Rev Pro Global Wars UK Night Two
November 11th, 2016 | Walthamstow Assembly Hall in London, England
Night one of Global Wars was pretty great. Night two stands out as a card with some very interesting matches (Hero/Shibata and the LIDJ tag stick our mostly). Again, this show is NJPW vs. Rev Pro. This is also Rev Pro’s first time running in this great looking venue.
Non-Title Match: RPW British Tag Team Champions Charlie Garrett and Joel Redman def. BUSHI and NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL via disqualification in 9:44
The champions are in pretty great shape. I feel like Vince McMahon would love them. LIDJ went straight for heel tactics with BUSHI getting a cheap shot on Garrett. BUSHI ran into trouble since he’s the smallest guy in the match. LIDJ continued to cheat when EVIL wrapped a chair on Redman, which led to them working the heat on him. They cut off the hot tag several times before Garrett got it. His run was pretty great as he showed off his athleticism with a moonsault and tope con hilo. When it looked like LIDJ was on the verge of a loss, BUSHI hit a low blow and spit the mist, resulting in the DQ. A result like this can feel like a cop out, but it protected both teams and fit LIDJ’s personalities. The match itself was pretty fun. **¾
Drew Galloway came out to address the fans. He was scheduled for this show but had to miss it due to injury. He put over UK wrestling and how it is hotter than it has ever been right now and how upset he was that he had to miss this show.
Josh Bodom def. Tomoaki Honma in 10:35
I first saw Bodom in his WWE CWC Qualifying match. He and Galloway had some heated words on Drew’s way out. Galloway was scheduled to face Honma here. As expected, Honma missed Kokeshi early. Bodom took over and made sure to taunt and draw heat during all of it. Honma finally connected on Kokeshi on his third attempt and got two on a blockbuster. Honma went up and missed the big top rope Kokeshi which led to his downfall. He did slap on a submission and fire up, but Bodom uses a low blow and buster piledriver to win. These two were a solid pairing since Bodom is a good dick heel and Honma fought from behind, which is what he does so well. **¾
Yuji Nagata def. Trent Seven in 10:50
For the first time tonight, the crowd erupts and it’s for Nagata. Nagata had some fun with the fans singing “Seven Nation Army” and with Seven’s mustache. They traded chops and strikes, which Nagata got the better of. Shoutout to commentary for mentioning that Nagata was part of the WCW/NWO Revenge game roster. Seven chopped the ring post when Nagata ducked and Nagata’s reaction was priceless. Nagata nailed a big exploder and then won with his trademark armbar. A lot of fun here. Nagata looked to be having the time of his life and when they actually went toe to toe, both guys delivered. I came away very impressed by Seven. ***½
After the match, Dave Mastiff showed up and attacked Seven.
Non-Title Match: RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Will Ospreay def. Jushin Thunder Liger in 9:49
During the BOTSJ, these two met in an underwhelming match. Ospreay’s theme played only to stop and Liger’s theme started back up. He came out dressed in CTU Liger gear (basically Liger’s gear but in black). They played right into that, doing a lot of mirror image spots. Ospreay got to portray more of a heel here since he was playing Dark Liger. Liger continued the comedy stuff, bringing the PWG thumb in the ass spot. Some of the fans didn’t seem to fully get it at first. Liger got two on a Liger Bomb, before Ospreay hit the Oscutter. Instead of winning with that, he brought out the shooting star press, which Liger innovated. A good comedy match with some strong serious points and it added variety to the show. I dug the mirror stuff. ***
Tomohiro Ishii def. Pete Dunne in 12:25
Dunne didn’t wow me against Nagata (he is awesome though), but this is Tomohiro Ishii he’s facing. Ishii always rules. Unlike night one, Ishii enjoyed a size advantage here. Dunne hit Ishii but Ishii hit just a little harder. Dunne busted out a sweet rebound German but Ishii got up instantly like it had no effect on him. Ishii also popped right up from a superplex, which really took Dunne off of his game. Ishii did one back and Dunne wasn’t able to pop up. Dunne managed to survive some of Ishii’s stuff but remained overwhelmed. He even hit his tombstone only for Ishii to kick out at one. Dunne used a low blow so Ishii’s CHAOS stablemate, Will Ospreay, showed up to distract him. Ospreay and Dunne have had issues for a while from what I recall. Ishii came back with a low blow and brainbuster to win. They told a great story of Dunne throwing everything at Ishii but it still not being enough. Dunne looked great in defeat, I just wasn’t a fan of the finish at all. ***½
Los Ingobernables de Japon (SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. LDRS of the New School (Marty Scurll and Zack Sabre Jr.) in 18:43
Man, I came in excited for the two final matches. The negative response continued for Sabre. LIDJ did their usual mind games when Naito started the match only to tag out instead of competing. Scurll answered back with the same thing because, villain. SANADA got worked over with quick tags and arm work until Naito tripped up Sabre and the tide turned. LIDJ took over after some brawling outside. Sabre got beat up for a bit and made the tag to Scurll. Scurll actually ran a babyface fire style hot tag. This was the most face I think I’ve ever seen him work. Naito was way cocky and taunted Scurll, so Scurll grabbed his hand. Naito laughed at it, obviously unaware of Scurll’s tendency to snap fingers, which is exactly what happened. The LDRS hit a brainbuster/penalty kick combo that nearly won it but Naito kicked out. The LDRS also did a great stereo submissions spot with an armbar and chicken wing but that wasn’t enough either. It came down to Naito and Sabre, who had a great back and forth. Sabre desperately didn’t want to lose again but fell to Destino. This ruled. I really like all four guys and they meshed so well together. Different personalities and styles, yet it all came together harmoniously. One of my favorite tag matches all year long. ****¼
Post-match, Naito attacked referee Chris Roberts before leaving. Marty Scurll got on the microphone and stated that it is traditional for a wrestler to wear blue when he leaves a territory and he’s wearing blue tonight. He mentioned that Sabre is taking more US dates next year and his own signing of an exclusive deal with ROH. It was an emotional promo and the two men embraced. However, Scurll kicked Sabre low and laughed, ensuring that he’s always the villain. Honestly though, I would have liked it to be the other way around. Sabre hasn’t been getting cheered anyway so why not have him mess up a nice moment and run with it?
RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) def. Chris Hero in 13:18
If I could see Chris Hero wrestle two guys from NJPW it would be Tomohiro Ishii and Katsuyori Shibata. Thank you Rev Pro. Hero got introduced as having held titles everywhere except for the UK. Like Hero vs. Ishii, I just wanted to see these two go to war and they delivered. They worked the mat early but quickly went to striking. Hero tried to bully Shibata but learned that was a mistake when Shibata slapped the taste out of his mouth. Hero’s reaction to the slap was perfect. Shibata shrugged off some of Hero’s most vicious strikes and even demanded more. Hero used Shibata’s momentum against him at one point, causing Shibata to run into a knee. He followed with a piledriver for two and Shibata turned the kick out into a sleeper hold. Hero struggled and had to survive a German before breaking free, hitting an elbow and another piledriver. Shibata kicked out and got the sleeper back on, wearing Hero down enough to win with the penalty kick. I loved this. They wrestled Shibata’s style and it worked so well. I winced at the strikes several times, which is just what I wanted. It felt like a battle between two of the best out there and had a special aura from the crowd. ****¼
After the match, Hero bowed to Shibata and the two men shook hands.
Overall: 8/10. Another great Global Wars show. While it started slower than night and featured more low blows than any other show I can recall, nothing on the card was bad. Everything was fun and you got a variety of things. Comedy, stiff strikes, mat wrestling, great tag work, dream combinations and an awesome main event. The final two matches delivered in spades and are must see.
After a recap of Aztec Warfare III, we get more "white rabbit" vignettes. It seems to focus on three men, one of them being Paul London dressed similarly to the Mad Hatter. He says "El Bunny" will lead them.
Lucha Underground Trios Championship: Aerostar, Drago and Fenix (c) def. The Rabbit Tribe (Mala Suerte, Saltador and Paul London) in 5:43
Saltador looks cool, but the jury is out on Suerte. London really brings a leader vibe to the role. His attire is very interesting. The Rabbit Tribe starts hot and London gets to show off his charisma. Once things calm down to a more standard trios match, it becomes more of an even battle. I can't really rate this since my feed cut out and I missed the finish. I saw the outcome though.
After the match, Kobra Moon appeared and shouted at Drago. She promised that soon, he will bow to his queen. She made sure to hiss afterwards.
Returning, The Mack comes up to Sexy Star in the back and can't believe that she won the title. He says the title should be his and then says he's joking and hugs her. He wants to be in her corner to make sure no shenanigans go down when she defends the title against Johnny Mundo tonight. She declines because she wants to show the world that her winning was no fluke. Apparently, Mack completely understands Spanish.
Dante Fox def. Killshot in 8:07
This has backstory considering Fox was apparently left in a warzone by Killshot. Killshot didn't seem to want to have the match but Fox shoves him to start. From there on, they just went right at it and both guys showed off some impressive athleticism. Fox nailed the expressions throughout, looking at Killshot with hatred. At one point, they went into an insane back and forth where Killshot hit a rolling cutter in an awesome spot. Fox escaped an armbar but got hit with an apron DVD. Killshot followed with a top rope double stomp for a very close near fall. Fox came back and nailed a jumping springboard seated Spanish Fly. Yes, exactly that. He then hit the Fox Catcher for the win. This was an awesome sprint. They went balls to the walls and this was an absolute blast. This feud should continue and bring more excitement. ***3/4
Johnny Mundo enters Dario Cueto's office and it amounts to each guy thinking the other is a prick. Mundo is upset at Angelico for interfering in Aztec Warfare and filed a restraining order against him.
Dario met up with Black Lotus and she wants Pentagon Dark. So does the Black Lotus Triad. Dario was impressed with their attack last week. He books Pentagon against them in a gauntlet match next week. Win or lose, Pentagon will have to face all four of them.
Lucha Underground Championship: Johnny Mundo def. Sexy Star (c) in 11:07
This was Mundo cashing in his Gift of the Gods Championship. Mundo went for quick pin attempts and they traded submission attempts. Sexy again played the underdog who was overmatched. For all that they about her being a strong woman, she always seems overmatched. Mundo took to wearing her down. Sexy began the babyface rally and was on the verge of a win. They fought outside and Mundo stole a crutch from a fan. Sexy took it from him but when she tried to help the fan, the fan laid her out with brass knuckles. Mundo rolled her inside and won the title after hitting the End of the World. The fan was in a mask and revealed herself to be Taya. Typical match from them. It was better than their GOTG Title match but still not great. I appreciated that their was less interference but it still fell mostly flat for me. Mundo as champion is pretty cool though. **1/4
Overall: 6/10. A pretty average episode this week. The Rabbit Tribe seems really cool but I wouldn't have put them in a title match here. They should have won their first match and established themselves. The main event lacked but the title change was welcome. The real reason to check this episode out was Fox/Killshot. It was a lot of fun and I expect there's more to come.
If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!
1) Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa: I know that several people won big matches this week. Goldberg squashed Brock Lesnar and there are new Lucha Underground and NXT Champions. Honestly though, there was nobody else I even considered for this spot. Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa had an excellent tag match at TakeOver: Brooklyn that was my favorite of the year. They managed to best it and then some at TakeOver: Toronto this week. #DIY vs. The Revival got the rare ***** treatment from me and it absolutely deserved it. Both teams did every little right to make a perfect match. The right decision was made too as Gargano and Ciampa captured the titles in an emotional moment. There were a lot of great matches this week (I believe I gave out four ****+ scores) but nothing came even close to touching this. The Revival are the best tag team on the planet but DIY isn't far behind.
2) Sexy Star: In Lucha Underground history, there have been three Aztec Warfare matches for the title. All three times, we've had new champions (granted the first was to crown the inaugural champion but still). "The Monster" Matanza Cueto had held the title since Aztec Warfare II last season. He entered at number one and dominated before taking a barrage of moves and getting eliminated, guaranteeing a new champion. It came down to former champion Mil Muertes and Sexy Star. Sexy Star pulled off the big upset to become the first female champion in Lucha Underground history. I'm not the biggest Sexy Star fan but they have kind of been building to this since season one. It was a huge win in a great match for Sexy Star.
3) Goldberg: I gave no shits about Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar and I'll give no shits about it going forward. Even when Goldberg got the three count, I didn't have a super shocked reaction. I was more just like "oh wow," and then went about my day. Either way you look at it though, beating Brock Lesnar in under two minutes deserves some sort of accolade. I'm sure we'll get a rematch or two, but this was done for shock value and for a lot of people, it worked. Goldberg announced that he will be in the Royal Rumble, which is alright as long as he doesn't win. Him as WWE Champion in 2016 sounds way worse than the Rock as champion in 2013.
4) Samoa Joe: Everyone, myself included, fully expected Shinsuke Nakamura to retain his title at TakeOver. Instead, the undefeated champion dropped the title in his first defense back to the man he originally dethroned, Samoa Joe. Joe had to use a low blow to help get to that point, but regardless of how it happened, Joe became the first two time NXT Champion. What this means going forward is unclear. Does the feud continue? Does Joe stay in NXT late into 2017? Is Shinsuke Nakamura getting a callup sooner than expected? Also of note, this match was a marked improvement on the first Joe/Nakamura outing.
5) Bray Wyatt: Along with Randy Orton, survived for Team Smackdown and got the winning pin on Roman Reigns.
WWE Survivor Series
November 20th, 2016 | Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada | Attendance: 17,143
It seems like all of the “Big Four” WWE Pay-Per-Views will now be about four hours with a two hour Kickoff show. It’s too much. The card only had six announced matches so two new ones were added to the pre-show. First, Noam Dar, Rich Swann and TJ Perkins defeated Ariya Daivari, Drew Gulak and Tony Nese in 11:50. It was the standard stuff we’ve seen from these guys. Relatively fun stuff, but the crowd didn’t care and it was kind of just there (**¾). Next up, Kane defeated Luke Harper in 9:11. I didn’t really care for this but again, it was mostly fine. No need for Kane to go over either (**).
Team Raw (Alicia Fox, Bayley, Raw Women’s Champion Charlotte, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks) w/ Dana Brooke def. Team Smackdown (Alexa Bliss, Smackdown Women’s Champion Becky Lynch, Carmella, Naomi and Natalya) in 17:30
Before the match, Nikki Bella was found backstage after being attacked. Natalya replaced her and it kind of seemed like it was Nattie who hurt her. I understand it getting Natalya in a match in Canada, but I wish they would have replaced Naomi instead. Anyway, this match followed a trend that would continue throughout the night. It was an enjoyable match but had some questionable moments. For example, the number two heel on Smackdown, Carmella, got eliminated first by irrelevant Alicia Fox. Natalya became the second woman to pin Sasha Banks, which I would have given to Alexa. Alexa pinned Alicia, which does nothing. Nattie could have done that to get a pin in Canada and then Alexa could get the rub from eliminating Sasha. Nia Jax was arguably the MVP, playing her dominant role very well. They teased a countout elimination for her only for her to turn it around and get rid of Naomi like that. Surprisingly, she tapped out cleanly to Becky’s armbar. I would have saved her first loss for an actual match. It came down to Bayley and Charlotte against Becky. There was no drama or anything here as Bayley just hit her with the Bayley to Belly and won. Some strange moments for sure, but a fun match overall. They worked hard and kept the crowd invested for the entire thing. (***)
After the match, Charlotte attacked Bayley to set up their feud. I’ve completely given up on caring about the women’s division Raw. At least with me, Charlotte doesn’t have the type of heel heat that someone like the Miz does. I want to see the Miz get his ass kicked. I don’t want to see Charlotte at all by this point.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) w/ Maryse def. Sami Zayn in 14:04
I was one of the few people that much prefers to watch Miz vs. Zayn over Ziggler vs. Zayn. The clear heel/face dynamic added to this and the crowd was way into it. Zayn is the perfect underdog face and Miz is the perfect arrogant heel. It made this match click. Miz worked the leg and set up the figure four. He made sure to taunt Daniel Bryan throughout, garnering more heat. Sami survived the figure four and slapped on his own. Maryse went over and rang the bell, causing Sami to let go of the hold thinking he had won. That allowed Miz to roll him up and retain. I thought the finish was fine since it wasn’t the straight up typical screw job the WWE pulls in Canada or at Survivor Series. It kept Sami strong and kept the IC Title on Smackdown. Sami should scratch and claw his way to the title. I think that Sami should get traded to Smackdown so we can get follow up to this. (***½)
Team Raw (Cesaro & Sheamus, Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady, Karl Anderson & Luke Gallows, Raw Tag Team Champions New Day and the Shining Stars) w/ Xavier Woods def. Team Smackdown (American Alpha, Breezango, Smackdown Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Rhyno, the Hype Bros and the Usos) in 18:55
Some of the most fun on the early Survivor Series Pay-Per-Views came in the giant tag matches involving all of the tag teams. This was a nice throwback to those and though the quality of the tag division isn’t what it was in the late 80’s, this was still awesome. Breezango got to do a comedy bit before getting eliminated in the first minute or so. That wasn’t really surprising but then a real shocker came when the Raw Tag Team Champions of over 400 days, New Day, got eliminated instantly after. That left a wide open field. As the match dwindled down, things got better. American Alpha had an especially great stretch that saw Chad Gable hit a Chaos Theory German suplex on Cesaro and a dive outside. Despite not lasting until the end, AA shined. It eventually came down to the Usos vs. Cesaro and Sheamus. They had a great little finishing stretch that honestly could have gotten a bit more time. Cesaro and Sheamus earned the win for Team Raw when Cesaro used a sharpshooter and Sheamus prevented it from being broken up with a Brogue Kick. A rare show of teamwork from the unlikely partners to cap off a great match. Chaotic at times but that finishing stretch was killer. Again, I question the decision of not having a team like AA make it to the end. (****)
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: The Brian Kendrick (c) def. Kalisto via disqualification in 12:27
Since they’ve come to the main roster, I’ve been waiting for the cruiserweights to steal the show. They still didn’t, but this was good. I feel like I saw more chemistry between these two than I ever did from Perkins and Kendrick. They went back and forth and we got to see an awesome spot when Kalisto hit a Spanish fly off of the apron. Then the finish came and pretty much killed any hope of this really getting going. Baron Corbin interfered and beat up both guys (he hit Kendrick first). I get that Corbin only cares about himself, but if he had to get involved, why not have him beat up Kalisto and allow Kendrick to steal a pin off of it? It killed what was going to be a pretty good match. (**¾)
Daniel Bryan scolded Baron Corbin backstage for costing Smackdown the cruiserweights. Corbin didn’t care because he didn’t want more little pests around. I say Bryan should trade Corbin for Zayn.
Team Smackdown (WWE World Champion AJ Styles, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton and Shame McMahon) w/ James Ellsworth def. Team Raw (Braun Strowman, Chris Jericho, WWE Universal Champion Kevin Owens, WWE United States Champion Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins) in 52:49
This match seemed to go on forever, but it honestly never felt too long to me. That’s a testament to how well they handled it considering it lasted nearly an hour. There were no eliminations for the first fifteen or so minutes if I recall. They gave us plenty of good callbacks, like interactions between the former Y2AJ and some Seth/Dean stuff. Finally, AJ and Dean came to blows, allowing Strowman to eliminate Dean. I like the idea of Dean and AJ’s rivalry leading to him getting pinned, but I would have had Shane go out before him. There were great moments like Shane’s elbow through the table and Owens somersaulting onto everyone. Braun was cleverly eliminated (after nearly being convinced to turn on Raw by his former leader Bray) when he nearly beat the count after Shane’s elbow, only to be held by a hiding James Ellsworth and getting counted out. It kept Braun strong and made good use of James. Braun then murdered James up the ramp. Owens saved his best friend from AJ by hitting him with the list, getting DQed. Jericho was then eliminated, leaving Seth and Roman against four. A lot of people, myself included, expected them to make the big comeback and I’m glad they went a different route. Shane died when Roman countered the coast to coast into a Spear. He looked really shaken up. Dean showed back up to attack AJ. Roman and Seth stopped security from taking him away and busted out the Shield triple powerbomb on AJ through an announce table, which led to him getting eliminated. The new Wyatts against the Shield was cool, especially when Luke Harper showed up. Orton caught Seth mid-frog splash in one of his best RKOs to get rid of him. Orton then sacrificed himself for Bray, taking a Roman spear and allowing Bray to defeat Roman to win it all. A huge win for Bray and I really enjoy the new Wyatts. I hope Orton doesn’t turn on them. This had a ton of moving parts but a lot of exciting moments and hit on all of the angles it needed to. Most guys were protected by either insane spots (Seth on the frog splash or AJ via the Shield) or not getting pinned (Owens and Braun) and it was a lot of fun. (****¼)
Goldberg def. Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman in 1:27
Lesnar attacked instantly but got shoved on his ass. Goldberg then hit two spears and a Jackhammer to win. At first, I wasn’t happy with the decision but I honestly don’t care much. I stopped caring for Brock a while back thanks to minimal effort and I’ve never given a shit about Goldberg. It makes the full time roster members that Brock squash look like chumps though. With the news that Goldberg signed on for more dates, there will be a rematch or two that Goldberg can actually have time to train for. (NR)
Overall: 7/10. Like a lot of WWE PPVs in recent memory, this had some good matches but strange booking at points. Some of the finishes fell flat or were straight up lazy. Though the main event wasn’t even a match, two of the Raw vs. Smackdown tags were excellent, especially the men’s five on five. The women did well and I really dug the IC Title match as well.
After putting the Cruiserweight Title on The Brian Kendrick at Hell in a Cell, I think that having him drop the title would be a mistake. Add in that Kalisto only just returned from injury and I don't think he would be the guy to move the title over to. However, with all that being said, I expect Kalisto to become champion. The new cruiserweight show 205Live is happening at the same location as Smackdown on a weekly basis, so it would just make the most sense from a travel perspective. The cruiserweights shouldn't have to work Raw and then Smackdown if nobody else does. The cruiserweights have been a flop so far and a title change won't help, but a move to Smackdown might
Winner: Kalisto
This a tough match to predict. On one hand, I don't see why they would put the title on the Miz again just to have him drop it to Sami Zayn a few days later. On the other hand, is there really a point to this match if the title doesn't move to Raw? I feel like the WWE would like the Intercontinental Title on their flagship show. I really like both Miz and Sami and I would love to see Sami as champion, but I don't want the IC Title to switch to Raw. Smackdown can clearly book the IC Title much better than Raw can. Despite that, I see the switch being made in both matches where a title moving brands is possible. Plus, it will open the door for Bryan to trade Miz, even though he will most likely get lost in the shuffle on Raw.
Winner: Sami Zayn
These Raw vs. Smackdown Survivor Series matches sound like they could be fun. I'm a sucker for traditional Survivor Series matches and I especially really like the twenty man tags like this from back in the late 80's. There is a lot of talent in the match (Cesaro, American Alpha, Breeze, New Day, etc.). Enough to outweigh the less interesting members of the match. Due to my predictions on the other Survivor Series matches, I get the sense that Smackdown at least takes this one.
Winners: Team Smackdown
Raw has put Sasha Banks and Charlotte in the main event of Raw and a Pay-Per-View. They beat fans over the heads with "WOMEN MAKING HISTORY, WE'RE TRYING SO HARD, STEPHANIE MCMAHON IS THE SAVIOR, ETC" and yet, for all of that, Smackdown has still handled their division way better. Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch and Carmella vs. Nikki Bella had matches that felt like bigger deals than Charlotte vs. Sasha. The women on Smackdown are way more interesting but there are two clear reasons why I think Raw will win. Nia Jax, who could get eliminated by DQ or countout, but I see her surviving. The other reason is Charlotte. She wins all the time on PPVs (though she tapped at Battleground) and she has joined Roman Reigns and John Cena as people that I've just stopped betting against.
Winners: Team Raw
Going back to all of the old Raw vs. Smackdown tag matches, whether they were on Survivor Series or Bragging Rights, Smackdown won most or all of them. I was 100% ready to predict them to win again this year. Then this past week's Smackdown happened. The Undertaker returned, sounding like it would be on a much more regular basis, and basically threatened Team Smackdown if they lost. Maybe it's just wishful thinking but I almost instantly saw a world where AJ Styles could win this match but his ego gets in his way. That causes Smackdown to lose and the Undertaker comes for AJ. AJ Styles vs. The Undertaker at the Royal Rumble sounds like something that could help sell out 60,000+ in the Alamodome. For that reason alone, I'm picking Raw.
Winners: Team Raw
Boy, this sounds massively uninteresting. I didn't care about this in 2004 and I care far less in 2016. Brock Lesnar has given minimal effort in a lot of his recent matches. I expect Goldberg to give it his all this time around but he hasn't wrestled in over a decade. That, combined with his shoulder injury on Raw, makes me way less confident about a match I already had little to no confidence in. I think Brock will win because wasting all of his dominance on Goldberg would be monumentally stupid.
Winner: Brock Lesnar
2016 Prediction Record: 61-33
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35
The opening video package highlights Superstars from Toronto and Canada (Bret, Edge, Jericho, Owens, Trish, etc.) and big moments that have happened in history in Toronto. Now, it’s NXT’s turn to take over. The card is run down to end the video. 12,649 in attendance.
Bobby Roode vs. Tye Dillinger
There is an actual choir singing Roode’s theme. It is literally a glorious sight. They sing the whole song but you can’t hear them because the crowd is singing louder. Both guys are super over. A stare down and “this is awesome” chants from the opening bell. Bobby does his taunt and Tye levels him. They trade blows and Tye gets shoulder blocked down. He comes back with a back elbow and clotheslines Bobby over and out. Tye sends him in for a clothesline over and out on the opposite side. Chops from Tye around ringside. Roode hits a knee and there are dueling chants. Tye reverses a whip to the rail and then hits a back body drop on the floor. Inside, Roode begs for mercy and realizes that he put up the ten fingers. Tye is all “YOU’RE A TEN?” and stomps on his hands, which causes him to do the “ten” hand sign a bunch. Ten punches in the corner from Tye and the crowd eats it all up. Roode ducks a Tye attack and sends him to the outside. Roode runs around outside and hockey checks Tye. Roode drives his elbow into Tye’s throat on the apron and then smashes him chest first. “This is glorious” chants while Roode clubs away on Tye. Tye eats some chops and a hard whip to the corner followed by a clothesline. GLORIOUS taunt off the second rope and the focus of the attack is again on the back of Ty’e’s neck. Tye counters a neckbreaker into a backslide for two. Chops from Tye while selling the neck. Roode turns it around and scores with the neckbreaker for a near fall. Roode talks trash while slapping and kicking Tye. Roode goes for his own series of corner punches but Tye walksk out with him into an inverted atomic drop. Tye ducks a clothesline and fires up with some forearms. He hits a high knee, clothesline and a stomp. “Ten” corner stomps. The knee pad is down but Bobby rolls outside to avoid the Tyebreaker. He goes to leave but Tye stops him with a chop. Back inside Tye runs into a spinebuster for two. Roode sits Tye up top. They struggle a bit before Roode nails a superplex. It’s another near fall. Roode steals the “ten” taunt and removes his knee pad. He attempts the Tyebreaker but Tye gets free. Bobby blocks a superkick and rolls Tye up with his feet on the ropes. The referee sees it and breaks the pin. Bobby thinks he’s won so Tye rolls him up for two of his own. A superkick by Tye scores another near fall. Both men are down and when they get up, they backtrack into each other. They trade shots and Tye fires up after taking some. COME ON BOBBY. He hits a bunch and goes for the Tyebreaker. Bobby gets free and tries the DDT. Tye slips out and puts Bobby in the sharpshooter to a massive ovation. Roode reaches the ropes. Roode puls him into a small package. Tye reverses into his own for tow. Tye misses a charge and hits the corner. Roode throws him into the opposite one and wins with the implant DDT.
Winner: Bobby Roode in 16:32 (***3/4)
Tye Dillinger gets up after Bobby leaves. He gets a standing ovation of “ten” chants from the crowd. Well deserved.
After a WrestleMania commercial, Asuka was shown warming up.
Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Finals: The Authors of Pain w/ Paul Ellering vs. TM61
Paul Ellering is being hoisted in a crash cage over the ring. The little cage got the legit cage match gimmick with music played for the lowering of it.Akam starts with Miller and backs him into the corner. Miller hits an elbow and lays in some forearms. His whip attempts backfire and Thorne tags in. They both kick Akam and send him outside. A double dropkick and double clothesline send Razar out. Miller takes out Akam with a suicide dive. Razar puts Thorne on his shoulders and climbs the structure that is holding up the cage. Thorne fights him off and then leaps from it with a tope cone hilo! AOP turn it around inside. Ellerinng shouts instructions from the cage while Thorne gets worn down. Akam launches Thorne across the ring for two. Akam misses a clothesline in the corner but tags Razar before Thorne can tag out. Thorne still dropkicks Razar and tags Miller. Miller knocks him down with some forearms and easily body slams Akam. He also hits several suplexes on them like nothing. Miller hits some running forearms and climbs up top. He nails a moonsault on Razar for two. TM61 counter the powerbomb sandwich spot and impressive hit Thunder Valley on Razar. Akam breaks up the count. Miller dives out onto Akam and Thorne follows with a somersault dive. With Razar alone inside and the referee distracted, Ellering drops some sort of chain to him. Razar misses his swing and it goes flying. Thorne rolls him up for two and then runs into a massive spinebuster. Akam enters and they win with the Last Chapter.
Winners: The Authors of Pain in 8:19 (**3/4)
NXT Tag Team Championship Two Out of Three Falls: The Revival (c) vs. #DIY
#DIY have matching gear. Leather jackets and pink and black gear in Canada for the champs. Dawson starts with Gargano to “DIY” chants. They go to the mat and neither man gains an upper hand. Gargano rolls Dawson into a crucifix for a very close near fall. Dawson reacts like he nearly died. They lock up again, go to the corner and Dawson hits some shots. Gargano gets snap mared and then shoulder blocked. He tags in Ciampa and hits an inverted atomic drop. Big forearm from Ciampa and they hit stereo dropkicks for two. Dash distracts the official while Dawson rakes Ciampa’s eyes. Dash gets tagged but Ciampa blocks a corner smash. He goes to whip Dash into the corner but that gets blocked. Tag back to Dawson and they continue to work over Ciampa. Slam from Dawson and then he assists Dash on a leg drop for two. Ciampa gets free and both guys make tags. Gargano comes in hot with a clothesline and a belly to belly. He hits both champions with running chops in the corner, before doing a bulldog to Dash while clotheslining Dawson. A neckrbeaker gets two. Gargano sets Dawson up in the corner and charges, but Dash tags as Dawson sends him onto the apron. Gargano tries his slingshot apron spear but they counter it into a sick Shatter Machine to win the first fall at 5:07. Gargano barely gets to his feet and Dash goes right into it. Gargano rolls him up for two and just gets walloped. Dawson mocks the fans and gets in some shots on Gargano. Dash clotheslines him from the apron back inside and Dawson nails a sweet rebound suplex for two. Gargano tries to fight free but just the champions bring the CLUBBERING in the corner. They keep going for pinfalls on Gargano. Dawson works a body scissors and grinds Johnny’s face while doing so. Dawson goes to a Gory special. Gargano counters but takes a right hand from Dahs. He hops over Dawson and under Dash, but Dawson runs and cuts off the tag. Perfect tag wrestling. Gargano still gets an opening by hitting a tornado DDT on Dash and kicking Dawson in mid air. As he gets close for the tag. Dash goes outside and pulls Ciampa’s leg. Ciampa fights him off, so Dash slides in and distracts the referee so he misses the tag to Ciampa. Classic. They go back to CLUBBERING. Ciampa chases Dawson around the ring and once inside, the official stops Ciampa so the Revival hit Gargano with the Hart Attack. CANADA! That gets two. Dash places Gargano up top but Gargano counters a back suplex into a pin attempt for two. Gargano makes the hot tag and CIampa hits a missile dropkick on Dawson. He nails a corner running knee and some elbows. Dawson ducks a third but runs into a boot. Ciampa hits a huge fameasser like move for two. Dash runs in and gets sent to the apron. Dawson rolls up Ciampa but it doesn’t get a count. Ciampa does a trio of German suplexes and a big running knee but Dawson gets a shoulder up. Ciampa wants Gargano in the ring. He takes a while and Dawson makes him pay. They take Gargano and look for a spike piledriver. Ciampa cuts it off and hits a cross body on Dawson for two. Another high knee for Dash. DIY nail their finisher and tie it at 13:34. They do the short rest period and Dash starts with Ciampa. They trade forearms untli Ciampa goes to knees and slaps. He removes the elbow pad but misses a Dawson tag. Dash ducks the forearm and Dawson tries a dDT. Ciampa counters into the armbar. Dawson counters the armbar into a crucifix pin for two. Gargano does the blind tag now and hits a big kick. Ciampa nals a rope assist flatliner like move and goes after Dash but eats an uppercut. Gargano sueprkicks Dash and hits a slingshot DDT for a close two count. Gargano sells the desperation so well. Dawson is on the apron and Gargano tries to suplex him in. Dash holds him to prevent a Gargano move and tags in. Gargano tries his DDT spot but gets caught with an uppercut/German suplex combo. Ciampa breaks up the pin in the nick of time. Dawson sends Ciampa into the ring post and goes back to his corner. He tags in and talks trash before an uppercut. Gargano fights off but is stuck in the corner between the champions. Gargano firs off several forearms on Dawson but misses one. He counters a backslide into a small package for another very close near fall. Dash grabs a Tag Title from ringside and slides it in. Ciampa clotheslines him over and out. Dawson has the belt and uses it to block Gargano’s rolling kick. Gargano sells the leg on the ground. Dawson applies the inverted figure four that won the match in Brooklyn back in August. The crowd badly wants Gargano to stay alive. He nearly taps but makes it to the ropes. Dash is back on the apron and tags in. They go to steal DIY’s finisher but they miscut and Dash superkicks Dawson. DIY hit Dash with the Shatter Machine but Dawson breaks up the cover! Dawson plays possum and uses it to roll Gargano up with tights. The referee sees it and that he isn’t the legal man so he stops counting. Dash takes out Ciampa outside with the same move that hte used in Brooklyn. Gargano kicks Dawson outside, so Dash runs in with a vicious chop block to the other leg. Gargano counters a submission into a small package. They do several pins from both guys for near falls. Gargano finally turns one into the Gargano Escape. Dawson runs into break it up but Ciampa pulls him into the armbar. The Revival are both in submissions and even holding their partner’s hand. They both have to tap out and we have new champions.
Winners and NEW NXT Tag Team Champions: #DIY in 22:16 (*****)
Jim Ross is shown in the audience.
NXT Women’s Championship: Asuka (c) vs. Mickie James
Mickie looks to be in great shape. The front row all wore Asuka’s entrance mask. Mickie avoids a kick and misses a slap. They lock up and go to the mat but neither woman breaks free. They finally both let go and Asuka offers a handshake. Mickie accepts and pulls her in tight. Mickie applies a headlock that Asuak struggles to break. Mickie tries a shoulder block that has no effect. Asuka takes her over into a wristlock. Mickie cartwheels out and sends Asuka over. ASuka misses another kick and Mickie snapmares her followed by a dropkick. Asuka retreats outside for what may have been the first time in her NXT run. “You still got it” chants for Mickie. Mickie holds the ropes open for Asuka. Mickie escapes a hammerlock and kicks up. Asuka kicks her in the ribs, so Mickie responds with one of her own. She hits the ropes, Asuka follows and uses the hip attack, sending Mickie outside. Asuka now holds the ropes open for Mickie and I believe Mickie blows a kiss but the camera misses it. Asuka hits another hip attack to send Mickie outside. She misses a hip attack off the apron and Mickie scores with a rana. They continue to battle outside where Asuka hits Mickie with a German suplex variation. Asuka basks in the count but Mickie makes it back in. Inside, Asuka tosses Mickie and looks to be enjoying herself. She hits a running corner dropkick for two. Asuka works an abdominal stretch liek move in the ropes. She misses another hip attack and sits on the middle rope for a bit. She continues the attack with kicks. Mickie busts out an Indian deathlock submission (I believe that’s what it was, my feed cut out for a bit) but Asuka reaches the ropes. They trade forearms in the center of the ring. Asuka answers with slaps. Mickie ducks a backfist and slaps the shit out of Asuka. Asuka liked it and gives Mickie an interesting look. She goes for another shot but Mickie ducks and connects on a neckbreaker. She lays in some clotheslines and counters everything Asuka has. She nails a flapjack before coming off of the top with what was basically a flying crotch attack. Asuka manages to slap on an armbar after kicking out but Mickie reaches the ropes. Mickie kicks Asuka in the knee and sends her down. They get up at the same time. Mickie ducks a kick and nails the Mick Kick but Asuka gets her foot on the bottom rope. A pin in the middle gets two. Asuka avoids the MickDT and tries the ASuka Lock. Mickie rolls around to avoid it and gets Asuka in a pinning combination for two. Asuka turns over and gets it locked in, causing Mickie to tap.
Winner and Still NXT Women’s Champion: Asuka in 13:03 (***3/4)
Mickie goes for a post-match handshake, but Asuka raises the title instead and walks off.
Pat Patterson is shown in attendance.
NXT Championship: Shinsuke Nakamura (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Nakamura has several violinists for his entrance. I won’t go into detail because it needs to be seen. Right at the bell, Nakamura unloads with strikes and kicks. Joe defends himself and comes back with one to the inner thigh. They continue to trade big shots until we get a rope break. Joe does give the clean one but Nakamura ducks him and confidently walks away before hitting a knee. He continues with a knee drop and good vibrations. The fight moves outside where Nakamura sends Joe into the crowd. They fight some more until Nakamura sends Joe back inside. Nakamura hits some corner knees but Joe comes back with an enziguri. Joe looks for the corner facewash but Nakamura is up and greets him with a knee. Nakamura takes him to the mat and delivers more knees. Joe is back on the offensive and runs over Nakamura. An elbow drop gets two. The stream isn’t very good right now. Joe busts out an innovative move that slams Shinsuke’s knees on the mat. Joe apples an ankle lock. Nakamura gets free (I’m not sure how, again my feed skipped) and Joe continues the assault. He twists Shinsuke’s knee at an odd angle. Like he wants to do a half crab but Nakamura won’t turn all the way over. Nakamura slaps his leg to wake it up after getting free. He misses and falls outside, where Joe follows with elbow suicida. Joe looks to use the steel steps and kicks Nakamura in the chest. Inside, Nakamura starts to fire off some kicks, using the injured leg even. Nakamura is making the comeback. He nails an enziguri and runs into the corner with an elbow. He sets Joe on the top and hits the running knee for two. Joe turns things around with the atomic drop, running kick, BIG BOY SENTON combination for a near fall of his own. Joe hits a powerbomb for two and he takes the kickout right into a Boston crab. He transitions that into a crossface. Nakamura counters into a pin and then turns that into an armbar. He runs in but Joe catches him with a powerslam for two. Nakamura gets his boot up on a charging Joe. He goes up top but Joe kicks him down onto the apron. Nakamura stops him with a desperate kick and drapes him over the apron. Nakamura hits a running knee. He goes up top and comes off with a middle rope knee strike. Both men are down and struggle to their feet. Once there, they trade forearms. Nakamura goes with kicks and one massive forearm to take Joe down. Joe blocks an inverted exploder with elbows and tries a suplex. Nakamura slips free and hits a German suplex. Joe rolls into Nakamura’s legs to take him out, which makes sense given the work he has done. Joe looks for the Muscle Buster but Nakamura wriggles free and rolls through. He gets up and nails Kinshasa for two. Joe avoids a second Kinshasa and locks in the Coquina Clutch. Nakamura fades but the fans start humming Nakamura’s theme. He nearly gets free but Joe hits a German suplex. He holds on for a dragon suplex and then a straightjacket suplex for a close near fall. Joe is busted open around his left eye. Nakamura hits Kinshasa to the back of the head but Joe falls outside. Nakamura wants to show no mercy and goes for a third Kinshasa outside. Joe avoids him and hits a low blow behind the official’s back. He then delivers a uranage onto the steel steps and a Muscle Buster inside leads to him winning back the title.
Winner and New NXT Champion: Samoa Joe in 20:06 (***1/2)
Only one match on the show is more exciting or interesting to me than this. I believe that Tye Dillinger should be one of the marquee names in NXT. He's been around for a while, is super over, has a good character and is very good in the ring. I'm glad he's getting a big match, especially in his home town, but I don't see him winning. The big name guys have been going over the homegrown guys for a while in NXT now and it will continue here. I do think Bobby Roode will eventually dethrone Nakamura, so a win here would make the most sense. I'm mostly hoping for a star making performance from Dillinger.
Winner: Bobby Roode
I like TM61. They are really good in the ring and I enjoyed their work as the Mighty Don't Kneel. The Authors of Pain haven't done much for me but I will admit that their two actual matches that haven't been squashes (vs. No Way Jose and Rich Swann and vs. #DIY) have been pretty damn good. This should be along the lines of those last two. Paul Ellering in a shark cage is a real throwback gimmick that I think is pretty cool. I think they'll tease that the Authors need him and TM61 will come close. The Authors will still win out and set up a future Tag Team Title match.
Winners: The Authors of Pain
Screw Goldberg vs. Brock. Screw the big Raw vs. Smackdown Survivor Series matches (though those sound fun). This is easily my most anticipated match of the weekend. These four guys had the best tag team match of 2016 in Brooklyn and they might be able to top themselves with the two out of three falls stipulation, which is one of my favorite stips in all of wrestling. The Revival have been champions twice now and I think it's about that time for #DIY. The Revival can drop the belts and move to the main roster, while #DIY would have more heel challengers lined up. Sanity and Authors of Pain stick out. Expect this to be the best match of the weekend.
Winners: #DIY
Even more than the NXT Title match, this outcome is clear. Asuka debuted last October and has yet to be defeated. Not Emma, not Bayley and not even another girl with a winning streak, Nia Jax, could beat her. It won't be Mickie James either. This is just a novelty match. Mickie is here to give the fans some nostalgia and show that she can still go. Asuka is going to win and I'm not sure what's next for her. The rest of the women's division hasn't really been built up to her level. Maybe something with Peyton Royce and Billie Kay coming up before the big match with Ember Moon.
Winner: Asuka
I'll admit that the brawls between these two leading up to the rematch have been awesome. You get a real sense that they hate each other and are willing to beat the shit out of one another at TakeOver. I fully expect this to be an improvement on their rather disappointing first battle in Brooklyn. The outcome of this is pretty clear to me. Samoa Joe doesn't need the NXT Title and should be going to the main roster soon. At the very least, he could move into a feud with hopefully healthy HIdeo Itami or something towards the end of the year. I honestly feel that the only guy taking the title from Shinsuke Nakamura will be Bobby Roode at some point.
Winner: Shinsuke Nakamura
Rev Pro Global Wars UK Night One
November 10th, 2016 | York Hall in Bethnal Green, Greater London
Though I didn’t see it last year, I’m checking out the Rev Pro/NJPW joint “Global Wars UK” events. It is a two night event that sees NJPW guys compete against Rev Pro competitors. Last year, interesting matches like Okada/Ospreay and Styles/Liger went down. This year’s cards look even better.
Marty Scurll def. Jushin Thunder Liger in 13:38
Marty showed up in a villainous version of Liger’s mask. Both guys had some fun in the first minute or so. It was similar to the Liger we saw in the Battle of Los Angeles, which Scurll went on to win this year. We got to see Liger bust out a somersault off of the apron. It’s always great to see the 51 year old show that he can still go. He even nailed a top rope rana. Scurll took control and wore down Liger for a good chunk of the match. Liger rallied and got a near fall with the Liger Bomb. Scurll did his trademark finger snap and made Liger tap to the chicken wing. Perfect choice to open this show. Big names, hot crowd and they didn’t overdo anything. Really solid. Scurll shook Liger’s hand after the match. (***¼)
Tomoaki Honma def. Sha Samuels in 6:56
I haven’t seen much of Sha Samuels. He certainly looks like an interesting fellow. Honma brought fire early and missed Kokeshi. Some things will never change. Neither guy took a clear advantage. Oddly, there was a ref bump where Honma was sent into the official. It led to a run-in from Samuels’ buddy James Castle, which helped Samuels get a near fall. Honma overcame it and went Kokeshi crazy. He picked up the win with the top rope Kokeshi. Like a lot of Honma’s stuff in 2016, it seriously lacked something. It was alright at best. (**)
Yuji Nagata def. Pete Dunne in 11:56
Dunne is the Cruiserweight Champion and goes by the “Bruiserweight”. Nagata replaced the injured Michael Elgin here. They started with some pretty standard mat work, but added some intensity in little ways. There was biting or a vicious tug on the nose that just added something to this. Dunne showed zero intimidation against the legend despite being just 23 years of age. There were a few awkward moments that showed this didn’t connect quite as well as it probably could have. Nagata got the armbar on but Dunne reached the ropes. He still put Dunne down shortly after with the backdrop driver. This was good but I was hoping for more. Hopefully working with Nagata and doing pretty well will get NJPW eyes on Dunne for the future. He could be a nice addition to the juniors division. (***)
Chris Hero def. Tomohiro Ishii in 13:37
The second these cards were announced, this jumped out and made everyone go “OH SHIT.” Not only are they two of the best wrestlers in the world, but their styles complement each other so well. Hero mocked his size advantage, so Ishii started hitting forearms. Hero responded with one simple one that put Ishii on his ass. That was the story for a while. Hero was too big and too much for Ishii, but the “Stone Pitbull” never gave up. Hero got cocky after a big kick in the aisle, going into the ring and taunting. Ishii started a comeback when some of Hero’s strikes had no effect on his hard head. Ishii hit a brainbuster and fired up after a Hero piledriver. Then we got the awesome exchange of strikes and headbutts that I wanted from this match. They just went to war for the final few minutes, bringing the crowd to their feet. Again, Ishii popped up instantly from a piledriver, so Hero delivered another elbow and a Gotch style piledriver to win. This was exactly what I wanted from these two as they worked to their strengths Hero played the great bully, while Ishii got to sell and fight from behind. They beat the shit out of each other, didn’t go too long and had the crowd in the palm of their hands. (****¼)
Hero cut a promo talking about Ishii’s past and how he worked his way from young boy in Michinoku Pro to where he is now. He asked the fans for give Ishii a well-deserved standing ovation, which they did.
RPW British Cruiserweight Champion Will Ospreay def. BUSHI in 11:13
Does it really count as NJPW vs. Rev Pro if both guys are part of NJPW? It’s CHAOS vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon. BUSHI is my favorite New Japan junior not named KUSHIDA. Both men had strong years with Ospreay winning several titles and the Best of the Super Juniors while BUSHI held the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Title. BUSHI showed typical LIDJ behavior by taunting Ospreay early but Will turned the tables on him and did it back. The action as fast paced as Ospreay flew around the ring, while BUSHI was happy to resort to heel tactics. BUSHI blocked the Oscutter multiple times, including one by using his knees for defense. Ospreay blocked MX but a ref bump allowed BUSHI to spit the mist. Ospreay still kicked out of BUSHI’s offense before eventually winning with the Oscutter. I found this to be a strong match, but I was never wowed by it. It felt like two guys trying to hit all of their key shit, which they did. BUSHI always has good matches, yet doesn’t win too often. (***¼)
Los Ingobernables de Japon (NEVER Openweight Champion EVIL, SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. David Starr and Mustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate) in 14:50
I’ll keep saying it until it is no longer true; Los Ingobernables are so goddamn cool. Starr didn’t have a real mustache, so he had one drawn on to fit in with his teammates. LIDJ were their usual disrespectful selves, so Starr responded by driving his crotch into SANADA’s face for offense. The teams traded stuff in a fun match with nobody getting a real advantage. One thing to note was that Tetsuya Naito didn’t see much action. It was a smart move, protecting him with Wrestle Kingdom around the corner. He was the only man in the top two WK11 matches on the show with Okada, Omega and Tanahashi nowhere to be found. EVIL and SANADA are awesome though, so it was fine. Mustache Mountain did some goofy spots but it never felt out of place and LIDJ went right along with it. They did a good job of making it seem like Mustache Mountain might actually win at some points. A flurry of offense from LIDJ, punctuated by an STO from EVIL on Starr got them the win. Simply fun. They didn’t take themselves too seriously and just had a good time, giving some variety to the card. (***)
RPW British Heavyweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata def. Zack Sabre Jr. (c) in 16:41
Like his match with Jeff Cobb, Zack Sabre Jr. got a mixed reaction from the crowd. A lot of fans have turned on him in 2016. For the first two thirds or so this match, it reminded of their first outing a few months back. A lot of standard wrestling stuff, which is Sabre’s wheelhouse. Sabre’s brutal work on the arm caused Shibata to take a rare breather outside. Commentary kept mentioning Sabre’s recent change in attitude and he showed part of his new aggression when he removed Shibata’s shoulder tape. Shibata began to come back with his hard hitting offense. The last few minutes of this is where things really picked up. Just two guys trading their best shots. Shibata slapped on the sleeper and Sabre tried to wrestle free, only to get thrown and then hit with the PK, giving Shibata the title. A surprising result for sure. Like their first match, this was really good but just shy of great. (***¾)
Shibata offered a handshake after the match but Sabre refused, garnering even more boos. Marty Scurll came out and left to the back with him while flipping off the crowd. Once they left, Chris Hero walked out. Hero is scheduled to face Shibata on night two, which would now become a title match.
Overall: 8/10. A great show here. At just under two and a half hours, it is a brisk watch. I completed it in one sitting, which isn’t something I’m able to do often. Obviously, the show stealer on this one is Hero vs. Ishii. If you can only watch one match, make it that one. If not though, everything outside of Honma/Samuels ranges from good to great. It’s a consistently strong show with some fun matchups that we don’t get often, adding to the novelty of the show. The title change was a great surprise to cap the show off.
