NJPW Destruction in Tokyo
September 17th, 2016 | Ota City Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
This morning, New Japan held the first of three Destruction events. Though my interest in the company has gone down significantly lately, I’m hoping for these cards to deliver better than they look on paper.
Roppongi Vice def. David Finlay and Henare in 5:56
Henare is a new young boy. He lost to Finlay, who has moved up a bit with new gear and such, on the “Road to Destruction” show. Finlay even got a pop when he was tagged in. He and Rocky had a good back and forth. Their Best of the Super Juniors match this year was pretty damn good. Finlay was his usual good self and Henare looked alright before falling to the Dudebuster. Nothing much to write about here. It was a decent little opener that got the young guys some shine and a win for RPG Vice. I still just wish there was more for the NJPW tag division. Every team just seems to be biding team until their next random title reign that means nothing. **
Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata def. Captain New Japan and YOSHITATSU in 6:30
The Bullet Club hunters team up…to not face the Bullet Club. At least they continued the story of YOSHITATSU being irritated with CNJ. He made sure to start the match and didn’t even like him side by side cosplaying Triple H with him. YOSHI did a decent job of hanging with Nagata early, but CNJ got the tag and took an ass kicking from Manabu. CNJ scored a few flash pin near falls on Nagata but nobody really believed it would end that way. Nagata and Nakanishi hit a rather ugly double team move before Nagata won with an exploder. A nothing match that was there to get these guys on the card. *
Jushin Thunder Liger and TenKoji def. Great Bash Heel and Tiger Mask IV in 8:53
I expected this to be fun. I really like four of the guys in this match. Liger continues to defeat Father Time, as he might have looked the best out of everyone in this match. Tiger Mask took the heat for his guys for the most part. Makabe got the hot tag and did his usual thing. He does have one of the best laughs in wrestling. “A HA HA!” Honma did his thing too, which was to miss Kokeshi. Of course, he recovered and ended up hitting it. TenKoji was held off while Honma hit the top rope Kokeshi on Liger for the win. As I expected, this was a relatively fun six man tag. I wish the crowd was more into it, but everyone did their part. **¾
Gedo, Hirooki Goto and Tomohiro Ishii def. Chase Owens and The Guerillas of Destiny in 11:05
Look, it’s bad enough that the tired ass Bullet Club/Chaos feud is back on, but must we be subjected to this? The crowd rightfully didn’t give a shit about the BC scrub trio. Mainly due to the BC team, I couldn’t really get into this. Goto is good, Ishii is one of the best and Gedo can be hilarious at times, but there was just nothing coming from the Bullet Club team. I don’t believe I’ve ever heard a crowd this quiet for an Ishii match. Anyway, it was Ishii that got the win for Chaos in a match that was really kind of just there. **¼
Kyle O’Reilly def. Juice Robinson in 12:55
Considering my love for O’Reilly and the fact that Juice has been good lately, I came in pretty excited for this. Juice was smart early on, avoiding the mat game. He went for a sunset flip that O’Reilly turned into an armbar, but he quickly reached the ropes. Everything O’Reilly did was just so smooth. His transition from a back suplex into a leg lock was great. Juice came back with his solid spinebuster (about a 6/10 on an Anderson scale). Juice nailed a plancha, but O’Reilly retaliated with a brutal knee to the face. Kyle worked a choke into an exploder and slapped on a triangle choke. Juice countered by powering up into a powerbomb for a near fall. Kyle hit the brainbuster and turned the kick out into an arm bar, while also grabbing the leg, for the win. Really good match. The best I’ve seen from Juice. He sold well, had good fire and looked good in defeat. Kyle continued to show that he’s one of the best around and is the best wrestler on the ROH roster in my opinion. I love the news that he’s moving to the heavyweight division. ***½
After intermission, another Time Bomb vignette aired. I suspect the reveal will come at Power Struggle in November.
IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Will Ospreay and YOSHI-HASHI def. Bad Luck Fale, Kenny Omega and Yujiro Takahashi in 11:31
Yujiro came out with four ladies and has added a pimp cane and hate to his ensemble. Easily the most I’ve ever liked him. To avoid an attack from Fale, the ring announcer did the intros from a table at ringside and was still run off. As always, the Bullet Club attacked before the bell to get the jump on Chaos. It isn’t anything you’ve never seen before. This was exactly what you’d expect. They previewed Omega vs. YOSHI and Fale vs. Okada. Takahashi was kind of just there and Will Ospreay was given plenty of time to strut his stuff. Though he has a big match coming up, YOSHI took most of the beating throughout this match. It was clear who was going to eat the pin in this one as Takahashi lost to YOSHI’s Karma. Not bad, but nothing to write home about. The Bullet Club/Chaos feud again underwhelms.**½
Bad Luck Fale teased taking out Okada with a Bad Luck Fall outside but it was broken up. I did get a chuckle out of Omega taking one of Yujiro’s girls to the back and saying “let’s celebrate glorious defeat.”
EVIL, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin and Ryusuke Taguchi in 13:11
Taguchi came out wearing half a skull mask and a bat to poke fun at SANADA. I appreciate that though Tanahashi is the bigger star, his teams have come out to Elgin’s theme on recent shows. Elgin got to showcase his awesome power in the early stages. Los Ingobernables de Japon found an opening when they went after Elgin’s leg. They attacked it often and I hope it comes into play during the upcoming Intercontinental Title match. The hot tag was cut off a few times, building good tension. Tanahashi eventually got it and did his thing. Taguchi came in a little while after with ass based offense. His take on Nagata’s armbar was pretty funny. SANADA would make him tap out to end things. Naito continued the attack on Elgin’s leg after the bell. Fun match that was entertaining and built towards the upcoming IC Title match well. ***¼
NEVER Openweight Championship: Katsuyori Shibata (c) def. ROH Television Champion Bobby Fish in 16:48
This is easily the most interesting matchup on this show. Hell, of the three shows it pretty much is. Both guys looked for an opening and had each other’s strikes well scouted. Shibata worked a figure four and Fish applied a knee bar. Fish got aggressive and tossed Shibata into the guardrail. It made sense since Shibata has been nursing a back injury. Fish’s focus was the knee though, looking up set a submission later on. Shibata did his thing where he takes kicks and asks for more punishment. It looked like Shibata was coming back, but Fish was ready with a leg submission. Shibata popped up from a backdrop suplex and hit a German, followed by the PK, but was too hurt to cover instantly. Fish countered the next PK attempt and caught his bad leg into the heel hook. Shibata’s fight led to really good drama. He then did yet another sickening sounding headbutt spot that busted him open the hard way. He slapped on the sleeper and hit the PK to retain. Great work from both men. It had fire, aggression and made you feel like Fish badly wanted the title and that he had a chance. Despite the injuries, Shibata continues to be one of NJPW’s MVPs (alone with Naito and Ishii). ****
After the match, Shibata and Kyle O’Reilly went face to face, seemingly setting up a future match. That one match has me more excited than anything else in NJPW. More than Naito/Elgin, more than finding out who the new LIDJ member is and way more than their current WK 11 main event.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: BUSHI def. KUSHIDA (c) in 20:59
The mysterious new LIDJ member came out first. Then we got PIMP BUSHI in all white. BUSHI did his best Tetsuya Naito impersonation by nonchalantly posing after teasing a dive outside. A dropkick with a chair outside allowed BUSHI to take control and wear down KUSHIDA. One thing I disliked was BUSHI doing a middle rope dropkick. If he’s in that position, why wouldn’t he just go for MX instead? However, I liked him choking KUSHIDA with his shirt. Classic heel stuff. KUSHIDA rallied, but accidentally took out Red Shoes. With the referee down, BUSHI spit the mist and out came Tetsuya Naito to lend a hand. They beat up KUSHIDA until Big Mike showed up to make the save. Elgin sold the leg as he fought Naito to the back. KUSHIDA and BUSHI traded big blows and eventually, the Hoverboard Lock got applied. BUSHI countered into a small package for two before eating a huge right hand. BUSHI got more near falls on a Canadian Destroyer and MX. Undeterred, BUSHI hit a second MX and got the surprising win. I did not expect this, but I’m glad the title change went to BUSHI and not Will Ospreay like it seemed. This was good, with the right amount of interference, but a notch below their first two matches this year. ***½
They should put the Tag Titles on EVIL and SANADA, since they’re more interesting than every team in NJPW combined. Then give Naito back his Heavyweight Title and let LIDJ run wild the way the Bullet Club used to. They’re far better, fresh and more entertaining.
Overall: 6.5/10. About what I expected from this show. A lot of the undercard leaves a lot to be desired. Most of the tags are ho-hum, with only the Los Ingobernables de Japon one being really fun. The Bullet Club vs. Chaos stuff just isn’t interesting at all. O’Reilly and Juice had a strong match and the main event was good with a surprising title change. The match of the night is Shibata/Fish though and it set up Shibata/O’Reilly, which is up there with the NOAH/NJPW feud as the most interesting thing the company has going.
AAW Cero Miedo
September 1st, 2016 | Berwyn Eagles Club in Berwyn, Illinois
I’ve never watched an AAW show before. It’s a promotion that I’ve wanted to get into but haven’t had the time. Finally, I decided to dive in with a pretty show considering it has the last AAW match of NXT star Tommaso Ciampa, as well as a stacked list of talent that includes Pentagon Jr., Fenix, Chris Hero and many others. The show takes place in Berwyn, Illinois in a building that I’ve seen many times on SHIMMER events.
The show opens with a shot of the long line outside of the Eagles Club. Two guys, who I only assume are the commentary team, welcomed the fans to the show. Chris Hero came out to interrupt and announce that his scheduled opponent for the night, Tommy End, is unable to make it to the arena. He put Tommy over and issued an open challenge. Drew Galloway walked out to answer and a new match was set for later.
Outside of Galloway/Hero and the main event, no other match is announced so the people coming out get an even better reaction.
David Crist w/ JT Davidson def. DJ Z in 7:46
DJ Z cut a promo in the back about 2016 being his year. Crist came out of the blocks with a boot instantly. As DJ Z fired up, Crist went under the ring to avoid a dive and came around the opposite side to kick DJ Z. Davidson go tin a cheap shot outside to help Crist out. Crist tried the “go under the ring” spot again, so DJ Z was ready and sent him outside before following with a somersault dive. Crist came back with an awesome tornado DDT on the apron variation that I’ve never seen before. A springboard cutter got him the win. I thought this was a good opener, featuring strong performances from both men ***
Colt Cabana def. Shigehiro Irie in 9:44
I’ve never seen Irie. He’s pretty over and one thick son of a gun. Cabana had his usual fun. He slapped Irie at one point and apologized. He offered a slap back but Irie rolled him up instead for two. Cabana delivered some loud chops but they had little to no effect on the thick boy. Irie came close on a big lariat and a whoopee cushion. However, Cabana escaped that before hitting an elbow and going into an interesting pinning combination to win. Decent little match that was seemingly here to be a lighthearted part of the card. **
Michael Elgin def. Cedric Alexander in 15:53
Okay, this one piqued my interest the second I saw the guys come out. Commentary straight up said “this could have happened in Ring of Honor, but they are MORONS!” Ouch. Early on, they had some fun with a battle of seeing who was in better shape, with Cedric talking about his abs and Mike bringing up his muscles and “dumper”. Yes, there was a “dumper” chant. Once they got down to the action, the action was really good. Elgin showed off his power with a nice powerslam and stalling suplex, while Alexander used his athleticism on a dive outside and springboard tornado DDT. Elgin murdered him with two badass lariats but only got near falls, including one for only a one count. Elgin nailed the buckle bomb, but Cedric came out with a high knee only to eat a sick spinning back fist. Just insane back and forth. Alexander still came back from that with a brainbuster right into the Lumbar Check for a fantastic false finish. Alexander had a top rope rana countered into a super bomb. Elgin followed that with a Buckle Bomb and Elgin Bomb, but Cedric still somehow got a shoulder up! Finally, it took a Burning Hammer to keep Alexander down. A tremendous match that was far better than I ever expected. No need for any underlying story here. It was just two guys trying to prove who the better man was. Insane closing stretch to cap a great match featuring two guys in the midst of the best stretches of their careers. ****¼
After the match, Michael Elgin put Cedric Alexander over as one of the best he’s ever been in the ring with. He said the cream rises to the top and the fans alternated “thank you Cedric/you deserve it” chants as he heads off to the WWE.
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Silas Young in 12:47
Apparently, Young is a former two-time AAW Champion. He came out to “Don’t Stop Believing”, which I remember him using before he became the serious “last real man in wrestling” character. His pre-match promo, which ended with “let’s see how technical you are when I’m kicking the shit out of you” is good old fashioned heel work. Sabre spent the first few minutes just bending and twisting Silas in strange ways. It’s a staple of Sabre matches. Silas started to come back with some manly offense. Sabre targeted the knee for the most part, which Silas did a good job of selling. To cap off the back and forth, Sabre applied a Liontamer variation and made Silas tap out. Another good match. Smart limb work and things clicked well. ***¼
Pentagon Jr. cut a promo about the main event in the back. He’s a fantastic promo despite not speaking English.
Fenix def. Sami Callihan w/ David Crist and JT Davidson via disqualification in 12:36
Sami Callihan wore a Pentagon Jr. mask to the ring, since it was Pentagon who took the AAW Title from him. Here he took on Pentagon’s real life brother, Fenix. Callihan played the completely disrespectful dick heel and kept going for Fenix’s mask. Fenix took out all three men outside with a somersault off the top. Someone in the crowd kept blowing an annoying horn that hurt the overall enjoyment of this at times. Callihan took over and was really aggressive with Fenix. Of course, Fenix’s rally saw him bust out the high impact offense, including a near fall on a springboard rana. A highlight came when Fenix hit a rolling cutter on the apron. The closing stretch was good and the finish saw Fenix nail a 450 splash. Callihan pulled his mask completely off and got disqualified. Probably my favorite work form Sami this year, but that isn’t saying much since his second indy run has been shit. He played the asshole great on this night though. ***¼
Pentagon Jr. ran out with a new mask for his brother and they forced Sami to exit. In the back, both Michael Elgin and Silas Young cut promos in the back.
Chris Hero def. Drew Galloway in 17:37
This is Drew Galloway’s AAW debut. Two of the biggest brutes on the indies went to chain wrestling early on and it was good. Once they graduated to chops, you could hear them echo throughout the building. Hero even had to walk off a few of them. Hero pulled out the BIG BOY SENTON! The rest of this match just saw these two beat the shit out of each other. At one point, Galloway tossed Hero from the top while hanging upside down, which was impressive considering the size of both men. Hero survived a fair amount here, including kicking out of the Future Shock DDT and a snap Piledriver. To end a hard hitting war, Hero nailed five elbow variations and kept Galloway down. Commentary hyped it up as the sixth straight AAW win for Hero. My kind of match. I’ve come to really enjoy it when two guys just fuck each other up. ***¾
AAW Heavyweight Championship: Pentagon Jr. (c) def. Tommaso Ciampa in 13:02
The crowd sung along to “Psycho Killer”, which is Tommaso Ciampa’s theme song and it was awesome. They really liked Pentagon but they were way behind Tommaso. The atmosphere was great and these guys added to it when Ciampa flipped him the bird and Pentagon responded with “Cero Miedo”. Ciampa came out of the blocks hot, looking to win the title that has eluded him for over a year. He beat up Pentagon outside of the ring, punctuated by a big running knee. Once back inside, things became more even as neither guy was able to gain a clear advantage. Ciampa countered a package Piledriver into an armbar somehow. He got two on a second rope air raid crash and started to show his frustration. He blocked Pentagon’s Canadian (or Mexican) Destroyer and hit one of his own, followed by a running knee that still somehow only got two. Ciampa kicked out of a package Piledriver, but then Pentagon hit him with his own Project Ciampa move and retained the gold. Great match. They knew they had a relatively short time and did a lot with it. Ciampa looked desperate to win the title but couldn’t get past the greatness that was Pentagon Jr. ***¾
After the match, Pentagon got on the mic and said that he respected him and put him over before hugging him and leaving. Ciampa cut a passionate promo after Pentagon left about how the past year was his last shot. He and his wife discussed him leaving the business if he didn’t make it, but now he has. He brought in a kid to the ring, who was apparently his biggest fan, and gave him his entrance mask. The locker room emptied for a “Psycho Killer” sing along.
Overall: 8/10. A really good choice for my first AAW show. The only thing that I would consider a skip on this show is the Cabana match. Everything else gets at least three stars and the final few matches all deliver. The main event had a big fight feel for sure. Though I’m not a big Callihan fan, his angle came off well, There is an insane collection of talent on this card and most guys bring their “A” game. If you have to only one watch match, make it the excellent Alexander/Elgin one but you can’t really go wrong here.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic
September 14th, 2016 | Full Sail University in Winter Park, Florida
After nine weeks, we've reached the two hour live finale. The Semis and Finals are tonight, and the final four is Kota Ibushi (Japan), Gran Metalik (Mexico), TJ Perkins (Philippines) and Zack Sabre Jr. (England).
As usual, Daniel Bryan and Mauro Rannalo are your commentary team.
The video package they show to chronicle the four finalists and their runs to tonight is fantastic.
Semi-Finals: Gran Metalik def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 13:12
The crowd was hot for both guys. Metalik started with an instant dropkick, tope con hilo and a somersault for a quick close call. Once Sabre weathered that storm, he took things to his wheelhouse, the mat. Not to be outdone though, Metalik worked a submission of his own. He slipped up on a handspring back elbow, but recovered nicely so it was barely noticeable. I really liked that, for all of his mat stuff, Sabre brought the stiff shots here and it helped things out. Metalik scored on a standing shooting star press for two. There were some top notch counters and transitions from both men throughout this. As the match progressed, their strikes seemed to get more vicious. Sabre hit his best PK of the tourney, with another Shibata reference from Mauro, but only got a near fall. Metalik ended up nailing an insane super rana but then springboarded right into a triangle submission from Sabre. Metalik countered into a pin for two. Sabre charged but ran right into the Metalik Driver for three. Awesome way to start this off. There was worry the styles would clash, but they gelled well. This was non-stop action from bell to bell. Metalik did a good job in showing that he could play Zack's game and an annoyed Zack started becoming more vicious as things progressed. One of the best tournament matches. ****
Gran Metalik was handed a medal for making it to the finals. Charlie came into interview him with Andrea translating. Metalik just basically thanked the fans.
They hyped the cruiserweights coming to Raw this Monday.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa get interviewed in the back. They're together for the first time since TakeOver. Gargano said they are healthy and ready to get back on track. Ciampa mentions that their opponents tonight are Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar. They end the promo by reminding everyone that they're coming for the Revival and the Tag Team Titles.
Semi-FInals: TJ Perkins def. Kota Ibushi in 14:50
My two favorite guys in the entire tournament. TJ Perkins is the only guy to get booed so far. Early on Perkins showed that he was ready by becoming the first person to check a Kota kick. He clearly did his homework. TJ also caught a kick and went for the kneebar, but Ibushi escaped. TJ didn't even dab at his usual spot because this match is too important. Ibushi hit a springboard dropkick but TJ stopped the triangle moonsault with a kick to the legs that almost got him a countout win. Ibushi found an opening and hit the big golden triangle moonsault on his second attempt. That led to some Ibushi fire until TJ got his knees up on a moonsault and locked in the kneebar, but Ibushi reached the ropes. Ibushi snapped off a German and nearly kicked Perkins out of the ring. TJ blocked the apron dead lift German but took a big pele kick that knocked him off the top. TJ hit an insane tornado DDT to counter the powerbomb and inverted lung blower for one of the closest near falls. Ibushi went for another pele but TJ caught it into the kneebar! Ibushi countered that and they slapped the hell out of each other. After a kick, Ibushi hit the Golden Star Bomb but TJ became the first guy to kick out of that! The reaction from the crowd was magnificent. Ibushi crashed and burned on the Phoenix Splash. TJ went for a wheelbarrow into the kneebar but Ibushi stopped his momentum and dropped him on his hear for another near fall. He kicked the shit out of TJ and called for the pwoerbomb but TJ slipped over into the kneebar again! Kota tried getting up but he locked it in and added the wrenching of Kota's surgically repaired neck to make him tap. Wow. I've seen a ton of wrestling in 2016 and that is my favorite. TJ came in with a game plan and it worked to pull off the massive upset. The crowd was into it from the start. They sold well. The near falls and close calls were perfect. Kota has been the MVP of the tournament but a star was born in TJ Perkins tonight. An incredible match. I can't say enough. *****
Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar got interviewed about their game plan. Dar said that the plan is to be on the same page for a 1-2-3. Alexander doesn't think that beating DIY would be an upset and they're gonna show the world.
Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa def. Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar in 9:47
Right from the start, you could tell that this would be a fast paced match. Gargano and Dar did some mat work before Alexander took out Ciampa with a tope con hilo and flatliner for two. Ciampa got Dar on his shoulders outside and Gargano superkicked him from the apron. He launched himself inside with a spear onto Cedric. Cedric busted out his fantastic Michinoku Driver for a near fall. Honestly, this was way too fast to give play by play or anything close to it. Just wall to wall action. I need to see more of this Noam from the past two shows. He had his taunt cut off again and worked a kneebar on Gargano but Ciampa brutally broke it up. In the end, #DIY started delivering kicks before pinning Dar after the superkick/knee strike combo. Good chaotic match. ***1/4
William Regal joined Mauro and Bryan to discuss the cruiserweight division.
Before the main event started, Triple H came out. He entered the ring with the two competitors and announced that the winner doesn't just get the trophy. They also become the first Cruiserweight Champion over on Raw.
Finals: TJ Perkins def. Gran Metalik in 17:48
Like in the semi-finals, Perkins didn't do any dabbing. This was a serious match on a serious night of wrestling with high stakes. Perkins did his best to ground Metalik, so the Mexican star responded with some hard chops and a tope suicida. Both guys brought the big spots, especially Metalik with his dives. He hurdled the top rope and took TJ off the apron with a rana. He followed with a spring hilo and landed on his back pretty hard. Metalik missed a running SSP and Perkins slapped on the kneebar but Metalik reached the ropes. Gran's chops echoed throughout the arena and left welts on TJ's chest. TJ escaped the Metalik Driver but got caught with a huge DDT. Gran went up top but TJ got his feet up on a moonsault. He transitioned a near fall from dodon into another kneebar. As Gran got near the ropes, TJ tried to pull him back but Gran pulled him into a pin for another near fall. The Metalik Driver connected but he didn't hit it completely because his knee gave out. Great selling. They ended up fighting on the top rope and Gran went for a super Metalik Driver. TJ countered by pulling him to the mat with the kneebar and Metalik had to tap out. Excellent match that was a fitting conclusion to this tournament. Metalik looked fantastic and TJ continued to use his strategy and it paid off. Great selling from Metalik, hot crowd and things just clicked here. ****1/4
An emotional TJ Perkins got the title from Triple H and hugged Gran Metalik. His chest was all kinds of busted up from chops.
Overall: 10/10. Wow. That was spectacular. They gave us four matches and all of them delivered. Sabre/Metalik was, up to that point, the best performance by both men in the CWC. Ibushi/Perkins was amazing and my current MOTY. Two of my favorite performers on the planet in a phenomenal outing that I can't say enough about. The tag match was a fun sprint and the main event more than delivered. I've watch a lot of wrestling from all over the world this year. WWE, NJPW, ROH, Evolve, LU and many more. This is my easy pick for show of the year so far.
Tonight's show starts with highlights of Dario getting out of jail, the Famous B/Mascarita Sagrada angle and the Weapons of Mass Destruction match announcement.
We see footage that happened during Ultima Lucha Dos when Detective Ryan and Reyes are with their boss, listening to Dario murder Mr. Cisco. Reyes wants to bring in Dario but the boss has none of it (she was told not to pursue Dario last season). Ryan laughs and they get into a little choreographed fight scene but it doesn't get out of hand. She says this is more than just avenging Cisco. Reyes responds "that's Mr. Cisco."
Dr. Wagner Jr. w/ Famous B and Brenda def. Mascarita Sagrada in 0:54
Brenda is dressed like a nurse. Famous B stops Melissa Santos from announcing Wagner because she isn't famous enough. This stems from Famous B turning on his former client, Sagrada, and attacking him. They actually start with a normal match and Sagrada takes Wagner over. Wagner quickly recovers and wins with a Dr. Driver. Famous B uses a stethoscope to check on Sagrada because "he's dead".
Time for a video of the ancient Aztecs. At least, I think it is. A sick, seemingly dying man tells his daughter that a war must be fought. He gives her an amulet that only works on females and tells her that when she becomes a woman, it'll make her immortal and she won't age. Even if the war takes a thousand years, they must win the war. Her father then dies. The camera pans to the police captain, Vazquez, and she seems to have half of that amulet. Reyes arrives and she suspends him because he wants to just get Dario, while she wants to use him to get to someone even bigger.
Mil Muertes w/ Catrina def. Argenis in 1:33
This is funny since Argenis was one of the Disciples of Death. Argenis tries but Mil is in a foul mood. He launches him on a powerbomb, but Argenis comes back with a kick and moonsault. Mil kicks out at one and ends him with a spear and Flatliner.
After Catrina administers the lick of death, Prince Puma shows up. He attacks Mil Muertes and nails a missil dropkick that sends him outside. Puma hits a baseball slide and Catrina gets in between them, taking Mil to the back.
We see a clip of Dario Cueto arriving back at his office last week. Joey Ryan comes up to him and says that he knows Dario killed Cisco. He even admits that he's a cop, but wants to be on the right side of this war, so he offers himself up as a double agent. Joey says he did everything to keep Dario out of jail, unlike his idiot partner. He reveals that Cortez Castro is a cop too. Joey wants a deal because he has child support to pay, so Dario give him some cash.
Back to Captain Vasquez in present day. Reyes shows up and wants to be on her side of the war. She sends him back to the Temple and looks at her half of the amulet after he leaves.
Weapons of Mass Destruction Match: Killshot def. Marty "The Moth" Martinez in 22:21
No rules in this one and the ring is surrounded by military themed weapons. It looks like a giant boot camp set up. Marty comes out in complete military gear including camo face paint, a gun and Killshot's dog tags. Killshot attacks from behind during Marty's entrance and ends up busting Marty open in the first minute with a gun. Killshot kicks his head through a wall, but Marty just laughs. Marty takes Melissa Santos hostage and throws her into Killshot. He catches her and lets her go safely before chasing down Marty. Marty goes to the testicular claw, getting a "freaky bastard" chant. The big spots are here as Killshot delivers a 450 splash off the stands onto a standing Moth but was then German suplexed onto the apron a few minutes later. They move into beating the shit out of each other with ladders and chairs. Marty just nails every expression and totally gets his character. He hits a superplex onto some crates before taking a DVD onto a ladder. Marty returns with a powerbomb from inside to the outside through two tables. Note that there is a decent amount of recover time between these spots. Killshot brings out the biggest ladder of the match. It gets set up in the middle of the ring and a table is opened on either side. They fight up top and Mariposa comes out to stop Killshot. He kicks her down and she falls through a table. He grabs Marty's junk before laying in some brutal shots that send him down a few rungs. Killshot snatches his dog tags back and double stomps Marty off the ladder and through a table to win. Insane finish to an insane match. It was just big spots and brutality for the sake of it either. There were great storytelling bits like Mariposa coming into play and the poignant moment of Killshot getting his dog tags back. We got our first great match of the season. ****1/4
In the back, an angry Mil Muertes is beating up lockers. Catrina appears and tells him that he will soon get his hands on Prince Puma, he just has to be patient. She says that she has waited hundreds of years to get what she wants and we see that she has the other half of the amulet. Oh shit!
Overall: 8/10. Yes, the first two matches are barely even matches. I get that. But the one match we do get is a tremendous war that gave shine to two of the most underrated and overlooked members of the roster. The rest of the show did a great job in furthering angles and setting up the season with Puma/Muertes, the Famous B stuff, the war between Dario and Vazquez and introduced the amulet story.
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!
NJPW Road to Destruction
September 12th, 2016 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
With the three Destruction shows coming up over the next few weeks, it was time for NJPW World to air the one “Road to Destruction” event. For those unaware, these shows mostly use multi-man tags and things like that to build excitement for the bigger upcoming events.
The opening video package served as a reminder that I’m still not over the booking of the G1 Climax. On the upcoming 9/17 Destruction in Tokyo show, we are getting Katsuyori Shibata vs. Bobby Fish for the NEVER Openweight Championship and KUSHIDA vs. BUSHI for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Both of those matches sound rad.
On 9/22 in Hiroshima, the Briscoes face the Young Bucks to unify the IWGP Tag and Jr. Tag Titles. Boring. Adam Cole will also defend the ROH Title against Will Ospreay and Kazuchika Okada goes one on one with Bad Luck Fale. Wow, that all sounds uninteresting. Kenny Omega defends his Tokyo Dome title shot against the first guy to beat him in the G1, YOSHI-HASHI. Their G1 match ruled so that should be good at least.
Lastly, on 9/25 in Kobe, Satoshi Kojima, Ricochet and Matt Sydal defend the NEVER Openweight Six Man Titles against Dave Meltzer’s favorite team, Adam Cole and the Young Bucks. Tetsuya Naito also gets a shot at the Intercontinental Title in a G1 rematch against Michael Elgin. Though Naito deserves the top prize, the match should be excellent.
David Finlay def. Henare in 5:01
Henare is a new young lion. David Finlay seems to have graduated of sorts. He now has cheetah print gear and may have moved into the Juice Robinson/Cody Hall level of young lion. Henare is a heavyweight from New Zealand, which is where NJPW found Bad Luck Fale and Jay White. He seems to know what he’s doing somewhat as you could tell that he’s not completely new to wrestling. Finlay worked an aggressive style for most of the match. Henare applied the young lion crab, but Finlay reached the ropes. We saw Henare counter a cutter with a backslide, only to end up taking the cutter anyway and losing. Perfectly acceptable given what this was. Henare did alright and it’s great to see Finlay doing something more. **¼
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi def. Captain New Japan and YOSHITATSU in 5:44
Wow. It’s as if someone dared Gedo to throw the four most uninteresting people on his roster into one match. Yoshi is still cosplaying as Triple H. The Bullet Club members attacked before the “hunters” could get into the ring. Yoshi has been growing frustrated with CNJ losing so often and it costing them in their hunt for the Bullet Club. This followed the same old formula. CNJ gets beat up, Yoshi gets a mild tag, CNJ still takes the pin. This time, it was after a DDT from Takahashi. Yoshi got fed up and asked the fans to vote on Twitter if he should kick CNJ out of the hunters group. Not interesting in the slightest, but props to Gedo for booking an actual angle here. ½*
Jushin Thunder Liger, Ryusuke Taguchi and TenKoji def. Chaos (Gedo, Roppongi Vice and Will Ospreay) in 7:28
TenKoji did their thing early on, which the crowd loved. I’ve really grown to like both of them after my first viewing of Tenzan was in his injury riddled 2015 G1 Climax. Beretta took the brunt of their offense. I may truly dislike Gedo as a booker, but he’s a lot of fun in the ring. His mockery of Kojima’s flurry of chop was priceless. Pretty much everyone came in and got their shine, including Will Ospreay, who a lot of people would expect to take it lightly due to injury concerns. His spots were fun before Taguchi made Romero tap to an ankle lock. I suspect Gedo didn’t take the fall since he has a Jr. Tag Title match coming up in NOAH. **¾
Great Bash Heel def. Manabu Nakanishi and Yuji Nagata in 8:23
There were two parts of this match that really stood out to me. First, Nagata and Honma just beat the shit out of each other in the middle of the ring, which is always a treat. Then, Nakanishi took to the skies for a cross body, complete with “superfly” hand gesture. When the match became Nakanishi working with Makabe, it was pretty rough. Nakanishi ended up applying the torture rack while Nagata had the armbar in, but neither man got the submission. In the end, the Kokeshi, followed by the King Kong Knee Drop ended it. Ho-hum match featuring four guys going through the motions. **¼
EVIL def. Juice Robinson in 10:58
This is one of the more interesting matches on this card. Can Juice hang with a guy that has had a really strong 2016? EVIL was aggressive from the start and did his signature chair spot outside. He wore down Juice, who then nailed a spinebuster and dropkicked him outside. Juice followed with a plancha to a nice hand from the audience. EVIL nearly got the win but Juice rocked him with a right hand and lariat. Juice also busted out a powerbomb and tried a diving headbutt, but missed. He still fired up only to get hit with the EVIL bomb for two. EVIL was done with his shit and won with the STO. Strong match and up there with the one against Go Shiozaki for best Juice match so far. Both guys looked good, it had a hot crowd and was fun. I like it. ***¼
reDRagon def. NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata and Tiger Mask IV in 10:16
I’ve long considered reDRagon the best tag team in wrestling, though the Revival have surpassed them in 2016. Bobby Fish is heading towards a NEVER Openweight Title shot, while O’Reilly actually beat Shibata at ROH’s Field of Honor event last month. Early on, we got standard tag stuff that didn’t wow anyone. I really enjoyed the interactions that Shibata had with reDRagon. His singles stuff against both guys should be good. Tiger Mask was kind of just there. He did hit a nice tombstone at one point though, so there’s that. It looked like reDRagon had it won but Shibata broke up the pin and started striking both of them. The numbers game overtook him, but he demanded more and more kicks until he couldn’t take it anymore. They took him out with Chasing the Dragon before nailing Tiger Mask with it and winning. Fun match that accomplished the goal of getting me excited for Fish/Shibata. ***¼
Chaos (Hirooki Goto, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI) def. The Bullet Club (Bad Luck Fale, The Guerillas of Destiny and Kenny Omega) in 14:24
Oh boy. I have to see Tanga Loa wrestle as well as look at Kenny Omega with the G1 briefcase. Sigh. Fale still tried to attack the ring announcer. YOSHI dyed her hair to be more blondish and it isn’t a good look. The Bullet Club attacked before the bell and sent Chaos outside. This followed standard multi-man tag formula. The heels did some stuff, the faces got a hot tag and they previewed Okada/Fale, YOSHI/Omega and Omega/Okada. GOD hit their finish on Ishii but he kicked out because they’re pretty bad. Okada body slammed Fale for a pop. Everyone kind of got their shit in until Ishii ended Loa with a brainbuster. Solid but NOWHERE NEAR the level of the string of Chaos vs. LIDJ matches earlier this year. **¾
Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, SANADA and Tetsuya Naito) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion KUSHIDA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Michael Elgin in 16:04
It’s the best thing in NJPW, Tetsuya Naito. BUSHI did not come out with Naito and SANADA, as instead we got someone in a suit and Naito’s old mask. It was the same way that EVIL was revealed as a member of the group last year. We were to believe it was BUSHI at least. Elgin and Naito started out, giving a preview of their upcoming title match. Elgin even did Naito’s trademark taunt and pose. Tanahashi and SANADA got some interaction as well, which was cool since their G1 match ruled. The other LIDJ member attacked Tanahashi on the outside and KUSHIDA tried to unmask him, but failed. Elgin took to beating up Naito inside before the tag went to KUSHIDA. I still think that a Naito/KUSHIDA match would be awesome. KUSHIDA applied the Hoverboard Lock on Naito, but out came BUSHI casually strolling to the ring. He spit the mist at KUSHIDA, got the tag and hit the MX but Tanahashi broke up the pin. Pretty much everyone got some offense in and KUSHIDA fought valiantly but took a codebreaker, flipping Piledriver and a second MX to lose. Really good match that was the best part of the show. Elgin/Naito and BUSHI/KUSHIDA are rematches of dope pairings we got earlier in the year, so they should be among the best things on the Destruction shows. ***½
After the match, KUSHIDA took more of a beating and they continued to build the Destruction cards.
Overall: 6/10. I feel like this show was just about what you’d expect from a “Road to” event. The matches ranged from decent to really good (outside of the first two being lackluster) and it did the job of building towards the bigger upcoming events.
1) AJ Styles: Come on. There can't be a different choice. AJ Styles has been phenomenal, pun intended, in 2016. He's especially kicked it up a notch since the heel turn and at Backlash, he achieved the ultimate goal. He defeated Dean Ambrose to become the WWE Champion. Not just that, but he did so after a great match that was the best WWE main event I've seen all year long. It shows that the company truly believes in him and is especially impressive when you consider that he isn't a McMahon guy. He made his name away from the WWE and those guys don't really get major shine. Styles joins Ric Flair, Big Show, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar as guys to win the title in their first (maybe Hogan too but I'm not sure) and is the first guy to officially hold the WWE, TNA and IWGP Titles. Styles is not just the best wrestler on the planet right now, but he's one of the greatest of all time.
2) The Miz: I wanted to put Becky Lynch here, I really did, but recognition deserves to be given to the Miz. He's been really good for a long time now, but recently, he's kicked it up a notch. Not only has his Intercontinental Title run been a joy, but his in ring work is better than ever. Coming off of a promo that garnered a lot of buzz, I felt a match with Dolph Ziggler was a let down. Part of me was still right, but they delivered in a big way. It was easily their best match ever and Miz nailed everything he had to. He talked trash and played a masterful heel. He mocked Daniel Bryan's "Yes" taunt and even did some of Bryan's trademark submissions. He retained the title and needs to be given more credit consistently.
3) Becky Lynch: Backlash had plenty of feel good moments but the first was the crowning of the Smackdown Women's Champion. Becky Lynch last eliminated Carmella to win the Six Pack Challenge to determine the first Smackdown Women's Champion and it felt very earned. She was the only one of the "Four Horsewomen" to never hold a title, even in NXT. She has been the most popular woman on the main roster for a long time and this was the right call. Her emotion after the victory was heartfelt. The match itself was really good too, which always helps your position on my list. Becky has worked hard, gotten over and absolutely deserved this moment.
4) Heath Slater and Rhyno: Backlash was full of feel good moments, and another came in the Tag Title picture. The Usos bested the Hype Bros to get a spot in the finals. Heath Slater and Rhyno were highly entertaining all week long and even also beat the Hype Bros on Smackdown. A lot of people, myself included, though the newly heel Usos would win but Slater and Rhyno pulled it off to become the first Smackdown Tag Team Champions. Slater's post match promo was even better than them winning. He now earned a Smackdown contract and has been one of the best things about the brand split. I don't know if they'll hold the titles for long, but it is pretty great to enjoy for now.
5) Zack Sabre Jr.: Advanced in the Cruiserweight Classic over Noam Dar before beating Johnny Gargano to take over as the "ace" of Evolve.
WWE Backlash
September 11th, 2016 | Richmond Coliseum in Richmond, Virginia
A late addition to the Kickoff show, Apollo Crews went one on one with Baron Corbin. I wish that they made the match mean something. Like have it be for a title shot or something. Even without that though, these two put on their best match together. They made good use of the 9:56 they got and showcased their skills. Things built up and progressively got better until Corbin won with the End of Days. (***)
Smackdown Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch def. Alexa Bliss, Carmella, Naomi, Natalya and Nikki Bella in 14:20
For the first time in history, a Women’s Title match opened a Pay-Per-View and they did well with it. Nikki sported Wonder Woman inspired gear, while Alexa looked amazing in a Harley Quinn getup. They had the mentality to try and steal the show. Despite having so many working parts, they moved at a fast paced and most things came off crisply. Each girl was given ample time to shine. We saw spots that had never been done on a main roster women’s match. Some girls busted out new moves, like Naomi using a damn cattle mutilation. She and Natalya combined for a Kidd and Cesaro like powerbomb/block buster combo to eliminate Alexa first. Natalya then made Naomi tap to the Sharpshooter. Nikki sent Natalya home with the Argentine backbreaker before Carmella rolled her up. Nikki slapped Carmella before leaving and then Carmella eventually tapped to the Dis-Arm-Her. This was really good. They hid whatever flaws the girls had well, set up Carmella/Nikki at No Mercy and gave the title to the girl who deserved it the most. Becky is the face of the Smackdown women and she’s deserved a run with any title since last year. ***½
Second Chance Challenge: The Usos def. The Hype Bros in 10:11
Though they had the same theme and tron, the Usos sported new gear and a sulky demeanor. Just know this…it worked. Everything they did felt fresh. They weren’t just splashes and superkicks. They had some shades of a lesser Revival by doing old school heel tactics. The Usos attacked a body part and cut the ring in half. Tag team wrestling is simple and when done right, almost always works. Ryder took the heat as the sympathetic babyface and this was probably the best I’ve seen from Mojo. His short bursts of fire were really good. The Usos won when Jimmy made Zack tap to a tequila sunrise. Solid tag team wrestling that was wisely booked. ***
Fantastic backstage stuff from Heath Slater and Rhyno. Basically Heath’s wife made bad crab cakes. I don’t want to go too deep into the comedy because it should be seen to be believed. Also, they cut to the Miz before the next match, as he badmouthed Daniel Bryan, to his face, for not being able to wrestle. He also said he wants to renegotiate his contract.
WWE Intercontinental Championship: The Miz (c) w/ Maryse def. Dolph Ziggler in 18:17
These two have wrestled about a thousand times over the past number of years. 2016 Dolph Ziggler is just very uninteresting, so I didn’t have very high hopes. Fortunately, they exceeded expectations. This wasn’t just the “let’s throw the two Ohio guys into a match” that most of their past has been. They told a story. Miz was more aggressive than usual, as if to prove something to Daniel Bryan. He took time to mock Bryan taunts and even use some of Bryan’s submissions like the surfboard and bow and arrow. Miz expertly nailed ALL of the little things like asking “who’s the coward” while stomping on Ziggler. Dolph was strong here too, portraying his desperation to turn his career around. He came close several times, but Maryse sprayed him in the face with something and it allowed Miz to retain with the Skull Crushing Finale. Not the best finish, but it played into the story of Miz still being a coward. Best Miz performance ever and he continues to be a highlight. ****
Earlier in the show, Bray Wyatt attacked Randy Orton. Orton has a legit injury and couldn’t compete. Bray came out for the forfeit victory but then found out that Orton had a replacement.
No Holds Barred: Kane def. Bray Wyatt in 10:55
Oh boy, not a single person gave a shit that Kane was involved in this Pay-Per-View. Luckily, these two did about as good with what they were given as possible. It felt like a house show no holds barred match, which was fine. They went from spot to spot and did their best to pop the crowd. The highlight was Bray’s BIG BOY SENTON through the announce table. Eventually, Randy Orton limped out and hit Wyatt with the RKO to give Kane the win. I get that Orton got involved, but there is no excuse for putting Kane over Bray here. He is in desperate need of wins and I can’t take him seriously against Orton if he can’t even beat Kane. Why not just have Bray beat Kane and then do the Orton attack? This was about as good as it could have been, despite the horrible booking. **½
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Tournament Finals: Heath Slater and Rhyno def. The Usos in 10:02
Like the earlier tag team match, the Usos were just great here. They continued to look rejuvenated by the heel turn and worked Heath Slater over. Literally, a good seven or eight minutes of this match just saw them cut the tag off at every turn. Again, tag team wrestling is simple. It’s about depravation and they certainly deprived Slater and the fans of the hot tag. Once it finally came, it got the appropriate response. However, for the first time, Slater had to kind of pick up Rhyno for a bit because he missed the Gore and Slater came in hot. The Usos broke up his pin, but Rhyno came back in with a Gore and placed Slater in pin position to become champions. Just good old fashioned tag team wrestling with a satisfying babyface win. Heath’s post-match promo, which included “WE GETTING A DOUBLE WIDE BAY-BAY”, was excellent. ***¼
WWE World Championship: AJ Styles def. Dean Ambrose (c) in 24:56
I knew this was going to be good. They still blew away my expectations. This felt like a big title fight in a way that a lot of matches don’t. Similar to what they did with the John Cena matches, AJ Styles had the advantage in the early exchanges and it made him even cockier. AJ’s trash talk continues to be a highlight of his matches. There were some scary moments on a super back suplex spot and AJ taking a huge bump into the post on an apron slingshot. Both guys busted out the big spots, like AJ’s springboard 450 splash (for a fantastic near fall) and Dean’s big elbow into the crowd. The final few minutes of this were some of the best action in the WWE all year long. Styles nailed the Pele, but Dean answered with an awesome jawbreaker lariat. AJ worked the leg and it led to some really good Calf Crusher teases. Dean’s selling of the knee could have been better but that’s probably my only issue with the match. They did a slight ref bump, which allowed AJ to kick Dean low and win the title with the Styles Clash. Some people didn’t like the finish, but I did since it played into the story they’ve leading up to the match. It also fit AJ’s character, because he was the better man throughout but Dean wouldn’t stay down and AJ has no problem cheating if he has to. The best WWE PPV main event all year. ****½
Overall: 8.5/10. Man, this show delivered. For all the talk about Smackdown having a weak roster after the draft, they produce on a weekly basis and this was their best work yet. The Kickoff match was a nice surprise. The Women’s Title match was better than expected and gave us the feel good moment of Becky winning the title. We saw a rejuvenated Usos and got treated to two good tag team matches. Miz and Ziggler had their best match ever by a mile. Hell, even Bray and Kane didn’t suck. Add in the excellent main event and the fact that the show ended with AJ Styles as WWE Champion and this is an easy winner.
