Evolve 71
October 16th, 2016 | The Orpheum in Ybor City, Florida
I know I’m a bit late with this but I only just got around to watching this show. I looked at the card for Evolve 70 and wasn’t too interested in it, so I went with Evolve 71.
Non-Title Fight to a Finish
Drew Gulak def. Evolve Champion Timothy Thatcher in 14:22
Evolve missed a chance to take the title off of Thatcher at Evolve 70. The Thatcher title run has been horrible since the calendar changed to 2016, filled with shitty storylines and bad matches. In fact, these two had a stinker at Evolve 67. After that match, Thatcher choked out Gulak so this continued. This was a brawl with both men in street clothes. It reminded me of the tag team brawl on Evolve 62 since they fought all around the building. They battled in places I’ve never seen in Evolve before. They even fought into the streets. My main concern with this was that it was hard to see at times because they’d brawl in such dark places. Back to the ring, Gulak won with a dragon sleeper. Much better than their previous outing. When Thatcher goes outside of his comfort zone, he can do good but he’s too stubborn for that a lot of the time. This was good, had a hot crowd and felt different than a lot of what we typically get from these guys. ***½
Stokely Hathaway came out to try and get Thatcher to join the Dream Team. With the Dream Team, Thatcher will be able to just focus on wrestling and Stokely will take other things off of his plate. The last time he extended his hand, Thatcher broke it. Surprisingly, Thatcher accepted and shook his hand.
Tracy Williams def. Justin Kincaid in 18:16
Williams is the unheralded member of Catch Point, while I believe this is the first weekend for the interesting Kincaid. I’ve never seen Kincaid before but he certainly impressed with a very unique move set. It’s always great to see something different in wrestling and that’s what Kincaid brings. He did an awesome running lariat off of the stage. Williams got his stuff in after giving Kincaid a lot. He nailed a brainbuster for a close near fall. Kincaid continued to innovate with a cartwheel powerslam and double stomp, followed by a sunset buckle bomb. Hot Sauce came close again with a turnbuckle DDT and lariat. He went nuts with forearm strikes. After a series of counters, Williams won with a piledriver. A really good match that might have gone a bit too long. Kincaid came off looking great and nearly scored the upset a few times. Williams continues to be his underrated great self. ***¾
The Gatekeepers w/ Ethan Page def. Eric Locker and Joe Coleman in 1:07
Coleman and Locker were in the WWN seminar earlier in the day. The Gatekeepers are the former Devastation Corporation. They attacked before the bell and just annihilated these jamokes. They won with a doomsday device type finisher. The squash that it needed to be.
Ethan Page, in Suicide Squad inspired gear, got in the ring after the bell to put over his team. Page said that because he hit an official last night, he was fined his pay for both shows. He claimed that it was worth it because he enjoyed bringing chaos to Evolve. Since he wasn’t getting paid, Page wanted to end his night as soon as possible, so his opponent came out.
Ethan Page def. Sami Callihan in 13:47
This is Sami’s first WWN appearance since an Evolve Title shot at Mercury Rising. On Evolve 58, Callihan beat Page, but this was a different Ethan. Page recently turned heel and attacked Johnny Gargano on his way out of Evolve. Right from the start, these two just went right after each other. They worked at an aggressive pace and it helped things immensely. Page hit an apron powerbomb which was a highlight. Page was great at the trash talk and giving his offense a little extra something behind it to make it more vicious. Sami survived RK-Ego and Page survived a tombstone variation. Page finally won with the package piledriver. Hard hitting and an improvement on their Evolve 58 match, while also being the bounce back that Page needed after the debacle with Thatcher at Evolve 70. The best singles Callihan match I’ve seen since he left WWE. ***½
Evolve Tag Team Champion DUSTIN def. Darby Allin in 11:00
Allin has made several appearances for Evolve and has nearly hurt himself on big spots in most of those. Grew Galloway, DUSTIN’s’ partner, joined commentary since he’s injured. He continued to talk about Evolve selling out. The opening stretch was full of fire and the best part of the match. DUSTIN took things outside and made it a bit of a brawl. I like DUSTIN/Chuck Taylor but I just don’t buy him as a serious heel which kind of hurt this. Allin is a good underdog babyface but and I don’t think it played too well against DUSTIN. I did like how DUSTIN would hit a move and instead of covering, he wanted the referee to ask if Allin quit. Allin fought hard but fell to the Awful Waffle. Fine match but it was certainly missing something. I love the comparison of Allin to Mikey Whipwreck that I’ve heard a few times. **¾
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Fred Yehi in 20:48
The two last matches on this show are among the most interesting and exciting in recent Evolve memory. Both guys are known for their mat work, but Yehi brings something different to the table as well. He has some unorthodox ways of doing things. For the most part, Yehi stayed right on par with Sabre when they went to the ground. I could watch these two twist each other for days. Yehi bent Sabre’s foot at an odd position and Sabre got out of that by going after Yehi’s fingers. I loved that whenever Yehi seemed to get in trouble, he would drop a fist on Sabre’s foot. It’s just a little thing but it makes sense and was cool. Sabre attacked the elbow, which Yehi sold very well. Yehi came close with the Koji Clutch and several flash pins. Sabre caught a roaring elbow into a submission and transitioned it over into a crazy way to tie up both arms. Just shy of being great. Some awesome grappling, good selling and a certain intensity that I liked. Another great job from Yehi. ***¾
After the match, Sabre put over Yehi and said that he wanted another shot at the Evolve Championship. Ethan Page and the Gatekeepers showed up and beat him down. Darby Allin and some seminar students showed up to try and help but they failed. Page did the old Pillman/Austin chair gimmick on Sabre’s arm. This and the earlier win were about as good as a way as possible for Evolve to make up for Evolve 70. It did seem like Sabre was going heel based off of Evolve 67 so this was odd in that way.
Chris Hero def. Matt Riddle in 17:33
Earlier this year, at Evolve 57, Riddle actually beat Chris Hero. After a relatively slow start for the first two or so minutes, Riddle fired up and just went nuts with strikes on Hero. Hero answered with a big boot that sent him outside. They continued to wail on each other outside but Hero’s shots pretty much sent Riddle to sleep in the corner. Hero did what everyone should do to guys who don’t wear boots. He stepped on Riddle’s feet. Riddle fought from behind with fire, which we don’t see often from him. He would sit up after big shots from Hero and shout “BROOOOO”. Matt came close with the Bro to Sleep but Hero kicked out. Hero looked out of it but was playing possum and drilled Riddle with three elbows. He missed a fourth before blocking the Bromission. Riddle took a tombstone and piledriver before locking in a triangle choke. Hero broke that and hit the sick arm capture piledriver for a near fall. A rolling elbow kept Matt down. Match of the night and exactly what I wanted from these two. It was heated and physical, with some vicious shots throughout. Riddle as the babyface was great since the fans love him and Hero is an amazing bully brute heel. ****¼
Tracy Williams came out to check on Matt Riddle. Chris Hero got mad and Williams issued a challenge to him. Hero beat all remaining Catch Point members in recent months. Drew Galloway and DUSTIN ran out. Hero knocked Williams out and Riddle got beat up outside. Galloway said that though injured, he was there to inspire his troops. He wanted Hero to attack Riddle more but Hero declined and left. Gulak and Yehi showed up to run Galloway and DUSTIN off. Gulak promised that a unified Catch Point would win the war.
Overall: 7.5/10. A strong effort from Evolve here. The lowest rated match (since I didn’t rate the squash), still nearly comes in with three stars. Williams/Kincaid was a great surprise, Yehi/Sabre ruled and Hero/Riddle was a worthy main event. Everything else is pretty good and the show is barely over two hours, making it a really easy watch.
Raw History
Episode #55
March 21st, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
We are live and 24 hours removed from WrestleMania X, a show that featured two classics. The big title change coming out of the show is Bret Hart as the new WWF Champion.
Non-Title Match
The Quebecers w/ Johnny Polo vs. The Bushwhackers
Why are the Bushwhackers still employed? This starts with the Bushwhackers doing their typical antics. Vince McMahon apologizes because a ten man tag from WrestleMania was cut due to the “teams not being able to get on the same page”. In other words, they were cut for time restraints. The match will happen in two weeks on Raw. The Bushwhackers have control until the commercial break, when the Quebecers take over. This match is getting far too much time. Some Polo interference allows the Quebecers to win this.
Winners: The Quebecers in 9:21
I really hope I never have to see the Bushwhackers on Raw again. This lasted far too long and should have just been the Quebecers beating them rather handily. ½*
As Vince McMahon tries to get a word with the winners, Capt. Lou Albano comes out saying that he’s going to put together a team and wants a shot at the belts. The Quebecers accept. I guess there will finally be some payoff for the Albano stuff that we saw months ago.
After some still images from WrestleMania X, IRS gives us some tax advice. Can you believe this guy would stick around for another year or so?
Tatanka vs. Chris Hammrick
This is the same Hammrick that would be in ECW a few years later if I’m correct. Tatanka had on his GIANT ceremonial headdress. Hammrick misses a move and falls straight to the ropes to the outside. It looked pretty nasty. Tatanka takes too long here, stalling since he knows he must kill time. He wins with his Samoan or Native American drop.
Winner: Tatanka in 4:46
Too long for a squash match, especially considering Tatanka is not really a fun guy to watch. ½*
Todd Pettengill, supposedly in the locker room in Madison Square Garden, brings us a WrestleMania report. Make sure to order the encore!
Diesel vs. Ken Lucia
The Diesel push is about to get serious. Diesel hits a big leaping clothesline or shoulder block. It’s hard to see because the camera angle was far back. Diesel hits his four or so moves, the side slam, snake eyes, big boot and the Jackknife wins it.
Winner: Diesel in 2:36
All Diesel and that’s how it should be at this time. As I said, the mega-push is coming. *
Next week, Lex Luger takes on Rick Martel! Luger is pissed because he came up short in a big match again.
Vince McMahon brings out the new WWF Champion, Bret Hart, for an in-ring interview. Vince recaps how Bret won and Bret says that he will be the fighting champion that he was last year. Vince then brings up how Owen Hart defeated Bret to open the show. Bret gives Owen props for winning and makes no excuses, but says things are different now that he’s champion again.
Jeff Jarrett vs. Koko B. Ware
Is tonight a showcase for guys who shouldn’t still be signed at this point? He hits a shoulder block but Jarrett controls this thing. It’s funny that Owen Hart has gone way high in the card while Koko is still rocking the High Energy gear here. Koko tries to make a comeback after being beaten up for most of the match, but falls short. Jarrett picks up the win with a DDT.
Winner: Jeff Jarrett in 5:04
This wasn’t exactly a squash match, though the outcome wasn’t really ever in doubt. Still, it was relatively dull. ½*
For some reason, Jeff Jarrett gets in Randy Savage’s face after the match. They go in the ring and the crowd wants Savage. He sends Jarrett packing and celebrates with Koko B. Ware.
Overall: 1/10. What the hell was this? You come off of the heels of your biggest show of the year and you follow it up with this? Four bad matches and an interview with the WWF that didn’t really go anywhere? Think about this…the best match was a short Diesel squash and the fallout from WrestleMania episode ends with Koko B. Ware. That’s just horrible.
Raw History
Episode #56
March 28th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
Footage from earlier tonight is shown, where Ted Dibiase buys ringside seats from fans. Your hosts tonight are Vince McMahon and Jim Cornette.
Lex Luger vs. Rick Martel
Vince McMahon complains through the first few minutes about Mr. Perfect “costing” Lex Luger the WWF Title at WrestleMania. Going back and watching that match though, it’s pretty clear that Mr. Perfect did the right thing. Luger starts hot with some of his classic SCREAMING CLOTHESLINES! Luger slows things down with an extended headlock sequence. Martel takes over and Luger does some piss poor selling. Cornette actually insinuates that due to losing at Mania, Luger may try to commit suicide. Martel points to his brain to state how smart he is, allowing the Luger comeback, which ends with a torture rack.
Winner: Lex Luger in 14:47
Acceptable wrestling match here. Not too bad and not too good, but a bit dull at times. Luger’s poor selling also takes something out of this as well as the fact that it went too long. *¾
Owen Hart vs. Jobber Freeman
We don’t get the name of the jobber, though he screams jobber in the worst way. During the match, we get a promo from Ted Dibiase from his seat. It’s a strange camera angle to work with. As Vince and Cornette talk nonsense on commentary, Owen has to stall. Hey, Vince calls the jobber “Freeman” so I’ll go with that. Owen wins with the Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 5:09
Normally, Owen Hart delivers here but this was pretty bad. I think the main issue was that he was forced to stall. ¼*
Doink vs. Eric Cody
There hasn’t been much in the way of promos tonight. Dink does some of his annoying antics early. At one point, he steps on Eric Cody, which makes me question why there wasn’t a disqualification called. Doink wins with the Whoopee Cushion.
Winner: Doink in 3:30
Another ho-hum Doink match. I miss Matt Osbourne. ¼*
Jim Cornette brings out Johnny Polo and the Quebecers. As Cornette praises them, Capt. Lou Albano comes out. He wants to know if they accept his challenge from last week. They laugh it off and say they accept, so Lou goes back to get his team. He brings out the Headshrinkers. The Quebecers have second thoughts and Polo tries to back out, but already accepted and is stuck.
Next Monday, a WrestleMania rematch! That’s right, Adam Bomb vs. Earthquake.
1-2-3 Kid vs. Black Phantom
I’ve found out that the Black Phantom is Gangrel. These two would have a PPV match about five years later. Phantom tosses Kid around early but he uses that quick offense to swing the momentum in his favor. Cornette does a good job in mentioning that Kid wins with his speed and risks, but it is also how he loses. He wins here with a moonsault.
Winner: 1-2-3 Kid in 2:24
Why did this get the least time of all of the squashes? They were actually two capable workers. ½*
Crush w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Ray Hudson
Nikolai Volkoff is at ringside again and Vince points out that he’s wearing the same suit. They’re trying to say he’s broke, but it could be because of the long black of tapings. Crush plods through his offense and stalls a bit before winning.
Winner: Crush in 3:22
Again, who keeps giving guys like Crush time? He always sucks. Literally always. ¼*
Overall: 2.5/10. Another bad episode of Raw coming out of WrestleMania. It’s as if they aren’t trying at all. I know that the next PPV isn’t for another few months but there should still be some sort of effort on these episodes.
Raw History
Episode #57
April 4th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
The show starts with Adam Bomb and Earthquake arguing backstage. Vince McMahon and Gorilla Monsoon are our hosts and they are CLEARLY standing in front of a green screen.
Adam Bomb w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Earthquake
These two met at WrestleMania. Instead of putting over the new, big guy with some potential, Earthquake won. As Adam Bomb works over Earthquake, it leads to Harvey Wippleman and Howard Finkel getting in each other’s faces. Oh goodness, their feud is coming. Bomb hits a flying clothesline for two. Earthquake actually hits a solid belly to belly suplex. He then wins with the ass splash.
Winner: Earthquake in 4:18
That was slow, boring and had the added awfulness of the ringside antics between Harvey and Fink. Also, the wrong guy won again. ¼*
A recap is shown of Lex Luger coming up short again at WrestleMania when he lost via disqualification. Luger is going to take it out on Mr. Perfect.
Gorilla Monsoon brings out Mr. Perfect for an interview about the outcome of the match at WrestleMania. He says his side of the story, which is the right one. Yes, Luger had Yokozuna beaten but Perfect had to get rid of the interfering managers. Then, Luger pushed him and was rightfully disqualified. Monsoon thinks he had a vendetta against Luger and it ends there.
Razor Ramon vs. Austin Steele
Looking at these two guys, it’s pretty clear how this is going to work. Razor Ramon dominates, slapping the pudgy Austin Steele around. The biggest news comes from commentary. First, Vince tells us that Razor will be defending the belt against Diesel soon. Then, he tells us that Men on a Mission won the Tag Titles on a house show, only to drop them back to the Quebecers two nights later. Razor does his usual stuff and wins with the Razor’s Edge.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 3:43
Standard Razor Ramon squash match. ¾*
A recap is shown of the Headshrinkers and Lou Albano looking for a Tag Team Title shot. Jack Tunney is looking into it and while he does that, next week, the Quebecers are defending the belts. Against who? The fans choose between the Smoking Guns, Men on a Mission and the Bushwhackers. YOU CAN VOTE FOR JUST $1.49 PER MINUTE!
IRS, Jeff Jarrett, Rick Martel & the Headshrinkers w/ Afa vs. 1-2-3 Kid, Thurman Plugg, Tatanka and the Smoking Gunns
This is the match that was cut from WrestleMania. Also, didn’t the Headshrinkers turn face last week? Everyone seems to be motivated as they work at a quick pace. Maybe they’re trying to show that they belonged on WrestleMania. IRS gets tagged and thankfully isn’t on offense, so not even he can slow things down. It’s a lot of fun seeing everyone fly around the ring, especially the Kid. Things break down into a major brawl with everyone fighting everyone. IRS steals a pin after 1-2-3 Kid misses a splash.
Winners: IRS, Jeff Jarrett, Rick Martel and the Headshrinkers in 11:47
Hey, that was actually pretty fun. That would have been better to have on Mania than Adam Bomb/Earthquake or 11 minutes of Luger/Yokozuna. **¾
Shawn Michaels and Diesel bring us the first ever HEARTBREAK HOTEL! After putting himself and the idea of this talk show over, Shawn turns the attention to Razor Ramon and the fact that Diesel is going to challenge Razor for the IC Title.
Yokozuna w/ Mr. Fuji vs. Scott Powers
Gorilla Monsoon tries to blame Yokozuna falling at WrestleMania on slippery ropes. Yokozuna dominates and wins with the Banzai Drop.
Winner: Yokozuna in 2:26
All Yokozuna. ½*
Overall: 3.5/10. The best episode of a bad bunch. We finally get some forward movement with the Diesel/Razor stuff and the six man tag match was a fun match. Nothing else was particularly good, but it was a step in the right direction after two piss poor weeks.
Matt Striker and Vampiro tell us that Chavo Guerrero Sr. is in the crowd. Dario Cueto says he talks too much and cuts him off because it's time for DARIO'S DIAL OF DOOM! The spin lands on "Dario's Choice." He teases Rey Mysterio and Pentagon Dark but chooses someone who had his arm broken by Pentagon...Cortez Castro.
Lucha Underground Championship: Matanza Cueto (c) w/ Dario Cueto def. Cortez Castro in 2:19
So this is Castro's punishment for being a cop. We get a trademark Dario RING THE BELL! Cortez tried to work slowly and safely but Matanza just re-broke his arm AND THE CAST! Matanza beats him handily with the Wrath of the Gods. I won't rate this since it was an unfair squash but the broken cast spot was dope.
In Dario's office, Dario and Joey Ryan are laughing at Cortez Castro's injury. Joey leaves and Son of Havoc comes in with Mascarita Sagrada. Mascarita wants a match against Famous B. Dario says that if Havoc can beat Dr. Wagner Jr. tonight, Mascarita gets his match and Havoc can pick the stipulation. If Wagner wins, he gets to pick the stip. Dario makes some short jokes that he finds hilarious.
Prince Puma is in the ring. He reminds the fans that he beat Mil Muertes two weeks ago but that isn't enough for the man who put Konnan in a coffin. He wants to do the same to Mil and challenges him to a Grave Consequences match. The lovely Catrina appears atop the stage and glagly accepts. Muertes comes in from behind, in a dashing ass suit. He fires away on Puma, but Puma turns it around and gets in shots. Puma sent him outside and teased a dive but posed instead. That match should rule. I have the first two Puma/Muertes matches at ****1/4 and ***3/4 and the two Grave Consequences matches at ****1/2 and ***3/4.
Son of Havoc w/ Mascarita Sagrada def. Dr. Wagner Jr. w/ Famous B and Brenda in 5:33
Famous B shit on the fans and put over Wagner and Brenda before the match. Havoc send Wagner outside quickly and followed with suicide dives. They did a fair amount of brawling. Inside, Wagner hit a awkward back suplex for two. Famous B and Brenda reacted to everything hilariously outside. Havoc pulled out the win with a shooting star press. Fine little match. Didn't really stand out though. **1/4
Son of Havoc gets on the microphone and allows Mascarita to choose the match type. He whispers in Havoc's ear and Famous B vs. Mascarita will be a Believer's Backlash match!
We got another White Rabbit video package.
Next week, Puma vs. Muertes in Grave Consequences!
Loser Leaves Lucha: Rey Mysterio Jr. def. Chavo Guerrero in 13:41
I've admitted that this rivalry doesn't excite me. I didn't care for their feuds in WWE either. At least it will be over here. They work at a good pace early on. They know each other so well that even at their age, things move smoothly. Chavo Sr. at ringside gets some screen time throughout this. Chavo takes over and gets "Chavo sucks" chants while working over Rey. Chavo did the Three Amigos but Rey sets up for the 619. Chavo Sr. comes in with a chair and hits his son. He gets the referee to call the DQ, giving Chavo the win. BUT WAIT! Dario Cueto comes out of his office and gets upset with the referee for calling a DQ because Dario loves violence. He restarts the match with no DQ rules. Rey avoids a chair shot from Chavo Sr. and sends both into 619 position. He only hits Sr. and they tease Chavo winning with a half crab. Rey fought out and eventually won with the 619. Pretty good match. I enjoyed the Chavo Sr. tease and Dario not being a stereotypical authority figure in wrestling. **3/4
Overall: 6/10. Another average show this season. Chavo and Rey had a fine match and the Havoc/Wagner match was decent but something was missing again. There wasn't a lot of story advancement. The Puma/Muertes segment ruled and I even enjoyed Matanza killing Cortez.
If you do want to check out Lucha Underground, which you absolutely should, and don't get El Rey Network (like me), you can sign up for the streaming service Fubo.TV. It's a great way to support the company and channel while streaming the show online. You can sign up and get Lucha Underground right here with Fubo.tv!
1) Charlotte: I'm not a fan of her at all, but I can't deny her the top spot this week. Charlotte and Sasha Banks made history (if you don't believe me, just ask the WWE. They told us about a thousand times.) by not only competing in the first women's Hell in a Cell match, but also became the first women to main event a PPV. Charlotte won a brutal match and became Women's Champion for the third time. I think it was absolutely the wrong call, since Sasha as champion in her hometown celebrating in the cell was the best way to end the show and Charlotte as champion is beyond stale at this point. Still, she did win and it was rather historic.
2) Kevin Owens: If Charlotte and Sasha Banks had the MOTN at Hell in a Cell, Rollins and Owens were second. They also competed in a Hell in a Cell match, which was on its way to being great until Chris Jericho got involved. The match got a bit overbooked but was still really good. Kudos to Kevin Owens for taking a sick double table bump during the match. With the help of Jericho he was able to retain his Universal Title for the second straight Pay-Per-View following a powerbomb through two open steel chairs. It was a marked improvement on their mediocre first match at Clash of Champions. Hopefully if they have a third match, it will be even better than this one.
3) ACH and Taiji Ishimori: For the second straight week, I found myself very impressed with ACH and Taiji Ishimori. Both guys are very talented with Ishimori making an argument for the second best junior in Japan (KUSHIDA is a clear cut number one). After defeating the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks in the first round, ACH and Ishimori had a slightly better match in the semi-finals where they beat David Finlay and Ricochet. This now sets them up for a meeting with Roppongi Vice in the finals at Power Struggle. Considering the tension between Roppongi Vice recently and the fact that we've seen Bucks/RPG Vice several times before, ACH and Ishimori have a good chance to winning the tournament. To add to it, they also won NOAH's Jr. Tag League this year.
4) The Brian Kendrick: For the first time since the title was brought back, we got a Cruiserweight Title change. The Brian Kendrick won the championship from TJ Perkins in a decent match at Hell in a Cell. After weeks of campaigning for Perkins to purposely throw the match for him, Kendrick suckered him by playing possum. He headbutted Perkins and made him submit to the captain's hook. I love Perkins but his run as the face of the division hasn't been great. Kendrick as the angry veteran keeping the title away from the younger guys in the division could be a lot of fun.
5) Sasha Banks: Though she lost in the Hell in a Cell main event, Sasha still put on a great performance in a historic match.
WWE Hell in a Cell
October 30th, 2016 | TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts | Attendance: 16,119
Man, these kickoff shows can really be a drag right? Even with the lovely Renee Young working the Raw pre-shows. Anyway, the match itself on the pre-show was pretty good. Contracted guy Cedric Alexander, Lince Dorado and Sin Cara defeated non-contracted fellows Tony Nese, Drew Gulak and Ariya Daivari. It was a fun six man sprint that saw Alexander pick up the win with the Lumbar Check at 9:42. Like most cruiserweight matches though, it didn’t seem to matter or have much reason for people to care. Just an enjoyable few minutes of wrestling. (***)
WWE United States Championship Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns (c) def. Rusev in 24:49
When people talk about Hell in a Cell matches not being anything special anymore, this could be the match they point to. This was really just two guys having a No DQ match where the cell just happened to be around. The fight half of this was largely uninteresting. Things picked up a bit as the match progressed, but it never got that good. Both guys used the kendo stick a fair amount of times. Rusev mostly beat up Reigns though so we got the Reigns superman comeback. He powered out of the Accolade, including once with a steel chain wrapped around him and won with a Spear while Rusev was on the steps. Ho-hum. It went too long, Rusev looked like a monster for a bit and then came off weak. Not at all on the level of Reigns/Wyatt last year. **½
Bayley def. Dana Brooke in 6:27
Dana Brooke was on the road to becoming a pretty solid competitor in NXT. Her team with Emma was working wonders and I thought there was potential there. Then she got called up too fast, Emma got hurt and she got saddled with Charlotte in a combination that has never clicked. This rivalry has featured some pretty bad matches and this was sadly probably their best, but still not good. Dana worked the arm, but Bayley decided not to really sell it and won with the Bayley to Belly. A really lackluster outing. *¾
Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows def. Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady in 6:42
Enzo and Cass were great on the mic before the bell as always. Those dudes, especially Enzo, just have a lot of charisma. This was a decent match that was missing something. I think the issue was that while the crowd loves Enzo and Cass, they stay quiet for parts of their matches. They didn’t seem to care about the heat segment on Enzo and maybe part of it is because Anderson and Gallows have been booked like total shit, so nobody takes them seriously. Once Cass got the hot tag, the fans woke up a bit. It didn’t mean much though since once Enzo became legal again, he fell to the Magic Killer. A really generic tag with little heat. **¼
WWE Universal Championship Hell in a Cell: Kevin Owens (c) def. Seth Rollins in 23:13
The match between these two at Clash of Champions was a massive disappointment. This was much better. They wrestled like they wanted to steal the show and the match was heading down that road. Then Chris Jericho got involved. Don’t get me wrong, Jericho has been the highlight of the feud but it was too much here. Other than the SummerSlam match between Jericho and Rollins, every Universal Title match has been marred by overbooking and interference. I would have liked something different here. Owens took an insane bump where Seth powerbombed him through two tables, one of which was wedged at an angle between the cell and the ring. Jericho broke that pin up and Seth still pulled his best Roman Reigns impersonation by kicking his ass anyway. In the end, the 2 on 1 disadvantage was too much and Owens powerbombed him onto two open chairs to retain. It was a spectacle of a cell match, which was good. I would have liked to see Owens be handled better here but this was still the MOTN up to this point by far. ***¾
WWE Cruiserweight Championship: The Brian Kendrick def. TJ Perkins (c) in 10:29
This was on pace to be the best match of their series thus far. Their chemistry gelled better here than in previous matches but the crowd was dead after the cell match. It came down to the story in the end. Kendrick has wanted Perkins to throw the match and let him win. Kendrick started to sell a knee injury. The official checked on him but Perkins and commentary both couldn’t even take a guess that he was faking. Perkins played stupid babyface, checked on him, got headbutted and then tapped out to the captain’s hook. I know face characters are dumb but goodness. The fans never bought the finish, TJ looked dumb and this had a weak atmosphere. **½
Raw Tag Team Championship: Cesaro and Sheamus def. The New Day (c) w/ Kofi Kingston via disqualification in 11:21
I was surprised to see Kofi Kingston sit this out, while Xavier Woods got the ring time. I wasn’t upset about it though since I like Woods. Their match on Raw was really fun but this one never quite reached that level. It was still pretty good and I totally bought into a false finish near the end, despite the fact that I never thought New Day’s reign would end here. Cesaro had Woods locked in the sharpshooter and Woods is the guy who lost in their first title reign. Woods held on while Sheamus went at it with Big E. Kofi laid him out though and the referee called for the DQ at the same time that Woods tapped out. I get the idea behind it, since it extends the New Day reign, while also setting up a rematch, but it just felt kind of flat. **¾
Raw Women’s Championship Hell in a Cell: Charlotte def. Sasha Banks in 22:11
As the cell was being lowered, Charlotte attacked Sasha and they fought outside. Charlotte powerbombed Sasha through the announce table and they overdid the whole “CAN SASHA CONTINUE?” angle. It took a long time, Sasha’s stretcher job was over the top and Charlotte yelling things during it made me mute my TV. Sasha got up eventually and the match officially began. Once it did, it was among the most brutal women’s matches in history. Chairs and tables were brought into play. Sasha had the spot of the match with a Spider-Man like springboard off the cell Meteora. I felt scared for Sasha several times throughout though as she seems hell bent on breaking her neck on some spots. The best decision here would have been Sasha winning in her hometown but instead, Charlotte brutalized her and won after throwing her into a table several times and hitting Natural Selection. Not only was the decision bad, but the finish felt anti-climactic after everything they had done to each other. Add in that this now means the feud must continue when it was already dragging ass and this was just a really sour way to end things. I liked Sasha’s back injury causing her to fail on the powerbomb which led to her defeat though. Anyway, the only things that kept this from being truly great were the finish, result and the overdone angle beforehand. Other than that, this ruled and the women showed that they were worthy of a main event spot. ***¾
Overall: 6.5/10. There was some good on this show, some bad and a whole lot of mediocre. Okay, the only bad thing was Bayley/Dana but two of the three cell matches were really good in Owens/Rollins and Charlotte/Sasha. The rest of the show was very middle of the pack. A disappointing US Title cell, Tag Title match and Cruiserweight Title match, along with a ho-hum Enzo & Cass tag match rounded out the show. It continued to suffer from the issues that Raw suffers from. It went too long (I don’t believe the Smackdown PPVs have gone over three hours) and had several questionable booking decisions.
NJPW Road to Power Struggle
October 30th, 2016 | Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Dome
The final show to air on NJPW World before Power Struggle. It features the semi-finals of the Super Jr. Tag Tournament and several multi-matches to build towards the show.
Teruaki Kanemitsu def. Hirai Kawato in 6:03
This was typical young lions stuff. These guys are relatively new, so it’s unfair to expect the Jay White/David Finlay/Yohei Komatsu levels of awesome that the most recent young lions were. They had some good back and forth before Kanemitsu survived a Boston crab. Kanemitsu rallied and ended up winning with that very same Boston crab, which is pretty much the young lion special. Basic stuff, but not bad. **¼
Juice Robinson and YOSHITATSU def. Bone Soldier and Yujiro Takahashi via disqualification in 7:12
Everything about this feud sucks. Soldier, Takahashi and Tatsu are all uninteresting, the Tatsu Triple H cosplay is trash and Yujiro doesn’t even use his dope theme song. WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO CARE ABOUT HERE? I mean, Juice is alright at least. Juice saved this from being a total dud. He brought fire and pulled a Gedo by shouting profanity in English to get a pop. None of it mattered though since it ended with a Bone Soldier low blow for the DQ. Again. This feud is terrible. ¼*
Jushin Thunder Liger, TenKoji and Tiger Mask IV def. Angel de Oro, Manabu Nakanishi, Titan and Yuji Nagata in 8:43
So they fused the NEW JAPAN DADS with some CMLL juniors. I enjoyed Oro and Titan in their match with Roppongi Vice last time out. Again, they were a blast here, starring alongside TenKoji. I just love something about TenKoji. Kojima and Nagata had a really fun back and forth at one point. Eventually, Tiger Mask scored with a tiger suplex to get the win for his team. A good, fun multi-man tag featuring several guys who actually worked hard. I with the CMLL guys got the win though. Tiger Mask doesn’t need it and I’d like to see them return. **¾
CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI-HASHI) def. The Bullet Club (Chase Owens and IWGP Tag Team Champions The Guerillas of Destiny) in 10:26
This is just a massively uninteresting rivalry. This was less enthusiastic than the previous match. It’s as if the guys involved are just as tired of Bullet Club vs. Chaos as I am. To be fair, it did start and end rather well. The middle parts were pretty dull though. The problem is that the heel team is just so lame. They did some uninspired stuff before Chaos rallied. Owens took the pin for his guys after eating a brainbuster by Ishii. Standard stuff here without much hard work from the guys involved. **¼
The FantasticaMania shows were hyped next and we got a Time Bomb promo.
The Elite (Kenny Omega and the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Champions The Young Bucks) def. Chaos (Gedo, IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada and Will Ospreay) in 16:14
The Elite were dressed as Ghostbusters and a ghost. I didn’t hate it. The comedy bits spilled to the actual match and it felt odd for Omega to do so much when he’s about to headline the biggest show of the year. Also, I thought Gedo yelling random shit was much funnier than the Elite’s stuff. Once the match got serious, it picked up a bit. The Bucks were what you’d expect, Gedo was funny, Ospreay flew all over the place and Omega and Okada’s interactions were just enough to wet the whistle of the people clamoring for that match. I for one am not. I was surprised to see Ospreay take the pin after falling to the One Winged Angel. I fully expected Gedo to do so. I know it’s a heavyweight but Ospreay probably shouldn’t take the pins when a guy like Gedo is around. Anyway, this was rather enjoyable but nothing special. ***
Los Ingobernables de Japon (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito) def. Hiroshi Tanahashi, NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata, Togi Makabe and Tomoaki Honma in 11:20
The cool factor of LIDJ knows no boundaries. They did the right thing by building towards Tanahashi/SANADA and EVIL/Shibata, which are coming up at Power Struggle. BUSHI is set to face KUSHIDA, but KUSHIDA is on the shelf right now. I enjoyed seeing BUSHI interact with guys like Shibata and Makabe. After things ended up breaking down, Honma was alone with Naito. BUSHI ran in and spit the mist, which Honma sold hilariously again. Naito kicked him low and EVIL nailed a lariat. Naito used a jackknife pin to win for his guys. This was good, paint by numbers stuff. It built to the matches it needed to (and a possible one with GBH in the World Tag League), while being entertaining. I dig it. EVIL knocked out Shibata with the NEVER Title after the bell. ***
Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament Semi-Finals: Roppongi Vice def. Fuego and Ryusuke Taguchi in 15:26
I wish the music for Fuego and Taguchi played because their entrance looked like fun again. The tension between RPG Vice continued, even when they were in control. They argued and tried to one up each other. Fuego and Taguchi were on the same page and ready to have a good time. Neither team gained a clear advantage. Again, Romero against the CMLL guy was good. Romero straight up shouted “FUCK YOU” instead of tagging in Beretta near the end. It backfired when Taguchi went on the offensive. Beretta eventually ran wild and got the tag. As the match went on, it got better. Beretta survived a twisted ankle, several ankle lock attempts and Dodon. RPG Vice won with strong zero. Good match that advanced the angle it needed to. RPG Vice had to get past their issues and Beretta being banged up to win, which I liked. I suspect they lose in the finals and split. ***¼
Super Jr. Tag Team Tournament Semi-Finals: ACH and Taiji Ishimori def. David Finlay and Ricochet in 15:57
I absolutely love that Finlay got a chance to main event in Korakuen Hall here. We were treated to the expected fast paced stuff between these four guys. Finlay, being the least experienced, was targeted and isolated by ACH and Ishimori. Ricochet got a hot tag and was all over the place. From high flying offense to making Ishimori hit ACH with a face buster, he was everywhere. ACH had the highlight of the match with a fosbury flop. A really strong final few minutes saw the teams trade big blows and near falls. In the end, Ishimori and ACH won with stereo 450 splashes. The main event was the best match on the show but didn’t quite reach great levels. Lots of fun, athletic spots and the teams played to their strengths. ***¾
Overall: 6/10. A relatively enjoyable “Road to” show. It hit most of the points that it needed to in terms of building to Power Struggle, though some things were hard to get into. The Bullet Club/Chaos matches just don’t really bring anything new to the table. The Super Jr. Tag Tournament matches were both good, with the main event being slightly better than the ACH & Ishimori/Young Bucks match from round one.
