Category: Show Coverage

Smackdown Live 1/15/19 Results and Review

Smackdown started with Becky Lynch arriving at the arena in a car. She is heading to the ring to address her Asuka match at the Rumble. Nearby we see Heavy Machinery blending eggs, pancakes and other random foods with the New Day, who were disgusted at their drink mix. Otis Dozovic was doing his same crazy character that was seen on Monday. Lynch took a sip of the drink after Otis tried it, and said it was a little weak. Lynch went to the ring and talked about how she isn’t worried about her match with Asuka. Asuka came out and said that after the Rumble, Lynch won’t be in Charlotte’s shadow, but hers. The Iiconics came out to chime in on this segment. They proclaim that they will win the women’s Royal Rumble, and then become Women’s Tag Team Champions. Lynch challenges either of them to face her in a match.

Becky Lynch vs. Peyton Royce w/ Billie Kay

After the break, we saw Peyton Royce fight Lynch. Asuka watched at ringside, as well as the other half of the Iiconics. During the match, we saw Lacey Evans watching the match from backstage. Royce eventually tapped out to Lynch via the Disarmer. Asuka came storming into the ring shouting in Japanese afterwards. Asuka dragged Billie Kay into the ring for a match to intimidate Lynch, I guess. In this match, Lynch felt like a good competitor for Royce, which isn’t what you want. The match went like 15 minutes, with Royce even having a submission move in when coming back from a break. How can Lynch be a good competitor for Asuka when she’s struggling against Royce?

Asuka vs. Billie Kay

Asuka defeated Billie Kay in a couple of minutes. This sort of reinforced the point on Lynch’s match even more. Asuka and Lynch had a face-off after the match.

Numerous Backstage Segments

AJ Styles came out to the ring and headed up the stairs through the crowd before the broadcast went to commercials. The commentary team kept asking “where is he going?” until Corey Graves straight up spoiled it and said, “he’s going to the concourse!” After the break Styles was at the concourse with hot dogs, drinks and merch. This was to  He threw merch into the nearby crowd, but then got jumped by a hooded man who was, of course, Daniel Bryan. The brawl didn’t last too long, but they sure made a mess as mustard got all over Bryan.

We saw The Usos backstage doing a photoshoot. Jimmy Uso was given a box, to which he presumed was a early anniversary gift. He was given a note from Mandy Rose, and a hotel key. Samoa Joe headed to the ring but stopped walking to see EC3 backstage posing in front of a mirror. I like some of the people being called up, but, you look at how they are showing them in these segments and I can’t see any of them being cared about or taken seriously. One thing I did like here was how we had three separate segments that just flew by within a few minutes.

Samoa Joe vs. Mustafa Ali

Well, Samoa Joe was supposed to face Mustafa Ali, but the match was thrown away after he jumped Ali before the bell. Backstage we saw Sonya Deville trying to talk down Mandy Rose from meeting Jimmy Uso at her hotel room. As Rey Mysterio was walking to the ring, he saw Nikki Cross shaking a fence backstage while laughing.

Rey Mysterio vs. Andrade “Cien” Almas

The next match on the show was Rey Mysterio versus Andrade Almas. Heading to the commercials, Almas Powerbombed Mysterio on the floor. After the break, Mysterio did an impressive Huricanrana off the top rope to the outside. After another break, Mysterio hit a Canadian Destroyer. Mysterio tried for a 619 but it got caught, he turned into a Crucifix Powerbomb. The crowd was going absolutely wild at this point. He landed a 619 but couldn’t hit the follow-up Frogsplash because Zelina Vega got on the apron to distract. Almas ended the match with a Draping DDT off the top rope. These two were amazing, and deserve a longer match sometime in the future. This makes both guys look very strong.

After the match, we saw Jimmy Uso head to Mandy Rose’s hotel. Wait, is this not during work hours? Smackdown is still shooting. When Jimmy entered the room there was a paparazzi member taking photos to expose him. Mandy says that his wife, Naomi, will not like when she sees the photos. Naomi was outside the room and came in to brawl. Naomi brawled in the hotel room and lost the fight. This is dumb, I don’t know what else to say. It feels like a joke to have this on the same card as the Becky Lynch versus Asuka rivalry.

Shane McMahon’s Birthday Bash / The Miz w/ Shane McMahon vs. Sheamus w/ Cesaro

The Miz hosted a birthday party for Shane McMahon’s birthday in the next segment. Corey Grave’s talked about The Miz’s parties in the past like he is Jay Gatsby. The Miz had big cakes in the ring and numerous wrapped presents. The Miz gave Shane McMahon a pair of Jordan shoes and then showed him a video package. Their opponents at the Rumble, The Bar, interrupted. Shane challenges one of them to fight The Miz, but The Miz didn’t want this. Shane eventually made him fight by encouraging him. During the match Cesaro got on the apron to interfere, but then Shane pushed him off, and through a nearby table with the cake. The Miz got a roll-up to win the match. I’m sorry but, am I supposed to cheer for The Miz? After the match Shane hit a Coast To Coast on Sheamus, landing on a cake instead of a garbage can. RAW was better than Smackdown this week but wasn’t that bad anyways.

WWE RAW 1/14/19 Results and Review

At the start of RAW, we saw a limousine. The door of the limo opened, and Vince McMahon got out. We saw him walking backstage and then went to the live crowd who got greeted by Braun Stroman. Stroman says that he knows that Lesnar is afraid of him. Lesnar can no longer be saved by Baron Corbin because he doesn’t run RAW anymore. He says that at the Royal Rumble, Lesnar will “get these hands.” Corbin then came out and says he is focusing on winning the Rumble so that he will be “somewhere you (Braun) will never be, the main event of Wrestlemania.” This seemingly hit a nerve for Stroman, as he chased Corbin backstage. Once he went backstage he couldn’t find Corbin. Stroman glanced at the same limo that Vince McMahon was near. Elias was playing his guitar backstage and said told Stroman that Corbin was in the limo. Stroman went to absolutely vandalize the limo, ripping out a door. Corbin was in fact in the limo but got away as Stroman was caught by Vince McMahon. Vince was in absolute disgust of what happened as we went to the break.


After the break, we saw Stroman try to put back together the car door that he took apart. Vince was nice enough to wait until after the commercial break to shout at Stroman. He says that the repairs will cost Stroman 100,000 dollars. Wow, pretty solid estimation on the fly from Vince. After Stroman complained, Vince also called off Stroman’s Royal Rumble match. This enraged Stroman even more, making him flip the limousine. You’d think that at this point Stroman would learn that his temper is detrimental to his career, but I guess not.

It felt like an unusual way to end it, but whatever. There was some great camerawork for this opening segment, which felt out of the ordinary for the program. Once Stroman stormed away from the limo, the camera turned to a corner where Elias was hidden away with his guitar. It seemed odd that Stroman would get this offended over Corbin thinking that he will main event Wrestlemania.

Ronda Rousey & Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax & Tamina

The first match of the evening was Ronda Rousey and Sasha Banks fighting the duo of Nia Jax and Tamina. Before the match began we saw Braun Stroman being escorted out of the building by security. When Rousey first got tagged into the match the crowd cheered. Tamina fell into an Armbar but escaped it because Nia Jax dragged her out of the ring. The finish came after 10 minutes of the match, with Sasha Banks giving Tamina the Banks Statement after Tamina ran into Nia. After the match Ronda complimented Banks, saying that it would be an accomplishment to defeat Banks at the Rumble. While Ronda wasn’t being rude, Banks took offence to this, saying that she will teach Rousey how to lose with class. Both of them had a good exchange, although it made Ronda seem very passive.

Backstage we saw a line outside Vince McMahon’s office. Jerry Lawler left the room before we went to the break. After the break, we saw Bayley and Natalya breaking up another argument between Banks and Ronda. After they got split up, Bayley and Natalya themselves got in an argument. The Riott Squad then came in to make fun of the two. They offer the two to a six-man match if they can find a third member for their team. Natalya accepts the challenge before consulting Bayley, who seemed reluctant.

Kalisto & Gran Metalik w/ Lince Dorado (Lucha House Party) vs. Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (The Revival)

Because of The Revival’s unfortunate loss last week due to the ref not seeing a foot on the rope, they are taking out their anger on the Lucha House Party. They didn’t lose to the Lucha House Party, but they were ringside as Lumberjacks for the match, so that makes them guilty in The Revival’s eyes. During the match, we headed backstage where Dasha Fuentes was reporting from outside Vince McMahon’s office. Apollo Crews, Curt Hawkins, EC3, The B-Team, Health Slater & Rhyno were outside the office in hopes of a match. EC3 didn’t say anything and just smiled when on camera. The wrestling was okay, but the whole point of this match relied on the finish, where Gran Metalik’s foot was taken off of the rope during a pinfall. After the match, we went back to the office where Vince McMahon said he will announce Brock’s new opponent.

Vince McMahon Makes An Announcement

Vince McMahon came out to make his announcement. Before he could finish a sentence, John Cena came out. Cena gives his pitch and says he is stepping up for the match. After he gave his speech, Drew McIntyre came out. And then came out Baron Corbin, and then Finn Balor. The first person that Vince turned down was Finn Balor. Balor says that Vince never believed in him. To change Vince’s mind, he starts a brawl. McIntyre comes out above everyone in the brawl, giving Cena a Claymore Kick. After this, Vince books a fatal-four-way match.

Backstage after the break, Jinder Mahal approached Vince McMahon backstage. Jinder doesn’t understand why he didn’t get considered for the match. Because of this, Vince gives him an odd stipulation where he can choose anyone from the fatal-four-way, and if he beats them, he gets their Rumble spot. Can we just have a show where everyone only fights once? Why does somebody have to appear twice? We saw this last week and will see it this week now as well.

Liv Morgan, Sarah Logan & Ruby Riott (Riott Squad) vs. Natalya, Bayley & Nikki Cross

For the previously announced 6-woman tag match, Natalya and Bayley got Nikki Cross as their partner. Michael Cole explained before the match that Cross will, like the other debuting talent, appear on both RAW and Smackdown before landing a home. As the match started, Nikki was acting crazy, doing the Ultimate Warrior rope shake at one point. Cross did a spot that I’ve always liked, where someone puts their opponent in-between the ring and the apron and then beat her. Bayley got the finish with an Elbow off the top rope to end the match. Lacey Evans was seen chatting backstage before the break.

Jinder Mahal w/ Sunil Singh vs. Finn Balor

Jinder Mahal got his wish, facing Finn Balor in the next match. Before the match, we saw Dean Ambrose backstage. He cut a promo on his Intercontinental Championship match which is later on. As Balor was making his entrance, he got jumped by Mahal. Balor did a dive to Mahal and Sunil Singh and then brought Mahal back into the ring for a Coup de Grace to end the match. What a busy few days it’s been for Balor, as he was just fighting on the NXT UK TakeOver: Blackpool show this weekend.

Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush, Seth Rollins & Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship Match)

Before the match, we saw an interview with Seth Rollins. Rollins says that this might be his last chance at an IC title shot. He referenced Roman Reigns and his leukemia announcement, which feels very exploitive since it’s been months now. Early on in this match Lashley and Ambrose formed an alliance. After Rollins did a Suicide Dive to Ambrose and Lashley, Lio Rush got involved in the match. Rush got chased around by Rollins, making him get hit with a Spinebuster by Lashley. Ambrose got a Belly-to-Belly Suplex right after. After the break, Rollins was closing in on a victory. He pinned Ambrose but then got his pinfall broken up by Lio Rush. Since it’s a triple threat match, it was totally allowed. Rollins hit a Frogsplash on Lashley, and then Ambrose got rid of Rollins so he could pin Lashley. Rollins got hit with a Doomsday Device from both Lashley and Ambrose. Rollins, I think, was supposed to land on his feet but didn’t. He went off the ropes but fell out of the ring because of Lio Rush pulling down a rope. Lashley gave Ambrose a Spear to become the new champion.

While Ambrose and Rollins are in the middle of a rivalry, I think it’s a good time to give Lashley a push. Lio Rush is a big part of the Lashley gimmick right now, and he’s doing an amazing job. Rollins and Ambrose can survive as a rivalry without the need for a championship incentive. Backstage we see an employee giving Alexa Bliss a latte. Since she didn’t answer her door, he walked in uninvited and accidentally walks in on her changing. And that was it, that was the segment. Not sure why that was there.

“A Moment of Bliss” With Paul Heyman

Alexa Bliss hosted her second episode of “A Moment of Bliss” next. Before her interview with Paul Heyman, she unveiled the new Women’s Tag Team Championships. During the interview, Otis Dozovic from Heavy Machinery crashed the interview. He was brought backstage by his apologetic tag partner and other employees. This interview felt somewhat short, just like the first Alexa Bliss talk show episode.

Finn Balor vs. Baron Corbin vs. Drew McIntyre vs. John Cena

The main event of the evening is the fatal-four-way to decide Brock Lesnar’s new Royal Rumble opponent. In the storyline, Balor came in at a disadvantage because he already fought tonight. Cena hit an AA late into this match onto McIntyre, but Corbin broke up the pinfall. Cena did another AA later into the match onto Balor, this time off the second rope. Corbin started to use a steel chair. McIntrye gave Cena a Claymore kick, and then Balor came in to take out McIntrye. Balor gave Cena a Coup de Grace to win the match. Balor will face Lesnar at the Rumble. After the match, Cena said he believes Balor. Balor felt like the favourite for this match since he was considered the underdog by Vince McMahon, and because he had already fought a match. This was a good match to end the show with.

In general, this wasn’t a bad episode of RAW. Lashley winning the championship was a nice surprise, and we got some enjoyable matches on top of that. This episode tops last week’s by a longshot.

NJPW Fantastica Mania 2019 Night 1 Results and Review

The first night of the Fantastica Mania tour took place on Friday at the Osaka Prefectural Gym #2 in Japan. Let’s go through the card which included CMLL and NJPW talent.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask & Audaz vs. Taiji Ishimori, Gedo & Templario

For the first match, Ryusuke Taguchi was wearing some sort of Egyptian emperor outfit. Taguchi and Tiger Mask teamed with Audaz to face Gedo, Taiji Ishimori and Templario. Ishimori was sporting his NEVER Openweight 6-man belt along with his NJPW Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Tiger Mask and Gedo started the match. Gedo was wearing a Jay White t-shirt. Very early into the match, Audaz did an impressive dive to the outside onto Templario. This made both of them crash into a commentary table. Audaz and Templario were of course given a pretty big spotlight in this match. There was quite a bit of time where both guys were specifically battling each other. Templario landed a Powerbomb onto Audaz to give his team the win. Taguchi also had some pretty good spots on this match, doing a Crossbody of some sort to Ishimori at one point.

Taichi, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Forastero vs. Jushin Thunder Liger, Flyer & Titan

The next segment started off amazing because we were treated to a live performance from Taichi. If you aren’t a fan of how you can’t heat Togi Makabe’s music, you would hate this show. A chunk of the songs on the program was muted because they were CMLL songs. The CMLL fighters weren’t used to Suzuki-gun’s attack before the bell tactic and fell victim to it. Taichi took his fight against Liger to the ringside seats. Fly did a Springboard Moonsault to the outside onto Kanemaru during this match. Forastero was trying for a Powerbomb off the second rope, but Titan reversed it into a Huricanrana for a two count. The match finally came to a stop after Forastero put Titan in an Armbar of some sort for the submission. This match felt a little too short since all of these guys were really pulling off some pretty good stuff.

Okumura & Sanson vs. Atlantis & Atlantis Jr.

This match was a big one, as Atlantis Jr. made his pro wrestling debut. It was the original Atlantis that started in the match against Okumura. Jr. seemed to have a good amount of experience, being able to do moves, including dives. His second dive was followed up by a crossbody from Atlantis. His moves inside the ring seemed a little rough around the edges, but it felt like a good debut. In the ring, Atlantis did another Crossbody off the top. He then had to fight off both of his opponents at once. He tagged in Atlantis Jr., who traded chops and strikes with Sanson. Atlantis Jr. got hit with a reverse Cross-Rhodes from Okumura for the win. This was because he was distracted pleading the ref to count three when hit in the back by Okumura. I guess he has some more to learn about turning his back on opponents. After the match, Sanson and Okumura unmasked their opponents and flaunted the masks to the crowd. This was a pretty good match to be quite honest.

El Cuatrero, Gran Guerrero & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Angel De Oro, Dragon Lee & Mistico

After the last match, we saw something that we haven’t seen a while in NJPW, an intermission. The first match back was an all-CMLL wrestler match. Out of all of the six, it sounded like Dragon Lee got the biggest reaction. Although it’s hard to tell for sure since Mistico’s reaction couldn’t be heard over the broadcast’s very loud altered music. The match started with Mistico and Ultimo Guerrero. There was an interesting move where both of the Guerrero’s slammed Mistico from the top rope. Angel De Oro, Lee and Mistico all faked dives to the outside at one point. At some point I lost track of all of the dives and other crazy moves that were done in this match. It was an absolute ball. Angel De Oro and El Cuatrero were in the ring with everyone else outside the ring. Cuatrero did a Powerbomb to end the match.

Namajague, El Barbaro Cavernario & Caristico vs. KUSHIDA, El Soberano Jr. & Volador Jr.

In the next match, KUSHIDA was fighting. KUSHIDA will be leaving NJPW at the end of the month. Soberano Jr. and Barbaro Cavernario started the match with a good exchange. After a few dives from both parties, Caristico put Volador Jr. in an Armbar for the win. This, like another match earlier was way too short. I felt that Kushida didn’t get much time to shine.

Fujin (SHO) & Raijin (YOH) (RPG3K), Toa Henare & Satoshi Kojima vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, Tetsuya Naito & El Terrible

The main event of the show was CHAOS versus Los Ingobernables in an 8-man match. El Terrible started in the ring against Kojima. SHO and YOH were dressed as Fujin and Raijin, the characters they played when working for CMLL. At one point in the match, Takagi was on a roll against RPG3K, giving one of them a Rock Bottom, throwing him on their teammate. Kojima did a crazy amount of chops to El Terrible then went to the top but got stopped. Fujin and Raijin both worked on BUSHI, giving him a Double Knees, but not being able to follow up with the 3K. After that, it was a wild amount of people who came in the ring and did a move. BUSHI got the win with a roll-up to end the match. While it was a decent match, the roll-up felt somewhat disappointing, especially for the main event. It felt like it was missing one more exchange that would have given the match a truly grand finale. After the match, Takagi and BUSHI had a face-off with Fujin and Raijin. BUSHI spoke as well.

Smackdown Live 1/8/19 Results and Review

Smackdown started with Daniel Bryan in the concessions stands of the venue. He was shaming the food sold at a venue, saying that the food there fills a void. He says that similarily, cheering AJ Styles fills a void. He stole an hot-dog from someone eating nearby and threw it at his face. He went on to another guy and took his drink without a plastic top and spilt it on him. He then went over to the merchandise table and asked for a “Yes Movement” shirt, but couldn’t get one because they aren’t sold. He says he doesn’t want to fill the earth with useless plastic. That last part wasn’t a bad point.

He walked down the stairs to the ring while talking to the crowd. He said he is changing the world and said that people around him are weak. He ripped apart a fan’s AJ Styles sign while saying he will fill the world with “something the world can actually be proud of.” Once he made his way near the ring, R-Truth jumped him. Their previously scheduled bout began after the break. I thought this was a pretty good segment to start the show, to be quite honest. It was nice that we had the next segment before we went to the first break. A fast, but welcomed start to the show.

Daniel Bryan vs. R-Truth

In very short time Bryan won the match, ending it with a Running Knee. As Bryan was on the ramp, AJ Styles jumped him from behind. Security came in to try to break it up. A conveniently placed steel chair was beside the ramp, but Bryan got away before Styles could use it. As Styles was still talking to the security, Rey Mysterio came out. Like, this is the best way to pace a show.

Rey Mysterio & Mustafa Ali vs. Samoa Joe & Andrade “Cien” Almas

After the break, it was explained that all of the wrestlers in this match will be in the Royal Rumble match. Mysterio got a big reaction from the crowd when he was tagged in. Ali had a good combo of moves onto Almas after being tagged in. Ali did a Crossbody to the outside but was caught by Joe. Joe made Ali bounce off the commentary table and into the floor below the desk. The commentary team just happened to be out of the way the whole time. After the break, Ali reversed Almas’s corner stomp move and then tagged in Rey. Rey did a Springboard Huricanrana to start things off. After eliminating Joe, Mysterio did a Canadian Destroyer for a two count that Joe stopped. Mysterio gave Joe a 619, and then Ali did a 450 to Joe as well. Almas came back in and went after Ali. Ali dove to outside the ring onto Joe, and Almas reversed a 619 into a Hammerlock DDT for the win. This was a great combo at the end that clearly had the crowd unglued.

Rusev Calls Out Shinsuke Nakamura

After the break, Rusev was in the ring. He sadly talked about how Lana is at how hurt because Shinsuke Nakamura hurt her. Of course, he then called out Shinsuke. We see backstage where Shinsuke is sitting in the production room. He is there to show that Lana being hurt is not his fault. He shows a replay from last week where Lana fell off of Nakamura’s back after a kick from Rusev. Rusev didn’t buy this and went backstage to find Nakamura. While trying to find him he got jumped by Nakamura. Shinsuke squished him with a crate and then kicked him. Others came in to split it up, but Nakamura got one last knee in anyways.

Sheamus & Cesaro (The Bar) vs. Jimmy Uso & Jey Uso (The Usos)

Before the next match, the “Mean” Gene Okerlund tribute from Monday was played. The stipulation of this match is that if The Usos win they get a title shot. It makes no sense, but whatever. The Usos got a lot of offence in, with a moment where Cesaro got hit with a dive and went into the first row. After that, he got hit with a Crossbody in the ring. Sheamus got hit with a Superkick for a two count as the broadcast went to another commercial break.

Later on, Sheamus went to the second rope for a move but Jey Uso escaped and Superkicked Sheamus off the ropes. Cesaro went off the ropes and ate a Superkick as well. Before Jay went to the corner for the tag, Mandy Rose appeared on the stage in a towel. She asked Jimmy if she left her golden clothing in her hotel room. This distracted Jimmy, stopping the eventual tag. Cesaro hit the Neutralizer onto Jey Uso to end the match. I guess The Usos won’t be getting their title match. After the match, The Miz came out and introduced The Bar. He then tried to set up a Royal Rumble match against them for the tag belts. Sheamus gives The Miz a Brouge Kick, and then Cesaro accepts the match.

Backstage we saw Naomi find Mandy Rose and Sonya Deville and fight them. Jimmy came to break up the fight. This was the third pull apart brawl on the show. I don’t really have any interest in this, it just makes no sense.

After the break, we saw video packages for Lars Sullivan, Lacey Evans, Heavy Machinery, Nikki Cross & EC3. We also saw backstage that The Miz and Shane McMahon will team at the Rumble. Wait, so they don’t have to earn their title match but The Usos do?

Becky Lynch vs. Carmella vs. Charlotte

The final match of the evening was a triple threat match, with the winner getting a shot against Asuka at the Rumble. After the break, there was a nice spot where Charlotte was thrown back first onto Carmella who was already down. Late into the match, Charlotte did a Moonsault off the top rope onto the outside but everyone got out of the way. Lynch hurled Carmella across the floor right after. A Lynch tried for a Disarmer in the ring on Carmella, Charlotte did a Natural Selection off the ropes. Later on, Lynch got the Disarmer onto Charlotte but Carmella broke it up. Lynch put Carmella in a Disarmer for the win. Asuka came out to face off with Lynch after the match. This was pretty much expected, but at least they put on a pretty good match to officially make Lynch the contender. This wasn’t that bad of a Smackdown. The only segments that felt like they really dragged was the tag team part and the Rusev moment. Other than that, it was a fun viewing.

WWE RAW 1/7/19 Results and Review

Monday Night RAW started with a brawl backstage between Bobby Lashley and Seth Rollins. The brawl made its way onto the stage, along with the many people who were trying to separate it. After a little while, the fight got finally broken up. What was interesting about this segment was how there was no commentary the whole time. The commentary came in once John Cena came to the ring. Cena mentions that at Wrestlemania you either step up or get left out. He says he will step up because he doesn’t want to risk being left out, like last year. He then announces that he is officially entering himself into the Royal Rumble.

Drew McIntyre came out next and said that he is known for taking out legends. Cena didn’t believe him, so McIntyre said he would come in and show him. Before anything went down, Bobby Lashley and Lio Rush came out and said that this show is cancelled until Seth Rollins is handled. Rollins came from the back and the brawl continued. Seth Rollins and Cena joined the right. Balor did a run-in on McIntyre. We went to commercial break after this.

John Cena, Finn Balor & Seth Rollins vs. Bobby Lashley, Dean Ambrose & Drew McIntyre

As you could probably expect, this segment got turned into a 6-man tag match. Sort of cop-out to book 6-mans like this so often. Cena got a hot tag, against Ambrose, and was in there with him for a long time. Balor finally got a hot tag later on against Ambrose. He hit a Coup de Grace, but McIntyre came in with a Claymore Kick to stop Balor’s streak. Both Rollins and McIntyre got tagged in. Rollins did a Moonsault off the apron onto Lashley and Ambrose, and a Falcon Arrow for a two count. Rollins found himself in a bad position, but Cena came in to help, giving McIntyre an Attitude Adjustment. Lashley came in a Speared Cena, but Rollins Superkicked him. Rollins brought McIntyre back in the ring. He tried for a Frogsplash but McIntyre dodged. Ambrose got tagged in and tried for a Dirty Deeds but got hit with a Curbstomp by Rollins for the victory.

While this match went too long, it was some pretty good wrestling for the final few minutes. The crowd really seemed to get behind the babyface team at the end. I thought it was sort of lame how we had a decent match in McIntyre versus Cena that got pushed out of the way since they wanted to shove all these dudes in one segment. After the match, Rollins sees Triple H backstage talking to Sasha Banks and Bayley. This annoyed him because he wanted HHH to be watching. He went to HHH backstage and asked for a IC title match against Ambrose tonight. HHH books the match, in a Falls Count Anywhere match.

Gene Okerlund Tribute

At the start of the show, we had a tribute photo of “Mean” Gene Okerlund but got a proper tribute here. The segment started with a 10 bell salute for Okerlund. After that, Hulk Hogan came out. He introduced a video package that played. Hogan got emotional while speaking after the video played. For the last time, he cut a promo to Gene.

Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder (The Revival) vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (Lumberjack Match) (RAW Tag Team Championship Match)

The second match on the show was The Revival versus Roode and Gable for the RAW tag titles. The crowd was dead silent during this match, and it felt really weird. There was a nice spot where Gable did a German Suplex into a pin, which was broken up by Dash Wilder who was coming off the top rope with a Frogsplash. The finish was a roll-up from Dawson being reversed into a pin by Chad Gable with the help of Roode. During the pin, Dawson had his foot on the rope but the ref did not see. The match ended in controversy. Renee Young referred to Ambrose as the “moral compass of RAW.” What does that even mean?

After a commercial break, we saw a video package for Lars Sullivan, Lacey Evans, Heavy Machinery, Nikki Cross & EC3. I don’t understand the idea of showing back to back video packages for five different acts. How is one of them, better yet any more than that, leaving a lasting memory for a fan?

Elias vs. Baron Corbin

Elias said before his match that he will win the Royal Rumble. Before he played a song for the crowd Baron Corbin came out, asking him to stop. After a little more of an exchange of words, these two started their scheduled bout. Elias did a dive off the top rope to the outside as the show went to commercials. Elias went to the top rope and tried for a move but Corbin dodged it. Corbin pushed Elias into the ref, and then gave him a punch when he turned around. He sent Elias into a corner-post and then hit an End of Days for the win.

Braun Stroman & Brock Lesnar Face-To-Face

The next segment was Braun Stroman face-to-face with Brock Lesnar. Stroman came out and saw Lesnar and Paul Heyman on the screen. Heyman says that Lesnar isn’t coming to the ring because if he did, he would hurt Stroman before their face off. Stroman tried to anger Lesnar to get him to the ring, but nothing worked. Eventually, Stroman said something that got Lesnar out there. Lesnar never came down to the ring, and that was really the segment.

Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox w/ The Singh Brothers vs. Apollo Crews & Ember Moon

Before the next match, Jinder Mahal was insulting fans in the crowd. The match was quick, with Crews doing a dive to the outside, and Moon doing an Eclipse to Alicia Fox for the win.

“A Moment of Bliss” with Alexa Bliss

Alexa Bliss debuted her new talk show “A Moment of Bliss” in the next segment. The talk show took place on the stage, instead of most shows, which take place inside the ring. Alexa’s guest for the first episode was Ronda Rousey. During the segment, Nia Jax and Sasha Banks also came out. Banks challenges Ronda to a match. Nia tells her to get in line for a shot, so Banks comes to the ring and challenged her to a match.

Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

Despite Nia not seeming interested before the break, we came back and a match was made. This match had tons of crazy parts. There was a point where Banks tried for a Hurricanrana on the apron but instead just got thrown flat on the ground. Looked rough. Back in the ring, Sasha tried for a Banks Statement out of nowhere. Did she get hurt? Cause it felt like they just cut right to the end out of nowhere.

Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose (Intercontinental Championship Match) (Falls Count Anywhere Match)

The main event of the show is Rollins versus Ambrose for the IC belt in a falls count anywhere match. From the start, Rollins was chasing Dean around the arena. The fight quickly went backstage. After a commercial break, the fight was on a staircase in the crowd. During the break, Rollins slammed Ambrose through the commentary table. Around the ring, Ambrose peeled off some of the mat outside the ring. A Dirty Deeds on the floor got reversed into a Back Bodydrop by Rollins. Back in the ring, Rollins did a Superplex into a Bucklebomb, and a Superkick. He then hit a Curbstomp, but when he went for the pin Bobby Lashley appeared to drag Seth out of the ring. He then beat up Seth, delivering a Spear, and then let Ambrose pin for the victory. The crowd seemed absolutely deflated after this.

NJPW New Year Dash 2019 Results and Review

After such a big show yesterday at the Tokyo Dome, New Japan goes to the more intimate environment of Korakuen Hall for New Year Dash, the promotion’s RAW after Wrestlemania. We aren’t looking for a match of the year, but some stories are set to be told. I’m no Korakuen expert, but the venue looks extra packed since there is no projector on the wall. I could be wrong though. I’ve heard how much of a hot ticket this show is, which only makes sense since you can only put so many of those 30 something thousand from the Tokyo Dome into this small building.

Lance Archer and Davey Boy Smith Jr. (Great Bash Heel) & Takashi Iizuka vs. Rocky Romero, SHO & YOH (RPG3K)

The first fight of the evening was RPG3K versus Suzuki-gun members. Right off the bat, the heels took RPG3K to outside the ring. Rocky started off against Archer in the ring. He got him outside the ring but when going for a dive was caught and thrown down. When Archer tagged in Iizuka he took off his mask, which made him go around and bit everyone. Of course, the ref had no real authority over this. Later on, Rocky was getting pummeled by Smith Jr., until he made a hot tag after doing the BUSHI kick. Both SHO and YOH came in to fight Smith Jr. The three members of Suzuki-gun got rid of SHO and then singled out YOH. YOH was Powerslammed off the second rope, but SHO broke it up. YOH escaped a Killer Bomb with the help of SHO once again. Smith Jr. was given triple stereo knees and then reversed a move into a Double Belly-to-Belly Suplex. Iizuka was tagged in once again, biting everyone. While trying to bite SHO he reversed it into a roll-up to win the match. They ran to the back to avoid possible death from their opponents. Smith Jr. beat up a ringside member, Powerslamming him onto the floor. The commentary team told us about how in their first meeting they also won via fluke, so this is a good way to continue the trend.

Yujiro Takahashi w/ Pieter & Chase Owens vs. Toa Henare & Tomoaki Honma

It was a surprise to me that we were getting a two on two match here. Although I guess it is three guys who are pretty fresh since they weren’t fighting last night. Early on Honma tried for a Kokeshi but Owens rolled out of the ring. When Henare and Takahashi were in, Henare was the most dominant wrestler. Honma got the hot tag late in the bout against Takahashi. He tried for a Kokeshi after a combo, but Yujiro dodged it. Takahashi hit a Fisherman Buster for a close count. On the second attempt, he finally landed the Kokeshi. Owens and Henare were tagged in next. Henare hit a Shoulder Tackle and then lifted Owens for a Samoan Drop, not before hitting Yujiro with him. Owens gave Small Package Piledriver for the win after giving him a mini-Superkick, countering a roll-up. Not a bad match, with some really good wrestling from Owens at the end.

Chuckie T & Berreta (Best Friends) vs. David Finlay & Juice Robinson (FinJuice)

This match was Juice’s first match after winning the US Heavyweight Championship. He seemed eccentric in his entrance. Early on in the match Berreta went into the stands and hugged his mother. Heading back to the ring the self-proclaimed “Best Friends” had some pushing and shoving before Berreta got back in the ring. Both members of FinJuice did a Crossbody to the outside. Finlay got hung on the guardrail at ringside, letting Berreta do a double stomp off the apron. When it was Juice and Berreta in the ring, Juice escaped a Dude-Buster but got hit with a kick to the head. He couldn’t connect with the Pulp Friction and got hit with a Shotgun Knee for all his troubles. Finlay got the tag against Berreta. Finlay hit a backbreaker for a close count. Chuckie T came in with a chair against Finlay to throw away the match. The storyline that Kevin Kelly was pushing was that Chuckie T has lost his mind. Juice came in to attack Chuckie T. Once Juice got hit with a chair as well, Berreta was shouting at Chuck, trying to figure out what happened. As they were leaving Chuck went back in and did a Piledriver to Finlay on a chair.

KUSHIDA, Jeff Cobb & Yuji Nagata vs. Will Ospreay, Hirooki Goto & Tomohiro Ishii

This next match is Ospreay’s first one after becoming the new NEVER Openweight Champion. There was a good spot late in this match where Nagata and Ishii were trading blows. Those two battled it out in the ring where everyone else stayed at ringside. When Cobb got tagged in he had a great combo of moves with Goto. They both clotheslined each other to set up for another hot tag. KUSHIDA and Ospreay came in next. KUSHIDA landed a dropkick after some counters and took out both of Ospreay’s teammates. Will hit a Springboard Forearm. He tried for the Os-Cutter, but Cobb came in to catch him and take him down. KUSHIDA got suplexed onto Will by Cobb for a two count. That spot was very cool. After numerous reversals, KUSHIDA gave Ospreay a DDT. A Back To The Future was reversed by Ospreay, and he did a flippy move off of Ishii’s back. Ospreay gave KUSHIDA a Storm Breaker to end the match. This match was some real fun. Just wild stuff being done by KUSHIDA and Will, with the help of everyone else. Nagata and Ishii slapped each other after the belt, making others pull them apart. A similar thing happened with Goto and Cobb.

Ryusuke Taguchi, Toru Yano & Togi Makabe vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (Geurillas of Destiny) Taichi Ishimori w/ Jado (NEVER Openweight 6-Man Championship Match)

The only title match on this card was Taguchi Japan challenging three Bullet Club members for their 6-man belts. They won the opportunity on the pre-show of Wrestle Kingdom last night. Just like last night, Yano got distracted because he would wait for Taguchi to call a play. Yano untied a corner pad while in there with Tama Tonga. GoD claims that they are no longer cheats. Tonga proved this by putting Yano into a normal corner instead of the corner with the exposed buckles. When Taguchi was tagged in he tried for a Three Amigos, getting two of the three suplexes. Jado hit Taguchi with a kendo stick when he went on the ropes. I guess Jado doesn’t share the same philosophy as GoD. As the ref was counting a pin on Tonga Loa, Ishimori dragged the ref out. Jado came into the ring to try to hit Makabe with a kendo stick, but Yano came behind and gave him a low blow. Makabe fought off both GoD members, bringing it back to just him and Tanga Loa. He slammed Loa and then went to the top rope, but Yujiro Takahashi and Chase Owens came out. Takahashi pushed him off the ropes, and Owens gave him a Small Package Piledriver. Loa hit his finishing move to let the team retain. I love this gimmick. That the Guerillas of Destiny don’t cheat, but their buddies do. All of the guys too sweeted after the match, so I guess all is good with them. Though really, it shows that Bullet Club is really bad at cheating. Jado couldn’t give them an advantage, so two more were needed.

El Desperado, Yoshinobu Kanemaru, Taichi, Zack Sabre Jr. w/ Taka Michinoku & Minoru Suzuki vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito

In a 10-man match, Suzuki-gun faced Los Ingobernables de Japon. There was lots of gold carried into the ring, as all LOS members have belts. As Naito was still getting ready for the match, Taichi clubbed him in the head with a chair. The camera shot was perfect so that you didn’t see this coming. Right off the bat, this match turned into chaos. Taichi and Naito started the match. Naito was really selling the chair shot. Naito was thrown into a press table, and Suzuki took SANADA into the hallway of Korakuen. Naito somehow got the hot tag later against Taichi, despite being beaten to a pulp. Taichi hit Naito with his IC title while the ref was distracted, and then hit his finishing move to win the match. It looks like that will be the next program for Naito. After the match, Taichi called out Naito and threw his belt. I liked this segment. It’s obvious that Taichi won’t actually become champ, but it’s a fun angle to do in the meantime.

Gedo, Bad Luck Fale & Jay White vs. YOSHI-HASHI, Kazuchika Okada & Hiroshi Tanahashi

In the main event, we got the return of YOSHI-HASHI. Along with that, we also saw the new IWGP Heavyweight Champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. Early on Gedo took a chair to Yoshi. He was in no way given a slow return. Okada was given a hot tag and had a face-off with Gedo. Okada fought off Bad Luck Fale before tagging in Tanahashi against Jay White. White gave Tanahashi a Snap Side-Suplex but got hit with a Swingblade after talking to the crowd. YOSHI-HASHI got the tag against White, hitting a Huricanrana. Moments later White hit a Rock Bottom and then called for the Blade Runner. Okada came in to stop it. White tried again for a Blade Runner but it got reversed into a Twist & Shout. YOSHI-HASHI came back in to do a clothesline and a suplex for a two count. He picked up White again and tried for a move but White escaped by hurting the ref. YOSHI-HASHI did a Superkick but got his move reversed into a German Suplex. White hit the Blade Runner to win the match. Welcome back, YOSHI-HASHI. After the match, White called out Tanahashi. This made him come back to the ring. He got jumped but the Bullet Club once he was in the ring. Okada came in to try to save Tanahashi but got hit with a Grenade from Bad Luck Fale. White did his Blade Runner move to Tanahashi. As the show was ending he hoisted the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. Pretty good promo from White.

In general, this show was short and sweet. No huge surprises on the show, but I left satisfied. It’s obvious based off who was left off this show that a lot of people are either gone or still in question. We got two solid angles set up from this show, with other smaller ones also being showcased. New Japan returns on the 11th for the first televised event of the NJPW/CMLL Fantasticamania tour.

Wrestle Kingdom 13 Results and Review

It is time to look at one of the biggest days of the year on the wrestling calendar: Wrestle Kingdom! This show will be an interesting one as it might be the last time we see such a stacked card, as a ton of talent will be soon leaving for new promotion “All Elite Wrestling.” What this card will be like a year from now will likely be wildly different.

NEVER Openweight 6-Man Tag Team Title #1 Contender’s Match Gauntlet

1st Pairing: Yujiro Takahashi, Adam Page & Marty Scurll vs. Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay w/ Chase Owens

Starting off the pre-show match, which is replacing the New Japan Rumble this year, was a gauntlet match to find the new NEVER Openweight 6-man title #1 contenders. Starting the match was Yujiro Takahashi, Adam Page and Marty Scurll versus Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb and David Finlay. I’ve seen some people mention how this match seems to be a way to just pack as many dudes on this show as possible. Finlay tried for a Generation Finlay but got stopped by Chase Owens who was at ringside. Owens held onto Finlay for a kick, but Finlay dodged and it was Page who kicked Owens. Page was angry so he pushed Yujiro unintentionally into a roll-up that cost them the match. Not the most elaborate spot, but hey, it’s the pre-show.

2nd Pairing: Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay vs. Chuckie T, Beretta & Hirooki Goto

Goto got the jump on the already warm team. Chuckie did a dive over all three ropes onto Finlay and Cobb, and then Beretta followed it up with a Springboard Moonsault. The two veterans Nagata and Goto fought in the ring. Cobb did an amazing combo off Tour of the Island and a Standing Moonsault onto Goto. Chuckie T tried for a Moonsault that Finlay dodged, and then David landed the second roll-up in the match.

3rd Pairing: Yuji Nagata, Jeff Cobb & David Finlay vs. Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Minoru Suzuki

A loud “Kaze Ni Nare” echoed through the Tokyo Dome as Suzuki and his trio hit before the bell. Suzuki apparently was attacking Nagata with a chair while Cobb and Smith fought in the ring. The Killer Elite Squad hit a Killer Bomb to get rid of the long-standing team in this match, in quick time.

4th Pairing: Lance Archer, Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Minoru Suzuki vs. Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi & Toru Yano

The final pairing of the matchup was the Killer Elite Squad and Suzuki versus Togi Makabe, Ryusuke Taguchi and Toru Yano. In the ring, Makabe and Suzuki traded blows, with it ending with a clothesline. Yano and Smith got the hot tag. Yano didn’t fight because he waited for Taguchi to give him a play call with arm signs. Yano removed a turnbuckle, but then got hit with two double team moves. Archer held down the ref and pleaded him to count to three. Taguchi came in to break up the pin and then everyone else in the match followed. Suzuki tried for a Gotch Style Piledriver but Taguchi broke it up with his hip attacks. Yano escaped a double team move and then stopped himself from doing double low blows. As Makabe was fighting KES, Yano hit his low blows from behind and then hit a roll-up for the win. It’s wild to think that Minoru Suzuki is on the pre-show of this card. It was lame that there were three roll-up spots in this match, but like I said before it’s not the end of the world since it’s the pre-show. Personally, I would want Suzuki in the title picture, but maybe they have something else for him. Did I like this match more than the New Japan Rumble? Not really, because the Rumble felt like a more fun way to start the show. While the Jeff Cobb impressed me the most out of everyone in this match. He’s the right mix of agile and strong.

Before the pre-show ended they showed the 2019 schedule for big shows. This included an announcement of the G1 at the American Airlines Center on July 6th and a show at the Copper Box Arena on August 31st. The biggest announcement of all was that Wrestle Kingdom will be a two-day event in 2020, on the 4th and 5th of January.

Will Ospreay vs. Kota Ibushi (NEVER Openweight Championship Match)

What started off the main card was Will Ospreay challenging for Kota Ibushi’s NEVER Openweight Championship. Like Don Callis said at the start, this match was too quick to call. Ospreay countered a Moonsault the outside with a kick, and then landed a dive of his own. Ospreay landed a great move on the ropes called the “Cheeky Nandos Kick.” There was an amazing spot where both fighters countered each other for a long time before Ospreay landed a Spanish Fly. Ibushi got a close count with the Last Ride Powerbomb. On the ground, Ibushi and Ospreay traded slaps. Ospreay put Ibushi on the top rope as Ibushi’s head snapped forward and hit the ring post. Ibushi landed a Double Stomp on Will’s back on the top rope. Ibushi was bleeding at this point, which might have been from the post. Ibushi Deadlift Suplexed Ospreay off the second rope, but Will landed on his feet. Ibushi hit a Bridged German Suplex for a two count. Will got hit with a Piledriver for another close count. As Ibushi was getting up, Will nearly took his head off with an Running Elbow. Ospreay hit a Storm Breaker for the win.

Will Ospreay is the new NEVER Openweight Champion. It looked like Ibushi got knocked out from the elbow, as he was stretchered off. If that’s the case, they shouldn’t have done another move afterwards. Besides that, the match was good. In the replays, you could see Ibushi got hit hard with the elbow. The match was good before that, but to me, that didn’t seem safe at all.

SHO & YOH (RPG3K) vs. BUSHI & Shingo Takagi vs. Yoshinobu Kanemaru & El Desperado (IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championship Match)

The next match was the first of two three-way matches this evening. SHO did a double German Suplex early on. BUSHI did a great dive to the outside onto YOH. Takagi hit SHO with a Last of The Dragon for the win, which looked like death. This match was very short but not bad.

Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Tomohiro Ishii (RevPro British Heavyweight Championship Match)

Now, this match is an interesting one because it’s for the RevPro title, and we don’t usually see defences of that belt in NJPW. Never have we seen it in the Tokyo Dome. They even brought in a RevPro referee to sanction this bout! Ishii hit a Superplex but ZSJ no-sold it into a move where he stomped on Ishii’s arm. There was a great chain of moves between these two that ended with Ishii being put in a standing submission move. ZSJ turned it into a powerbomb. ZSJ himself got Powerbombed minutes later. As usual, ZSJ put in a submission move that I can’t name and became the new champion. This was a good match, I like how these two made the crowd really get behind all of the submission moves. With the win, Zack was given the new RevPro title, as the old one was retired after this match.

Matt Jackson & Nick Jackon (The Young Bucks) vs. SANADA & EVIL vs. Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga (Guerillas of Destiny) w/ Jado & Bad Luck Fale (IWGP Tag Team Championship Match)

The next match was the second of the two three-way tag title matches. Nick and Tonga started the fight, with Loa offering a handshake. Nick didn’t buy the handshake and tagged in Matt instead. Loa shook EVIL’s hand, but also tagged himself out. After that, the match lost all order, with EVIL slamming mat on the ramp. EVIL then ran all the way down the ramp for a fast clothesline. GoD tried for stereo Frogsplashes but the Bucks stopped the second one from happening. The Bucks did a great combo of moves, with most of them targeted on the legal man, EVIL. SANADA got a hot tag, attacking everyone, including four Crossbodies to outside the ring. Loa got hit with a top rope Huricanrana, then both of the Bucks did a Superkick onto SANADA, who was coming off the ropes. A Meltzer Driver was ended by a Stun Gun by Tonga. SANADA and EVIL hit a Magic Killer, and then SANADA hit a Moonsault off the top rope to win the match. SANADA and EVIL are the new champions. They clanked their belts and their Tag League trophies after the bout.

Out of the two three-way matches, this one was way better. I thought that the finish for this bout was really clever. It was predictable that The Bucks wouldn’t win this one, but it’s nice that SANADA and EVIL are the champs.

Juice Robinson vs. Cody w/ Brandi Rhodes (IWGP US Heavyweight Championship Match)

For this next bout, Brandi Rhodes was at ringside and had lots of involvement in the match. Both guys blocked their finishers from happening on the apron, and then Cody pushed Juice into a ring post. As the ref was distracted, Brandi landed a Spear and beat up Juice. The referee kicked out Brandi because he saw the last few punches she landed. She shoved a ringside member on the way out. As this was happening Cody hit a Cross Rhodes for a two count. Minutes later Juice hit a Cross Rhodes of his own for a close pin attempt. Cody stole Juice’s move, Pulp Friction for an even closer count. Juice got on a roll and did a Forearm and Pulp Friction. Instead of going for a pinfall he picked him up for another Pulp Friction. This gave Juice the win, to make him the new IWGP US Heavyweight Champion. This was a very short match, but was the expected outcome. It was a good match, but I was hoping would be a little quicker.

Taiji Ishimori vs. KUSHIDA (IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship Match)

Before this match, KUSHIDA had a special entrance, with a small, child-size KUSHIDA being turned into the real one with the help of Ryusuke Taguchi as the doctor from Back to the Future. Both of these guys were doing some great stuff. Ishimori did some German Suplex that I have never seen before, sliding out of the ring while throwing KUSHIDA. Frequently KUSHIDA would reverse moves into submissions. KUSHIDA hit a Small Package Suplex and then a punch that took down Taiji. Off the ropes, Taiji gave KUSHIDA double knees. Ishimori ended the bout with a Bloody Cross. Ishimori is the new IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion. I didn’t know who would win this one, but I guess it makes sense that they want to boost Ishimori by giving him a belt.

Jay White w/ Gedo vs. Kazuchika Okada

The video package leading up to this next match was very well done. The old Okada is finally back, as he came out to his old theme, has blonde hair, and is wearing shorts again. Shorts! Finally! Early on in the bout, Okada showed off his amazing vertical when delivering a dropkick to Jay White, who was sitting on the top rope. Gedo tried jumping Okada but got beaten up instead. Okada did a Crossbody to both White and Gedo over a guardrail. Okada landed a picture perfect Elbow Drop off of the top rope and then called for the Rainmaker. He did not get the move, with White landing a DDT and a German Suplex instead. White also hit a Rock Bottom for a two count. He tried for the Blade Runner but Okada escaped. Instead, he hit a clothesline. Gedo put a chair on the ring mat for White and then distracted the ref. Okada dodged a chair shot and then pushed White into Gedo. He landed two Dropkicks but couldn’t connect on the rainmaker. White hit another German Suplex, then hit a Kiwi Crusher for a close count. He tried again for a Blade Runner but it did not work. Okada got a Tombstone Piledriver, which put them both down. A chain of reversed moves ended with Okada landing a dropkick and calling for the Rainmaker. Both guys reversed many moves, including finishers, with Okada landing a Clothesline. He tried for the Rainmaker but White finally landed the Blade Runner to win the match.

I was very surprised that Okada wouldn’t win this match because it felt like this would be Okada’s return back to his old self. I was hoping it would be that way, but it wasn’t. But despite this, it was still an amazing match. The ending combo was a work of art, especially when you take into account that this was all thought through.

Tetsuya Naito vs. Chris Jericho (IWGP Intercontinental Championship Match) (No DQ Match)

This is probably the match that I was the most excited for. This match is a No Disqualification match with the IC title on the line. Before Jericho entered the ring Naito jumped him, which I saw coming since they announced Jericho while he was walking down the ramp. The brawl immediately went around the arena. Jericho got his head bashed on a table, then brought to the ramp for a Piledriver. The piledriver looked either deadly or good. Back in the ring, Naito took off a corner pad. Jericho was thrown outside the ring, and as Naito came to the ropes he got hit with a Kendo Stick. He continued to use it for the new couple of minutes. Jericho did a Dropkick to Naito who was on the apron, which Naito sold incredibly, landing on his head. Jericho picked up a camera but didn’t really use it. Over to a commentary table, Jericho did a DDT which did not make the table break. It looked truly brutal. Jericho did a Crossbody off the top rope for a two count.

Naito started to finally get offense after being down for a while. Naito’s corner kicks got reversed into a Walls of Jericho. Once Naito got out a Codebreaker was reversed into a Swinging DDT. He followed it up with a Gloria for a two count. A Destino got reversed into another Walls of Jericho. Naito escaped the move by hitting Jericho with the kendo stick over and over. Naito threw Jericho off the ropes and swung the kendo stick at him like a baseball bat. He tried to do it again but Jericho avoided it and hit a Codebreaker. Jericho went under the ring to get out numerous chairs. Jericho tried for a Powerbomb but Naito turned it into a DDT into the pile of chairs. Naito did a Codebreak of his own but couldn’t win the match with it. Naito went to the second rope but was slowed down by Jericho, who threw a chair at him. Naito did a German Suplex and then tried for a Destino but Jericho dodged it, shoved the ref and then kicked Naito in the crotch and did a Codebreaker for a two count. I mean, it’s no DQ, but okay. Jericho then took the IC title into the ring and was going to hit him with the belt. Naito put Jericho into the corner with an exposed turnbuckle and hit a Destino, but Jericho kicked out! Naito hit him with the belt, threw the belt off into the distance, and then hit Destino for the win. After the match, Jericho angrily left.

This match was, as I expected, lots of fun. I thought that Naito had a high chance of winning the match coming in, but didn’t know. I love the storytelling of Naito still having a disdain for the belt, as he threw it far out of sight after using it on Jericho. I would say that they used the No DQ rules to their full potential, but they didn’t since Jericho still felt the need to shield the ref’s eyes from a move that was fully allowed.

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Kenny Omega (IWGP Heavyweight Championship Match)

Finally, it’s time to discuss the main event. Kenny Omega’s entrance was great, especially with the attire he was wearing. As the two were getting close at the start, Tanahashi slapped Omega. Omega gave him a light slap on the ropes, which Tanahashi followed with an even harder slap than before. Tanahashi early on almost got caught in a One Winged Angel as he was on Omega’s shoulders. Both guys traded hard slaps again when in a leg move on the ground. Early on both of these guys were hitting each other hard. Outside the ring, Tanahashi was thrown into a guardrail but came back with a Dropkick. Omega picked up Tanahashi and slammed him onto the edge of a commentary table, making him plummet to the floor. Kenny went on the guardrail and did a Moonsault. He picked up Milano Collection A.T., who went down when Tanahashi first went through the table. Kenny raised his arm. Omega brought out a table and put it at ringside. Back in the ring now, the two wrestlers were trading blows once again. Tanahashi did a Summersault Senton that looked good. Later on, Omega did a dive over the ropes onto Tanahashi, absolutely slapping onto the ramp. Kenny gave Tanahashi a V-Trigger in the ring. When he went to the middle rope for a move Tanahashi grabbed onto his right leg and did a Dragon Screw. Tanahashi landed a Twist & Shout and then did a Boston Crab. Tanahashi gave up the move and did a Styles Clash. Off the top rope, he tried for a High Fly Flow, but Kenny put his knees up. A V-Trigger was dodged in the corner, making Omega smash his leg into the corner. Through the ropes this time, Tanahashi delivered another Dragon Screw.

Tanahashi put Omega on the table that has been on the outside for some time now. He tried for a High Fly Flow off the top rope and through the table, but Omega got out of the way. Omega did a double stomp off the top rope to Tanahashi, who was draped on the ropes. A kickout came three times, after each powerbomb that followed the move before. After a combo of moves, Kenny hit a Swingblade and a High Fly Flow of his own. Kenny hit a V-Trigger which made both of them fall onto all fours. Kenny hit another V-Trigger, then tried for a One Winged Angel but Tanahashi turned it into a Reverse Huricanrana. After a close count, Tanahashi hit two High Fly Flow’s for a very close pin attempt. A very tired Tanahashi went to the top rope but was hit with a V-Trigger while getting up. Omega did a German Superplex off the top rope, with Tanahashi landing on his stomach. Yet another V-Trigger was hit. Kenny tried ending it all with the One Winged Angel, but Tanahashi escaped once again. He hit a Swingblade and then went to the top rope for a final High Fly Flow, to win the match.

This match, and the whole show, in general, was amazing. I always worry with shows this long that they will drag, but I didn’t sense that at all with this show. Would I consider this match the as good as the years before? Probably not, but it was still very good. In my heart, I still consider Okada vs. Omega 1 as the best Wrestle Kingdom match that I’ve seen.

The 09′ Revision: 2009 Royal Rumble Review

These days there is so much to watch. On Monday nights, there’s a three-hour episode of Monday Night RAW. Tuesdays, there’s Smackdown, and the many small shows that follow it (205 Live, Mixed Match Challenge, etc.). On Wednesday there is NXT, NXT UK and tournaments sometimes put on by WWE. Of course, there is also many PPV’s a year on Sundays as well. That just scratches the surface, as there are many promotions worth watching these days as well. You always have the chance to think about the past but you never get to relive it. It’s not that you physically can’t do so, because the WWE Network has nearly every show in their database. It’s that you don’t have the time. You’re too busy staying with the times to live in the past, even just a little. So, this is where this new series comes in. Looking back a decade you can see where the WWE was in 2009. Personally, I thought 2009 was the best year for me to do this. It’s the first full year that I started watching wrestling. I look back on the shows fondly, but who knows how they hold up, or if they were good in the first place. Since we will follow a timeline that started in January, the first review will be of the 2009 Royal Rumble.

Leading up to the Rumble there were many storylines that were taking shape even into the final segments of go-home shows. On RAW the main story that was carried out in the final weeks had no involvement in the Rumble. The go-home RAW ended with Randy Orton punting Vince McMahon in the head after frustration with Stephanie McMahon as a general manager. He was stretchered off as the show came to a close. Orton’s faction called “Legacy” which was himself and his two henchmen Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase had only formed recently. They were chosen to be in Randy’s group through tests. Sim Snuka would have been in the faction if it wasn’t for Cody getting the pinfall in a tag match against Cryme Tyme.

The RAW storyline that tied into the Rumble was John Cena versus JBL. JBL had recently hired Shawn Michaels as his client since Michaels had run into financial issues. This was their way of showing how Shawn had sold out. In the contract signing before this fight, Cena tried to convince Michaels that he is better than this.

Jeff Hardy’s life was being ruined by who everyone presumed was Edge. One week he was involved in a car crash, and the next week he got hit by pyrotechnics on his way to the ring for Edge’s talking segment “The Cutting Edge.”

In 2009 the commercialized version of ECW was on its final legs. The show died out in 2010 and turns into the original game show version of NXT. Heading into the Royal Rumble ECW had a new heel champion in Jack Swagger. Swagger defeated Matt Hardy on ECW TV two weeks before the PPV, using an exposed turnbuckle to help pick up the victory. Matt Hardy gets a rematch at the Royal Rumble. Also, the final match besides the Rumble itself was the WWE Women’s Championship being defended by Beth Phoenix against Melina. This feud seemed to play such a background role in the buildup to the PPV that I honestly didn’t even know it was on the card.

The opening of the Royal Rumble PPV had a compilation of old Rumble matches to the tune of “Let It Rock” by Kevin Rudolf. And also, despite Orton in any big matches, the video package diverts into the recent Orton rivalry. After that, we go right to the commentary table who say the show will go on despite Vince’s current condition. After that, we get the usual pyrotechnic show at the start. The no longer open Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan was the host for this event. The stage includes a road on the floor that leads to the ring. The Wrestlemania 25 logo is opposite to the stage, which is a tradition for WWE starting at the Rumble every year.

Matt Hardy vs. Jack Swagger (ECW Championship Match)

The first match on the show is Matt Hardy versus Jack Swagger. As mentioned before, this is Hardy’s rematch after being defeated on ECW TV two weeks before. Early on in the match, Matt was swarming Swagger, making him leave the ring for a breather at one point. After Swagger targeted Hardy’s left arm early on, Hardy was basically fighting with one and a half arms. Late in the match, Hardy hit a moonsault for a two count. After reversing many moves, Swagger threw Matt into the post, then hit a Gutwrench Powerbomb to retain the belt clean in 10:27. Hardy looked defeated, maybe even crying when leaving the ring. Not sure what made them think this would be a good way to start the show. It feels odd that Swagger felt the need to cheat in his first match against Matt yet cheat in this one. We went from thinking that Swagger was a cheating heel who wasn’t as good as a title would make most people, to cleanly considering him the champion. The match itself wasn’t horrible but just made no sense.

Melina vs. Beth Phoenix w/ Santino Marella (WWE Women’s Championship Match)

Before the next match, we see a clip of when Randy Orton entered the building tonight. I was surprised by how much they were playing up this storyline despite it not having much significance on this card. It becomes huge later in the year, but not right now. The next match was Melina versus Beth Phoenix. In this match Beth did some interesting submission where she stretched Melina’s leg backward, making her kick herself in the back of the head. Other than that, this match had nothing. Melina pulled a quick one and won the match via roll-up in 5:57 to become the new Women’s Champion. Feels like WWE got their two least interesting matches out of the way quickly.

JBL w/ Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena (World Heavyweight Championship Match)

Before our next match, we have a promo package recapping the relationship between Shawn Michaels and JBL. Backstage JBL promises Michaels that if he wins tonight Shawn will have a spot in the Rumble. As JBL leaves the room The Undertaker comes in and tells Michaels that “sometimes it’s hell gettin’ to heaven.” This is (I think) the first encounter between these two, which matters in the coming months. Despite this being RAW’s title match, it feels almost like an afterthought because of how much attention the Orton vs. McMahons segment is going. As the match was happening Michael was watching at ringside with a dead expression. JBL was having such early match success that the commentary team thought that Michaels might not have to do anything to help JBL win. Cena landed a Five Knuckle Shuffle then tried for an Attitude Adjustment only for JBL to escape. Moments later JBL found himself in an STF. Cena let go of the hold after Michaels distracted the ref by holding the ropes. After JBL escaped another AA, he accidentally kicked the ref, knocking him down. As the ref was down Michaels came into the ring and was set up to give a Sweet Chin Music. You expect him to give it to Cena, but instead, he gives it to JBL. Before leaving the ring he gives Cena a Sweet Chin Music as well. He put JBL’s arm over Cena, letting a ref that came from the back do the count. Cena surprisingly kicked out which let the match continue. Cena picked up JBL and hit an Attitude Adjustment to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship in 15:34.

The match was fought at a very slow speed but it was obvious to tell the story of Michaels at ringside. I can’t explain why Michaels seemingly changed his mind, but I can assume that will be explained in coming weeks. While I feel the reason that Michaels is in this storyline seems odd, I thought this specific match did a good job at explaining it. Besides the story, there wasn’t much to say about the wrestling.

Jeff Hardy vs. Edge w/ Chavo Guerrero (WWE Championship Match) (No Disqualification Match)

The next match was the biggest match coming from the Smackdown brand. Hardy got the unconventional champion first introduction which Jim Ross pointed out. Before Edge came out Vicky Guerrero came out and said that the match will now be a No Disqualification match. Chavo was at ringside in support of Edge.

Right out of the gates Jeff was all over Edge. Jeff was the first to test the no DQ rule by going for a chair but wasn’t able to use it. Edge became dominant after taking Hardy outside of the ring, including a spot where he hit Hardy’s head on each commentary table once. Hardy did a Twist of Fate on the ring apron which looked painful for Hardy. After that, he tore apart the RAW commentary table and took out a ladder. You can see what’s coming next. Hardy went to the top of the ladder but got distracted by Chavo Guerrero. Hardy did a Frogsplash off of the ladder onto Guerrero, who was on the table. This took Chavo out of the situation at least for the moment even though he was watching the match from a distance for most of the time. Hardy did a crossbody off the top rope to Edge for a two count. Edge tore a turnbuckle pad off of a corner and then tried using it, but Hardy instead used the corner for a Whisper In The Wind. Edge reversed a Twist of Fate into a DDT where Hardy kicked out too late, but in storyline kicked out in time. Edge was able to use his exposed turnbuckle while reversing a move for another close count. Edge was setting up for a Spear, but Hardy reversed it into a very informal Twist of Fate. Hardy then went to the top for a Swanton Bomb, with Vicky Guerrero trying to interfere. She failed to stop the move but pulled the ref out during the count. Matt Hardy came out with a chair in what looked like to be in support of Jeff. He gave Jeff a chair then went and got his own. He then hit Jeff in the head with his chair. This allowed Edge to get the win in 19:27. Matt left the arena with a deadpan expression.

Well, there’s your next big non-title Smackdown program. The match wasn’t amazing but the storytelling was well done. The commentary team gave the finish the silence treatment for a good minute which made it a little more dramatic. Chavo felt sort of useless in this match even when you take into account his commentary table spot. Him sitting there obediently for most of the match made sense because it was completely within the ruleset for him to intervene at any point. Backstage before the main event, Randy Orton is being interviewed. He is asked about if the McMahon’s will take legal action on Monday against him. Chris Jericho shoos off the interviewer. Jericho sides with Orton on the McMahons issue. Jericho says he thinks this is Orton’s last night working for the WWE. What I found interesting was what Dave Meltzer reported. In the Observer Newsletter a week after the show he said the plan was for Christian to interfere, but that was changed since it would be too obvious. There was even “we want Christian” chants at the start of the match.

2009 Royal Rumble Match

After playing the “By The Numbers” video, we had the main event of the evening, the Royal Rumble match. The first two entrants were 1. Rey Mysterio and 2. John Morrison. Mysterio found himself nearly eliminated early on but fought out of it and delivered a Crossbody and Huricanrana. Morrison almost got eliminated before the third entrant of the Rumble came in. Entrant number three was 3. Carlito. He did a Springboard Moonsault to Morrison early into his appearance. 4. MVP. MVP just picked up his first win in a long time this week on Smackdown. 5. The Great Khali. Khali did a spot where he beat everyone down individually then got his cheer in. Khali hit a Punjabi Plunge on Carlito. 6. Vladimir Kozlov. Kozlov battled Khali since they were the two biggest and standing guys in the ring. Kozlov made the first elimination of the match, taking out Khali. MVP got taken out after thinking he could mount an offense on Kozlov. Carlito was taken out moments later by Kozlov as well. 7. Triple H. The first big name of the match was Triple H. HHH took out Kozlov after they squared off for a minute. 8. Randy Orton. Orton went right after HHH while Morrison and Mysterio hung out at ringside. HHH reversed an RKO into a Pedigree, but the move was stopped by Morrison. Mysterio hit the 619 on Morrison. 9. JTG.  JTG comes in at #9 after winning a coin toss with Shad Gaspard. As JTG ran to the ring Shad found out both sides of the coin was a head. 10. Ted DiBiase. Despite Orton being near elimination DiBiase did not help him out.

#11. Chris Jericho. #12. Mike Knox. DiBiase and Orton might have figured out that they were a team because they strategize to both attack JTG. #13. The Miz. Orton hit an RKO on Morrison, Miz, JTG and then got hit with a Pedigree by HHH. Morrison and The Miz were both eliminated by HHH. #14. Finlay. Mysterio did a spot where he got thrown over the top but landed on the eliminated Miz and Morrison, but it was sort of missed because of Finlay’s entrance. #15. Cody Rhodes. Legacy was in full effect with Rhodes in the ring. Mysterio went off the top rope but was met by an RKO. #16. The Undertaker. The match came to a halt as The Undertaker came into the ring. He got a punch in on everyone in the ring. Undertaker eliminated JTG. #17. Goldust. Goldust battled with the weaker members of Legacy before being met with an RKO from Orton. Goldust was eliminated by Rhodes after he was instructed to do so by Orton. #18. CM Punk. He gave HHH a GTS shortly after his entrance. #19. Mark Henry. #20. Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin gave Punk and Jericho a Double DDT off of the top rope as they were both setting something up before.

#21. William Regal. Mark Henry got eliminated but it didn’t get covered. Regal went right after Punk as he lost his belt to him. #22. Kofi Kingston. A now bloodied Undertaker eliminated Shelton Benjamin. #23. Kane. There were too many people in the ring at this point. Mike Knox was still in there despite having no memorable spots. Kane and The Undertaker teamed up and Double Chokeslammed a DiBiase and Kingston. Regal got taken out by Punk, making Regal basically inferior to Punk at this point. #24. R-Truth. #25. Rob Van Dam. This was the first surprise entrant of the Rumble. He got a spotlight hitting tons of his signature spots. #26. The Brian Kendrick. Kendrick eliminated Kingston immediately but got eliminated right after by HHH. #27. Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler got thrown out by Kane after trying to shake his hand. Easy night for him. #28. Santino Marella. Marella broke the record for quickest Royal Rumble appearance with this spot, being taken out by Kane in roughly a second. #29. Hacksaw Jim Duggan. The second and final surprise entrant was Hacksaw Jim Duggan. He had another surprise entrance in the 2012 Rumble. #30. Big Show. The crowd seemed somewhat deflated as Big Show’s music hit.

Jim Duggan was eliminated by The Big Show after Duggan tried the opposite. Show threw R-Truth over the top rope over his head a minute or so later. You’d expect the build-up of people in the ring was for a big clearout spot when it was really for nothing. Punk got taken out of the match by a Knockout Punch by Show. Mysterio and Knox got eliminated after. Hornswoggle played as a distraction to help Finlay but got eliminated anyway. It was Kane that took him out. Orton gave HHH a draping DDT. Van Dam hit a Frogsplash but got thrown out by Jericho afterward. Jericho got taken out by Undertaker. Legacy teamed up to take Kane out of the match. Now there were only six left: Legacy, Big Show, The Undertaker, and HHH. After The Undertaker took out all of the little guys he had a face-off with The Big Show. Orton tried RKO’ing The Undertake while he was trying to eliminate The Undertaker. The Undertaker reversed it. Big Show got RKO’d onto the ropes, taking him out of the match. Big Show pulled Undertaker’s leg off of the mat, eliminating him as well. The two brawled to the back. The final four were Legacy and HHH. Of course, the three teamed up on HHH. He eliminated DiBiase and Rhodes, but in the process allowed himself to get eliminated by Orton. Randy Orton is your 2009 Royal Rumble winner in 58:50.

Orton a huge spotlight on this show. You could tell just by how much they were talking about Orton that he would win the Rumble. I can’t guess where the title picture goes from here on since Cena has the belt and Orton is feuding with the McMahons. If I had to predict, I would guess that something will happen at Elimination Chamber. I thought this was a decent Rumble match. They went pretty easy with the surprise entrants, with the only two being RVD and Jim Duggan. This was the first time that Legacy was operating as a full unit in a match, so not only did Orton get a push but his goons did as well. I didn’t understand the purpose of some guys just hanging around for so long. Mike Knox was an example where he was there for a long time but had no real purpose.

The top match besides the Rumble was Edge versus Hardy. Both big title matches shared a similar theme in that they weren’t based around the in-ring action. Both matches were all about the finish with the wrestling taking a bit of a background. The match to forget was, of course, Melina versus Beth Phoenix.

WWE Survivor Series 2018 Results and Review

Survivor Series underwent many changes in its final week. Becky Lynch was replaced by Charlotte due to injury, and AJ Styles being replaced with Daniel Bryan after Bryan won the WWE Championship.

The New Day, Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, The Colons, Sanity & The Usos (Team Smackdown) vs. The Revival, Lucha House Party, The Ascension, B-Team & /Bobby Roode & Chad Gable (Team RAW) (20-man Tag Team Survivor Series Match)

On the kickoff show a backstage segment revealed that Mandy Rose would be the fifth Smackdown Women’s team member. The first match happened on the kickoff show with the Smackdown tag division facing the RAW tag division. Smackdown’s New Day came out and introduced their team. Kofi Kingston sat out this match for the New Day with Alexander Wolfe doing the same for Sanity. A rule in this match that sets it apart from the traditional Survivor Series match is that if someone gets pinned their teammate is eliminated as well. Kalisto started against Epico. Dash Wilder eliminated The Colons after hitting a Shatter Machine. Something happened where Kalisto landed awkward then got replaced by Lince Dorado. Anderson took out the B-Team next, evening the matchup. There was a good spot between Roode and Gable where Roode did a Backbreaker while Gable frogsplashed onto Eric Young. This eliminated Sanity. Big E took out The Ascension by pinning Viktor. Lince Dorado took out Gallows & Anderson after a combination of moves including a Moonsault. The Usos did a double team to take out Lince Dorado for the pin. Dorado got dropped on his head during that spot.

The final four teams were New Day, The Usos, Roode & Gable and The Revival. Big E got a hot tag from Woods and did three Belly-to-belly Suplexes to Dash Wilder. Big E’s thunder was taken once Gable tagged in while Big E was going off of the ropes. Gable did an impressive Deadlift German Suplex into a Neckbreaker with the help of Roode. After a few more moves later everyone did a dive to the outside spot. Roode got Superkicked by Jey Uso, then Jey did a dive of his own. Gable did a German Suplex to Jey off of the top rope to everyone on the outside. As everyone laid wasted outside of the ring, Xavier was fighting off Gable and Roode. Gable did a flip off of the top rope because he assumed that Xavier was hurt, but instead went into the arms of Big E for an Up Up Down Down. This eliminated the RAW captains. Woods went off the top rope for a dive but instead got caught in a Shatter Machine to eliminate New Day. The final two teams were The Usos and The Revival. Dash Wilder did a Superplex with Scott Dawson hitting a Splash right after. Jey Uso came in to split up the pin. The Usos gave both guys a Superkick. After that Jimmy Uso hit a Frogsplash onto Dawson to end the match.

This match had lots of botched spots. Kalisto also might have hurt himself? I don’t understand why it had to be 10 people for each team. Couldn’t it just be 5 from each brand? When it became the final four wrestlers, the match became much more entertaining. The first half of the match was hurrying through pinfalls. Why not just not do this match in the first place? Because there were some teams in this match that we hadn’t seen in months on TV. Despite the majority of the crowd being present it felt like nobody was there.

Carmella w/ R-Truth, Naomi, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville & Asuka (Team Smackdown) vs. Mickie James, Tamina, Nia Jax, Sasha Banks & Bayley w/ Alexa Bliss (Team RAW) (Women’s Survivor Series Match)

The first match on the actual show was the women’s RAW versus Smackdown match. When Nia Jax came out she was welcomed with a massive amount of boo’s because she sidelined Becky Lynch on Monday. Banks and Bayley replaced Natalya and Ruby Riott after a brawl happened backstage earlier. Early in the match everyone was brawling in the ring. Naomi got roll-up pinned to be the first elimination. Carmella responded with a roll-up pin to Tamina to eliminate her. Carmella had a dance break to celebrate this elimination. Deville was on a roll against James, but Mandy tagged herself in and did nothing except land a pin, taking credit for the work that Deville put in. Deville was offended by this. Carmella was eliminated by Bayley after a Bayley-To-Belly Suplex.

The crowd started out loud for this match but was sitting on their hands at this point. Rose tapped to a Banks Statement from Sasha. When Nia finally got involved in the match the hate came back to her. Asuka got a pop for going after Jax. Outside the ring Asuka was hit with a Meteora from Banks off the ring apron. Bayley and Sonya Deville were brawling to the outside with both of them being counted out and eliminated. Asuka was the final member for Smackdown and fought Banks first. As Sasha went to the top rope Nia pushed her off, making her fall into an Asuka Lock to eliminate her. Nia was the last one left for RAW. Nia hit a Samoan Drop to win the match.

I can only assume that they want to reap the benefits of the heat that Nia got from actually injuring Lynch, but this finish didn’t seem right. She beat Asuka clean? Did something happen to Asuka recently that made her a very weak wrestler? After the match a scoreboard appeared showing that team RAW was up 1-0, so maybe the match on the Kickoff show just didn’t count.

Seth Rollins vs. Shinsuke Nakamura

The first of many Champion versus Champion matchups of the evening was Seth Rollins versus Shinsuke Nakamura. Nakamura came out in nearly all-blue attire. This match was also the first time that these two fought each other. Mid-way through the match Rollins dumped Nakamura to the outside then did three Suicide Dives in a row. Later on Rollins got put in a Triangle Choke but escaped by throwing Nakamura into a Buckle Bomb. Rollins did a Superplex and then a Falcon Arrow for a two count. After a Reverse Exploder, Nakamura tried for a Kinshasa but instead Rollins responded with his Rainmaker Knee move. Rollins went to the top for a Frogsplash but Nakamura dodged then hit a Kinshasa. Rollins kicked out. A combo of moves ended with Rollins hitting the Curbstomp for the win. Good match with the crowd waking up near the end. I didn’t like how the Kinshasa was a throwaway move in this match.

The Bar (Sheamus & Cesaro) w/ Big Show vs. Authors of Pain (Akam & Rezar) w/ Drake Maverick

The two tag teams who are champs on the main roster faced off next. As the match was starting former WWE employee Enzo Amore tried to hijack the crowd while sitting in the first few rows. He was escorted out of the building only moments later. Drake Maverick got put in a choke by Big Show after putting an AoP member’s leg on the rope during a pin. Big Show stopped choking Maverick after he peed himself. This distraction let AoP give Sheamus a double team move to win the match. From inside the ring to outside, this was a lame 10 minutes.

Mustafa Ali vs. Buddy Murphy (WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match)

The next match was the only brand neutral match. Mustafa Ali challenged for Buddy Murphy’s Cruiserweight Championship after he won the belt in Australia. This match was explosive from start to finish. Ali went to the top rope at one point for a Backwards 450 but got thrown to outside the ring. Outside the ring Murphy tore apart a commentary table. Ali regained control and did a Spanish Fly off the table onto the floor. When trying for another Reverse 450 in the ring Ali got a Superkick and then two Powerbombs for a two count. Murphy got the win with a Murphy’s Law. One of the shorter matches on the show but still a great match. Sad that the Cruiserweights remain the side show.

Bobby Lashley w/ Lio Rush, Finn Balor, Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre & Braun Stroman vs. The Miz, Jeff Hardy, Samoa Joe, Rey Mysterio & Shane McMahon (Men’s Survivor Series Match)

The next match was the men’s RAW versus Smackdown Survivor Series match. Braun was very insisting on starting the match. Drew tagged himself in and took out Samoa Joe with a Claymore Kick. Very quick start to the match. This first pinfall caused Smackdown to strategize outside of the ring. After McIntyre tagged out Ziggler came in. Hardy was replaced with Shane McMahon moments after. This was a rematch from the World Cup finals from weeks ago. Ziggler gave Shane a Famouser for a close pin attempt. Ziggler landed a Zigzag after being thrown into the ropes. The Miz intervened to save Shane. The Miz tagged in a and tried for a Figure Four but Ziggler escaped. Ziggler landed a Dropkick at the end of an exchange with Braun tagging himself back in. He stood in RAW’s corner for a moment only to get tagged out by McIntyre. Stroman and McIntyre started brawling with the rest of the RAW teaming coming over in attempt to restore order. Mysterio landed a 619 on Stroman with the fight going to the outside afterwards.

McMahon took apart the middle commentary table, and then three Smackdown members put Stroman on the table. Shane did an Elbow Drop off of the top rope, through the table. On the replay it was funny seeing Baron Corbin scream “No!” as he saw Shane dive. Back in the ring now The Miz was fighting McIntyre. Balor tagged himself in and then kicked McIntyre in the head. Balor did a Stomp to The Miz and then a roll-up for a two count. Balor tried a Coup De Grace but Miz left the ring. Outside the ring Balor attacked Miz and Hardy. Mysterio came in the ring and gave Balor a Crossbody. Balor reversed a move and then scored a two count on Rey. Balor dodged a 619 and then landed a Swingblade. Mysterio avoided a Coup de Grace and then actually landed a 619 with the Frogsplash follow-up to eliminate Balor.

Minutes later Hardy tried for a Swanton Bomb but Ziggler reversed it by putting his knees up. Shane did a Coast To Coast onto Ziggler while heavily selling his table spot from earlier. This eliminated Ziggler. An even more fatigued Shane McMahon tried for another Coast To Coast, this time on Lashley, but Stroman hit him out of mid air to interrupt it. Shane kicked out of a pin by Lashley and tagged in Hardy. Stroman came in as well. Hardy tried for a Twist of Fate but got reversed into a Powerslam to eliminate him. Mysterio got a Powerslam shortly after to be eliminated as well. The Miz was given a Powerslam to be eliminated as well. The final Smackdown member was Shane McMahon.

McMahon was hit with a Running Powerslam to end the match. Although the same spot over and over from Stroman was a lame finish, this match in general was really fun. The constant chaos was what you like to see in a match like this. It felt like an all star game, which I’m surprised WWE doesn’t promote these matches as.

Backstage Seth Rollins is told that at TLC he will defend his IC belt against Dean Ambrose.

Charlotte Flair vs. Ronda Rousey

The second last match on the card was Charlotte versus Ronda Rousey. There was awkward “brawling” at the start where it looked like nothing was actually happening. Charlotte threw Ronda head first into the bottom turnbuckle. Ronda got cut open around the lip at some point in the match. Off the top rope Ronda rolled into an Armbar, which turned into a Triangle Choke. Charlotte reversed it into a Boston Crab which Ronda escaped. After doing a Fireman’s Carry Ronda shouted at the crowd. When she turned around Charlotte Speared her for a two count. Charlotte put in the Figure Four but Rousey escaped it. Rousey hit a move called the “Piper’s Pit” and then tried for a move but Charlotte fought it off. Outside the ring Charlotte hit Ronda with a Kendo Stick to end the match via DQ. She continued to tee off on Ronda after the bell.

The angle after the match made sense to me but the match itself wasn’t very good. It’s usually the other way around when I criticize a segment. Since the current program is to allegedly have Ronda face Becky at Wrestlemania, maybe these two can fight each other on another PPV in the future in the meantime. I know they are on different brands, but it’s not impossible. Charlotte fought off referees and then wedged a steel chair in between Ronda’s head and torso. She stomped the chair, with people finally pulling away Charlotte after this.

Daniel Bryan vs. Brock Lesnar

The main event of the evening was Daniel Bryan versus Brock Lesnar. As usual Heyman did the introduction for Lesnar. After about three minutes of the match Lesnar started to dominate Bryan. This happened for way too long, with Lesnar hitting all of his spots. Bryan got F5’d for like the 500th time, but hit the ref on the way down. After noticing this, Bryan kicked Brock in the groin then went for a pin, but only got a two count. After going in and out of the ring for spots Bryan caught himself in another F5 attempt but reversed it into a Yes Lock. Bryan turned it into a Triangle Choke that Brock turned into an F5 to end the match. After the match a scoreboard shows that RAW beat Smackdown 6-0. Oh, that’s why the pre-show match doesn’t count, because Smackdown won.

It felt somewhat uncharacteristic for Bryan to do a Triangle Choke. And hold on, didn’t Bryan turn heel on Tuesday? It’s nice to see that Brock worked hard in this match. By no means was this a night off for him. I don’t understand why I would cheer for either of these guys in this match. I thought it was a disappointing main event.

NJPW World Tag League 2018 Day 2 Results and Review

Show: NJPW World Tag League Day 2

When: 11/18/18

Where: Korakuen Hall, Tokyo, Japan

After an explosive first day in Kanagawa, New Japan heads back to the famous Korakuen Hall for day 2 of the World Tag League. Chris Charlton and Don Callis were on commentary alongside the usual Kevin Kelly.

Yuya Uemura & Yota Tsuji vs. Juice Robinson & David Finlay

The first undercard match was Robinson and Finlay versus Young Lions Uemura and Tsuji. Robinson and Finlay are coming off a win from Saturday with Tsuji and Uemura losing to Cobb and Elgin in a non-Tag League match. Uemura got a hot tag on Finlay late in the match after Robinson was taken out by a Back Body Drop from Tsuji. The Young Lion duo did the Two Man Boston Crab, a spot that was done on FinJuice the night before but by a different duo. Robinson head butted both Young Lions in an attempt to get them off of Finlay but they endured. They let go after a Double Dropkick. Finlay finished the match with a Brainbuster.

Ren Narita & Tomoaki Honma vs. Tama Tonga & Tanga Loa (Guerrillas of Destiny) w/ Jado

Honma, who is still on his comeback tour teamed with Young Lion Ren Narita in the next match. Jado came out with the Guerrillas of Destiny and an airhorn. GoD jumped their opponents early. Early on Honma tried for a Kokeshi onto Tama Tonga, but when going off the ropes Jado hit him with a kendo stick. After Honma was beaten up by Loa he acted unconscious in the ring. Tama Tonga tried to do his own Kokeshi but Honma dodged it. This got a big pop from the crowd. Honma didn’t land his Kokeshi when he tried, but got a DDT then gave Narita a hot tag onto Loa. When Loa was put in a Boston Crab Honma took out Jado, but Tama Tonga broke it up. Tonga got taken out then was given a Kokeshi from Honma. Back with Loa in the ring Narita did a bridging pin after failing to land a suplex. Narita went off the ropes and got hit with a Clothesline for a two count. Loa landed his finisher to end the match. Narita looked great in this match. He really stuck out as the star in the matchup. I thought that maybe he could have gotten more time since Honma is obviously still getting back to 100%. I know it’s in their gimmick, but I wished that Loa had a less profane name for his finisher.

Shota Umino, Ayato Yoshida, Toa Henare & Togi Makabe vs. Satoshi Kojima, Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Yuji Nagata & Manabu Nakanishi

The entrances came in an odd order for this next match with teams taking turns with their entrances. Umino got a hot tag late in the match onto Henare. He delivered a great looking Missile Dropkick, with the pin after it being broken up by Kojima. After a scramble involving most wrestlers Henare gave Umino a Samoan Drop and a Rock Bottom for the win. I really liked the exchange between Henare and Umino in this match. The rest didn’t really appeal to me.

Yujiro Takahashi, Hangman Page & Kota Ibushi vs. Beretta & Chuckie T (Best Friends) & Hirooki Goto

This next match was a rematch from yesterday in a sense. On Saturday, Beretta and Chuckie T defeated Takahashi and Page in what I considered an upset. Page got a great combo of moves when tagged in against Beretta. Page took out both teammates of Beretta, then took him outside the ring and landed a dive. After both wrestlers were in the ring for a long time Ibushi and Goto both got hot tags. Chuckie T landed a Pop-Up Powerbomb on Ibushi for a two count and tried for the top rope but got a kick instead. Takahashi tagged in and got hit with a Soul Food. Best Friends did Stereo Crossbodies to the outside. After a crazy combo from many wrestlers involved, Page gave Chuckie T a Buckshot Lariat, then Takahashi did a DDT for the win. Looked like a night off for Goto. After the match Goto asks Ibushi if he wants a title shot. Goto says he’s done asking Ibushi if he wasn’t to fight him. This made Ibushi say he wants the fight, making Goto say it’s going to happen. So there’s the next defense for the NEVER Openweight Championship.

Shingo Takagi, BUSHI & Tetsuya Naito vs. RPG3K (SHO & YOH) & Kazuchika Okada

The final preliminary match was RPG3K and Okada versus a trio of LIJ members. This match was essentially a boiled down version of the main event from night one. Naito and Okada started this match. Not long into the match LIJ started to throw members into the barricades at ringside. SHO hit hard, almost going into the crowd. SHO and Takagi had a great exchange in the ring. When BUSHI got tagged in he hit a Dropkick off the top rope and then his patented Bushirooni. RPG3K did a Double Suplex onto Takagi and then tagged in Okada to work on BUSHI. He exchanged blows with Naito after he broke up his pinfall. BUSHI and Okada took the match home with Okada following up a Dropkick with the Rainmaker for the win. Maybe I’m crazy, but it felt like I hadn’t seen a Rainmaker in a while. I was hoping to see more teamwork between RPG3K, but only really got one spot out of it.

Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) (0-0) vs. Takashi Iizuka & Minoru Suzuki (0-0) (World Tag League Match)

After quite the extensive undercard we finally began with the Tag League matches. KES faced Iizuka and their own group’s leader, Minoru Suzuki. Iizuka entered through the crowd without anyone from Suzuki Gun walking him out. When Suzuki-gun faces themselves you can bet that they’ll be starting with a brawl around the venue. After a lengthy fight outside the ring the match finally began. Suzuki’s strong style was tested as many times KES would no-sell his shots. After Suzuki was gotten rid of, KES hit a Killer Bomb on Iizuka for the win. The way I perceived the match is that Iizuka’s dirty tactics didn’t work and because of this actually distracted and detrimented him. After the match Suzuki shook hands with KES.

Zack Sabre Jr. & Taichi (0-0) vs. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii (0-0) (World Tag League Match)

The next match was Suzuki-gun versus CHAOS. After maybe 8 minutes of the match Yano got a tag to fight Taichi. Yano undid two corner pads. When turning around from undoing the second one, Taichi hit him with the first one. Taichi ran into an exposed corner then got his long pants ripped off by Yano. A roll-up pin only gave Yano a two count. Yano’s corners worked against his team as Ishii ran into one once he got tagged in. After Ishii was thrown in the corner once again, ZSJ put him in a submission move that Ishii escaped. Yano came in and gave both of his opponents a Fireman’s Carry and another move for each. He gave ZSJ an Inverted Atomic drop after running him into a corner, then Ishii hit a German Suplex for a two count. Taichi took care of Yano while ZSJ did a Penalty Kick and then a roll-up for a two count. Yano hit a clothesline for a close count. The crowd was unglued at this point. ZSJ turned a Vertical Drop Brainbuster into a Triangle Choke. While the ref was looking at Ishii, Taichi hit Yano with a mic-stand. Ishii passed out, ending the match. The match was enjoyable but the ref spot was lazy. The ref was looking for a tap from Ishii, but was also shielding his eyes for no reason? They weren’t even trying with the finish. ZSJ raised Yano’s RPW Championship after the match.

SANADA & EVIL (0-0) vs. Michael Elgin & Jeff Cobb (0-0) (World Tag League Match)

The main event of the second night was SANADA and EVIL facing Michael Elgin and Jeff Cobb. Cobb and SANADA started the match. Cobb and Elgin repeated their spot from Night one where they took turns holding someone upside down. Cobb did an impressive Standing Moonsault but got hit by EVIL’s knees on the way down. When Elgin got tagged in at one point he gave both opponents a Spinning Forearm and then dove to the outside where EVIL was. Elgin tried for a German Suplex but SANADA escaped. SANADA went off the ropes but got Superkicked then hit with the German Suplex upon second attempt. While Cobb was being held back by EVIL, SANADA tried to end the match with with a Skulls End, but Cobb eventually stopped it. Later on SANADA let go of a Skulls Ends to let EVIL do a Magic Killer with him. After Elgin and SANADA were in the ring for the longest time Cobb and EVIL got tagged in. Cobb gave EVIL a Tour of The Islands for a pin that was broken up by SANADA. With SANADA now outside of the ring, Elgin gave EVIL a Superplex, and Cobb did a Standing Moonsault for a kickout. I genuinely believed that would be the finish. After Cobb dodged an Everything Is EVIL, EVIL escaped another Tour of The Islands, did another Magic Killer with SANADA. EVIL landed his Everything is EVIL move to finish the match.

I felt that A Tour of The Islands and the Magic Killer were both done one too many times. While this match entertained by I thought Cobb and Elgin both hitting high spots only to get a clean kickout made them look very weak. This ended the show.

Day 3 (Tuesday):

Note: The whole show won’t be shown as only some matches will be uploaded to NJPWWorld afterwards.

  1. Yuya Uemura & Ayato Yoshida vs. Yujiro Takahashi & Hangman Page
  2. Ren Narita & Shota Umina vs. Taichi & Zack Sabre Jr.
  3. Satoshi Kojima & Hiroyoshi Tenzan vs. Yota Tsuji & Tomoaki Honma
  4. Toa Henare & Togi Makabe (0-1) vs. Manabu Nakanishi & Yuji Nagata (1-0) (World Tag League Match)
  5. Jeff Cobb & Michael Elgin (0-1) vs. Killer Elite Squad (Davey Boy Smith Jr. & Lance Archer) (1-0) (World Tag League Match)
  6. Toru Yano & Tomohiro Ishii (0-1) vs. Takashi Iizuka & Minoru Suzuki (0-1) (World Tag League Match)
  7. David Finlay & Juice Robinson (1-0) vs. Guerrillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa & Tama Tonga) (1-0) (World Tag League Match)
  8. RPG3K (SHO & YOH), Best Friends (Chuckie T & Beretta) & Kazuchika Okada vs. Shingo Takagi, BUSHI, SANADA, EVIL & Tetsuya Naito