as the fans seem rightfully impressed by King. They head outside with another kick to the face keeping Callihan in trouble. He’s able to grab a tornado DDT on the floor though, leaving King outside for a near countout.

Back in and Callihan gets two off a Batista Bomb and it’s time to start stomping on the ankle. Or maybe to tear at the mask, like a heel should do in this situation. Sami lets him up so it’s the spit chop instead, with the announcers not exactly seeing the appeal. King gets tied in the Tree of Woe but manages to get his legs free for something like an ankle hurricanrana to escape. They both fall to the floor in a crash with Sami laughing (of course) as we take a break.

Back with Puma still in trouble and Sami showing some swagger for a change. King is fine enough to hit a spinebuster and an enziguri but can’t follow up. A victory roll into an elbow (just an elbow) keeps Sami in trouble and something like a Blue Thunder Bomb gets two. Some strikes to the face and ribs rock Sami so he bounces off the rope for a hard clothesline. La majistral gives King two as Sami grabs the rope, which feels out of place in this match. Back up and King hits some superkicks but takes a shot to the ribs, setting up the Cactus Piledriver to give Sami the pin at 17:26.

Rating: C. Another back and forth match here, though as usual it didn’t have much in the way of a flow to it as Sami was kind of going from spot to spot. Normally that’s not a great thing but it kind of fits with Sami, who is more about the violence and hurting people than getting a win. King continues to be fun and I could go or some more of him.

Video on Tessa Blanchard vs. Taya Valkyrie before their street fight next week. As usual, Tessa comes off like a complete star here, even if Gail Kim is going to get involved somehow.

Eli Drake runs into Eddie Edwards in the back and brags about getting the win last week in their tag match. Next week they’re in the World Cup match but Eddie doesn’t want to hear about it. He’ll do his thing and Eli can do his, but Eli wants to see the old Eddie next week. Eddie doesn’t seem to buy the idea.

Rundown of next week’s big show.

Killer Kross and Moose are ready for next week’s title match and seem ready to work together. Moose thinks they could be co-World Champions but Kross doesn’t seem interested. This treated Moose like a bit of an idiot, which isn’t the right fit for him.

Tag Team Titles: Lucha Bros vs. LAX

The Lucha Bros are challenging and get a big over the top entrance, which looks almost more like Chinese New Year than anything else. The Bros jump the gun again and it’s an early Pentagon Driver attempt being broken up, followed by a double belly to back suplex from the champs. That’s the first seventeen seconds so we’re in for a fast one here. The assisted moonsault is broken up and Pentagon hits a Codebreaker on Ortiz to set up Fenix’s top rope double stomp to the back.

Santana and Pentagon do the big staredown as the fans are WAY into this one, shocking no one at all. The other two get back int o break things up and Fenix kicks Santana out to the floor. Ortiz and Fenix slug it out with chops going upside the others’ heads until Santana comes in with a high crossbody. Fenix dropkicks both champs down and we take a break. Back with Fenix hitting Ortiz in the face to stun him on top as we’re actually in a standard match for a change.

Ortiz gets a spinebuster on Fenix and it’s off to Santana and Pentagon with more chops ensuing. The champs get the better of it this time as the announcers are doing a rather nice job of explaining how different these teams are with Konnan being a huge difference maker. A quick Pentagon Driver gets two on Santana as Konnan is starting to panic. The spike Fear Factor misses and rolling cutters take out both Bros at once.

A Codebreaker into a superkick into the double flip into a faceplant (how LAX retained at Homecoming) gets two on Fenix. There’s the Street Sweeper to Fenix but Pentagon makes the save, setting up the spike Fear Factor on Santana. Fenix suicide dives Ortiz as Pentagon gets two, followed by a regular Fear Factor for the same. The Bros have had it and it’s another spike Fear Factor with another dive to Ortiz to give us new champions at 14:11.

Rating: B+. I don’t think it’s as good as commentary was hyping it up to be but this was a very entertaining match with everyone just going insane, as they should have. I know the ending was a bit repetitive but there’s something to be said about dropping someone on their head over and over until they just don’t get up anymore. It’s the same idea that Edge had at New Year’s Resolution 2006 when he kept spearing Cena over and over until he won. Why go with something other than your biggest weapon if you have the chance?

Post match Konnan doesn’t know what to do. LAX gets up and Konnan tells them to shake hands. They do, though a little shoving takes place before LAX gives the Bros the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. I liked this show more than I was expecting to and it was a rather fun night. The main event was the feel good moment for the crowd and that’s a great way to go. Next week’s big show is already set up and we had a good night here as what might be the high point of the tapings. One really good main event is better than a lot of tapings get so I’ll certainly call this one a success, even with a pretty lame Allie vs. Hogan match (though to be fair, that’s more the story than the wrestling). Good stuff here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: February 1, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re still in Mexico and last week, that was a good thing. There’s all kinds of extra talent to throw in there and you never know what kind of surprises you’re going to find. Some of the stuff around here has been rather good as of late and there’s a strong chance they’ll keep that going. Let’s get to it.

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

The opening video looks back at last week’s big stories. As usual, the main event scene doesn’t feel like anything that stands above the rest in the slightest.

Opening sequence.

Lucha Bros/Taurus vs. LAX/Daga

It’s a big staredown to start until Santana and Pentagon actually get things going. There’s no contact in the first minute so Fenix flips in to dropkick Santana down. Everything breaks down (well duh) and Daga hits the big flip dive onto Taurus. It’s back to Santana and Pentagon for a chop off as I’m very glad they’re going with lucha rules here as it’s the only logical move. Santana backflips into a rolling cutter for two on Taurus and Ortiz gets two off a splash.

A little miscommunication lets Fenix come in with a dropkick to Ortiz’s back but he grabs a Blue Thunder Bomb to drop Fenix. The double tags bring Taurus and Daga back in with Daga getting two off a bridging German suplex. Ortiz sends Taurus outside and it’s time for the parade of dives. Fenix hits a CRAZY high one and we take a break. Back with all six inside and a spike Fear Factor finishes Ortiz at 14:53. The post break stuff was less than a minute.

Rating: B-. Exactly what it needed to be here as we continue to move towards the big rematch with the Lucha Bros likely winning the titles in Mexico for a cool moment. These guys are incredibly entertaining and that’s exactly what a match like this was supposed to be. Just let them go nuts and set up the big match down the line while waking the fans up for the start of a show. Exactly what it should have been.

Post match Pentagon lays out the challenge for the rematch next week. It’s on.

The announcers preview the show.

Killer Kross and Moose are fired up for their tag match with Brian Cage and Johnny Impact. A lot of shouting ensues.

Konnan tells Santana and Ortiz to be ready for next week. He wants them to keep it professional and they’re cool with that.

GWN Flashback of the Week: a triple threat tag match for the Tag Team Titles with a date not important enough to mention. LAX retained though.

Su Yung/Allie vs. Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace

Grace isn’t about to get jumped from behind and shrugs both of them off without much effort. Allie gets thrown into Yung and it’s Hogan coming in for two off a splash. A dropkick sends Yung into the corner for a running hip attack (Hogan keeps pointing at them so it makes sense that she would attack with them). Grace comes in for a fall away slam and it’s off to Allie, who gets dropped in a hurry as well. Yung tries some mist but Allie uses the distraction to nail a superkick on the floor and take over for the first time.

Back in and Su seems to freak out a bit but it’s just a way to draw Kiera in. See, she’s crazy and smart at the same time. A double leg snap keeps Grace in trouble and we hit the chinlock. Grace starts shrugging off clotheslines and runs Allie over, allowing….well nothing yet as the lights go out. They come back up with Rosemary having taken Yung’s place and reaching out for a tag. Allie panics though and walks into a fisherman’s neckbreaker to give Hogan the pin at 7:33.

Rating: D. I like the idea of the Dark Allie story with Rosemary wanting to go into the world of darkness to save her friend, but it loses a ton of steam with Allie losing so many times. She’s not a threat and she’s not menacing, but for some reason I should want to see her vanquished? Neither Allie nor Yung have been mentioned in the Knockouts Title hunt so they’re not on a reign of terror or anything, so why should I need to see Allie be saved?

Scarlett Bordeaux knocks Bobo into a pool. This has been your eye candy moment.

Rascalz vs. Eddie Edwards/Eli Drake

Xavier and Wentz for the Rascalz here. Eli has to talk Eddie out of swinging the Singapore cane so Eddie goes in alone to start with Wentz. Eddie works on the arm so Drake tags himself in and gets armbarred for his efforts. A springboard spinning crossbody gives Wentz two and it’s time for the double teaming to begin. Xavier gets two off a double stomp to the back and Wentz adds a slingshot hilo for two of his own.

Eddie is back in and Drake pulls Wentz off the top, much to Eddie’s annoyance. Therefore it’s back to Drake for a side slam and we hit the chinlock. Wentz fights up and hits a handspring knee to the face to drop Eddie. Drake breaks up a hot tag attempt though and comes back in, only to allow the hot tag a few seconds later.

The Rascalz load up a double DDT but Drake reverses into a double northern lights suplex….which gives Wentz two as I guess it was reversed into the DDT after all? It didn’t quite look to connect but close enough. Eddie makes the save and dives onto Wentz before grabbing the stick. The referee isn’t letting that happen so Drake takes it away and knocks Xavier silly. The Gravy Train connects for the pin at 8:36.

Rating: C. I can live with the Rascalz losing to a pair of former World and Tag Team Champions with cheating involved. Drake and Edwards could lead somewhere interesting and I can always go for more Drake on this show, as he’s one of the best things around. The Rascalz are as well and they’re going to be fine going forward.

Post match Eddie isn’t sure what to think.

We look back at Tessa Blanchard attacking Gail Kim.

Tessa sends in a response via Twitter and promises to come back on February 15 to get her title back.

We look back at Sami Callihan offering Rich Swann a spot in OVE.

Swann talks about having no family when he was 18 when he met Sami. They traveled the roads together and became a family. Then Swann learned more about Sami and who he was, so while Swann will always care for him, they aren’t family anymore.

Taya Valkyrie is ready for Tessa and we might as well just make it a street fight.

Fallah Bahh vs. Psycho Clown

Clown is a pretty big star in Mexico so this isn’t a comedy match. He even has Dr. Wagner Jr.’s mask, which is a serious deal around here. Bahh runs him down with the power of the gut to start so Clown forearms him without much avail. Clown gets knocked outside and splashed as Callis doesn’t seem comfortable with clowns in general.

A tear at the mask just annoys Clown, who ties Bahh in the ropes for a top rope double stomp. Clown hits a suicide dive into a running flip dive but Bahh, apparently not a Del Rio fan (And who is?), shrugs it off and hits a belly to belly. A running splash in the corner crushes Clown but a regular version misses, allowing Clown to grab la majistral for the pin at 5:39.

Rating: D. I’ve never cared for Bahh so someone beating him isn’t exactly going to make me care all that much. Clown is a name in Mexico and is going to be involved in the upcoming World Cup competition, but a win over a comedy guy is hardly the way to make him seem like a big deal.

Cage and Impact agree to work together tonight.

Clown fires up Team AAA for the World Cup match against Team Impact.

Preview of next week’s show.

Killer Kross/Moose vs. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage

This still feels like a midcard feud. Moose shoves Impact down and strikes some poses before shouldering him to the mat and doing it again. Impact snaps off a hurricanrana so Moose nips up. A dropkick works better for Johnny so it’s off to Kross vs. Cage, the latter of whom has to tag himself in. Cage shoulders away and slams Kross down but Impact tags himself in as well.

A Moose cheap shot lets Kross throw Impact with a suplex and the villains take over. Kross and Moose take turns stomping away in the corner, which isn’t the most dastardly offense. Moose sends him into another corner to mix things up a little bit before handing it back to Kross for a dragon sleeper. A belly to back suplex gives Moose two but Johnny finally rolls away and makes the hot tag off to Cage.

Everything breaks down and Moose hits the middle rope chokebomb on Cage as Impact tags himself back in. The running knee to the head gets two on Moose and there’s a 619 for good measure. Cage gets in the way of the Flying Chuck though and the near fight lets Moose hit a spear (Cage saw it coming and did nothing to stop it) for the pin (again, with Cage not moving) on Impact at 11:46.

Rating: C-. Again, it’s still just a fine match with nothing beyond that, especially as far as interest goes. The wrestling was watchable and the story has made sense, but there’s nothing going on that makes me want to see where this is going. There’s no reason this needs to be for the World Title, but where else is it supposed to be right now?

Cage leaves on his own to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. This show was all over the place but what worked was quite good and the bad stuff was more just not my taste than anything else. The stuff they’ve built up for the future sounds good though and that’s one of the best things that you can get out of a show like this. Just let the big stuff deliver and the show will get a lot better.

Results

Lucha Bros/Taurus b. LAX/Daga – Spike Fear Factor to Ortiz

Kiera Hogan/Jordynne Grace b. Su Yung/Allie – Fisherman’s neckbreaker to Allie

Eli Drake/Eddie Edwards b. Rascalz – Gravy Train to Xavier

Psycho Clown b. Fallah Bahh – La majistal

Moose/Killer Kross b. Johnny Impact/Brian Cage – Spear to Impact

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-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: Impact Wrestling

Impact Wrestling
Date: January 25, 2019
Location: Fronton Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico
Commentators: Josh Matthews, Don Callis

We’re south of the border again and that means things should be interesting. It worked well last time, if nothing else due to having a bunch of luchadors included. We’re also getting ready for Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross for the World Title in a rematch from a few weeks back, but things have changed a bit since then. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening recap.

Opening sequence.

There’s a lot of room between the ring and the barricade. Like way more than almost any arena.

Rich Swann vs. El Hijo Del Vikingo

Non-title. Swann grabs a wristlock to start so Vikingo walks through the ropes for a break. Not bad. They flip away from each other with Swann spinning out of a headscissors in a nice looking counter. Vikingo does his own flip counter before kicking Swann in the head. Makes more sense than flipping. Swann gets sent outside for the big running flip dive but comes right back with a springboard off the barricade. There isn’t much of a spring in a barricade but the idea works the same.

Back in and Swann puts on a seated abdominal stretch, followed by a rather hard kick to the ribs. Vikingo is right back with an enziguri into a fisherman’s buster Jackhammer for two. That’s a new one, as has tended to be the case for Vikingo. Swann catches him with a top rope hurricanrana for two, only to walk into a swinging Rock Bottom. A Michinoku Driver gives Swann two more and the middle rope 450 finishes Vikingo at 9:14.

Rating: B-. I had a good time with this as Swann can more than hang in a lucha style match. Vikingo looked awesome too with some unique offense that was very crisp throughout the whole thing. Swann still needs more competition, but he’s feeling like a star as champion. The fact that the matches are actually taking place almost weekly is a nice bonus as well.

Post match here’s OVE and post break Sami congratulates Rich on his success but it’s time the fans learn the truth about the two of them. They’re close outside of the ring so it’s time for Swann to come home and join OVE for good. Sami says Swann wouldn’t be able to take care of his family without him, which seems to be a step too far for Swann. Rich says the shirt is the right size but the family isn’t the right fit. Sami: “That wasn’t a no!” He wants Swann to keep thinking about it. Sami isn’t great at subtleties.

The announcers preview things.

New interviewer Melissa Santos talks to Killer Kross and Moose, the former of whom says it ends for Johnny Impact tonight. They’re not worried about Brian Cage watching, because Cage had some customs issues and won’t be here.

Jordynne Grace and Kiera Hogan are ready to face Allie and Su Yung next week. They’ve been training you see. Melissa asks about Rosemary so the cameras start to flicker. A message appears on the screen behind them, saying “The Darkness Will Take You Too. This Is Not Your Fight. – R.” Confusion reigns. I’m thinking it’s a message from Rellik, which is still Killer spelled backwards.

Keyra vs. Taya Valkyrie

Non-title again. Keyra jumps her from behind to start as Callis explains the idea of a rudo. A backbreaker cuts Keyra off but she’s right back with a running basement dropkick in the corner. Taya is still rocked so a Backstabber out of the corner sets up a middle rope moonsault for two. A running Liger Bomb gives Taya two of her own, followed by the curb stomp. Taya’s modified STF makes Keyra tap at 5:35.

Rating: D+. Keyra was aggressive but this was little more than an obvious ending as Taya isn’t losing in her first match back. Or as a champion. Or likely in Mexico. In other words this looked like a squash but at least Keyra tried and got in some offense instead of just taking the loss in a hurry.

Post match Taya talks to the crowd in Spanish before talking about what the people here have meant to her career. Taya wants Tessa Blanchard and will be waiting for her when she gets back.

Swann admits that he and Callihan do have a history but there’s more to it than that.

From March 10, 2004, Hector Garza vs. Jack Evans.

The Rascalz are in their circle and realize they’re in Mexico so they switch to Spanish.

Scarlett Bordeaux trains in not the most efficient gear.

Desi Hit Squad vs. Rascalz

Can we leave the Squad in Mexico? It’s Dezmond and Zack for the team here in what should be at least half of a good match. Raj forearms Dezmond up against the ropes but gets leapfrogged and dropkicked. Wentz knees him from the apron to keep the Squad in trouble so it’s off to Raju. A corkscrew press gives Zack two but a cheap shot from the apron lets Raju get a breather.

Raj comes in and plants Wentz, including holding him on the floor for a double stomp from Raju. Back in and Wentz beats both of them up with ease, allowing the hot tag to Dezmond. Everything breaks down and it’s Wentz hitting a heck of a dive to the floor to take both of them down. Raj comes back in and gets kneed in the face, setting up the Push Moonsault for the pin at 7:01.

Rating: C-. I really can’t get over how boring the Hit Squad is. They’re the definition of warm bodies as heels, which isn’t exactly enough for me to get interested. I’m not wild on the That 70s Show stoner deal for the Rascalz, but they’re a very fun team who does entertaining stuff while also giving Dezmond something to do after months of nothing. That’s how you make something from the pieces you have around and it’s working here.

A serious Johnny Impact swears revenge on Kross tonight. He’s not worried about Cage either.

LAX and Konnan are ready for the Lucha Bros. Konnan isn’t exactly sure though and next week we’ll be having some singles matches between the team members.

Trey Miguel vs. Ethan Page

Joined in progress with Ethan blocking a hurricanrana to the floor and hitting a superkick. That doesn’t seem to bother Trey, who is right back with an Asai moonsault. Back in and a tilt-a-whirl faceplant drops Trey again, followed by a hot shot onto the top rope. The chinlock doesn’t work so well so Page switches to a pump kick instead.

Trey finally gets a breather off a jumping neckbreaker, followed by a 619 in the corner. The split legged moonsault gets two but Trey misses the top rope double stomp. It doesn’t really matter though as he Rolls the Dice (Fresh to Death) to finish Page at 6:50. I had forgotten about that move and seeing it again makes me tired of it all over again.

Rating: C. Just like the other Rascalz, Trey is a lot of fun to watch and this was no exception. It’s also a good sign for the future: this was two young stars who haven’t overstayed their welcome yet having a perfectly watchable match. You need to bring some new people along at some point and that’s what Impact is FINALLY starting to do.

We look back at Eli Drake yelling at Eddie Edwards about losing the way last week.

Drake talks to Eddie again, this time about an upcoming Impact vs. AAA match. Eddie doesn’t seem to listen, but they’re in a tag match next week against the Rascalz.

Impact Wrestling World Title: Killer Kross vs. Johnny Impact

Johnny is defending and Moose is here with Kross. A shoulder puts Johnny down but he nips up in a hurry, only to get pulled into a chinlock. That’s rather early to need a chat. Back up and Johnny knees him in the head, only to get kneed in the chest to cut him back down. A hurricanrana gets Johnny out of trouble but Moose breaks up a springboard attempt. Back from a break (without much having changed) with Kross dropping an elbow for two and choking in the corner.

A DDT gets two more and it’s off to a seated cobra clutch. Johnny fights up and hits the Flying Chuck for two, only to have Kross hit a hard clothesline for the same. The Krossjacket choke doesn’t work so Kross switches to a cross armbreaker instead. That’s broken up as well so Johnny hits the sliding German suplex. A springboard spear (cool) gets two but Starship Pain misses. The Krossjacket choke goes on again but here’s Cage to clothesline both of them for the no contest at 14:49.

Rating: C+. I just can’t get that into this main event scene and that’s still the case here. I don’t know if it’s everything being wrestling focused with limited angles or something else, but the spark isn’t there and it’s hurting things. The wrestling was fine, but nothing here makes it feel like you’re watching a major feud for the top prize in the company.

Post match Cage cleans house until it’s a showdown with Impact. Moose and Kross are cleared out and Cage stares at the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Another perfectly watchable and at times entertaining show. The problem continues to be a lack of a connection to anyone, which is probably why the main event scene is a problem. What reason do I have to cheer for Johnny? What reason do I have to cheer for most people here? I know who the good people and bad people are, but that doesn’t mean they’re strong characters that the fans want to get behind. That’s the big problem around here and it’s been that way for years. Until they fix that, nothing is going to get better, at least not in a big way.

Results

Rich Swann b. El Hijo Del Vikingo – Middle rope 450

Taya Valkyrie b. Keyra – Seated STF

Rascalz b. Desi Hit Squad – Push Moonsault to Singh

Trey Miguel b. Ethan Page – Fresh to Death

Johnny Impact vs. Killer Kross went to a no contest when Brian Cage interfered

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 1997 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/11/20/new-paperback-complete-1997-monday-night-raw-reviews/

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

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