Evolve 61
May 7th, 2016 | La Boom in Woodside, New York
The back half of this Evolve weekend that saw them debut some new acts in the wake of some established ones having to miss the shows. This is quite the historic show as it features two WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifiers. I liked the look of this show, but it wasn’t as nice as the Maryland one a day earlier.
Matt Riddle def. Lio Rush in 5:00
Everyone’s favorite “bro” Matt Riddle came out with the Evolve Championship. Lio Rush has quickly become known for his aerial ability but did well in staying with his accomplished mat wrestling opponent. He spliced in some of that athleticism before Riddle showed him who the boss was with rolling gutwrench suplexes. Rush got in a hopeful moment near the end, but missed the frog splash and was put into an armbar. The finish was a cool idea, but didn’t come off looking as well as it could have. The match was fine for what it needed to be. Riddle is the man and Rush, while good, couldn’t quite match him so soon. **½
Matt Riddle called out Timothy Thatcher for a future title shot and threw the Evolve Title overhead. Of course, Thatcher isn’t there, but Stokely Hathaway took the opportunity to show up and take the belt.
The Bravado Brothers def. Chris Dickinson and Ethan Page in 8:38
This was pretty much thrown together at the last minute thanks to an injury. Dickinson and Page are not a regular tag team. I saw Dickinson face Brian Cage in PWG earlier this year and it was better than expected. The Bravados were popular but got booed hard after doing a back rake. Seriously, that had to be the most heat for that move ever. Dickinson mostly ran wild, while the Bravados busted out their sweet double team offense. Page got a near fall after a top rope rana from Dickinson that forced one Bravado to land on the other. After some good back and forth, the Bravados took it home with a Gory special/STO combo to a fair amount of heat. Like the match before it, this was solid but unspectacular. I’ve enjoyed the Bravados’ recent appearances in Evolve, while the story of Ethan Page continues to work as he was really good as a babyface here. **¾
The Bravado Brothers got on the microphone after the match and were perplexed at the reaction to their win. One of them told the fans not to boo Page and Dickinson because they fought hard. He said that Team Tremendous robbed them because they should have gotten the first shot at the Evolve Tag Team Titles and not them. Dan Barry, one half of Team Tremendous, was in attendance as a fan. He got in the ring, made some jokes about the Bravados that came off as awkward, before saying Team Tremendous would accept a tag match against them. The Bravados respectfully accepted and shook hands, before attacking Barry. They laid him out with the Gory special/STO combo.
Before the next matches, Trevin Adams (WWM Ambassador) addressed the audience. He wanted them to be loud, but asked that they refrained from profanity and inappropriate things so that the match, or clips from it, could be seen on WWE’s YouTube channel and allow for more eyes on their product. The same thing was done before the qualifiers in PROGRESS.
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: TJP def. Fred Yehi in 13:49
Fred Yehi knocked over the Evolve cardboard cutout thing near the entrance. He wasn’t the only guy to bump into it throughout the night. No Stokely with TJP, which I liked. It felt like TJP was out to prove that he was the man, even without his manager. While working the mat early, TJP threw in a “dab”, which is part of why I like him so much. He does all of the good wrestling, but adds some flair to it. Man, I loved the progression of this match. It began with the two of them doing what Catch Point guys do best and that’s work the mat. As it went on, they tried bigger moves, leading to more excitement. TJP missed a frog splash and got caught in a fantastic Koji Clutch, but reached the ropes. Yehi also came very close on an Oklahoma roll and you believed he might have had it. TJP got the victory with a 450 splash in a match that is must see. Props to Yehi, who looked great in defeat. He did a lot of little things throughout this to keep it interesting, like his awesome stomps or making sure to grind his elbow during submissions. I’ve been a fan of TJP for a while now, especially recently, and am pumped for him to get this chance. Excellent counter wrestling leading to a great finish. They embraced after the match because that’s what Catch Point does. ****
WWE Cruiserweight Classic Qualifying Match: Drew Gulak def. Tracy Williams in 17:54
Again, two Catch Point members got a big opportunity. Also, if you didn’t know, these guys currently hold the Evolve Tag Team Titles. Similar to the last match, this one started on the mat. I expected it to stay there much longer, but within minutes, Williams’ had already hit a dive to the outside. That stuck out to me and would continue to do so as Williams took risks throughout knowing the importance of this match. As things progressed, Gulak seemed to get motivated by the split crowd and his partner taking it to him. He got more aggressive and that allowed things to get more physical. He survived Williams’ crossface on more than one occasion before catching him in a fantastic dragon sleeper, complete with body scissors, to earn the win. Hands down, the best Gulak match I’ve ever seen. Hell, it was the best from both guys. If the Cruiserweight Classic is anything like this, we are in for a treat. A top notch blend of wrestling, hard hitting strikes and drama. ****¼
Marty Scurll def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 23:19
I first saw these two wrestle in the Battle of Los Angeles last year in a match that was overly long and disappointing. Thanks for their vast knowledge of one another, they wrestled to stalemates in the early stages. While I really like both guys, something about their matches together has never really clicked for me. Don’t get me wrong, this was good. They did a lot of counter grappling and worked very fluidly. I don’t know if I can put my finger on it but it was kind of just there. I did think this finally got really good in the final stretch as they pulled out a crazy series of rollups before beating each other up with uppercuts. For some reason, some of the early arm work was mostly forgotten about. Scurll caught Sabre in the Chicken Wing, finally managing to latch it on and make Sabre tap. It continued Sabre’s struggles. Since starting his “Best in the World” Series 3-0, I believe he’s 0-4. Solid match, but it never got great. ***¼
Ring announcer Joanna Roa informed everyone that Scurll has earned a shot at the Evolve Title when they return to Queens. Stokely Hathaway came out with the Evolve Title around his waist and called TJP the uncrowned champion. He said that he was rudely interrupted by Drew Gulak last night and called TJP a wrestling god. Gulak showed up, picked up the title off the ground and left without speaking. Scurll was confused by all of this but said that the hot potato with the belt will end when he wins it. Weird segment.
Johnny Gargano def. Drew Galloway via disqualification in 16:07
We were treated to more back and forth on the mic from both guys beforehand. They talked about the WWE partnership, as Galloway called Evolve and their fans “sheep”, while Gargano discussed the advantages of the partnership. As one would want from a program as heated as this, there was no fancy grappling. I liked that since it was different from the rest of the card. Galloway beat up Gargano, shouting “I TOLD YOU I WAS GONNA FUCK YOU UP” while doing so. There were some cool moments throughout, highlighted by a defiant Galloway flipping off Gargano, only for Gargano to spit in his face later on. After Gargano survived some of Galloway’s biggest shots, he applied the Gargano Escape. Ethan Carter III then made a surprise run in and attacked Gargano, causing the DQ. This was a good match that gave you the feeling that these two men really disliked each other. I know a lot of people won’t like the finish, but it more about the angle than the match. ***¼
I would recap the scathing promo from EC3 but I don’t think it would do it justice. He mentioned Bill Demott, NXT Redemption and several other things. It’s a good promo made great by EC3’s passion and delivery. You can just watch it here. TJP, Gulak and Page all ran out, with Page and a chair finally running them off and setting up some matches for upcoming Evolve shows. At Evolve 62, EC3 and Galloway will face Gargano and TJP (Page wanted to be Gargano’s partner, but knew Gargano couldn’t trust him and suggested TJP) and at Evolve 63, Galloway takes on Page in an Anything Goes match.
Overall: 7/10. Another Evolve show, another really good effort. While things got off to a bit of a slow start with a decent first two matches, the two Cruiserweight Classic qualifiers were outstanding. Seriously, two stellar matches from four of the best around. The last two matches are good but not great, however the closing angle is excellently handled. The appearance of EC3 was a great surprise that generated a lot of buzz and really set things up for the future.
Raw History
Episode #34
October 4th, 1993 | New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut
Intercontinental Battle Royal
Only a select few guys get an entrance. Unfortunately, Mr. Perfect isn’t one of them. Macho Man is last in and he goes right for Giant Gonzalez. He and everyone else eliminates the giant first. Nobody else goes out for a while as it is just guys trying to and failing. Diesel tosses out Mabel on his own in a preview of the 1995 SummerSlam main event. Razor dumps out IRS. Right before a commercial, Diesel is dumped by Mr. Perfect and when we return, Bob Backlund is eliminated. Action wise, there isn’t anything groundbreaking happening. Marty Jannetty goes out, but somehow MVP is still in this thing. Dumbass Tatanka charges Bigelow, who ducks and he’s gone. Good, keep him away from any belts. Bigelow is out as well, leaving Razor, Martel, MVP, Owen, the Quebecers, Savage and Adam Bomb. As I type that, Owen gets rid of MVP. After Owen is gone, the four heels turn their attention to Razor and Savage. Savage is able to make Adam Bomb go over, but then all of the heels, including Bomb, get rid of him. I would have much rather seen a Savage/Adam Bomb program instead of Savage/Crush. Razor is in trouble, being left alone with the Quebecers and Martel. As one would expect, Razor finds a slight opening to turn the tide after a few glimpses of false hope. He gets rid of both Quebecers to set the stage for the finals next week.
Winners: Razor Ramon and Rick Martel in 19:20
Your basic battle royal except for the fact that the ending is anti-climactic. Having Razor Ramon overcome the heels was a smart move, but making it so the final two guys meet next week felt like it was lacking. It seems unfinished. Also, the final two could have been better. Razor was built up for this but Martel feels random. Outside of that and some slowness early on, this was acceptable. **
The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette vs. Scott Thomas and Mark Taylor
When they made their debut, the Heavenly Bodies had a damn good squash. It’s more of the same here. They bust out some nice double teams, a delayed suplex and even a second rope spinebuster. Bobby Heenan spends the match discussing the Rock n’ Roll Express making their debut soon. Odd times for sure. Their finisher is odd though as Pritchard clotheslines Del Rey as he does a DDT. Surely you could find a better way to get the same result than to hit your partner.
Winners: The Heavenly Bodies in 3:38
The Heavenly Bodies have had better squash matches than any team not named the Steiners. *½
A clip from Superstars is shown where Doink and Bigelow kind of got into it because of Doink’s antics. Doink throws confetti at him and Bigelow threatens him. After he leaves, Luna tries to talk trash so Doink pours water on her. Bigelow comes back to fight but Doink continues to make him look like a joke.
Doink the Clown vs. Cory Student
Face Doink is not something I was really a fan of. Before the bell, he toys around with Bobby Heenan again. He goes to throw water but instead its popcorn. As Doink beats up his opponent, Heenan says he had 200 pounds of popcorn thrown on him, despite it being a tiny bucket. Doink wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink the Clown in 1:56
He’s had far better squashes. The face version didn’t speak to me. ½*
Bigelow and Luna come out to fight Doink but are stopped by security. Bigelow takes his anger out on Doink’s wagon.
Overall: 4.5/10; Below average. I wasn’t a big fan of this episode. It was heavily dominated by one match, which actually wasn’t too bad but the rest wasn’t too great. The Heavenly Bodies were fine but the face Doink stuff was pretty blah.
Raw History
Episode #35
October 11th, 1993 | New Haven Coliseum in New Haven, Connecticut
A quick recap of last week’s battle royal opens things. Commentary is the usual trio.
WWF Intercontinental Championship
Razor Ramon vs. Rick Martel
Bobby Heenan still calls Razor Ramon “Desi Arnez.” They go through some exchanges until Razor busts out the fallaway slam early. Martel takes a breather outside but is still on the bad end when he gets back in. Martel starts to go after Razor’s back, which Vince calls a problem area, though we’ve never heard about that before. It makes sense since his finisher is the Boston crab, so you don’t need to make something like that up. They go through a series of near falls after Razor counters the Boston crab. Razor manages to shakes off the back work and hit the Razor’s Edge to become champion.
Winner and New WWF Intercontinental Champion: Razor Ramon in 10:48
Solid effort from both guys. The match wasn’t a classic by any means but it was a good marquee match for this episode. The back work was wise throughout and the right guy went over.**½
The Headshrinkers vs. Tony Morrison and Sid Person
The Headshrinkers spend a fair amount of time doing nothing before getting ready to actually compete. When they do compete, Samu lazily throws Person around. Person ends up knocked out like PJ Walker a while back so they bring in Morrison and finish him with a splash.
Winners: The Headshrinkers in 3:47
Your generic squash with the exception of a good old fashioned jobber killing. That gives the score an extra boost. *
Owen Hart vs. Scott King
We are about a month away from the Owen Hart push starting at Survivor Series. Interestingly, I believe that Owen was ready to quit wrestling but a program with Bret pulled him back in. Owen looks motivated here, busting out a monkey flip, missile dropkick, German suplex, elbow and wins with a Northern lights suplex.
Winner: Owen Hart in 3:37
Well somebody certainly knows how to entertain in his squash matches. He used it to showcase his moveset and it was fun. *¾
Ludvig Borga is out for an interview with Vince McMahon. He starts by saying that USA stands for “U Stink America”. He badmouths America until Lex Luger, fresh off of choking against Yokozuna, comes out to defend his country. Anti-American gimmicks are absolutely lazy and usually suck hard. Macho Man is the best thing about this as he manages to make it sound exciting. Borga says they will fight on his terms, which causes Luger to freak out as Borga leaves.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Ross Greenberg
Harvey Wippleman is now the manager of Adam Bomb after working a deal out with Johnny Polo. Bomb tosses Greenberg around a bit before showing off his athleticism with a standing dropkick. I still don’t get why Adam wasn’t pushed more. He slingshots in with a shoulder lock before ending things with the Adam Smasher.
Winner: Adam Bomb in 2:33
Another solid squash match here. Adam Bomb was an impressive specimen and he made sue that none of this was dull. *
The Rock n’ Roll Express vs. Duane Gill and Barry Hardy
It’s so strange seeing the Smoky Mountain Tag Team Champions on Raw. Is Barry a cousin of Jeff and Matt? Robert Gibson starts before tagging out and running a double team. The crowd seems to be enjoying them. Morton actually gets an early pin that doesn’t win this as it gets broken up. They win following a double dropkick.
Winners: The Rock n’ Roll Express in 1:54
Nothing special. The Rock n’ Roll Express’ offense was a bit too old school even for 1993. ½*
Overall: 6/10; Average. A decent episode here. The marquee match was solid and all of the squashes, outside of the last one, were enjoyable. About what I’ve come to expect from most episodes of Raw.
Raw History
Episode #36
October 18th, 1993 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
In the cheesiest of fashion, Vince McMahon does a voiceover for images of significant summits in history. He then says that the biggest of them all happens tonight when Crush comes face to face with Randy Savage. Wow.
The Steiner Brothers vs. PJ Walker and Tony DeVito
Right at the start, Scott Steiner takes DeVito over. The Steiners and Headshrinkers have been competing for best jobber killers on Raw so far this year. Scott tries to win a full nelson suplex on DeVito. Rick wants his shot and throws Walker around before tagging in Scott for a dropkick. Commentary calls Walker by the name of Student. Scott points to Macho Man and does the fucking Screwdriver! Oh my god. They make DeVito tag in to finish him off.
Winners: The Steiner Brothers in 3:06
Seriously, that was fun. It gets bumped up an extra point because Scott did a screwdriver. Like, that was worth this episode alone. **
There is a hotline that you can call whether or not you want Shawn Michaels’ suspension lifted. Mr. Perfect and Diesel plead their cases for their sides.
IRS vs. Scott Taylor
IRS cuts a pre-match promo about the fans being tax cheats. Stop me if you’ve heard that before. For some reason it seems like he will be Razor Ramon’s first IC Title program. Yuck. Since it’s IRS and he doesn’t know how to be entertaining, he applies a chinlock in a squash match. He wins with the Write Off.
Winner: IRS in 3:30
IRS continues to have the most uninteresting squash matches ever. ¼*
Vince McMahon now takes us to a vignette introducing “Double J” Jeff Jarrett. He will be using the WWF to springboard his country music singing career.
We also see the camera awaiting the arrival of Crush, though it’s at an “emergency exit only” door. Once Crush turns heel, he breaks all of the rules.
Tatanka vs. Mike Sharpe
Before the match, footage is shown of Tatanka and Ludvig Borga getting into it on Superstars. While I don’t like Tatanka, I love me some Mike Sharpe. He goes right into the loud selling, stealing the show. Macho Man has done a great job all night in barely talking to build the tension for his issue with Crush. He even brings up his old friendship with Hulk Hogan and dares him to meet him face to face, calling him a backstabber. Tatanka stays undefeated with the Samoan drop.
Winner: Tatanka in 3:00
Pretty much every single Tatanka squash ever, made slightly better by Mike Sharpe’s selling technique. *
With Mean Gene Okerlund gone, we go to Joe Fowler, who I don’t remember, for the Survivor Series Report. He explains the Survivor Series concept, citing that for the reason why it sold out in under an hour with no matches announced. They announce the All-Americans (Lex Luger, Tatanka and the Steiner Brothers) vs. the Foreign Fanatics (Yokozuna, Ludvig Borga and the Quebecers) and the Hart Family (Bret, Owen, Bruce and Keith Hart) vs. the King and his Knights (Jerry Lawler and mystery partners) as a double main event.
Crush has arrived!
Bam Bam Bigelow w/ Luna Vachon vs. Dennis Diamond
Diamond has the 70’s pornstar look working for him. Bigelow gets all of the offense while the commentators focus on Crush and Savage. We also find out that 60% of the voters so far want HBK to stay suspended. So 3 out of 5? Bigelow wins with a diving headbutt.
Winner: Bam Bam Bigelow in 3:00
Better than the last Bigelow squash as it didn’t last too long. Still was rather dull though. ¾*
Bobby Heenan is in the ring to bring out Crush. Crush surprises many by appearing with Mr. Fuji. Crush says that Macho Man was a good friend but once he surpassed Savage, the Macho Man couldn’t handle it. That is one of the most delusional statements I’ve ever heard. He brings up the fact that Yokozuna crushed him with four Banzai drops and Macho man didn’t pull him out until after the fourth one. Macho Man gets in the ring, telling Crush that he’s making a mistake. He wants Crush to shake his hand, which Crush does, upsetting Fuji and Heenan. Of course, Crush decides to turn around and attack him in the aisle. Crush continues the assault, even causing Savage to bleed from the mouth. Yokozuna and Jim Cornette show up as well. Yokozuna hits a Banzai Drop to cap things.
Overall: 3/10; Poor. Outside of the fun Steiners opener and Mike Sharpe’s selling, I liked almost nothing about this. While the final segment came off about as good as one can expect, it’s hard to take Crush seriously in this angle.
Evolve 60
May 6th, 2016 | MCW Arena in Joppa, Maryland
Evolve ran their first shows in Maryland (at least I think so) over the course of two days for their Evolve 60 and 61 events. This was an interesting weekend as a lot of big names weren’t available (Callihan, Thatcher, etc.) and we even got a fancy new stage and ring canvas. I’m a sucker for a canvas with logos on it. The show looked very pretty.
Lio Rush def. Caleb Konley in 10:18
Rush is a home state boy here. He’s only been wrestling for a very short time, but is very good, especially evidenced by his excellent ROH World Title match against Jay Lethal about a month prior. He cut a short promo, putting over the Baltimore area beforehand. Konley, the clear heel, started aggressively. Konley was good here but most of my praise is going to Rush. He’s so fluid with everything he does, even when taking to the sky for his impressive aerial offense. He had the crowd firmly behind him and played the plucky underdog role well, doing a good job of bumping, selling and getting in hope spots. Lio overcame Konley’s bully offense and won with a frog splash after some really good back and forth. Exactly what I want from my opener. No real downtime, a hot crowd and two guys giving their all, while not overdoing it so some stuff could be saved for the guys later in the card. ***½
The Bravado Brothers def. the Devastation Corporation in 8:22
The Devastation Corporation are rather well known in CHIKARA, though this is my first exposure to them. I’ve seen the Bravado Brothers before, including as part of the Evolve Tag Team Title Tournament earlier in the year. It was the Evolve debut for the Devastation Corporation. Things got physical quickly and the teams brawled on the outside. The size advantage of the bigger Devastation Corporation came into play as they took control. The Bravados rallied and showed off impressive strength as they nailed a powerbomb/lungblower combo for a near fall. Blast McMassive missed a huge dive outside and fell to the Gentlemen’s Agreement. This was solid tag team wrestling and a good debut for the Corporation. ***
Matt Riddle def. Anthony Nese in 11:35
If you haven’t seen Matt Riddle yet, you need to. We got an interesting clash of styles here. Riddle loves the mat game, while Nese is quick and chose to showcase his athleticism here. I was glad because he hadn’t shown off enough of that in recent matches. Riddle’s personality shined through. He hit a springboard knee and you thought he was going to show off his own athleticism, only to slide out of the ring and slap Nese. He does the little things that put him over the top so well. Nese survived and countered the Kimura twice, the second with a suplex that got him a near fall. He countered it again, only for Riddle to counter that and put the submission back on, causing Nese to tap. A really good match that was better than I expected. Good back and forth that allowed both guys to look good. Nese was on his game and Riddle almost always delivers. My favorite Nese match since the one with TJ Perkins last year. ***½
Johnny Gargano def. Marty Scurll in 20:22
Scurll has been great in a lot of his recent work, including some excellent matches with Will Ospreay this year. Gargano is still considered the icon of WWN. The fans chanted “I enjoy this” as the two men exchanged holds on the mat. Scurll, being the villain that he’s so well known for, resorted to kicking Gargano when he couldn’t get the upper hand. I liked both guys going for their respective finishers early and talking shit to each other, about their countries after. Scurll began to soften up Gargano’s arm in preparation for the chicken wing, which was sold very well. Extra points to these two for it being their first match and managing to have seamless sequences to the point where you’d think they wrestled a ton. I never like people shouting the name of their move before doing it, so I was happy to see Gargano block the Chicken Wing each time Scurll was guilty of this. Their final few minutes were great. Gargano got out of Cattle Mutilation before nailing a lawn dart and making Scurll submit to the Gargano Escape. As I said, this was really fluid and crisp for two guys that aren’t used to each other. Scurll played the villain well, as usual, having a cheap shot ready for almost all of Gargano’s stuff. Just a really well executed pro wrestling match. ***¾
Johnny Gargano got on the microphone and said Evolve would be returning to Joppa, Maryland later in the year. He called out Drew Galloway to come face to face with him for the first time since Galloway turned on him. Galloway obliged and Gargano ran him down, saying that the Evolve/WWE partnership is good for wrestling. He also shot that Galloway blew his change with the WWE. Galloway responded with a cheat shot and beat on Gargano until Ethan Page made the save, leading to the next match.
Drew Galloway def. Ethan Page in 11:13
The reformation of Ethan Page continued here. He spent last year as the guy going after Gargano, but now defended the honor of his former friend against Galloway. Galloway was great as the aggressive monster heel again, shouting trash talk at Page throughout. I also enjoyed Page being resilient and doing his best to go blow for blow despite his size disadvantage. Their slap exchange near the end was just brutal at times. Galloway used a low blow behind the official’s back and the Future Shock to win. This accomplished everything it needed to. It mostly felt like a personal fight, showed that Page can be a solid babyface and got Galloway a win to further the bigger angle. ***
This time, it was Drew Galloway who grabbed a microphone. He said that he doesn’t need a machine behind him and that he didn’t blow it himself. Drew Galloway made Drew Galloway. He called everyone in the back, especially Gargano, pathetic for accepting the WWE into Evolve. He called them all hypocrites because they used to just talk about supporting indy wrestling. Drew said the WWE doesn’t deserve credit for anything in Evolve. He went for another Future Shock on Page but Gargano ran him off with a chair. Gargano still refused to help Page up and instead left on his own. Page seemed to break down into tears. He struggled to get up and leave, but did so on his own, to a round of applause.
Evolve Tag Team Championship: Drew Gulak and Tracy Williams (c) def. Fred Yehi and TJP w/ Stokely Hathaway in 17:13
All four men are part of the Catch Point stable. I love that these guys have no issues wrestling one another. It’s refreshing. Gulak showed up also carrying Timothy Thatcher’s Evolve Championship. Also, the following night on Evolve 61, these four would compete in Cruiserweight Classic Qualifiers, against their own partners. Hathaway got on the microphone beforehand and put over TJP as the star of Catch Point. Gulak had to cut him off, saying this is about competition and kicked him out. Cath Point is all about the mat wrestling, so you knew what you were getting coming into this. All four men worked the mat, adding in their little strong suits, like TJ’s flashiness or Gulak’s no nonsense approach. Some great back and forth in this one as it was done in a way to show that the Catch Point guys are very close in terms of skill. Outside of one spot just before the finish, everything was smooth. Gulak caught TJP in the dragon sleeper to retain. Once again, the Catch Point guys came to perform. ***¾
Drew Gulak cut a short promo, calling out Timothy Thatcher. He said that the Evolve Title was staying with Catch Point until he got the balls to give them a title shot. Matt Riddle made sure to come out with his Catch Point buddies and say that he would be the one to get the shot. If that happens, I pray Riddle and Thatcher find some chemistry.
Chris Hero def. Zack Sabre Jr. in 29:06
The rivalry continues! Hero has defeated Sabre on two separate occasions in Evolve, as he seems to be the hurdle that Sabre can’t quite overcome. I love their matches because Sabre really feels like an underdog. He’s small but so good that he always seems to be in control, except against Hero. They began with some technical wrestling that saw them bend each other in painful ways. Hero got tired of that and just started laying into Sabre, which has worked for him in the past. Both guys went after the arm. Hero’s work wasn’t as technical, but looked brutal. Sabre was great at pulling out the hope spots despite taking a beating. You felt his desperation. Any time Sabre seemed to take control, Hero was ready with an elbow that dizzied the Brit. “You may be their favorite, but you ain’t shit to me!” Hero’s trash talk was on point. Sabre survived some badass piledrivers, while throwing in pinning combinations in between that you believed would end it. Finally, the abuse from Hero became too much as Sabre succumbed to one of the sickest piledrivers I’ve ever seen. The fact that Sabre didn’t break his neck is a miracle. Of the three matches I’ve seen from these two, this was my favorite. Sabre just continues to throw everything at Hero and, even at his most desperate, is just unable to best him. When he finally does beat Hero, it’s going to feel incredibly earned. ****½
Overall: 8.5/10. Textbook Evolve. You get a spectacular match surrounded by a bunch of really good ones. Nothing on this card is bad as everything gets at least three stars. They advanced the Galloway/Gargano angle very well, introduced Lio Rush to solid fanfare and the Catch Point stuff was a lot of fun. The main event added another chapter to the great rivalry between Hero and Sabre, and is a must see match. Evolve continues to deliver and is probably the best booked company right now.
The opening video recaps the Trios Tournament Finals two weeks ago, as well as the Lorenzo Lamas appearance. We also see Mil Muertes and Matanza Cueto go through the ceiling of Dario's office.
Dario Cueto is shown walking into what seems to be a bar. He meets up with Lorenzo Lamas (I don't know his character's name). Dario gives him money and Lamas says his employee will be pleased. Dario goes to leave but Lamas stops him. He tells him about the cops coming after him and the possibility that someone is already on the inside. Dario claims he would know but doesn't seem so sure. Lamas' employer is apparently coming to the Temple soon. Lamas ends with "What? Did you think your brother would have all the fun?" I wonder what this is building to.
Gift of the Gods Aztec Medallion Match: Joey Ryan def. Cortez Castro and Mr. Cisco in 1:18
Next week, the Gift of the Gods Title match will take place. These three teamed up in the Trios Tournament and made it to the finals. Ryan got thrown outside and the Crew members went at it. Ryan snuck in and rolled up Castro to steal it. Too short to give a real rating to, but Ryan is all kinds of awesome in Lucha Underground so far. NO RATING
We get some Catrina and Mil Muertes in Mil's lair or whatever. Catrina says she's waited for this moment for 197 years. She old as fuck. She hypes Mil up, discussing their past and wants him to watch her lick the face of the monster. King Cuerno appears after they leave and seems to be hunting Mil.
Trios Championship: Dragon Azteca Jr., Prince Puma and Rey Mysterio Jr. (c) Ivelisse, Johnny Mundo and Son of Havoc w/ Taya in 7:57
Due to Angelico's injury, Dario Cueto made Johnny Mundo Ivelisse and Son of Havoc's partner. Mysterio looked out of place considering his partners come out with giant animals on their heads. Ivelisse and Taya seemed to butt heads a bit. Ivelisse was selling her history of leg injuries. We got some really good matchups in here, like Son of Havoc vs. Rey Mysterio. I continue to find myself impressed by Dragon Azteca. He's been a very welcome addition to the show. Taya complained throughout that Ivelisse and SOH didn't really tag in Mundo. Mundo accidentally caught Ivelisse with a springboard kick that helped set up the finish. With SOH being left alone, Mysterio hit a 619 and tagged Puma, who won with the 630. A pretty fun trios match, though not on the level of the previous ones involving the champions. ***
After the match, Taya got in the ring and attacked Ivelisse.
Lucha Underground Championship Graver Consequences: Matanza Cueto (c) w/ Dario Cueto def. Mil Muertes w/ Catrina in 14:46
Mil attacked before the bell and continued to show that Matanza wasn't invincible. Catrina hit Matanza with a chair, which he no sold. He grabbed her so Mil speared him from behind into a ton of chairs. Big spots came at a furious pace, including Mil hitting a Flatliner off the apron and onto two caskets.In a cool call back to the original Grave Consequences match, it is Mil that gets his mask ripped up this time. I loved the touch of Catrina holding up the stone, while Dario did the same with his key. Muertes used a damn lead glove on offense. In what might have been the coolest moment, Matanza nearly had it won but Mil's hand burst through the coffin! Catrina finally got to strike Dario only for Matanza to hit her in the back with a chair! He took the stone from Catrina and threw it into a coffin. He carried Catrina and placed in the coffin with it. Mil took him out with a dive and nearly locked him in a coffin inside of the ring. Matanza fought him off though. He then powerombed Mil onto it and hit the Wrath of the Gods slam into it, ending the match. That was pretty much the war I wanted it to be. It didn't quite reach the level of the original Grave Consequences match, but worked as a good sequel to me. ****
Dario Cueto opened the coffin that had Catrina BUT SHE WAS GONE! The "Faces of Death" came out to get the coffin holding Mil Muertes. As they carried it out, one of the men in hoodies revealed himself to be King Cuerno! THE HUNT IS ON!
I remember Lorenzo Lamas' character's name! Councilman Delgado met up with his employer in a limo. He gave him the money from Dario and explains that he spoke to Dario about his arrival at the Temple. He calls the dude "my lord" and we see a cigar light as the show closes.
Overall: 7.5/10. Another good episode from Lucha Underground. The main event continued a string of great matches each week, even if it didn't surpass the original Grave Consequences match. I thought the Trios Title match was fun and seemed to build some things for future, while the Joey Ryan segment did what it needed to.
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!
G1 Climax 23 Day Two
August 2nd, 2013 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 2,015
After a good, solid first night of the tournament, we move to the second show in the historic Korakuen Hall.
Block B
Karl Anderson (2) vs. Shelton X Benjamin (2)
Both guys obviously won their first matches. They start with an exchange of slaps and shoves. Anderson gets irritated and steps outside. Back in, the same thing happens and Anderson again goes outside. It’s like I’m watching a replay. The crowd gets a laugh when it happens for a third time, but Anderson goes on the offensive instead of exiting this time. They go back and forth for a bit until Benjamin hits the dragon whip kick. He follows with a high knee and signals for the finish. Shelton springboards in only to nearly get caught in the Gun Stun. He sends Anderson off the ropes and eats a backbreaker. Shelton gets two on a superkick/German combo before applying an ankle lock. Anderson gets out and nails a Gun Stun for the victory.
Winner: Karl Anderson (4) in 6:28
Solid opening contest here. They didn’t do anything crazy but managed to have a good match that the crowd seemed to enjoy. The early stuff they did was rather fun too. Nothing special though. **¾
Block B
Hiroyoshi Tenzan (0) vs. Yujiro Takahashi (2)
Takahashi’s arm candy is looking mighty fine tonight. These are honestly two guys that I don’t tend to enjoy for the most part, so my expectations are quite low. There is some early biting from Takahashi on the thumb of Tenzan. Tenzan starts to light him up, so he goes outside to get consoled by his lady friend. Takahashi goads him outside, where he jumps him. He takes control from there, getting a few near falls in the ring. Tenzan explodes out of the corner with a clothesline and turns the tide, laying into Takahashi. He hits a backdrop suplex like move and goes up top. Headbutt connects for two. He locks in the Anaconda Vice but Takahashi escapes. Tenzan doesn’t let that deter him and tries a moonsault but misses. Takahashi goes into some of his offense including a moonsault but he only gets one. He drops Tenzan when trying for Tokyo Pimps, so he decides to go back up and hit a second moonsault for the win.
Winner: Yujiro Takahashi (4) in 9:07
Better than I expected. I would have given them less time, but I think they ended up doing rather well. This was fine for what it was. **½
Block B
Toru Yano (0) vs. Yuji Nagata (2)
It looks like we’re getting most of Block B out of the way early. Toru Yano attacks before the bell, but it quickly backfires and Yuji Nagata cause shim to nearly walk out. Nagata does his signature salute, so Yano does his shrug back at him. They start battling and Yano sends Nagata into an exposed corner. Nagata sells it pretty hilariously. Nagata comes back with a bunch of strikes before getting two on an exploder. Nagata is also ready for the typical Yano low blow spot, avoiding it and rolling him up. Yano rolls through, pinning Nagata for tow. Yano ends up hitting the low blow but his backslide only gets two. A few moments later, Nagata scores with the backdrop suplex to win.
Winner: Yuji Nagata (4) in 6:48
Like the rest of the show so far, this was solid but unspectacular. Nothing about this match was great. Still, it was a fine little bout that kept the crowd involved throughout. Nothing wrong with that. **¾
Block A
Lance Archer (2) vs. Prince Devitt (2)
Fresh off of a major main event win against the IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Prince Devitt faces the largest man in the tournament. The size factor quickly comes into play as the Jr. Heavyweight Champion is tossed around. Bad Luck Fale gets on the apron, coming face to face with Lance Archer and allowing Devitt to sneak in and go after the leg. Devitt continues to attack the knee. Archer get fed up with this and press slams Devitt onto Fale outside. Devitt tries using a chair, only to have it taken from him. A second one is thrown in but Archer punches it into him. Like your typical Bullet Club match, we get a ref bump. Archer misses the moonsault and Devitt comes of the top with a chair shot. He then hits the diving double stomp with a chair on Archer’s chest but that only gets two. Archer gets Devitt up for his finish but the Prince wriggles free and rolls up Archer for two. Devitt bumps hard on a Chokeslam and kicks out. Fale tries to get involved again, but Taka Michinoku holds his foot. Archer wipes him out, catches a flying Devitt and nails Blackout.
Winner: Lance Archer (4) in 8:14
Well I enjoyed that more than Okada/Devitt from day one. It did a good job in portraying the fact that the Junior Heavyweight Champion is indeed out of his element a lot of time in this tournament. That made the interference spots sensible here. I’m used to Archer as the monster heel, but he was fine in the big babyface role here. ***½
Block A
Katsuyori Shibata (2) vs. Satoshi Kojima (2)
I loved their match in the G1 24 a year later. Just like I wanted, this starts like an all-out war with both men just leveling each other. Shibata kicks his ass and sends him hurting to the mat. Shibata seems to be talking smack as if he’s putting Kojima in his place. Shibata applies a figure four, complete with some slaps, but Kojima reaches the ropes. Kojima starts reeling off his rapid fire chops only to be sent outside. The fight goes up by the entrance where Shibata suplexes Kojima. Once back inside, Kojima is already back on the offensive and nails a cutter. Shibata comes back with a backdrop driver of sorts. He hits a PK to the back but Kojima fires up and connects on a BRAINBUSTER! He removes the elbow pad and takes out Shibata with a lariat.
Winner: Satoshi Kojima (4) in 9:40
I rather enjoyed this. Shibata came off like an arrogant badass, while the veteran had to dig deep and pull this one out. Hard hitting match with a hot crowd and fine story. ***½
Block A
Davey Boy Smith Jr. (0) vs. Togi Makabe (2)
They begin by exchanging boots until Makabe clotheslines him over the top. Outside, Smith sends Makabe over the guardrail. He shouts that he’s “taking the G1”. Somehow must not have told him his place on the card. Smith does stay in control inside, wearing down Makabe. Makabe fights back with some stiff shots and scores two on a lariat. At one point, Smith puts on a chinlock only to release it and cover. When will that ever actually win a match? Makabe fires off ten punches in the corner shortly after. Smith hits a powerslam and belly to belly for near falls. He’s looked like the more impressive wrestler so far. Makabe comes back with an overhand chop and goes up top but is greeted with a superplex. A battle of dueling forearms leads to Smith hitting a powerbomb for the upset.
Winner: Davey Boy Smith Jr. (2) in 10:13
This continues tonight’s trend of solid matches. Both guys worked hard and were pretty stiff. They didn’t try to reinvent the wheel or do anything fancy. They worked their styles and it made for a good match. ***
Block B
Kota Ibushi (2) vs. Tetsuya Naito (0)
They start with some mat work which I like. They’re both major high flyers and incredibly athletic so I appreciate them going a different route early on. Hopefully they build to the bigger stuff. Right on cue they show off some athleticism with a quick burst of energy. Naito seems to be going after the leg, looking to take out Ibushi’s strong suit. Ibushi knocks Naito outside after escaping a submission and scores on a moonsault. Ibushi springboards in with a dropkick for two. Ibushi continues the trend, hitting a standing shooting star press for a near fall. Naito stops the flurry by going back to the leg. He comes off the top now with a missile dropkick to the knee. That’s pretty damn good. Figure four by Naito and Ibushi is in trouble. He reaches the ropes and it leads to a battle of slaps. Surprisingly, Naito seems to be hitting harder. It leads to each man hitting a big move and Naito coming very close on a rollup. Ibushi counters a victory roll and just levels Naito with a kick. Sitout powerbomb by Ibushi only gets two but the fans bought it. He goes up and nails the Phoenix splash for the 1-2-3.
Winner: Kota Ibushi (4) in 13:16
Oh wow, that was fantastic. Two of the most athletically gifted wrestlers I can think of (especially Ibushi) just going at it. I liked Naito’s leg work and was okay with it not impacting Ibushi early because it wasn’t very pronounced. However, after Naito kept going to it, I wish Ibushi sold it more. He just hit his moves like it was nothing, which hurt the overall score. Still, my favorite tournament match so far. ****
Block B
Minoru Suzuki (0) vs. Shinsuke Nakamura (0)
I recently reviewed Dominion 2013, which saw these two going at it in a tag team match that was a blast. They work the mat, with Nakamura trying to lock in an armbar, but running into trouble. Once that’s over, Nakamura tries his trademark knee in the corner but is caught in an armbar over the ropes by Suzuki. Turnabout is fair play. Suzuki works him over outside and is in control back in the ring. Nakamura turns it around and goes to work with knees on the apron. He continues the assault with knee strikes in the corner. Nakamura looks for the armbar again but that damn Suzuki is too good at blocking. He gets it locked in for real, but Suzuki is too close to the ropes. They go through a back and forth exchange with Nakamura setting for the Boma Ye. Suzuki stops it with a dropkick. They just go nuts with furious slaps in the middle of the ring now. Suzuki goes to a sleeper and attempts a Gotch style piledriver but Shinsuke fights it off. Nakamura hits a second rope Boma Ye and then applies the armbar. Suzuki gets out and hits the Gotch style piledriver to take it.
Winner: Minoru Suzuki (2) in 13:44
Another really good match. These guys are two of the best out there. I enjoyed the emphasis on the arm as it hadn’t really been done on the show. I do wish Nakamura did more to damage it than just keep trying the armbar. In the end, he relied too heavily on it and it cost him a she’s now 0-2. ***¾
Block A
Hirooki Goto (0) vs. Kazuchika Okada (0)
In the early stages of this outing, Hirooki Goto gains the upper hand. Surprisingly, Goto’s offense it directed towards Okada’s leg. Okada shrugs it off to hit a basement dropkick but at least has the smart idea of limping after. If you’re going to use the body part that was worked on, at least sell it somewhat still. Kudos to him. He continues to limp as he gets in some shots in the corner. He does so some more on the outside, but it still able to hit his guardrail hung DDT. Okada gets in the driver’s seat for a while, but Goto fires back with aggressive kicks and a back suplex gets two. A strike exchange is won by Goto, which the fans seem to love. Okada still hits the usual stuff, including the diving elbow and calls for the Rainmaker. Goto counters but ends up in Red Ink. He escapes, only to eat Okada’s gorgeous dropkick. Another exchange, this time of counters, sees Goto block the Rainmaker with a headbutt to the chest. Goto nails a massive top rope neckbreaker for two, but finishes off the champion with Shouten Kai.
Winner: Hirooki Goto (2) in 12:43
A damn great match with a surprising result. I didn’t expect the champion to lose two straight to start the tournament but it happened. I liked that Goto was more aggressive than usual, knowing that he had to pull out the stops to beat the top guy. He had a game plan and stuck to it early but I wish the leg work paid off somehow in the end. ****
Block A
Hiroshi Tanahashi (0) vs. Tomohiro Ishii (0)
Wisely, Tanahashi takes Ishii to the ground game. Ishii is a guy who likes to hit fast and hard, so this is a great strategy. Ishii turns things around though, playing to his strength. He takes the action outside, where he just beats up on Tanahashi for a bit. They continue to go back and forth until Tanahashi sends Ishii outside this time. He skins the cat back in, paying homage to his favorite wrestler, and then does a plancha onto Ishii. Interestingly, Tanahashi just gets into a forearm exchange, keeping up with the hard hitting Ishii. That is until Ishii just murders him with a slap. He follows with a powerbomb for a near fall. Tanahashi answers with slingblade and a German for two. They just trade big blows, with Ishii scoring a second rope Brainbuster. Tanahashi continues to prove to be a tough guy to keep down. Ishii smells blood though, pouring it on and hitting a big headbutt and lariat. Tanahashi still somehow kicks out and hits a dragon suplex. Slingblade follows but Ishii gets a shoulder up. Tanahashi goes up for High Fly Flow but misses. Ishii rolls Tanahashi into a pinning combination for a near fall that the fans completely bite on. They go back to a strike exchange that Tanahashi nearly wins this time. Ishii hits the Brainbuster for two and the fans have pretty much lost their minds at this point. Realizing the Brainbuster isn’t enough, he goes all Scott Steiner and hits a goddamn screwdriver to win.
Winner: Tomohiro Ishii (2) in 17:42
Just a tremendous main event. Tanahashi knows how to step up in the big matches and this was the biggest win in Ishii’s career. The crowd and commentator gets tons of credit from me for being insanely excited about this. The near falls and frantic final few minutes were insane. Seeing Ishii have to hit the screwdriver was nuts. Easily the match of the tournament so far.****½
Overall: 8.5/10. A big step up from a solid first night. There are three fantastic matches, including a main event that is among the best G1 matches I’ve seen so far. Nothing on the show is bad and even the lesser stuff all manages to stay relatively short. It’s also really cool to see Okada, Nakamura and Tanahashi get off to rough starts as it opens the field early on. Great stuff and I look forward to what’s next.
Block A StandingsSatoshi Kojima 4 points
Lance Archer 4 points
Tomohiro Ishii 2 points
Hirooki Goto 2 points
Davey Boy Smith Jr. 2 points
Prince Devitt 2 points
Katsuyori Shibata 2 points
Togi Makabe 2 points
Hiroshi Tanahashi 0 points
Kazuchika Okada 0 points
Block B StandingsKarl Anderson 4 points
Kota Ibushi 4 points
Yuji Nagata 4 points
Yujiro Takahashi 4 points
Shelton X Benjamin 2 points
Minoru Suzuki 2 points
Shinsuke Nakamura 0 points
Tetsuya Naito 0 points
Toru Yano 0 points
Hiroyoshi Tenzan 0 points
