WWE SummerSlam Predictions

I really like Finn Balor and I always appreciate seeing the Demon, but I just can't get into this. Everything involving Bray Wyatt ultimately feels hollow and meaningless. He had a months long feud with Randy Orton that did nothing. Same for his short feud with Seth Rollins. This feud honestly feels like it's only here to give us a reason to see the Demon for the first time in a year. Bray won on Raw, so I don't think he beats the Demon as well.

Winner: Finn Balor

Rusev deserves so much better. He should be in Jinder Mahal's spot. He's good in the ring and incredibly charismatic. Anyway, Randy Orton has been giving unmotivated performances in almost every match since the Luke Harper and AJ Styles ones before WrestleMania. Naturally, that means Rusev should win here. He lost to John Cena in a brutally bad match at Battleground and could stand to regain momentum. But, Orton's lost at four straight PPVs. He's not gonna lose in five straight. Poor Rusev.

Winner: Randy Orton

WWE taking the briefcase off Baron Corbin was disappointing. He's a much more entertaining and better overall heel than the current champion. That makes this match a bit tougher to predict. With the briefcase, he could lose and still have that in his pocket, which the WWE loves to do with MITB holders. Without it, a loss to Cena following what happened on Smackdown could be fatal. Cena legitimately hasn't won at SummerSlam since the Team Nexus debacle in 2010 and hasn't won a singles match at the PPV since 2007 (lost to Batista in 08, Orton in 09, Punk in 11, Punk in 12, Bryan in 13, Brock in 14, Seth in 15, AJ in 16). I say Cena wins before heading to Raw. Big Banter flounders unless he goes to Raw and gets a win back.

Winner: Big Match John

Holy shit. This sounds bad. Cass is wildly uninteresting. At least they tried something with the hand injury on Raw, even if it's completely unoriginal. I'm gonna say Big Cass wins and Enzo does something to make him look like a fool, because the WWE seems to love that.

Winner: Big Ass

They stole the show at Battleground, having the best WWE PPV match since the Elimination Chamber. At least off the top of my head. With Big E replacing Kofi Kingston, I don't think it'll be quite as good, since the smaller New Day guys worked so well with the Usos last time. That being said, it should still be very good. Their chemistry is great and, if given time, this could steal the show again. Part of me sees a title swap, but part of me thinks New Day retains. I'll go with that.

Winners: The New Day

I don't understand WWE booking sometimes. Why give this away on Raw before SummerSlam? I know the title switch gave Raw a cool moment, but it's just dumb. Their GBOF match was good and Raw was a bit better. If this is on the main card, I worry it doesn't get the time to fully develop. If it's on the Kickoff Show, it could pull an Aries/Neville from Mania and be great. I have a sinking suspicion that Neville regains the gold/silver here.

Winner: The King

If the WWE is doing long term thinking (they're probably not), they could set this Dean/Seth up all the way to Mania. A friend of mine brought it up a few weeks ago but they should win the titles and hold them until the end of the year when the Revival can hopefully return and dethrone them. Then, maybe Dean turns heel (it would be fresh for him) and it leads to the first Dean/Seth match in quite some time at WrestleMania. However, they've probably only planned things out until Raw after SummerSlam. Either way, I'm gonna say Dean and Seth win the straps here. Shame for Cesaro and Sheamus, because they're awesome.

Winners: The Discount Shield

Smackdown has been quite the shit show lately, hasn't it? They've even fumbled most of this storyline and the matches haven't lived up to the hype. That's not say they've been bad matches (though the Battleground one wasn't good), but the ones with potential have been killed by the finishes. They've made up for it a bit with the Shane stuff over the past few weeks and hopefully, this time they deliver the greatness they're capable of. I'm going with AJ retaining, to give him a proper reign, and set up an angry Owens to feud with Shane McMahon. Maybe a match at Hell in a Cell?

Winner: AJ Styles

Honestly, I'm happier we got this match over Bliss/Bayley. Bayley has been Bliss' best opponent, but the Sasha match at the last PPV was good before the countout finish. There was an intensity to it that we don't often get from women's matches. Though Sasha never got a good reign in 2016, this is not the time for her. She's been very mediocre lately and babyface Sasha just doesn't work at all. Alexa should retain and hopefully they call up Asuka, who can take the title off her and run through the division.

Winner: Alexa Bliss

Smackdowns' equivalent to Cass/Show. I can't imagine anyone caring about this. I'm admittedly not a Naomi fan, but Natalya is one of the worst possible opponents for her. I can't stand Charlotte at all, but at least she has name value and it would've been a bigger match fitting of SummerSlam. I love Becky and a battle of Smackdown's two pure babyface women could've worked too. This is gonna suck something fierce. As always, Natalya will do relatively crisp offense, but fill in time with horrible character work. Naomi wins. Just put the damn title on Carmella already. Carmella vs. Becky is easily the best possible women's program on Smackdown.

Winner: Naomi

Imagine a world where Nakamura's first title win should come over Jinder Mahal. I don't think Nakamura is ready to be WWE Champion yet, but Jinder Mahal wasn't back in May, so what the hell do I know? Part of me thinks Nakamura wins to please the fans, but apparently the WWE is coming to India in September. I see Jinder as champion that night. I can't believe I'm saying this, but Jinder retains through nefarious terms. He's already been champion for far too long, so why not just keep it going?

Winner: Jinder Mahal

Forget almost everything else on this card. This is what I'm waiting for. Four bad motherfuckers just going to war. This has potential to be incredible. There are only two options that I accept coming out of this. A Universal Title reign for Samoa Joe or Braun Strowman. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar can fuck off. Brock can do something else and come back, away from the title picture. Though I'm pulling for joe or Braun, I'm going with Roman. If Brock really is heading to the UFC, that puts a rush on the Roman/Brock idea. Plus, I never vote against the big dog.

Winner: BIG DOG GOTTA EAT

2017 Prediction Record: 43-28
2016 Prediction Record: 72-41
2015 Prediction Record: 60-35

Random Match Review: 8/19/17

GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship: KENTA [c] vs. Low Ki – ROH Final Battle 12/17/05; Inman Sports Club


Before being known to a wider audience as Hideo Itami, he was KENTA. This would mark the ROH debut for the NOAH star, as he defended his GHC Jr. Heavyweight Title against Low Ki. If you wanted to know how big a deal this way, just note that this was the main event. Yes, ROH’s biggest show of the year was headlined by a debuting Jr. Heavyweight. I absolutely loved the ROH/NOAH partnership. It was about 10,000x better than their NJPW partnership.

The ROH faithful rightfully treated this like a big match. Both men came in confident that their striking ability was better than the other. For example, even after Ki brutalized KENTA with some kicks, the champ retaliated by cockily kicking him in the back of the head, shrugging it off. Their first strike exchange was brief but violent. Almost as if it was put there purely to tease the audience. Each kick sounded more painful than the last. There was a feeling that these were two very evenly matched wrestlers. Despite that, it was Ki who took control, wearing down KENTA and focusing on the back. I say wear down, but it wasn’t anything dull like you get in some other matches.

KENTA began his comeback, fueled by kicks and high impact offense. When he couldn’t put Ki away for good, that set up a finishing stretch of wild stuff. Ki hit the Warrior’s Way and busted out the Kobashi chops, while KENTA delivered a super falcon arrow (HE DID THE SUPER DEAL). They went to exchange some of the hardest slaps you’ll ever see in a ring. It reached a point where KENTA knocked Ki down with one and the fans bought it as a finish. A highlight came when KENTA had the Busaiku Knee countered into a Ki Krusher, which was insanely awesome. In the end, KENTA hit the first Go to Sleep in ROH history, which Ki sold like death. He followed with the Busaiku Knee to retain in 25:02.

An incredible encounter. KENTA had the best in-ring debut for a company I can think of, at least until Shinsuke Nakamura showed up in NXT in 2016. Low Ki was the perfect opponent for this, as their styles were similar and played right into KENTA’s strengths, introducing him as well as anyone could have. The crowd was hot for everything. Nothing against them, but I do feel this might’ve been even better in a place like the Manhattan Center. Anyway, they beat the hell out of each other and raised the bar until a great finish. [****½]

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NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn III Predictions

Like a lot of recent TakeOvers, this has some matches without great build but filled with top tier talent. This is one of them. Johnny Gargano and Andrade Almas are my two favorite wrestlers in NXT. By a fairly wide margin. This is my pick for the show stealer. Almas winning makes more sense. Gargano's the kind of babyface who can afford it (especially if Tommaso Ciampa makes an appearance) and Almas needs it. He's lost too often and with Vega keeping him focused, he should win.

Winner: Andrade Almas

I know they seem to love Aleister Black, but this not being Hideo Itami vs. Kassius Ohno is strange to me. That's exactly where it was building to. I think this one is quite obvious. Black is headed for big things, while it doesn't seem like Itami is on the same path. I'm pretty sure this is the end of Itami's NXT run. He's been there for a while and it's kind of NXT Title or bust for him at this point. He's not winning the title, so I say he loses here and gets called up in the next Superstar Shakeup, where he'll unfortunately not do a lot most likely. I say this as someone who loves Itami.

Winner: Aleister Black

People aren't talking about it enough, but the Authors of Pain have been one of the best tag teams in the world this year. The only teams I'd put ahead of them in terms of performance would be The South Pacific Power Trip and British Strong Style. #DIY and the Revival were great too, but haven't done a ton this year. Anyway, this matchup with SAnitY should be a chaotic brawl, with suits both teams. SAnitY is a lot of fun, but I can't see them as the guys to dethrone AOP and hand them their first loss.

Winners: The Authors of Pain

After TakeOver: Orlando, I felt this was a foregone conclusion. Ember Moon lost because Asuka resorted to a cheap trick. I fully assumed Ember would be the one to finally take the title from Asuka. Part of me feels like it could go the other way, though. With women like Kairi Shane and Shayna Baszler on the way, I could see them not wanting to miss out on the chance to book something big like that. Still, I'm going with my gut and picking Ember to pull it off.

Winner: Ember Moon

I just cannot get interested in this. There's no reason for me to want to see Drew McIntyre win anything expect for his name value. Like Black/Itami, this doesn't make as much sense as Roode's feud with Roderick Strong is much more interesting. There's a reason for even the casual viewer to root for Roddy. The personal issues are easy to relate to. Anyway, Drew and Roode feels like something put together simply because of name value. I'm thinking Roode retains. Drew will come close, though.

Winner: Bobby Roode

Random Match Review: 8/18/17

AWA World Heavyweight Championship: Nick Bockwinkel [c] vs. Hulk Hogan – AWA Super Sunday 4/24/83; St. Paul Civic Center

I’ll be the first to admit that I don’t know a ton about the AWA. I know he’s a legend, but I’ve also not seen a lot of Nick Bockwinkel. That made this match winning the vote pretty cool.

This event did very well. Not only was the arena sold out, but a nearby arena viewed the show on closed circuit television and that also sold out. This is pre-Hulkamania Hogan, as he wouldn’t win the WWE Title for almost another year. Bobby Heenan managed Bockwinkel here, showing that his feud with Hogan had a long history. Fresh off Rocky III, Hogan came out to “Eye of the Tiger” and was crazy over. It was clear that this guy was headed for massive success.

As expected in a match from this era, Bockwinkel brought all the stalling techniques. It’s not the most exciting style, but I understand why it happened. Whenever Hogan finally got his hands on the champ, the fans ate it up. They clearly wanted to show that Bockwinkel was physically overmatched. Hogan would run through him and when Bockwinkel got in offense, Hogan would kick out. Bockwinkel nailed all the little things heels do. He choked Hogan where the referee couldn’t see and his stalling drew a lot of heat. Hogan took everything Bockwinkel threw at him and persevered through his raw strength. After a ref bump, Hogan sent Bockwinkel over the top. Back inside, he hit the Leg Drop and got the three count in 18:32. BUT WAIT! A second referee arrived to reverse the decision, giving Nick the win via DQ because Hogan threw him over the top rope.

Shenanigans. I’ve always heard this was one of the issues with the AWA. They pulled these dusty, cheap finishes on some big events and if you do that too much, the fans will stop buying into the possibility of a title change. Anyway, the match was a great example of playing the crowd perfectly. Nick and Hulk did exactly what they had to for the crowd to go nuts. Not a match that’s for everyone, but one I could appreciate for its time period. [***]

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 TNA Legends Championship I Quit Match: AJ Styles [c] vs. Booker T – TNA Sacrifice 5/24/09; iMPACT! Zone

Booker T held the TNA Legends Title for 143 days, but was dethroned by AJ Styles at Destination X in March. That title change was when TNA officially recognized the title and it made Styles the company’s first ever Grand Slam Champion. This bothered Booker, as he introduced the title as a way to pay tribute to his legend status, not to add to someone else’s. This was the rematch and it was set under I Quit rules. Booker looking to get his title back, while AJ looked to solidify his status as a legend.

Mike Tenay noted that this series with Booker T led to the maturation of AJ Styles. He’d ride that to a TNA Heavyweight Title run in a few months. Thankfully, this didn’t follow the WWE I Quit match trope where the referee constantly stops the action to ask if someone quits. Remember how bad that was in the awful Rusev/Cena I Quit match? Anyway, Booker knew he was slower and didn’t try to play AJ’s game. When AJ tried a springboard, he simply ran into him to cut it off and send AJ crashing outside. With AJ having to sell, the pace slowed, which benefitted Booker. Booker worked the arm and they did a fair amount of rolling around in a submission that Booker wouldn’t let go. Not something I’ve seen often from the Booker man.

Just when things really picked up and seemed headed towards a great ending, Sharmell came to the ring. She shouted support for Booker after AJ hit a springboard 450 splash. I guess there was a miscue, because Booker ran straight into Sharmell and knocked her off the apron with almost no provocation. AJ trapped him in an armbar, but Booker refused to quit. He wouldn’t allow his legend status to potentially be ruined by saying those two words. Kevin Nash’s girlfriend and fellow Main Event Mafia member Jenna Morasca, ran out and threw in the towel for the finish at 16:48.

Man, that ending killed something that was on its way to being very good. I liked how smart Booker was, making this move at a pace that worked for him. AJ bumped and sold well, helping things out. I also thought there were a few MMA like elements (the Booker armbar spot and some of the mounted punches) that worked. That finish was awful, though. It shifted the focus from the guys in the ring to the dreadful Jenna/Sharmell feud, which culminated in a horrendous match two months later. With a better finish, this would’ve been one of Booker’s better matches ever. Instead, it’s just good, which is how a lot of his matches in his career went. [***¼]

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Evolve 91 Review

Evolve 91
August 12th, 2017 | Elmcor Center in New York City, New York

Due to the business of the end of the G1 Climax, I was unable to get to the Evolve shows on time. I did manage to catch Evolve 90, but didn’t have the time to review it. You can find my ratings for the matches on the giant spreadsheet located on my Twitter. Evolve 91 had a stronger card in my mind, and with the G1 finished, I have some time for it.

ACH vs. Ethan Page
The newly dubs the “Troll Boyz” faced off here, but came out together. Their theme song features them rapping to the “Bad Boys” theme. They met in a fun match at Evolve 89, where they trolled 2017 wrestling and were punished for it by Evolve. All sorts of banter in this one, including selling the shirt off ACH’s back to a fan. They mocked some of the popular spots in wrestling, like kicking out at one, chasing down your opponent as he runs to the opposite corner and the Rainmaker. In fact, it was a FINGERPOKE OF DOOM Rainmaker that got Page the win in 9:29. Not as good or fun as their match at Evolve 89, but still entertaining in spots. This feels like a step back for Page, though, as he seemed on the verge of the Evolve Title a few months ago. If they must compete together, it should be as a tag team. [**¼]

Grudge Match: Darby Allin vs. Timothy Thatcher w/ Stokely Hathaway
Another Evolve 89 rematch here. That one was solid, but unspectacular (**½). Thatcher doesn’t like Allin’s wild style of wrestling, calling him a glorified stuntman and saying he doesn’t belong in the ring with him. Allin quickly took out Hathaway with a tope con hilo, angering Thatcher. They told the expected story, where aggressive Thatcher took Allin to the mat and wore him down. Allin played the “never say die” babyface, which is a role he’s good in. His hope spots on Coffin Drops and a Code Red were great. He went into the Gibson Lock and scored a surprise three on Thatcher in 10:38. This was solid. They played their roles well and built off their previous match. The win for Allin was one of the biggest so far in his career. [***]

Post-match, WALTER came to the ring, unhappy that his Ringkampf buddy lost. A dejected Thatcher told Hathaway that he had to leave and they hugged. Apparently, that’s a wrap on Thatcher in Evolve. It started well but he had a ROUGH 500+ day reign as champion.

Evolve Tag Team Championship: The WorkHorsemen (c) vs. Fred Yehi and Jason Kincaid
This renews the Henry/Yehi rivalry that was born in Style Battle. They wrestled to a 30 minute draw and then Henry defeated Yehi. Both matches ruled. The Troll Boyz took over the commentary booth, making me think they’re coming for the titles. Yehi and Kincaid worked well together, showing off some double team offense. T hit a point where Drake literally dragged Henry to their corner and tagged himself in. Page got Drake confused with Takeshi Morishima, the most badass ROH Champion I recall along with Samoa Joe. There was a great spot where Kincaid caught a Henry suicide dive into a stunner. Some of the moves caused the Troll Boyz to legitimately go nuts, and for good reason. In the end, Henry hit a diving double stomp, followed by a Drake moonsault (which was beautiful) on Kincaid to retain in 11:12. Another chapter in the Henry/Yehi rivalry that is quickly becoming one of my favorites. Tons of action and intensity. I’m loving the reign of the WorkHorsemen so far, while Kincaid and Yehi made for a fun oddball pairing. [***¾]

Henry and Yehi got in each other’s faces but nothing came of it. Yehi interrupted Kincaid’s meditation, leading to them nearly coming to blows, but they left in peace.

Austin Theory w/ Priscilla Kelly vs. Mark Haskins
Our first influx of PROGRESS tonight. Haskins took to the mat early, before catching Theory with his signature suicide dive fake out spot. Mr. Theory did not do his homework. He managed to turn the tide and shift the focus to Haskins’ back. The Haskins comeback got a nice reaction, as he went for several submissions. The crowd popped for each, but Theory was always too close to the ropes and found an escape. It was clear that Haskins was superior on the mat. Interestingly, Priscilla Kelly got physically involved, nailing Haskins with a cutter. That’s the first time that’s happened. When that wasn’t enough, Haskins hit an apron DVD and they both fell outside. Kelly tried a springboard cross body, but missed and hit Theory. Haskins took him inside and made him to the Sharpshooter at 15:47. Good work from both guys, though I feel it went a bit too long. The Kelly stuff was interesting, but I don’t think they needed the springboard spot. Either way, Theory continues to show improvement. [***]

Chris Dickinson and Jaka vs. The South Pacific Power Trip w/ Dahlia Black
These teams met at the WWN Super Show this year and it was a lot of fun (***½). This is the first SPPT match since TK Cooper and Dahlia had their VISA issues. They offered handshakes, but got jumped for it. That led to a wild brawl which saw Banks take out both opponents with suicide dives. A super falcon arrow on Cooper led to him taking the heat segment. Banks’ hot tag run got cut short and it set up everyone kind of getting their stuff in. It was a battle of fun, athletic spots by SPPT and hard hitting offense from the Catch Point guys. Jaka fired up to survive a series of kicks and delivered a double chokeslam. Dahlia nearly got involved and we almost got a repeat of Dickinson murdering Kimber Lee. Luckily, TK made the save. Unfortunately for him, he got hit with a Total Elimination variation and fell to the Death Trap at 14:12. Wild stuff down the stretch and about on par with their Mania weekend outing. [***½]

In the aftermath, SPPT got the handshakes they wanted at the start.

WWN Championship: Matt Riddle (c) vs. Keith Lee vs. Tracy Williams w/ Stokely Hathaway vs. PROGRESS Atlas Champion WALTER
Interesting situation for Riddle here, as WALTER took the Atlas Title from him and Lee nearly beat him back in June. Right from the start, they teased the HOSS BATTLE, but Riddle and Williams interrupted. When it finally went down, they traded suplexes and strikes. I enjoyed their exchanges, but I was also intrigued by Williams and Riddle joining forces. Their Catch Point past issues be damned when there are two BIG BOYS that need to be taken care of. They built to tons of great moments late and the barrage of chops throughout were brutal. Everyone’s chest looked to be destroyed. Riddle wisely raining elbows down on WALTER and Lee to try and knock them out was great. When Williams snuck in and hit him with a piledriver, I bought him stealing the title. Riddle kicked out though, and countered the crossface into the Bromission to retain in 15:49. Great main event and one of the best Evolve matches all year. The crowd was way into this and the interactions between WALTER and Lee felt like a big deal. The Riddle/Williams stuff was a nice underlying story as well. [****¼]

Overall: 8/10. A great showing by Evolve. I didn’t love Evolve 90, but this was a step up. Outside of the first match being decent, everything else was good to great. Both tag matches were high quality, while the main event was awesome. They also continued to build things like Kincaid’s struggles, Yehi/Henry, Lee getting closer to snapping, among other things. The show also clocks in at just under two hours, which made it fly by.

Lucha Underground "The Cup Runneth Over" Review

We're nearing the finals of the Cueto Cup!

Right to the goods, as Catrina met up with Cage backstage. She wants the gauntlet for her mother. Cage wouldn't give it up, saying it was his. She said he wouldn't be himself soon enough. He still refused and said he would do things the hard way, even though she claimed he'd hate it that way. He attempted to hit her with the gauntlet, but she disappeared.

Dario Cueto was in his office when Joey Ryan entered. He correctly suspects that Veneno is Cortez Castro. Dario was surprised by this news and booked Veneno vs. Sexy Star next week in a Mask vs. Mask match.

Cueto Cup Semi-Finals: Fenix vs. Prince Puma
I believe this match only happened once and that was way back in season one for the Lucha Underground Title. This is a much different Puma, though. They worked this at a quick pace and showed how evenly matched they are. It was a battle of the top two faces in LU history. Neither guy seemed to gain a clear advantage, until Fenix got a near fall on a kick to the back of the head. Vampiro and Melissa Santos were way into this at ringside, rooting their respective guy on. Marty Martinez arrived to stalk Melissa and Fenix took him out. That opened the door for the guy who isn't the clear good guy anymore, Puma, to strike. A Michinoku Driver wasn't enough but the 630 was, giving Puma a ticket to the finals at 10:27. Awesome stuff. The crowd was hot, the action was wild and even the Marty stuff was fine as it added to the story. [****]

Mil Muertes worked out backstage and was so violent he was shaking the Temple. Dario and Sexy Star felt the effects. Catrina told him to save it for Pentagon. Cage jumped Mil from behind, hitting him with the gauntlet and dropping a weight on him. After he left, Catrina made Mil rise with her weird rock thing and told him that Cage's time would come, but to focus on Pentagon.

Cueto Cup Semi-Finals: Mil Muertes w/ Catrina vs. Pentagon Dark
During his entrance, Mil favored his ribs. Mil attacked quickly, but Pentagon went after the ribs. Vampiro noted how he showed improved wits by doing so. Pentagon was in control, but all it took was one chokeslam from Mil to stop his momentum. Mil avoided the Package Piledriver, only to have his momentum cut off. Pentagon kicked Catrina away and delivered a double stomp to the injured ribs to win in 7:29. Solid match, but not as good as I'm sure they could do without the injury angle. It did give Mil a reason to lose cleanly in under ten minutes, though. [***1/4]

Pentagon went to break Mil's arm after the match, but Catrina raised the rock and he overpowered Pentagon to escape.

Dario Cueto brought out Johnny Mundo and Rey Mysterio Jr. to, as he put it, talk shit to each other ahead of their title match. I love that Dario got so excited about his fighters talking shit. Mundo ran down Rey and said he'd crush his dreams. He had his security team with him to hide behind. Rey attacked him when he threw verbal jabs towards Rey's son. The Worldwide Underground came out to trip Rey and jump him. Rey took a curb stomp and the WU celebrated. It was cut short by the arrival of Dragon Azteca Jr., Sexy Star and the Mack. They all brawled around the Temple, leaving Rey and Mundo to do battle in the ring. Prince Puma arrived and stood between them. Pentagon Dark joined them and brawled with Puma, while Mundo and Rey went at it. Mil arrived and took out Pentagon and Puma, while Cage handled Rey and Mundo. That left Cage and Mil to come face to face and trade blows. Marty Martinez tried getting involved, but was cut off by Fenix. Mariposa came to help. Joey Ryan, Jeremiah Crane and others joined the riot. The Rabbit Tribe watched from above Dario's office with carrots. London seemed to be doing commentary. Dante Fox watched from above, when Killshot attacked him. Puma hit a 630 onto a crowd. Rey delivered the 619 on Mundo and celebrated with the title. Dario had a huge grin as he watched this. His violence boner was real and so was mine. This was everything I love about Lucha Underground. Violence, excitement and chaos.

Overall: 9/10. One of the best episodes all season long. This is the Lucha Underground I love. Puma/Fenix was excellent and Pentagon/Mil told a fine story. The extra stuff all delivered as well. From the seeds being planted for Cage/Mil to the brawl that ended the show, it was LU at its finest.

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Random Match Review: 8/16/17

PROGRESS Championship: Marty Scurll [c] vs. Mark Haskins vs. Tommy End – PROGRESS Chapter 36: We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Room…Again 9/25/16; O2 Academy Brixton

It was the biggest event in PROGRESS history. They started from the bottom and sold a record 2,400 tickets for this event. At the start of the year, Marty Scurll captured the PROGRESS Champion in a phenomenal match against rival Will Ospreay. Over the next few months, he defeated some big names, including Chris Hero. However, he failed to get past Tommy End and had Mark Haskins hot on his trail. That led to this, which was billed as the biggest match in PROGRESS history. Could Scurll survive this challenge? Would Haskins finally win the big one? Could Tommy do the unthinkable and win the PROGRESS Title in his final independent wrestling match before joining WWE? Yea, that was another story coming into this one.

Their entrances told a story. End basked in his, knowing it was the end of the line for his indy run. Haskins was quick, wanting to get down to business. Scurll’s was extravagant, featuring several women cosplaying as him. The early stages of this weren’t too great. They didn’t resort to the overly done “one person out of the ring” spots in most Triple Threats, but a lot of the stuff didn’t fully click with me. There were some cool spots, particularly Haskins stopping a Marty Chicken Wing by pulling him and End into a double armbar. After Haskins took a table bump, the match really kicked up, bringing several near falls that made you question the outcome, even though most people felt it was obvious coming into this.

Unable to pick up the win, Scurll grew frustrated and attacked several referees with his umbrella. PROGRESS co-founder Jim Smallman even got in the ring to try and calm him down. It was a callback to an old PROGRESS Title match with Jimmy Havoc and Will Ospreay back at Chapter 20. And just like that, Havoc’s theme music hit to a thunderous ovation. It was the biggest in PROGRESS history to that point and remained that way until the South Pacific Power Trip edged it in 2017. It was Havoc’s first appearance in PROGRESS in over a year. He took out Scurll with an Acid Rainmaker and left. That left Haskins free to use the Sharpshooter to make Scurll submit and win the PROGRESS Championship after an emotional 29:32.

A big time main event that ran a bit too long. The early stages weren’t great and if this went closer to 20 minutes than 30, I think it would’ve worked better. The action was great and there were several creative spots that stood out. The moment of Havoc returning was huge and very memorable, though I feel that it took away from Haskins’ title win moment. The crowd popped big for it either way, though. I recommend this match, but it’s not in the upper echelon of PROGRESS main events. [***½]

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Random Match Review: 8/15/17

GWF Light Heavyweight Championship Two Out of Three Falls: Lightning Kid [c] vs. Jerry Lynn – GWF TV Taping 12/27/91; Sportatorium

The WWE Network’s “Hidden Gems” section is quite the treasure trove of rare wrestling. Here, we have two pioneers of the cruiserweight wrestling style in the US. Jerry Lynn had a run as a cruiserweight division jobber in WCW, while the Lightning Kid rose to fame as the 1-2-3 Kid in the WWF. The WWF didn’t have a cruiserweight division, but Kid’s style gained him popularity, a Tag Team Title run and a shot at the WWF Title in one of the best matches on Raw ever.

Here, in late 1991 (the match aired on TV in early 1992), they weren’t big stars just yet. Lightning Kid won the Light Heavyweight Title in a tournament final over Lynn, with this being the rematch. This wasn’t just your typical Two Out of Three Falls match either. It was based around finishers, as Kid had to get his pinfalls off the Lightning Strike and Lynn could only get points via sleeper.

Kid was the heel and it showed early. The early exchanges were either even or saw Lynn gain the advantage. To turn the tide, Kid suckered him in and got a cheap shot. I always felt Kid was underrated as a heel. Not many people can play a good underdog babyface and unlikable heel. Lynn got the first fall in just under seven minutes with a sleeper that got a big pop. The finisher stipulation was both a positive and negative. Good because when those moves were used, the crowd reacted, but bad because not much else got a great reaction. The fans knew it could only end with two specific moves, so the other stuff was an afterthought. The score was evened with the Lightning Strike tombstone around ten minutes. Just as Lynn was nearing a win in the third fall, Scott Anthony attempted to interfere, but was thwarted. With him out of the way, Lynn used the sleeper to win the title in 13:02.

I enjoyed this match and thought it was good, but it certainly had some issues. For one, the 2 Out of 3 Falls stipulation is one that doesn’t work in short bursts. The interference didn’t feel like it was needed and the finisher stipulation was a slight hindrance. That being said, there was a fair amount to like here. Kid was a strong heel and did so without compromising his high octane offense. The action was good and the exchanges were crisp. All in all, recommended, but not required viewing. [***]

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Random Match Review: 8/15/17

NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Ricky Steamboat [c] vs. Ric Flair – WrestleWar 5/7/89; Nashville Municipal Auditorium

It’s widely considered the greatest trilogy in wrestling history. At Chi-Town Rumble in February, Ricky Steamboat won the NWA World Title from Ric Flair in an absolute classic. However, there was a ref bump, so it was controversial. Steamboat retained against Flair at Clash of the Champions VI in an amazing 55 minute 2 Out of 3 Falls match, but again, there was controversy since the referee missed Flair’s foot on the bottom rope.

This was the rematch to end all rematches. There were three judges to determine a winner if there’s a draw. Lou Thez, Pat O’Connor and Terry Funk. I loved the details of their entrances. Flair came out with a bunch of women by his side, while Steamboat was with his family. Very telling of both men.

In the opening minutes, there were some brutal chops thrown, with neither man backing down. Ricky went to work on an armbar and I marveled. Something so simple was used in perfect fashion and it completely engaged me. Their struggle on the mat and the exchanges all mattered. It was clear I was watching two masters. Since something as small as that worked so well, the crowd pops even bigger when they go for even the slightest of bigger moves. Ricky attempted the cross body a few times, but failed. Flair had it scouted and maybe Ricky was too married to it. With that, Flair took control and did the little things. He’d argue with the referee about a count, all the while leaning on Steamboat’s throat for added damage. I liked that the judges gave score tally updates throughout this. It made for a real sport feel, like this was boxing or something. Steamboat used an O’Connor roll, right in front of PAT O’ CONNOR. Not a bad way to sway votes.

More callbacks came when Steamboat tried the double chicken wing, which was how he won at COTC. He was, to that point, the only man to make Flair submit. Flair reached the ropes and then came back with some leg work. He locked in the Figure Four as the thirty minute mark was reached. It was Ricky’s turn to use the ropes for a desperate escape. Ric pounded on the leg, but he stopped to “WOO” and ate an enziguri for it. From out of nowhere, Flair reversed a slam into a pinning combination to win his sixth World Title at 31:31.

This worked as an epic conclusion to an all-time great rivalry. It had a big fight feel that is hard to duplicate. This had lots of energy, a wild crowd and everything they did mattered. No stone was left unturned. The things you may overlook at first had attention to detail paid to them. I think I prefer their COTC match and even may slightly like the Chi-Town Rumble outing better, but you can’t go wrong with any. [****¾]

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