IMG Credit: WWE

205 Live
Date: May 15, 2018
Location: 02 Arena, London, England
Attendance: Vic Joseph, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

Since we’re over in a foreign country, it makes sense to have some guest stars. As you might guess (or know if you watched last week’s show), that would be a bunch of the United Kingdom wrestlers, many of whom are likely going to be in the upcoming United Kingdom Championship Tournament. This could make for a fun night, especially if it’s done right. Let’s get to it.

Here’s last week’s show if you need a recap.

Drake Maverick narrates the opening video, which tells us about the guest stars and the two matches we’ll be seeing tonight.

Opening sequence.

We get some bios for some of the names that we’ll be seeing tonight. That’s a really good idea as while they’re not much, it at least puts a name with a face and lets you know a little something about these people. Their heights, weights, styles and finishing moves, among other information, is all given.

Tyler Bate vs. TJP vs. Kenny Williams vs. Kalisto

One fall to a finish. Bate and TJP nearly get into a fight before the bell over issues when Bate was here last time. Kalisto wastes no time in going for a rollup on a distracted Bate with Williams making the save. At least someone is on the ball. TJP pulls Bate to the floor and sends him into the barricade before heading back inside to get headscissored by Kalisto. A takedown sets up a quick Boston crab on Kalisto with TJP grabbing Kalisto’s arms to pull him off the mat.

Williams comes in and dropkicks TJP before diving out to take out Kalisto. That allows Bate to come back in for some right hands to TJP in the corner as the pace stays slower than you might expect for a match like this. We hit the airplane spin and Bate spins back the other way to unwind, taking out Williams and Kalisto at the same time. I love that spot.

The dizzy Bate gets sent outside and TJP spins through the ropes before going after Kenny’s leg. Bate’s save attempt earns him an armbar while TJP has Williams’ leg barred as well. We’ll throw in a front facelock on Kalisto at the same time for a rather ridiculous looking spot. The hold is broken up and it’s Kalisto kicking away until Williams crotches him on top. That means the required Tower of Doom spot but it’s Williams up first with some kicks through the ropes.

Bate adds a no hands dive over the top to take Williams and TJP down, followed by a flip dive from Kalisto to put everyone down again. Back in and Williams tornado DDTs Kalisto for two with TJP making the save. A double clothesline puts Bate and TJP down as Kalisto and Williams fight to the floor. The Detonation Kick is blocked and Bate’s rebound clothesline sets up the Tyler Driver 97 for the pin on TJP at 10:33.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but wound up being fun at the end. Williams didn’t get much of a chance to shine but did well enough. Bate winning is the right call as he’s a big enough name and the fans were going to love seeing him do his thing. If nothing else it gives us another mustache pose and that alone is worth it.

We look at Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander, which is set for two weeks from tonight. This focuses on Murphy, who certainly has more charisma than Alexander. I know Cedric was the sentimental pick to win the title but he’s reminding me more of the bad days of Bob Backlund without as high a level of skill.

Next week: Akira Tozawa vs. Hideo Itami.

Cedric is in the back when his partners for tonight, Flash Morgan Webster and Mustafa Ali, come in to talk strategy for the main event. Webster is a bit over the top, to put it mildly, with a helmet, what appears to be pajamas with an ascot and mirror sunglasses.

Here’s Drake Maverick to do commentary on the main event.

Joseph Conners, Drew Gulak and James Drake are ready for the six man.

Cedric Alexander/Mustafa Ali/Flash Morgan Webster vs. Joseph Conners/Drew Gulak/James Drake

Alexander and Conners get things going with Joseph taking him into the corner and hammering away with elbows to the head. Cedric’s dropkick gets him out of trouble to a very limited reaction, which isn’t the most surprising thing in the world. Webster comes in to stay on the arm and a running armdrag sends it off to Drake. That lasts all of ten seconds and it’s Gulak coming in for the first time. A hurricanrana has Gulak in trouble as well so let’s try Conners again.

Ali gets two off a spinwheel kick as the silence from the crowd is almost eerie. Gulak organizes a huddle, which he calls a team building exercise. We settle down to Drake vs. Ali and the team building seems to work with Ali getting stomped down without much effort. The latest hot tag brings in Webster, who is quickly kicked down but Gulak ignores his partners’ requests for tags. Drake comes in for the chinlock on Webster (with a bloody mouth) but gets sent into the corner.

That’s enough for the hot tag to Ali as things speed up (with the crowd not getting up to join them). The rolling X Factor hits Conners and a super hurricanrana sends Conners into Drake for two. Alexander comes back in and it’s time for a parade of secondary finishers to put everyone down. Gulak charges into a boot (with the camera AGAIN showing that it doesn’t make contact, which is a major problem as of late) and Morgan hits a double dive. The Neuralizer is countered into an ankle lock but Cedric rolls Gulak into the corner. Ali is back in with the tornado DDT, setting up the 054 for the pin on Gulak at 12:40.

Rating: B. Webster caught my eye before the match and looked good during the match itself. The rest of the match was your usual 205 Live stuff: an above average match that didn’t show off any kind of interest because it’s just people doing moves to each other. Either way, it’s still more than good enough and for a stand alone show, this was a fine main event.

Overall Rating: B+. This was a show with one idea and they did it very well. The matches didn’t last too long and they didn’t try to do anything more than mixing the 205 Live guys with the UK wrestlers which is all it needed to be. Both matches were entertaining and I had fun watching what felt short. They also announced a title match in a few weeks until they get back to America to set things up. Good show here, even if it means nothing whatsoever.

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

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

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

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

IMG Credit: WWE

NXT
Date: February 28, 2018
Location: Center Stage Theater, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

We’re still closing in on Takeover: New Orleans but this time we’ll be doing it without Johnny Gargano. Last week Gargano put his NXT career on the line for another shot at the NXT Title but former partner Tommaso Ciampa cost him the title with a crutch shot to the back. Now we need to figure out what’s going on in New Orleans so let’s get to it.

Here’s Last Week’s Show

We open with a recap of last week’s title match with Gargano and wife Candice LeRae stared back at the ring in sadness as Ciampa looked at them in contempt.

Opening sequence.

Velveteen Dream vs. Tyler Bate

This should be good. Dream crawls away in reverse and the fans are split, albeit more for Dream than Bate. Tyler puts on a short form clinic by sliding between Dream’s legs, jumping over him, and wristlocking Dream into a rollup for two. A dropkick has Dream livid on the floor as we take a break.

Back with Bate slipping out of a suplex but running into an elbow to the jaw. Dream gyrates a bit and grabs a reverse chinlock, followed by a reverse chinlock for good measure. Bate fights up and hits a running elbow in the corner for two as the pace picks up a bit. The airplane spin has Dream in trouble but he’s still able to elbow his way out of the reverse version.

The Tyler Driver 97 is countered with a backdrop and one heck of a spinning spinebuster gives Dream two. They slug it out from their knees with Bate getting the better of it but Dream sends him hard into the buckle. Dream goes to the top but gets crotched. Bate is shoved down anyway and the Purple Rainmaker is good for the pin at 12:08.

Rating: B-. Bate is settling into the role of the bulletproof wrestler, which is about as bad of a spot as you can get. I can’t remember the last time that he won a match and now he’s stuck losing over and over again. That being said, he’s still one of the most consistently strong performers around and it’s almost always a good performance. Dream is on another level than almost anyone else right now though and I’d be surprised if he isn’t NXT Champion by the end of the year.

Paul Ellering and the Authors of Pain want the Tag Team Titles back.

We see William Regal giving Gargano his termination papers, but Gargano will still be required to make media appearances and live events that he was already signed for. That sounds important. The referee admitted that he made a mistake and is sorry that he cost Gargano his career. Gargano seems to accept it.

Cezar Bononi vs. Adam Cole

Actually hang on a second as Cole grabs a mic and offers Bononi a spot on the team. O’Reilly throws him a shirt but it’s a ruse so Cole can stomp him down in the corner. Bononi is right back with a Michinoku Driver for two but another distraction lets Cole hit a superkick. A running knee to the back of the head ends Bononi at 2:55. Just a win to keep Cole hot until he gets a match at Takeover.

We recap Kairi Sane winning the Mae Young Classic by defeating Shayna Baszler, who has gone full villain since. Baszler has destroyed various people, typically by wrecking their arms. It seems that Baszler is on her way to the Women’s Title but Sane is trying to slow her down.

The Street Profits interview people about the upcoming Dusty Classic. The first round starts next week.

Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler

Sane hammers away to start but Shayna takes her down by the leg. Kairi is sent to the apron and Baszler starts in on the ribs to slow Sane down. A knee to the ribs takes us to a break with Sane in trouble. Back with Baszler getting two off a gutwrench suplex before starting on the arm.

The armbar is reversed into a rollup for two and Sane chops away in the corner. Sane gets a breather off a spear and the sliding knee in the corner has Baszler in trouble. A top rope forearm gives Sane two and a spinning backfist puts Baszler down again. It’s too early for the Insane Elbow though as Baszler kicks her in the head, setting up the Kirifuda Clutch to make Sane tap at 7:22.

Rating: C+. This was exactly how the match should have gone: Baszler gets the win back and looks dominant in the process, showing that she is now better than Sane and can beat her in rather short order. The match should set Baszler up for the Women’s Title match in New Orleans, where she needs to win the title in similarly dominant fashion.

Post match Baszler calls out Ember Moon, promising to leave with either the title or her limb.

Here are Andrade Cien Almas and Zelina Vega for a chat. Vega calls Almas Mr. 4-0 (over Gargano) and laughs about Gargano having his wife there for the last loss. Gargano was bragging about earning respect but Almas earns MONEY. Almas talks about making Johnny Wrestling Johnny Jobless but Almas is still called the NXT Champion. They go to leave but Aleister Black cuts them off. Before Black can say anything though, here’s Killian Dain for the brawl, including a running crossbody to take Black down and end the show.

Overall Rating: B. Well there’s the next title match and they went out of their way to suggest that Gargano isn’t quite gone yet. I’m starting to get excited for Takeover and that’s a good sign with nearly six weeks left. The show could be a heck of a card and it’s nice to have good TV setting us up on the way there. Throw in what should be the start of a good tournament next week and things are rolling.

Results

Velveteen Dream b. Tyler Bate – Purple Rainmaker

Adam Cole b. Cezar Bononi – Running knee to the back of the head

Shayna Baszler b. Kairi Sane – Kirifuda Clutch

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

205 Live
Date: January 30, 2018
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big week around here as we have the first ever General Manager being announced. In addition to that though, we also have the next step in the Cruiserweight Title situation as the title was vacated due to Enzo Amore being released from the company. That sounds like a tournament and that wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Daniel Bryan to open things up with the big announcement. He’s not alone though as he’s flanked by TNA’s Rockstar Spud. Bryan mentions the Cruiserweight Classic before talking about the new General Manager. Under his leadership, this show will be giving us the kind of action that the fans want.

Spud is officially named Drake Maverick (with Vic mentioning the Rockstar Spud name) and Bryan leaves him to make his initial speech. Drake has dedicated his entire career to get here and he’s proud to be here in WWE. As for the title, there will be a sixteen man elimination tournament to crown a new champion with the finals taking place at Wrestlemania. That tournament starts TONIGHT with Gran Metalik vs. Cedric Alexander and Tyler Bate (making his 205 Live debut) vs. TJP.

I like the pick. Maverick had some good intensity and sold the promo very well. We solve both problems in one move and hopefully have some structure to the show going forward. It also helps that he can wrestle down the line if need be and it’s not like it would be a stretch to have him against the other cruiserweights. This works well all things considered.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament First Round: Cedric Alexander vs. Gran Metalik

Before the match, Cedric says he’s ready to win. In the back, Maverick tells Metalik to show him something. Cedric grabs the arm to start but Metalik flips away. A headscissors goes nowhere with Alexander waving a finger no. Instead he sends Metalik over the ropes, only to charge into a kick to the head. Metalik adds a top rope dropkick but Alexander is right back up with a top rope clothesline and a flip dive to the floor.

Back in and we hit the chinlock on Metalik for a bit before Alexander charges into a superkick. Metalik sends him outside for a running flip dive, drawing a rare 205 chant. They trade some shots to the head until Metalik gets two off a standing C4. Metalik catches him on top though and mostly hits a springboard hurricanrana for two of his own. The Lumbar Check is reversed into a DDT (sweet counter) for two but the moonsault hits boots. Cedric grabs the Lumbar Check for the pin at 9:25.

Rating: B. I’d be surprised if Alexander didn’t either win the tournament or lose in the finals as he was at worst a heavy favorite to take the title from Amore. He’s been around for a long time now and has one of the most successful finishers around the division. Now go somewhere with him. Metalik continues to be a solid hand as well, which should do him a lot of good.

Video on Tyler Bate, most of which I believe has aired on NXT before.

Jack Gallagher thinks he should be in the tournament finals.

Drew Gulak presents Maverick with some flowers in the hopes that he’ll support law and order.

Mustafa Ali lost a big match last week but he heard the fans cheering him on. He’s ready to get back to it though and earn the Cruiserweight Title.

TJP insists on being referred to as the first ever Cruiserweight Champion and reminds us that he won the Cruiserweight Classic. Maverick comes in and says that was a long time ago. He’d like to know which TJP is going to show up tonight. Will it be TJP the champion or the TJP who whines when he doesn’t get his way?

Akira Tozawa wanted to be GM but he’ll settle for winning the title again at Wrestlemania.

Cruiserweight Title Tournament First Round: TJP vs. Tyler Bate

As you might expect, the fans are behind Bate. They fight over the arm to start until spins into a headscissors for two with a dab thrown in for good measure. Bate reverses into a headscissors and even a nip up can’t get TJP out of trouble. We actually get some dueling chants, albeit with the LET’S GO TYLER side easily dominating. Bate tries to roll him into another hold but gets caught something like a surfboard. He reverses into one of his own though and even stands up to rock TJP back and forth for a painful looking visual.

With the hold not getting him anywhere, Bate sends him outside for a suicide dive, which doesn’t get the biggest reaction in the world. Back in and some choking in the corner gets TJP out of trouble, followed by a belly to back suplex for two. We hit a double underhook crank on Bate so he powers TJP into the corner for the break. As usual, there’s no substitute for straight power.

Bate charges into the corner though and TJP jumps up for a half crab with the two of them in the ropes. That’s a new one. Nigel gets in a great stat as he mentions Bate being born the year TJP had his first match. Back up and Bate hits a running big boot to the face to knock TJP’s head off. A delayed German suplex gets two and TJP looks rocked. Some kicks to the leg stagger Bate but he tosses TJP with another suplex.

A standing shooting star gets two but TJP goes back to the knee to take Bate down again. Bate misses his rebound clothesline and it’s off to the kneebar. As usual though (as in what happens nearly EVERY SINGLE TIME), the first attempt is broken up without much effort. A hard clothesline drops TJP for two but Bate is feeling the knee injury. He’s still able to do the airplane spin (which I actually thought was playing at double speed) and TJP is all dizzified.

The Tyler Driver 97 doesn’t work though and it’s back to the kneebar. This one is reversed into a rollup, followed by that hard left hand to TJP’s jaw. Spiral Tap misses though and it’s the third kneebar to have Bate in real trouble. Somehow he makes the ropes AGAIN so let’s try the Tyler Driver again. This time TJP grabs the ropes and reverses into a rollup with a handful of trunks to win at 14:33.

Rating: B. They were starting to roll here with the leg injury being perfectly fine. I still can’t emphasize enough how impressive Bate is for someone his age. His power stuff is awesome and the athleticism is impressive, especially for someone with as plain of a look as he has. Give him some more experience and time to learn and he could be a very solid player. TJP winning is a bit of a surprise but maybe they’re dropping the whole whining thing and just letting him do what worked before.

Next week in first round matches: Kalisto vs. Lince Dorado and Hideo Itami vs. the debuting Roderick Strong.

Overall Rating: A-. What more can you ask for? No Enzo, the top issue is addressed, we have two very good matches and an energetic debut, plus two more tournament matches being announced in advance. It’s almost like they’re trying around here all of a sudden and that’s not something you get on this show very often. Excellent show here and one of the best 205 Live has ever done.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

NXT
Date: January 31, 2018
Location: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Percy Watson, Mauro Ranallo

It’s time for another of the pre-Takeover shows as we haven’t had time to do more tapings, meaning we have some dark matches from this weekend’s Takeover: Philadelphia. This includes a match between Roderick Strong and Tyler Bate with the winner getting a UK Title match against Pete Dunne at some point in the future. Let’s get to it.

We open with a recap package from Takeover, including a focus on the incredible main event.

Opening sequence.

Nikki Cross vs. Lacey Evans

Nikki is all over her to start but gets kicked out to the floor. Evans gets tied in the ring skirt and the fans are WAY behind Nikki as she forearms Laces in the chest. Back in and Lacey hits a slingshot Bronco Buster in the corner and is booed out of the building. That earns her a kick to the chest and the swinging fisherman’s neckbreaker is good for the pin on Evans 2:35.

Video on Saturday’s Tag Team Title match.

Video on the Women’s Title match, including Shayna Baszler choking Ember Moon out after losing.

Baszler says that went as it was supposed to because Moon only survived instead of beating her.

Video on Moon being in the Royal Rumble.

Video on Aleister Black vs. Adam Cole.

Undisputed Era took Cole to the back as he swore vengeance on Sanity.

Next week: Undisputed Era defends against Sanity.

Video on Velveteen Dream vs. Kassius Ohno.

Velveteen Dream says read his trunks. “Dream Over.” Dream to the interviewer: “And now you know too. Good talk.”

TM61 vs. Ealy Brothers

Uriel Ealy jumps Shane with forearms to the back but everything breaks down in a hurry with Thorn hitting a running Fosbury Flop onto both Brothers on the floor. The Brothers switch though and Miller gets kicked in the jaw. The beatdown lasts all of a few seconds though as a clothesline gets Miller out of trouble, setting up the hot tag to Thorn. Everything breaks down and Miller hits a moonsault for two with Gabriel making the save. Thunder Valley (the double gorilla press into a sitout spinebuster) is good for the pin on Uriel at 3:18.

Rating: C. This was fine for a return showcase match with TM61 looking good. They were only starting to hit their stride when the injury cut them off so they need to pull something off to get back on track. The tag division can always use another team and they could be in the title picture in fairly short order. Thorn looked fine in his return from injury.

Recap of the 2017 Year End Awards.

TM61 says they’re a better team than they used to be because they’re now mighty, and the mighty don’t kneel. Ignore one of them kneeling to set up Thunder Valley.

Long video on Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade Cien Almas, including Tommaso Ciampa attacking Gargano after the match.

Post match Ciampa wouldn’t answer questions, including “where have you been”. Uh, rehabbing his knee, as everyone knows?

We look at Almas in the Rumble.

Zelina Vega says this was her plan all along and there’s no Gargano in sight.

EC3 (Ethan Carter III isn’t mentioned) has signed with NXT.

Cole was in the Rumble and faces Killian Dain next week.

Roderick Strong vs. Tyler Bate

The winner gets a UK Title shot at some point to be announced. They fight over wrist control to start with Bate kicking him in the arm to twist out of a wristlock. Bate scores with a dropkick and nips up into a mustache pose. The airplane spin is countered into a double underhook backbreaker and Strong tosses him HARD into the corner for two.

Back from a break with Strong bending Bate over his back (kind of a bow and arrow with Bate bent over the back instead of the knees). Bate slips out and hits a big boot to the jaw, followed by a middle rope knee to the side of the head. Bate’s Liger Kick is followed by a crucifix for two and a rebound clothesline gets the same. The Tyler Driver 97 doesn’t work due to the variety of backbreakers and Strong hits the jumping knees to the face. End of Heartache is good for the pin on Bate at 13:38.

Rating: B-. The last few minutes were very good with Bate doing more of his ridiculous athletic stuff despite looking like one of the most generic jobbers of all time. Strong winning is the right call as Bate vs. Dunne should be saved for special occasions and Dunne needs a fresh opponent. Bate will be fine and the fact that he’s only 20 is remarkable.

Overall Rating: C+. These shows are always hard to rate as there’s only so much that can be said with so many recaps. This is designed to be mostly a placeholder show with a big main event and there’s nothing wrong with that. Next week will be back to normal and since NXT knows what it’s doing, we already have two matches set for the first show of the new tapings. It’s so nice to not have to worry about things like moving to the new taping cycle and it’s very cool to have a promotion that has figured this stuff out.

Results

Nikki Cross b. Lacey Evans – Fisherman’s neckbreaker

TM61 b. Ealy Brothers – Thunder Valley to Uriel

Roderick Strong b. Tyler Bate – End of Heartache

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the 2018 Updated Version of the History of the WWE Championship in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2018/01/26/new-book-kbs-history-of-the-wwe-championship-2018-updated-version/

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

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

NXT
Date: December 20, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

It’s a big night for NXT as we have a pair of title matches this week. Pete Dunne will be defending the UK Title against former champion Tyler Bate and Sanity defends the Tag Team Titles against the Undisputed Era. That’s not bad for a one two punch (Bop and Bang perhaps?) so let’s get to it.

Opening sequence.

Tag Team Titles: Sanity vs. Undisputed Era

Eric Young/Killian Dain (defending) vs. Bobby Fish/Kyle O’Reilly here. Dain and Fish start things off with Bobby’s sleeper doing as well as any sleeper works on a monster. The challengers bail to the floor as the fans are behind Sanity. A gutbuster drops Kyle and Young drops a middle rope elbow for two. Young gets in a shot tot he head but Fish trips him up to send us to a break.

Back with Young in more trouble and getting suplexed into the corner. We hit the armbar for a bit until Young knees O’Reilly in the ribs. A neckbreaker gives us the double knockdown but Fish is smart enough to draw Dain in to prevent the hot tag. Young low bridges Kyle outside though and now the tag brings in Dain for the house cleaning.

Dain drops Kyle with a Michinoku Driver for two and it’s already back to Young for a powerbomb. Cue Adam Cole to crotch Young though, drawing in Nikki Cross to dive onto Adam. Young gets two more off a neckbreaker to Kyle but Cole posts Dain. A suicide dive takes Cole down but Young walks into a High/Low for the pin and the titles at 14:58.

Rating: B. Sanity feels like transitional champions and that’s ok. The Undisputed Era are the guys who will be getting the big matches and big title defenses, meaning whoever takes them down them will look like world beaters. It’s an entertaining match with all four moving quite well, along with making Dain look like more of a monster as O’Reilly and Fish were running scared of him for a long chunk of the match.

Cole celebrates with the new champs, showing off near elation to really sell the moment.

Video on Roderick Strong before his Fatal Four Way Qualifying Match later.

Shayna Baszler is coming.

Heavy Machinery admires Tino Sabbatelli and Riddick Moss’ car until the owners show up. Trash is talked but the rich guys drive away. I can approve of more of Tino on TV.

We look back at Sonya Deville beating Ruby Riott a few weeks ago.

Sonya challenges Ember Moon for next week. The title match is confirmed.

Video on Lars Sullivan.

We look back at Aleister Black kicking Adam Cole’s head off last week.

Fatal Four Way Qualifying Match: Roderick Strong vs. Lars Sullivan

Strong goes right at him to start but gets taken down with a hard shot to the face. The Angle Slam doesn’t work either and Lars forearms him in the back. We hit the bearhug until Strong strikes his way to freedom. Some running forearms stagger the big man but he blasts Strong in the head. For some reason Lars goes up top but gets superplexed down for two with the near fall barely getting one. Some jumping knees give Strong two but a pop up powerslam cuts him off again. The Freak Accident sends Sullivan to the #1 contenders match at 5:43.

Rating: C+. They’re pushing the heck out of Sullivan and that’s exactly what they should be doing. The guy looks like a monster and he’s being treated like one as well. If there’s one thing NXT knows how to do (and there are more than one), it’s make build up the next big thing in short order. Sullivan was barely a name months ago and now he’s looking like the biggest monster around here since…..Bray Wyatt maybe?

The Street Profits talked to some fans earlier this week. The fans seemed to like them.

The four way is next week with Aleister Black vs. Killian Dane vs. Johnny Gargano vs. Lars Sullivan.

Tyler Bate is ready to take his title back.

United Kingdom Title: Tyler Bate vs. Pete Dunne

Dunne is defending. The fans are split to start as Dunne takes Bate down into an armbar. Bate reverses into one of his own but has to jump out of a headscissors (with a wave to Dunne for a nice bonus). They fight over a test of strength on the mat with Bate getting powered down but bridging out in an impressive power display. A left handed sucker punch drops Dunne for two but Pete gets in a hard forearm outside to take over.

Bate stomps Pete’s hand into the steps, only to get suplexed off the steps for a cool visual. Back in and Dunne stomps on the hand to pop a finger out of joint. Tyler pops it back in so Pete stomps on it AGAIN like a true villain should. Back up and Tyler tells him to bring it before countering a kick into a t-bone suplex. A rolling kick to the head looks to set up the Tyler Driver 97 but Dunne reverses into a triangle.

Bate’s powerbomb counter doesn’t work so he picks Dunne up AGAIN, drapes him onto the middle rope and catapults him into the top for the break. Not bad at all. The airplane spin into the reverse airplane spin is followed by a THIRD spin but Bate’s delayed cover only gets two. Dunne crawls over to the ropes so Bate climbs the ropes for another superplex and two more. They trade hard kicks with Bate getting the better of it as Dunne looks out. Dunne grabs the arm for a quick Bitter End but Bate is up again.

They trade clotheslines before heading to the apron to slug it out again. Back in and Dunne punches him in the face and gets two off an X-Plex into a sitout powerbomb. Bate knocks him outside for a big dive, followed by the Tyler Driver 97 for an even closer near fall. Back up and Bate tried a German superplex but Dunne lands on his feet, setting up the Bitter End to retain the title at 22:54.

Rating: A-. I was thinking this would be a downgrade from their previous match and while that was the case, it was still one heck of a slugout with both guys hitting each other as hard as they can. There’s a poise between these two and it makes for some outstanding matches. They need to find Dunne some new challengers now as you don’t want to burn the fans out on something like this, no matter how good the matches are.

We’re off the air thirteen minutes after the hour. That might be the third or fourth time that this show has ever run long.

Overall Rating: A+. And that’s why NXT is the best wrestling TV show in years. In an hour and fifteen minutes we had an instant classic, a #1 contenders qualifying match and a title change. That’s some of the tightest TV you’ll see anywhere and it was outstanding stuff. The build to Takeover should start soon and that could be an incredible show given where some of the pieces seem to be setting up. Incredible TV here and one of the best NXT’s ever.

Results

Undisputed Era b. Sanity – High/Low to Young

Lars Sullivan b. Roderick Strong – Freak Accident

Pete Dunne b. Tyler Bate – Bitter End

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

NXT
Date: November 29, 2017
Location: Aztec Theater, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson

We’re back on the regular schedule this week as it’s time to get ready for Takeover: Philly. Therefore, we need to deal with the lack of Drew McIntyre, who has wrecked his elbow and be out for several months. Tonight will be at least partially focused on the women though with Kairi Sane facing Peyton Royce. Let’s get to it.

We’re in San Antonio this week with some matches from a recent house show.

Street Profits vs. Riddick Moss/Tino Sabbatelli

Dawkins waistlocks Moss down without much effort and gets in a slam for good measure. Ford comes in for the belly to back moonsault but Sabbatelli gets in a cheap shot to take over. That goes nowhere though as the Profits clean house without much effort. Back from a break with Ford being knocked off the barricade to really take over for the first time.

Moss stops to mock Ford’s dancing before hitting the chinlock. Ford flips out of it though and avoids a charge in the corner, setting up the hot tag to Dawkins as house is cleaned. An elbow gives Tino two with Moss grabbing Ford’s feet, forcing the referee to break things up. Back up and the spinebuster into the frog splash ends Sabbatelli at 12:49.

Rating: C. I’m starting to dig the Profits but they still need a better set of opponents. They’re nailing the charisma though and that’s what’s going to get them a lot further than anything else. Sabbatelli has a great look but his in-ring work just isn’t the best in the world. Moss….well he’s there too.

Last week the UK guys set up a tag match for this week.

Trent Seven and Tyler Bate are ready for said tag match and are ready to teach a fake team a lesson.

Mark Andrews is teaming with Pete Dunne tonight so he can get a future UK Title shot.

Kairi Sane vs. Peyton Royce

Peyton hiptosses her down to start but gets rolled up for a quick two. A dropkick gets the same, only to have Peyton spin kick Sane in the face for the same. Back from a break with Sane holding a chinlock until Sane fights up and hits a spear to cut her off. A running Blockbuster sets up the sliding corner elbow but it’s too early for the Insane Elbow. Sane stomps her down again, cuts down Billy Kay and drops the Insane Elbow for the pin at 9:46.

Rating: D+. Sane continues to not exactly thrill me in the ring though I’ve seen far worse. I get the hype and she has a great look but I’m still waiting on the great match. Royce and Kay are still good foils for the faces but they have to actually win something at some point to really make things more believable.

We look back at Sonya DeVille vs. Ruby Riot from last week. Next week it’s a no holds barred rematch.

We look back at Andrade Cien Almas winning the NXT Title from Drew McIntyre. Drew’s injury is also confirmed.

Tyler Bate/Trent Seven vs. Mark Andrews/Pete Dunne

Dunne front facelocks Bate to start before a hard shot to the face allows the tag off to Andrews. Seven comes in as well but gets dropkicked down for a fast two. It’s back to Dunne to crank on the fingers and we take a break. Back with Andrews working on Seven’s arm until the much bigger Seven blocks a monkey flip.

That’s fine with Dunne, who comes back in with a Backstabber to take Seven down all over again. A quick Seven Stars Lariat cuts Dunne off though and the hot tag brings in Bate to clean house. Tyler hits a middle rope elbow to the jaw but the Tyler Driver 97 is broken up. Andrews’ standing corkscrew moonsault gets two and the fans think this is awesome.

Andrews loads up a top rope hurricanrana but Dunne slaps him in the face for a tag. Not that it matters as the hurricanrana sends Bate into a sitout powerbomb for a strong near fall. A step up enziguri drops Seven but Andrews can’t hit the shooting star on Bate. Instead it’s the airplane spin until Dunne tags himself in. It doesn’t do much good though as Bate drops Dunne with a shot to the face, setting up the Tyler Driver for the pin at 15:53.

Rating: B. The usual good stuff here, though not as great as they’ve been before. This should set up another Bate vs. Dunne match and I’m not sure how many people would really be complaining. Bate and Seven are a really solid team and I wouldn’t mind seeing them in the Tag Team Title hunt, assuming their schedules would allow it.

Dunne lays Andrews out to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. It’s always good to have these shows taped just in case you need something like this. They were able to deal with the holiday schedule and still deliver a perfectly watchable show with a good main event. That’s a lot better than a Best Of show or something like that, which often feel like a waste of time.

Results

Street Profits b. Tino Sabbatelli/Riddick Moss – Frog splash to Sabbatelli

Kairi Sane b. Peyton Royce – Insane Elbow

Tyler Bate/Trent Seven b. Mark Andrews/Pete Dunne – Tyler Driver 97 to Dunne

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Monday Nitro and Thunder Reviews Volume VI: July – December 1999 in e-book or paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/11/22/new-book-kbs-monday-nitro-and-thunder-reviews-volume-vi/

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

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

205 Live
Date: November 7, 2017
Location: Manchester Arena, Manchester, England
Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph

The show is heading across the ocean this week and that means things are changing up a bit. This week will see the WWE UK wrestlers guest starring, which likely means some show stealing performances and someone jobbing clean to Enzo Amore because that’s how things work anymore. Let’s get to it.

The opening recap looks at Pete Dunne destroying Enzo last night and the UK wrestlers being invited tonight.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Enzo Amore to open things up with his Zo Show talk show. Heaven forbid anyone just get in the ring and talk without having their own set. He’s a ratings draw and money certainly can buy happiness. The fans call Enzo boring but he shrugs it off by saying he’s just a G. The UK is a dump though, mainly because it’s always raining. Oh and the women are bland too.

Last night in Blandchester, Kurt Angle sent out his UK Champ to do what he could and Enzo was bamboozled by the loserweight. If the fans had been chanting for Enzo last night, none of that would have happened. As for tonight though, let’s have the first ever UK Zo Train, which means the UK division. Enzo talks to the six of them, starting with Jordan Devlin who was trained by Finn Balor.

Jordan says that’s the end of his association with Balor because he’s here for the money and the fame. Next up is Tucker, who says neither Enzo nor Devlin are half the man Balor is. Enzo: “Whatever.” The third man is James Drake, also known as Mr. Mayhem. Enzo asks if he wants to be on the Zo Train and Drake says “Choo choo.” Enzo: “WELL COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!”

On to Mark Andrews, who is a high flier but Enzo thinks he’s over the weight limit. Now for the biggest name on the list in Tyler Bate, who has no interest in being on the Zo Train. He just couldn’t stand hearing Enzo’s voice that often. Enzo thinks there’s a spot for him on the Train, if Bate can handle being a butler. That’s FINALLY enough for Bate, who pops Enzo in the jaw. The fans are very pleased but here’s Kalisto for his match to cut off the Bate chants. This was WAY longer than it needed to with over fifteen minutes of Enzo talking. That might work on Raw, but not on a show that isn’t even an hour long.

Video on James Drake, who will be wrestling tonight.

Kalisto vs. Jack Gallagher

Before the match, Gallagher says it’s good to be home. He’s glad to be back because it reminds him of how glad he was to leave behind all the horrible things of England. Gallagher is reminded of the clown that the fans wanted to turn him into, like they’re doing with Cedric Alexander. Now he’s a real man’s man and bigger than Manchester. We get the opening bell a mere twenty two minutes into a fifty five minute show. They hit the mat to start with Gallagher getting the better of it, only to have Kalisto walk the ropes into an armdrag.

Jack heads outside with Kalisto jumping over the top rope, landing on the outside of the middle rope, and flipping down onto him for a rather dangerous looking spot. Back in and Gallagher takes over with a wristlock before driving some knees down into the arm. An armbar keeps Kalisto down for a bit until a hard hurricanrana driver plants Gallagher again. A moonsault is countered into another armbar though and Kalisto is in some trouble. Back up and Kalisto rolls out of the armbar, allowing him to climb the ropes into the Salida Del Sol for the pin at 5:08.

Rating: C. Not a bad match, but this is something we could have seen on almost any given episode of 205 Live. If the show is supposed to be a British special, why in the world would you have something that you could see on any show? Kalisto winning is fine as he’s coming up on a pay per view, but the crowd isn’t exactly thrilled with this show, meaning the win felt unimportant.

Kalisto rants about beating Tyler Bate tonight.

Video on Mark Andrews.

Video on Joseph Conners.

Cedric Alexander/Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners/James Drake

Conners and Andrews start things off with Mark hitting a few dropkicks, including a flip out of a sunset flip into the second one. It’s off to Drake to work on Cedric’s arm until Cedric ankle scissors his way to freedom. Mark comes back in for a standing moonsault with Cedric adding a legdrop as a bonus.

Some double teaming puts Andrews in trouble though and a reverse Batista Bomb (always thought that would be a good finisher) gets two. Andrews sends them into each other though, setting up one of the most ice cold hot tags you’ll ever see. The springboard clothesline gets two on Conners and a double Neuralizer drops both heels. That sets up the shooting star to put Conners away at 4:33.

Rating: C. Again, fine, but nothing you can’t see elsewhere. The bigger problem here is the dead crowd, who just does not care about this show. To be fair, they just saw AJ Styles win the World Title about forty minutes ago so it’s a bit hard to care that much about a completely run of the mill TV show.

Video on Bate, including his UK Title win.

Enzo Amore vs. Tyler Bate

Non-title. Bate rolls him down without too much effort to start and Enzo takes a break on the floor. The fans get a MUSTACHE MOUNTAIN chant going while Bate waits on him inside. Back in and Enzo walks into a t-bone suplex, sending him right back to the floor. Tyler follows him this time and gets sent into the barricade to bang up his ribs a bit. Back in and Enzo hammers away before grabbing a chinlock.

Bate fights up with some running clotheslines, only to charge into a boot in the corner. Enzo takes him up top but gets punched off without much effort. He’s still able to knock Bate off though, banging up Bate’s knee in the process. Back in and a hard clothesline sets up the Jordunzo to end Bate clean at 8:16.

Rating: D. So yeah, this is a thing that happened. Bate was in the likely Match of the Year and then he gets….this. I get that Amore means something and Bate is just a part timer but was there no other option for this match? Like, Andrews for example? They’ll treat Dunne as a star but Bate gets to lose clean in eight minutes? Really?

Kalisto runs out to chase Enzo off to end the show.

Overall Rating: D+. What a great “special”. This was a dull, lifeless mess, which at least partially was due to the fans being completely dead after the Styles title win. Other than that though, the British contingent really didn’t draw much interest. TO be fair though, it’s not like they were treated as anything special either. Pretty much a total waste of a show, which was one of the worst things this could have been.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Updated History of the Intercontinental Title in E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/10/02/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-the-intercontinental-title-updated-version/

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

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

NXT
Date: September 20, 2017
Location: Full Sail University, Winter Park, Florida
Commentators: Mauro Ranallo, Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness

This week should be centered around the fallout from last week with the Undisputed Era attacking the British contingent, which could set up a heck of a six man tag somewhere down the line. Other than that we need to find out where the NXT Champion Drew McIntyre ties into this as well. Let’s get to it.

In Memory of Bobby Heenan.

Opening sequence.

Johnny Gargano vs. Tino Sabbatelli

Gargano beat Tino’s partner Riddick Moss last week. Tino drives him into the corner and messes with Johnny’s head, earning himself a hard shot to the face. A dropkick takes Johnny down but the fans still think Tino sucks. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Johnny fights up and heads to the apron. The sunset flip is countered into a powerslam but Tino doesn’t cover due to reasons of inexperience. The delay lets Gargano hit a superkick and grab the Gargano Escape for the tap at 3:48.

Rating: C-. Gargano getting a win here is the right call but it’s an interesting idea to not have him mow through everyone as people tend to do around here. It was cool to see Gargano clear out some people, though I’m glad seeing Sabbatelli and Moss get some ring time. Tino looked better of the two and I’d like to see him make a few more appearances.

William Regal gives Roderick Strong a title shot in two weeks.

We look at Asuka vacating the Women’s Title.

Sonya DeVille says she never fought Asuka because Asuka knew what would happen if they got in the ring. If anyone has a problem with that, they can put their hair up and square up. That’s a really bad catchphrase.

Bianca Belair vs. Lacey Evans

Belair wastes no time in taking Lacey down and slowly stomping away with a good cocky attitude as a bonus. Evans bails to the floor so Belair pulls on the arms for a bit. Back in and Evans takes her down and gets two off a legdrop as the fans aren’t the most interested in this so far. Some clothesline and a slingshot Bronco Buster have Belair in trouble and the backflip into a splash (kind of a moonsault minus the jump) gets two. Belair whips her with the hair (still not liking that) and hits an Alley-Oop (powerbomb but she drops Evans backwards onto her face) for the pin at 4:18.

Rating: C. This was just a step above a squash for Bianca and that’s far from surprising. She looked great in the tournament and I could see her going quite far around here, especially with the hair thing. Evans has a gimmick but I’m not sure she has enough to back it up in the ring, at least not that we’ve seen so far.

Here’s Aleister Black (rocking the heck out of a suit) for his first promo in the NXT arena. Fifteen years ago, he started a journey that brought him here to NXT. He’s seen a lot of things and he’s put a lot of them on his skin to remember them by. His journey in NXT is just beginning…and here’s Velveteen Dream to cut him off.

Dream says everything that fades to black will one day come to life. Even with all this light surrounding the Dream, he doesn’t see anything in Black. In Black, he sees a man full of woe and skin covered in lies. Black must be afraid of the light but Dream knows that he has a heart, even if it’s in the wrong place. Black kicks him in the face and sits down, only to have Dream drop to his knees right in front of him. Dream crawls backwards to quite the reaction.

We look at Lars Sullivan attacking No Way Jose more than once.

Dakota Kai is new around here but wants to be Women’s Champion.

No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan

Jose goes right after him to start but his crossbody has no effect. Some knees to the ribs have Jose out on the floor and Sullivan drives him ribs first into the apron. Back in and we hit the neck crank as this is a squash so far. Jose fights up and jumps on his back for a chinlock but one heck of a shoulder takes him down. Sullivan adds a top rope headbutt, followed by the standing Boss Man Slam to end Jose at 3:11.

Rating: D+. They might have something with Sullivan though it’s a shame that it came at Jose’s expense. I know he might not be the most popular guy in the world but the dancing gimmick is an anchor around him. Sullivan could be great as a wrecking ball and built up as someone to be slayed later on. Good performance here.

Trent Seven/Tyler Bate vs. Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish

Kyle and Bobby have Adam Cole in their corner. Bate and O’Reilly start things off as we hit the MOUSTACHE MOUNTAIN chant. Tyler spins out of a wristlock and hits a good looking dropkick into a nipup. It’s off to Seven vs. Fish but Kyle won’t let Trent try a big dive. The distraction lets Bobby run him over and it’s time for the knee strikes. Seven’s arms get cranked at the same time and a double kick to the chest gets two.

Trent finally gets in a kick of his own but Kyle breaks up a hot tag attempt. Like any good villain, Cole offers a distraction so Fish can drive Seven into the barricade. Back from a break with Seven still in trouble but being able to escape a fireman’s carry. A hard clothesline is enough for the hot tag to Bate, who comes in with a springboard European uppercut.

Kyle charges into a t-bone suplex and a standing shooting star gets two. Everything breaks down and a belly to back suplex/powerbomb combo (cool) is good for two more on Kyle. The Tyler Driver 97 is countered into a guillotine choke though as Fish takes care of Seven. The unnamed Chasing the Dragon gets two on Bate thanks to a foot on the ropes. A second attempt doesn’t work as well as Bate sends them into each other and makes the desperation tag. Seven grabs a half crab on Kyle but Cole takes out Bate. Something like Total Elimination ends Seven at 12:32.

Rating: B. This was the good match you probably expected it to be and that’s all you can ask for. Assuming this story continues, it’s all about the addition of Cole and Pete Dunne, which could turn into one of the most entertaining six man tags in a very long time. Of course that’s assuming Cole isn’t busy fighting McIntyre for the NXT Title.

Speaking of McIntyre, here he is to chase off the Undisputed Era. The trio stands in front of a curtain and that can’t end well. Sanity walks through said curtain and the trio bails while Drew stands in the ring to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. This was a great example of putting a bunch of stories into one show and capping if off with a big match at the end. They have a bunch of ways to go for Houston and that makes for a much more interesting show in a way. Cole could get the title shot but at the same time it’s hard to imagine Black not getting into the title hunt very soon. Then again it’s hard to imagine Drew being champion for very long as he seems to be a much better fit on the main roster than around here. Anyway, good effort this week and I’m interested in where this stuff is going.

Results

Johnny Gargano b. Tino Sabbatelli – Gargano Escape

Bianca Belair b. Lacey Evans – Alley-Oop

Lars Sullivan b. No Way Jose – Standing Boss Man Slam

Kyle O’Reilly/Bobby Fish b. Trent Seven/Tyler Bate – High/Low to Seven

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

NXT
Date: August 23, 2017
Location: Barclays Center, New York City, New York
Commentators: Percy Watson, Nigel McGuinness, Mauro Ranallo

It’s another one of those special episodes comprised of the dark matches from Saturday’s Takeover: Brooklyn III. Therefor expect a lot of recaps as we don’t have anything new from Full Sail just yet. What we do have are the British guys in town and that’s almost guaranteed to be awesome. Let’s get to it.

We open with a package on Saturday’s show.

No Way Jose vs. Lars Sullivan

Jose pulls about a dozen fans out of the crowd for a conga line but Sullivan jumps him from behind. Something like a standing Boss Man Slam plants Jose and Sullivan leaves. No match.

Video on Johnny Gargano vs. Andrade Cien Almas with a DIY shirt doing Gargano in.

Gargano says the loss was his own fault and he has no one to blame but himself. That was far from the end for Johnny Wrestling.

Video on Asuka vs. Ember Moon with Asuka retaining the title in a big surprise despite suffering a broken collarbone.

Asuka held a mini press conference after her win and says she was better that night. She was never worried either.

The broken collarbone is acknowledged with a recovery time of 6-8 weeks. The title’s status isn’t mentioned but it can be assumed that it won’t be vacated.

Pete Dunne says the UK Brand started when he won the title and tonight, he’s proving that it’s his division. Wolfgang, his partner tonight, wants a shot after they win tonight. Pete says focus on tonight.

Peyton Royce vs. Sarah Logan

Logan fights out of a headlock to start and trips Peyton into an armbar. Back up and Peyton kicks her down, setting up a very flexible choke in the corner. A German suplex gets Logan out of trouble but Billie Kay grabs the hands to block a second. Rollups are exchanged until Peyton grabs a fisherman’s suplex for the pin at 4:19.

Rating: D+. Billie and Peyton are perfect for their roles as the good looking and annoying women who you want to see get beaten up without being too serious. They’re likely never getting close to the Women’s Title but they’re not the kind of people who need to be. Just let them do their thing a little while longer and then let them do it on the main roster. This was fine for what it was.

Video on Sanity winning the Tag Team Titles.

Video on the NXT Title match with McIntyre winning the title. Adam Cole, Bobby Fish and Kyle O’Reilly’s post match beatdown is included as well.

McIntyre will address the trio’s actions next week.

Roode was livid after his loss and wanted to leave. Roderick Strong showed up, blew him a kiss, and said see you soon.

Roode’s Smackdown debut is shown as well.

Roode says he’ll embarrass Strong one more time and then he’s winning the NXT Title back and walking onto Smackdown as champion.

Video on Hideo Itami vs. Aleister Black.

Black had no comment after his win.

Pete Dunne/Wolfgang vs. Tyler Bate/Trent Seven

Dunne gets a very strong reaction and starts on the mat with Bate. Neither can get anywhere and it’s off to a double nip up for a standoff. Back from a break with Bate scoring with a dropkick and Moustache Mountain taking over on Pete. It’s off to Wolfgang who gets caught in a DDT, only to avoid a charge and bring in Dunne to work on the arm. The shoulder gets sent into the corner and Pete cranks on an armbar while bending the fingers back.

Wolfgang takes him down with a waistlock but a dragon suplex gets Trent out of trouble. The hot tag brings in Bate for a t-bone suplex and a nip up for good measure. That bounce off the ropes into a clothesline sets up the airplane spin (Mauro: “The human fidget spinner Tyler Bate!”). Seven gets dropped off the apron as Dunne gets caught with a capo kick. The Tyler Driver 97 connects but Dunne made a blind tag, allowing Wolfgang to hit the Howling for the pin at 8:17.

Rating: B. Bate and Dunne have some of the best chemistry I’ve seen in years and the fans react to everything they do. Bate is getting better every single time he’s out there, partially because he’s getting older and more physically mature. Dunne has an awesome sneer and looks like someone who could beat the tar out of you despite being only twenty three. Wolfgang and Seven were fine but just outclassed here, which is going to be the case with most of the British talent compared to those two.

Overall Rating: C+. I like these shows more than I used to as they’re a great way to decompress after a very long weekend of wrestling. After everything is so big over the last few days, it’s nice to have something so simple and easy with a good main event. Fun show here, especially with Bate and Dunne around.

Results

Peyton Royce b. Sarah Logan – Fisherman’s suplex

Pete Dunne/Wolfgang b. Tyler Bate/Trent Seven – Howling to Bate

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the Complete 2002 Monday Night Raw Reviews in either E-Book or Paperback. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2017/07/21/new-e-bookpaperback-kbs-complete-monday-night-raw-2002-reviews/

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

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

UK Championship Special
Date: May 19, 2017
Location: Epic Studios, Norwich, England
Commentators: Jim Ross, Nigel McGuinness

This was a special two day event taped about two weeks ago as WWE continues their UK expansion. The idea here is to set up the UK Title match at Takeover: Chicago, which was announced before this show ever aired. The initial tournament shows were a lot of fun so hopefully this continues the trend. Let’s get to it.

We look back at the tournament with Bate shocking everyone, including himself, by winning the title. The participants talk about how it’s changed their careers in a positive way. Everyone is after Bate and the title though.

Video on Wolfgang, a big Scottish wrestler who is more aggressive now that he lost to Bate.

Joseph Conners is a high flier says his future looks good.

Wolfgang vs. Joseph Conners

The arena looks a bit dark. They trade shoulders to start with Wolfgang kicking him in the face to take over. JR makes sure to tee up McGuinness for some easy questions, which is exactly what Nigel is supposed to be able to do as an analyst. Wolfgang blocks some suplex attempts before lifting Conners up for a very delayed one of his own.

It’s way too early for the Howling (Swanton) though as Conners shoves him to the floor for a crash. Back in and a bad looking slingshot splash gives Conners two as the fans are trying to get back into this. Nigel gets into the simple story of the English vs. Scottish rivalry as Conners kicks Wolfgang in the ribs to keep him on the floor. Joseph throws him back in to crank on something like a seated abdominal stretch.

That’s enough to start a comeback (as is always the case) but a crossbody messes with Wolfgang’s damaged ribs. Wolfgang thinks about the Howling again but comes down instead. A gutbuster sends Conners outside as the fans seem to have sided with Wolfgang. The ribs are made even worse by a sitout spinebuster but Conners gets speared out of the air. The Howling gives Wolfgang the pin at 11:00.

Rating: C+. Good but not perfect way to open the show. There wasn’t much of a spark here and a face power wrestler vs. a heel speed wrestler is always a bit of a weird choice. The ribs were a simple enough story to keep things rolling but the match was nothing that hasn’t been done if not done better before.

Tyler Bate and Mark Andrews are getting ready.

TJP/Brian Kendrick vs. Dan Moloney/Rich Swann

So it’s a match on a UK show that only has one person from the UK (Moloney). That’s probably not the best choice to use on a show like this, especially after the lackluster opener. Also, you have RICH SWANN on the card and you don’t use him in the opener? This is quite the curiously booked show. Finally, TJP (who JR keeps calling Perkins) covers his ears to block out Rich’s music.

Kendrick and Moloney get things going with a feeling out process until the veteran drags Dan into the corner. TJP comes in and the fans start singing about him in some rather unflattering terms. JR: “What’s this wanker thing they’re talking about?” Nigel basically tells him not to ask if JR wants to keep his job.

The heels try some cheating with TJP grabbing an arm over the ropes, only to make the mistake of not looking and working over Brian’s arm by mistake. TJP comes in and gets kicked in the head for a hesitant two, perhaps because Moloney made sure to look at the camera (which he was probably told to do) first. It’s off to Swann for some dabbing, which angers TJP so much that he misses a charge out to the floor.

One heck of a flip dive takes out both Kendrick and TJP, which is made even better when Swann sticks the landing. Back in and some double teaming puts Swann in trouble for all of fifteen seconds before he kicks Kendrick in the face. Moloney comes in off the hot tag for some chops and a clothesline to Kendrick.

More double teaming (they’re good at that) takes Dan down though and TJP covers his ears to block out the singing. We hit the chinlock for a bit before Dan backdrops his way to freedom, setting up the real hot tag to Swann. Everything breaks down and Swann gets caught in the Captain’s Hook with Moloney making the save. Swann is tossed to the floor and Kendrick grabs a sloppy rollup (with tights) for the pin at 11:30.

Rating: C. This didn’t work and the fact that Moloney is only twenty years old has a lot to do with it. You can tell that he’s really young and is still having to think a lot out there, which can cause some problems. That’s not say he was bad, but you could tell he was easily the weakest in the ring. The rest of the match was good enough but they never really hit the top speed that you’ve seen them reach before. Granted a lot of that could be due to the whole being in another country issue, which is a common problem.

We look at Wolfgang injuring Trent Seven’s arm the previous night.

Seven doesn’t have a broken bone and is going to keep at it. Pete Dunne, his opponent for the night, comes in and hits him in the bad arm. That guy is a special kind of heel.

Video on Pete Dunne, who is rather evil. The tournament got him the credit he deserves and he’s been making money ever since.

Trent Seven has a sweet mustache and hits people really hard.

Trent Seven vs. Pete Dunne

The winner gets a UK Title shot at Takeover: Chicago. Dunne comes out with his Progress Wrestling Championship but it’s not on the line here. The fans are split here between Mustache Mountain and the Bruiserweight before going with BRITISH STRONG STYLE instead. Pete starts on the good arm in an interesting strategy but Seven goes to the ropes.

One heck of a chop with the bad arm drops Dunne but he kicks Seven in the arm to send Trent outside. The arm gets crushed between the steps and the post before it’s back to working on both arms at once. A kick to the mustached head gets two but he sends Pete outside for a flip dive.

Back in and another shot to the arm looks to set up the Bitter End, only to have Trent nail a hard left armed lariat for two. A suplex into a powerslam gives Trent two more but the arm is sent into the post. Pete can’t quite grab a Kimura (which sends JR into a mini rant about how it’s a double wristlock and NOT a Kimura) so he sends the bad arm into the barricade instead.

The arm is good enough for a dragon suplex onto the apron and both guys are left in a heap on the floor. They both dive in at nine and Dunne manages to flip out of a dragon superplex, only to eat a huge lariat for a very delayed two. The Seven Star Lariat is broken up though and we hit another double wristlock. Trent slips out again but walks into the Bitter End to send Pete to Chicago at 14:47.

Rating: B+. This was all about the arm and Dunne being one of the most evil wrestlers around because he’ll do whatever it takes to win. The fact that the match was another brutal back and forth fight makes Dunne look great all over again. Seven seems like a comedy guy with the mustache stuff but he’s more than capable of backing it up in the ring.

Dunne says he’ll be champion by any means necessary.

We recap Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews. Bate (now twenty years old) won the inaugural title in January while Andrews was a semi-finalist. It’s the young upstart vs. the slightly more experiences high flier.

UK Title: Tyler Bate vs. Mark Andrews

Bate is defending. The fans serenade Bate with a song and then boo someone out of the building for trying a TNA chant. They take their time to start with Andrews working on the arm before Bate twists all over the place to escape. Bate powers out of a front facelock by casually setting Mark on top and walking away to get under his skin a bit. Andrews gets taken down to the mat for a double arm crank but he reaches the ropes and gets a clean break. That might be brought up again later.

They trade some flips and cartwheel up before nipping into a standoff for some applause. The sportsmanship starts going away as they go nose to nose and yell a bit. Andrews goes back to the technical stuff and manages a modified Octopus Hold. Bate shows off the freakish strength by walking the hold over to the ropes for the break. Tyler slaps on a reverse Boston crab which Nigel names and JR calls innovative. Something tells me JR isn’t a big Colt Cabana fan.

Bate grabs the arms to lift Mark up for a little rocking back and forth. Mark comes right back by sending him outside for a big flip dive and a double stomp to the chest for no cover. With nothing else working, Bate starts swinging before avoiding a charge to send Mark outside. This time it’s Tyler hitting a dive of his own but it’s too early for the Tiger Driver 97.

A Frankendriver gives Andrews two and he takes Bate to the apron for a standing Sliced Bread #2. Mark’s moonsault to the floor is caught so he goes with a tornado DDT instead. Unfortunately Bate is out on the floor and therefore able to kick out when Mark finally gets him back inside. Mark gets crotched on top (Fans: “NO MORE KIDS!”) and takes a jumping European uppercut to put both guys down. Of course that means they slug it out from their knees with Bate getting the better of it, as you might expect.

There’s the airplane spin but Bate takes too much time resetting, allowing Mark to hit a reverse Frankendriver for a close two. Now the fans are getting into these near falls because they’re smart enough to know the match wasn’t ending earlier. Bate is ready for the shooting star but his super Regal Roll is countered into a super hurricanrana, followed by a running shooting star for two.

The champ is reeling but still manages to earn his independent credibility with a superkick. His suplex is countered into the Stundog Millionaire but the shooting star hits Bate’s raised knees. The fans get behind Bate again as he kicks Mark in the head, followed by the Tyler Driver 97 to retain at 24:15.

Rating: A-. There’s very little I enjoy watching more than taking two wrestlers and having them look so polished and untouchable at first and watching them be broken down until they can barely stand. That’s exactly what we got here and it made for one heck of a fight. Bate is scary good for his age and TNA continues to look like a bunch of morons for wasting someone capable of doing this. If you watched Andrews in TNA, you would think he was a one move wrestler. Now he had a great match that went nearly twenty five minutes. Who do you think did the better job with him?

Post match Dunne comes out to deck Andrews, drawing out William Regal to stare him down. Bate and Dunne stare each other down to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. The first two matches, while good, really do feel like little more than weak appetizers before the two outstanding feature matches. You can feel a real feud here with Bate vs. Dunne and it’s no surprise that their match in Chicago was a near masterpiece. Fix up the first two matches on this show and it’s a classic. As it is, it’s just very good.

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