Tuesday, March 19, 2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 3/18/2024

WWE Monday Night Raw 3/18/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/wwe-monday-night-raw-3112024.html

We see videos of Cody, The Creed Brothers and DIY arriving earlier.

Jey Uso comes out. He says he knows Bloodline is here and asks where Jimmy is. Jimmy Uso and Solo Sikoa come out. Jey says they always get into it but know how to shake on it. Jey says he misses him. He tells him to come back. Jimmy said he never left him. He said he was protecting him. He said he helped him leave Bloodline and then he became the biggest start on the roster. He said he then teamed with Cody and forgot him.

Jimmy said the biggest moment in Jey's career is because of him. Jimmy said the biggest moment of his career will be at Wrestlemania 40 when he knocks the yeet out of his @ss. Solo distracts Jey then Jimmy superkicks Jey. Jimmy is 2v1'd then Cody Rhodes comes out. Cody nails Jimmy then cody cutters Solo.

We get a package on Nia Jax and Becky Lynch. We then see Becky arrive earlier.

Adam Pearce is arguing with Nick Aldis on the phone. Paul Heyman goes up to Adam. He says he owes him an apology and said the Uso/Solo thing was not authorized by The Rock or Roman. He said they went into business for themselves. Paul says Jimmy and Solo are already gone from the building. Paul says he will handle his official business and be gone. He says when he does his official business, everyone will get caught off guard.

Wrestlemania Tag Title Match Qualifier - DIY vs The Creed Brothers

JG = Johnny Gargano, JC = Julius Creed

JC takes down Ciampa and they mat wrestle. JC takes him down and goes for an ankle lock. Ciampa takes fireman's carries. Brutus takes a 2v1 and is lariated by Ciampa. JG hits an assisted shiranui on JC. DIY then do plancha's outside.

We go to PiP break and return. JC flips out of a backdrop. Brutus clears off DIY, doing n exploder on JG. He then powerbombs Ciampa. Brutus backrolls Ciampa and northern lights suplexes JG while doing it. JC suplexes Brutus onto Ciampa then Brutus flips JC onto Ciampa. JC is on his knees and deadlift suplexes Ciampa. Brutus then suplexes JG.

The Creed's do kip ups then do standing moonsaults for 2. Ciampa takes a double gutbuster. Brutus catches a shiranui attempt and does a slam on JG. Brutus then pounces Ciampa over the announcer's table. Brutus then poses with Pat. 

We go to break and return. Ciampa stunners JC then reverse ddt's him. Ciampa is tagged in and beats up The Creed's. JG hits a bulldog + flying lariat combo. JG hits a slingshot spear for 2. JG topes Brutus then Ciampa 2nd rope air raid crashes JC for 2. Ciampa hits chops on JC and they trade forearms.

JC ankle locks Ciampa then one arm powerbombs JG. The Creed's then both put ankle locks on. DIY then do stereo reversals and put submissions on. The Creed's lift DIY then throw DIY into each other in mid-air. JC 2nd rope moonsaults Ciampa and Brutus top rope moonsaults Ciampa for 2. Ciampa avoids an electric chair Brutusball. JC is superkicked and Ciampa rolls JC up for the win.

As you guys know, I'm not a huge fan of the opening match going long and this went long. It's like starting a workout by running up a mountain when a jog would be better, The Creed's push or lack there of has been real weird. They had the rocket strapped to them, then they stopped being used on TV and now they are doing jobs to DIY who I think they beat already. The match was good of course but it would have been better if this had a story going into it.

Andrade talks ot Judgment Day in the back. Rhea said they don't send invites to anyone and says it's an exclusive club. Rhea said if he keeps impressive them, they will make things happen. Finn says he will catch Andrade's match next week. Priest said he was watching the DIY/Creed match. He said they thought JD would run the gauntlet last week and win the match. JD said he thought he put out a good perfromance and battered Ricochet. Rhea said Ric made a fool of him. She says Dom will make things right by beating Ric tonight. Dom says he will make things right and says let's make this match official.

Kayden Carter and Katana Chance vs Candice LaRae and Indi Hartwell

Carter springboard dropkicks CL off the bottom rope then superkicks her. Indi face kicks Carter for 2. Chance dropkicks Indi then boots her in the corner. Chance flying lariats her then holds her leg when she flips out of a backdrop. Carter checks on Chance then CL baseball slides her. CL then hits a deep single leg crab on Chance and wins it. Indi is confused.

This was quick and was just there to push the new heel character of LaRae.

Cody Rhodes does a promo. He said Rock referred to himself as our favorite heel and said he's the bad guy. He said he doesn't think Rock is a heel, he thinks he's an @sshole. He said there's no crying in wrestling but Rock has been crying behind the scenes this whole time. He said Rock thought this would be good PR until it wasn't. He said the WWE board are yes people.

He said Rock is a good wrestler but a terrible salesman and a whiny b!tch. He said Rock's mom is a nice lady and helped him chop Kevin Owens in a dark match. He said his mom wouldn't tremble if he got hit with a belt and said she's not afraid of him.

He said he doesn't know if the match with Roman will be a fair match or if he will finish the story. He said Rock hasn't been in the ring for years and asked if he just has little d!ck syndrome. He said Rock calls himself The Final Boss and brings up Brian Gerwitz. He said he doesn't think he's the Final Boss, just Roman's side chick.

Paul Heyman comes out. He said he's here to offer an apology to Cody for the incident a few weeks ago with the security guards. He said it was dumb and didn't work. He apologizes. Cody said he didn't ask for an apology.  

Paul says Cody has Roman's word that if he shows up on Smackdown, Roman will show up alone. Cody agrees then Paul said he forgot an important point. He said Cody needs to show up alone too. Cody agrees.

I didn't like all the use of insider words here and bringing up Brian Gerwitz. This was another weak segment just like their last one a few weeks ago.

Nia Jax does a promo. She said Becky Lynch has never beaten her and never will. She said she will take her spot at Mania when she breaks her face again. She said she will be the last woman standing and will walk out the champ. 

LA Knight talks about his favorite Wrestlemania moments bringing up Hulk Andre WM3, Savage at WM4, Rock/Hogan at WM18.

Jey Uso talks to Cody in the back. He says he knows he isn't going to SD alone. He says the whole Bloodline will be there but he's got him if he needs him.

Ricochet vs Dominik Mysterio

Dom back elbows him on the ropes. Pat says Dom would get booed at his own wedding (this happened). Ric handspring back elbows Dom then JD pushes Dom from behind tope'd outside. Ric then corkscrew plancha's him outside. JD pulls Ric's foot then Dom baseball slides JD.

We go to break and return. Ric knees Dom in the face and is pulled down on the ropes. Dom facebusters him. Ric and Dom trade suplexes then Ric does a go to sleep variation. Ric superkicks Dom then springboard dropkicks JD off the apron. Dom dropkicks Ric in the back then misses a 619. Ric does a one legged codebreaker and wins it.

It was a short and fast paced match. It was fine for what it was but we didn't see that much of it.

Ric fights off JD after and escapes outside.

Sami Zayn talks to Chad Gable in the back. He said last week's match was an honor. Chad says it was great but doesn't seem to want to talk about it. Chad says he's fine. Chad said Mania meant more to him. Sami says it's unfair and says Mania matters to others as well. He said his kid cries when he loses and he has people he let down. He said Chad doesn't get to tell him what matters to him. Chad says it's not about that. He says Sami can't beat Gunther.

 Adam Pearce says it's time to sign the contracts for the Intercontinental Title match at Wrestlemania. Sami and Gunther come out. Gunther says this is the biggest and most important contract signing for the biggest and most important Intercontinental Title match. He asks why Sami is dressed like a bum in the audience for this. Sami said it's not another day at the office and says Gunther doesn't believe he can do it. Sami talks about people who didn't believe in him. He said he will end the longest IC title reign of all time.

Gunther said to listen to Chad as Chad thinks he can't beat him. Gunther said the fans don't think Sami can beat him either. Gunther says Sami doesn't believe he can beat him. He said Sami is begging to get the beating of a lifetime at the biggest stage of them all. He says his dreams will meet reality at Mania. Sami tells him to look in his eyes if he doesn't believe. Sami says he will take him down at Wrestlemania.

Sami walks all the way out, walking past Miz, Truth and DIY. Miz tells Truth that's the mindset we need. Jinder and Indus Sher then walk in and walk past. Truth says one of them was hairy and he talks about not wanting to fight them.

Miz and Truth then do Truth's rap together.

Wrestlemania Tag Title Match Qualifier - Awesome Truth vs Indus Sher

Miz hits shots on Sanga then takes a back elbow. Sanga slams Miz then Veer elbow drops Miz. Veer traphezus holds Miz. Truth is tagged in and he flying shoulders Veer. Truth hits a blue thunder on Veer then does the five knuckle shuffle. Truth then puts him in the STFU.

Sanga takes a double dropkick then Veer takes a skull crushing finale + STO combo. Miz dropkicks Jinder through the ropes. Truth takes a back elbow and falls on Veer to grab the win.

It was a short tag that wasn't much. I liked the Truth/Miz combo move they did at the end here.

Sami Zayn asks Chad Gable why he thinks he can't beat Gunther. Chad says he just saw why. He says it's not just physical, it's mental. He says Gunther's on a different level. He said he's a different beast and says you can't beat him if you don't change your mentality.

CM Punk does a promo. He said you can't do Wrestlemania in Philadelphia without Phil. He says he will be there one way or the other.

Drew McIntyre comes out to talk. Seth Rollins then comes out before he gets in the ring. Seth said he didn't see him there. Drew says to enjoy the spotlight because the spotlight is all his come Wrestlemania.

Seth says he's a spotlight junkie. Drew says Seth is becoming a parody of himself. He said he only cares about their match. He said he's sick of the jokes and the punchline is when he beats him at Mania.  

Seth said coming out here and wrestling is his fix. He says he lays it all out in the ring and says it gets better every time. He said on Night 1 at Mania, he takes the biggest star in Hollywood and his side chick on then its him and Drew on Night 2. Drew said that's what he wants, the passion. He said Seth's priorities are all wrong and all he wants is for him to make it to the ring on Night 2. He said he will carry him down to the ring if he has to as he will get the moment he earned.

He said Drew wants the spotlight just like he does and has been begging for the spotlight for the last few years. He said he won the Mania main event in an empty warehouse and said Drew said it wasn't good enough. Seth said Drew fumbled the ball when they came back but says Seth shines bright in the big lights. He said Drew will find out he's not as good as he thinks he is.

Becky Lynch does a promo. She said all she knows is taking risks and fighting. She said she will be the last woman standing tonight.

Wrestlemania Tag Title Match Qualifier - Alpha Academy (Otis and Akira Tozawa) vs The New Day

Otis and Woods start us off. Otis shoulders him over then hits his head with his body. Otis then running bodyblocks him in the head. Akira face kicks Woods then 2nd rope diving hurricanrana's Kofi. Akira topes both opponents outside.

We go to break and return. Akira step up enzugiri's Woods. Otis lariats Kofi then spinning back elbows him. Woods takes a hard lariat then Otis catches Kofi off the ropes and hits a world's strongest slam. Otis does the caterpillar elbow drop on Kofi for 2.

Otis misses a vader bomb then Akira top rope crossbodies Kofi. Woods ddt's Akira off the bottom rope. Akira 2nd rope hurricanrana's Woods then top rope sentons him for 2. Kofi tornado ddt's Otis off the rails then Kofi is cokrscrew kicked off the apron. Woods spinning powerbombs Akira then rope walk elbow drops him for the win.

It was a decent match as expected between these two. Otis did new attacks with his belly here. 

Liv Morgan talks to Becky Lynch in the back. Becky asks if she should watch out for her tonight. Liv says Nia is all hers and she better makes sure she beats her.

Cody has his dog with him and talks to Seth in the back. Seth asks if he will meet Roman 1v1 on Friday and Cody says he will.

Last Man Standing Match - Becky Lynch vs Nia Jax

BL dropkicks her then top rope dropkicks her. Nia goes out and takes a baseball slide. BL forearms her off the apron then Nia back rams her into the post and apron. Becky hits shots to the body and we go to break.

We return and BL is setting a table up. Nia bangs BL's head off the apron. Nia tries to set a table up but one of the legs of it gives out. Chairs are thrown in the ring. Nia gives up on the table. BL chairs her in the gut and back. Nia samoan drops her on chairs then Nia is bulldogged onto chairs.

BL comes off the top and is chaired. Nia grabs kendo sticks and hits BL with one. Nia slams her on a chair then legdrops her on it. Nia chairs her back more then sits ona chair on BL's throat. BL uses a kendo stick to get out and hits Nia with it many times.

Nia lariats her on the floor then hits her with the steps. Nia misses a legdrop on the apron then BL ddt's her on the steps. BL gets a table in the ring. We go to break and return. BL is put on a table then she fire extinguisher sprays Nia. She hits her with it. BL takes a samoan drop through a table in the corner.

Nia banzai drops her. They fight on the apron and Nia takes a uranage through a table off the apron. Nia beats the count up. BL climbs a ladder then jumps off it, legdropping Nia through the announcer's table. Becky then wins it.

I liked the storyline of Becky not being able to beat Nia and I don't really get why they ended that one here. It had a lot more life in it and it was one of the few things Nia really had going for her. It's not like Nia is part of Becky's Mania match either. Now it's done. It was a hardcore match for the most part and was focused on various weapons shots. The big spots were Nia taking a a uranage off the apron through a table, Becky taking a samoan drop through a table and Becky legdropping Nia through a table. It was a good main and it was entertaining, but not great.

Rhea Ripley comes out after. They go face to face and talk trash and the show ends.

Overall thoughts: They had some good in-ring action on this one and that helped make it a good show. The Gable/Sami Zayn angle seems to be going somewhere. The segment with Drew and Seth wasn't that great much like the Cody and Paul segment. The main was a good main but I didn't like Nia losing to Becky as it kills the whole "Becky can't beat Nia" angle.

Monday, March 18, 2024

WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/28/1990

WWF Superstars of Wrestling 7/28/1990

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/wwf-superstars-of-wrestling-7211990.html

The Big Boss Man vs The Brooklyn Brawler

Brawler pulls him out and hits chops. Boss punches him and bangs his head off the apron. Boss hits more punches then leg lariats him on the ropes. Boss bearhugs him then hits a face kick. Ted Dibiase and Virgil do an inset. He said going to Cobb County, Georgia was beneath him. He realized that he has nothing to worry about with him. He then holds up a wrestling buddy and said when you are rich and famous like him, things like this happen to you.

Boss back elbows Brawler then lariats him. Boss hits shots to the spine and does a spinebuster. Boss then wins it.

It wasn't that good of a squash with Boss Man's bearhugs/spinebuster not looking good.

Boss handcuffs Brawler to the ropes after then threatens him with the night stick for no real reason.

WWF Update with Mean Gene Okerlund

Gene talks about and shows clips from the Roma/Hercules vs Rockers situation from last week. Roma and Herc do a promo. Herc says they are the baddest tag team but were missing one little thing. They then bring in Slick. Slick says it's his pleasure to be associated with them. He says this combination will be a winning situation. He says they will be referred to as Power and Glory.

Boris Zhukov vs Scott Colton

Boris sings the Russian national anthem. Boris hits him from behind then back elbows him. Boris hits a boot to the face then bangs his head off the turnbuckle. Boris suplexes him then hits stomps to the gut.

Boris rakes his face then hits shots to the gut and back. Boris lariats Scott from behind and picks up the win.

It was just a quick squash here. Scott got nothing in at all.

Boris stomps him after and name drops Nikolai Volkoff. 

Dusty Rhodes vs Paul Diamond

Sapphire is out there with Dusty and she has a big necklace on that was one of the gifts she was given. Paul backs him up into the ropes and hits shots. Dusty hiptosses and slams him. Paul then slides out to avoid an elbow. Paul hits shots in the corner then takes a elbow to the head. Sensational Sherri does an inset. She doesn't get why anyone would send gifts to Sapphire. She said she's  queen and royalty, so she's used to gifts. She then calls Sapphire a peasant woman and screams.

Dusty bangs Paul's head off the buckles then elbows him in the head. Dusty back elbows him then hits an elbow drop for the win.

It was another quick squash here with Paul really only getting a few punches in.

Sapphire dances some after.

WWF Event Center with Sean Mooney

They push the 8/18/1990 Boston Garden show. Demolition does a promo. Ax says they are still crying, complaining and making excuses. Ax says they conned Hacksaw Jim Duggan into being their partner. He says Duggan will be blamed when The Hart's lose. Crush says this will be a desperate act for an ambulance. Smash says Duggan will try to hit Crush with the 2x4, but the board will break and Crush will shove it down Duggan's throat.

Jimmy Snuka does a promo on Rick Martel. He says we will see what Martel can do about his Arrogance.

Mean Gene Okerlund shill Summerslam and runs down the card.

Jimmy Hart, Earthquake and Dino Bravo do a promo. Hart says Hulk should get some earthquake insurance. Dino tells Tugboat to stay out their way. Quake says Hulk is pathetic and says he will finish the job at Summerslam.

Hulk Hogan and Tugboat do a promo. Hulk said he can't wait until Summerslam and show that Hulkamania in a fever pitch. Tug says he will be there if Dino or Hart gets involved. Hogan says Tug is their insurance policy. He says his security system will sound the horn and be like the shot heard around the world if Earthquake steps to him. He says he will put Earthquake own at Summerslam. He said he'd love to release Tugboat on the strongest man in the world. 

Mean Gene runs down the Summerslam card. Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan do a promo. Bobby says there's only a couple ways out of the cage. He said Rude has been in the cage before and is the only man to beat him. He says they will never call Warrior champ again. Rude says this is Parts Unknown for the Warrior since he has never been in the cage before. He says what goes up must come down. He says he will climb the cage and come down on Warrior's head. He said he will crush him and show the world that rudeness will rule the WWF. He says he will become the WWF champ.

Bad News Brown vs Troy Williams

Brown is carrying a large cage in a bag down. Vince says it has 200lbs of rats in there. He then puts the box on a platform. Brown nails Troy from behind and pounds on him. Troy's head is banged off the buckles then he takes an uppercut. Brown drops him neck first over the ropes. Brown clubs on Troy and bangs his head off the mat.

Brown boots him in the gut then hits a ghetto blaster. Brown then pins him with one foot on the chest. Brown then throws him out.

We'll have to see where things are going with that cage. That's a weird one.

Jimmy Snuka eats WWF ice cream bars and grunts.

The Brother Love Show

Love rips The Legion of Doom. He calls them imposters and said they couldn't carry their dirty socks. The Legion of Doom come out. He calls Animal an imposter and Animal yells at him, telling him to back up. Animal said they walk in the shadows of nobody. He said they've gotten their butts kicked by more than 3v2 before when they were kids. They said they would do something about it though.

Animal said Demolition has never seen the likes of them before. Hawk calls Love a gerbil faced twit. He says a man has got to do what a man has to got to do. He said they have got to do something about their imposters, Demolition. He said everyone wants to get WWF tag champs and said The Hart Foundation are knocking at the door of Demolition. He said when you look over one shoulder you will see Demolition, but you will see the LOD on the other shoulder. Hawk says they dine on danger and snack on Demolition. Love is backed up by the LOD and the segment ends.

They did a nice job of inserting the LOD into this one and definitely hinted towards LOD/Demolition going at it, though we all know how that eventually worked out.

Earthquake vs Alan Reynolds

Jesse said Quake is one of his favorites as he rid us of Hulk. Quake clubs on Alan. Alan is thrown into the buckles and takes another back club. Quake powerslams him then elbow drops him. Quake hits a nice belly to belly suplex then hits the butt drop. Quake picks up the easy win here as expected.

Quake's suplex here as nice and this was just a quick squash.

Alan takes more butt drops after. They say Alan may never wrestle again. Quake knocks over the stretcher they have for Alan then they try to stretcher Alan out.

WWF Event Center with Sean Mooney

More hype for the next Boston Garden show here. Nikolai Volkoff does a promo. He said Boris embarrassed himself, Nikolai and Russia. Nik says he will wave the flag and have the US people behind him. He says he won't let them down and says Boris Zhukov will go down.

Macho King Randy Savage and Sherri are interviewed. He doesn't see Sapphire and Elizabeth being with Dusty as an advantage. He talks about Elizabeth returning at WM6 and said they see this as a chance to erase that moment. Macho says he's the crown jewel and will prove it at the 8/18/90 Boston Garden show.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan vs "Playboy" Buddy Rose

They roll against the ropes and Rose eye pokes him. Rose bangs Duggan's head against the buckles and hits him in the gut. Jim lariats him him over and knocks him out of the ring with one. Nikolai Volkoff does an inset promo. He said he wants to be like him and calls him his idol. Jim hits punches on Rose inside then clubs his back. Rose's head is banged off the buckles.

Jim bends over and gets kicked then Buddy lariats him. Buddy goes up top and is thrown off the top. Jim running 3 point stance lariats him and wins it.

It was a quick squash with Rose doing nice bumps and really looking good as usual. The crowd really liked Duggan here.

Sgt Slaughter is in an army jeep. He says his name is drill Sargent Slughter. He said he loves the sweet smell of napalm in the morning. He says there's a disgusting smell of pinko commies though and says it smells like Nikolai Volkoff. He gags and says it smells like peace. He says he hates the smell of peace. He said we need a new smell, the smell of war. He says if Volkoff or his pinko commie supporters cross him, they will smell the smell of defeat.  

WWF Event Center with Sean Mooney

More Boston Garden hype here. Hillbilly Jim will face Hercules. Herc is with Slick and says nice guy finish last. He said no one likes the nice guy and takes advantage of him. Herc said the intensity has increased and he's ready for him.

Dusty Rhodes talks about Savage. He says he has the crown jewel Miss Elizabeth in his corner to counter Brother Love. He says they will take care of business and get down on the kind and queen. Sean asks if Sapphire's mind will be on the match or all of the gifts she is receiving.

Jesse and Vince run down next week's show. Volkoff will receive a special award from The Boy Scouts. Demolition will be on Brother Love and the Texas Tornado debuts. They say The Ultimate Warrior and Rick Rude will have a match this weekend but don't say where or when. I don't know why, but it turns out that they mean they are fighting on Saturday Night's Main Event #27.

Bobby Heenan and Rick Rude do a promo. Bobby said it'll be a good weekend for Rick but a bad weekend for Warrior. Rude says he will beat Warrior again. Warrior has his back turned and is wearing the belt backwards. He says he will walk in and out as the champ and will leave the Ultimate WWF champ.

Overall thoughts: There wasn't too much of note here except for the LOD inserting themselves into the Hart Foundation/Demolition situation and Hercules and Roma being named Power and Glory. Bad News came out with a silly cage supposedly filled with rats. Buddy Rose bumped around well for Duggan. There's a Saturday Night's Main Event show the same night this show happened, but from what survived of this recording, they did a terrible job in advertising it. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling 3/17/2024

Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling 3/17/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/southern-illinois-championship_12.html

Drew Ebenhouse and Ron Powers are on commentary today as Lucky P. Larson is suspended.

Bull Bronson vs Richard Shaw

We got a super heavyweight matchup for this. Bull pulls Shaw down then hits some shots. Ron said he was Bull's last match in SICW before leaving. Bull hits back elbows then corner splashes him. Bull irish whips him and punches him in the face. Bull goes for a one foot pin buts lets go of it.

Bull does a nice Earthquake style sliding butt drop on him. Bull then wins it by a 10 count knockout.

Well, this was a quick one. We haven't seen that finish for a long time. I wish this would have gotten some time.

Bull sliding butt drops him again after.

AIWF National Title - Lou Gotti vs Steve Fender

We join this in progress. Steve hits a forearm then Gotti hits forearms back. Steve stomps him for 2 then chinlocks him. Steve chops him then Lou reboun germans him on his head. Lou hits forearms then Steve back elbows him. Steve is caught off the 2nd rope with a uranage backbreaker.

Steve jawbreakers him then takes a lariat. Lou double underhook backbreakers him. Lou misses a move off the top then enzugiri's him in the corner. Lou pump kicks and saito suplexes him. Lou backrolls Steve then Steve reverses it and holds the tights. Steve gets the win.

We only saw a little of this but it had a lot more moves and action that we usually get. Lou is more of a typical indy wrestler while what Steve does is more in line with SICW's style.

Steve Fender is interviewed by Drew Ebenhouse. He said he had a plan laid out, asked for the match and won it. He said since he's a double champ, it should make him the #1 Contender for Greg Anthony's AIWF World Title. He challenges him and tells him to sign on the dotted line. Drew wishes him luck but Steve said he doesn't need luck, he's the superstar.

The Eh Team (Sean Vincent and Glenn Williams) vs Waco and Wrex Amadeus

Waco hits shots on Glenn then suplexes him. Wrex russian legsweeps Glenn then elbow drops him. Glenn clubs Wrex's back then Wrex takes a foot choke in the corner. Sean grounded abdominal stretches Wrex then Glenn camel clutches Wrex over the ropes.

Sean jumps on Wrex's back over the ropes then Wrex takes a sandwich knee. Wrex takes double boots in the corner then Glenn sleepers Wrex. Wrex jawbreakers him out. Waco gets in and hits lariats and back elbows. Sean jawbreakers Waco then Sean death valley drivers him to win it.

It was a short match but Wrex and Waco actually got a little offense in here for a change which was nice.

Big Joe Helms vs Axe Allwardt

They say Larson has a restraining order on Joe.

This is from one of their live shows. They lock up and Lucky P. Larson gets on the apron. Axe headbutts Joe in the nuts while the ref is distracted then Axe hits uppercuts. Axe pounds on Joe then Larson chokes Joe from the outside.

Axe footchokes Joe then bangs his head off the buckles. Joe runs into a big boot from Axe then Axe lariats him. Joe back body drops Axe then cartwheel lariats him. Joe grabs Larson and hits him. Axe hits shots on Joe then Joe powerslams him to win it.

It was a short one and the big story is Joe nailing Larson here. 

Drew interviews Herb Simmons and Big Joe Helms. Herb says we stand in a bad situation. He said Larson did have a restraining order and Herb says he has to suspend Joe for 30 days. He said when the suspension is lifted, he can fight Kowalski. He said if he wins, he gets 5 minutes in the ring with Lucky P. Larson. Herb said nothing forbids him for it but Larson won't be happy.

Joe says it is kind of lucky for him. He says he will train for 30 days to get stronger and faster. He says Larson should fear God for when he gets him for 5 minutes. 

Lamont Potts vs Bryce Cawvey

Potts hits elbows on Bryce then rakes his back. Bryce dropkicks him then misses one. Potts bangs Bryce's head off the buckles then takes a boot in the corner. Potts side slams him for 2. Bryce flying euros Potts then Potts hits a soul foot to win it.

It was a quick one here and there's not a lot to say about it.

Potts stomps on Bryce after. 

Promoter's Corner - Nikolai Volkoff vs Al Perez

Al was real young here with curly hair and an outfit that made him look like a Turkish WW1 soldier.

They fight against the ropes and trade more shots. Nik knees him in the head and gut. Nik clubs him on the ropes and hits headbutts and knees to the body. Nik throws him out to the floor and hits him when he tries to get in. Al spears him in the gut and hits shots. Al runs into a knee.

Nik stomps him and clubs his chest. Nik headbutts him and hits more shots against the ropes. Al gets some shots in then Nik knees him in the gut. Al fires back and hits a nice dropkick. Al flying crossbodies him and takes a backbreaker. Nik then gets the win here.

Everything Nikolai did looked good here but the endless strikes got old. The little Al got in here looked great.

Drew interviews Jayson Breed. Breed thanks the fans. He said it's been a long three months while he rehabs his injured knee. He said the LA Hustlers caused it and put him in the shelf for 3 months. He said they let him get back up though and shouldn't have. He said he has unfinished business with them and said he is back. He said Larson's Dogtown Underground crew will have to deal with him immediately. It was a short promo that made sense. 

The Uber Destroyer vs Big Texan

Uber jumps Texan before intros are down. He chokes him and hits shots. Texan fires back and hits big chops. Texan suplexes him then backbreakers him. Texan clubs on Uber's back then hits more chops. Texan side slams him then Uber fires back with shots. Uber hits corner spears and splashes him.

Uber puts the iron claw on him and busts him open. Texan clubs Uber's back and hits shots. Texan hits corner spears then slams him. Texan kicks Uber in the back.

Uber hits forearms then back splashes him. Uber iron claws him then Texan hits a big lariat in the corner. Devastation Inc then come down and jump Texan. Atila Khan and Payton Ayres attack Texan. Stephen E. gets in the ring and goes for a fireball. Danny Boy Hawkins comes down and clears off Devastation Inc, saving Big Texan. Ron Powers and Khan supposedly go face to face outside but we can't see it.

Texan's lariats looked good as always and I liked seeing him bleed for the iron claw.

Danny Boy Hawkins, Ron Powers and Big Texan are interviewed. Danny said if you want to come out with fire, you are going to play with fire. He said they let a fire under him and will go down. Ron says this stuff is starting to pull stuff out of his basement for him  and he said he doesn't want this start this stuff. He asks Danny what he's doing with these dangerous fireballs and says he's being put in a bad spot. Ron walks away and asks what they want him to do. Danny then goes to talk to Ron to close the show.

Overall thoughts: As always, the matches are short and/or often squashes. The Ron Powers/Danny Boy vs Devastation Inc angle continues to heat up and is good stuff. We had no Lucky P. Larson this week which was unfortunate, but we got to see Lou Gotti and Jayson Breed, who haven't been on the show yet this year. It wasn't a bad hour of wrestling as usual.

Sunday, March 17, 2024

WOW Women of Wrestling 3/16/2024 Season 4, Episode 27

WOW Women of Wrestling 3/16/2024 Season 4, Episode 27

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/wow-women-of-wrestling-392024-season-4.html 

The Beast and David McClane talk in the ring. Beast said she's the champ and was cheated. She said Abilene Maverick has what's hers. David said there's no evidence that she didn't have the brass knucks. Beast said she doesn't need to cheat, she's The Beast. She said she never had brass knucks and the video didn't show her having brass knucks (that's a lie actually).

Abilene Maverick comes out on crutches with her head taped up. David said he doesn't know how this ended up and said Beast said she didn't have knucks. Ab said she said heard Beast wanted a rematch. Ab says she believes in second chances even when someone cheats. David said we don't actually know. Ab says the knucks were there and she has a very severe concussion. David asks her if she has a doctor's report and she doesn't. David said he will need one if this is going to work.

Ab said she doesn't have to wrestle her or anyone else. Ab said she's the rightful champ and will stay rightful champ. David said she needs a doctor's report. David says we will get to the bottom of this and get Beast a rematch.

WOW Tag Titles - The Mother Truckers (Big Rig Betty and Holly Swagg) vs The Classmaster and The Disciplinarian

Samantha Smart gets on the mic before the match. She says look at all these idiots. She calls Holly "Little Holly Fleabag" and said their highest form of conversation is a primitive grunt. She said she has a higher IQ than both of them combined and said the tag titles deserve to be on her team.

Class and Holly start us off. Class pushes her over. Betty gets in. Class waistlocks her and Betty bangs her butt off of her. Betty wristlocks Dis then Dis reverses it. Betty takes her down and running back elbows her. Both of Dis' arms are grabbed in the straightjacket position and she is brought down.

Smart trips Holly on the apron then her and Class beat up Holly. Dis footchokes Holly thne Holly is sent hard into the buckles. Class pounds on Holly then Dis hits a sitout gordbuster on Holly. Clss legdrops Holly then does a grounded cobra twist variation. Holly bites her way out then Betty gets offense in on both opponents.

Betty stunners Class out of the ring in a nice bump. Dis takes a facebuster then a reverse meteora. Holly STO's Dis and picks up the win.

It was a short and simple match. I liked Classmaster's stunner bump here. I thought it was average overall.

Betty and Holly get on the mic after. She asks what's dumb + dumber? Dumbest. She said she will leave smartypants laying like roadkill every time. They say they have two words for Smart's crew - honk honk.

Miami's Sweet Heat talk to Lana Starr in the back. They don't get how Discipilinarian and Classmaster got a tag title shot over them. Lana said the best ting that ever happened was her bringing them to WOW. Lana said she has a master plan and they need to have patient. Lana says she can't tell them the plan while the camera men are there.

Las Bandidas (Sylvia Sanchez and Angel Rose) with Sophia Lopez vs The Tonga Twins (Kaoz and Kona)

Angel Rose is substituting for Vivian Rivera here and is said to be a new member. This is Angel's WOW debut.

Kona pushes Angel over. Kona has green laces on her shoes and that's how you can tell them apart. Kona back elbows Angel then takes a spinning headscissors. Kona knocks her over then Angel takes a double team chop.

Sanchez hits Kaoz from the apron then Angel hits a kick on Angel. Sanchez is lifted and dropped by Angel onto Kaoz. Angel boots and foot chokes Kaoz in the corner. Sanchez takes a double team and is clubbed on. Sophia Lopez uses her briefcase on Kaoz.

Kaoz is put in the tarantula on the ropes. Kaoz headbutts Angel then Kona gets in. Kona gets offense on both opponents. Angel grabs Lopez's briefcase and hits her partner on accident. Tiki Chamorro comes down and pulls Lopez off the apron then Angel takes a tongan drop. Angel is pinned.

It was another short and simple match with the Twins getting worked on then making their comeback before the finish. They made Las Bandidas look stupid here as they lost in their first match as a team here. They also didn't explain what happened to Vivian Rivera.

Sophia Lopez runs to the back after. 

Team Spirit and Coach Campanelli are in the back. Coach says she has business with McClane and they are going out there. Coach tells the girls to bring a bench with them. She says they will find out what's going on soon enough. They had to the ring with the bench for a promo.

Coach said she stepped up when Ariel Sky was injured and she's why they are in the trios tournament finals. She said she has a hard decision to make as she wants to wrestle in this match. She said she's a member and wrestler for the team. She asks David if whoever wrestles with her counts as part of the team tonight. David agrees. She said she has a hard decision ahead to choose who wrestlers and who doesn't.

Genesis says as leader of Exile, she knows they can win this. She said it doesn't matter how Coach chooses as they have what it takes. Ice questions her, asking if she thinks she's the leader of Exile. Genesis says "duh, how do you think we got this far?".

WOW Trios Tournament Finals - Team Spirit (Coach Campanelli, Kandi Krush and Gloria Glitter) vs Exile (Genesis, Exodus and Ice Cold)

Coach says she has made her decision. She says Sasha Sparks is benched. She said Pep Riley is benched too. She said this is because she we are going to meet the new member of this A-team, who is Gloria Glitter. She then benches Ariel Sky and brings out Kandi Krush. Coach reminds David that he said whoever is in here with her represents Team Spirit. This one isn't totally out of nowhere as Gloria, Kandi and Coach talked in the last few weeks.

Gen and Coach start us off. Coach armdrags her then Gen tags out. Ice misses a lariat and is taken down. Coach snapmares Ice, steps on her neck and basement dropkicks her. Gloria side headlocks Ice then stair steppers her back. Ice kips up then Gloria armdrags her.

Kandi wrist throws Ex then puts her in la magistral. Kandi hits a rainmaker for 2. Gen knees Kandi in the back from the apron. Kandi takes a double knee then an Ice elbow drop for 2. Gloria does neckbreakers on Gen then Gen legdrops the back of Gloria's neck. Gen chokes Gloria then Gloria sunset flips her. Gloria then ties her up and Ice breaks the submission.

Gloria takes a legsweep + russian legsweep. Gloria's head is banged off the mat then Ice step up knees Gloria. Ice stomps Gloria then pendulum double knees her. Ice meteora's her for 2. 

Gloria flying lariats Ice then both tag out. Ice hits sledgehammer shots on Ex then Ex takes a lariat + russian legsweep. Ice leg lariats Coach for 1 then Kandi back body drops Ice. Ex STO's Ice then Gloria hits a double arm ddt on Ex. Gen spin kicks Glrotia then Coach spinning neckbreakers Gen. Coach hits an unprettier on Ice for the win.

It was a rather chaotic match with people coming in and out. I felt like we got to see a little more thna usual and they stepped up for this final match. It was fine but not great.

All 6 members of Team Spirit celebrate after.




Coach Campanelli grabs the trophy after and says behold your trios tournament champs. Coach says she wants to dedicate the trophy to Ariel Sky. She said if it weren't for her, she would have forgotten an important lesson here. She said Ariel Sky went behind her back, recruited her own members, got injured and forced Coach to have to save the day again. She said she would have forgotten that she is not only a coach, but the coach and one of the greatest wrestlers at WOW. She said this win wouldn't be possible without Ariel Sky. She tells her to come get her trophy then she nails Ariel with the trophy. Kandi and Gloria then nail Pep and Sasha. Ariel takes a 3 person beat down, the trophy breaks and Ariel is thrown out.

Coach Campanelli says Team Spirit is dead and says meet Top Tier. Kandi, Gloria and Coach then pose to close the show.

The ending was really wild here. I didn't see it coming but it made sense and it was well done. It made sense for Coach to be mad about Ariel Sky going behind her back and it set up a new group in WOW, which freshens things up some. It also sets up an obvious Team Spirit vs Top Tier match.

The angle also really hit because WOW doesn't do a ton of face and heel turns, so when they do happen, they feel important.

Overall thoughts: The ending and big angle at the end is definitely a must see if you are a WOW fan. We also got a new member of Las Bandidas here. None of the matches were that great as usual due to their length and simplicity, but they were fine for what they were. I definitely want to see what happens next week now with the Team Spirit vs Top Tier feud.

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/17/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 10

New Japan Pro Wrestling 3/17/2024 New Japan Cup 2024 Day 10

I skipped one match here:

Ryusuke Taguchi & Shoma Kato vs. Katsuya Murashima & Oleg Boltin

Taguchi wore sunglasses to the ring. KM and Kato go at it. They trade waistlocks. Kato rolls out of a wristlock and trips him. Kato side headlocks him then KM does it to him. KM shoulers him over then slams him. They trade forearms and Kato flying forearms him. Taguchi chinlocks him then Kato chinlocks KM.

Oleg takes a double dropkick then Taguchi slams KM for 2. KM chops on Taguchi then hits a dropkick. Oleg shoulders Taguchi over then splashes him for 2. Oleg throws him around and karelin's lifts him. Taguchi jumps at him and is caught then Oleg chops him. Taguchi hip attacks him.

Kato dropkicks Oleg then Oleg slams him. Oleg crabs him. KM dropkicks Taguchi out then Oleg finlay rolls Kato to win it.

It was a young lions opener here. It wasn't bad for what it was as they kept it moving and ended it before it got old. 

United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) vs. Guerrillas Of Destiny (El Phantasmo, Hikuleo & Tanga Loa)

TJP takes down ELP by the arm. TJP spinning headscissors ELP from the mat then ELP gets out of his bow and arrow. They both end up doing a stand off. Akira calls for Hiku to get in and they face off. They literally look like they are different species with the size differences. Akira gets on TJP's shoulders to lock up with Hiku then Akira hits dropkicks on Hiku. Hiku takes kicks from Akira and TJP then takes a basement dropkick.

TJP is caught on a crossbody and rammed into the buckles. Hiku hits snake eyes on him then TJP takes corner lariats. TJP tkes a side slam then ELP 2nd rope elbow drops him. Loa suplexes TJP. TJP elbow slices Loa. Khan shoulders over Loa then stomps on him.

Khan claws Loa then Lota hits some shots. Khan boots Loa. Akira hits running corner attacks on Loa then top rope crossbodies him. Loa takes corner lariats then Khan belly to belly suplexes him. Akira flying knees Loa.

TJP tornado ddt's ELP then Loa throws TJP out. Akira rolls up Loa for 2 then takes a fire thunder. Loa picks up the win.

It was a fast paced 8-man. Not particularly memorable or anything but the Akira vs Hikuleo segment was something different.

United Empire (Callum Newman & Jeff Cobb) vs. TMDK (Mikey Nicholls & Zack Sabre Jr.)

Mikey headlocks Cobb and they shoulder battle. Cobb flying shoulders him then shoulders over Zack. Mikey takes a double shoulder, then Cobb pops up CN into a splash on Mikey. Mikey back elbows CN then CN headscissors takeovers Zack from the mat. Zack armbars CN and CN ropebreaks.

Zack stomps CN's arm into the mat then Mikey chinlocks CN. Mikey armlocks CN then Zack works CN's arm. CN trips Mikey then slingshot double stomps him. Cobb lariats and dropkicks Mikey then Cobb splashes him in the corner. Cobb running suplexes Mikey then standing moonsaults him. Mikey ddt's Cobb.

Zack euros Cobb then gets on his back for a sleeper. Zack then plants off the buckles to tornado ddt him. Cobb tour of the islands backdrops Zack then CN hits running corner attacks on Zack. CN PK's Zack for 2. Mikey lariats CN in the back of the head then diving lariats him. Zack twists CN's neck for 2. Zack guillotine chokes CN then CN suplexes him out of it.

CN rolls up Zack off a corksrew kick attempt. CN backslides Zack and Zack rolls into an arm and leg hold. Zack then submits him to win it.

As usual, Newman had a good showing and he worked well with Zack here. It wasn't that great or that interesting though otherwise.

CHAOS (Hirooki Goto, Tomohiro Ishii, Toru Yano & YOSHI-HASHI) & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. BULLET CLUB (Chase Owens, Gabe Kidd, Gedo, KENTA & Taiji Ishimori)

The heels beat up the faces before it starts. Taiji hits punches on Yano then Yano pulls off the turnbuckle pad. He hits Taiji in the back of the head then pulls him down by the hair. Kenta hits shots on Goto then Goto shoulders him out of the corner. Kenta stomps on him then Kenta takes a double shouder. Yoshi is hiptossed onto Kenta and Chase is suplexed onto Kenta.

Kenta eye rakes Tenzan then chest kicks him over. Chase hits punches on Tenzan then Tenzan hits mongolian chops. Tenzan falling headbutt drops him for 2. Taiji chokes Tenzan with a shirt then Tenzan is beaten up in the corner. Kidd mongolian chops Tenzan then he bites him. Tenzan lariats him then Ishii shoulders Kid over.

Ishii shoulders Chase over. Ishii and Kidd trade chops. Kidd slaps him then they trade spinning lariats. Ishii germans him then shoulders him over. Yoshi and Gedo go at it. Yoshi hits chops The faces trip the heels up then Goto hits a double lariat. Gedo takes a superkick then a 2 person bomb + elbow slice. Yoshi then pins Gedo.

It was a short one that didn't get enough time. It was nice to see Tenzan back, though he looks extremely frail.

Ishii and Kidd trade chops outside after.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, Taichi & Yuya Uemura)

Naito and Sanada go at it. Sanada wristlocks him, Naito rolls out then is put in a full nelson. Naito armdrags him then Sanada backslides him. Sanada takes a double team then a basement dropkick from Hiromu.

Sanada hurricanrana's Hiromu then paradise locks him. Taichi snapmares Hiromu and kicks him in the back. Taichi pulls Hiromu's arms back. Yuya armdrags Hiromu then they trade chops. Yuya backdrops Hiromu. Hiromu dropkicks him in the knee.

Bushi dropkicks Sanada in the knee then topes Yuya. Yuya then takes a triple basement dropkick. Yuya armdrags Bushi and gets the win.

This was just stupid. Bushi went down to a freaking armdrag here in a short match with few highlights. 

New Japan Cup 2024 Quarter Final Match - Ren Narita vs. Yota Tsuji

Yota gets nailed as he poses. Ren then stomps on him and knee chokes him. Ren is thrown into the rails outside. Yota gets face kicked off the apron then sent into the rails. Yota runs at him outside and Ren barely does a throw to send him into the rails. Yota is sent into the walls then into the chairs.

Ren throws the ref to the side and chairs Yota. Yota is choked with the chair then Ren chairs Yota. Ren chokes, stomps, slams and crabs him. Ren camel clutches him then foot slaps him. Yota tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him and splashes him for 2.

Yota armdrags him. Ren grabs his push up bar and is stopped from using it. Ren is then knocked off the apron into the rails. Yota goes for a tope and is chaired. Ren underhook suplexes him for 2 then chinlocks him. Ren pulls his hair and germans him. Yota hits the backbreaker into the curbstomp.

Yota falcon arrows him for 2 then Ren flying knee presses him. Ren goes for the facebuster but Yota handstands out of it and knees him. Yota goes for the spear but Ren pull the ref in the way and the ref is speared. Ren chairs Yota then House of Torture come down. LIJ then come down to help.  Ren low blows him and knocks the ref away then Yota rolls him up and wins it.

Like a lot of matches in this tournament, it got ruined by Houser of Torture nonsense that added nothing. They also killed their own storyline here of Yota never pinning Ren.  It just sucks. You just want to see these guys have a straight match and they won't give us it. It would have been an okay match without the shenanigans.

Yota gets beaten up by HoT after and Shingo makes the save. This then turns into:

New Japan Cup 2024 Quarter Final Match - Shingo Takagi vs. EVIL

Shingo hits forearms in the corner then suplexes him. Evil is sent into the rails outside then Shingo is sent into them, knocking the timekeeper over. They brawl outside then Shingo's shoulder is sent into the buckles. HoT beat up Shingo outside. Evil chokes Shingo with a towel then eye rakes him.

Evil fisherman suplexes him. Shingo gets sent into the exposed buckle then hits his punch and lariat combo. Shingo slams and sentons him. Shingo hits a downward elbow flurry. They go outside and Evil is suplexed on a stack of chairs.

Shingo corner lariats him then superplexes him. Evil fakes an injury then Shingo ends up lariating the ref then Evil puts the ref in the way. HoT and LIJ fight then HoT group stomp Shingo. Shingo takes a chop to the nuts. Evil reverse fireman's carry sitout slams him.

Shingo is sent into the exposed buckle then lariats Evil. They trade shots and Shingo lariats him for 2. Shingo hits a made in Japan and then HoT ring the bell early. Shingo is pushed into the ref then is choked with a weapon. LIJ and HoT fight and Bushi mists Shingo on accident. Shingo then takes whiskey and powder to the eyes. Evil hits everything is evil and wins it.

This is the 4th day straight that HoT garbage ruined otherwise decent New Japan Cup matches. I don't get who finds this entertaining and I can't believe NJPW is doubling down on this nonsense after 3 straight years of it. Evil brought little to the table here and it was just filled with shenanigans.

Overall thoughts: A disappointing night with the 2 New Japan Cup matches being filled with House of Torture shenanigans. The undercard wasn't anything notable either. Skip this.

Saturday, March 16, 2024

AEW Collision 3/16/2024

AEW Collision 3/16/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/aew-collision-392024.html

Bryan Danielson vs Katsuyori Shibata

They grab each others arms. Bryan hammerlocks him with a bridge and fight for holds. They trade leg kicks and Bryan bangs Shibata's knees into the mat. He then stomps the arm into the mat. Shibata hits forearms and boots. Bryan double underhook suplexes him then bow and arrows him.

Shibata kimuras him and they shove each other. They trade chops and Bryan throws him on a wristlock. Shibata suplexes him over the top to the floor then PK's him from the apron.

We go to PiP break and return. Bryan top rope dropkicks him then flying kicks him in the corner. Shibata no sells it then face kicks him and hits forearms. Bryan flying kicks him again. Shibata forearm flurries him in the corner then dropkicks him in the corner. Shibata suplexes him for 2 then ankle locks him. Bryan reverses it and Shibata reverses that. Bryan germans him then Shibata STO's him.

Shibata death valley drivers him for 2. Shibata hits downward elbows then Bryan flying knees him for 2.Bryan ties up both arms and Shibata ropebreaks. Bryan hits kicks while he's down. He PK's Shibata then Shibata pump kicks him. They trade boots and Shibata jumping face kicks him. 

They sit down and chop each other. They slap each other at the same time and Bryan buzzsaw kicks him. Shibata slaps him and then puts him in an octopus. Bryan rolls him up off a missed PK then Bryan pins him soon after.

It was a back and forth wrestling match with various strikes. I thought it went long for the opener. It wasn't great or memorable but one of the better matches we have seen out of Shibata in the US. There was no real need for this though. It wasn't built up to in any way, no angle came out of it and I highly doubt this drew any viewers. It was just simply Bryan and Tony booking for themselves.

TBS Title - House Rules - Julia Hart (c) vs Trish Adora

The loser is banned from ringside in the the Tag Title Tournament. Trish works her arms then splits on her, sitting on her back while pulling the arms. Trish puts her in a submission over the knee then she shoulders her over. Trish's head is banged off the steps outside. Trish is then sent into the rails.

We go to PiP break and return. Trish shoulderbeakers her then Hart hits running moves in the corner. Hart STO's her then is put in a pin on a hartless attempt. Trish germans her from her knees for 2. Hart double foot presses her down in the corner then superkicks her. Hart top rope moonsaults her and wins it.

It was short and it wasn't that great. It had a slower pace to it from the start and the ending of it was not well built to. Trish obviously never had a shot from the start after. 

Zak Knight and Harley Cameron are interviewed. Zak said it's a joke that Angelo Parker wants to fight him. He says he will do it but not in Canada, where Parker is from. Harley makes fun of Canada. Zak says he will give him a fight but it's on his terms.

Daniel Garcia vs Lee Moriarty

Lee hits an armdrag and is headscissored. DG headlock takeovers him then escapes a headscissors and dances. DG kicks him in the knee then basement dropkicks him out. Shane distracts DG outside then Lee blindside topes DG.

Lee basment dropkicks him inside then Shane cheapshots DG on the ropes. Lee belly to belly suplexes him. DG hits punches then boot flurries him in the corner. DG clips him then works the leg. DG backdrops him then Lee enzugiri's him. DG is back body dropped then Lee double stomps DG as he goes low.

DG rolls Lee into a heel hook and taps him out.

It was a short one here. DG worked the leg a little before getting the submission. It was okay for what it was. 

Matt Menard celebrates with Garcia after.

They talk about Darby Allin breaking his foot thanks to Jay White.

Pac vs Aaron Solo

Solo corkscrew kicks him then exploders him. Pac goes out and Solo tope con hilos him. Pac hits boots then spin kicks him in the gut. Pac kicks him in the side of the head then top rope dropkicks him. Pac running euros him then hits a corkscrew ssp. Pac then wins with the brutalizer.

It was a quick squash with Solo getting a little in at the beginning.

Pac calls out Tony and says he's back. He said he's looking for trouble and said Solo is not what he had in mind. He tells Tony Khan again that he wants trouble or he will find it himself.

Bryan Danielson is meditating in the back. He talks about gratitude. He said he is thankful to wrestle shibata tonight. He said both of them were told they weren't going to wrestle again. He said they fought like h3ll. He said he's grateful he has a match coming up with Will Ospreay. He said Will says it's live or die when he gets in the ring. Bryan says that means Will is following and emulating him but can't walk in his shoes. Bryan said he can't do that though as he was told he can't wrestle again. Bryan says he knows what he's willing to do and doesn't think Will is ready for it.

Claudio Castagnoli vs Lance Archer

Well, Lance hasn't lot in a while. I think they will fix that. They shoulder battle and slam each other. CC hits a facekick then euros. CC lariats him over the top then Lance cannonballs him off the apron.

We go to PiP break and return. Lance spinning uranages him for 2. CC suplexes him. CC running euros him and gets lariated. Lance walks the top rope and is pulled down into a euro. CC double stomps him then Lance goes out. CC running euros him then Lance step up knees CC while he's on top. Lance chokeslams him for 2.

CC escapes blackout then death valley drivers him. CC hits running euros then euros in the corner. Lance is seated on the top rope and CC running cutters him for 2. Lance backdrops him then CC springboard euros him for 2.

CC giant swings him then The Righteous run in and beat up CC. Claudio wins via DQ.

Bryan Danielson makes the save then takes an assisted shiranui. Shibata comes down with a chair and The Righteous leave.

It was an okay match with two of the bigger guys on AEW's roster. The Righteous/Archer team was revived here after being formed a few months ago and never really being seen since.

Ruby Soho and Angelo Parker are interviewed. Parker says he doesn't know what to think about Zak and said this is a second home. He said he was ready for a fight tonight. He said Zak is a coward and he will find him right now to fight him. Ruby says he's being baited in and will have to fight without her if he wants a fight. Parker says he apologizes and will leave it alone for tonight.

Kyle O'Reilly vs Bryan Keith

This is Kyle O'Reilly return after being out for a long time. Bryan side headlocks him and Kyle wristlocks him. Bryan hammerlocks him and Kyle goes for an armbar. Bryan shoulders him over then Kyle rolls out. They trade forearms.

Kyle takes a spin kick to the gut then Kyle flying knees him. Kyle slaps him then Bryan side kicks him. Bryan ddt's him. We go to PiP break and return. Bryan face kicks him then Kyle knees him in the gut.

Kyle hits slaps, a jumping knee and a legsweep. Kyle corner forearms him then backdrops him. Kyle then puts a leglock on him but Bryan ropebreaks. Kyle triangles him.

Kyle is up top and takes a headbutt. Bryan knees him then knees him as he falls for 2. Bryan tiger drivers him for 2. Bryan is armwhipped off the buckles then Kyle spinning forearms him. Bryan enzugiri's him. They hit high kicks at the same time and Kyle rebound lariats him. Kyle brainbusters him for 2 then wins with an armbar.

It was a long match that wasn't so interesting. I don't know what they were thinking here by not giving Kyle a quick win and letting him show off some.

The Undisputed Kingdom celebrate with Kyle after.

Thunder Rosa and Deonna Purrazzo are interviewed. Deonna says an enemy of an enemy is a friend. She said she trusts Deonna and said Toni Storm passed out at Revolution. She said she'd be champ if it wasn't for Toni's crew. Rosa said she never lost the title and said she will stop the games and the jokes. Rosa then said they are on some kind of mission but it was too hard to make out.

AEW Tag Title Tournament Quarterfinals - The House of Black (Buddy Matthews and Brody King) vs The Infantry

AEW is insane to put The Infantry in essentially the main event spot when they really haven't been on TV much. The Infantry pose on the ropes and are knocked down to the floor. They get thrown into the rails then they take shots against the rails. The House then stands in the corner of the ring while they wait for the match to officially start.

The Infantry get hit as soon as it starts and Brody cannonballs Bravo. Dean breaks it up. Buddy PK's Dean from the apron. We go to PiP break and return.

Bravo rolls up Buddy then Dean slips off the top rope. Bravo backdrops Buddy. Dean step eup enzugiri's Buddy then Dean hits splashes on both in the corner. Brody lariats Dean. Buddy pop up knees Bravo then Dean is thrown into a fire thunder from Brody. Bravo pulls Brody over the top rope then Bravo takes an attitude adjustment on the commentary table. Brody piledrivers Bravo on the apron and Buddy curbstomps Dean for 2.

Buddy goes up top and Mark Briscoe hits Buddy with a chair. Dean then pins Buddy in an upset. Malakai Black comes out after.

I didn't like the faces getting attacked before the bell and the match still being allowed to go on. The Infantry winning was a surprise but the win didn't really do much for them. They weren't hyped up in any way and they got little in before Mark helped them out. Brody also should have been DQ'd for the piledriver on the table.

Edge comes out with a box that says "spike" on it. He said he shares a lot of history with Ottawa. He says it's fitting he's facing a guy who he thought was his best friend for 40 years. He said Jay is dead and he has became Christian Cage. He said they chased and crushed their dreams. He said he earned his title shot thru the Cope Open then Christian took him out.

He said he talked on the phone with a sociopath (Foley) who created Barbie and Janice and then said he created Spike - a wooden 2x4 with spines in it. Adam says Spike is hungry and wants Christian. He said he will put CC in the hospital and says he and Spike will take Christian's manhood. He said they will take Christian's manhood and says it all ends on Dynamite. He said he will make him say "I Quit".

Overall thoughts: It was a very weak episode of Collision with lots of one-sided matches and people who can't even make main roster TV most of the time. I really don't think its asking that much to come with reasons for some of these people to fight but AEW couldn't do it. There was just very little effort put into this one. I wouldn't recommend this.

TNA Impact 3/14/2024

TNA Impact 3/14/2024 

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/03/tna-impact-372024.html

TNA X-Division Title - Mustafa Ali (c) vs Chris Sabin

Sabin nails Ali's guards with a chair outside. He hits forearms on Ali then Ali goes out. Sabin topes him then hits an atomic drop. Ali is put in tree of woe then Sabin stnads on his crotch in the tree of woe. Sabin baseball slides him. Ali comes off the buckles and is caught with a submission.

Sabin grabbed Ali by the hair then Ali pulls him out. Ali kicks him as he gets back in then Ali topes him hard. Ali slingshots in and rolls, hitting a neckbreaker. ALi back elbows him for 2 then hits a stiff dropkick to the back of the head.

Ali ddt's him for 2 then slams him. Ali misses a 450 and takes a step up enzugiri. Sabin spin kicks and face kicks him. Sabin then dives off the 2nd rope with a tornado ddt. Ali kind of does a buckshot lariat off the buckles then they trade superkicks. Ali high kicks him from the apron then is superkicked.

Ali moonsaults off the top rope and misses. Sabin gets a 2 count on him. Sabin misses a bronco buster in the corner in what looked like a nasty bump. Ali grabs the title belt but Sabin lariats him. Sabin then grabs the title belt. He misses a shot and is rolled up with Ali's feet on the ropes. 

I thought it was a good match for the most part with Sabin being really aggressive and angry at Ali and showing it. They had a nice pace here and everything looked like it hurt.

Gia Miller interviews Trent Seven, Mike Bailey and Nic Nemeth. Nic says they aren't gentlemen and Trent says he brings class. Mike says they are the greatest trio in wrestling history. They said they have all the tools to beat Maclin and The Rascalz and tag gold. Nic says he's looking at Moose and the title. Nic says he will take them to the danger zone tonight. They then all do a bow with Gia.

Josh Alexander comes out to talk. He says when he's focused and locked in, there isn't a better wrestler on the planet. He said he's the longest reigning TNA champ in history and had to relinquish the title due to injury. He said he's been focused on getting it back since. He said it may not seem like that as he was fighting Simon Gotch, but he said he's just a rung on the ladder.

He said he opened the door to TNA for Hammerstone. He said he was happy he got signed and was happy to fight him again, but Hammer had to kick him low. He then said Hammer took his headgear. Josh said the headgear isn't his identity, his heart is. He said he's now focused on kicking his @ss. He tells him to come out so they can do this right now.

Alpha Bravo and Oleg Prudius come out. Bravo said Josh didn't lose due to Hammer, it was due to Dirty Dango softening him up. Josh asks where's Dirty Dango. Dango then hits him from behind and is thrown out. Oleg comes in and security separates them.

Santino Marella comes out. He asks if we want to see a fight. Santino said he wants to and said he is summoning a ref. He says it will happen now.

Josh Alexander vs Oleg Prudius

Josh runs and pounds on him. Oleg fireman's carry slams him then hits corner spears. Josh counters him and pushes his knee down into the mat. Josh ankle locks him and Oleg taps out.

I didn't like Oleg getting tapped out here and I actually wanted to see a real match between these guys.

Crazzy Steve comes out to talk. He says who he is is simple but what he is is more complicated. He said more people are recognizing that. He namedrops Hendry, Rhino and Dreamer as he beat them. He said beating them puts him a cut above the rest. He said every time he steps in the ring, his title is defended. He said no other champ does that and it's a pressure people can't understand. He said no other human can handle that type of pressure.

The lights go out then PCO stares down Steve on the ramp.  

I thought Steve made a pretty good point explaining how he was above the other champs due to defending his title all the time.

We see ABC confront Frankie Kazarian at Sacrifice. They ask what got into him. Bey says he's not their problem and said he doesn't respect anyone around here. Kaz said he doesn't need their respect and walks off. Ace gets mad at said maybe someone needs to teach him something then.

Ace Austin vs Frakie Kazarian

Kaz tells the ring announcer Jade Chung to remind people that he is the king of TNA. Ace trips him and kicks him. Ace rolls him up then dropkicks him. Ace corner lariats him, handstands on the apron then kicks him. Ace's neck is pulled down over the top rope then Kaz punches him.

Ace is pushed off the buckles down to the floor. Kaz beats him up on the floor then slingshot legdrops him. Kaz does a running russian legsweep then chokes him over the 2nd rope. Kaz hits a kneelift, knocking him out of the ring then knee chokes him outside then threatens Bey. Ace back body drops Kaz.

Ace flurries him in the corner with stomps and forearms. Ace does a nice monkey flip. Ace hits his springboard kick off the ropes. Ace armdrags Kaz then Kaz electric chair drops him. Ace dropkicks him in the knee. Ace goes for a bridge pin but Kaz chickenwings him. Kaz taps him out and wins by submission.

I thought they lost a lot of the momentum they had after the break here. The finish was nice but it just didn't really fit.

Kaz beats up Bey after then Eric Young comes down. Kaz then runs away.

The System do a promo. Moose said if you take the locker room's accomplishments and add them together, it still doesn't equal all that they have done. Moose talks about his career, saying he played with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning. Brian talks about his career as does Eddie. Eddie said you hate us because you ain't us and he said he forgot more than anything we have achieved.

Kushida, Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin are interviewed. The Grizzled Young Veterans walk in. Gibson said the top team in the company found out they aren't that anymore. Alex says he's not feeling it and if you think you are, take on The Timesplitters. 

AJ Francis vs Joe Hendry

Joe said it's finally the night he goes 1v1 with AJ. He said he should be scared of him because he's a giant and an artist. He said he sees the same thing everyone sees in him, tough on the outside but sensitive inside. He says AJ sucks. He said the people believe in Joe, and then he gets nailed from behind.

AJ corner splashes him then Joe hits corner shots. He hits corner punches then AJ suplexes him. AJ running knees him in the corner then pulls him into the post. AJ back body drops him then pulls on his arm and chin. Joe boots him in the corner but falls over when trying to slam him.

Joe hits lariats then is shouldered over. AJ lits him then is ddt'd. Joe flying shoulders him then hits a big slam for 2. The ref checks on AJ and Joe splashes the ref and AJ on accident. AJ boots Joe and grabs a chair. Joe ducks a shot and dropkicks him. Rich Swann comes out and stops both from grabbing the chair. He teases hitting AJ with it but hits Joe instead. Rich chairs Joe in the back then AJ chokeslams Joe. AJ picks up the win.

It wasn't bad up until the shenanigans, but at least we finally settled the Swann and AJ situation. Swann needed something to do so I'm not totally against the pairing.

The Sound Check with Alan Angels

George Iceman and Ash By Elegance are invited here. George asks what this place is and asks where the champagne is. He says this isn't a beautiful place as promised. Alan puts over Ash and Ash supposedly has a big announcement. She said she will have her third match next week. George says this place is a dump and they have a limo waiting. Ash touches him and Alan is thrilled. He calls it the best episode ever.

Spitfire (Dani Luna and Jody Threat) vs Beaa Moss and Vanna Black

The lights go out then Killer Kelly and Masha Slamovich come out. The lights then go out again and Decay comes out.

Dani and Moss go at it. Dani throws her down then deadlifts her just to do it again. Dani slams her. Moss takes a basement dropkick, sliding lariat and sliding crossbody from her opponents. Jody back elbows Moss then Jody hits a lariat flurry in the corner on Black. Dani exploders Black.

Moss and Black go for a double suplex but get double suplexed. Dani shotgun dropkicks Moss then Black is thrown into a sitout spinebuster from Masha. Black is pinned.

It was a short squash as expected. One of the issues I have with these matches is that the jobbers TNA uses often seem to be similar or better than some of the wrestlers they use regularly. It would be nice to actually see what Beaa Moss or Savanna Thorne can do for a change.

Tasha Steelz comes down to ringside. She said she didn't lose at Sacrifice. She said if Jordynne Grace is the fighting champ she is, she will face her next week. Tasha said she will take back what's rightfully hers in the TNA Knockouts Title.

Nic Nemeth, Mike Bailey and Trent Seven vs The Rascalz and Steve Maclin

Nic takes down Wentz and rolls him. Maclin's team argues over who should get in next. Nic kind of hits a weak fameasser. Maclin takes a double chop from Trent and Mike then is ddt'd by Trent. Mike running ssp's Maclin.

Mike face kicks Maclin then Wentz crotches Mike on the top then Maclin suplexes Mike from there. Mike takes a uranage backbreaker. Maclin hits Mike in the back then drops him with a forearm. Mike double boots Trey in the corner then 2nd rope dropkicks him. Trey jumps at Trent and is caught with a running one arm powerbomb. Trent hits an emerald flowsion for 2.

Trent forces Trey to ddt Wentz then Trey chop blocks Trent. Trey ddt's Trent's leg into the mat. Maclin butt drops Trent's leg then ties up Trent's leg. Trent upkicks Maclin then Wentz does a nice double stomp on Trent's back. Trent goes for the tag and Mike is pulled down off the apron. Wentz handspring jumping knees Trent.

Trent top rope superplexes Wentz. Nic and Maclin get in. Nic hits lariats and an olympic slam. Nick hits dropkicks on The Rascalz then hits corner splasheson everyone. Nick neckbreakers all 3 opponents then elbow drops Maclin.

Nic does a jumping ddt on Maclin then takes a half-nelson slam from Wentz. Mike standing moonsault double knees Wentz then Trey handspring corkscrew kicks Mikey. Trent lariats Tret then Maclin flying kicks Trent. Maclin back body drops Nic over the top rope then topes Trey when Nic moves. Wentz and Maclin push each other then Wentz and Trey leave. They say they are done. Mike triangle moonsaults Maclin outside. Maclin takes a spin kick into a dragon suplex then Nic hits a danger zone on Maclin to pin him.

It was average for the most part and was really only notable for the Maclin and Rascalz group breaking up. There were too many people and not enough time here.

The System come down after and fight with the Nic, Mike and Trent. Alisha Edwards pulls on Nic's leg then Moose hits Nic with the title belt. Mike gets hit with the belt too as does Trent.

The System then pose to close the show.

Overall thoughts: I really liked the opener and the rest of the show was the usual average stuff that TNA puts out. Not awful, but just not must see stuff. I wouldn't recommend this.