Slamboree 1999
May 9th, 1999 | TWA Dome in St. Louis, Missouri | Attendance: 20,516
Oh WCW 1999. You can be a cruel mistress. Their roster was so full of potential but was so poorly mishandled that it can be frustrating. This show reportedly has over 20,000 fans in attendance, but I’ve read that they have to give away 7,000 free tickets and still barely reached half of the capacity. Kevin Nash was the head booker at the time and finds himself in the title picture opposite Diamond Dallas Page. This would be the seventh Slamboree even.
As usual, the WCW opening video package is highly disappointing and low budget. It does actually promote what seems to be the entire card. The commentary team is the usual trio of Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay. Also, because it’s WCW, they don’t go to the action, choosing instead to have commentary talk and Mean Gene promote his hotline.
WCW World Tag Team Championship
Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko w/ Arn Anderson vs. Perry Saturn and Raven
I hate that they dub Raven’s WWF theme in. Benoit and Malenko represent the Four Horsemen, while the champions are from the Filthy Animals. It’s an interesting set up here as three men are legal at once, meaning it’s always a triple threat match. Things start pretty quickly, highlighted by Saturn belly to belly suplexing Kidman over and to the outside. I think it’s cool that each team brings something different. You have the high flyers, the technical and the brawlers/hardcore style guys. Kidman channels Benoit but misses an ugly diving headbutt. There are some close calls with submissions and pins but there’s always someone from another team to break things up. When some of the carnage clears up, the Horsemen duo isolate Saturn. They’re in control for the most part actually. Saturn hits a sloppy move to take Kidman outside. Benoit hits the rolling Germans but again, the pin is broken up. Raven sees his first action in a while, looking like the freshest guy in the match. He does the Three Amigos before it was cool and I liked it here because he did it to Benoit, who was known for the triple Germans. Malenko makes the mistake of trying to powerbomb Kidman, which he counters into a rollup for two. Kidman sets Benoit up top and launches Rey up to him for a super rana. I thought that was the end but Saturn breaks it up. They try it on Saturn but he reverses into a super bomb. We get another YOU CAN’T POWERBOMB KIDMAN moment courtesy of Saturn. Double A gets involved, laying out Saturn with a spinebuster. As Kidman goes for his finisher, someone with a Sting mask knocks him off, allowing Raven to hit him with an Evenflow. Raven gets the three count at the same time that Malenko had the Texas Cloverleaf on Saturn.
Winners and New WCW World Tag Team Champions: Perry Saturn and Raven 17:28
That could have been so much better. There were a few too many moments of standing around waiting for the next spots and giving us the typical WCW run-in finish was disappointing. They did work with a rather hot crowd, didn’t overdo anything and it was mostly fun, which is what I want from an opener. ***
The man in the Sting mask reveals himself to be Chris Kanyon. For those unaware, within two months, Kanyon would be part of the Jersey Triad and they would be champions. Oh, WCW.
We are taken to a poorly done DDP vignette.
Konnan vs. Stevie Ray w/ Horace and Vincent
What did I do to deserve this? If this even cracks a star, I’ll be more shocked than when Brock broke the streak. Konnan again threatens that his opponent will toss his salad. Like, does he really even know what that means? They clobber away at each other for a bit ad none of it is interesting. Vincent and Horace get in cheap shots. Seriously, who decided to give four of the worst guys on the roster PPV time? Once Stevie is blown up, he resorts to rest holds before Konnan makes his comeback. Rey Mysterio tries to get involved and takes out the two scrubs at ringside. He then leaps onto Stevie and Konnan rolls up him in the slowest way possible, stealing it.
Winner: Konnan in 6:10
It’s like there has to be at least one DUD on every WCW show I review. This was beyond terrible with bad interference, bad work and a somehow worse finish. DUD
Another mediocre WCW video package airs for Kevin Nash. It’s at least better than the DDP one. There’s also a Sting one, a short interview with Rick Steiner where he calls Booker and Stevie Ray by their government names and something between DDP and Bigelow. Too rapid fire to really mean much.
Hardcore Match
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Brian Knobbs
Neither guy gets any theme music. Commentary reveals that this will be held under Falls Count Anywhere rules and they act like it’s the most groundbreaking news ever. Bigelow brings out a bunch of weapons, so they just whack each other with them. Knobbs is still wearing his Nasty Boys gear, having not found something on his own that works. Both men just continue to use weapons with no real structure or anything like that. I mean, I saw trash cans, chairs, a street cone and even a rearview mirror. After a while of senseless beating, they move to the backstage area to take advantage of the Falls Count Anywhere rules. Bigelow ends up hitting a suplex through a table to earn the win.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 11:29
A bit too long for what they were going for. Knowing they had to fill over ten minutes, they seemed to just be killing time by wailing on each other with weapons for no real reason. It was better than the previous match at least. *¼
WCW Television Championship
Booker T (c) vs. Rick Steiner
Apparently, this is a return match from Nitro a few weeks ago where Stevie Ray cost Rick the match. Rick is convinced that Booker was in on it but it doesn’t seem that way. Booker’s tights are at Steve Urkel levels of high. Rick is in control from the start, using his power advantage. Booker hits three successive kicks that Steiner sells like garbage. Rick takes back over but none of the work seems inspired. Even when he nails a release German suplex, it just feels lackluster. It doesn’t help that the crowd is basically silent for all of this. Rick adds to their boredom with a lengthy chinlock. Scott Steiner shows up as Booker starts to rally but gets knocked off the apron. STEINERLINE only gets Rick two. Booker sends Rick into Scott and hits an axe kick for two. Scott trips up Booker, opening the door for Rick to nail the diving bulldog and win the gold.
Winner and New WCW Television Champion: Rick Steiner in 11:08
In the prime of each of their careers, this may have been good. Instead, we were treated to Rick completely phoning it in and Booker not being much better. The interference at the end wasn’t welcome, since we’ve seen it in three of four matches so far. ½*
“Little Naitch” Charles Robinson w/ Ric Flair and Asya vs. Gorgeous George w/ Macho Man, Madusa and Miss Madness
Ric cuts one of his usual “Space Mountain” promos. Robinson does one too but it’s nowhere near as good. He does have the Flair mannerisms down perfectly at least. He’s even got the flabby chest. They actually do some wrestling early on. Wristlocks and hammerlocks galore. You can clearly see Robinson telling her what spots to do at times. She gets a pop for a full nelson into a snapmare. The future Molly Holly takes a body slam bump from Robinson on the outside. He does the Flair chops and strut in the ring until George turns things around on him. Points to Robinson for even taking the Flair corner and top rope bumps. Classic. Asya tries to get involved so Madusa kicks her. Robinson starts to go after the knee, since he promised to win with the Figure Four. He applies it but George turns it over. Flair tries to flip it back over but Savage knocks him outside, all while Asya distracts the referee. George finishes off Robinson with a second rope elbow, reinstating Macho Man to the company.
Winner: Gorgeous George in 10:39
They got more time than they probably deserved but you know what? I actually somewhat enjoyed that. It wasn’t good wrestling but considering who was involved, they did better than expected. Robinson was great at using Flair’s mannerisms and George surprised me at times. *¾
WCW United States Championship
Scott Steiner (c) vs. Buff Bagwell
Judging by the video package, this feud was built on Buff Bagwell making bad poop jokes towards Scott Steiner. This is kind of a brawl from the start. Steiner clubs away and tosses Buff around outside. He just continues to mostly dominate. There are points where Buff looks to kind of be begging for mercy. Scott brings a chair into play, even though it’s not a No DQ match. Buff clotheslines it away from him and starts a babyface comeback with some weak dropkicks. We get a classic WCW ref bump and Rick Steiner shows up to hit Buff with a steel chair. He wakes up the referee in time for Scott to lock in the Steiner Recliner. Buff is out cold so the official calls for the bell.
Winner and Still WCW United States Champion: Scott Steiner in 7:11
Oh look. Another interference riddled finish. The match itself up to that point wasn’t very good either. Steiner mostly dominated though it felt so uninspired as did Buff’s babyface comeback. None of this clicked. *½
Ric Flair w/ Arn Anderson and Asya vs. Roddy Piper
The video package before this is glorious as we see Ric in a mental health hospital, dancing with nurses in ring gear. The winner of this match will be the President of WCW. To be fair, running WCW in 1999 sounds more like a punishment than a reward. Charles Robinson replaces the referee as Flair, the current President, fires the existing official. It feels like a fight as they just wail on each other. Piper gets in some short punches, giving us the Flair flop. Flair turns it around, hitting a ton of chops. The crowd is pretty into this at least. There is this strange moment when Piper pins Flair and they don’t count the three. It didn’t look like they were purposely screwing him though. It just looked like they messed up the whole thing. Flair locks in the Figure Four but Piper escapes. He gets a backslide on Flair but Robinson ignores it and does so again for a small package. Piper puts on the Figure Four now and Flair clearly gives up but Robinson ignores it. He also ignores Arn’s interference, which Piper sends back. He puts Flair in the sleeper until Asya enters. Piper puts her in the sleeper and lays out Robinson. Flair hits Piper with the brass knuckles to win. BUT WAIT! Eric Bischoff, who somehow has completely white hair just a year after having jet black hair, comes out and changes the result. I’m not sure what his role at the time was since Flair was President.
Winner via disqualification: Roddy Piper in 12:10
Two guys way past their primes (especially Piper) having a rather dull match riddled with a bunch of overbooking and interference. That actually describes a lot of WCW main events in the back half of the 90’s. *
Goldberg vs. Sting
If WCW would have played their cards right, this could have been a MASSIVE money match in 1998. Sting winning the title to close out 1997 and then facing the unstoppable Goldberg the following year would have been huge. Instead, it’s kind of an afterthought here. They botch a spot quickly, causing Sting to hit the mat. Goldberg applies a cross armbreaker but it looks pretty weak. Sting tries for the Scorpion Death Lock. Goldberg is too strong, powering out. Sting goes after the leg as Goldberg is sporting a knee brace. Things finally pick up as Sting hits two Stinger splashes. He goes for a third but Goldberg catches him in mid-air with a pretty big Spear. Bret Hart, who supposedly quit the company, shows up and whacks Goldberg in the head with a chair.
Match ends in a no contest in 8:17
A match with a fair amount of potential wasted. Both guys seemed to sleepwalk through most of the match. Once it finally started really getting interesting, we got yet another run-in. *½
Bret Hart continues the attack with the chair. When he leaves, the Steiner Brothers show up and attack both Goldberg and Sting. Why? We don’t know.
WCW World Heavyweight Championship
Diamond Dallas Page (c) vs. Kevin Nash
WCW missed the boat on making DDP a massive star. He was super over and should have been the one to end Goldberg’s streak at Starrcade 1998. Apparently, Nash was the heel but had booked himself to come across as the babyface. DDP tries for the Diamond Cutter right off the bat but Nash avoids it and clocks him. Nash starts to pound away at him. The crowd seems kind of into this but not as much as they should be. Probably because they’re unsure of who to cheer for. DDP goes after the leg and pulls off another heel tactic by kicking Nash low behind the official’s back. They continue to brawl until DDP hits Nash with a Diamond Cutter on the outside. DDP continues the attack inside. He taunts to the crowd, acting completely like the heel, instead of taking advantage. He targets the knee, wrapping it around the ring post. Nash mounts his usual comeback, complete with snake eyes onto an exposed turnbuckle. I don’t know why that wasn’t a DQ. Nash hits the Jackknife but before he can pin, Randy Savage shows up and elbows him. He had been helping DDP for weeks. They call for the DQ this time but again, here comes Eric Bischoff. He ejects Savage and restarts the match. DDP tries to bring a chair into play and it hits the top rope, bouncing back into his face. Nash covers him for two. Nash lifts DDP up and wins the title with a second Jackknife.
Winner and New WCW World Heavyweight Champion: Kevin Nash in 18:21
Tony Schiavone calls this a brutal World Title match. In at least one sense of the word, he’s right. This match was brutally boring. I came away disappointed because I usually enjoy DDP matches and Nash can go when motivated and with the right opponent. To me, this felt like another lackluster effort covered up by overbooking. *¼
Overall: 1.5/10; Horrible. Wow, this show sucked. It got off to a decent start with a pretty fun triangle tag team match but this fell way off of a cliff after. Nothing else on the show was even able to reach two stars. There was constant interference up and down the card as well as tons of phoned in performances from many of the guys on the card. Just a classic WCW experience from this time period. The next “Random Network Review” is scheduled to be WWF Rock Bottom!
Raw History
Episode #121
July 24th, 1995 | Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky
Things start with footage of Shawn Michaels winning the Intercontinental Title last night. I’m surprised at this since they usually did still images back then. We are live and Shawn Michaels opens the show.
Non-Title Match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels vs. Jimmy Del Rey w/ Tom Pritchard and Jim Cornette
Michaels is in control from the get go. Jimmy Del Rey kind of looks like what would happen if Michaels aged twenty years, grew a mustache and got out of shape. Shawn sends him outside and skins the cat back in. Del Rey turns it around a bit but the outcome is never in doubt. Shawn hits the flying forearm and elbow but only gets two. That’s how you know Del Rey is above local jobbers. Pritchard gets on the apron and eats Sweet Chin Music. Del Rey tries for some more offense, but Shawn slips free and wins with the kick.
Winner: Shawn Michaels in 5:21
Decent enough little start to the show. Not a squash and the heels did their small bit of work, while Shawn got to look like a star. **
Shawn Michaels’ celebration sees him nearly reveal his penis as he pulls his pants down to his pubes.
A recap airs from FOUR MONTHS AGO when Hakushi attacked Bret Hart on Superstars while he was receiving an award. Hakushi also brought out the mannequin head of Bret, but Bret got the last laugh by beating him at In Your House. Tonight, they meet again.
The Smoking Gunns vs. John Faulkner and Rick Stockhauser
Hey, these jabronis actually get matching gear. Despite their attire, they get next to no offense in. Billy and Bart give them a good old fashioned whipping. They win with a double team move.
Winner: The Smoking Gunns in 2:01
Standard squash match from these guys.
We get our first notice that Goldust is coming to the WWE. 21 years later he’d still be a part of the roster.
“Make a Difference” Fatu shows off his neighborhood again while wearing one of the most 90’s jackets you could possible own.
Waylon Mercy vs. Gary Scott
Waylon shakes the hands of his opponent and the referee again before just beating the hell out of him. Mercy shows no mercy, which Vince is sure to note, before ending the scrub with a sleeper.
Winner: Waylon Mercy in 2:02
Waylon Mercy is pretty great to watch.
Todd Pettengill hosts the final In Your House 2 Report but is sure to plug SummerSlam, which is coming up from Pittsburgh. There’s something odd about holding a summer event in a place called the Igloo. After recapping the show, a King Mabel promo airs. Yup, Diesel vs. Mabel is headlining. Mabel even actually says “I pity the fool” in his promo.
Next week, despite losing at In Your House, Razor Ramon and Savio Vega get a Tag Team Title shot next week.
Bret Hart vs. Hakushi w/ Shinja
Shinja grabs Bret’s leg on his way into the ring, giving Hakushi the early upper hand. Bret turns it around rather quickly and his offense is just so enthralling. Everything Bret always does not only looks great, but has a meaning. Even when he bumps it’s great. Hakushi whips him into the corner and he slides into the lower ring post, making it look so great. Bret continues to take great bumps into the corner as Hakushi is in firm control. After a second commercial break, Hakushi hits a great moonsault to the outside. Shinja tries to get involved but Bret gives them the old DOUBLE NOGGIN KNOCKER! Bret answers the moonsault with a much uglier Vader bomb like move to the outside onto both men. Now Bret goes into his signature offense with a superplex and polishes off Hakushi with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Bret Hart in 9:22
This was a great television match. They worked through the commercial breaks well and didn’t give it much down time. Hakushi looked great in defeat, while Bret once again showed that he is the best.***½
During Bret Hart’s celebration, Jean-Pierre Lafitte steals the bag that Hakushi had the fake Bret head in.
We get an overly long Dean Douglas promo. Man that gimmick sucked.
The show ends the same way it began. Shawn Michaels is interviewed. Vince McMahon puts over how good looking Shawn is, while Lawler claims Shawn is a marked man.
Overall: 7/10. You know what? I thought that was a good episode. The Hart/Hakushi was really solid and the live atmosphere made this show fun. The squash matches were kept short and we even had a decent little sprint to showcase the new Intercontinental Champion. Solid show with no pointless filler.
Raw History
Episode #122
July 31st, 1995 | Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky
The opening video package hypes the WWF Tag Team Title match tonight. I feel like I should have noticed it last week since it was part of the same taping block, but the big RAW entrance setup has debuted.
King Mabel w/ Sir Mo vs. Nick Barberry
I don’t remember when he did it but Mabel’s mohawk is black now. With a WWF Title shot on the horizon, Mabel completely dominates this poor jobber. He even takes him outside to beat on him. Barberry does avoid an elbow and get in some dropkicks at one point but it’s to no avail. Mabel gets the 1-2-3 on a belly to belly.
Winner: King Mabel in 3:12
As a rule, all Mabel matches should end before two minutes.
Mabel gets a microphone afterwards to say that he will be King and WWF Champion after SummerSlam.
More from “Make a Difference” Fatu, also known as “Still five years from making an actual difference in my career” Fatu.
Jerry Lawler interviews Shawn Michaels backstage about his upcoming Intercontinental Title defense at SummerSlam against Sycho Sid. There is tension and Shawn tries to goad Lawler into a match but Lawler says that he took a journalistic oath not to get in the ring.
Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bob Cook
Hey, Cook is able to get in some offense. Jerry Lawler makes terrible jokes about Bigelow and his weight, while also dissing the movie Waterworld. Vince plugs the WWF going online and promotes TEN FREE HOURS of AOL. My how the times have changed. Bigelow hits the diving headbutt for the win.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 3:21
A fine squash match that only annoyed me because of Lawler on commentary. Bigelow did a post-match cartwheel, stealing the show.
Another “Report Card” by Dean Douglas airs. It’s just as dull as last week.
Jim Cornette cuts a promo for the Tag Team Champions and just delivers. I miss managers like him.
Skip w/ Sunny vs. Major Yates
Oh boy, Yates seems to have dawn the short straw when it comes to jobber names. Sunny and Skip are still pissed that he lost to Barry Horowitz. Just like when Razor Ramon lost to the 1-2-3 Kid in 1993, they tease this jobber beating Skip too. Surprisingly, Skip uses a superplex as his finisher. That doesn’t equal a successful career.
Winner: Skip in 2:23
I wish this got the time that Mabel did. At least Skip is somewhat interesting.
It’s the SummerSlam Report! Diesel cuts a promo on Mabel, saying the WWF Title is the measuring stick, not Mabel’s stupid crown. Todd Pettengill also announces that Bret Hart will continue to be stuck in the midcard as he faces Isaac Yankem. Shawn Michaels will defend the Intercontinental Title against Sycho Sid in the only other announced match.
Next week, Diesel takes on Sir Mo. Oh my, that sounds terrible.
WWF Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart and Yokozuna (c) w/ Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji vs. Razor Ramon and Savio Vega
As usual, Owen does the early work for his team, which is for the best. He and Savio have a fun exchange before Razor lays him out with a right hand. Vince says that Razor was out for 44 days with bad ribs but showed no effects at In Your House. Umm, he got pinned by Mabel. If that’s not an ill effect, then I don’t know what is. The champs have to take a breather before Owen takes control on Savio. He tags Yokozuna for a drop toe hold/leg drop double team. Savio’s beating actually doesn’t last too long and Razor comes in hot. He takes out Yokozuna with a second rope bulldog before they reel off some double clotheslines. Razor plants Owen with the Razor’s Edge and gets the three count, giving us new champions. BUT WAIT! Earl Hebner speaks with Jim Cornette and realizes that Owen wasn’t the legal man so the pin shouldn’t count. Hebner not only restarts the match, but also ejects Cornette. Razor picks up where he left off, firing away on Yokozuna and Owen. Savio gets some near falls but Owen turns things back around as the matches lasts through a second commercial break. Vince starts talking about the possibility of the match not ending by the end of the show. Razor tries a second rope back suplex but Owen rolls through into a pin, only for Razor to roll through himself for two. After a collision, Razor signals for the Razor’s Edge and the show fades to black.
Time expires after 14:39
Okay, so sue me. I really liked that finish. Having a match not finish in time is just so very realistic. Not everything is going to end perfectly in time for TV. The match itself was actually energetic and very enjoyable. I don’t know if the rematch will be able to top that. ***¼
Overall: 6.5/10. Hey would you look at that? Two straight solid episodes. We got another strong marquee match. Not only that, but they did a good job of mixing in short squashes (only Mabel’s was bad), kept the annoying stuff to a minimum and did a decent job of building towards the PPV.
Raw History
Episode #123
August 7th, 1995 | Louisville Gardens in Louisville, Kentucky
Due to the ending of last week’s episode, the Tag Title match will be restarted here.
WWF Tag Team Championship
Owen Hart and Yokozuna (c) vs. Razor Ramon and Savio Vega
So wait. On this taping block, the fans saw the first title match and now this one right after. Was there any explanation given to them? What happened when Razor called for the Razor’s Edge? The world may never know. Anyway, Vince informs us that Gorilla Monsoon is the new President of the WWF. His first act was to change the Intercontinental Title match at SummerSlam. Now, HBK will defend against Razor in a Ladder match. Yokozuna surprises me by starting the match, but he doesn’t stay in long. Things move at a much less excited pace this time around. Part of it is the competitors and the other part is the crowd. Owen hits the enziguri that will eventually take out Shawn on Razor but he gets his foot on the bottom rope. Vince hypes a chinlock like it’s actually going to make Razor submit. He clearly survives and makes the hot tag. Despite this, Savio falls to the Samoan drop and leg drop from Yokozuna.
Winners and Still WWF Tag Team Champions: Owen Hart and Yokozuna in 12:13
While I liked the cool idea of the show going off the air last week, having the match again, in front of the same crowd, lessened it. It’s like all of the energy from the first time out was gone when they had to do it again. Nowhere near the first outing. **
Dean Douglas brings us the Report Card and gives Savio and Razor a bad grade.
Fatu vs. Tony DeVito
In like five years, this would be one half of ECW’s Da Baldies vs. Rikishi. Fatu wrestles in funky colors and keeps his skully on. Like his sons will do in the future, Fatu wins with a flying splash.
Winner: Fatu in 2:43
Decent enough for Fatu’s first match under this new character.
We have a special SummerSlam Report as Gorilla Monsoon gets involved. All he does is add the HBK/Razor Ladder match that was mentioned earlier. While there was no real angle leading into it, it really stood out on an otherwise drab card. Kama vs. Undertaker is also announced.
Kama w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Troy Haste
Who named this jobber? Kama takes issues with the “creatures of the night” at ringside again. It’s still a dumb angle. Sid calls in to complain about losing his IC Title match at SummerSlam. Surprisingly, Kama wins with a cross armbreaker.
Winner: Kama in 1:25
A short Kama match. That’s how I like it.
Next week, Shawn Michaels faces Jerry Lawler.
Non-Title Match
WWF Champion Diesel vs. Sir Mo
There is actually some back and forth to start which shocks me. Mo should get in no offense whatsoever. Once Diesel starts to really take control, King Mable waddles to the ring. He looks for a cheap shot but Shawn Michaels comes out to even the odds. Mo actually gets a near fall inside. Diesel makes the big babyface comeback and lays out Mo with the Jackknife.
Winner: Diesel in 6:54
This lasted too long and wasn’t one-sided enough. Usually I prefer competitive matches but it’s Mo. He deserves nothing. ¼*
The brawl goes on after the match. Diesel eats a clothesline from Mabel and Shawn Michaels attacks. He tries to dive out onto him but Mabel catches him and rams him into the ring post. Men on a Mission look to continue the assault but Diesel makes the save.
Overall: 4/10. The streak of good shows ends at two. The spirited tag team match from last time out gets redone in a much lesser fashion. The squash matches were kind of just there and the main event was very lame. Next time I do one of these, I’ll be including the premiere of Monday Nitro!
NJPW Power Struggle
November 5th, 2017 | EDION Arena in Osaka, Japan | Attendance: 5,480
David Finlay vs. Katsuya Kitamura
It’s your Kickoff match, presented by Mountain Dew Kickstart! I’m all for getting the chance to see a Young Lion in singles action, especially Kitamura. Finlay came in with a shoulder injury, which caused him to miss some of the tour. Like a moron, he went for a shoulder block and it backfired. He grounded Kitamura in an attempt to combat his huge size disadvantage. Kitamura chopped him into oblivion on several occasions, but Finlay survived. He scored with a Stunner to win in 5:32. It says something about Kitamura that when I see him, I expect him to win, even though Lions never do. This was a solid pre-show match. Nothing special, though I know they’d have done better with a healthy Finlay. [**½]
Post-match, former Young Lion Finlay helped Kitamura up and shook his hand.
Dragon Lee and Titan vs. The Young Bucks
Hey, it’s a truly fun junior tag team! Oh, and the Young Bucks were here too. The “Superkick” Tag Titles were always a dumb idea, but at least it worked when they had the ROH, IWGP and PWG Tag Titles. Now, they just have the ROH Six Man Titles and “Superkick” titles, so it looks lame. This got off to the quick start you’d suspect. Lee and Titan got to showcase some fine tandem offense. The Bucks worked the Sharpshooter for no real rhyme or reason again. Not surprising. Lee hit a rana on Nick to the outside, followed by Titan hitting an Asai moonsault onto everyone. Inside, another Titan moonsault was caught and then he got planted with the Indytaker. Nick applied the Sharpshooter and Matt added a Crossface to win with a move called the Cease and Desist in 7:18. Boy, everyone wearing a Bullet Club shirt out there must think that’s the coolest name for a finish ever. WAY TO STICK IT TO NEW YORK. The match was fine. It featured good exchanges and was fun outside of the usual antics.[**¾]
El Desperado, Taichi, TAKA Michinoku, Yoshinobu Kanemaru and Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Hirai Kawato, Juice Robinson, Jushin Thunder Liger, KUSHIDA and Tiger Mask IV
We got the typical Suzuki-Gun pre-match attack. They went after Liger and Tiger’s masks, while Sabre seemed focused on Juice’s dreads. I’m sure he’s jealous of the hair. Liger got worked over a bit until tagging Juice. He came in hot and battled Sabre. For those who forgot, they had a fun match in the G1 Special in USA. KUSHIDA locked TAKA in a Hoverboard Lock that Sabre broke by putting him in a submission. Things broke down, with KUSHIDA and Juice sending Kawato out to deliver a huge tope. KUSHIDA then made TAKA tap with the Hoverboard Lock in 5:19. I like that they kept the Suzuki-Gun bullshit to a minimum and gave us some fun moments involving Juice, Sabre, KUSHIDA and Kawato. With the Bucks and KUSHIDA picking up wins, it’s safe to say they’ll be back later to build WK12. [**¼]
Chase Owens, ROH World Champion Cody and Yujiro Takahashi vs. TenKoji and Togi Makabe
Hi, Mao. Tenzan refused to kiss Cody’s ring, setting up a Bullet Club jumping. How original. Tenzan took the heat segment for most of the match. He made the hot tag to Makabe, who was in “no bumps” mode. He got his shit in, laughed to the crowd, delivered ten corner punches and laughed some more. Chase mocked Kojima’s chops, so Kojima showed him how it’s done. You gotta love Kojima. Bread Club > Bullet Club. Chase continued to mock Makabe and Kojima, leading to Kojima beating him with a lariat in 8:11. TenKoji is always fun. That’s about it. Everyone else was lifeless and this screamed filler. [**]
Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament Finals: IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions Roppongi 3K w/ Rocky Romero vs. Super 69
Apparently, Taguchi and ACH are known as Super 69 because Super represents ACH, while Taguchi was the 69th Jr. Heavyweight Champion. I’ve seen mixed reviews on Roppongi 3K, which confuses me. Sure, they don’t look very comfortable in the gimmick yet, but they can go in the ring and, most importantly, they’re fresh in a division that is BEYOND STALE. There were some fun moments in the early stages, thanks to Taguchi’s usual brand of comedy. It didn’t last too long, because things picked up when the champs targeted ACH’s taped ribs. That lasted a bit before Taguchi got the hot tag. It’s not a spot I usually see him in, but he made it work. One of his dives outside nearly wiped out a cameraman. At least he got a good angle out of it. ACH got involved again and missed a frog splash, which just wrecked his already injured ribs. High risk, brother. Shortly after, Taguchi hit Dodon and ACH removed his rib tape before hitting Midnight Star. However, the damage was too much for him to cover instantly, and the pin was broken up. From there, Roppongi 3K went on quite the run. ACH fought valiantly, but they kicked his ass and hit their finish to become the first champions to ever win the tournament in 15:51. ACH sold the hell out of the ribs, which was the highlight. Roppongi 3K continue to look great, as well. This was laid out very well. [***½]
As expected, the Young Bucks came out after the match and issued a challenge for “their” titles. Rocky Romero accepted on behalf of his guys. So, that’s why the Bucks were left out of the tournament. In the end, they just HAVE to be in the title match in the Dome. I’d rather they team with a BC members and join the NEVER Six Man match at WK12, because at least it would be different. Like the WK11 Bucks/RPG Vice match, this doesn’t sound exciting in the least.
BUSHI, EVIL, Hiromu Takahashi, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito vs. Gedo, Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI
Knowing that Naito’s going to the US in February doesn’t give me hope for WK12. Ishii and EVIL started this with some hoss fighting. I’ll never not love that. LIDJ assaulted Chaos outside while Hiromu worked over Tacos in the ring. Naito slammed Okada on the aisle a few times. Things settled down a bit once the match got back to the ring. SANADA and Goto went at it in a battle of a guy who is the future and someone who feels way past his usefulness at this point. Okada’s hair is dyed black again, by the way. He and Naito got the tags to preview the Dome, but Naito just spat at him. They finally went at it, with the crowd eating it up. LIDJ eventually got involved to help Naito. BUSHI ended up as the legal man and was left alone with Okada. Bad move guys. We all know Gedo and BUSHI are in this match to eat the pins. Poor BUSHI. Everyone got some shine during a short moves buffet, before it came down to Okada and BUSHI again. I laugh at how Okada MUST get all his shit in. He can’t just win, he had to hit the Tombstone, elbow, Rainmaker pose, Tombstone on Naito and Rainmaker on BUSHI. At least he didn’t do the wrist hold spot. This went 12:07. It’s LIDJ/Chaos. It’s never bad. Lots of action, though not up to the level we’re used to from these units. [***¼]
An announcement was made about NJPW returning to the US in March for a show called Strong Style Evolved. It’ll take place in the Walter Pyramid in Long Beach, which is a bigger venue than their first US run. If the place is called Walter Pyramid, they need to book WALTER to squash the entire roster.
NEVER Openweight Championship Bullrope Match: Minoru Suzuki [c] vs. Toru Yano
I’ve never liked their feuds, but the cartoon themed video package for this was hella cool. Speaking of hair changes, Yano’s was back to his old blonder look from a few years back. The stipulation means that Yano can’t run away. Yano got in some cheap offense before being tied together. Once it became official, Minoru beat his ass outside, with some help from Desperado and Kanemaru. Can’t have a straight singles match involving Suzuki-Gun. At least one Chaos guy is a buddy, when Hirooki Goto ran out to fight off the ringside goons. With all that settled, Yano got in a bit of offense. Out came Takashi Iizuka for a distraction, turning the tide. For some reason, the interference was fine, but a chair shot wasn’t, so Suzuki just threw the referee aside. Iizuka missed the iron glove shot, leading to a Yano near fall. Suzuki eventually hit a Gotch piledriver to win in a LONG 15:21. In what world did giving them fifteen minutes sound like a good idea? It went too long, featured too much bullshit and felt like a big waste of time. [½*]
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Will Ospreay [c] vs. Marty Scurll
This rivalry has been quite great. I’ve seen them wrestle in PROGRESS (****½), Rev Pro (****¼), and the BOTSJ this year (***½), to name a few. Scurll has taken the ROH TV Title and PROGRESS Title from Ospreay in the past, so commentary hammered home how much he owns Will. They worked the opening exchanges at the expected wild pace we know from them. Scurll took a more deliberate pace and threw Ospreay into a bunch of chairs. Their history was evident when a slap exchange had smack talk peppered in. Ospreay countered Scurll’s “just kidding” spot, which might’ve been only the first or second time I’ve seen him do that. Scurll’s finger break spot will never not be cool. Ospreay had the Chicken Wing well scouted, until Scurll countered the Oscutter into it. That’s how things usually go between them, but Ospreay rolled through into a cradle. Scurll rolled into his own and stole the title in 17:28. Great That improved on their BOTSJ stuff. It was the best I’ve seen from Ospreay since that tournament final. Their counter wrestling was great and Scurll always having an answer for Will was spot on. The title change was surprising and got a great reaction. [***¾]
Out came KUSHIDA. He told Marty, “I wanna challenge you, mother fucker.” Ospreay told him to take his DeLorean and go to the back of the line. He also cursed, because that’s apparently cool. Hiromu joined up, but wore a helmet and put on gloves to avoid getting knocked out or having his finger snapped, which stopped him from challenging at two previous shows. Hiromu Takahashi is a treasure. He’s the best thing to happen to this division in so long. He issued his challenge Scurll got tired of this and agreed to face all three at the same time. Looks like another Tokyo Dome match is set.
IWGP United States Heavyweight Championship: Kenny Omega [c] w/ The Young Bucks vs. Baretta
Look at Trent moving up in the world. I know he worked Yujiro at a recent show, but this is the big test for him. Omega treated him like he didn’t belong, slapping his head and talking trash. The action spilled outside, where Baretta was suplexed onto the back of a table. It looked painful as hell. Kenny added a double stomp onto the table, complete with a The Shining like “HERE’S KENNY” through the broken part of the table. Kenny was more vicious and aggressive than usual here. Baretta fought back with a sweet sliding German, but his apron piledriver got countered into a wild backdrop spot. He got it to work on his second attempt, but he follow-up dive saw him crash through the remains on the table used earlier. It was cool of them to bring it back into play. Baretta continued to show heart, beating the countout just before 20. Baretta survived more punishment and nailed the Dudebuster, but was too hurt to cover instantly and Kenny kicked out. Omega hit the reverse rana and used a lackadaisical pin that Baretta turned into his own pin, causing a near fall that harkened back to the previous match. A pissed Omega hit a V-Trigger and One Winged Angel to retain in 21:23. One hell of a match. Omega was the overconfident champ who underestimated his opponent, which is a story that almost always works with the right talents. Baretta showed a ton of fire and played the underdog so well. Kenny is on quite the roll right now and he helped solidify Baretta tonight. [****]
Don Callis gushed over how there was nobody left for Kenny to beat. Kenny got on the microphone and put over Baretta, welcoming him to the heavyweight division. He said this is the time of the show when whoever is challenging him for the Tokyo Dome makes it known. He called out anyone, but got no takers. Kenny spoke in Japanese and signed off, before the lights went out. A countdown appeared on the screen and “Judas” began playing. IT’S CHRIS JERICHO! On the screen, he held a phot of Kenny Omega and ripped it up, before saying he’s the best in the world, not Kenny. He said people claimed others were the best, like Edge, Shawn Michaels and CM Punk, but he’s the alpha of the business. He wants to prove it against the Omega. Jericho challenged Kenny to a match at Wrestle Kingdom 12. The crowd went nuts and Kenny accepted. I must give Gedo, a typically predictable booker, credit for this curveball. We all expected Ibushi/Omega in the Dome. To be fair, I’d prefer Ibushi/Omega there because of their history and think Omega/Jericho would’ve been a fantastic main event for their next US show, but I’m all for this match.
IWGP Intercontinental Championship: Hiroshi Tanahashi [c] vs. Kota Ibushi
Tanahashi beat Ibushi in the G1 25, while Ibushi beat him in this year’s G1 27 (both ****¼). Tanahashi worked this at a deliberately slow pace. It was smart, as it helped he crowd calm down a bit from the Jericho video. Tanahashi went after the leg, taking out some of Ibushi’s best offense, while also attacking the neck, which Ibushi injured a while back. Ibushi shrugged off the leg work to hit he Golden Triangle moonsault and a double stomp. Tanahashi refused to let that go, coming back with more dragon screws. He applied the Cloverleaf that won him the title back in June. Kota survived, but each time he got something going, Tanahashi went back to the dragon screw. Tanahashi hit High Fly Flow to the outside, taking his first risk of the night. Ibushi began his comeback and nearly murdered Tanahashi with the lawn dart. The slow motion replay is gruesome. Both guys missed their top rope finishers, leading to a brutal slap exchange. It got way more physical than you’d expect. In one of my favorite moments, Ibushi kicked the shit out of Tana in the corner and Red Shoes was giving him the five count, so Ibushi held his arm up, stopping him from counting to five, all while continuing to kick the fuck out of the champ. When the Last Ride wasn’t enough, Ibushi wanted the Kamigoya knee that won their G1 match. Tana countered into a slingblade, before getting two on a dragon suplex. Two High Fly Flows kept Ibushi down at 29:26. Excellent match and the best NJPW has put on since the G1. Tanahashi came in with a masterful game plan. Ibushi was awesome for the most part, though he could’ve sold the leg better. Still, he’s one of the best on the planet. I love how, in a world with Okada breaking records and Omega getting loads of praise, Tanahashi can still go out and remind you of how great he is. Tremendous intensity and the right amount of heel moments from both. It never felt like it went long and was expertly laid out. [****½]
Tanahashi and Ibushi embraced after the match. Tanahashi was left alone for the show closing promo and air guitar solo. The lights went out and we got the reveal of “switchblade.” Thank god it wasn’t Sami Callihan. Instead, we were treated to the returning Jay White, back from excursion. I’m so happy he’s done with ROH. He told Tanahashi he would take his “kingdom” at Wrestle Kingdom and they went at it. White laid him out and left his knife necklace on Tanahashi’s body. This is huge for White, who was a Young Lion about two years ago and is now slated to face Hiroshi Freaking Tanahashi in the Tokyo Dome.
Overall: 7.5/10. I didn’t expect much from Power Struggle, but it was a strong show. The undercard stuff was nothing special, as usual, though it setup victories for the guys who needed it. Nothing on the undercard was flat out bad either. The Super Jr. Tag Tournament Finals were very good and LIDJ/Chaos always delivers. The NEVER Title match was total shit and is an easy skip. The last three matches delivered in spades, with the last two being some of the best work from those four this year. Most importantly, it set the stage for Wrestle Kingdom and opened doors for some very interesting matches, mostly due to the Jericho and White segments.
PROGRESS Chapter 56: La Danse Macabre
October 29th, 2017 | Electric Ballroom in Camden, Greater London | Attendance: 700
Whenever a new PROGRESS show drops, I get crazy happy. I mean that about every single show and no other company makes me feel quite like that. It’s great.
PROGRESS changed their opening video about piracy. It has an 80s vibe now. Jim Smallman opened with an introduction and round of applause for the recently passed Owen Davies. He then left the microphone in the ring for the arrival of British Strong Style. For those who forgot, BSS lost their titles at Chapter 55. Pete Dunne noted a few of the messed up things he’s done in the past year, but also said he was proud of some of it, like getting 16,000 people in Chicago to chant “This is PROGRESS.” He said his time in the UK going forward was uncertain and he thanked the fans for the past year. The Grizzled Young Vets showed up and spat at BSS, before Tyler Bate and Trent Seven ran them off. Dunne was then attacked by Joseph Conners to a completely lackluster reaction. That went over like a wet fart.
Aussie Open and Omari vs. Connor Mills and Never Say Die
Aussie Open consists of Kyle Fletcher and Mark Davis, while Never Say Die is Alex Cupid and Dillon D’Angelo. I don’t believe I’ve seen anyone in this match, except Omari, who I saw on a Lucha Forever show. After some fast paced exchanges to start, Mark Davis got tagged. He was the big man of the match and had a fun spot where he did a high five that hurt the hell out of D’Angelo. Fletcher took the heat for a while, until making the tag to Omari, who was the most over guy in the match. Davis impressed again with a one handed powerbomb while using his other arm to hold another opponent. Mills showed of an impressive suplex into a kick combo, before getting destroyed by the other team. Omari and Fletcher hit some nice dives, leaving Davis to end Mills with a sick piledriver in 10:48. I enjoyed what I saw from Aussie Open and Omari. The other team didn’t look as good, but still had some nice moments. A few spots didn’t come off to well early on. Still, this was a fun opener to showcase new talent. [***]
Strangler Davis vs. Timothy Thatcher
PIRATE THATCHER! Yes, he wore an eyepatch. I’ve soured on Tim since 2015 and I haven’t gotten into the Strangler Davis stuff, so I didn’t have high hopes here. Strangler wisely went after the eye. He had issues when Thatcher took him to the mat, so he went to a headbutt to that eye. That just fired up Thatcher to wail on him with body shots. Strangler took control for a while, until Thatcher busted out a cross body and belly to belly suplex. Not exactly the kind of offense I expect from him. Things picked up there, with a cool spot where Strangler snapped the top rope into Thatcher’s eye. Strangler eventually used a low blow and applied the Stranglehold. The referee called for the bell as Thatcher couldn’t defend himself at 14:04. The idea behind the match wasn’t bad and neither was a lot of the execution. It just never got very interesting. Davis was dull on offense and, though Thatcher had some solid moments, this never got going. The crowd not caring didn’t help. [**]
PROGRESS Tag Team Champion Chris Brookes and Jimmy Havoc w/ Kid Lykos vs. The Grizzled Young Vets
This was scheduled to be a title match, but Kid Lykos was out with a broken wrist. Brookes’ replacement partner was Jimmy Havoc, though the titles wouldn’t be on the line. Gibson tried cutting an angry promo about it, but Havoc shut him up with a shot and that got the match started. Brookes and Havoc performed a rather gross double wet willy spot on Drake. Havoc still had some wounds from Chapter 55 (I think that’s where they were from) and they became the target of the Young Vets. He was isolated until causing Drake to hit Gibson. Havoc put on a Lykos mask, leading to a “Jimmy Lykos” chant, which set up some #CCK “sick tag moves.” With Drake in danger of losing, Gibson pulled the referee out to save the match. Brookes got hit with a Doomsday Device, so Lykos pulled the ref out. They went after Lykos, but Havoc made the save, only to get sandwiched by forearms. Gibson caught Lykos and wrenched away at his broken wrist. Havoc tried to save him again, but accidentally hit him. Brookes checked on his buddy, leaving Havoc to fall to the Ticket to Mayhem in 11:00. I liked this. They didn’t go with traditional tag formula, yet still had a very fun match with some good spots. They utilized Lykos well and made it so Havoc taking the pin didn’t make him or #CCK look bad. [***¼]
PROGRESS Atlas Championship: WALTER [c] w/ Timothy Thatcher vs. Wolfgang
BIG LADS WRESTLING. Wolfgang made his debut at Chapter 55 and set his sights on WALTER, setting the stage for this match. As expected, these guys hit each other hard. Wolfgang made the mistake of chopping WALTER, as the champion responded with brutal ones of his own. Wolfgang did manage to throw WALTER around on more than one occasion. WALTER did his own big toss with a super butterfly suplex that caused commentary to bring up the time he was involved in the PROGRESS ring breaking. There was a great spot where Wolfgang did a swanton onto the back of a hunched over WALTER. He went to the aerial well one time too many, as WALTER blocked a moonsault. He then threw in a dropkick and powerbomb to retain in 10:49. A very good way for Wolfgang to debut. He looked good in defeat and got the crowd behind him a bit, despite being against a popular new champion. WALTER is always awesome and I hope he remains champ for a long time. This is basically the floor in terms of ratings for Atlas Title matches in 2017. [***½]
Wolfgang got a standing ovation as he left. I like him as an addition to the PROGRESS roster.
Mustache Mountain vs. Sexy Starr
Sexy Starr consisted of David Starr and Jack Sexsmith. Due to their team name, Starr tried putting Smallman in a shoot armbar. Gotta love it. Seven and Bate played faces during their entrance and seemed to be having fun. Speaking of fun, that’s just what this match was. Sexsmith and Starr played well off each other, while Bate and Seven were game for wacky antics. Things picked up when Sexsmith chopped Seven to no effect, then got wrecked with Seven’s chops. Starr got a tag and ran wild, which the crowd ate up. Mustache Mountain continued to show their great chemistry and fantastic tandem offense. It’s between them, Authors of Pain and Usos for Tag Team of the Year. The Sexy Starr tandem went for superplexes but Mustache Mountain fought free. Sexsmith was sent outside and Starr was beaten by a Burning Hammer and Tyler Driver ’97 in 13:50. This was some good old fashioned fun. I like the Sexsmith/Starr combo and a babyface run for Mustache Mountain will be a fresh chance of pace. [***]
Post-match, both teams posed and raised each other’s hands. After that show of respect (and a four-way kiss), Bate and Seven left. Sexsmith tried cutting a promo, but was interrupted by Mark Haskins’ music. His wife Vicki stepped onto the stage, carrying a spiked bat. Mark came in from behind the team and attacked them with a steel chair. Jimmy Havoc arrived with a chair of his own. Instead of attacking his rival, he took the spiked bat and hit Sexsmith! Starr laid on Sexsmith to protect him, so he got hit in the back with the bat. I loved that angle. Havoc and Haskins both failed in big matches this year, before having an awesome match against one another. That led two frustrated guys here, and with BSS done as top heels, they can slide into that role perfectly.
PROGRESS Women’s Championship: Toni Storm [c] vs. Charli Evans
Evans earned this title shot on the Revelations of Divine Love show earlier this month. She faced the same uphill battle that Wolfgang did, where they’re a new entity to PROGRESS facing a popular champion. Dahlia Black joined commentary for this. Evans showed some fire early, until a headbutt took her down. Toni held serve outside, though bit off more than she could chew when attempting a hip attack. Evans moved and Toni crashed into a sea of chairs. Evans utilized the Cattle Mutilation, but it didn’t look too crisp. Toni survived and went into a flurry of offense. She weathered one more short Evans run and hit a German, followed by the Strong Zero to retain in 10:34. Evans showed a lot of fire and got some of the crowd behind her. She looked good, which was the key to the match. She should be back. Though the outcome was obvious, they never did anything to make me believe, even for a second, that Evans could pull it off. [**¾]
PROGRESS World Championship: Travis Banks [c] vs. Keith Lee
Back in July, at “Fate Loves the Fearless” (Chapter 53), Lee beat Banks. Due to that, Lee came in as confident as ever, playing to the crowd and looking in complete control. Banks resorted to sticking and moving. He went for a dive, but Lee reminded him how he caught him at Chapter 53. Banks wisely got in a shot to stun him, before firing off three consecutive tope suicidas. Smart. Despite things like that, Lee could just use his power to turn the tide back around. Banks managed to get in a series of double chops that truly hurt Lee, but all it took was a few from Lee to make Banks’ chest bleed. Banks fired up, but Lee hit all sorts of chops and headbutts to cut him back down. A Spirit Bomb got two and the fans bit on it. A second Spirit Bomb a few minutes later still wasn’t enough. Banks escaped a third Spirit Bomb and hit the Slice of Heaven. Another dropped Lee to a knee, but he still wasn’t out of it. Banks ended up on Lee’s back and rained elbows down on him. A bunch of kicks to the head left Lee dazed, allowing Banks to retain via an impressive Kiwi Krusher in 19:38. This ruled. They built upon what was set up in their first match and it was an improvement. I dug the story of Banks being kind of tentative early, not wanting to make a mistake and lose in his first defense. Then, he had to bring everything he had to finally win. His “never say die” attitude was great against the dominant Lee. [****]
Overall: 7/10. A strong reset for PROGRESS. With a lot of angles being capped at Chapter 55, this put us in a new direction. They set up the awesome Haskins/Havoc pairing, turned Mustache Mountain face, debuted several new people and set their champions on new paths. All the matches are at least pretty good (though Thatcher/Strangler is nowhere near required viewing) and the main event was great. I’m intrigued by the new direction of PROGRESS.
