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.
WrestleMania XXX
April 6th, 2014 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana | Attendance: 75,167
For the first time in history, a Pay-Per-View would stream on the brand new WWE Network. This WrestleMania is pretty notorious. After Batista returned and on the Royal Rumble, the WWE had their hearts set on having he and Randy Orton headline their biggest show of the years. The fans wanted no part of that, forcing the WWE to give them what they wanted and that was Daniel Bryan. The show itself ended up running for four hours, plus a pre-show match. Obviously, it was the 30th WrestleMania in history.
WWE Tag Team Championship
The Usos (c) vs. Los Matadores w/ El Torito vs. The Real Americans w/ Zeb Colter vs. Rybaxel
About a month earlier, the Usos captured the Tag Team Titles for the first time. Rybaxel plays the bully role early. Each team gets a bit of time to shine but when Cesaro is tagged, the Superdome comes alive. He’s clearly the most popular guy in the match. They go the spot where guys get to dive outside and everyone ends up laid out. El Torito tries to do it too but Curtis Axel stops him. He climbs up, not his strong suit, and Los Matadores grab him, opening the door for Torito to splash him onto everyone. Swagger catches a member of Los Matadores with a second rope flapjack of sorts, right into the Patriot Lock. He gets the submission elimination, sending Los Matadores packing. We see some good teamwork from Rybaxel, who get a near fall following a splash and fist drop from both members. The hot tag goes to Jimmy Uso who reels off Samoan drops and ass attacks. Cole incorrectly calls is “shades of Rikishi” when it is shades of Umaga. Swagger calling his splash the Swagger Bomb is an insult to Vader. It ends up being a battle between Cesaro and Ryback, the two strongest guys involved. Cesaro is a freak of nature and he nails Ryback with the popup uppercut and Neutralizer to eliminate Rybaxel. It’s down to the two best teams. They each get the crowd to do their respective chants. WE GOT US SOME FLYING USOS MAGGLE! The Usos prevent the Cesaro swing to the crowd’s dismay. Swagger avoids the Umaga ass attack and applies the Patriot Lock. They do a great tease when the other Uso tries to break it with a superkick, only for Cesaro to stop him. He still ends up hitting the superkick anyway, but that was a nice twist. They send Cesaro into Swagger, knocking him outside, before nailing duel splashes on Cesaro to retain.
Winners and Still WWE Tag Team Champions: The Usos in 16:11
Damn good way to kick things off. All four teams brought their “A” games and each did their parts very well. It came down to the right two teams and their interaction was the most fun. The crowd loved the Usos and Cesaro, which helped this work perfectly as an opener. ***¾
After the match, Jack Swagger is not a happy man. He puts Cesaro in the Patriot Lock but Zeb Colter breaks it up and wants them to shake hands. Swagger isn’t pleased, but offers it. The fans chant “no”, so Cesaro grabs him and does the swing to a huge pop. Zeb seems to lose his mid as this goes on.
Moving on to the actual main show, it starts with a video package set in New Orleans and hyping the main matches on the card for tonight. Kid Rock’s “Celebrate” plays over all of this, as we see various Superstars and Divas partying in New Orleans.
Hulk Hogan, the host of WrestleMania XXX opens the show by addressing the fans and he almost instantly messes up. He calls it the Silverdome instead of the Superdome and nearly says WWF instead of WWE. When he finally corrects himself, glass shatters and out comes “Stone Cold” Steve Austin to a massive ovation. Austin pokes fun at the Silverdome remark before teasing that he would open a can of whoop ass on Hogan. He then puts over Hogan, says he respects him and shakes his hand. Austin says that he doesn’t want to take up too much time since tonight is about the current crop of stars, but then the Rock’s music plays and he comes out as well. He also makes sure to poke fun at the Silverdome stuff. I won’t go into detail about the stuff Rock says. It’s such a cool and funny moment that you should see it for yourself at least once. The three greats close things out by sharing some beers. I’m normally against show opening promos on Pay-Per-Views, but considering the event and who was involved, it was great here.
Over the years, the WWE has produced a ton of great video packages. The one for Daniel Bryan set to “Monster” by Imagine Dragons, is easily one of the best ever. I’d say top five for sure. When that video ends, Stephanie McMahon introduces her husband, who gets a grand entrance complete with Sasha Banks (instantly making me happy), Alexa Bliss and Ric Flair’s daughter (since that’s all she’s known as now).
Winner Advances to Main Event
Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H w/ Stephanie McMahon
Judging by their entrances, Triple H is a megastar and Daniel Bryan doesn’t belong in his league. Triple H smugly offers a handshake but Bryan gets behind him with a rollup for two. Bryan forces HHH to regroup outside and then offers the handshake back, playing the mind games very well. They go through a feeling out process with Triple H working the injured shoulder and even trying the leg. Bryan nails the first big spot with a DDT on the apron. He follows with a huge somersault dive outside. It looked like HHH didn’t catch him very well. The announce table comes into play, but Bryan fights him off only to get his arm slammed down on it, continuing the focus on the bad shoulder. HHH is more than willing to take the countout but Bryan beats the count. Even when Bryan tries a tope, HHH is ready with a right hand, followed by a back suplex on the apron that again targeted the shoulder. He’s had an answer for everything. He applies a crossface but Bryan reaches the ropes. Bryan starts a comeback but then HHH busts out a goddamn tiger suplex that expertly dropped Bryan on his shoulder. If HHH doing a tiger suplex doesn’t blow your mind, then I don’t know what will. A second rope powerbomb seems to turn things around, but Bryan’s series of dropkicks is ended by a vicious clothesline from HHH. Stephanie’s reaction at ringside is perfect. HHH goes to the crossface again and Bryan fades until he can reverse it into the Yes Lock! Triple H gets to the ropes and rolls outside but Bryan greets him two topes. Bryan goes for the knee but HHH catches him with a great spinebuster. He follows with the Pedigree for one of the better near falls in recent memory. Bryan pulls him into a small package for two. HHH goes for the Pedigree again but Bryan counters and blocks it before hitting a kick. He misses a second big kick but lands on his feet when HHH tries a back suplex. Bryan charges and scores with the knee, earning the victory.
Winner: Daniel Bryan in 25:57
Almost everything about this match was masterfully executed. From the contrasting entrances up until the finish, this was all just great. There aren’t many high spots but everything has a purpose and it might be the smartest worked match in the WWE over the past few years. Extra props to Stephanie McMahon, who played her role perfectly and only added to this. Just a brilliant start to the show.****½
Daniel Bryan’s celebration is short lived when Stephanie McMahon enters and slaps him around. He laughs at them because he’s won either way. Triple H attacks and drives a steel chair into Bryans’ shoulder and into the ring post.
Kane and the New Age Outlaws vs. The Shield
The New Age Outlaws’ pre-match promo gets cut off by the Shield, who show up in some sick skull facemasks. Dean Ambrose starts with Kane but everybody gets a short turn in the ring. Roman Reigns dominates, taking out all three men and even hitting the Drive-By kick to both Outlaws. Ambrose and Rollins take out the Outlaws with stereo suicide dives and Reigns gives all three of them spears. They hoist up both Outlaws and hit a double triple powerbomb, if that makes sense, winning in short order.
Winners: The Shield in 2:54
This was exactly what it needed to be. The Shield had been way too dominant during their run for these three to be a threat. Extra points because the Shield was awesome and I was never an Outlaw fan. **½
Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal
Participants: Alberto Del Rio, Big E, Big Show, Brad Maddox, Brodus Clay, Cesaro, Cody Rhodes, Damien Sandow, Darren Young, David Otunga, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, Fandango, Goldust, the Great Khali, Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, the Miz, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Santino Marella, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Titus O’Neil, Tyson Kidd, Xavier Woods, Yoshi Tatsu and Zack Ryder
Otherwise known as the “creative has nothing for you” Battle Royal. The only guys to get their entrances shown are Big Show and Sheamus. As usual with battle royals, it’s hard to keep track of every single elimination. I do know that Yoshi Tatsu and Brad Maddox go out early. Commentary was surprised to see Brad, like most fans. As soon as they discuss Khali being a tough person to eliminate, he goes out. More relative lower card guys go out while the higher midcarders hang on. Otunga lasted much longer than I thought he would. Fandango tosses the IC Champion, Big E, and dances on the apron while the crowd “Fandangos”. It’s a cool visual but Sheamus beats him up and sends him out. Del Rio gets rid of Kidd with a step up enziguri before doing the same to Goldust. Cody attacks but Del Rio shoves him off the top and out. Mysterio hits 619 on Del Rio but Cesaro catches his next attempt and uppercuts him out. The final six are Cesaro, Show, Sheamus, Ziggler, Del Rio and Kingston. Cesaro launches Kofi over and out onto the steps, but he somehow lands with his feet on the steps and staves off elimination. It’s one of his better spots in these kinds of matches. Cesaro swings Kofi around right before he gets dumped. Del Rio superkicks Ziggler out. Sheamus and Del Rio continue their never ending rivalry and go over and out together. Cesaro fires away on Show with uppercuts and has him reeling. Show tries to send him over but Cesaro stays alive. He goes to slam Cesaro over, but Cesaro slips out and then not only lifts Show for a slam, but WALKS with him to the edge and tosses him over to win.
Winner: Cesaro in 13:24
Like most battle royals, this doesn’t get off to a fast start. There are too many people for anything significant to happen. Once the field started thinning it became a lot of fun. Kofi’s spot, the back and forth between some of the final guys and of course, Cesaro’s incredible show of strength were highlights. ***¼
Bray Wyatt w/ the Wyatt Family vs. John Cena
The “Legacy” video package before the match is pretty great. Bray has a live band play him to the ring. At the bell, Bray drops to his knees and demands that John Cena unleash the monster inside and finish him. Cena declines, wanting to actually fight. The action itself isn’t the most exciting but they do a splendid job of telling the story of Bray trying to bring out the monster in Cena. Cena goes for the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM, but Bray sits up in his eerie crab walk thing. Cena stops in his tracks and sells this tremendously. Better acting than he did in the Marine or 12 Rounds. The fans start singing “He’s Got the Whole World in his Hands”, which WWE would take and drive into the ground. Cena ends up stopping Wyatt Family interference by taking them out with a dive, so Bray sends him into steel steps. Bray continues to be great, caressing Cena’s head and singing after a near fall from a cross boy. Cena comes back with the AA, but one of those is almost never enough anymore. Cena ends up putting Harper through the guardrail at ringside, showing some of the monster. Cena counters Sister Abigail into the STF, but Bray reaches the ropes. A close near fall comes after Bray hits Sister Abigail. Bray brings a chair into play, sliding it to Cena and daring him to “fulfill his legacy” and use it. Rowan gets on the apron and Cena whacks him with it instead. Cena then reverses Sister Abigail into a second AA and wins.
Winner: John Cena in 22:26
These two did a tremendous job of telling a story. This match wasn’t about who could hit the fanciest moves. It was about Bray trying to bring the monster out of Cena, while Cena sold his internal struggle with it very well. Bray was just on fire with every expression and mannerism possible. Not Bray’s best match ever, but probably his best individual performance. ***½
The WWE Hall of Fame class of 2014 comes out to the stage, including Lita, Razor Ramon, Carlos Colon and the Ultimate Warrior.
Brock Lesnar w/ Paul Heyman vs. The Undertaker
Undertaker gets his usual big time Mania entrance. Brock attacks quickly, trying to assert his dominance. Undertaker does some of his typical early no selling, showing that he is not like any other guy that Brock has faced. He gets his stuff in, like snake eyes. Both men counter big moves like the Chokeslam and F5. It is shortly after this that Brock hits a suplex and drops Undertaker on his head. From what we’ve heard, it was there that Undertaker got knocked loopy and I believe he got a concussion. I don’t think I noticed it much when I watched this live, but you could just see that the Undertaker is pretty badly out of it. Even as he starts making a comeback, it just doesn’t feel the way it should. Brock eventually hits the F5 but Undertaker kicks out. Undertaker locks in the Hell’s Gates submission but Brock powers out and slams him to break that. They trade submissions though the crowd doesn’t buy it because they know neither man is really going to tap out. Undertaker tries Old School but Brock counters into a second F5 for another near fall. Uncharacteristically, Brock tries ten punches in the corner. It’s so obviously there so Undertaker can do a powerbomb. I hate when they do something uncommon like that for the sake of a spot. Tombstone connects but it’s not enough because it hasn’t been enough in a Taker Mania match in about five years. He goes for it again, only for Brock to seemingly counter it into one of his own. Instead, he nails a third F5 and the streak is over
Winner: Brock Lesnar in 25:10
A really dull match that will completely be overshadowed forever by the historic moment that ended it. I blame most of the match sucking on Undertaker’s injury since they went out and had two good ones the following year. Still, this was the worst thing on the show so far. Just a big, long disappointment. *½
The best thing about the match is the reactions after. Brock’s music doesn’t hit when he wins. Instead, we just get to appreciate the stunned silence that falls over 70,000+. Some of the facial expressions in the crowd are priceless. People don’t even fully believe it until the 21-1 graphic appears on the screen. There is a rather emotional exit for the Undertaker as fans and commentators give him a standing ovation.
WWE Divas Championship
AJ Lee (c) vs. Aksana vs. Alicia Fox vs. Brie Bella vs. Cameron vs. Emma vs. Eva Marie vs. Layla vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella vs. Rosa Mendes vs. Summer Rae vs. Tamina Snuka
These poor women. Not only did they get shafted with a poorly thrown together clusterfuck of a match, but they get to go on after the streak ended and the crowd completely died. AJ Lee is the only woman to get an entrance. For some reason, Vickie Guerrero has a ringside podium and gets on the microphone, making everyone’s ears bleed. All of the girls target AJ and her only friend, Tamina. This is pure chaos and hard to keep track of. The Bellas do an awful looking double team move. Everyone gets involved in a giant multi-suplex spot. Cameron’s top busts and she struggles to keep the goods covered. At least Emma gets a chance to strut her stuff a bit. Eva Marie gets a spot too, but as expected, it looks pretty bad. The Bellas team up for duel suicide dives before going at it themselves. There is the typical tower of doom spot as well. AJ sneaks in and makes Naomi tap out to the Black Widow.
Winner and Still WWE Divas Champion: AJ Lee in 6:47
Okay, that was better than it had any right to be. By all means, this should have been horrible considering it involved 14 women, some of them being terrible, and was one fall to a finish. There were some blown spots, but they kept me entertained and did the best they could. **
There is a backstage segment involving the four men from the first WrestleMania main event. It was cool to see Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Mr. T and Paul Orndorff together again.
WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan
Rev Theory performs “Voices” as Randy Orton makes his entrance. Bryan attempts to start hot but his injury quickly comes into play. While Bryan recovers outside, Batista beats Orton up around the ring. Orton ends up back dropping Batista onto the steel steps. They continue to go at it until Bryan gets involved, waking the crowd up. It’s a testament to Bryan’s popularity that he was able to get the crowd going after Undertaker. Bryan starts a rally but gets thwarted by the heels, freeing up Orton to hit a superplex on Batista. Bryan is back up and hits the diving headbutt on Orton. He gets the Yes Lock on but here come Stephanie and Triple H through the crowd for some reason to pull the referee out. They bring crooked referee Scott Armstrong with them and Bryan eats the Batista Bomb for two. Bryan ends up taking out Armstrong, HHH and even Stephanie with a suicide dive. The crowd comes unglued for it. HHH tries bringing a sledgehammer in but it backfires when Bryan levels him with it. Orton is now back up and sends Bryan outside. Batista and Orton channel their Evolution roots and work together to take out Bryan. The crowd chants for CM Punk as Batista and Orton murder Bryan with a Batista Bomb/RKO combination through the announce table. It was more of a neckbreaker from Orton, but it still looked rad. Orton took a sick bump on one of the monitors. Batista and Orton go at it while the crowd chants for Bryan. They do the stretcher job for Bryan but he pulls a Mick Foley and hops off, trying to fight for his life. Orton looks to take advantage but Bryan puts him in the Yes Lock. Cole shouts that it’s Bryan’s last chance and Batista interrupts. Bryan gets taken out and Orton hits the RKO for a near fall that the fans bite on. Orton looks for the punt on Batista but Bryan lays him out with the knee. Batista tosses him out and tries to steal the pin, which the fans again bite on. Batista Bomb connects but Bryan charges in with the knee. He slaps the Yes Lock on Batista, who submits.
Winner and New WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Daniel Bryan in 23:19
Remember how Stone Cold used to have these great main event matches with the deck stacked against him and overbooking done right? That’s what we got here. They threw everything at Bryan in this match from the Authority interference to the stretcher job to the close near falls for Batista and Orton when they looked like they would steal it from him. Everybody played their roles well and the crowd got exactly what they wanted. A great main event. ****
Overall: 9.5/10; Phenomenal. I’d honestly consider this to be a top five, maybe even top three WrestleMania of all time. Outside of the Undertaker/Brock Lesnar match, everything on this show delivered or even exceeded expectations. The Cena/Wyatt match told a great story, the women over delivered, the Tag Title opener was a blast, Cesaro was amazing in a good battle royal, the Shield dominated and Daniel Bryan put on the greatest single night performance in Mania history. Just a spectacular event. One of the best the company has ever put on. Up next, “Random Network Reviews” has me look at Slamboree 1999!
PWG Battle of Los Angeles Stage Three
September 3rd, 2017 | American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California
Stage Two improved upon a good Stage One. The past two years, Stage Three has been a bit of a letdown. I don’t think the formula for the final night lends itself to being a great show, but we’ll see if that changes this year.
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Dezmond Xavier vs. Ricochet
Like his match against Flamita, Ricochet felt like the older vet against a guy like his younger self. Unlike the Flamita match, this one was a lot of fun. Ricochet was a jerk, slapping Xavier around like he was having fun teaching this kid a lesson. Xavier used his freakish athleticism to turn things around and leave Ricochet reeling. Xavier nearly scored the upset with the same pin that beat Brian Cage. There was resiliency from Xavier, as he weathered each storm Ricochet sent his way. Xavier avoided the SSP and countered the Benadryller, looking for another upset. However, Ricochet delivered a brutal axe kick and the King’s Landing to win in 10:47. Like I said, this was fun. I enjoyed the story of a cocky Ricochet trying to put the younger guy, who he saw himself in, in his place. [***½]
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Marty Scurll vs. Travis Banks
Scurll cut another promo about being the reigning BOLA Champion. He offered Banks a chance to leave, only to get rolled up. Hilariously, Scurll took his microphone outside and angrily yelled into it. Once the match truly got going, Scurll went after Banks’ arm. It was an interesting limb to work, since Banks is more known for his kicking ability. Indeed, Banks used an array of kicks whenever he could muster offense. Banks continued to take a beating. He went for the Slice of Heaven, but slipped a bit, so Scurll got the time to dodge it. Marty applied the Chicken Wing and stopped Banks from reaching the ropes by grabbing his hand for the finger break spot. Banks got free, though still had them snapped as Marty got free of the Lion’s Clutch. Marty WAY overdid the Chicken Wing hype, so once he went for it, Banks pulled him into a rollup to advance in 13:52. About on par with the opener, though this was more my style. Good arm work and selling, with the story of the overconfident Scurll making one too many mistakes being a good one. [***½]
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Donovan Dijak vs. Keith Lee
THE MONSTARS EXPLODE! These two had some bangers in Evolve this year. They showed off their unbelievable athleticism in the early goings, with both guys doing things that don’t make sense considering their size. There was a spot where Dijak did the Fosbury Flop, only for Lee to catch him and throw him into the ring post. It didn’t come off as cleanly as they hoped, but was still nice. Once back inside, I feared the ring would break. They just kept hitting big moves in there and the ring sounded rough more than once. There were tons of impressive moments, like Lee landing on his feet on a monkey flip, Dijak hitting a springboard corkscrew dive and several feats of strength. Both guys kicked out at one (Dijak from a moonsault, Lee from Feast Your Eyes) to standing ovations. Lee landed on his feet on another Feast Your Eyes, before scoring the win with the powerslam finish in 21:42. Awesome BIG LADS match and it was the best of BOLA so far. However, a lot of the appeal of their matches is, “HOLY SHIT LOOK WHAT THESE BIG DUDES ARE DOING,” and I got that feeling when I saw their Mania weekend match. The shine was lessened here, though it was still a ridiculous match that I thoroughly enjoyed. I’m assuming Dave gave this the full five because he didn’t see their Evolve matches (he mostly ignores stuff outside of NJPW, WWE and companies his buddies work for) as this was similar but not quite as good as the first. [****¼]
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Fenix vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
This could be interesting. Sabre’s had great matches with other luchadores in Gran Metalik and Pentagon Jr. in past years. Sabre looked to take Fenix to the mat, but the high flier showed he wasn’t some novice there. He hung tough. Zack quickly grew annoyed of Fenix’s shit. He began taking time to disrespect Fenix, doing things like stomping on his head. Fenix got him back with a highlight reel like springboard double stomp to the back of the neck. Sabre had a submission ready for almost every moment. He caught Fenix in a choke in the corner and then countered a rolling cutter into another submission. Sabre added the little things to make moves look more vicious, like repeatedly slamming Fenix’s knee into the mat. The pace quickened down the stretch and led to a finish I dug. Sabre went for his signature bridge pin, but Fenix was prepared and countered into his own pin for the upset in 14:34. Very good stuff here. Sabre has great chemistry with guys that have styles like Fenix. I liked how Fenix mostly wrestled a different kind of match here, showing versatility. I do wish he sold better down the stretch, though. Still, a fun match with plenty to like. [***¾]
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Jeff Cobb vs. Sammy Guevara
Despite a huge size disadvantage, Guevara was confident and cocky. He got off to a hot start and let it get to his head. He took time to taunt, talked trash and went for nonchalant pins. Guevara got to showcase some power with a squat Samoan drop. When he went for the SSP, Cobb found a way to catch him and hit the Tour of the Islands to win in 5:11. I like that it was short and rather enjoyed the story it attempted to tell. However, it felt like it was a bit too much Guevara, with Cobb kind of winning from out of nowhere. [**¼]
Battle of Los Angeles Quarterfinals: Matt Riddle vs. Penta El Zero M
A lot of potential with this one. Penta did his “Cero Miedo” taunt, so Riddle responded with, “Bro, Bro,” which got a chuckle from me and the crowd. Early on, this was ground based. Penta was in trouble there, so he changed things to be more strike based. That was more his style, but is something Riddle is still great at. That allowed for a more even battle, with both guys picking up some close calls. In something I’ve never seen before, they just started trading Destroyers. I remember when that move would end matches. Penta managed to score with the Package Piledriver, but it was on the apron, so he couldn’t make the cover. After taking a moment to drink water, a hot Penta also grabbed a fan (the cooling machine, not a spectator) and climbed to the top. With his focus on cooling off, he jumped right into a knee strike. Shortly after, Riddle used the Bromission to advance in 14:18. Another really good, really cool matchup. There were some great exchanges, though the Destroyer sequence felt like a bit much and I didn’t love the finishing stretch. Regardless, this was another match worth checking out. [***¾]
Battle of Los Angeles Semi-Finals: Ricochet vs. Travis Banks
Surprisingly, Banks took out Ricochet during his entrance with a tope suicida. Ricochet went for his finisher early, showing that both guys were looking to win as quickly as possible. Cocky Ricochet returned, slapping Banks around and talking all kinds of smack. It cost him because Banks fired off some of his brutal kicks and strikes. The Kiwi Buzzsaw, indeed. I love Banks’ offense, especially a double knee drop he delivered in the corner. Ricochet responded with his own string of cool offense, but still made sure to throw in his dick attitude to garner heat. Banks avoided the Benadryller and hit the Kiwi Krusher for a strong near fall. Ricochet got his own great near fall with a flipping super belly to belly suplex. Banks refused to give up, even countering King’s Landing (after getting spit at and hit with an axe kick) into a rollup. Ricochet kicked out and successfully nailed King’s Landing to reach the finals in 12:19. I thought this ruled. Travis Banks is one of my favorite wrestlers and has been on a roll in 2017. The intensity and fire he brought was greatly matched by Ricochet being an asshole. There was no nonsense or BS in this one. [****]
Battle of Los Angeles Semi-Finals: Fenix vs. Keith Lee
Poor Fenix was outweighed by about 150lbs. As expected, Lee threw him around with ease. Each chop he added sounded like it could cave Fenix’s chest in. Fenix was undeterred though, finding ways to string together moves. At one point, he hit two moves in the ring and added two tope suicidas, yet still couldn’t knock Lee down. In fact, Lee caught his third dive and powerbombed him into the ring post. Lee added the big powerslam inside to make the finals after 9:35. A good David vs. Goliath match. They told a fine story and mixed in some cool spots. Can’t ask for much more than that. [***¼]
Battle of Los Angeles Semi-Finals: Jeff Cobb vs. Matt Riddle
THE CHOSEN BROS EXPLODE! They met in an excellent match in PROGRESS back in May. The anticipation was high for this after their interactions in last year’s annual ten man tag. They showed they didn’t want to face off here, but eventually went at it. If you like chops and suplexes, this was the match for you. Both guys traded those moves for the most part and it was rad. Cobb’s ability to hit a suplex from almost any angle is awesome. They did some of the typical popping up after big offense, though it was clear Riddle was starting to feel the effects. After a Cobb German, Riddle tried doing it, but barely stood. While he was staggering, Cobb hit the Tour of the Islands for the upset in 9:06. This was good, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as I hoped I would. To see what they’re truly capable of, check out the Super Strong Style 16. [***¼]
Team Janela (PWG Champion Chuck Taylor, Flamita, Flash Morgan Webster, Joey Janela and Mask Haskins) vs. Team Trevor (Brian Cage, Jonah Rock, Sami Callihan, Trevor Lee and WALTER)
Trevor got TEAM BIG BOY. He cut a promo saying he spoke with Jeff Jarrett and if his team wins, they all get Impact contracts. Hilariously, WALTER immediately left the ring. Janela needed an extra partner, so the PWG Champion Chuck Taylor left the booth and joined in. Of course, he had to go change in the back first. That left his team shorthanded, so they took a beating around the ring. I could seriously watch WALTER wreck fools all day. Janela got destroyed by a WALTER kick and then repeated squashed as team members would hop on WALTER’s back and they’d splash him. There was another fun moment where Lee had to be restrained when Janela shouted, “Fuck you, Jeff Jarrett and Karen Jarrett.” Chuck Taylor finally arrived, only to hop off the apron because he forgot his wrist tape. Taylor made his official return a bit later, turning the tide for Team Janela. Near the end, Lee stole TK Cooper’s crutch (he was hanging around by the entrance). TK took it back and flipped Janela, leading Taylor to hit a powerbomb and the Awful Waffle to win in 23:30. This was the best of these matches in the past three years. The comedy was good, without being over the top, while the in-ring stuff was mostly good fun. [***]
Battle of Los Angeles Finals: Keith Lee vs. Jeff Cobb vs. Ricochet
The crowd called for a test of strength, which got a funny, “Really?” from Ricochet. He chose to attack them instead, which led to him getting his ass handed to him. He did well for a bit, until Cobb launched him into a huge POUNCE…PERIOD. They took turns throwing Ricochet around, trying to outdo the other. Ricochet got a chance to show his power when he lifted Cobb and Lee (separately) for fall away slams. He also hit some great dives, as he flew around the ring like a madman. The majority of the match saw everyone get shine and nearly win. Lee eventually caught Cobb with his powerslam finish at 18:44. Ricochet springboarded right into Lee’s grasp. Lee went for the powerslam again, but Ricochet countered into a small package to become the first two-time BOLA winner in 19:00. Ricochet threw everything he had at his larger opponents and nothing seemed enough to win. Then, all it took was a rollup. I loved that finish because Lee and Cobb still looked like beasts, while it also came across as a surprise. Lots of good stuff in this match, without going overly long like the 2015 edition. The best BOLA final I’ve seen. [***½]
Post-match, Ricochet cut a heel promo about being the first two-time winner. He said it was him and not “their precious” Chris Hero, Bryan Danielson, etc. He even mentioned that Chuck Taylor never made a final. Taylor came to the ring, only for Ricochet to tell him that he surpassed him and would use the BOLA trophy to win the PWG Title and then go on to “bigger and better” things.
Overall: 8.5/10. The best of the final BOLA stages that I’ve seen. It was the longest show of the three, yet flew by at times. The show was consistently fun, with nothing being bad. Most of the matches got at least three stars. Banks/Ricochet and Lee/Dijak were the show stealers, but you can’t go wrong with anything on the show, as even the worst thing was kept short enough to be inoffensive. Top to bottom, a strong event.
PWG Battle of Los Angeles Stage Two
September 2nd, 2017 | American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California
After a good start, we move onto Stage Two. I’ve reviewed this tournament the past two years and night two was the best in both of those. Hopefully, that trend continues here.
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Donovan Dijak vs. Trevor Lee
This has potential. Dijak’s been good in 2017 and Lee was tremendous in 2016. Dijak taunted on the middle rope before getting started, leading Lee to pull him off with a huge German. That’s a very PWG way to start the show. Lee played up his PWG heel shtick, hyping being a GFW/TNA star. It was a bit surprising to watch him control the match with him being the smaller participant. I liked how he wanted to win in any way, including via countout. He also used smart offense to cut him down to size. Dijak’s comeback saw him use power offense that popped the crowd. As Lee kicked out of stuff, he flipped the bird to the fans. Dijak picked up the win with Feast Your Eyes in 11:34. A better opener than stage one. Lee was a great, smart heel and Dijak’s offense made for a fun finishing stretch.[***¼]
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Joey Janela vs. Sammy Guevara
Janela was a late replacement for the injured TK Cooper. These two were out to steal the show from the opening bell. There were crazy moments almost instantly. A running DVD into the corner, a multi-jump SSP, a monkey flip while Janela was seated in a chair and another DVD, this time onto that same chair. Janela also took an insane bump on the apron, leading to a countout tease. It wasn’t a great tease, as Janela sold it in wacky fashion. Then things got really wacky. Janela missed a swanton and went through an open chair. Guevara then hit him with a Burning Hammer through a chair! Somehow, Janela kicked out. Why? Janela fought a bit before eating a reverse rana and 630 to end it in 14:30. This was wildly absurd in a good way. There were issues, though. How is the Burning Hammer on a chair not the finish? That just looks dumb. Lots of good action here, but a fair amount of overkill. [***¾]
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Mark Haskins vs. Travis Banks
Ah, the rare first round match to feature TWO guys I really like. They’re both regulars in the best wrestling promotion of 2017, PROGRESS. For most of the match, they worked it at a style and pace I enjoy. Banks brought his hard hitting, intense style, while Haskins slowed things down and took his time to pick Banks apart. When Banks managed to get going, he hit dives outside, cannonballs in the corner and it all looked great. Haskins avoided the Slice of Heaven, stopping Banks’ momentum. There was a great moment where Haskins got kicked into the ropes and rebounded into a roll that led to a Samoan drop. It was all so fluid. After some false finishes down the stretch, we got an AWFULLY blown finish. Banks hit the Slice of Heaven and covered. The referee didn’t count three, instead just awkwardly pausing and calling for the bell at 16:58. They had a good match, though it felt like they were going for an epic and fell short. The finish didn’t help. [***¼]
LDRS vs. Matt Sydal and Ricochet
I love LDRS together, but the Sydal/Ricochet pairing has never worked for me. Ricochet’s teams with Ryusuke Taguchi and David Finlay were both much more enjoyable to me. LDRS jumped their opponents during their entrance, setting the stage for a brawl at the start. The faces turned it around and hit some dives to the outside. Things calmed down into a more traditional tag, with Sydal taking the heat segment. That’s the best way to go, because Ricochet is one of the better hot tag guys around. His hot tag spot wasn’t as great as it could’ve been here, but still delivered. He and Sydal started hitting tandem offense, including a double Benadryller, but the pin was broken up. I loved seeing LDRS apply stereo submissions for a great false finish. The closing stretch was the highlight. The stereo SSPs were broken when Scurll shoved Rick Knox into the ropes and crotched Sydal. Ricochet’s was stopped by Sabre catching him in a submission. Ricochet fought out, only to end up in the Chicken Wing. He signaled for Sydal to hit him and Marty with an SSP to break it, sacrificing himself. Good stuff. They would still lose though, once Sabre pulled Sydal into a pinning combination after 20:56. Better than I expected. LDRS were fantastic, really nailing everything they had to. Ricochet and Sydal were fine, but I can’t get over how Sydal and Scurll just nailed all the little things. [***½]
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Jeff Cobb vs. Sami Callihan
Sami attacked Cobb before the bell. That’s two matches in a row, is Gedo booking this thing? Cobb turned it around quickly, because he’s a big boy. This was a battle of Cobb’s power against Callihan’s sheer aggression. I got a kick out of Chuck Taylor making fun of Jeff Cobb’s generic jobber name. “Mr. Athletic Jeff Cobb would job to Ultimate Warrior on Superstars.” Cobb slowed the pace, which was wise since Sami enjoys going at 100MPH. Sami found ways to dish out punishment, causing some of Cobb’s usual offense to be weaker than usual. Sami countered the Tour of the Islands, only to come off the middle rope and caught in one anyway, ending this in 11:41. This was fine, but certainly on the weaker side of tournament matches so far. is like Sydal for me. A lot of people like them, yet I just don’t see it. [***]
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Matt Riddle vs. Michael Elgin
After a great G1 Climax run in 2015 and a banner 2016, Elgin’s kind of fallen off the map in 2017. Riddle’s been great again throughout 2017. Elgin was confident and in control early, but then Riddle got going and that’s always impressive. Watching him deadlift Elgin was great, even though I’ve seen him do it to much larger men. That led to a “This is BROLA” chant. Surprisingly, his next set of kicks were weaker than normal, which opened the door for Elgin to bash him with strikes. I also got a chuckle when Riddle cocked his first for a Superman Punch. He missed and ate a German suplex. They built to bigger moves and near falls down the stretch, with the crowd fully engaged. Riddle kept kicking out of the best that Elgin had to offer. Riddle couldn’t lock in the Bromission, so he resorted to a cradle Tombstone to win in 17:59. Very good and they succeeded in making me think Riddle might lose, even though he was the favorite. That’s part of where Flamita/Ricochet failed one stage one. I enjoyed a lot of this, though it felt long. Both guys are at their best when keeping it under 15 minutes. [***½]
Battle of Los Angeles First Round: Keith Lee vs. WALTER
Easily my most anticipated match of any night. BIG LADS WRESTLING. Their interactions in a four way on an Evolve show in August were great. WALTER grounded Lee instantly, causing him to take a breather outside. That’s not something Lee’s used to. It’s insane to see a guy who can just wallop Lee with a single lariat and then body slam him. As the match progressed, they just lit each other up with chops and strikes, while stopping to throw one another around. WALTER hit a super butterfly suplex, while Lee delivered an awesome looking Spirit Bomb. These moves are great normally, but when done to huge guys, they look even cooler. Lee had the advantage in strikes in the early stages, but WALTER threw some brutal lariats to kind of even the score there. They got into a chop battle, until WALTER just decided to kick Lee’s leg out. Lee fought out of a sleeper and hit a Samoan Drop/powerslam combo to advance in 19:44. This time, a match going long didn’t bother me. I love these guys and big lads wrestling, so this was right up my alley. They showed off some mat stuff early, gave us the hard hitting stuff and brought out the big offense. A ton of fun. [****]
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Flamita and PWG Tag Team Champions Fenix and Penta El Zero M
I was weary coming into this. The Stage Two tag main event last year got TONS of rave and I found it to be quite average. This one also got a lot of hype but Kenny Omega is about a thousand times better than Adam Cole, while Fenix/Penta/Flamita are much more fun than the Sydal/Ricochet/Ospreay trio. Interestingly, there was no commentary for this and one continuous camera shot. The guys paired off early, with the fans going mental for the Penta/Omega interaction. The lucha team cut off a trio of Terminator dives, leading to their own fantastic dive spot. That was followed by some comedic moments, none better than hearing Penta shout obscenities in Spanish across the ring. The action in this was as crazy as you’d think. A ridiculous pace with moves coming left and right and guys flying into the screen at random times. Both teams showcased great chemistry and tandem offense. Penta launching Flamita into a super rana in one fluid motion was tremendous, as was Penta and Fenix hitting a double stomp/Package Piledriver combo. The Elite set up the Meltzer Driver and shouted, “This is for you, Dave,” which I’m sure made him ecstatic. I’m surprised he didn’t throw the full five at this right then. It got cut off, leading to another flurry of offense from both teams. The end came after an IndyTaker and One Winged Angel at 27:06. This kind of perfectly encapsulates PWG. Put a bunch of big stars together and let them get their shit in, while having a wild match that sprinkles in comedic moments. They did that about as well as you can, with this main event being SO MUCH better than last year’s. [****]
Overall: 8.5/10. Like the past two years, Stage Two delivered. There’s not a single bad match on this show, with everything getting at least three stars. They balanced the strong tournament matches with the two big tags very well. The only person who didn’t make it to round two that I was sad about was WALTER. The final two matches were the standouts and they’re both totally different from one another, which is great. A thumbs up for night two.
