PROGRESS: Orlando
March 31st, 2017 | Orlando Live Events Center in Fern Park, Florida
I believe this is the last show from WrestleMania weekend I need to check out. It was the first live PROGRESS show and they brought the big guns and a stacked card to Florida.
The opening video set to “Started From The Bottom” by Drake was tremendous. Jim Smallman opened the show as always and just looked elated at how far the company has come. Lenny Leonard and Excalibur handled commentary with the usual PROGRESS team in England.
Jimmy Havoc vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Smug Sabre with three titles will never not be fun. Commentary notes they’re 1-1 against each other. They know each other well, so their feeling out process sees neither gain an advantage. Sabre is surprised to see Havoc hang with him on the mat. Even Jimmy seems a bit surprised. A suicide dive by Havoc picks up the pace, so Zack takes things back to the ground as quickly as possible. Sabre’s new aggressive demeanor is touched upon but Havoc is a bad dude himself and hits a forearm. Havoc’s shots are brutal and Sabre gets busted open horribly. It opened back up in later matches that day. Sabre counters the Acid Rainmaker into a submission. They struggle for advantage there until they’re back up. Sabre again counters the Acid Rainmaker, this time into a bridging pin to win at 10:41. Great way to start the show. The crowd was rabid, they didn’t overdo anything and worked a smart, even match. [***½]
James Drake vs. Rockstar Spud
Spud has special PROGRESS themed gear for the evening. His entrance to Bon Jovi gets a great reaction. Drake and his new aggressive style jumps Spud before the bell. Commentary fills in a backstory where Drake started his career as part of Spud’s entourage. Spud can’t get going and Drake kind of has his way with him. The work is fine but the crowd doesn’t seem too interested in it. Spud fires up to awaken the fans. He hits a suicide dive and tornado DDT but Drake proves to be too much. He puts Spud down with a sitout DDT at 9:33. Solid little match that told the right story. Drake was vicious and wanted to punish his former buddy, while Spud played a good fiery babyface. I just wish the crowd was more into it and the heat from Drake was a bit more interesting. [**¾]
After the match, Drake attacked Spud.
Jinny vs. Toni Storm
This was originally set for a three-way involving Dahlia Black, but she broke her leg a week earlier. Both ladies are set for the finals of a tournament to crown PROGRESS’s first Women’s Champion. This starts hot, with both girls getting right into it. Storm uses her ass as a weapon. Who does she think she is, Ryusuke Taguchi? Jinny talks a bunch of smack while wearing Storm down with a submission. Jinny is so offended by Storm’s looks that she puts a trash bag over her. Storm rallying while covered in the bag is a funny sight. She comes close to winning with a fisherman suplex and muscle buster. Storm avoids the Acid Rainmaker and nails a big headbutt. Unfortunately, the finish falls flat. Storm is pulled off the top to no reaction and Jinny pins her with her feet on the ropes at 9:39. I dug the match as the women seemed to hate each other. They played it just right and I thought the finish would’ve been fine if handled slightly differently. [***]
JML (Sami Callihan and Shane Strickland) vs. The South Pacific Power Trip (TK Cooper and Travis Banks) w/ Dahlia Black
Dahlia Black, ever the trooper, is here in a walking boot. Callihan is the only guy in this match I don’t care for. Instantly, this is bonkers as the teams don’t even go to their corners. They just go at it right out of the gate. Each guy gets in a dive, capped by Cooper’s corkscrew moonsault to the outside. After more brawling outside, Strickland hits a spider suplex on Cooper as he hits a superplex on Sami. Banks immediately then lays out Strickland with a coast to coast dropkick. The action stays wild, never slowing down. A ridiculous barrage of kicks sees Cooper and Strickland get their feet stuck together and Sami and Banks taking each other out. JML busts out a powerbomb/diving double stomp combo for a near fall that Sami turned into the stretch muffler. Cooper struggles and finally breaks it up. Strickland gets left alone and falls to an elevated spike DDT at 13:23. What a frantic war. They threw traditional tag team wrestling out the window and had a non-stop action filled tornado match. Sami & Shane worked well together, while the SPPT continued to shine. I’d put them in the top three teams right now along with the Revival and DIY. Their versatility is key, having matches like this and the one with Bate & Seven recently. If you want a sub-fifteen minute thrill ride, this is your match. [****]
After the match, the two teams embraced.
Jim Smallman makes note of Kris Travis’ untimely passing last year.
PROGRESS Atlas Championship: Matt Riddle (c) vs. PROGRESS Tag Team Champion Trent Seven
The fans erupted for this one. Things start calmly enough but quickly progress to slaps and an exploder form Riddle. Though Riddle has an insane UFC knockout in his past, Seven brings his own vicious strikes. Riddle brings a middle rope fisherman buster and it’s barely been five minutes. The big lads just start throwing each other around with various suplexes. Riddle has several answers for lariat attempts, blocking them with kicks and avoiding them like the plague. Seven avoids a springboard knee and comes close to a win with a spinning piledriver. It’s a great near fall if you know that Riddle took similar moves a day prior against Drew Galloway. Riddle turns it around with a jumping tombstone for his own near fall. Seven looks dead before firing up and hitting the Seven Star Lariat for a close call. Riddle nails a piledriver and Seven KICKS OUT AT ONE! Riddle quickly traps him in the Bromission and Seven taps at 10:47. I LOVE BIG LADS WRESTLING! Smallman promised they would kick the shit out of each other and they delivered. It stayed in Riddle’s wheelhouse of 10-15 minutes and was intense throughout. Like the previous match, it felt different from everything else on the show. My kind of wrestling. [****¼]
WWE United Kingdom Championship: Tyler Bate (c) vs. Mark Andrews
Bate interfered in Andrews’ PROGRESS Title match a week earlier. This is the first time a WWE Title is defended outside of the WWE since 1994. It’s interesting that Bate is a heel but was portrayed as a babyface during the UK Tournament. It shows early when Bate gives a handshake following some good back and forth grappling. Andrews matches Bate there, so Bate shows off his athleticism, which is Andrews’ strong suit. Most of the match is played evenly. Andrews gets a highlight with a standing sliced bread #2 on the apron. They eventually start trading blows before Bate hits a Michinoku Driver for two. In a strong closing sequence, Bate busts out a standing shooting star press! Andrews comes back with his own and a Vertebreaker for two. That move should always finish a match. They trade a bit more offense before the Tyler Driver ’97 keeps Andrews down at 17:14. This was strong but failed to make me believe the title would change hands. The chance of it happening was slim but they never made me buy into it, even on the Vertebreaker spot. I wanted more from this, though the finishing stretch was a highlight. [***¼]
PROGRESS Championship: Pete Dunne (c) w/ Trent Seven and Tyler Bate vs. Mark Haskins
British Strong Style do Triple H inspired water spits during their entrance. Haskins was the PROGRESS Champion but had to vacate it due to injury. It was then that Dunne came from out of nowhere to win the title. Haskins gets in early trouble thanks to distractions from BSS. He uses a dive (after a Dunne moonsault accidentally hits BSS) to take them out. It’s temporary though as they distract again when Haskins slaps on a Sharpshooter. The referee tosses them to a mixed reaction. Dunne gets in control and wears down Haskins. When Haskins starts coming back, Dunne dares him to hit harder. Haskins moves to submissions, which he’s great at. Dunne survives and delivers two tombstones, including a jumping one. They both look nasty, especially given Haskins’ injury problems. Dunne gets a bunch of heat for a Pedigree near fall. Mark’s final stand is a great rally. Dunne almost taps to the star armbar but counters. He hits the Bitter End for two and transitions to a crossface. He rears bank enough to make Haskins submit at 19:12. A great capper to a great show. Haskins fighting from behind after the BSS stuff was great and Dunne came off like a legitimate champion after they left. His work on Haskins’ neck was well done and made sense. [****]
Overall: 9/10. Not just arguably the best show over WrestleMania weekend, it has a case for best show I’ve seen in 2017. Everything delivers with only one match getting less than three stars and even that one coming close. There’s great variety up and down the card. Technical back and forth to open the show, a good women’s match, wild tag team wrestling, an awesome hoss fight, a big fight feel main event and more.
The Architecture of NXT
Episode #123
June 27th, 2012 | Full Sail Arena in Winter Park, Florida
Jim Ross and William Regal are on commentary again. Summer Rae is our ring announcer.
Seth Rollins def. Jiro in 1:29
JR says this is the much anticipated debut of Seth Rollins. He’s not wrong. Seth has his head banging intro, which is something I’m glad he never kept. I don’t think it would’ve worked that well. Jiro gets in a few shots, but this is a clear Seth showcase. He wins with the Blackout, which would later be named the Curb Stomp. Fine that Seth won but he didn’t get enough time to showcase much. NR
Briley Pierce interviews Seth Rollins atop the stage, who promises to turn NXT upside down and change the world. The tron gives away the interruption with a Jinder Mahal graphic. HE stares down Seth on his way to the ring.
Jinder Mahal def. Jason Jordan in 2:56
Afro Jason Jordan is ready to job again. Mahal speaks quickly before the match, claiming that he will mold NXT in his image. Whatever that means. Mahal works his dull offense to kill time. I’d have given this ninety seconds and gave Seth more time. Mahal wins with the camel clutch. This felt longer than it was. They give him more promo time to say generic stuff after the bell. Five years later, Jordan is a bigger star than Mahal by a fair margin. NR
VIGNETTE ~ Leo Kruger is from South Africa and he’s coming.
Leo Kruger def. Aiden English in 1:24
Aiden English went on to marry into the Guerrero family, while Leo Kruger had a gimmick change and was released. Anyway, Kruger comes out with a cheetah print sash. English tries some dropkicks but fails. Kruger wins in short order with a rear naked choke. They aren’t wasting time tonight. NR
VIGNETTE ~ We see Ricky Steamboat get inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame and footage of him with his baby son in the 80’s. That baby grew up to be Richie Steamboat and he’s coming to NXT.
The Ascension def. The Usos in 3:40
The Usos are a main roster team at this point, but wouldn’t get way over for another year or so. The Ascension quickly gain control with some classic heel tag work. Konnor pulls the middle rope down and Jey falls outside. He takes a short heat before tagging Jimmy, who ran wild for a bit. That didn’t last long and the Ascension beat Jimmy with Downcast. Fine little tag team match here. I wish the Usos got to put up a better fight but they couldn’t do much with the time. *
Byron Saxton joins commentary.
Richie Steamboat def. Rick Viktor in 4:22
Papa Ricky Steamboat is in the crowd. Richie learned his arm drags from his dad. He reels off some chops after working the arm a bit. He really does a lot of arm drags before winning with a slingblade. Richie didn’t do much for me here. NR
VIGNETTE ~ Antonio Cesaro is a seductive presence.
RAW REBOUND ~ During a Chris Jericho vs. John Cena match, Big Show ran in and attacked Cena.
Antonio Cesaro w/ Aksana def. Dante Dash in 1:44
Cesaro is two months shy of a US Title reign. He tosses Dash around like nothing. They really want to hammer home the rugby thing as a regular kick by Cesaro is a “rugby kick”. Cesaro wins with the Neutralizer. NR
VIGNETTE ~ Another great Bray Wyatt video airs.
Derrick Bateman def. Johnny Curtis in 3:45
FANDANGO AND SUMMER RAE IN THE SAME RING! The future EC3 chases Curtis around the ring and gets in control. Curtis catches a kick and starts attacking the leg. He oddly pumps his groin up and down while working a modified figure four. There’s also some weird movements on a spinning toe hold. Bateman makes a short comeback and wins with a headlock driver. Dull main event that had no energy. ½*
Overall: 3.5/10. Week two of the Full Sail era sees a dip in quality. The show moves along quickly, which helps make sure it isn’t boring. However, with so many matches crammed in, nothing gets time to breath and what does get a decent amount of time is not good. Guys that should’ve gotten more time to shine (Rollins, Kruger and Cesaro) got less than two minutes each while Mahal and a bad main event got more.
SummerSlam 2009
August 23rd, 2009 | Staples Center in Los Angeles, California | Attendance: 14,116
SummerSlam is usually a big event and gets hyped as the second most important show of the year most of the time. The card for this year is actually pretty stacked, so it makes sense. This show is rather noteworthy because it would prove to be the last Pay-Per-View appearance that Jeff Hardy made for the WWE. This also started the trend of holding SummerSlam in Los Angeles, which lasted about five years. It is the 22nd SummerSlam even in history.
As the intro video starts running down the card, shadow puppets interrupt. It’s just DX parodying the Gremlins 2 movie theatre scene. Commentary is different for each brand. We start with Jim Ross and Todd Grisham for Smackdown.
WWE Intercontinental Championship
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler
These two had a match for the belt at the previous month’s Night of Champions, which I cite as the match that showed me how good Dolph Ziggler could be. Dolph is aggressive at the start, picking up some quick near falls. Mysterio uses that over aggressiveness against Ziggler like you’d expect a wily veteran to do. Rey leaps into Dolph, who barely catches him, but then powerbombs him into the turnbuckle. Ziggler starts targeting the neck and midsection while using his size advantage. Each time Mysterio seems to rally, Dolph is prepared. He continually goes for pin attempts too, which I really like. Mysterio finally is able to rally and scores a close near fall. He goes for a springboard cross body, but Dolph has it scouted and dropkicks him in midair. Dolph comes very close on a rollup counter and then nearly decapitates Rey on a clothesline. An enziguri sets Dolph up in 619 position, but he dodges it and nails a Fameasser for two. JR calls it a “running leg drop.” Rey hits a big DDT for what has to be at least the 15th near fall of the match. He dropkicks Dolph into position and connects with the 619. He tries the springboard splash but Dolph sits up to avoid it and pulls Rey into an amateur like rollup for a seriously close call. The fans have now gotten behind Dolph. Looking to find something to earn the win, Dolph puts Rey on his shoulders up top. Rey reverses it into a top rope rana to retain.
Winner and Still WWE Intercontinental Champion: Rey Mysterio in 12:26
If the match these two had at Night of Champions showed me Dolph Ziggler had potential, this solidified that. They built on a really good match from the previous month and made it better. Dolph was the desperate challenger who tried everything he could, while Rey was the resilient veteran who had just enough in his bag of tricks to retain. A thrilling opener. ****
Josh Matthews interview upcoming opponents, Jack Swagger and MVP. He calls the match a culture clash. Both guys talk about the difference in their upbringing. Swagger played arrogant so well here. Of course though, when he won the World Title less than a year later, he was stripped of all personality.
Jack Swagger vs. MVP
Apparently, Jack Swagger called MVP the MVP of the Prison Hoops League. They get right into the action and MVP looks for the Ballin’ elbow but Swagger rolls outside. MVP follows with a plancha. Inside, Swagger starts to wear down MVP. It’s all very uninspired work. MVP starts to rally and hits the Ballin’ elbow this time. MVP follows with the Player’s Boot and Playmaker, one of my least favorite finishers ever, for the win.
Winner: MVP in 6:22
Well that was…there. The crowd was beyond dead for this and there was nothing about the match to get them involved. It’s like they had time to fill on the show and said, go out and there and just do moves for six minutes. All the hype the crowd had from the opener is gone. *¾
A video package airs to show some of the “highlights” of the celebrity guest host era of Raw, which was going on at this time. Freddie Prinze Jr., who was a host that got attacked by Randy Orton, is interviewed at ringside.
WWE Unified Tag Team Championship
JeriShow (c) vs. Cryme Tyme
JeriShow cut a pre-match promo to draw some heat until Cryme Tyme interrupted. Chris Jericho and JTG trade some early stuff. Big Show comes in and JTG starts to take a beating. Shad gets a relatively hot tag, cleaning house until Big Show spears him in half. Surprisingly, this now leads to some heat on Shad. I kind of like it because it shows that the plan is to cut the ring in half no matter who is the legal man. The champions use quick tags to wear down Shad. JTG gets the hot tag and hits Jericho with some offense. He even nails Big Show on the apron, though that might not be the best move. JTG gets two on a rollup that the crowd completely buys. Jericho manages to turn things around though and gets JTG in the Walls of Jericho. JTG fights it and muscles to the ropes. Unfortunately for him, Big Show instantly hits the WMD to knock him out, opening the door for Jericho to get the pin.
Winners and Still WWE Unified Tag Team Champions: JeriShow in 9:42
That was better than I expected. Cryme Tyme was one of the most over tag teams in recent memory and JeriShow were great heels, so the crowd was into this. The hot tag to the smaller guy was different in a good way and the finish was creative. I didn’t think JTG would survive the Walls, but to do so, only to get knocked out was great false hope for the fans. ***
CM Punk is interviewed about the main event. He brings up a screenplay for the “Jeff Hardy Story” and puts down the fans for their lifestyle.
The Great Khali w/ Ranjin Singh vs. Kane
I remember these two wrestle at WrestleMania, though the face/heel roles were reversed. This gets the Jim Ross “bowling shoe ugly” treatment. They hammer away at each other in the early stages. Khali gets in some corner shots as he’s supposed to be mad because Kane attacked his brother, Ranjin, on Smackdown. Kane hits the first big spot with a flying clothesline for two. Khali starts his comeback and nails the brain chop but Kane kicks out. Kane eventually pulls Ranjin into the ring and chokes him. He throws him into Kahli and then dropkicks the knee. He hits a running DDT to win.
Winner: Kane in 5:56
Man that was incredibly dull. I give them props for keeping it short and trying to play the Ranjin angle into the finish but nothing about this was interesting at all. I’ve seen worse, but not by much. ½*
D-Generation X vs. Legacy
DX gets a very over the top entrance that takes a while. Triple H begins with Ted Dibiase and takes him to school for a bit. There is a tag to Cody Rhodes who blatantly slaps Shawn Michaels on the apron. Shawn comes in and goes back and forth until Cody slaps him again. This pisses off HBK, who kicks Cody’s ass until he regroups. Dibiase turns the tide and Legacy start to beat on Michaels. DX works as a great team because Shawn takes a beating better than almost anyone and Triple H is great for the hot tag. Commentary does a good job in pointing out the fact that Michaels has had some time off and it could be affecting him here. Oh, they do a mild tag to HHH already. He back drops Shawn out onto Cody in a cool spot. Again it’s Dibiase who takes down HHH and they start to wear him down in the corner. Triple H comes close to the tag but Dibiase has him in a tight sleeper hold. They tease the hot tag until Triple H finally sends Dibiase outside and makes it. Shawn does his thing but when he does the kip up, Dibiase takes him out with a clothesline. Triple H gets pissed and tosses Dibiase into the crowd. Cody takes a risk by trying Shawn’s flying elbow and misses. Shawn then goes for his own but Cody gets the knees up. He goes to tag but realizes that his partner is gone. Dibiase shows back up to save Cody from the figure four. Cody then hits Cross Rhodes but HHH breaks the pin in an incredibly close call. Both Triple H and Dibiase come in and hit Rhodes and Michaels with their finishers behind the official’s back, one after the other. Ted and HHH take each other out on the outside. Cody and Shawn struggle to their feet, actually leaning on each other to get up. Then, from out of nowhere, Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and gets the three.
Winners: D-Generation X in 19:59
That is how you book veteran faces to beat young heels. Legacy came off looking like they absolutely belonged with two of the best ever. They got a bit too cocky at times, which cost them. The finish kept them strong too as Shawn and Cody were both in trouble and it took a desperation superkick for the vets to win. Just a really well done tag team match. ***¾
ECW Championship
Christian (c) vs. William Regal w/ the Ruthless Roundtable
So far, Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole did commentary for Raw, while Jim Ross and Todd Grisham handled Smackdown. They throw it to Matt Striker and Josh Matthews for this, which is funny given the match length. William Regal turns to his guys outside once the bell rings. Christian hits the Killswitch and wins.
Winner and Still ECW Champion: Christian in 0:08
I loved ECW at this time and was so excited for this match. Instead of giving me what would have been a really good match, they did this. Really? You couldn’t have had Swagger/MVP go this long or just be completely cut? NO RATING
Ezekiel Jackson and Vladimir Kozlov enter the ring and beat up Christian. William Regal puts him in the Regal Stretch.
WWE Championship
Randy Orton (c) vs. John Cena
Coming into this match, these two had met a few times in 2007. This was the start of the program that absolutely DESTRYOED this feud as they just had countless matches that never seemed to end. Wow, both guys were only on their fifth World Titles at this point. Randy Orton is in the driver’s seat early, working a calculated attack on John Cena. The crowd is split as Orton hits his signature backbreaker. Cena starts to make the babyface comeback with the FIVE MOVES OF DOOM but Orton stops him in his tracks. Orton hits some more offense and starts to “Viper” up. He looks for the Punt but Cena avoids it and hits the throwback. Cena’s AA is blocked right before a double clothesline spot. When they get up, Cena goes into a series of offense so Orton just shoves the referee to get himself disqualified. Lillian Garcia botches the announcement, saying Orton won. Then she tells us that Mr. McMahon ordered the match to restart and if Orton gets DQed, he loses the belt. Cena starts to kick Orton’s ass on the outside. Orton turns things around a bit and gets his belt. He walks out to get counted out. Guess what happens next? Mr. McMahon restarts it again and if Orton is counted out, he loses the belt. You know Vince was salivating over this match considering how is involved. He just HAD to see more. Orton escapes the STF and rolls Cena up with his feet on the ropes, scoring the three count! Now, a second referee shows up to point out what happened so we restart again. Oh good lord, this restarts again. STF is applied until a fan runs in to attack the referee. Things stall until the official regroups and tells them to start again. Orton catches Cena on the bottom rope before hitting an RKO to retain.
Winner and Still WWE Champion: Randy Orton in 20:44
As usual, the chemistry between these two just isn’t there. The WWE wants you to believe this is a legendary rivalry but it just never clicked. The restarts were terrible television. You kept adding on to a match that was already not very good. It was a giant cluster of stuff I didn’t care to see. *¾
World Heavyweight Championship TLC Match
Jeff Hardy (c) vs. CM Punk
This was a damn near perfect rivalry. Their styles just complemented each other so well. Punk just beats the hell out of Hardy to start the match. He gets a ladder first, but Hardy cuts him off and starts hitting some of his trademark offense. Punk catches a Poetry in Motion attempt and just slams Hardy onto the open steel chair. Punk sends Hardy outside and hits a suicide dive, in complete control. The fight continues outside until a series of reversals results in Punk jumping off the steps right into a steel chair shot from Hardy. Jeff lays Punk on a table outside and climbs up top. However, Punk moves and Hardy splashes through the table. Punk uses this time to climb up but Hardy is able to get up and stop him. He ends up ahead of Punk on the ladder. Punk teases a major GTS but Hardy slips free with a sunset flip bomb off the ladder. Hardy comes close but Punk tilts the ladder over. In a ridiculous spot, Punk hits a superplex onto one of the ladders. Like, that takes some balls. From out of nowhere, Hardy nails a Twist of Fate. The Swanton Bomb fails though as Punk gets his knees up. He doesn’t take control for long as she’s soon thrown outside through a table. He’s up quick enough to springboard in and stop Hardy’s ascent. During the build up to this match, Punk put Hardy’s head in a chair and rammed him into the turnbuckle. He tries it here but Jeff blocks and wails on him with the chair. He gets a really big ladder and sets Punk up on the announce table before climbing. The insane Jeff flies off, connecting with a swanton through the table. Officials and medics come down to check on both men. Punk gets back in and Jeff refuses medical attention when he sees this. They both struggle to climb up and get their fingertips o the belt. Punk gets a kick to the ribs, knocking Hardy off the ladder. He retrieves the gold to become champ.
Winner and New World Heavyweight Champion: CM Punk in 19:40
A great main event that would have been a fitting end to such a great rivalry. They would have one more match on Smackdown, but if this was it, that would have been fine. They brought past things from their feud into the match which is appreciated. Punk was vicious and Hardy reached down deep to match him, making for a pretty great war. There were big spots but not as many as some other high level TLC matches, though the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. ****½
CM Punk celebrates over Jeff Hardy’s body when a gong is heard. The lights go out and when they come back on, Undertaker is under Punk where Jeff’s body was. He Chokeslams Punk to close the show.
Overall: 7/10; Good. At first glance, this show is a mixed bag. The good stuff (TLC, DX/Legacy and IC Title) is really good, but the bad stuff (WWE Title, Kane/Khali and Swagger/MVP) are pretty bad. However, I enjoyed the overall event because the bad stuff is mostly kept short. The highs on the show certainly outweigh the lows, making this a recommended show. My next “Random Network Review” will be none other than Spring Stampede 1997!
NJPW Sakura Genesis
April 9th, 2017 | Ryogoku Kokugikan Sumo Hall in Tokyo, Japan | Attendance: 10,231
The former Invasion Attack, Sakura Genesis took place from another show in Sumo Hall. Several big matches are on the card, including a Heavyweight Title shot for the always awesome Katsuyori Shibata. Also of note, this was a huge success for NJPW as apparently this was the largest crowd they’ve drawn in Sumo Hall in about a decade.
I’ve always loved the Sumo Hall venue.
David Finlay, Jushin Thunder Liger and Manabu Nakanishi vs. Hirai Kawato, Katsuya Kitamura and Tomoyuki Oka
This was a special pre-show match, giving the young lions a chance to prove themselves. Liger, as always, was seriously over. The lions attacked before the bell but had things quickly turned around on them. Finlay and Liger did their thing, but I got a real kick out of watching Nakanishi vs. Oka. It was like someone wrestling their future self. I like the young lion team because you had badass Oka, jacked Kitamura and wild man Kawato. Liger got pissed and launched Kawato into the guardrail hard. Finlay got left alone with Kitamura and finished him with a stunner at 7:00. I was surprised he took the fall and not Kawato. This was exactly what I expected. Good fire from the lions and the veteran team (weird to say that with Finlay on it) was fun. [**½]
Post-match, Kawato got in Liger’s face again. I’m hoping we get a singles match involving them at some point.
The Bullet Club (Chase Owens, The Guerrillas of Destiny and Yujiro Takahashi) vs. Tiger Mask IV, Tiger Mask W, Togi Makabe and Yuji Nagata
My favorite Yujiro girl was with him. SIX STARS! Owens replaced Hangman Page here in less exciting news. As usual in a match like this, everyone got some shine but the lesser guys (I’m looking at you Roa), were given minimal time. Nagata took a short heat but dumped Roa over, probably still pissed from their awful NJC match. Makabe came in and ran wild, but you know Makabe in these matches. Minimal effort and no bumping. Things broke down late and we got the old Ibushi triangle moonsault. Tiger Mask IV was left alone and got tripped by Owens, leading to the Gun Stun finish at 8:40. This was better than expected because most guys brought energy. Roa, Yujiro and Makabe didn’t to as much and the match never felt boring. [**¾]
CHAOS (Roppongi Vice and YOSHI-HASHI) vs. Suzuki-Gun (El Desperado, Minoru Suzuki and TAKA Michinoku)
Remember when Roppongi Vice was the best they’d ever been and had the titles? Then they dropped them to a boring team who is now facing an even more boring team later tonight? Good job, Gedo. In a move that surprised nobody, Suzuki-Gun attacked before the bell. This featured a lot of typical Suzuki-Gun antics. Brawling outside, cheap shots and Minoru choking someone with a steel chair. Suzuki lit Romero up with brutal kicks and chops. The highlight of this was YOSHI against Minoru. I’d love a G1 match between them this year. After some late chaos (pun intended), YOSHI beat TAKA with Karma at 6:50. I won’t even complain about yet another Suzuki-Gun loss because they’ve been so bad this year. This was inoffensive and helped by YOSHI and Minoru having some good interactions. [**]
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championship: Taichi and Yoshinobu Kanemaru (c) vs. Gedo and Jado
My expectations for this match are lower than low. Taichi’s lady is nowhere near as fine as Yujiro’s. Just like I thought, I couldn’t get into this. It had the tropes I expected with Taichi doing a bunch of cheating, random shenanigans and dull work from both teams. El Desperado ran out to save his boys from duel crossface submissions, so RPG Vice came out to send him packing. Kanemaru tapped to a crossface but Taichi’s girl distracted the referee. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Kanemaru pinned shitty Jado with a flying DDT at 10:26. Look, I know I used to complain about the same retread of teams and styles in the Jr. tag division, but I’ll gladly take those over this shit. The challengers are a shit team and they should never book Jado to work again. Gedo’s fun in singles or multi-man tags. The champions continue to suck the life out of every match. [¼*]
After the match, they seemed to set up RPG Vice getting a title shot. Please, get the titles off Suzuki-Gun.
Bad Luck Fale and Kenny Omega vs. Tomohiro Ishii and Toru Yano
Kenny Omega still had his “house show” tights on. Yano was Yano and ran scared from Fale. Omega worked him over, but took time to stare down and point at Ishii. I’m thinking we get Ishii/Omega II at Wrestling Dontaku. Fale shrugged off some Ishii offense and knocked him down with a forearm. There were some comedic moments with Omega and Yano. Usually, I’d be okay with this but it’s the kind of thing that sometimes make Omega feel like less of a star. Since losing at WK, he should be a motivated character but instead he seems perfectly content to wallow away in these tags. He and Ishii had some fun exchanges here at least. Yano saved Ishii from a One Winged Angel but Omega kicked out of a lariat. He hit the V Trigger and finally got the One Winged Angel to win at 10:18. Fine enough tag with some strong moments. I just wish Omega would come across better as a character. He should demand Ishii in an effort to get back on track towards the Heavyweight Title. Hopefully, they go again at Wrestling Dontaku. [**¾]
Juice Robinson and NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Champions Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ricochet and Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA and IWGP Intercontinental Champion Tetsuya Naito)
Finally, the match quality should tick upwards. Considering the strong reaction Naito gets in Sumo Hall, I’m surprised he wasn’t in a higher profile match. Most of these guys have been in the ring with each other for months now, so the chemistry is great. They all move in and out almost effortlessly. Ricochet is a relatively new addition to these and is welcome. SANADA had a counter for Taguchi’s ass attack, dropkicking his rump. He then tied Taguchi up in the ropes, which was funny. They built a hot tag to Ricochet, which was a blast and included an awesome DDT spot with SANADA. After some fun stuff involving Tanahashi, Juice and Naito went at it. The teams traded great stuff before Juice blocked a Naito low blow. He hit a big strike, lariat and then Naito took the Pulp Friction right on his head. Juice used that to score the upset at 11:30! This ruled and was what the show needed. Juice finally overcomes Naito and gets the big win on a big stage. The action was non-stop and the addition of Ricochet gave this series the shot in the arm it needed. I liked this just as much if not more than the recent NEVER Six Man Title match. [***¾]
With Naito down, Juice picked up the title and officially challenged him for it.
IWGP Tag Team Championship: TenKoji (c) vs. War Machine
I didn’t watch any of the World Tag League last year, but this was the only match in that tournament I was even remotely interested in. The hoss tag teams went toe to toe from the start. It felt like a contest to see who was manlier. Kojima got worked over until Tenzan, who called Sumo Hall his home turned things around. They used their veteran knowhow to combat the power of War Machine. Hanson got to come in and do his corner clothesline barrage. The crowd loves TenKoji but they dig War Machine too. Hanson missed the big moonsault and took a Kofi cutter, but kicked out. It looked to be over when War Machine caught Kojima with a popup powerbomb and Hanson took out Tenzan but it wasn’t enough. The challengers survived some of the best offense from the champs before hitting Fallout to cap a flurry at 14:06 to win the titles. The best IWGP Tag Title match since Power Struggle. We were treated to two teams hossing it out and I loved it. Give me more of this in the division. [***¾]
Post-match, they shook hands and War Machine agreed to give TenKoji a rematch.
NEVER Openweight Championship: Hirooki Goto (c) vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
As he has been, Sabre came out with his three titles. I watched the second half of this show with English commentary. It’s awful to hear Kelly constantly say that Goto won “the big one” at WK this year. That was never his story. He could win titles (IWGP, Tag) and big matches (G1 finals and New Japan Cup tournaments). He couldn’t win the Heavyweight Title. They grappled early on, playing into Sabre’s strength. What I liked most about it was how it was typical Sabre work, but with added aggression. Like being with Minoru Suzuki is rubbing off on him. The NJPW crowd hasn’t seen a ton of Sabre’s work, so they popped for some of his impressive submission skills. Each time Goto had a shot at momentum, Sabre found a way to trap him and stop it. Goto hit USHIGOROSHI but then Suzuki-Gun got involved. Goto fought them, including Minoru, off and survived the pin he lost to a while back. Goto powerbombed out of a triangle choke and won with the GTR at 16:16. This was one its way to being awesome. Sabre’s style made for a different kind of NEVER Title match and it made a junior look like he had a strategy to beat a heavyweight. The Suzuki-Gun run ins hurt things and Sabre lost a lot of the momentum gained during the match by losing this way. [***½]
This was all a setup for Suzuki and Goto to brawl, setting up a future match. Is this the new thing now? When you lose to Okada, you go for a consolation prize? Naito got the IC, Goto got the NEVER and now Minoru is going for the NEVER too.
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship: Hiromu Takahashi (c) vs. KUSHIDA
These two had a fantastic match at Wrestle Kingdom. KUSHIDA dove onto Takahashi during his entrance before hitting a dropkick. When the match officially began, KUSHIDA put on the Hoverboard Lock and looked like he could win within seconds. Takahashi got free and hit a sunset flip bomb outside. A corner DVD and Time Bomb later and he retained in a mere 1:56! I was pumped for this rematch but I loved this booking decision. Hiromu is getting a monster push and just destroyed the “ace” of the division in the kind of match NJPW rarely does. I’m all for it. Hiromu has a legitimate claim to wrestler of the year so far. [NR]
Ricochet showed up and challenged Hiromu, saying the title should be around the waist of a king. That should rule.
IWGP Heavyweight Championship: Kazuchika Okada (c) vs. Katsuyori Shibata
Finally. Finally, Shibata was getting a proper main event shot. I loved how cocky Shibata was in the early stages. He outwrestled Okada on the mat and dared him to do it back. He got in Okada’s head from the opening bell. Nothing fancy from Shibata either. Just headlocks. No frills, just the way he likes it. Okada had to resort to an unclean break, which drew boos. They went to strikes and guess what? Okada was again out of his league. Shibata turned to submissions, transitioning from one to another like he did against Sabre. Okada finally got going when things spilled outside. However, Shibata absorbed everything Okada had and asked for more. Okada got going again, only to have the Rainmaker countered. The crowd chanted “Shibata” loudly. Another forearm exchange reiterated that Shibata’s a MANLY MAN and Okada isn’t near his level. Okada wanted to beat Shibata at his own game though, on a mission to prove he deserves to be the “ace”. He kept trying with the strikes before using Shibata’s basement dropkick. Shibata responded with an Okada style dropkick. Shibata popped up from everything Okada gave, then dumped him on his head with a German. In one of the best moments all year, Shibata NO SOLD THE RAINMAKER! He ate it, then headbutted Okada so hard he busted himself open again. I LOVE YOU SHIBATA! Okada survived an octopus hold but got put in the sleeper and thrown over. In a disrespectful but amazing spot, Shibata did his own Rainmaker style slap. Seeing Okada get the shit beat out of him is a favorite thing of mine. As Shibata looked to win, Okada pulled him into a desperation Rainmaker. He held the wrist and fought him off to hit a second. Shibata went down with a glazed look. Okada hit a third and Shibata tried a forearm but couldn’t manage it. That was enough at 38:09 for Okada to retain. You know, when I heard this match when as long as it did and that Okada retained, I expected not to love it. I did though. I think it would’ve been better if it were a bit shorter but I liked how Shibata was just flat out better for most of the match. He had the upper hand in every category and just kicked Okada’s ass. Shibata’s had awesome 15-20 minute matches before but this was his best 30+ minute work. Props to Okada for this being some of the best character work I’ve seen him do. He heeled it up the right amount and seemed obsessed with proving he’s the best at everything, even if it meant Shibata murdered him with strikes for a while. The fans being totally behind Shibata added to the late drama, though since it’s Okada, I didn’t believe the outcome was ever really in doubt. Still, this was the best Okada match I’ve seen in years (only the Ishii one last year was close), Shibata’s best since WK10 and the best IWGP Title match since Ishii/Naito last year. [****¾]
To ruin all the fun, Bad Luck Fale came out and attacked Okada, setting up a shitty main event for the next PPV. I’m guessing they have a lame match like last September (that goes too long) so Fale can soften up Okada for the Omega rematch, which should come at Dominion. Maybe Omega is champ when NJPW comes to the States, though Okada probably wins it back shortly after.
Overall: 7/10. As usual with NJPW shows, the final few matches is there this delivered. The main event was spectacular and better than I expected. Shibata feels more like a star than ever. The Takahashi angle was also fantastic, while the IWGP Tag Titles and NEVER Openweight Title matches both delivered. The Juice/Naito stuff was great and that multi-man tag lit things up. Everything before that though is pretty easy to skip. Outside of the awful Jr. Tag Title situation nothing was bad, but the rest of the first half saw nothing particularly good either.
Raw History
Episode #88
November 28th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
The Survivor Series has come and gone. To open the show, we see Bob Backlund dethrone Bret Hart for the WWF Championship when Helen Hart threw the towel in. Shawn Michaels also tried to hog the spotlight after Diesel dominated their Survivor Series match. HBK hit Diesel with a superkick by mistake and Diesel chased Shawn out of the arena. Then, this past Saturday, Diesel faced Backlund for the WWF Title and beat him for the belt in eight seconds. Talk about an eventful week.
Your hosts tonight are Vince McMahon and Jerry Lawler.
Owen Hart vs. John Paul
Vince reminds us that Owen is despicable for his actions at Survivor Series. I still say that Owen should have gotten Backlund’s title reign. Yes, even if it lasted only a few days. Bret Hart calls in while Owen works over the jobber. Bret talks about how he’s licking his wounds and that he’s going to watch the Survivor Series encore tomorrow to see what went wrong. Owen wins via Sharpshooter.
Winner: Owen Hart in 4:01
Not bad. Owen Hart was fine here and the Bret talk was alright.
Adam Bomb vs. IRS w/ Druid and Ted Dibiase
I guess this is our marquee match for the week. IRS is still cutting the same tired promo on the Undertaker. Adam Bomb is clearly the more impressive performer here and gets a near fall on the slingshot shoulder block. IRS comes back by snapping Adam’s neck on the top rope. IRS starts to work his dull offense to wear down Adam Bomb. As Adam Bomb hits a cross body, we go to commercial in the midst of a near fall. Terrible timing. The one thing IRS does well is the little underhanded tactics like putting his feet on the ropes. Adam nearly rallies but the druid knocks him off the top rope. IRS hits a weak leg drop and wins.
Winner: IRS in 6:49
While I enjoy Adam Bomb for the most part, I strongly dislike everything that IRS does. This was kind of just there and, while I know he is about to be fed to the Undertaker, I still think the wrong guy won.*
We are taken to a recap of the Undertaker/Yokozuna Casket match.
Bob Holly vs. Tony DeVito
During this match, commentary just focuses on the WWF racing team. Why was that even a thing? Was it purely for the Holly character? DeVito gets in some offense and even scores a near fall. Holly still wins with a top rope diving clothesline.
Winner: Bob Holly in 2:51
DeVito got in a surprising amount of offense here. Still, this was pretty standard.
A vignette airs to hype Henry Godwin. Vince McMahon had a weird love for Hillbillies.
Lex Luger vs. Bert Centino
Vince McMahon spends this match hyping the Royal Rumble. That’s much better than the racing team. Bert does next to nothing and Luger wins with the rack.
Winner: Lex Luger in 2:11
Typical Luger squash. Nothing to write home about.
Vince McMahon is now in the ring to bring out the new WWF Champion, Diesel! Vince puts over the fact that the issues with Diesel and Shawn Michaels led to Michaels throwing the Tag Team Titles in the garbage. The titles are now vacant. With Bret Hart hurt, Diesel was named the number one contender. He then cuts a cheesy and generic promo about getting good luck from the fans and winning the gold. Vince brings up Bret and Diesel puts him over as a tough competitor, saying that if we waited for Bret to give up on his own, Survivor Series would still be going on now. He wants to be a fighting champion like Bret and says that whenever Bret wants a shot, he’ll give it to him.
Next week, Jeff Jarrett goes one on one with the British Bulldog!
The Heavenly Bodies w/ Jim Cornette vs. Buck Quartermaine and Gary Scott
At the start, Bob Backlund comes down and joins commentary. He promises to overcome the adversity like no one else ever has. The Heavenly Bodies work some solid double team offense. The Death Sentence gets them the W.
Winners: The Heavenly Bodies in 3:43
The Heavenly Bodies were, as always, crisp throughout this one.
With Bob Backlund still on commentary, Vince sends us to see the entire Diesel/Bob Backlund WWF Title match. Backlund promises to put the Chicken Wing on Diesel soon and wants to lock it in on Vince before he leaves the WWF. That would certainly be a sight to see.
Overall: 3/10. Obviously this wasn’t one of the best episodes but it did flow pretty well. Time flew by and the live atmosphere is always a plus. The Diesel promo wasn’t as good as it could have been but it got the point across and most of the squashes were decent.
Raw History
Episode #89
December 5th, 1994 | Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie, New York
The broadcast opens with the entrance of Shawn Michaels, who will join Vince McMahon at the broadcast booth tonight.
British Bulldog vs. Jeff Jarrett w/ Roadie
Hey, it’s the debut of the Roadie. Vince mistakes him for a ringside worker which is about right considering the shape Road Dogg was always in. Jarrett has tinsel hanging from his outfit. He gets the upper hand early but taunts too much to take full advantage. Bulldog turns it around and does his own awkward looking strut. Vince finally realizes that the Roadie is with Jarrett. Bulldog does the stalling vertical suplex, causing Jarrett to regroup outside. A second rope suplex from Jarrett gets him a near fall. Vince has found a way to shoehorn Diesel into commentary every minute or so. After a commercial, both guys collide. Jarrett wears down Bulldog with a chinlock. Bulldog comes back with a damn Perfectplex for two. I guess if it’s a near fall it’s just a fisherman suplex though. Jarrett goes back to a chinlock that Bulldog has to rally out of. He starts getting hot, hammering Jarrett all over the ring. Jarrett tries to leave but Bulldog gets him and holds him up for a press slam. He carries him to the ring and throws him in. Bulldog can’t get in because the Roadie holds his foot, resulting in a countout.
Winner via countout: Jeff Jarrett in 12:04
Decent match here. Both guys got their chances to shine, though some of Jarrett’s offense was pretty dull at times. Usually, that finish isn’t great, but it was a good way to have the Roadie already pay off.**¾
Highlights are shown of the American Sportscasters Association dinner which featured some WWF Superstars, including Diesel.
1-2-3 Kid vs. Barry Horowitz
Over the weekend, 1-2-3 Kid and Aldo Montoya teamed up and beat the Heavenly Bodies. There’s potential for irony if Kid is upset by a jobber. As usual, Kid does a good job in making his opponent look like he can win as Horowitz gets in some decent offense. Still, Kid wins with a spinning heel kick.
Winner: 1-2-3 Kid in 2:54
Solid little squash match here.
Next week’s marquee match pits Bob Backlund against Doink.
Kwang w/ Harvey Wippleman vs. Scott Taylor
Kwang is billed from the Orient. I wonder where in Cuba that is. During the match, Harvey Wippleman badmouths Howard Finkel at ringside. Kwang gets in all of the offense and wins with a spinning heel kick. Really Kwang? You couldn’t do a different finish than the last match?
Winner: Kwang in 2:57
Not as fun as the 1-2-3 Kid squash and kind of just there.
This week on the Action Zone, Lex Luger takes on Owen Hart. The promo for this is beyond cheesy.
It’s time for the King’s Court with a special guest. This is supposed to be the greatest guest in King’s Court history. He introduces the “guiding light” and the man who is the reason that Diesel is WWF Champion, Shawn Michaels. Michaels gets up and dances from the announce table. Lawler tells some bad jokes about Diesel before Shawn saves things. He says that he guided Diesel to become the most successful man in the WWF by winning all three major belts. He says that he made Diesel and he can disassemble him.
This weekend, the 100th episode of WWF Mania airs.
A vignette airs to promote the upcoming debut of Hakushi. Shawn Michaels thinks Vince sneezes when he says the name.
The Bushwhackers vs. Well Dunn w/ Harvey Wippleman
Harvey again bashes the Fink. I never understood why Well Dunn insisted on wearing attire that made it look like they were wearing thongs. Vince McMahon announces a Tag Team Championship Tournament for the vacant belts. Well Dunn beat up Luke with some assistance from Harvey. According to Vince, the brackets for the tournament will be revealed on Superstars and the finals happen at the Royal Rumble. They work to the Butch hot tag but he doesn’t really do anything interesting. Harvey gets involved, distracting Butch and allowing Dunn to beat him.
Winners: Well Dunn in 5:06
Not as bad as I expected considering it involved the Bushwhackers. Standard stuff at best. ¾*
Howard Finkel tries to get the decision overturned but can’t.
Overall: 5/10. I’d give this a middle of the pack score. Bulldog and Jarrett had a solid match and we even had a second non-squash match. The two squashes weren’t bad and even the King’s Court was solid with Shawn Michaels doing fine work.
Raw History
Episode #90
December 12th, 1994 | Liberty Central in Liberty, New York
For the first time in a long time, we start with Doink and Bob Backlund both cutting short promos on each other in a dark room. Again our hosts tonight are Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon.
Bob Backlund vs. Doink w/ Dink
Doink comes from behind to start as Dink came out first and seemed to be filling in. Backlund doesn’t like that the fans are firmly behind Doink. Backlund gets in control but then it turns into a good old fashioned rasslin’ match. Both men do some solid work on the mat. It’s all fine stuff but it’s kind of dull if you aren’t into that style. There are a fair amount of near falls from both guys throughout this. Bob Backlund eventually locks in the Crossface Chicken Wing and Doink submits.
Winner: Bob Backlund in 12:35
Really fine mat wrestling here but because of that, some of this was boring. Still, it was solid work and that deserves some credit. **½
The brackets for the WWF Tag Team Title Tournament are shown. In the first round, Bigelow and Tatanka take on Men on a Mission. Then, Anvil and Owen face the Headshrinkers. Third, the Bushwhackers go up against the Heavenly Bodies. Lastly, the Smoking Guns face Well Dunn.
We get a look at Jeff Jarrett. It’s similar to his pre-debut vignettes.
Non-Title Match
WWF Intercontinental Champion Razor Ramon vs. Mark Starr
From the start, Razor sells a problem with his knee. This allows Starr to actually get in some leg work after Razor falls on a fallaway slam. Razor shakes it off and hits the Razor’s Edge. I wonder if the knee stuff ended up going anywhere.
Winner: Razor Ramon in 3:18
I appreciated seeing something different here. The jobber got offense and it made sense because of the bad knee. Solid.
Time for the King’s Court. Oh lord, his guest is IRS. This might be the worst edition in history. IRS comes out with two druids. The Undertaker didn’t pay his taxes. Stop me if you’re heard this before. Whatever. Next week we get a Luger/IRS match. Oh joy.
Another Hakushi vignette is shown.
Aldo Montoya vs. Nick Barberry
Shawn Michaels is outraged that Aldo gets pyro but he doesn’t. Montoya does some basic high flying offense while Vince tells us that next week, we get the highly anticipated rematch between the Bushwhackers and Well Dunn, expect this time, the Fink will be in the corner of the Bushwhackers. That sounds awful. Montoya wins with a bulldog.
Winner: Aldo Montoya in 2:39
Pretty generic, like Aldo Montya’s offense.
Harvey Wippleman shows up to yell at Howard Finkel. He then shoves him down.
This past weekend on WWF Mania, the 100th episode was celebrated by Todd Pettengill getting a co-host. Stephanie Waind.
King Kong Bundy w/ Ted Dibiase vs. Bob Knight
Have you ever seen a King Kong Bundy squash match? If yes, then you’ve seen this. The only exception is that Bundy teases a top rope move but Knight rolls out of the ring. He stretches this out a bit but wins. He demands a five count but the referee declines.
Winner: King Kong Bundy in 4:10
As always, King Kong Bundy doesn’t entertain.
Santa Clause comes out and Shawn Michaels is excite for his gift. Santa gives him a toy Women’s Championship.
Overall: 4/10. Again, not the greatest episode but again, a rather easy watch. Nothing on the show was offensive outside of the dreadful King’s Court segment. I just can’t get interested in either Lawler or IRS.
