Monday Night Raw
Date: June 16, 2025
Location: Resch Center, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Commentators: Michael Cole, Corey Graves

We’re coming up on Night Of Champions and tonight is about finalizing the semifinals of the King and Queen Of The Ring tournaments. The big story coming out of last week is Gunther winning the World Title back from Jey Uso, which might be for the sake of a title match against Goldberg. Let’s get to it.

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

Here are Liv Morgan and Dominik Mysterio to get things going. Morgan introduces Mysterio, who says tonight is all about her. Morgan reminds us that this is her division and if you talk about it, you talk about her. Last week she heard Nikki Bella getting all of that attention, but no one paved the way for her.

Morgan became a legend on her own, but not she is demanding respect. She’s getting her title back, so here is Iyo Sky to interrupt. Sky wants Morgan to shut up with her disrespect, so Morgan can have a fight right now. That’s fine with Morgan, or Sky can just hand her the title right now. Sky tells her to earn it rather than stealing it like she did with Mysterio. Sky throws her the title and then hits a dropkick, followed by a kick to the back of Mysterio’s head. So we’re definitely getting the Bellas vs. Morgan/Raquel Rodriguez at Evolution aren’t we?

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Asuka vs. Stephanie Vaquer vs. Ivy Nile vs. Raquel Rodriguez

In the back, Liv Morgan tells Rodriguez to win. This is Asuka’s first match in over thirteen months. Asuka runs Nile over to start and helps Vaquer with a double superkick to drop Rodriguez. Back up and Rodriguez takes over with the raw power and we take a break. We come back with Vaquer rolling Nile up for two and hitting a snap suplex. Vaquer dragon screw legwhips Asuka down and then plants Nile, setting up the Devil’s Kiss.

Rodriguez breaks that up and then breaks up the same thing to her. That’s not good enough for Vaquer though, who finally gets Rodriguez down for the Devil’s Kiss on the apron. Nile is back up to roll Asuka up for two, followed by a German suplex for the same. We take a break and come back with Asuka hitting a double Doomsday dropkick to put Vaquer and Asuka down. Everyone is down until it’s a Vaquer vs. Asuka showdown, which has quite the aura.

Vaquer fires off the headbutts but gets caught with a running shot. A running knee to the ribs slows Asuka back down and Vaquer snaps off a suplex. Vaquer hits a double underhook facebuster for two on Asuka but Nile is in to steal a near fall. The SVB is blocked so Rodriguez boots Vaquer in the face. The Tejana Bomb connects but here is Rhea Ripley to hit the Riptide on the floor. Asuka hits a running hip attack (the Empress Impact) to pin Rodriguez at 15:49.

Rating: B-. Asuka getting the win is a good thing to see, mainly because she has been out of action for such a long time with that injury. The great thing about someone like Asuka is she can be slotted right back into the title picture and that might be what we’re seeing. If nothing else, her being able to go toe to toe with Vaquer was quite the sight, as was Ripley coming in to cost Rodriguez the match.

Post match Asuka says the fire didn’t die and she’s going to be the Queen Of The Ring.

We look back at Gunther defeating Jey Uso last week to regain the World Title.

Liv Morgan wants Raquel Rodriguez to come with her but Rodriguez is still banged up. Mysterio isn’t happy. JD McDonagh wants Dominik Mysterio to have his back tonight, but Finn Balor says he has it. Mysterio says Balor didn’t get rid of AJ Styles so Mysterio will do it. They leave and Balor gives Rodriguez a bit of a pep talk before wanting to talk to Roxanne Perez.

Here is Gunther for his big celebration after winning the World Title back last week. He is man enough to admit that Jey Uso was the better man at Wrestlemania. The fans chant for Goldberg but Gunther isn’t here to talk about rumors. The reality is that Seth Rollins has the Money In The Bank briefcase so Gunther will make it easy for him: he is right here, so come get him.

And here is Goldberg, because this is something we have to do. He limps to the ring and says he’s here to celebrate Gunther. The thing is though, Gunther started something with Goldberg’s family in Atlanta, Georgia. Goldberg is going to finish it in Atlanta, Georgia on July 12 at Saturday Night’s Main Event. Sweet goodness I cannot even pretend to care about Goldberg. Get him in so he can get out and be gone for good already.

JD McDonagh vs. AJ Styles

Dominik Mysterio is here with McDonagh. Feeling out process to start with McDonagh taking him into the corner for a knockdown and some posing. Styles is right back with a calf Crusher attempt, sending McDonagh straight over to the ropes. Mysterio offers a distraction so Styles gives chase and we take a break.

Back with McDonagh standing on Styles’ hair but getting hit in the face. The basement forearm sets up the fireman’s carry onto the knee for tow. McDonagh’s brainbuster gets the same but Styles fights up again. Mysterio tries a distraction but McDonagh walks into the Styles Clash for the pin at 10:45.

Rating: B-. This seems to be setting up Styles getting a title shot in the near future and that is one of those things that will work every time. Styles still has it and is getting back to his usual self now that he is in a program. The Judgment Day seems like it is about to implode as well, which should make for quite the moment.

Post match Styles goes after Mysterio but Finn Balor runs in for the save. Styles steals the Intercontinental Title.

Natalya and the Alpha Academy give Sheamus a pep talk before he faces Rusev.

Bayley is on the way to the ring as A-Town Down Under argues in the back. New Day is there too.

Here is Bayley for a chat. She is glad to be back and lets the fans give her a chant. Bayley isn’t happy with Becky Lynch for costing her a Wrestlemania match. She’s going to climb the ladder to get back to face Lynch so get out here right now. Cue Lynch, in a Chicago Bears jacket and shirt, saying they beat the Green Bay Packers last time. Lynch talks about how she’s always about her legacy while Bayley is always about her friends.

That’s why she has surpassed Bayley, but Bayley talks about how she’s willing to help some people along. Lynch took a year off and was so scared that people wouldn’t care about her. That’s why she attacked Bayley and stole the spot at Wrestlemania. Does Lynch remember what it’s like to have to work to get something. Lynch: “Do you remember what it’s like to have gold?” Bayley is ready to fight so Lynch agrees….but not here. She says see you in Columbus, and slaps Bayley in the face. Bayley drops her and Lynch leaves. Bayley is a good upgrade over Valkyria and this does feel like a high level showdown.

Jey Uso is ready to face Gunther again because they’re 1-1 against each other. If that means winning the King Of The Ring tournament so be it.

AJ Styles gives the Intercontinental Title back to Nick Aldis, who says Styles has a title shot at Night Of Champions. With Styles gone, Bayley comes in and says that next week it’s Bayley vs. Becky Lynch for the Women’s Intercontinental Title. Aldis leaves and Bayley goes up to see Lyra Valkyria. Bayley apologizes for not getting back to her but says she was just doing what was best for the title. Valkyria doesn’t seem happy but says she’s coming for the title no matter what. Oh dear.

Kairi Sane vs. Liv Morgan

Sane takes Morgan down….and Morgan seems to have hurt her shoulder. The referee gets Sane off of her and the camera avoids Morgan as we take an early break. Back with the match stopped and Morgan having been helped out.

We look at CM Punk challenging John Cena last week.

Liv Morgan officially has a dislocated shoulder as commentary stalls for time.

Sami Zayn is excited about the King Of The Ring but Karrion Kross comes in for his usual taunting. Zayn thinks Kross is back here all the time because he can’t back it up in the ring. That sounds like a challenge.

King Of The Ring First Round: Sheamus vs. Rusev vs. Jey Uso vs. Bronson Reed

Sheamus hammers on Reed in the corner to start but gets knocked out to the floor. Rusev stomps on Uso and goes after the tape on his ribs before going to the floor. Reed is sent into the steps but Uso is back up with a suicide dive to take Rusev out as we take a break. Back with Uso slugging away at Rusev but getting dropped by a clothesline. Reed fights back against Sheamus on the floor but Sheamus is there with the ten forearms to the chest.

Rusev runs Uso over on the floor before going back inside to slug it out with Sheamus. Reed breaks that up and we take another break. Back again with Reed knocking Uso down but Sheamus muscles Reed up for White Noise. The Accolade has Uso in trouble but Sheamus makes the save, setting up the parade of shots to the face. Reed backsplashes Sheamus for a save and hits the Tsunami, with Uso making the save.

Uso goes up but here is Bron Breakker to cut him off. Sami Zayn runs in to take Breakker out but Zayn gets thrown over the announcers’ table. Penta runs out to give Breakker a flip dive and it’s LA Knight breaking up Reed’s Tsunami. The spear into the Superfly Splash gives Uso the pin at 16:28.

Rating: B. This got going near the end, even with a ll kinds of interference. Uso going forward to face Cody Rhodes next week should make for a major showdown, while Paul Heyman and company are going to have some scores to settle. Solid main event here, with Uso getting a needed win after last week’s loss.

Post match Uso is banged up so here is Seth Rollins….and Cody Rhodes runs in for the save. Rollins has a big staredown but leaves without anything happening. Uso and Rhodes, who are facing each other in the semifinals, stare at each other before shaking hands to end the show.

Overall Rating: B. I’m really not a big fan of having back to back pay per views with qualifying matches as the idea has been run into the ground in recent weeks. At the same time, what we got here did work well and the ending felt like an important enough staredown. Other than the Goldberg return, there was nothing overly bad here, though dang they are going to have to come up with a nifty solution to get around Morgan’s injury.

Results
Asuka b. Raquel Rodriguez, Ivy Nile and Stephanie Vaquer – Empress Impact to Rodriguez
AJ Styles b. JD McDonagh – Styles Clash
Kairi Sane b. Liv Morgan via referee stoppage
Jey Uso b. Bronson Reed, Sheamus and Rusev – Superfly Splash to Reed

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

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

MSG Steel Cage Matches
Commentators: Byron Saxton, John Bradshaw Layfield, Rich Brennan, Sean Mooney, Brother Love, Gorilla Monsoon, Hillbilly Jim, Tony Schiavone, Lord Alfred Hayes, Superstar Billy Graham, Roger Kent, Gene Okerlund

It’s time for another WWE Vault collection and as usual, the name speaks for itself. In this case, we have a bunch of cage matches from the company’s home base. That could go in a variety of directions as there have been cage matches throughout the venue’s history. I’m optimistic about this one so let’s get to it.

From WWE Live From MSG.

US Title: John Cena vs. Seth Rollins

Cena is defending and Rollins’ WWE Title isn’t on the line. They take their time to start with Cena working a headlock but Rollins is back up with the knee to the face (which previously broke Cena’s nose). Rollins knocks him down again and goes up but Cena cuts him off rather quickly. A bulldog off the top gives Cena two but Rollins is back up with a top rope knee to the face for two more.

Cena manages a desperation (or as desperate as you can get about five minutes into a match) dropkick and climbs up, only to be pulled back down for a Sling Blade. Rollins drives him face first into the cage and drops him for two more but Cena manages an electric chair. Cena goes up and tries the top rope Fameasser, only to dive into a sitout powerbomb (ala Batista in 2008) for two, leaving them both down.

Back up and Cena goes into the cage but Cena reverses and does the same right back to him. The comeback is on with Cena initiating the finishing sequence but Rollins cuts off the Shuffle. Rollins tries his own Cena finishing sequence but Cena catches him with a ProtoBomb. Rollins’ dive is pulled into the STF until he pulls them into the ropes for a creative break.

Both of them dive for the door to no avail so Rollins slams it onto Cena’s head for a near fall. Cena is back up with a catapult into the corner, with Rollins rapidly climbing up. That’s cut off and Rollins goes into the cage, only to come up and cut off Cena’s climb as well. The superplex into the Falcon Arrow gets two on Cena and they’re both down again. Rollins goes up so Cena runs the corner and catches him on top for the slugout, only to have Rollins crash back down.

A top rope DDT gives Cena two and they both need another breather. Rollins goes up and kicks the door into Cena’s face for a nasty counter but Cena pulls him back in for the AA, with Rollins sticking the landing. The basement superkick gives Rollins two but Cena pulls him into the STF again. This time Rollins reverses into the crossface (sweet) so Cena powers up and tries the AA, which is countered into a low blow. Cue Kane though, leaving Rollins stuck on top (because climbing down in a hurry wasn’t an option). Instead Rollins misses a dive off the top and gets AA’d to retain Cena’s title at 22:45.

Rating: B. These two work well together so there is no shock that they did it again here. Cena beating the World Champion to retain the US Title is acceptable enough due to reasons of “it’s Cena”, but I was never a fan of this double champion story they were doing. For a main event on a Network special though, this was quite good.

From January 21, 1991 (oddly enough, this is the second review in a row featuring a match from this show).

Ultimate Warrior vs. Randy Savage

Savage has Queen Sherri with him and hides outside the ring to jump Warrior during his entrance for a smart move. I mean it doesn’t work as Warrior cuts him off and starts the brawl on the floor but it wasn’t a bad plan. Warrior throws him through the door and then climbs over the cage because that’s what a rational person does. An atomic drop has Savage in more trouble but he sends Warrior into the cage for a breather.

A rake to the eyes and that running clothesline that Savage always does connect, though Warrior hits a clothesline of his own. Savage gets a rather delayed two so Warrior gets up, only for a Sherri distraction to allow Savage to knee him into the cage. With nothing else working, Warrior opts to punch him in the face, earning some choking against the ropes.

Savage pounds him down and drops the top rope elbow for two (with the referee having to climb inside to count), with Warrior launching him off the cover. Warrior Warriors Up and makes the clothesline comeback but the splash hits knees. Savage gets up and over but can’t master the art of jumping four feet, allowing Warrior to pull him back up. Sherri decks the referee and climbs in to choke Warrior…which actually works as Savage falls down to win at 10:33.

Rating: B-. You could always see the chemistry between these two and that was on display again here as they had a good match. Warrior losing is weird enough to see, though they protected him well so it doesn’t really hut things. Throw in that he was two days after losing the WWF Title though and the writing was pretty clearly on the wall for him at this point.

From December 28, 1989.

Roddy Piper vs. Rick Rude

Bobby Heenan is here with Rude and for the first time, pinfalls or submissions are allowed as well. Rude jumps him fast to start but Piper is back with a whip into the cage. Piper finds a belt to whip away, followed by a big right hand with the belt around his fist. A bite to the head makes it even worse for Rude as Monsoon goes over the possible ways to win.

As expected, Rude’s tights are pulled down on the way up the cage, which is one of his favorite spots. Piper sends him into the cage again but this time Rude pulls Piper’s trunks (and Piper) down. The bloody Rude wants the door open as we get a cool wide shot to show how everything looks at once. Piper grabs the boot so Rude just unloads with big forearms to put him down.

Rude goes for the door again and gets pulled back in, with his tights coming (and staying down). That means Piper can make the comeback, but the big blurry spot is rather distracting. Rude grabs a quick Rude Awakening, though he crawls around instead of covering (in theory because of the blood in his eyes but that’s a stretch).

Piper gets up and cuts Rude off at the door again so a double clothesline can leave them both down. They both go up and slug it out on top before climbing down at the same time. A double ram lets them jump down at the same time and….they just keep fighting. Therefore the match continues (the fans approve) so Rude hits him in the head with a chair. Back in and Rude (still with the big blurry spot) knocks him down again before going all the way to the top or the cage.

The big fist drop connects for a rather delayed two, followed by a piledriver to knock Piper silly again. Rude wants to go up top again so Piper shakes the cage for the big crotching. Piper ties him in the cable on top of the cage, leaving Rude hanging upside down (nope). Heenan slams the door on Piper’s head for a quick two though and it’s time….for what looked like a comeback to be cut off by a belly to back suplex. We get a foreign object thrown in but Piper knocks it away. A big running shot to the head knocks Rude cold and Piper walks out for the win at 12:57.

Rating: B. Oh yeah this is still a classic, with Piper getting to have one of the best brawls of his career. These guys beat the fire out of each other and it made for a heck of a match, with the fans getting way into the whole thing. You don’t get to see Piper going this hard this long very often and it was awesome to see these guys like this. If nothing else, this is on Supertape 2 so it’s easy to find otherwise.

From March 18, 1989.

Big Boss Man vs. Hulk Hogan

Slick is here with Boss Man and the place goes nuts for Hogan, as expected. Hogan chases Slick to the back before getting in and climbs in over the top of the cage, which Hayes says he’s never seen before. Oh come on dude. It’s not even the first time you’ve seen Hogan do it (Wrestlemania II for instance). Hogan chokes with his shirt to start and sends him into the cage, followed by the running elbow in the corner. Boss Man is down early and Hayes can’t believe what he’s seeing.

A suplex drops him again as Slick is back at ringside and Schiavone is screaming a lot. Boss Man gets in a shot of his own and they go up top, where Hogan hammers away again. A headbutt knocks Hogan backwards though and it’s quite the craw all the way down. Hogan runs back up to catch him and there’s the superplex to bring Boss Man back down, though it doesn’t land quite as clean as the famous one from Saturday Night’s Main Event.

Both of them are down again and Boss Man is slight cut open. The referee comes in for the arm drops but Boss Man goes for the door, with Hogan making the save. A spinebuster drops Hogan again and Boss Man chokes him down with a chain. Back up and Hogan manages a double ram into the cage, allowing them to very clearly talk to each other on the mat. Hogan goes up but gets pulled down, meaning it’s a slam to put Boss Man back down.

Now it’s Hogan getting the chain to knock Boss Man silly, giving us a bit more blood. Naturally Hogan motions that he wants the title, which has nothing to do with this match. Boss Man gets chained in the head a few more times, followed by some rams into the cage. The legdrop connects and Hogan goes up, which draws Slick in.

That’s broken up as well and Boss Man gets crotched…and handcuffed to the ropes. Hogan goes up and gets out just before Slick can unlock Boss Man (the same ending as Saturday Night’s Main Event). Boss Man does get to the floor before the bell but Hogan hits him in the head with a chair and wakes up the referee, which is enough to give Hogan the win at 11:14.

Rating: B-. The problem here is pretty obvious, as this match would be done again not long after this on a much bigger stage and quite a bit better. This is mainly a dress rehearsal for the famous version on Saturday Night’s Main Event and while it’s still good, it really just makes me want to see the well known version again. Not at all bad, but history has screwed this one over a bit.

Post match Hogan beats up Slick and takes his hat, which is quite the trend for him.

From June 25, 1988.

WWF Title: Ted DiBiase vs. Randy Savage

DiBiase, with Virgil (to oppose Elizabeth) is challenging and you’ve probably seen this one before. We get an awesome shot of the always gorgeous Winged Eagle (as opposed to a wingless eagle) title and DiBiase jumps him to start fast. The fist drop (dang that always looked cool) connects but DiBiase misses a knee drop. Savage hammers away but gets knocked right back down, giving us the often awesome sight of Savage taking a beating.

DiBiase goes up so Savage slams him down, only to get beaten down again. Savage catches him on top and tries to go out, only for Virgil to interfere so Savage gets tied in the Sapling Of Woe. That’s broken up so Savage tries another climb, only to be pulled down by DiBiase this time. Savage’s clothesline lets him try for the door but DiBiase cuts him off again. Some rams into the mat have Savage in trouble but he fights back again and gets a needed breather.

A suplex drops DiBiase again and an atomic drop sends him into the cage, as tends to be the case. Savage goes for the door but Virgil rams it onto his head, with Graham suggesting that Elizabeth get in the gym so she can fight Virgil. DiBiase goes for the door and loses a good deal of his trunks as Savage makes the save. Back in and Savage rams him hard into the cage before climbing up. Virgil is there to cut him off again (and a kid climbs the cage but gets pulled down, which is edited out here), only for Savage to ram their heads together and climb out to retain at 12:20.

Rating: B. I get why they cut it out but dang that ending is missing just a little something without the kid running in. It showed just how emotional this whole thing had gotten, but at the same time you don’t want to glorify something like that. Otherwise, another awesome match between these two, which is pretty standard for them.

From July 12, 1986.

Randy Savage/Adrian Adonis vs. Tito Santana/Bruno Sammartino

Well ok. Both have to escape to win here. Sammartino gets jumped on the way in but Santana fights back to make the save. A belt shot misses for Savage and Sammartino sends him into the corner to stomp away. Savage blocks a ram into the cage as Adonis takes over on Santana. Sammartino fights back on Adonis but has to get a running charge to cut off Savage’s escape.

Santana sends Adonis into the cage but gets pulled back down. Savage is tied in the Tree of Woe for some stomping but Adonis suplexes Santana. Adonis gets caught trying to escape and Sammartino crotches him on top. A ram into the cage has Santana busted open as Sammartino pulls Savage back through the door. Adonis rakes Santana’s face against the cage but gets kneed into the corner by Sammartino.

Savage goes up and Adonis punches him out of the air as Sammartino pulls Adonis back through the door as well. Savage is very busted open as well as he cuts off Santana in the corner. Adonis drops Sammartino and goes up but…well kind of misses a splash off the cage (grazing Sammartino on the way down). Savage goes up but Santana is there to catch him. With Savage knocked down and Adonis dropped, Sammartino bolts out the door and Santana climbs down to win at 9:53.

Rating: B+. There are very few people who could get more out of the most basic punch/kick offense than Sammartino. He didn’t do much in the ring but the fans absolutely loved him and that made these matches so much better. I had a blast with this, as you had four guys beating the fire out of each other until two of them survived. That’s the nature of a cage match and few could bring it like Sammartino.

From June 21, 1985.

WWF Title: Hulk Hogan vs. Magnificent Muraco

Hogan is defending and jumps Muraco to start fast. That doesn’t last long and they stop to stare at each other as the door is locked. Muraco can’t ram him into the cage but Hogan can’t make it work either. Instead Hogan rakes the eyes and sends him into the corner, where he still can’t get in a ram to the cage. Muraco gets in a knockdown and seems to hit Hogan low but it’s way too early for the door.

Another low blow cuts Hogan off but he wastes no time in Hulking Up and firing off….Mongolian chops of all things. A clothesline and elbow drop have Muraco in more trouble, followed by a bite to the head. Muraco gets rammed face first into the cage to draw some blood so Hogan does it again for a bonus.

Back up and Hogan gets rammed into the cage as well, giving him the chance to rather clearly blade. A slingshot sends Hogan into the cage again and he comes up bleeding, though he’s still able to catch Muraco on top. Some biting to the head has Muraco in trouble so he bites Hogan right back. Hogan crashes down and Muraco hammers away, only for Hogan to shove him away. That’s enough for Muraco to get tied in the ropes but he gets out, only to be punched away so Hogan can retain at 9:08.

Rating: C+. Kind of a weak way to wrap up the collection, but it pretty much had to be Hogan or Sammartino given the subject. Those two are synonymous with the Garden and Hogan did so many cage matches that he had to get on here a few times. Hogan was absolutely still figuring his stuff out though and it was weird to see him trying different things. Not a bad one here, but just a bit of a strange pick.

Overall Rating: B+. I had a great time with this as they picked quite the nice batch of matches. You had some of the greatest hits with Savage vs. DiBiase and Piper vs. Rude, plus the awesome tag match and Cena vs. Rollins. The rest ranges from good to good enough and that made for a heck of a collection.

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

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

Supertape 4
Host: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes
Commentators: Sean Mooney, Lord Alfred Hayes, Bobby Heenan

It’s time for another in this series and that could mean just about anything, as this series likes to stretch the definition of “super”. You never know what you’re going to get on this thing, though I’d assume on some wrestling from the WWF. Other than that, it could be quite the variety of quality so let’s get to it.

This is presented in the most complete form, which is a weird thing for a home video.

Opening sequence, which is likely just a preview of what we’ll be seeing.

Sean Mooney is tasked with delivering the master tape of Supertape 4 to Coliseum Video and he has a cooler, van, driver and tour guide. The van is labeled with a piece of paper and the driver is Lord Alfred Hayes…who doesn’t let the food or driver inside. Hayes already doesn’t know where they’re going but the cooler is left outside.

Mr. Perfect, with Bobby Heenan, has the Intercontinental Title back and insists he is perfect enough to beat the Texas Tornado.

From West Palm Beach, Florida, December 12, 1990.

Intercontinental Title: Mr. Perfect vs. Texas Tornado

Perfect, without Heenan, is defending. Tornado tries to slug away to start but takes too long taking off his robe, allowing Perfect to knock him outside. Tornado pulls him outside as well and gets in some shots of his own before throwing Perfect back inside. That means Tornado can throw him right back outside, as Tornado doesn’t have the clearest strategy. Back in (again) and Tornado hammers away before grabbing the Claw…on the stomach. With that broken up, Perfect grabs the sleeper until Tornado powers into the corner.

Tornado misses a charge into the post though and Perfect pulls a turnbuckle pad off. A quick Tornado Punch sends Perfect outside but another one hits the post by mistake. Back in and Perfect sends him into the post for two but the PerfectPlex only gets two. Tornado gets the Claw so Perfect pulls the referee in, only for the Tornado Punch to connect for a delayed near fall. Back up and Tornado hits another Tornado Punch….but NOW the referee calls for the DQ at 7:45. What a ridiculous ending.

Rating: C-. Perfect was trying here but there is only so much that can be done when Tornado is in this kind of shape. Tornado was clearly not right out there, which was becoming an issue more and more frequently. The guy looked great, but it didn’t matter if he couldn’t have a coherent match most of the time. Throw in a screwy ending and there was only so much to be done with this.

Post match Tornado sends him into the exposed buckle for the big spinning sell.

From New York City, New York, January 21, 1991.

Koko B. Ware vs. Tito Santana

This is a very rare face vs. face match and even Heenan thinks this will be good. They shake hands and then go to a lockup to start, with Heenan saying that his Family could have a better match. An armdrag takes Ware down and Santana does it again as they’re certainly in first gear so far. Santana snapmares his way out of a hammerlock and actually suggests a hair pull. A shoulder block into an armdrag puts Ware down and they seem to be getting a big agitated.

We get an exchange of shoves (Heenan: “I LIKE IT!”) before Ware punches him in the face as things get a lot more aggressive. They go outside where Ware sends him into the post before going back inside to hammer away. Ware slugs him down and drops an elbow for two, setting up the nerve hold. Some snap jabs have Heenan rather pleased, with Mooney thinking Ware might belong in the Heenan Family. The top rope fist drop misses though and Santana makes the comeback. They both miss clotheslines but Santana hits the flying forearm for the pin at 10:10.

Rating: C+. This was so strange to see and oddly enough, it worked well. Ware knows how to work this style and Santana is as good of a face as you’ll find, but dang this does doesn’t feel right in the WWF. I’ll take something going this way for a change though, as it was cool to see a fresh take on a match instead of more of the same.

Believe it or not, Hayes is lost.

We look at wrestlers who have gone from wrestling to broadcasting (From The Mat To The Mike), including Gorilla Monsoon, who talks about making the transition and promises to be around more often.

Roddy Piper gets a look as well and insists he is NOT retired. He makes some jokes about Vince McMahon and Roddy Piper before saying it’s better to not get beaten up.

We also have Gene Okerlund, which is an excuse to show his match with Hulk Hogan against Mr. Fuji and George Steele.

Finally Randy Savage talks about going against the best of all time and giving everything he had. Naturally he’s as intense as a broadcaster as he was as a wrestler.

The van has engine trouble.

From West Palm Beach, Florida, December 12, 1990.

Undertaker vs. Tugboat

This is the Fan Favorite match, meaning someone actually requested to see it. We’re VERY early in Undertaker’s time as he still has Brother Love as his manager. Undertaker slugs away to little effect as Tugboat shoves him back. An exchange of shoulders doesn’t go anywhere so Undertaker tries a leapfrog but Tugboat just stops, resulting in a knee to the head instead.

Back up and Tugboat elbows him down, which is quite the big deal for Undertaker at this point. Another elbow drops Undertaker but Tugboat misses the elbow drop. Undertaker hammers away but misses a charge in the corner, with Tugboat falling down as he tries a slam. Some shots to the back have Tugboat down again but he’s back up with a powerslam. A kick to the face rocks Undertaker again but Tugboat misses a charge in the corner. Undertaker’s top rope forearm to the chest is good for the pin at 5:43. Mooney: “What a great match this turned out to be!” LIAR!

Rating: D. I was a fan when I was a kid but my goodness Tugboat was HORRIBLE. He was big, he was slow, and those are his good points. Other than that, Tugboat just did not have anything to offer in the ring and that was on display here. Things would get a bit better when he would turn into Typhoon, but this was not a good time for him whatsoever.

From Savannah, Georgia, January 29, 1991.

Shawn Michaels vs. Crush

Marty Jannetty and Mr. Fuji are here too. Crush pounds away to start and blocks a sunset flip. Michaels hammers back and hits a flying shoulder but the kickout sends him flying outside. Back in and Michaels goes simple with a front facelock, which Crush powers into a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.

A torture rack dropped down into a backbreaker keeps Michaels in trouble, followed by the required bearhug. With that broken up, Crush switches over to a bodyscissors but misses a top rope knee drop to leave them both down. Fuji gets on the apron as Crush catches Michaels, only for Jannetty to add a high crossbody to knock Michaels onto Crush for the pin at 7:19.

Rating: C+. Crush was little more than a monster for Michaels to slay here, as you could see Michaels’ singles star power trying to break through. That’s a great sign for his future and he is getting better before your eyes at this point. It’s no surprise that he is getting this kind of a singles push and it was working well enough.

Hayes and Mooney work on the van, with Hayes using Mooney’s jacket to clean up. They know the problem….but don’t know how to fix it.

From Huntsville, Alabama, January 7, 1991.

Mr. Fuji/Orient Express vs. Legion Of Doom

For some reason Fuji starts for the team but then switches out with Kato, while also playing pass the salt. Animal shoves Kato around and then does it again for a bonus. With that not working, Kato slaps him in the face and gets a chase going, allowing Kato to strike away back inside. Tanaka comes in and gets knocked down, where it’s time for a meeting with his cohorts.

Back in and Tanaka teases going after Hawk, who growls him away. Hawk fights off a double teaming and Kato bails out to the floor, where Animal picks him up for a gorilla press toss back inside. A running clothesline puts Kato on the floor again though and Animal clotheslines him there as well.

This isn’t going so well for him at the moment. Animal runs Tanaka over so Kato offers a distraction, with the salt to the eyes taking Animal down. That has Animal in trouble for all of a few seconds before he clotheslines his way to freedom. Hawk comes back in clean house and the Doomsday Device finishes Kato at 8:00.

Rating: C-. There was only so much you could get out of this kind of a match and there was no way around it. The LOD more or less squashed them here, with even the salt not being able to do much. That was part of the problem with the LOD: you could only put so many teams against them and that was the case at this point, as they didn’t have much in the way of competition.

And now, Gourmet Cooking Tips with the Bushwhackers. We start with a salad, which is thrown everywhere, then the mashed potatoes, which has a special ingredient, then broccoli, which results in bodily function jokes, and then walnut surprise cake, which is shoved into faces. We also get a flashback to Gene Okerlund becoming a Bushwhacker in the first Supertape thanks to some Bushwhacker Buzzard. Back in the kitchen, an apple goes into Okerlund’s mouth and the Bushwhackers want him for dinner. This was about ten minutes of not funny.

Hayes says he knows a good repairman and Mooney shows us to a profile on the Big Boss Man.

Boss Man talks about being the law and order around here and promises us three matches.

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, September 16, 1990.

Earthquake vs. Big Boss Man

Jimmy Hart is here (minus the megaphone for some reason) with the non-Canadian Earthquake. They take their time circling each other to start and finally lock up, with Earthquake shoving him hard into the corner. For some reason Hayes finds this hilarious, though it might be Earthquake doing the posing. Back in and Boss Man does his weird bouncing headlock before punching him into the corner.

Boss Man gets powered into the corner but knocks Earthquake down, followed by chasing Hart around the ring. Earthquake misses a charge into the corner and gets low bridged down for two, only for Earthquake to hit him in the throat. Boss Man gets sent into the corner so Earthquake can sit on him, which doesn’t go well.

Back up Earthquake wins a slugout and an atomic drop has Boss Man in more trouble. Boss Man gets up with a shot to the back of the head and a kick to drop Earthquake, setting up the running clotheslines. That means Earthquake gets tied up in the ropes, but Boss Man goes after Hart and an invading Dino Bravo. Earthquake gets out and hits him in the back, setting up a big elbow for the pin at 10:04.

Rating: C+. I liked the match, but it’s a bit weird to see Boss Man losing in a match designed to be part of his profile. That being said, it was a good brawl, as Boss Man was always good at slugging it out at someone bigger than him. It worked very well against Vader and this was a similar enough idea.

Post match Earthquake goes after him again but Tugboat makes the save.

From Syracuse, New York, November 20, 1990.

Bobby Heenan vs. Big Boss Man

So Heenan has spent weeks insulting Boss Man’s mother so it’s time for payback. Before the match, Heenan brings out a Hulk Hogan wrestling buddy (that’s worth some cash these days) as a gift to Boss Man’s mother, along with roses that he has already sent to her. Boss Man comes to the ring and shoves the wrestling buddy into his face. Heenan gets in a shot with the microphone so Boss Man hits him with the nightstick for the win at 31 seconds.

Post match Haku comes in and gets beaten down just as fast. Boss Man handcuffs them together but Mr. Perfect runs in to go after Boss Man as the other two leave. That’s broken up as well and Boss Man clears the ring, with Mooney declaring it a “great matchup.” Again, LIAR!

From Toronto, Ontario, Canada, November 25, 1990 (I believe, as I’ve seen multiple dates and locations for this one).

The Barbarian vs. Big Boss Man

Boss Man slugs away to start and hits a big boot, followed by a running elbow to send him outside. Back in and Barbarian strikes away for a change, only to get clotheslined out to the floor. Barbarian gets back in but has a big boot blocked, allowing Boss Man to hit the running crotch attack against the back. That doesn’t last long as Barbarian knocks him down for some ax handles to the back.

The bearhug goes on for a good while but Barbarian lets it go. The middle rope elbow misses for Barbarian though and they slug it out, with Boss Man doing his always rather awesome “out on his feet” selling. Boss Man kicks him in the head and grabs a hot shot for two but can’t hit a piledriver. Instead Barbarian backdrops him down…and right into a sunset flip to give Boss Man the pin at 11:18.

Rating: C. There is something cool about the way Boss Man sells and it was working again here. At the same time, Barbarian continues to be the perfect choice for a spot like this as he can make someone like Boss Man work but doesn’t lose any status whatsoever in defeat. This wasn’t anything special, but it could have been far worse.

Post match Haku runs in to help Barbarian with the double team. And no one makes the save. What a great way to wrap up a profile.

Mooney pulls up his pants to cross a stream. Hayes uses the footbridge about twenty feet away, which Mooney somehow didn’t notice.

From Huntsville, Alabama, January 7, 1991.

WWF Title: Ultimate Warrior vs. Sgt. Slaughter

Slaughter, with General Adnan, is challenging. They take their time to start until Slaughter takes him into the corner and chokes/kicks/hammers away. Warrior kicks right back though and a right hand sends Slaughter over the top, with his massive chin getting caught on the bottom rope (that’s a new one). Back in and Slaughter gets knocked out to the floor again, this time allowing Warrior to send him back inside for the hard chops.

Slaughter manages to knock him outside and send him into the timekeeper’s table before hammering away back inside. A catapult into the corner gives Warrior a breather though and a double clothesline puts both of them down. Slaughter grabs a backbreaker for two and puts on the camel clutch, with Warrior getting to the ropes for the break. Warrior Warriors Up, hits a flying shoulder and drops the splash to retain at 9:57.

Rating: C. Yeah you could only expect so much out of a match like this, as it was a dark match from a TV taping to send the fans home happy. The problem with that is there was only so much joy to be found in a Warrior match. He was mere days away from losing the title to Slaughter, so it was almost weird to seeing him win clean like this.

Mooney and Hayes realize they’re walking around in circles. Hayes walks off on his own, presumably leaving Mooney to die in the woods.

Overall Rating: C-. These compilations can be a lot of fun, but at the same time, they can also be rather dreadful. Unfortunately the latter was the case here, as nothing on here was worth seeing, with even the profile on Boss Man only being so good. Total waste of a tape, which fits the era rather well.

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

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Smackdown
Date: June 13, 2025
Location: Rupp Arena, Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Wade Barrett, Joe Tessitore

We’re on the way to Night Of Champions and the big story is John Cena vs. CM Punk for the Smackdown World Title coming up in Saudi Arabia. Other than that, we have a pair of Money In The Bank briefcases floating around, which are likely going to be teased for a good while now. This week we should be seeing some more things being set up for the pay per view so let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

This show was in my hometown but I had something more important to do. Happy birthday buddy.

We open with a long recap of Worlds Collide and Money In The Bank.

Here is John Cena to get things going. After his special introduction, Cena says that the Mount Rushmore of wrestling is four of him because no one has ever been him. He is smarter than everyone and he is always 1000 steps ahead of you. Last year, he announced his retirement a year in advance so he could have six months to scout his biggest opponents.

Cena goes through the year, explaining every action he has taken like a maniacal movie villain. Now Punk is coming up on Night Of Champions but he’ll have to become a hypocrite to get his shot. Seth Rollins won’t cash in on him because he wants Cena to take the title away so Rollins can be the one champion. Cena has solved everything because he is smarter than everyone and it will take you years to understand it.

No one is capable of hanging with him but here is Cody Rhodes to interrupt. Rhodes calls Cena a genius and agrees that Cena’s plans have been right the entire time. Cena has this twenty five year master plan but there is one detail he overlooked: Rhodes pinned him at Money In The Bank. Rhodes isn’t part of Cena’s plan, because Cena is part of his. Cue Randy Orton to say he has Cena beaten at Backlash until someone saved Cena again. Now Orton is ready to win the King Of The Ring to get to Cena and he’ll go through Rhodes to get there.

Cue LA Knight to interrupt (Barrett: “YES!”), who knows that no one in the ring wants him walking down there. Knight is the sore thumb against the WWE establishment and that’s how he likes it. King Of The Ring is here and if he has to drop any of them to be WWE Champion, so be it. Cena goes to leave but R-Truth jumps him from behind. Everyone lining up to come after Cena as the clock is ticking is an interesting story, and Knight jumping into the main event scene is a logical way to go for him. The US Title doesn’t mean anything for him anymore so see what he can do.

King Of The Ring First Round: Randy Orton vs. LA Knight vs. Carmelo Hayes vs. Aleister Black

This could be interesting. Hayes and Black slug it out to start, leaving Orton and Knight to brawl in the corner. Hayes gets two off a quick rollup but gets sent outside for a moonsault from Black. Knight, Orton and Black all miss their finishers and we take an early break. Back with Knight stomping Hayes down in the corner and then doing the same to Orton. Hayes is back up to kick Knight down and the Fade Away puts him down.

A running flip dive takes Black out but Knight is up to send Hayes into the announcers’ table. Orton drops Black onto the table but can’t superplex Hayes. Instead Black posts Orton, leaving Hayes to frog splash Knight for two as we take another break. Back again with Black striking away but having to block an RKO. A series of strikes give Black two on Hayes but Orton gives everyone a powerslam.

The double hanging DDT is loaded up, with Knight coming in with a neckbreaker to Orton, driving the other two down in the process. The BFT hits Black with Hayes making the save but cue Bronson Reed to cut off the jumping elbow. Bron Breakker is in for a Super Spear to Knight and Hayes adds a frog splash….into an RKO onto Knight. Orton gets the pin on Knight to advance at 16:17.

Rating: B. I was digging this one with the ending being quite the creative way to go to wrap it up. That’s one of the best things you can see, as it came out of nowhere for a cool way to go. Other than that, it was nice to see all four of them being an option to win. The interference was a fine way to keep Knight looking strong, though I could have gone with someone else taking the fall.

Jacob Fatu warns us that he is coming.

Here is Jacob Fatu for a chat and the fans are happy to see him. Just because you are family doesn’t mean you can go behind someone’s back and take credit for their success, which is what Solo Sikoa did to him. That’s why he took Sikoa out at Money In The Bank and he’s on his own. Cue a clapping Sikoa on the Titantron, saying he brought Fatu here a year ago because Fatu was doing nothing. He gave Fatu a chance and next week he’ll give him another one. Fatu can apologize and say he loves Sikoa, because Sikoa can take him out. This should be interesting, but Fatu as a monster face has all of the potential.

The Secret Hervice comes in to see Nick Aldis, with Chelsea Green on the phone, saying that she needs to have her Queen Of The Ring match in a city other than Lexington. Aldis isn’t doing that and puts Alba Fyre in her place. The Secret Hervice leaves and Zelina Vega comes in, saying she wants Giulia. That can’t happen this week, so she’ll face Giulia next week, with Aldis not really able to get a word in.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Michin vs. Piper Niven vs. Jade Cargill vs. Nia Jax

Niven and Michin go to the floor, leaving Cargill to shoulder Jax in the corner. Michin comes in and gets taken down by Cargill, who gets two off a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Back up and Michin hits a running dropkick to put Cargill down but Niven hits a running backsplash on Michin. Jax is back in to take over on Cargill, who avoids a charge to send Jax shoulder first into the post. Michin is back up for an Asai moonsault onto all three and we take a break.

Back with Cargill superkicking Jax but getting taken down by Niven. Some running shots in the corner have Cargill in trouble but it’s time for Jax and Niven to argue. Michin is back in to pick up the pace with a running hurricanrana, with Jax making the save. Cargill slugs away on Jax and Niven on the floor, only for them to throw Cargill over the announcers’ table (and over Wade Barrett) for the big crash.

Back in and Michin grabs a spinning DDT on Niven, only to get dropped by Jax. The Annihilator hits Michin but Niven makes the save. Niven drives Jax through the barricade and hits the Piper Bomb on Michin. Cargill is back in though and Jaded finishes Niven at 12:52.

Rating: B-. There is something amazing about watching Cargill muscle someone up and plant them down with Jaded and that’s what she did again here. It was fun to see someone going power vs. power with Jax, as that isn’t something you often see. It was an entertaining match and Cargill feels like she could be in for something big sooner than later.

Here is Miss Money In The Bank Naomi for a chat. Naomi says people here are looking real shocked and real stupid but she took what she deserved. The entire time when she was trying to take the title from Nia Jax, Tiffany Stratton was there to stop her. Too nice Naomi allowed it to happen…and here is Stratton to interrupt. Stratton says just cash in right now and take the title if she’s so confident.

Naomi is all talk and no action and that’s why she couldn’t beat Jax. That doesn’t work for Naomi, who wants to surprise Stratton and is going to make her life h***. Proceed with caution. Naomi leaves but here is Nia Jax to jump Stratton and hit the Annihilator. Naomi teases the cash-in but Jax glares her off. And so we start what is likely going to be a months long ordeal with one tease after another.

Earlier today, Nick Aldis talked to the tag division, all of whom want the Wyatt Sicks. The Motor City Machine Guns get the nod this week.

Wyatt Sicks vs. Motor City Machine Guns

It’s Dexter Lumis/Joe Gacy for the Wyatts with the rest of the team here too. It’s a brawl to start with the Wyatts taking over and Lumis’ jumping spinning legdrop gets two on Sabin. Gacy comes in but gets low bridged to the floor, with the Guns following with stereo slingshot dives.

We take a break and come back with Sabin cleaning house and the stereo apron superkicks rocking Lumis. Gacy is back in with a double clothesline to take over and powerbombs Lumis onto Sabin for two. Sabin is back up with a DDT to Lumis and the Dream Sequence connects. Skull & Bones is broken up though and Lumis’ guillotine legdrop finishes Sabin at 9:23.

Rating: C+. It’s about time to do something with the Wyatts, as you can only have them do a bunch of random beatdowns. Going after the Tag Team Titles isn’t a bad idea and it feels like this is the start of setting up the Wyatts to go through the division and maybe even take the titles. Good enough stuff here, which is absolutely no shock given that the Guns were around.

John Cena comes up to Jimmy Uso in the back and is looking for R-Truth. Uso hasn’t, but Cena wants R-Truth to meet him in the ring.

Here is an angry Cena for a chat. He can tolerate a certain level of disrespect but R-Truth has crossed the line. Cena calls R-Truth out for a fight right now but gets CM Punk instead. Punk says he has a mic and wants Cena to turn around and let the fans celebrate him like they want to. Cena: “Why?”

He wants to know why he should waste his time in front of a bunch of people who don’t matter. These people don’t matter. This place doesn’t matter. Basketball doesn’t matter. Horse racing doesn’t matter. The title is all that matters. Punk gets serious and says there is one reality: Cena cannon beat him. When Punk was at his best, Cena could not beat him. It is Punk’s belief in himself that brought him here and he’s not here dressed like a toddler who just struck out at t-ball.

Punk wants that one back because it sounds like PG John Cena, but “I’m going to take the title and walk out” sounds like something Punk would say. It’s ironic that Cena is stealing Punk’s material because Cena couldn’t stop him. Punk will meet him in Saudi Arabia and he will sacrifice the goat to the gods of wrestling. The reality is Punk can see through him and that’s the truth. Cue R-Truth to jump Cena from behind and put him in the STF. This was more of the hard sell from Punk, with R-Truth being an interesting side piece to the whole thing.

Alexa Bliss is ready to move closer to being Queen Of The Ring but Charlotte comes in to say there is one queen.

R-Truth requests and receives a match with John Cena next week.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Charlotte vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Alba Fyre vs. Candice LeRae

Bliss cuts off Charlotte’s entrance to make this especially personal. LeRae and Fyre break up the staredown but Charlotte is back up to knock both of them down and take over. Bliss comes in with a high crossbody to Charlotte but Charlotte takes them all down again as we go to a break.

Back with Bliss hitting a Tower Of Doom and we get a parade of faceplants. Charlotte gets the Figure Eight on Bliss but LeRae breaks it up with an Asai moonsault. Bliss is back up with Twisted Bliss to Fyre, only for Charlotte to break it up. Charlotte’s spear gets two on LeRae and she grabs the Figure Eight on Fyre. Bliss is right back with the Sister Abigail DDT to pin LeRae for the win at 10:49, just before Fyre taps.

Rating: C+. I like seeing Charlotte lose, but why do I have a feeling this is going to result in her complaining about a lot of things and probably costing Bliss the semifinals? Either way, Bliss getting a push is intriguing as she could be slotted into the title scene rather easily, though Charlotte will likely have something to say about that. Other than that, this won’t sit well with Chelsea Green, which should be great.

Post match Charlotte glares a lot.

Cody Rhodes runs into CM Punk, who wishes him luck tonight.

King Of The Ring First Round: Cody Rhodes vs. Damian Priest vs. Andrade vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

Nakamura bails to the floor to start so Rhodes decks him, leaving Andrade to knock Priest into the corner. Rhodes is back in to clothesline Priest out to the floor but Nakamura is back up to go after both of them. Andrade hits a big dive to the floor to take everyone out as we take a break.

Back with Nakamura hitting the sliding German suplex on Priest but he’s back up to knock everyone else down. Rhodes breaks up Old School though, leaving Nakamura to cross armbreaker Andrade. That’s broken up so Rhodes brings out a (Slim Jim) table but Nakamura saves Andrade from going through it. Instead Rhodes is kicked through the table and we take a break.

Back with Andrade cleaning house but Rhodes fires off a string of clotheslines. Nakamura breaks up Cross Rhodes and hits Kinshasa for two but Andrade is back up. The Message gets two on Priest and Andrade slugs it out with Nakamura. Rhodes breaks that up and Cody Cutters Priest, followed by Cross Rhodes to pin Nakamura at 16:46.

Rating: B-. You could all but guarantee who was taking the fall the second Nakamura was announced for the match and that’s not the worst thing. He’s leaving when his deal is up so why bother wasting a loss on anyone else? Rhodes needs a nice run in this tournament after Wrestlemania and putting him against Cena again at Summerslam is hardly a bad idea.

Overall Rating: B. This show was heavily focused on the tournaments, with only the tag match getting attention otherwise. As a result, the wrestling was rather good, though my goodness I could go a long time without seeing a qualifying/first round multi person match. Other than that though, this was about people lining up to come after John Cena, who is trying to run out the clock on this time in WWE. I’m curious to see where that is going, and the match with Punk at Night Of Champions should be more than worth a look. Good show here, and things are looking up around here.

Results
Randy Orton b. LA Knight, Carmelo Hayes and Aleister Black – Frog splash to Knight
Jade Cargill b. Piper Niven, Nia Jax and Michin – Jaded to Niven
Wyatt Sicks b. Motor City Machine Guns – Guillotine legdrop to Sabin
Cody Rhodes b. Shinsuke Nakamura, Andrade and Damian Priest – Cross Rhodes to Nakamura

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

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Evolve
Date: June 11, 2025
Location: WWE Performance Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Peter Rosenberg, Robert Stone

We’re into a new era around here as we officially have Men’s and Women’s Evolve Champions. Last week saw Jackson Drake bring the men’s version to the Vanity Project, who I’m sure will have a calm, respectful celebration as a result. There are other things around here to address as well though so let’s get to it.

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

We open with a recap of Jackson Drake winning the title last week.

Opening sequence.

Here is the Vanity Project for their celebration. They aren’t ones to tell you “we told you so”, but that’s what they did. They are the future NXT main eventers and now Jackson Drake himself gets the mic. Drake talks about Buddy Rogers, Finn Balor and Seth Rollins being the first holders of various titles and now his name has been added. They have the best man, woman and tag team in Evolve and at this point, it isn’t even bragging. When you’re this good, you can only be called the Vanity Project, and now they make V signs with their fingers because they’re turning into a real stable.

Lince Dorado knows that he’s going to need help to come after the Vanity Project and he has an idea.

Wes Lee, with the rest of High Ryze, is ready for Cappuccino Jones.

Cappuccino Jones is with Jack Cartwheel and is heavily caffeinated for Wes Lee. The problem is Lee has forgotten what it’s like to be thirsty and it’s time for a fresh brew. Jones has one bit and he is getting everything he can out of it.

Zayda Steele/Nikkita Lyons vs. Layla Diggs/Masyn Holiday

Diggs and Holiday have a dance during their entrance and their opponents are….impressed? Steele takes Diggs down and poses to start but gets her leg swept for a fast two. Diggs dances some more and it’s off to Holiday for a dancing ax handle to the arm. Lyons comes in and fights out of the armbar before bending over so Holiday can jump over her.

Diggs comes back in and gets taken into the wrong corner but manages to powerslam Steele down for two. Holiday runs Steele over with a shoulder but stops to look at Lyons, which allows Lyons to come in for some shoulders to the ribs. The ZDT gives Steele two and Lyons grabs a chinlock, which works as well as you would expect.

Holiday avoids a charge in the corner and it’s off to Diggs to pick up the pace. A handspring shoulder to the ribs in the corner drops Steele and a splash gets two, with Lyons making the save. Cue Chantel Monroe to sit on the apron for a distraction, which allows Lyons to kick Holiday in the head for the pin at 7:52.

Rating: C-. This wasn’t the best stuff, with the dancing from Diggs and Holiday feeling like something that has been done to death. At the same time, having Monroe come in to do her one thing for a distraction wasn’t the most thrilling twist. The action wasn’t terrible as they all need time in the ring, but I wasn’t feeling this one for the most part.

Troy Yearwood likes to lift weights and write poetry, including one about how he’s going to take over Evolve and NXT. He likes lifting people in the ring with him…and now his name is Jamar Hampton. Sure.

Kali Armstrong comes up to tell Natalya that she doesn’t need her help. Natalya says she might, because they’re teaming together next week.

Jamar Hampton vs. It’s Gal

Hampton has some weird intro music, sounding like it would be playing in the opening scene of a romantic comedy while someone we just met is walking down the street. Hampton drives him into the corner to start so Gal (now pronounced as it would traditionally be, rather than gaul, as in rhyming with Paul) wants a test of strength. That goes fine for Hampton, who takes him down and does pushups on Gal’s back. An atomic drop sets up a running dropkick (and a high one at that) for two on Gal.

Back up and Gal starts taking over on the leg and hammers away in the corner. A pushup cover gives Gal two and he drops a Kofi Kingston double legdrop for two more. Gal stays on the leg with a half crab, with Hampton fighting out but not being able to stand. The one good leg is enough to German suplex Gal and an overhead belly to belly takes Gal down again. Hampton can’t quite get a fireman’s carry as Gal grabs a rollup for two of his own. Back up and Hampton hits an AA (landing on Gal, ala Keith Lee’s Big Bang Catastrophe) for the pin 6:30.

Rating: C+. This was a showcase for Hampton and that worked well enough, as he has a good look and some very impressive athleticism. That being said, the leg stuff being somewhat ignored so he could throw Gal around wasn’t the best look. On the other hand, Gal continues to not do much for me, as “he’s in good shape” and “looks like a human action figure” is only going to get him so far.

Marcus Mathers talks about how he has trained as hard and often as he can because this is what matters the most to him.

Jordan Oasis talks about how hard he has worked to get here, often walking the streets and living on busses. He doesn’t remember the last time he was in a hotel room. It’s hard to have to order the cheapest thing on the menu at a fast food restaurant so he can use the restroom or sneak into the gym after someone so he can use the shower. But now it’s worth it because he is making it here. That’s a heck of a way to make me care about someone and it did a nice job.

Wes Lee vs. Cappuccino Jones

The rest of High Ryze and Jack Cartwheel are here too. After the Big Match Intros, Jones takes him down by the arm to start but gets reversed into a headlock. Jones sweeps the legs out for two before going with back to back leapfrogs. Lee gets sent outside for a running flip dive and we take a break.

Back with Lee dropping Jones out of the corner and hitting a basement dropkick to the side of the head. A superkick lets Lee slam him head first into the mat a few times while shouting a lot as well. Jones tries to fight back but gets powerslammed down for two, leaving Lee frustrated. A quick backslide and rollup give Jones two each and he hits an enziguri to send Lee into the ropes.

The Half And Half gives Jones two so High Ryze gets involved, with Cartwheel going after them. That means a three way ejection, allowing Lee to hit a tornado DDT. The running knees give Lee two and Jones is back up with the Decaffinator for two and now it’s Jones’ turn to be stunned. Jones misses the Froggy Brew (these names are great) so Lee rolls him up but gets caught with his feet on the ropes. A rollup gives Jones a close two but Lee superkicks him in the back of the head. The Cardiac Kick finishes for Lee at 11:04.

Rating: B. Dang they had me into this one at the end, as I thought they might actually give Jones the big upset. I can get why they didn’t, but that would have been a heck of a way to give Jones the push. That being said, this absolutely did not hurt Jones, who looked great in defeat. Pretty awesome main event here, with both guys working rather hard.

Overall Rating: B-. This was the show that kind of reset things a bit, as they spent about a month setting up the title matches and now we have to see where things go from here. The main event was quite good and they have some people who seem ready to move up to the next level, which is what we might be seeing soon. This show didn’t exactly do anything big, but it moved a few things forward and wrapped up a thing or two as well. Evolve is turning into a regular show and I’m liking it more often than not so well done.

Results
Zayda Steele/Nikkita Lyons b. Layla Diggs/Masyn Holiday – Kick to the head to Holiday
Jamar Hampton b. It’s Gal – Attitude Adjustment
Wes Lee b. Cappuccino Jones – Cardiac Kick

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

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

Giant Tag Teams
Commentators: Michael Cole, Tazz, Tony Schiavone, Jesse Ventura, Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Gorilla Monsoon, Bobby Heenan, Jerry Lawler, Joey Styles, Johnny V

It’s another compilation video from the WWE Vault and again, the name kind of speaks for itself. I have no idea what to expect from this one and that should make for something interesting. It’s a concept that doesn’t require a lot of thinking, but it could go well or poorly for any combination. Let’s get to it.

From Sunday Night Heat, February 11, 2001.

Brothers Of Destruction vs. Kai En Tai

Kane wrecks both of them to start and suplexes Taka. A one armed chokeslam gets two, with Funaki making a rather cruel save. Undertaker chokeslams some sense into Funaki and stereo Last Rides (well just a regular powerbomb in Kane’s case) finish at 1:40.

From WCW Saturday Night, June 19, 1993.

Masters Of The Powerbomb vs. Kip Abee/Terry Travis

That would be Vader and Sid Vicious. Vader chokeslams Abee to start and it’s off to Sid to kick Travis in the corner. A clothesline takes Travis’ head off and Sid’s powerbomb finishes at 1:16.

From Superstars, October 19, 1991.

Natural Disasters vs. Barry Hardy/Duane Gill/Jim Arnon

Earthquake takes Hardy into the corner to start. Piper: “HARDY! GO FOR HIS EYES!” McMahon: “Family entertainment here.” Piper, in a much quieter voice: “Grab his wrist and try to make him give up.” Savage: “GRAB HIS EYES!” Gill gets taken into the corner and everything breaks down with the triple splash crushing the jobbers. The powerslam into the Earthquake into the Typhoon splash finishes Arnon at 2:51.

From Armageddon 2006.

Batista/Rey Mysterio vs. Big Show/Kane

This is what I love about these collections: you have a bunch of squash matches and then a pay per view semi main event out of nowhere. It’s such a random collection. Show shoves Batista down to start and then does it again for a bonus. Some right hands and running clotheslines do a bit better for Batista and he gets a boot up to stop a charging Show. A running shoulder puts Show down but he shoves Batista away without much trouble. The chokeslam is broken up so Show settles for a big boot instead. It’s off to Kane who actually gets suplexed for a fast two.

Back up and Kane hits the side slam on Batista but Batista slams him off the top to cut off the big clothesline. Mysterio comes in to pick up the pace but his kick to the face just annoys Kane. The right hands in the corner don’t do much either so Mysterio tries a middle rope ax handle. A springboard missile dropkick looks to set up a 619 but Show offers a distraction. Batista cuts him off but Show is right there again to cut off another 619 attempt.

The ram into the post has Mysterio down again and Show casually throws him back inside. Show kicks Batista’s offer of a tag away and then drops Mysterio with a loud chop. Kane pulls Mysterio out of the air but gets put down with the sitout bulldog. Batista has to break up the double chokeslam and everything breaks down. The spear cuts Kane down and Mysterio adds the basement dropkick. Batista hits the spinebuster before tackling Show over the announcers’ table. Back in and the 619 hits Kane, who pulls the West Coast Pop out of the air. The chokeslam finishes Mysterio at 8:06.

Rating: C+. That’s the logical way for this to end, as there wasn’t much that Mysterio could do against that kind of power. Batista was holding his own in there for as long as he could but ultimately Show and Kane were dominant monsters for a reason. It wasn’t much more than a Smackdown main event but it did its job fairly well.

From (I believe) Wrestling Challenge, January 22, 1989.

Twin Towers vs. ???/???

Boss Man powers one of them into the corner and chokes on the ropes as we get an insert promo from Slick, praising the Towers. Akeem comes in and beats up the other jobber before Boss Man hits a hard clothesline. A double back elbow hits one of them as Monsoon suddenly praises Slick, saying he’ll have champions soon enough. The Boss Man Slam sets up Air Africa for the pin at 2:02.

From Smackdown, April 27, 2000.

Hollys vs. T&A

Test full nelson slams Hardcore to start but Hardcore is back up to stomp away in the corner. Crash comes in and avoids a charge in the corner as commentary talks about the possibility of Steve Austin being here tonight. A sitout powerbomb gives Test two as the Dudley Boyz are watching in the back. Albert’s splash misses and Hardcore comes back in for the dropkick. Crash tags himself back in though (drawing the ELROY chants) and misses his own splash. Test boots Hardcore down and the gorilla press from Albert sets up the top rope elbow to finish Crash at 3:17.

Rating: C. Not much to see here but then again, T&A were little more than a vehicle for Trish Stratus (that worked well enough). It’s easy to forget how many teams were around in this era as Edge and Christian and the Hardys and the Dudleys get so much attention. Both of these teams were totally decent most of the time and this could have been better with some extra time.

From Armageddon 2007.

CM Punk/Kane vs. Big Daddy V/Mark Henry

This was during the ECW Champion CM Punk Fights A Bunch Of Monsters period. Henry shoves Punk down to start and, after shrugging off some kicks to the leg, does it again. Kane comes in to uppercut away at Henry, followed by a running dropkick to the knee. It’s back to Punk for a dropkick but Henry runs him over with ease.

V comes in so Punk strikes away, which goes as well as you would expect. Matt Striker gets in a cheap shot to Punk on the floor before it’s back to Henry for a gorilla press. Back up and Punk avoids a charge in the corner, allowing Kane to come in for the running corner clotheslines. Kane has to fight out of the wrong corner but walks into V’s sitout chokebomb for two.

The splash to the back sets up what would become the Visagra before it’s back to Henry for the bearhug. Henry powers him back into the corner but Kane manages a running DDT for a needed breather. Punk comes back in to strike away at V, with the running knee in the corner rocking him hard. Kane and Henry fight up the aisle, leaving Punk to springboard into a Samoan drop to give V the pin at 10:37.

Rating: C-. Yeah this didn’t quite work, though there is only so much you can get out of this idea. At the end of the day, V is fairly limited in what he can do and Henry is only so much better. They played up the idea of Punk trying to fight the monsters but being in over his head physically, which is what caught him in the end. Kane was doing his thing, but there were limits to what you could do here.

From Championship Wrestling, August 9, 1986.

King Kong Bundy/Big John Studd vs. Frankie Lane/Brickhouse Brown

Brown goes after Studd to start and gets cut off with as much effort as you would expect. A bearhug goes on as we get an insert promo from Bobby Heenan, mocking Captain Lou Albano for writing a book. Bundy comes in and drives Brown into the corner for the tag to Lane. Everything breaks down and Lane is bounced off the giants. The Avalanche finishes (for a five count) at 3:15.

Rating: C. There is something fun about a team like Bundy and Studd, who are the definition of “what you see is what you get”. They’re big guys, they beat people up, and they don’t move a lot. Neither guy is trying to do anything more than the basics and yet it works rather well.

From Raw, September 30, 2002.

3 Minute Warning vs. Goldust/Booker T.

Rico is here with 3 Minute Warning. It’s a brawl to start and Booker elbows Rosey down for an early two. Jamal comes in to take over on Goldust, who can’t fight out of the wrong corner. Some clubberin keeps Goldust in trouble and Booker gets knocked off the apron. Goldust finally gets over for the tag off to Booker so house can be cleaned.

Everyone else is down so Booker busts out the Spinarooni, setting up the ax kick to Jamal. Rosey is late with the save so the referee has to pull up on the count in a pretty bad look. Rico superkicks Goldust and Booker gets planted, setting up Jamal’s top rope splash for the pin on Booker (why yes, this is in Booker’s hometown of Houston) at 6:34.

Rating: C. Nice enough in-ring debut here for 3 Minute Warning, who had been attacking a variety of people and now get a win over a popular team. The fact that it was over Booker in his hometown shouldn’t be surprising whatsoever, as that is just kind of what the company does. Either way, it could have been far worse and we got a fine debut.

From Summerslam 1998.

Oddities vs. Kai En Tai

This is the four man version of Kai En Tai, with Yamaguchi-San in their corner. Unfortunately the Oddities’ entrance, featuring a live performance by the Insane Clown Posse, is cut out, meaning no Kurrgan dancing. Golga (Earthquake under a mask) cleans house to start and steals Yamaguchi’s shoe.

Kurrgan comes in and shoves all four of them away to break up a quadruple team. Yamaguchi gets sent inside while Kurrgan dances on the floor. The Giant Silva (7’2) comes in and scares Kai En Tai off as this is not the most serious match. All four of them go after Silva and get nowhere so he stacks all four of them into the same corner for a big hip attack. Kai En Tai is knocked outside, leaving Silva to just walk around for a bit.

Golga comes in for the powerslam that could only come from Earthquake. A double dropkick staggers Golga and they manage a double slam, followed by a series of top rope splashes. The rapid fire elbows keep Golga down but he’s back up with a quadruple clothesline (you don’t see that one very often). Kurrgan comes in to clean house and everything breaks down, with Luna Vachon slamming Yamaguchi. A double double chokeslam sets up a quadruple splash to pin Kai En Tai at 10:11.

Rating: C-. I have an unnatural fondness for the Oddities, with Kurrgan’s dancing being my ultimate guilty pleasure in wrestling. That being said, having this go on for ten minutes was insane, as there was no need for it to go even half that long. It’s a situation where getting in and getting out would have been a better way to go and the length dragged almost all of the fun out of the thing.

Overall Rating: C+. Again, this was fun. The biggest thing I get out of these collections is that some long time fans are running this channel. Rather than having a bunch of matches from the last ten years and a token 90s match, they went all over the place and had some fun with the material available. I had fun with this and that’s all you can ask for with something like this, as it isn’t exactly a concept that can go incredibly in depth.

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

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

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 9, 2025
Location: PHX Arena, Phoenix, Arena
Commentators: Michael Cole, Wade Barrett

We’re done with Money In The Bank and Seth Rollins and Naomi have the briefcases. That means we could be having some cash-ins teased soon, with Gunther challenging Jey Uso for the World Title tonight being a legitimate possibility. We’re also ready to start up on the King and Queen Of The Ring qualifying matches so let’s get to it.

Here is Money In The Bank if you need a recap.

Various people came to work today, including Becky Lynch in a Ms. Rachel shirt (if you have young kids, that probably either makes you smile or glare).

We get a long Worlds Collide and Money In The Bank recap.

Here is John Cena, who insists on his special entrance. Cena says that the fans teach him something every time they open their mouths. At Money In The Bank, Cena learned that the truth is a lie. The fans wanted a sideshow comedian whose greatest achievement is pretending to be him. These people are all spineless keyboard warriors and armchair activists with no real power to change anything.

R-Truth is a gimmick that the fans will spit out in a year and not care about at all. This is his farewell tour and he has limited time left. We run down the number of dates he has left, which leaves him at 19. If you want to accomplish something, send him competition instead of the class clown. Every time someone has come to him, he has shut their mouth and beaten his best….and here is CM Punk to interrupt.

Punk asks if Cena is comfortable because he has a lot to say. He’s comfortable with having this conversation with his fists but one way or another, he’ll get through this. Punk thinks it’s ironic that Cena wants to ruin wrestling and Punk is the one defending the establishment. That’s not what he’s doing, because he isn’t standing for TKO or defending the billionaires. Instead, he’s here to defend the people. Is Cena mad because he was picked by the establishment but not the people?

Cena has said that he hasn’t had real competition, but he’s stolen the title from the best WWE has. Punk is here because the people are his boss and if they want the truth, they’re going to get Ron Killings. They are all just spokes on the wheel and it’s time Cena learned that too. That starts by Punk taking the title from Cena’s shoulders. Remember when they locked up at Elimination Chamber?

Punk felt it then, just like when Seth Rollins gave him a Stomp. Cena said I’M SORRY because he knows what he’s doing is wrong. That title is corrupting him and even though Punk didn’t want to get it when he came here. Now though, Punk is going to have to become the monster to stop the monster. Punk counts 18 dates left after tonight and he’ll let Cena pick the date he takes the title from him.

If Cena is more Boston Red Sox than New York Yankees, he’ll do it tonight. Cena says Punk is on but not here, because Punk is going to have to follow him to Saudi Arabia at Night Of Champions (Punk has been VERY vocal about not wanting to do those shows). Punk seems in but here are Seth Rollins and company to hold up the briefcase.

There was a lot going on here but anything involving Cena and Punk together is a great way to go. At the same time, Punk feels like someone who could take the title from Cena given their history together. I do like the idea of tying it in with Punk’s known issues about Saudi Arabia, so the whole thing has a few different angles at the same time.

AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable

The Creeds are here with Gable. Feeling out process to start until Styles hits the drop down into the dropkick to send Gable outside. Gable is ready for a dive though and takes out the legs as we take a break. Back with Styles getting in a shot of his own but a nasty German suplex puts him back down. The top rope headbutt gives Gable two but Styles catches him on the top. That’s fine with Gable who gets the ankle lock, which is reversed into a quick Styles Clash for the pin at 7:57.

Rating: C+. It’s good to see Styles getting a win and for once, there is something reassuring about what is next for Gable. It made for a nice opener, even though they didn’t have much time to set things up. Styles could be getting ready to go after the Intercontinental Title and that means he needs some wins like this one.

Roxanne Perez comes up to Liv Morgan in the back to pitch an alliance to help win the Women’s Title for Judgment Day. Morgan isn’t interested and blows her off.

Queen Of The Ring First Round: Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Kairi Sane

Ripley picks up Morgan to start but gets knocked down, with Sand taking down Morgan and Perez at the same time. Ripley gets back up for the staredown but Morgan breaks it up. Perez saves Morgan, who gets kicked in the head by Ripley. The Riptide is broken up by Perez and Ripley is sent out to the floor.

Sane gets tossed onto her for the big crash and we take a break. Back with Morgan hitting a Codebreaker on Ripley and taking Sane up top. Ripley powerbombs the villains down but walks into a top rope forearm from Sane. Back up and Sane hits a quick sitout Stunner for two on Ripley with Morgan and Perez making the save.

Sane is kicked to the floor but Ripley pulls herself up and goes after Perez and Morgan. Ripley headbutts sane and blocks Morgan’s Oblivion. Riptide connects but Raquel Rodriguez breaks up the pin. Sane dives onto both of them and then drops the Insane Elbow on Morgan…but Perez steals the pin at 12:48.

Rating: B. As much as I never need to see that “steal the pin” ending again, this was a heck of a match with quite a bit of action throughout. Perez going forward is a smart way to advance both her status on the main roster and the issues with Judgment Day. At the same time, Ripley needs something fresh, as she is starting to feel pretty ice cold. As hard as that might be to fathom, that needs to change.

Video on Worlds Collide.

Video on Nikki Bella.

Bella introduces herself to various women backstage and exchanges terms of respect with Kairi Sane.

Here is Becky Lynch for a chat. She isn’t sure where her YOU DESERVE IT chants are and lists off her various accomplishments. Lynch has raised the status of the Intercontinental Title just by winning it. On Saturday, Lyra Valkyria injured Lynch’s shoulder and Lynch, just trying to finish their issues, asked Valkyria to put the title on her waist. Then that crazy bird lady tried to kill her!

Lynch wants Valkyria out here to raise her hand properly so here is Valkyria, who Lynch says has that crazy look in her eyes again. Cue the returning Bayley from behind to jump her, sending Lynch bailing. That’s a good way to go as Bayley is a fresh opponent for Lynch, which Valkyria was cheated out of the title.

Commentary argues about what they just saw but R-Truth climbs onto the announcers’ table. Killings says don’t let anyone ever tell you that you don’t matter. They heard and they understood so he is back because of these people. He’s back and while the people love R-Truth, he can be funny all the time. Or too forgiving all the time, but not him.

He’s not a side show or a gimmick…and he takes some scissors out to cut his hair off. The truth has set him free and he is Ron The Truth Killings, so put some respect on his name. And with that he walks out through the crowd. I have no idea what is next for him, but it better be something special after a pretty awesome promo that showed a VERY different side of Killings.

Finn Balor isn’t sure why Dominik Mysterio is getting a match in the King Of The Ring. Mysterio makes sure Balor is cool with it, with JD McDonagh saying he and Balor are going to win the Tag Team Titles. Roxanne Perez comes in to celebrate her own win but Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez come in to not be pleased with her. Balor approves. As the clubhouse continues to turn.

Video on Mr. Iguana from AAA.

Seth Rollins give Bron Breakker a pep talk before his match.

King Of The Ring First Round: Dominik Mysterio vs. Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker vs. Penta

Non-title. Penta and Mysterio go to the floor to start, leaving Zayn to hammer on Breakker in the corner. Breakker is right back up with a running clothesline to Mysterio and we take a break. Back with Breakker suplexing Penta so all three others go after Breakker at the same time. Mysterio’s rollup gets two on Penta but Zayn is back up for the corner climbing tornado DDT.

Zayn dives onto Breakker on the floor so Penta dives onto Zayn, setting up Mysterio’s suicide DDT. Breakker hits his clothesline off the apron to crush Mysterio and we take another break. Back again with Breakker running the corner for a super Frankensteiner and then catching Penta with a jumping knee.

Breakker’s gorilla press is countered into a DDT for two and Mysterio is back in. Zayn gets caught with Two Amigos but reverses the third into a Blue Thunder Bomb for his own near fall. Back up and Penta Sacrifices Zayn’s arm and hits the Penta Driver, with Mysterio stealing the two. Breakker is back up and takes the straps down, allowing him to run around the ring to spear Penta. Cue LA Knight of all people with a BFT to Breakker, leaving Zayn to exploder Mysterio into the corner. The Helluva Kick gives Zayn the pin on Mysterio at 17:06.

Rating: B-. This got a lot of time and while it felt really similar to the four way for the Intercontinental Title at Wrestlemania (which only had Finn Balor in Zayn’s place), Zayn winning was a surprise. The match felt like it was designed for Breakker to win as he is known to smash through almost anyone. Zayn winning the whole thing is certainly an option and that is quite the interesting option.

AJ Styles isn’t happy with Seth Rollins sending Paul Heyman to threaten him last week. If you threaten Styles, he’ll hit you in the mouth and he’ll go tell Rollins that himself.

New Day is not happy with being asked who is next for their Tag Team Titles. Instead you should be thanking God for them being champions.

Video on Asuka, who is back next week after about a year away. I’m hoping this wasn’t meant to be a surprise as her name was listed in the graphics earlier in the night.

Here is Nikki Bella to thank us for having her back. She gets to the point, which is Evolution II taking place next month. Bella talks about the various women who will be around for the show and all of the talent we have here (including Stephanie “Vaquay”), which brings out a furious Liv Morgan. She isn’t happy with Bella not mentioning her and goes off about all of her accomplishments.

Morgan knows that Bella is scared of her because Morgan would have beaten her if Bella was still around. Morgan brings up that at least she has a man, unlike Bella. That makes Bella laugh, and she asks who Morgan’s man belongs to. Bella goes to leave but comes back when Morgan calls her a reality Diva. The Oblivion leaves Bella laying. Bella being in the ring again at Evolution seems like a layup, and it wouldn’t stun me to see her sister show up to try and win the Women’s Tag Team Titles.

John Cena vs. CM Punk is set for Night Of Champions.

Raw World Title: Jey Uso vs. Gunther

Gunther is challenging. Uso starts fast and tries some early sleepers, with Gunther bailing to the floor as we take an early break. Back with Uso hitting a high crossbody but coming up favoring his ribs, which gives Gunther a target. Gunther rips Uso’s shirt off and goes after the bad ribs with some knees to the back. A suplex drops Uso again and it’s time to rip the tape off as well. They go to the floor with a German suplex dropping Uso again and we take another break.

Back again with Uso winning a battle over a suplex and striking away. The enziguri rocks Gunther again and they go to the apron, with Uso knocking Gunther out to the floor. Gunther pulls him down again though and tries the top rope splash, which hits raised knees. Back in and the spear sets up the Superfly Splash for two on Gunther, leaving them both down.

The powerbomb is countered into a hurricanrana and Uso hits a superkick. Uso gets the sleeper but gets caught with a backbreaker. Gunther’s powerbomb gets two and he hits his own spear for two. Uso can’t get the sleeper but he can hit a spear. The Superfly Splash misses and Gunther grabs a choke, even pulling it back to the middle.

Uso fights up but gets pulled back down, with Gunther letting go for some reason. Back up and Uso grabs his own sleeper, which is countered into the elbows to the head. Gunther elbows him in the head and gets the sleeper again to finally finish Uso and win the title at 22:01.

Rating: B-. They were really starting to get me here, but then the sleepers just kept going and took a lot of the energy out of the thing. That being said, I was rather stunned by the ending, as it felt like a situation where something big was going to happen to end the match. Instead, Gunther just won clean in a major moment. I’m not sure where this is leading, but there are certainly options available. Just try to find something other than the sleeper whenever we get there.

Gunther celebrates to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Sweet goodness what a show. You had some very good action, some great talking and a major title change to wrap it up. This was one of the times where the show felt red hot again and has me wondering what is going to happen next. That isn’t a feeling that happens very often and dang did it work here. Awesome show, both for tonight and for the future.

Results
AJ Styles b. Chad Gable – Styles Clash
Roxanne Perez b. Rhea Ripley, Liv Morgan and Kairi Sane – Rollup to Sane
Sami Zayn b. Dominik Mysterio, Penta and Bron Breakker – Helluva Kick to Mysterio
Gunther b. Jey Uso – Sleeper

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

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

Smackdown
Date: August 29, 2008
Location: Mellon Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 6,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tazz

We’re just over a week away from Unforgiven and as you might have guessed, the big story here is the Championship Scramble. That’s the kind of match that can open up a lot of possibilities and hopefully some of those are teased this week. We could also use some other things to help fill out the card so let’s get to it.

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

Here is Undertaker to get things going, with La Familia watching in the back. Undertaker says Vickie Guerrero wants to be forgiven of her sins but he isn’t the forgiving kind. He will not forget what she did to him and is coming for her soul. Once he has taken it, she will burn.

In the back, La Familia leaves Vickie alone and she’s locked in her dressing room.

R-Truth talks about growing up the hard way and how you can never change your past. The truth is about building a better future every day and now he’s here full time and that’s the truth.

R-Truth vs. Kenny Dykstra

We get a promo from Dykstra, saying he should be getting the attention rather than a convict. Truth hits him in the face and gets two off a rollup but Dykstra drops him with a shot to the face. Back up and Dykstra blocks a suplex, setting up the double arm crank with a knee between the shoulders. That’s broken up and R-Truth hits the spinning forearm into the ax kick for the pin. Truth looked pretty good here, even in a short match.

Michelle McCool is doing a photo shoot when Maryse comes in to suggest she’ll be taking the Divas Title. McCool isn’t impressed and says Maryse will never have the title due to a lack of talent. Which one is the villain again?

Maria/Michelle McCool vs. Natalya/Maryse

Natalya grabs a headlock on McCool to start but gets Russian legsweeped down for two. Maria comes in and gets planted with a slam but avoids a legdrop. Natalya is right back up to bring Maryse in, with a DDT taking Maria out for the rather out of nowhere pin.

Post match the brawl is on between McCool and Maryse, with the two of them brawling to the floor, where Natalya helps Maryse take her out.

We recap Jeff Hardy vs. MVP. The two have been feuding for a few weeks now as Hardy wants to be WWE Champion while MVP doesn’t think much of Hardy’s lifestyle. This included bringing up Hardy’s house burning down, which was too far for Hardy. MVP then beat him at Summerslam, and now it’s time for a rematch.

Hardy calls MVP an obstacle on the way to being WWE Champion.

Vickie Guerrero is still stuck in her dressing room but finally realizes she has a phone….which doesn’t work and is thrown against the wall.

Jeff Hardy vs. MVP

They take their time to start until Hardy pulls him down with a headlock. MVP knocks him to the apron but Hardy is back with a right hand that has a frustrated MVP walking around ringside. Back in and another headlock has MVP frustrated a bit more as Ross suggests Hardy’s offense is surprising him here (because Ross knows how to tell a story on commentary).

Some armdrags into an armbar keeps MVP in trouble but he fights up and stops a charge with an elbow to the face. MVP tries to go after the leg but gets kicked into the post, with Hardy wrapping the arm around it a few times for a bonus. Hardy sends him outside for a running flip dive off the apron and we take a break.

Back with MVP sending him into the corner to get out of another armbar and getting a needed breather. Hardy gets sent into the barricade and we hit the seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up fairly quickly and Hardy hits the slingshot dropkick in the corner. The Swanton hits raised knees though and a missed dropkick lets MVP bend Hardy’s back around the post.

MVP kicks him down and grabs the camel clutch, sending Hardy over to the ropes. The double arm crank goes on again so Hardy fights back up, earning himself something like a belly to belly. Hardy tries to run the corner but gets knocked down for a nasty crash and two. MVP’s belly to back superplex is countered into a crossbody for two, followed by the Whisper In The Wind. The Swanton finishes MVP off.

Rating: B. This turned into a fight as both guys were trying so hard to put the other away. Hardy getting the win is the right way to go to even the score and there is a good chance that they’ll run it back one more time. MVP is someone who can make anyone look better and Hardy is getting closer and closer to the top of the card in a hurry.

Post match Shelton Benjamin runs in to lay out Hardy…and them MVP as well.

Josh Matthews and Candice Michelle are still at the Democratic National Convention. Eh important enough.

Jesse & Festus vs. Curt Hawkins/Zack Ryder

Non-title. Festus clears the ring without much trouble to start…and here is the Big Show to jump Hawkins for the DQ in about a minute.

Post match Show wrecks everyone but the off mode Festus, Show says “hi” and promises to never be overlooked again. Last week he didn’t get a qualifying match for the Championship Scramble so he made a little oversight of his own like this one.

Vickie Guerrero is still trapped in her office.

Brie Bella vs. Victoria

This is Brie’s debut. Victoria takes her down with a headlock and isn’t having anything of a leg sweep. A rollup out of the corner gives Brie two and she grabs some flying mares. Back up and Victoria powers her into the corner, setting up a standing moonsault. Brie bails to the floor and climbs underneath the ring, where Victoria pulls her back out. They get inside again and the rather energized Brie gets a small package for the upset pin. Well that was a surprise.

Raw Rebound.

Brian Kendrick, reading a book, talks about how ridiculous it is to see two members of the Championship Scramble facing each other to prepare. Kendrick doesn’t see the point, which is why he is reading the Art Of War. Ezekiel Jackson on the other hand is enjoying something from Dr. Seuss, showing that he is the real genius.

Unforgiven rundown.

Shelton Benjamin talks about the importance of gold and he is the Gold Standard. Gah that really doesn’t work, especially with the golden hair.

HHH vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Benjamin wastes no time in snapping off some armdrags into an armbar and HHH is in early trouble. HHH fights up and takes over on the arm as well, allowing him to drive in some knees. Benjamin tries to get up and gets taken down by the arm again as HHH gets to stay on the arm. The threat of a Pedigree sends Benjamin bailing out to the floor and we take a break.

Back with HHH in trouble and Benjamin dropping him with a neckbreaker. A neck crank has HHH down again and Benjamin switches into a triangle choke. That’s reversed as well but Benjamin reverses a suplex into a neckbreaker, meaning it’s back to the neck crank as Benjamin certainly has a target.

HHH gets up again and avoids a Stinger Splash, setting up a hard clothesline. Benjamin goes up and dives into a powerslam, with HHH grabbing a DDT for two. Back up and Benjamin kicks him in the head for two but walks into a spinebuster. The facebuster connects but here is the Great Khali….who stands there as HHH hits the Pedigree for the win.

Rating: B-. This was a nice technical match with the ending making more sense than I would have expected. Khali showing up normally would make someone freeze but HHH finished the match off as fast as he could. That’s a good way to go and keeps HHH looking strong going into the title match. I could have gone without the US Champion taking a pin, but at least it was to someone higher up in the food chain.

Post match Benjamin hits HHH with the US Title and Khali gives HHH the chokebomb.

The lights go out in Vickie Guerrero’s locker room. She screams and the show ends. Yes, that’s all we got after this show long story.

Overall Rating: B-. This show was in a tough spot as the big title match is already set for the pay per view and there isn’t much that needs to be done. Thankfully the good action was there to help boost it up, but the only big thing all night was the Vickie Guerrero deal, which went absolutely nowhere. I liked the wrestling a good deal, but this was a show that was there because they needed to fill in a spot on the way to Unforgiven.

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

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ECW On Sci Fi
Date: August 26, 2008
Location: Wachovia Center, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

We’re coming up on Unforgiven and that doesn’t mean much around here, as the ECW Title is just kind of floating around. That leaves champion Mark Henry without much to do and hopefully that is addressed this week. The show could use a nice boost, but that has been the case for a good while now. Let’s get to it.

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

Opening sequence.

Here is Tiffany to introduce Teddy Long for a chat. Long gets right to the point: ECW is going to have its own Championship Scramble at Unforgiven. He won’t explain the rules because they’re on WWE.com, but tonight it’s time for a bunch of qualifying matches.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Matt Hardy vs. John Morrison

Their pants are far more similar than they should be. Hardy headlocks him down to start but Morrison fights out, only to be sent crashing out to the floor. Back in and Hardy is sent face first into the buckle, setting up the chinlock. A neckbreaker gives Morrison two but Starship Pain completely misses. Hardy pulls him out of the corner for a sitout powerbomb and the Side Effect gets two more. Back up and Morrison sends him crashing out to the floor so we can take a break.

We come back with Hardy fighting out of a chinlock so Morrison Russian legsweeps him for two. The Moonlight Drive is blocked so Morrison goes simple by just hammering on Hardy’s face. Morrison’s running knee gets two and the chinlock goes on again. Hardy fights up and hits the middle rope elbow to the back of the head for a quick two. Morrison’s backslide with feet on the ropes gets the same and they trade rollups for two each. The Flying Chuck drops Hardy for another near fall before a double clothesline takes them both down. Back up and the Moonlight Drive is countered into the Twist Of Fate to give Hardy the win.

Rating: B. This took its time to get going and wound up being a heck of a match with both of them working rather hard. The good thing is that while Hardy is a star and the likely winner, Morrison is just good enough to be a realistic threat. I had a good time with this one and it was one of the best matches ECW has had in a very long time.

Long and Tiffany are excited about Matt Hardy qualifying (Tiffany especially so) when Mark Henry and Tony Atlas come in to complain about the Championship Scramble. Long really doesn’t want to hear it.

Raw Rebound.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: The Miz vs. Evan Bourne

Bourne gets an early two off a rollup and grabs a hammerlock. Miz’s rollup gets two and Bourne armdrags him right back down into an armbar. Back up and Bourne hits a nice dropkick, only to be thrown out of the corner for a crash out to the floor. Miz stomps away back inside and grabs a seated abdominal stretch.

A release gordbuster gives Miz two and he grabs the bodyscissors. Bourne breaks out without much effort and kicks him in the head (simple, but effective) for two. The standing moonsault gets two more and Bourne takes him up top, where Miz avoids a super hurricanrana to crotch Bourne on top. The Reality Check gives Miz the fast pin.

Rating: C+. It wasn’t exactly a great match but Miz’s rise is a nice thing to see. He absolutely has the talent to do something, but he started so low on the totem pole that it’s taking time for him to find his footing. He was perfectly competent looking here though and that’s a great sign for his future.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Chavo Guerrero vs. Tommy Dreamer

Bam Neely is here with Chavo. Dreamer grabs an early armdrag into a quickly broken armbar. Chavo takes over and stomps away, setting up an abdominal stretch. With that not lasting long, Dreamer knocks him out of the air and a backdrop puts Chavo down again. A running powerslam gives Dreamer two but Neely offers a distraction. Chavo sends them together and snaps Dreamer’s throat across the top. The frog splash gives Chavo the win.

Rating: C. They kept this short and that’s the right idea. While I could see Dreamer getting into the title match, it’s better to keep him away from higher profile matches. Chavo is another example of someone who can be slotted into the title match and work well at making anyone else look better. He might be a bit uninteresting, but that’s a valuable role to fill.

Josh Matthews, Candice Michelle and Batista are at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, telling people to vote.

Championship Scramble Qualifying Match: Finlay vs. Mike Knox

Hornswoggle is here with Finlay and these two have been brawling lately. An aggressive lockup goes nowhere to start so Finlay goes with a headlock, earning himself a shoulder back down. Knox powers him up against the ropes and they go to the floor, where Knox clotheslines the post by mistake. We take a break and come back with Finlay working on the arm with a hammerlock. Back up and the arm gets wrapped around the rope, with Knox bailing out to the floor.

A powerslam gets Knox out of trouble and he takes Finlay back inside for the running crotch attack. We hit the chinlock with a knee in Finlay’s back for a good while before Knox drives him into the corner. Knox makes the mistake of going after Hornswoggle though, earning a clothesline to the floor. Back in and Knox boots him down for two and it’s time to go after the shillelagh. The referee takes it away so Hornswoggle throws in another one, which knocks Knox cold for the pin.

Rating: C+. I can appreciate the idea of tying the established feud into the Championship Scramble stuff, as it’s nice to cover two birds with one match. It’s also nice to see Finlay dispatch Knox, who hasn’t exactly done much to make him stand out. Finlay is another guy who makes for an interesting addition to the title match and should be a good final addition to the field.

Finlay and Hornswoggle dance with some kids to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. Definitely a better show than usual here, which is mainly due to everything feeling like it had a point. It’s really dull to see a bunch of filler on a show that only runs for an hour a week so this was at least a lot more focused. The opener is rather good too and that was enough to boost up the rest of the show.

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

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Worlds Collide
Date: June 7, 2025
Location: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, California
Commentators: Corey Graves, Konnan

It’s a special show as we have AAA vs. NXT. This would be a bizarre way to go for years now but things have changed a lot as WWE has bought (or is apparently in the process of buying) AAA, meaning things like this could happen more often. There is a nice mixture of stuff going on here so let’s get to it.

The opening video, as narrated in Spanish by Rey Mysterio (makes sense) talks about how there are moments that change everything. We see clips of an imminent collision, mixed in with various clips of famous Latino wrestlers in WWE, as well as AAA stars. I’m not sure how big this really is, but they’re making it feel epic so well done.

Corey Graves and Konnan talk about how big the show is and how much lucha libre has meant to American wrestling. That is one of the most bizarre commentary teams you’ll ever see.

We open with various AAA officials and wrestlers in the ring, along with Shawn Michaels and HHH, for the Mexican national anthem. There are also banners to I believe AAA’s founders, which is a tradition for AAA.

Lilian Garcia sings the Star Spangled Banner.

Here is Rey Mysterio (clearly still not at 100%) to get things going. After taking a long look at the AAA logo on the mat (you can tell that means a lot to him), Mysterio speaks in English and Spanish about how great it is to see lucha libre spreading like this. He seems to talk about the roster and how proud he is of lucha libre (though my Spanish is limited at best).

Mr. Iguana/Aerostar/Octagon Jr. vs. Lince Dorado/LWO

Octagon and del Toro start things off with Octagon taking him down by the arm. Back up and they lock hands with del Toro flipping him over. A legdrop misses though and Octagon’s rollup gets two. They trade armdrags until a legsweep misses, giving us a standoff. Iguana (he seems rather popular) comes in to face Dorado with Iguana crawling around like a…well you get the idea.

Dorado chops him down and Iguana stays on the mat with all four limbs up. An armdrag takes Dorado down and Iguana gets his iguana puppet, who blocks Dorado’s right hand. The puppet goes into Iguana’s mouth as he spins around and is then put onto Dorado for an Iguana counted two. The fans chant for Iguana and yeah that’s not a surprise as he’ll likely get over like crazy in a hurry.

Aerostar comes in for a running hurricanrana to Lee but gets flipped out to the apron. A corkscrew high crossbody hits Lee and the AAA guys send them outside. Iguana hits a running flip dive but there is no one to catch Dorado Octagon, who just crashes to the floor. Aerostar hits a suicide dive onto Lee as the fans are rather approving. Back in and Aerostar’s top rope splash hits raised knees and some splashes connect for two.

That’s broken up and it’s back to Iguana, who misses a charge at del Toro in the corner. A dropkick takes out Iguana’s leg though as Konnan talks about how del Toro hasn’t wrestled like this in a long time. Iguana winds up in an electric chair but he spins around into a faceplant. It’s time for the puppet (who has a name that I can’t make out), who is handed to Dorado, allowing Iguana to dive onto Lee.

Dorado snaps and beats up the puppet, even giving it a standing Spanish Fly. Iguana is TICKED (as he should be) and spins around into an anklescissors to send Dorado flying. The puppet is used to whip all three opponents and then we play pass the puppet. A triple superkick drops Iguana and everything breaks down, with Dorado hitting a double Golden Rewind (handspring Stunner).

Dorado’s shooting star press gets two and he grabs a super hurricanrana to send Octagon flying (that looked good). We get a series of knockdowns, including del Toro’s rope walk dropkick to Iguana. Aerostar is back up with a heck of a step up dive to the floor and del Toro adds a big corkscrew dive of his own. Back in and Octagon chops it out with Dorado until Octagon takes him up top for a super flipping World’s Strongest Slam and the pin at 14:04.

Rating: B+. This was a blast and all kinds of fun with everyone getting to stand out. Iguana is the kind of unique star with a fun gimmick that will get him over for a long time to come. They were trying to have a traditional lucha libre six man tag here and since everyone involved knows exactly how to do that style, it worked well. Awesome stuff here and incredibly entertaining.

Post match Dominik Mysterio and Liv Morgan are in the crowd, with Dominik saying it’s sad that Octagon is such a big Rey Mysterio fan because Rey is a DEADBEAT FATHER! Octagon comes over and the Spanish insults fly from Dominik so the fight is on. They get in the ring and slug it out, with the two of them eventually being separated. Dominik eventually says he’ll see Octagon at Money In The Bank (later tonight) and he’ll even put the Intercontinental Title up. Well that escalated quickly.

We get a video on the history of AAA, which was started in Mexico in the 90s by Antonio Pena. He founded the promotion and changed everything about wrestling in Mexico as an alternative to tradition. Then thirty five years passed and here we are!

AAA legends Mascarita Sagrada and Latin Lover are here.

Legado del Fantasma is ready to show that they are the real representatives of lucha libre.

We recap the women’s tag match. Stephanie Vaquer has hit the ground running in NXT/WWE and Chik Tormenta/Dalys don’t like her due to some past issues. A tag match was set up, with Lola Vice agreeing to team with Vaquer, and here we are.

Dalys/Chik Tormenta vs. Stephanie Vaquer/Lola Vice

Vaquer starts with Dalys, who gets taken down but powers out of the Devi’s Kiss attempt. Tormenta comes in for a clothesline to put Vaquer down but it’s quickly off to Vice. Vaquer adds a 619 so Vice can get two, only to be pulled into a quick half crab. Back up and Vice fires off the kicks, including the bouncing versions to send Dalys into the wrong corner. The string of hip attacks connect for Vice and she grabs a cross armbreaker on Dalys (ignore her tapping).

That’s broken up in a hurry and Vice is sent outside where the beating continues. Back in and we hit the chinlock/double arm crank on Vice as lucha legend Negro Casas (who trained Vice) is watching from the crowd. Vice fights up and rolls over for the tag off to Vaquer, who comes in with a high crossbody to Dalys. Vaquer takes Dalys out of the corner for two, setting up stereo Devil’s Kisses from Vaquer and Vice. The SVB is blocked so Vaquer gives Dalys a superkick, followed by the SVB for the pin at 9:53.

Rating: B-. Well there was no way Vaquer was going to job here, so the question became which of the other three would do so. It was hard to imagine that Vaquer’s team would be losing either way, especially after AAA won the first match, so this was only in so much doubt. As usual, Vaquer feels like one of the biggest stars in the division and Vice felt like she got a nice breakout moment here. Good enough match here, but they were in a rough spot after that opener.

Post match Vice and Vaquer talk about how great it is to be here and seem happy with their win. Vaquer is more than ready to win Money In The Bank too.

Chad Gable isn’t worried about being in Mexico because these people have embraced him. That’s in addition to embracing El Grande Americano, who is going to win Money In The Bank, after Gable wins the AAA Mega Title.

Legado del Fantasma is ready to prove themselves as the real first family of lucha libre. This is the same promo that aired on Smackdown.

Psycho Clown, Pagano and Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr. are ready for six man as well, with Clown bringing up that he was in the match where Santos Escobar lost his mask in Mexico.

Chavo Guerrero is here.

A social media star is here, but according to the graphic, he’s the Street Profits. Well to be fair he is wearing a mask.

Legado del Fantasma vs. Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr./Pagano/Psycho Clown

Berto takes Hijo into the corner to start as we hear about WWE and TNA stars wanting to be on an upcoming AAA show. I get that it’s a different world but my goodness that will never sound right. Hijo runs the ropes and snaps off a hurricanrana into an armbar. That’s broken up so it’s off to Clown, who switches into a double German suplex to Berto and Angel at the same time.

Pagano (a hardcore brawler) comes in for a….I think it was supposed to be a double flapjack but Berto escaped and Garza was barely lifted. Instead Pagano sends both of them outside but Escobar moves Berto out of the way, leaving Pagano to crash to the floor. Back in and Pagano gets caught in the wrong corner, allowing the villains to start the beating. That doesn’t last long as Pagano gets in a shot and rolls over for the tag to Clown.

Angel gets tied in the Tree of Woe for a dropkick, followed by a Code Red for two on Berto. Hijo comes back in to chop it out with Escobar before everything breaks down. The AAA guys hit running dives to the floor but Hijo gets caught in the wrong corner back inside. The double super gorilla press slam drops Hijo but Clown is back up with the Psycho Driver (Air Raid Crash) to the apron.

Angel takes him down with a sitout powerbomb but Clown is back in with a sitout powerbomb. Everything breaks down and Escobar is left alone in the ring. Hijo cuts him off for two more but Escobar’s super hurricanrana gets the same. Back up and the Phantom Driver gives Escobar the pin at 14:59.

Rating: B-. Another good six man match here with some familiar faces. Clown looked like a star and Hijo looked more than good enough. On the other hand you had Pagano who was pretty hit and miss, which tends to be normal for him. Legado looked good as well, with WWE getting a nice showcase win over some AAA stars.

We look at the 1994 When Worlds Collide show, which was a huge introduction to AAA (and lucha libre) for a lot of people. There were a lot of legends on that show, including Konnan, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero, who got quite a bit of exposure as a result.

El Hijo del Vikingo is ready to fly against Chad Gable.

Savio Vega, Damian Priest and Blue Demon Jr. are here.

NXT North American Title: Je’Von Evans vs. Rey Fenix vs. Laredo Kid vs. Ethan Page

Page is defending (Kid’s AAA Cruiserweight Title isn’t on the line). The challengers gang up on Page to start but Kid’s dive is cut off. Evans stares down at Fenix and teases a right hand before going with the rollup instead. Fenix is back up with the very springboardy wristdrag but Page is back in with a hurricanrana of his own. Evans takes him down and hits the big dropkick to the floor.

Fenix is back up with a spider kick to Evans and hits a big dive to take out everyone on the floor. Back in and the fans want tables, which has Konnan confused, as the action has already been good (fair point). Page knocks Evans off the top though and hits a top rope splash, followed by a powerslam for two with Fenix making the save. Kid hits a backbreaker but Evans cuts him off on the top.

Evans hits a heck of a no hands dive to the floor to drop Page and ties Kid in the Tree Of Woe. That sets up what was supposed to be a Swanton dropkick (he didn’t get all of it but dang that was a cool idea), followed by a springboard cutter for two on Fenix. Back up and Fenix kicks Page into the ropes for the rope walk kick, followed by a very high angle armdrag to Kid.

Some kicks to the face rock Evans and the Fenix Driver gets two. Page takes out Fenix but gets caught with Evans’ springboard clothesline and everyone is down. Fenix and Kid go up top with the former hitting a super Spanish Fly (for you Cornette podcast fans out there, Graves shouted “KONNAN! KONNAN!” before he jumped), only for Page to hit Fenix with the Ego’s Edge. Evans makes the save but gets sent outside, leaving Page to hit the Twisted Grin for the pin on Kid at 14:55.

Rating: B. This was a very fun, fast paced match with people getting to go all over the place until one of them couldn’t get up again. They were all flying around and I was buying the chance that the title could change hands. Page was there to antagonize the fans and the other three were flying around like crazy. Some of the spots were great here and I had a lot of fun with the whole thing.

We look at Triplemania, the biggest AAA show of the year. It has been running since the 90s and will continue again this year.

We recap Chad Gable challenging El Hijo del Vikingo for the AAA Mega Title. Vikingo won the title last week, which has Gable more excited than he was before. Gable is on a quite to unlock the dark arts of lucha libre and it’s time to make everyone say VIVA. Vikingo isn’t impressed because he is the heart and soul of AAA.

AAA Mega Title: El Hijo de Vikingo vs. Chad Gable

Gable is challenging. Vikingo takes him down by the arm to start but Gable sweeps the leg, thanks the fans, and slaps Vikingo’s hand in an armbar. Back up and Vikingo does a weird lifting stretch but Gable reverses into another armbar. Vikingo gets up again and has to break a quick ankle lock. Gable misses a charge into the post and a running Meteora sends him crashing out to the floor.

Vikingo follows him out with a 630 to the back (geez) for two but Gable gets the knees up to block a running shooting star. Back up and Gable sends him into the steps before loading up the required table. Gable can’t hit a German suplex through the table but can knock Vikingo down again to take it back inside. A monkey flip out of the corner gives Gable two, followed by abdominal stretch to stay on the ribs.

The bridging German suplex gets two more on Vikingo and Gable armbars him over the ropes to cut off a comeback attempt. Gable goes up but dives into a Codebreaker, leaving both of them down. Vikingo ties him in the ropes for a rather long range top rope double stomp, followed by the spinning middle rope 450 (geez again) for two. Back up and Gable hits a Razor’s Edge Dominator but has to bail out of the moonsault.

Instead, Gable catches him on top and hits a super sitout powerbomb for the scary crazy. Gable insists that Vikingo “is just a luchador” and gets knocked to the apron, where Vikingo hits a diving Canadian Destroyer to knock him silly. Vikingo puts him on the table but takes too long, allowing Gable to shove Vikingo off the top. That lets Gable hit a moonsault to send Vikingo through the table, leaving them both down. Back in and they slug it out until Gable gets the ankle lock. That’s broken up as well and Vikingo hits a poisonrana. The running knees in the corner set up the 630 to retain Vikingo’s title at 22:00.

Rating: B+. Vikingo’s flying stuff was incredible (as usual) and Gable being out there as the wrestler made for a good battle. It was reaching the levels of epic that you need in a match like this, though that table spot at the end made me roll my eyes a bit. Heck of a match here, with Vikingo looking like a star and Gable hanging right there with him the whole time.

Vikingo poses with some wrestlers and AAA people to end the show.

Overall Rating: A-. Yeah this was great and an incredible experience throughout. It felt like a AAA show with the benefits of WWE making it that much better. The action was awesome, with the two weakest matches being pretty good at worst. I had a great time with this and you could tell that this meant a lot to the people involved. Awesome show here and it has me a lot more interested in seeing what WWE is going to be doing with AAA going forward.

Results
Octagon Jr./Mr. Iguana/Aerostar b. Lince Dorado/LWO – Super flipping World’s Strongest Slam to Dorado
Stephanie Vaquer/Lola Vice b. Dalys/Chik Tormenta – SVB to Tormenta
Legado del Fantasma b. Hijo de Dr. Wagner Jr./Pagano/Psycho Clown – Phantom Driver to Escobar
Ethan Page b. Laredo Kid, Rey Fenix and Je’Von Evans – Twisted Grin to Kid
El Hijo de Vikingo b. Chad Gable – 630

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

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