The Great Khali hasn't graced a WWE ring in a few years now - not since Jinder Mahal was the WWE Champion, but after the revelation that All Elite Wrestling is working with IMPACT Wrestling in some capacity, I thought it would be a great idea to do an article highlighting some other promotions (at least stateside anyway) that have some easy to access content, especially when you're looking for wrestling alternatives outside of WWE and AEW.
National Wrestling Alliance (NWA) Shockwave
This new show, taking place of their beloved NWA Powerrr series, premiered this week. It only clocked in at a little over 30 minutes, so it made for a nice short, sweet, digestible chuck of wrestling when there's so much out there to check out in any given week. I hope they bring back the "Into The Fire" intro whenever they are able to do Powerrr again regularly. For now, this is a nice substitute. I know things can't be easy right now with the laundry list of departures lately from that company.
Ring of Honor Wrestling
2020 Pure Championship Tournament
I'm not sure that many people are aware, but ROH TV episodes are available for FREE via the FITE TV app/website. The 2020 Pure Championship Tournament starts on Episode #469 and ends on Episode #476. I haven't kept up with their product as closely as I should have, but props should be given to ROH on how well this tournament was presented and the authentic feel to the action to make it feel like a serious, legitimate sport - something that seems to be a foreign concept more often than not in modern day wrestling. Even if you're new to ROH's product, there's something for everyone here as they take the time to introduce each entrant into the tournament individually, while providing time to have them talk about their motivations and why they are here. These sit-down interviews were really good stuff and I was disappointed that more wrestling outlets weren't covering this tournament. That being said, even though the tournament is over and a new champion has been crowned (who you don't have to look too far to find out with a simple Google search), this tournament is worth a look, especially with the talents involved.
They have only started over since shutting down for the last few months due to COVID-19 concerns as of a week in and new episodes of their weekly MLW Fusion series premieres at 7PM EST on Wednesdays. You can watch the episodes on demand on their YouTube channel. I have linked the first two episodes as of this posting below.
MLW's main draw with their "restart" of sorts is the 2020 Opera Cup Tournament.
IMPACT Wrestling
If you don't have AXS TV via your satellite/cable provider, then look no further than IMPACT Wrestling's Twitch channel. They broadcast the show live via their channel at 8PM EST on Tuesdays with a repeat on Fridays weekly, free of charge.
You can also fire up their IMPACT Plus app and watch their One Night Only iPPV events without even having to register for an account.
I feel that a lot of people have been sleeping on IMPACT as of late, especially when they have one of (if not the best to me personally) the best women's divisions from top to bottom in wrestling here in the United States in terms of booking and diversity of talents involved. With AEW dropping the bombshell that they will be working with IMPACT in some capacity in the near-future, I hope more wrestling fans will be willing to give them a fair chance again. The Dixie Carter/Vince Russo regime has been dead and buried ages ago.
Besides, if you want to know where to watch IMPACT Wrestling after that cliffhanger that AEW Dynamite left everyone with on Wednesday night, then look no farther than the link below if your cable/satellite provider doesn't carry AXS TV.
For reviewing the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), I'm not going to dwell into match quality too much as that's not the primary selling point of this modern take on the NWA product. As a result of that, these reactions aren't going to be very long to discuss.
NWA Into the Fire (also stylized Into the 🔥🔥🔥) was a professional wrestling pay-per-view, scripted and produced by NWA that took place on December 14, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. This was the first pay-per-view event produced exclusively by NWA since becoming a singular wrestling promotion. The event takes its name from the 1984 heavy metal single, "Into the Fire" by the American band, Dokken, which was used as the theme song to NWA Power, NWA's weekly wrestling show that debuted on October 8, 2019.
This was the first NWA live broadcast since Jim Cornette's departure after his controversial remarks. Stu Bennett (former WWE Superstar Wade Barrett) made his commentary debut on this show and I thought he didn't do a bad job at all. This was much better than him being the mastermind at the end of Lucha Underground Season 4.
Singles Match
Eli Drake def. Ken Anderson
Physique-wise, Mr. Kennedy is letting himself go as much as Chris Jericho over in AEW. I swear these guys are allergic to a gym... The right man won here though. Drake might not be anywhere near challenging Aldis for the the Seven Pounds of gold, but he's definitely keeping himself in the conversation of talent on the rise to someday challenge him.
Singles Match
Thunder Rosa def. Tasha Steelz
A solid display by both women. I'm surprised that AEW didn't pick up Steelz first, but it seems like NWA made a jump at getting a lot of Latina talent for this show, especially for Melina's faction. After that video package on NWA Powerrr chronicling Rosa's MMA debut, they have painted the picture of her as one hell of a babyface. At this point, I don't see how they are going to continue painting (no pun intended) her as hit woman for Melina's faction.
Singles Match
The Question Mark (with Aron Stevens) def. Trevor Murdoch
(Laughs) I was watching this with a friend at the time and almost spit water all over my new flatscreen TV after he said "Mongrovian karate is as real as that hair glued into Hulk Hogan's dorag these days..."
Tag Team Match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (c) (with Eddie Kingston and Homicide) def. The Wild Cards (Royce Isaacs and Thomas Latimer) (with Dave Dawson and Zane Dawson)
I was shocked that Ricky and Robert retained the titles here. I was certain they were dropping the titles back to the Wild Cards at the PPV. That's honestly the biggest takeaway from this match besides the fact that the former champions have lost to the Rock 'n' Roll Express (who are both pushing 60+ at this point) twice now. Jesus.
Tag Team Match
Allysin Kay and ODB def. Melina and Marti Belle
I swear Melina ages like fine wine. Her Latina curves are even more pronounced with age.
Melina barely got involved here and when she did, she got a little heel heat onto herself and immediately backed off for Marti Belle to take over and take the lumps from Allysin Kay and ODB. ODB is a natural fit for NWA and I'm surprised that they didn't bring her in sooner. I guess Billy Corgan didn't want to start off the company with the negative stigma of ex-TNA talent filling up the bulk of the roster. I don't see an issue with that, especially when they have a wealth of the great talkers from that company from over the years. Allysin and ODB pick up a rather questionable win here, but at least Marti took the pin instead of Melina.
The best part of ODB's inclusion on this PPV came after the match where ODB flirted with Joe Galli in the studio in the way only she could. That segment was worth the viewing of this show alone.
Triple Threat match for the NWA National Championship
Aron Stevens (with The Question Mark) def. Colt Cabana (c) and Ricky Starks
Stevens sat back and hid behind the Christmas decor instead of wrestling in this match.
The sad part about this match is that majority of it was wasted on everyone being distracted by Aron Stevens' comedic actions going on at ringside while Starks and Cabana actually had a serious wrestling match going on in the ring. All of that proved fruitful for Stevens as the Question Mark assisted him in picking up the win.
Nick Aldis (c) def. James Storm 2 falls to 1 Two-out-of-three falls match for the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
James Storm won the first fall while Aldis won the second, only for Tim Storm to come in after a referee bump to sub in for the third and final fall. The match itself wasn't bad, especially knowing what to expect from these two men (Aldis and Storm are great at their craft and don't do anything to overstay their welcome) with the narrative being that Aldis did everything within his power to keep the Seven Pounds of Gold within his grasp, even when it came down to seemingly "disowning" Kamille to do so.
After this event, Tim Storm was made to look like a fool when Aldis revealed his master plan all along and had Kamille lay him out as he formally introduced his "Strictly Business" faction, consisting of himself, the Wild Cards, and Kamille.
Kamille gave Storm one hell of a spear, I'll say that much. Since it's all in the open now, Kamille and Latimer aren't hiding their real life relationship either for the sake of kayfabe.
Kamille with her then boyfriend, WWE Superstar Braun Strowman.
(Laughs) I guess Kamille wasn't satisfied with "Those Hands" from Strowman... She's currently dating Thom Latimer in the Wild Cards and you can tell that they aren't keeping their affections a secret on television. In a weird twist of irony, Charlotte Flair's ex-husband ends up with the woman who looks better than her physically in more ways than one.
At Into the Fire, NWA Worlds Champion Nick Aldis was confronted by Marty Scurll after his title defense. In response, Aldis and the Strictly Business stable attacked Scurll and his Villain Enterprises teammates at Ring of Honor's (ROH) Saturday Night at Center Stage and Honor Reigns Supreme events. On January 14, the NWA announced that Aldis would face Villain Enterprises' Flip Gordon in an interpromotional match at Hard Times.
NWA World Television Championship Tournament First Round Match
Trevor Murdoch def. The Question Mark
I figured this was payback for Murdock losing to the Question Mark during their previous match on Into The Fire the month prior. At this point, you have to be crazy not to realize that the Question Mark is Josephus
NWA World Television Championship Tournament First Round Match
Dan Maff def. Zicky Dice
No surprise here at all. I can see why ROH jumped at the opportunity to sign this guy. This match was over and done faster than a hiccup. Zicky didn't have a chance.
NWA World Television Championship Tournament First Round Match
Ricky Starks def. Matt Cross
I'm not going to lie. I thought Starks was losing this here, especially with Matt Cross debuting for the company in this bout. I haven't see Cross unmasked in so long that I almost forgot what he looked like when I was so used to his Son of Havoc days in Lucha Underground.
Triple Threat Tag Team Match for the NWA World Tag Team Championship
Eli Drake and James Storm def. The Rock 'n' Roll Express (Ricky Morton and Robert Gibson) (c) and The Wild Cards (Royce Isaacs and Thom Latimer) (with Kamille and May Valentine)
I'll say this much about May Valentine. She has a very unique look to her presence on this show. The Wild Cards, along with the rest of Aldis' Strictly Business stable, already have Kamille for the intimidation factor at ringside. I just don't see what May contributes to their group, outside of being a foil to Royce Isaacs at times. At least, she's easy on the eyes though.
Speaking of Kamille, she wasn't opposed to playing nice with the old folks, namely Robert Gibson. That provided the distraction that allowed Eli Drake and James Storm to pick up the win though. IMO that was the right call as you don't want to keep the tag belts on Ricky and Robert for too long. The nostalgia was a feel good moment from the last few weeks, but it was time to move on, even better that Storm was able to capture a consolation prize since he couldn't beat Aldis for the Seven Pounds of Gold at Into The Fire.
Singles Match for the NWA World Women's Championship
Thunder Rosa def. Allysin Kay (c)
Out of anything else on this card, go out of your way to watch this match. This is the first in-ring encounter between these two women (at least in this company to my knowledge...) and it didn't disappoint. They would hold a televised rematch on a follow-up episode of NWA Powerrr, but it wasn't anywhere as good as this first outing.
NWA World Television Championship Tournament Semifinal Match
Trevor Murdoch def. Dan Maff
Dan Maff is one of ROH's most recent signees or rather returns and I can easily see why. The big dude can really go. Murdoch manages to pull off an upset win here where I was convinced that Maff was going to take it.
NWA World Television Championship Tournament Semifinal Match
Ricky Starks def. Tim Storm
I honestly thought Tim Storm was going to put Starks to posture here. Once again, I was proven wrong. Momma Storm had to hang her head down in shame.
Scott Steiner def. Aron Stevens (c) (with The Question Mark) by disqualification Singles match for the NWA National Championship
I was hoping that we were going to get the title to change hands here, but no dice. I really want to know how NWA are able to use Steiner's old WWE music here though. It has to be something with how Dave Lagana and whoever else Billy Corgin bought the rights of music from were able to use it without any backlash.
If they want to make Stevens' karate gimmick have a few more laughs then they should make him start doing those grunts and shouts like Jason David Frank did on Power Rangers back in the day.
Nick Aldis (c) def. Flip Gordon NWA vs. ROH interpromotional match for the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Championship
Maybe it was just me, but I couldn't care less about this match. There wasn't much drama going into this match outside of the loose connection to Marty Scurll as it felt like a knee-jerk reaction at the last minute when it was obvious that they were just biding their time until the next PPV. I'm not going to say that this match was awful, but it was easily forgettable.
Ricky Starks def. Trevor Murdoch Tournament final match to determine the new NWA World Television Champion
By this point, I was honestly burnt out on this tournament. My friendly word of advice is to NOT do all of the tournament in one night and split it up across the the weeks leading up to the PPV only up to the semi-finals. Murdoch was working with an ailing arm (kayfabe injury) while Starks was running on fumes at this point. I didn't understand Starks' gimmick until now where it just clicked that he's supposed to be like a flamboyant take on The Rock in terms of his mannerisms and promos. I didn't have a problem with Starks picking up the win as it elevates his rising star status in the promotion and inches him closer towards the Seven Pounds of Gold. They would reveal after this PPV that Starks could challenge for the World title if he successfully retains the title after seven defenses in what they referred to the Lucky 7 rule. An interesting twist on things for sure. It keeps things interesting for the next string of television tapings until the Crockett Cup in April.
Thoughts on the Product So Far
This modern take on the NWA is a refreshing breath of fresh air in comparison to everything else out there in the modern landscape of wrestling on television currently. Previously, I flocked to Lucha Underground for that "alternative" that I craved, only to see majority of those talents making up the rosters of both WWE, AEW, New Japan, MLW, Impact Wrestling, and even Ring of Honor currently. There's not a major promotion out there who isn't capitalizing on the exposure that those talents brought to the table. As a result, that particular style of wrestling became overexposed. Everyone is slapping their thighs for super kicks and doing dives without rhyme or reason to garner cheap pops. Even though the current NWA roster is littered with ex-WWE and Impact talent, it's not the matches that keep me invested - it's the promos and this intimate, personal studio setting. That passion and fire from promos is lacking a LOT in modern day wrestling where fans (I'm guilty of this too) have weighed work rate and in-ring ability over anything else in terms of success to be a "good" wrestler. Back in the day, talents could talk people into buildings better than the guys today who have to nearly kill themselves for a pop. Over the years, I'll come to miss the great talkers in professional wrestling, but the NWA has given me that back in some capacity.
I thought this image would be appropriate for the month of October since we had the formal beginning of the high-anticipated "Wednesday Night Wars" between WWE and All Elite Wrestling. Between a death in my family and so many other roadblocks and obstacles in my life over the past month, I found myself getting further and further behind on commenting on the ongoings of professional wrestling in the month of October that I decided to bring back this concept to comment on everything of note over the past few weeks in one place for those interested. Don't count on me to do this every month, but this is a rare exception since I found myself so far behind on my blogging as a whole.
I'm not covering every wrestling broadcast in the month of October, I'm just commenting on several broadcasts of note over the past few weeks, including AEW Dynamite, WWE NXT on USA Network, the debut of NWA Powerrr, Impact Wrestling, and wrapping up with a few thoughts on WWE programming and recent wrestling-related news.
The Wednesday Night Wars Have Begun:
Week 1: October 2, 2019
All Elite Wrestling Dynamite
Results:
Cody Rhodes def. Sammy Guevera
As an opener, this match was fine, but I can't say that it did anything to blow me away.
MJF def. Brandon Cutler via submission
A complete nothing match and missed opportunity. Why feature MJF (arguably one of the best heel talkers today) on this show when he doesn't even get any mic time?
PAC def. Adam Page via Referee's Stoppage (Submission)
This was great. Excellent way to get over PAC's submission hold too by actually letting him beat people with it.
Riho def. Nyla Rose (AEW Women's World Championship)
Here's the thing. I enjoyed this match when I was watching it live, but as I'm reflecting back on it, it wasn't that great at all. Keep Britt Baker FAR away from commentary. She did nothing to contribute to this match in that regard. Riho and Nyla had a few great David vs. Goliath spots, but I thought the wrong person won here. The 90 lbs. Japanese schoolgirl somehow toppled the 200+ lbs. Native American female powerhouse in a match that was a little too balanced for my taste, especially for these underdog battles. If you want to see a great female David vs. Goliath match, look no further than the original Awesome Kong vs. Gail Kim feud in Impact Wrestling. I thought the post-match bit didn't do this match any favors either with Kenny Omega running out to make the save and Nyla backing off from him like a coward. Nyla should have beaten the piss out of everyone following that loss if they wanted to maintain her "monster" credibility. I would like to note that Nyla being transgender shouldn't be frowned upon either as I saw a wealth of people saying that wasn't fair that she was able to compete for the Women's Championship. Let me remind you that WWE had a man win the Women's Championship in drag before along with a similar incident with Santino Marella winning the Miss WrestleMania Battle Royal too, so get the fuck out of here with that noise. I'm for equal opportunities as much as the next person in my wrestling. It's 2019 for crying out loud. Get with the times.
Kenny Omega and The Young Bucks vs. Chris Jericho, Santana, and Ortiz
Outside of Moxley laying out Omega backstage with a Paradigm Shift through that coffee table, this was a nothing match. It lost me when Moxley attacked Omega RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE F'N REFEREE and the idiot didn't even call off the match. Instead, the match goes on aimlessly outside of dives and high spots. The only noteworthy thing about this main event was the heels laying out the Bucks, Cody, and Dustin Rhodes as a result of the numbers game when they were joined by the now heel Sammy Guevara and the debuting Jake Hager (formerly Jack Swagger in WWE). I gotta admit that seeing Hager got a groan of disgust from me as the sour finale of Lucha Underground is still fresh in my mind when he was revealed to be the "Geese Howard" of their underground crime syndicate in the show's mythos. Dude did nothing for me in Lucha Underground Season 4 and I'm not expecting much from him here. I am intrigued to see where this big faction that Jericho is surrounding himself with goes though.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Results:
NXT Championship Match - Adam Cole (c) def. Matt Riddle; Finn Balor returns post-match
Io Shirai def. Mia Yim
Promo package for Tegan Nox's recovery from her knee injury
NXT Tag Team Championship: Undisputed Era (c) def. Street Profits
Tommaso Ciampa returns as Undisputed Era celebrated together with all of the gold
Week 2: October 9, 2019
All Elite Wrestling Dynamite
Results:
AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament First Round Match: Private Party def. The Young Bucks
Easily the highlight of this show. I have always heard good things about Private Party from their House of Glory days, but this was essentially their coming out party for the AEW audience with the upset of this entire tournament. I sure as hell had the Bucks pegged to go over here in the first round.
Number One Contender Match: Darby Allin def. Jimmy Havoc
I was surprised to see Allin actually win a match with that damn Coffin Drop for once.
Riho and Dr. Britt Baker def. Emi Sakura and Bea Priestly
Jon Moxley def. Shawn Spears
It hasn't taken Shawn Spears no time at all to be dead in the water just like he was in WWE in a brand new environment.
Chris Jericho and Sammy Guevara def. Dustin Rhodes and Adam Page
Jericho formally introduced his faction earlier in the show as the Inner Circle and I could help but laugh thinking back to Fox Kids settling on that name for the Hellfire Club in X-Men: The Animated Series as the PG alternative. I seriously doubt that Jericho is much of a comic book fan to get the relevance here in relation to wrestling with the irony that they went with that name.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Results:
Cruiserweight Championship Match: Lio Rush def. Drew Gulak
Note: The title is now known as the “NXT Cruiserweight Championship.”
I honestly was surprised to see Lio Rush go over. I thought he was one hell of an in-ring talent before joining WWE and I'm glad he got a chance to showcase that instead of being Lashley's stooge on the main roster.
Rhea Ripley def. Aliyah by submission with a gorilla clutch (pictured above). After the match, Ripley said that she’s coming for Shayna Baszler.
Forgotten Sons def. Breezango. Breezango was scheduled to wrestle Ever-Rise, but the Forgotten Sons beat them up and took their spot. Steve Cutler pinned Fandango after the Sons’ jumping stomp/reverse DDT combination.
Cameron Grimes def. Boa instantly with a jumping double-stomp. Killian Dain showed up and attacked them both.
5. NXT North American Champion Roderick Strong def. Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott by submission with the Stronghold. Undisputed Era came down to the ring after the match to check on Strong and were interrupted by the Velveteen Dream, who showed a picture of Strong naked with the North American Championship, and a photoshopped picture of Strong without it. Dream will challenge strong for the title in two weeks. Tomasso Ciampa also made an appearance, telling “Goldie” that “daddy’s home.”
Bianca Belair defeated Dakota Kai. Belair pinned Kai after the KOD. After the match, Belair said that if Rhea Ripley wants to get to Shayna Baszler, she’ll have to go through her first.
WALTER defeated KUSHIDA. KUSHIDA got hit with a shotgun dropkick and kicked out of a powerbomb, but fell to a ripcord lariat. Imperium posed on the stage to end the show.
Week 3: October 16, 2019
All Elite Wrestling Dynamite
Results:
AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: SCU def. Best Friends
I thought Best Friends' gimmick was stupid when they were in New Japan and Ring of Honor and I STILL think it's stupid now too. The right team went over here and advanced in the tag team tournament.
Santana and Ortiz def. John Silver and Alex Reynolds
Hard to tell who was supposed to be the heels and faces when the former LAX members were acting like they were the biggest faces in the company during this match. At least Jericho sold them as heels when they made the challenge against the Bucks at Full Gear.
AEW Women's Championship Match: Riho (c) def. Dr. Britt Baker DMD
I dunno what the fuck this was supposed to be. Britt Baker and Riho don't have any sort of in-ring chemistry with each other. On top of that, I don't see what was the point of having this match when they are supposed to be elevating Britt Baker as one of their top women, only to have her get beat here - clean no less. Shouldn't Britt Baker be in a program with Bea Priestly who screwed her out of the title match in the first place?
AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: Lucha Bros. def. Jurassic Express (Marko Stunt subbed in for the injured Luchasaurus)
Jim Cornette went on a tirade about Marko Stunt being in this match ruined the entire show for him, but I didn't react that negatively to his inclusion. I was fine with Stunt from the little that I saw of him in MLW since there were guys like Ace Romero who were beating the piss out of him, despite him mounting a little of offense. Here, he was like a damn wrestling machine against the Lucha Bros who had to legitimately sell everything that he was throwing at them, causing me to just shake my head at moments, especially during the near-falls. There should have been at least one big moment where he got fired up, only to get cut off by the heels until he got the hot tag to Jungle Boy. Then Jungle Boy could have fought the Lucha Bros off to an extent, only for Stunt to eat the pin in the end anyway. This match shouldn't have dragged out nowhere as long as it did either. I'm not saying that it should have been a squash but with Luchasaurus on the bench, there's no reason to try to sell that Marko Stunt was equally as formidable in this pairing. His job should be merely be the guy who eats the pin and get beat on this team.
Kenny Omega and Adam Page def. PAC and Jon Moxley
Omega and Moxley attempted to bring weapons into play here, but PAC acted as the voice of reason by throwing the weapons out of the ring to avoid getting disqualified. PAC ate a Paradigm Shift from Moxley for his trouble followed by finishers from Omega and Page to eat the pin here. I didn't see the point of "jobbing" out PAC here when he's the one with the undefeated singles record going on when AEW is trying to convince their audience that wins and losses matter here.
Philadelphia Street Fight for the AEW World Championship: Chris Jericho (c) def. Darby Allin
Allin's hands were tied behind his back by Jericho with duct tape but he was still mounting offense. After a well-placed haymaker from Jake Hager, Allin was grounded long enough for Jericho to lock him in the Liontamer to win the match. I get that Jericho wanted to "make" Allin a bigger star by working with him here, but in a sense, he lowered his own value in a sense that he couldn't beat this scrawny kid without the assist from Hager.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Results:
Tommaso Ciampa def. Angel Garza
After the match, Undisputed Era showed up to intimidate Ciampa. Instead of attacking him, they handed him a mysterious USB drive. The USB contained footage of Undisputed Era beating up Velveteen Dream backstage.
This was done to write Dream off NXT television since his back injury is apparently worse than originally let on.
Imperium (Fabian Aichner and Marcel Barthel) def. Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch
Not a bad match, but ultimately couldn't hold my attention span as everyone was bald and/or wearing black trunks. At one point, I couldn't tell who was who between Oney and Burch and the Imperium guys.
Io Shirai def. Kayden Carter, fka Lacey Lane
William Regal said that Velveteen Dream won’t be cleared in time for his NXT North American Championship match. Roderick Strong will now defend his North American Championship against the winner of tonight’s Keith Lee vs. Dominic Dijakovic match.
Keith Lee vs. Dominic Dijakovic ended in a disqualification when Strong ran in and attacked the wrestlers with his belt. Regal told him that was clever, but not clever enough because now he will have to defend the North American Championship against both Dominic Dijakovic and Keith Lee next week.
Matt Riddle def. Bronson Reed
I swear Bronson Reed reminds me of that kid from Deadpool 2 crossed with Bull Dempshey from the early NXT days...
Tegan Nox defeated Taynara
Taynara needs a better gimmick than she's latina and knows mixed martial arts.
Killian Dain def. Boa Who's Cheerios did Boa piss in to get jobbed out for three weeks in a row?
Damian Priest def. Pete Dunne. Priest hit Dunne with a low blow when the referee couldn’t see it, then hit The Reckoning for the win.
This was easily the best match on this show for this week with Dunne going above and beyond to make the former Punishment Martinez look like a star in this match. I said it when he was in ROH too, but Priest is essentially Baron Corbin if he could move and actually had in-ring ability.
Week 4: October 23, 2019
All Elite Wrestling Dynamite
Results:
AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: Lucha Bros. def. Private Party
I think a lot of the excitement was taken out of the building when Private Party lost here when they already pulled the upset victory over the Bucks in the opening round. That was a hard decision to make with both of these fan-favorite teams crossing paths. One thing keeps annoying me though with these Private Party matches. If they are going to keep doing that combination RKO/Cutter move, then stop bastardizing it with near-falls and save it as a finish. Not winning with that move isn't doing it any favors. It's just like Rollins' Superplex to Falcon Arrow spot where he only won off that move like ONCE (Ziggler fell to it if memory serves). Any other time it's a damn near-fall in television matches and my cue to go to the bathroom or check Twitter.
AEW Tag Team Championship Tournament Match: SCU def. The Dark Order
Nobody cared about this match once the Inner Circle was shown up in the VIP Booth watching this match. What followed afterwards was an excellent exchange between Cody and Jericho that led to a backstage brawl between the Inner Circle against Cody, MJF, Dustin Rhodes, and goddamn Diamond Dallas Page. I dare say that brawl was the best thing on this entire episode.
Kenny Omega def. Joey Janela
These two had a match on AEW Dark that got rave reviews from the insanity that these two put their bodies through, but this match was tame in comparison.
The Young Bucks def. Best Friends
No matter what you may think of Orange Cassidy's gimmick, I think we can all agree that the Bucks killed any "credibility" he had right at the start when they laid him out with the Super Kicks after no selling (as they should) his stupid shin kicks and looking at him like he was a dumbass.
Video Package for Britt Baker's connection to Pittsburgh
This was really good in propping her up as the hometown heroine. Where was this type of package in the months leading up to their TV debut?
Dr. Britt Baker DMD def. Jamie Hayter, Brandi Rhodes laid out Hayter backstage
If this was WWE, Britt Baker would've lost right here too but AEW made the right call with her going over. I think this was her best match to date too. Is it just me or is AEW booking their women's division in reverse? Shouldn't they have done this BEFORE she fought Riho? I have no idea what that Brandi Rhodes attack was about and honestly don't care at this point.
PAC vs. Jon Moxley went to a time limit draw
Unlike most people, I didn't have a problem with the time limit draw as they telegraphed it easily enough anyway with the timekeeper's constant calls about how much time was left. What annoyed me was that PAC and Moxley weren't showing any signs of urgency. They just kept working the same slow, methodical match like they had all night here.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Results:
Rhea Ripley def. Bianca Belair. Io Shirai interfered and attacked Ripley, and Belair hit a spear, but Ripley kicked out at two. Candice LeRae evened up the odds to take out Shirai, and Ripley was able to counter a double chicken-wing into the Riptide to win the match.
Matt Riddle def. Cameron Grimes
Riddle even hit a damn Jackhammer at one point, causing the Full Sail crowd to usher in some "Rid-dle" chants like he was Goldberg. I get confused watching matches like this though as I have no idea who is supposed to be going over or getting the rub so to speak - even more confusing that I don't know who is supposed to be the heel or face in this match either.
Breezango and Isaiah ‘Swerve’ Scott def. The Forgotten Sons. Breezango were dressed as sexy pilots. Their mystery partner, Scott, won the match by pinning Wesley Blake after a kick to the head.
The former Shane Strictland (also Killshot in Lucha Underground) was the star of this match even though I had no idea what the hell was going on when Breezango made their entrance. I swear they need to start over with the Forgotten Sons. This act is as dead on arrival as the Dark Order in AEW.
Angel Garza def. Jack Gallagher.
Number One Contender Match for Women’s Tag Team Championship: Dakota Kai and Tegan Nox def. Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. After the match, champions the Kabuki Warriors taunted Nox and Kai on the video screen.
Can I rave about how much I love that WWE are going all in with this Asuka and Kairi Sane heel turn? I love that they are finally allowing the Women's Tag Team Champions show up at Full Sail too after Bayley and Sasha Banks initially promised that back at the start of the year.
North American Championship Match: Roderick Strong (c) def. Keith Lee and Dominik Dijakovic. Lee and Dijakovic took out Strong on the outside and tried to finish their match one-on-one. Lee hit a Spirit Bomb off the ropes onto Dijakovic, but Strong snuck in, hit a running kick to Lee’s face, and won the match.
After the match, Tommaso Ciampa interrupted Undisputed Era’s celebration. Johnny Gargano and Finn Bálor showed up to stand beside Ciampa and even the odds. Bálor immediately attacked Gargano, leaving Ciampa to get beaten down by Undisputed Era 4-on-1. Bálor continued the attack on Gargano at ringside, putting him through the security railing and spiking him on the floor.
I had Finn Balor's heel turn spoiled by FAR too many people while I was watching the tail end of AEW, but it was great stuff nonetheless, especially since this means we'll get Prince Devitt-style direction for him instead of the smiling, cheeky Finn Balor of the past.
Week 5: October 30, 2019
All Elite Wrestling Dynamite
Results:
Hiraku Shida def. Shanna
I don't know if Shanna signed with AEW or not (Note: She actually signed with them after this episode aired), but I took joy in seeing her bootilicious curves on my television - even though I thought she was a ringer for whenever the next Mae Young Classic would end up. I thought this took a while (some sloppy spots at the start) before both women found their groove/chemistry working together before it turned out better than I was expecting going in.
I have no idea what the fuck was that crap with Brandi Rhodes and Awesome Kong was supposed to be. I swear, AEW is definitely shitting the bed when it comes to their women's division. C'mon make me care about this stuff, folks.
SCU def. The Lucha Bros. to become the first ever AEW Tag Team Champions
Lackluster finale to this tournament with an anti-climatic finish off a roll-up. All of this hype just for that? Didn't seem like the live crowd weren't too pleased about that either.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Results:
The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) def. Team Kick (Tegan Nox & Dakota Kai) to retain the WWE Women's Tag Team Championships
This wasn't a bad match at all. I was just a little surprised to see Nox and Kai in a title match so quickly after this pairing came to fruition. Kai's face got soaked in that mist for the finish and it didn't look like she was ready to take that InSane Elbow to the spine at all. That bump looked brutal (rightfully so for the heels) and added to the drama of the finish. Very well done here.
Women's War Games Match Announced
NXT Women's Champion Shayna Baszler, Jessamyn Duke, and Marina Safir all charged the ring to lay out Team Kick following their loss only for Rhea Ripley, Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, and Io Shirai to join in the chaos. William Regal sought out to regain order of this situation and decreed for the first ever Women's War Games match. I was hoping for Imperium versus Undisputed Era this year, but I'm willing to give the ladies a fair chance to see what they can bring to the table in this. Shayna and Rhea have been named the team captains respectively.
If I can do fantasy booking for a second, here's how I would have laid out this match:
Shayna, Jessamyn, Marina vs. Io Shirai, Kabuki Warriors vs. Team Kick & Candice LeRae vs. Rhea, Bianca Belair, and Mia Yim since they've all been involved with each other in some capacity over the last few episodes. Then you can debut the trio of Deonna Purrazzo, Chelsea Green, and Santana Garrett (that they've been teasing on social media) post-match to lay out whoever wins. A lot of bodies for one match, BUT you got two rings to work with.
Month One Consensus:
AEW Dynamite
It's only taken less than a month and I think the lack of depth in AEW's talent pool has been exposed already. The best (and more importantly the must-see) stuff in the promotion is coming from the ex-WWE talents in their main event scene, namely Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes. I'm more engaged in their program going into their PPV next month over anything else on their product. From as many talented women they have signed, I have seen next to nothing that makes me want to see more from the AEW Women's Division. For example, they have signed Lucha Underground alumni Ivelisse and we haven't seen her at all. Sadie Gibbs had a pretty sweet vignette going on their iPPVs leading up to their last PPV prior to Dynamite starting on TNT but we haven't seen her on these television broadcasts either. From those reports that her and Bea Priestly had a legit brawl backstage following their last iPPV, that would have been great to play off on television the weeks following that. Instead, we get nothing from that.
After that cold finish to the Tag Team Championship Tournament, I think the hype behind AEW's tag team division has cooled down a bit. Luchasaurus is sidelined with an injury so their hottest act going into their weekly live television premiere is derailed. You have to be crazy to think that Marko Stunt and Jungle Boy can carry that team solo until he's back from injury. The Dark Order's gimmick is dead in the water, despite those two guys being solid workers. The Best Friends (along with Orange Cassidy) are over with AEW's niche crowd, but that gimmick isn't going to do anything to draw in any new or casual fans. Outside of SCU, Lucha Bros, and the Bucks and Santana & Ortiz (who are part of the main event scene surrounding Cody and Jericho), the rest of their tag division seem like cannon fodder on paper from what we've seen so far. I still have high hopes for Private Party who pretty much had their coming out party (no pun intended) during this tag team tournament. Glad to see that more people are seeing how great those guys are; same goes for Angelico and Jack Evans. On paper, AEW still has arguably the best tag team division from top to bottom in wrestling today. It's just a matter of getting this thing to catch fire once again.
If I have any major problem with AEW's product as it stands, it's the constant shots and references to WWE. Don't worry about them. You guys are better than that. Worry about your own shit then acknowledge them when your show is still alive and kicking a couple years after the fact. Otherwise, it comes off as the bitter ex-employees showing up in Impact Wrestling back in the early 2000s following the flop of the original Invasion angle. Then again, AEW's niche audience gets off on all of that and eat it up in droves. I'm not the type of wrestling fan that they are marketing to and selling their product towards. I'm not one of the fans who have followed the Elite guys throughout their entire indie careers and live and breathe off their Being The Elite YouTube content. As good as their content is in that avenue, it would be far more beneficial to provide that on these weekly broadcasts instead of expecting your fans to continue to seek out character development or introduction to your roster members on YouTube of all places. To be fair, I've praised stuff like Rosemary and Allie's Masters of the Multiverse series on YouTube in the past as it was great insights into their wrestling personas while at the same time it was NEVER canon nor required to whatever they had going on in their current wrestling feuds and angles across multiple promotions.
WWE NXT on USA Network
Here's the thing with NXT on USA Network now that they have been extended to two hours. I said this back when they started two weeks ago as a "head start" on AEW and I'll say it again now: that second hour is to their detriment. NXT is filled to the brim with talent at the Performance Center to the point where there's reports that they are even running out of lockers to give new talent down there, so it's to their benefit to have more television time to showcase all of the talent that they have down there. At the same time, I feel like these shows are dragging more and more as the weeks go on. Don't get me wrong. NXT's match quality is still in a league of its own every week, but between AEW and NXT, they both have the same problem of booking matches back-to-back with little to no filler or segments/vignettes to break things up. NXT has the novelty that most of their dedicated fanbase already know who majority of their featured talent is while AEW has the same issue going on with the redundancy of matches back-to-back with little to no filler. When both shows have taken the time to do promotional packages and/or vignettes for highlight ongoing feuds, introducing new characters, or simply hyping up an upcoming match it has been to both AEW and NXT's benefit.
I feel like they don't have to feel the need to compete with whatever AEW has going on simultaneously over on TNT. They could do whatever they were doing previously in terms of booking and still draw the same amount of fans watching NXT who were dedicated to the product from watching on the WWE Network on a weekly basis. There's no reason to stack these cards up like they are mini-TakeOver specials to "compete" with AEW Dynamite. The only thing they are doing is burning out both the audiences and the talent (with NXT already suffering with a few noteworthy injuries - Velveteen Dream's back injury and Adam Cole working hurt from his possible broken wrist injury) from this type of booking in the long haul.
WWE Hell in a Cell (Oct. 6, 2019)
Quick Results:
Natalya def. Lacey Evans by submission
Hell in a Cell Match for the WWE Raw Women's Championship - Becky Lynch (c) def. Sasha Banks by submission
Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns defeated Erick Rowan and Luke Harper
Randy Orton defeated Ali
Tag Team Match for the WWE Women's Tag Team Championship - The Kabuki Warriors (Asuka and Kairi Sane) defeated Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross (c)
The Viking Raiders (Ivar and Erik) and Braun Strowman defeated The O.C. (AJ Styles, Luke Gallows, and Karl Anderson) by disqualification
Chad Gable defeated King Corbin
Singles match for the WWE SmackDown Women's Championship - Charlotte Flair defeated Bayley (c) by submission
Singles Match for the WWE Universal Championship - Seth Rollins (c) vs. "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt ended by referee stoppage
Long story short, this was a nothing PPV that was highlighted by the opener in Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks in HIAC, but the only thing everyone will remember about this show is the biblical level of stupidity in terms of WWE booking of the main event's finish. For the second year in a row, we have seen a HIAC match end in a no contest when this match has been historically known for going well beyond the limits of mere mortals. What this match came down to was that WWE realized that they booked themselves into a corner when they shouldn't have booked this match in the first place when they didn't want to beat the Fiend this early in his push. I don't see what was so hard to make about this decision. Seth Rollins has been putting his own foot into his mouth for months now after winning that title back and people want that thing off of him. Strap that rocket on the Fiend with the title win here and launch that dude to the moon. He's literally printing money for you people as long as you don't fuck this up, but low and behold, WWE finds a way to fuck shit up. And rightfully so, EVERYONE called WWE out on their stupidity here tonight.
Hey WWE, let us know if you need advice on how to craft logical and coherent storylines with satisfying finishes #HIAC
That's sad when even Brazzers of all people calls out your piss poor storylines and booking.
The only other thing of note from this show is that the loss to Charlotte Flair here would serve as the catalyst for Bayley's complete "transformation" into a heel on the following week of SmackDown! seven days later where she would win the SmackDown! Women's Championship right back.
This change was welcome and needed for a while now. I was hoping she was going to flip the fuck out like Tonya Harding but I'll take this for now.
Too bad Bayley had to shit the bed on the "explanation" for the change in her promo during MizTV the following week. One would think that she would have this whole heel turn planned out from as long they have been dragging their feet on doing the full turn/transformation.
Impact Wrestling
Bound For Glory 2019 Results & Afterthoughts
IMPACT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP (NO DQ MATCH)
Brian Cage (c) defeated Sami Callihan
I was thoroughly entertained that Cage (dressed like X-Men's Wolverine with claws to boot) charged town to the ring and went straight to business after what Callihan did to his wife, Melissa Santos. FYI if you haven't seen their wedding played out on Impact Wrestling programming do yourself a favor and check that segment out as it's comedy gold at moments just from how all of the talent interacts with each other. As for this match itself, it's pretty much what we've come to expect from these two. Sami Callihan has a threshold for pain and punishment while Cage is almost invulnerable to the same treatment, completely no selling a sequence at the end of this match that I was convinced was the finish, only to kick out at one. That was up there with that finish in Lucha Underground that pissed me off where Pentagon broke both of his arms, did the Pentagon Driver on top of a few chairs, a Curb Stomp through a pile of cinder blocks, AND a damn Pentagon Driver through the table from the top rope only to end it there after all of that when any of those moves on their own could have ended it. I was convinced that Callihan would win the title here as the natural progression of this storyline, but I can see that they wanted Cage to defend his wife's honor in that respect with a successful title win. Either way, I was fine with how this ended with the nice image of Cage celebrating retaining the title by having his wife in the ring with him as the show came to a close.
Moose defeated Ken Shamrock
Shamrock is in amazing shape to say that his face has aged more than Sylvester Stallone's. That being said, this was a hit or miss match. At the same time, I didn't think the match didn't overstay it's welcome and wouldn't mind if Shamrock wanted to do another match or two. I mean, c'mon, Impact could use another OG veteran to help put over some of their younger talent.
IMPACT X-DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP (LADDER MATCH)
Ace Austin defeated Jake Crist (c), Tessa Blanchard, Daga, and Ace Romero to win the X Division Championship.
Even though I'm starting to tire with all of these "extreme" matches in modern wrestling, I'll admit that this was a fun match to watch play out. Tessa fit right at home with the boys and I have absolutely no problem with her competing with boys for the X-Division Championship. Ace Romero took a terrifying bump through those tables at ringside towards the end. I hope he's alright to say that they just signed that guy. I hope they would quit downplaying Daga and allow him to shine in the coming months. That was my biggest regret about him in Lucha Underground. He was part of Kobra Moon's Reptile Tribe, but I never felt like he had many chances to shine in that promotion when I have seen him work wonders with his athleticism in other Mexican promotions. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he gets to shine in Impact. Jake Crist is the bumping machine for oVe and that stable played their parts perfectly as the roadblock that denied Tessa Blanchard the title when I was convinced that she had this match won, only for Ace Austin to steal the win from underneath everyone's noses. I wasn't too keen on that guy when he first started in Impact, but I have been slowly warming up to him over the past few months. I'm just not a fan of his "flirting" with another man's wife angle as he's been trying to woo Alisha Edwards into his company.
Michael Elgin defeated Naomichi Marufuji
After his runs in New Japan, Michael Elgin is no stranger to working the strong style, but this was the match I wanted to see the most going in to this PPV anyway and it didn't disappoint. I wanted Marufuji to go over, but I understand why Elgin picked up the win as Impact are wisely establishing him as the next big thing to go after the World Title within the next few months.
IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP
The North (c) defeated Rich Swann & Willie Mack, and Rhino & Rob Van Dam
This match wasn't much to write home about as the main thing I remember about it was RVD's heel turn. I'm sure RVD fans can enlighten me but is this the first time in his career that he's gone heel? If so that's a welcome change in direction for him. I'm anxious to see where this goes.
IMPACT KNOCKOUTS CHAMPIONSHIP
Taya Valkyrie (c) defeated Tenille Dashwood
I was really surprised that Tenille Dashwood didn't win the title here. I was convinced that Taya was dropping the title and leaving the company like her husband John Morrison/Johnny Mundo/Johnny Impact did a few months prior. No idea on how many months she has left on her current Impact deal though. I'm surprised that she's still undefeated at this point as she's beaten just about every woman on their roster to keep that belt over the past year.
20-PERSON CALL YOUR SHOT GAUNTLET MATCH
Eddie Edwards wins and will receive a future title shot of his choosing.
DARK MATCH
The Rascalz (Trey, Wentz, and Dezmond Xavier) defeated Dr. Wagner Jr., Aerostar and Taurus
DARK MATCH
Madison Rayne defeated Shotzi Blackheart
This match was shown as part of the "We Are Impact" special on AXS TV along with the match with the Rascalz against Dr. Wagner Jr., Aerostar, and Taurus. Nothing much to write home about other than being two solid affairs, with this match being part of Shotzi's goodbye tour to the indies before committing full-time to NXT and the WWE Performance Center.
Impact Wrestling debuts on AXS TV
Fallah Bahh SPEAKS
I haven't laughed this hard in a while from Impact's product (in a good way), but this Rascals segment was well worth the watch.
Su Yung is now Suzie??
I didn't see the match where Havok allegedly "killed" Su Yung off but it's interesting to see her take the character into a different direction. Besides, let's be honest here. Impact has far too many "dark" or monster gimmicks for it's own good. It would do well to put a few on the bench for the time being and try different things. I'm curious to see where they go with this. I haven't seen Su play this gimmick since she dating Jerry "The King" Lawler.
Sami Callihan becomes the NEW Impact World Champion
He hit Cage with everything only for Cage to kick out at one in comical fashion, just like at the PPV a few days prior to this set of TV tapings. It wasn't until Sami hit him with an Avalanche Piledriver from the top rope was he able to put Cage away for the three count. Not a bad main event to close out their debut on AXS with, especially for a steel cage match.
I do think that they are jumping the gun on teasing Tessa Blanchard challenging him for the title right off the bat. I get that Tessa still has beef with oVe over the last few months, but I thought she was going to keep chasing for the X-Division Championship that she was screwed over from winning instead. The better idea would be to have her capture that title then cash in "Option C" to obtain the World title match against Sami at her own discretion.
NWA Powerrr!
Before you go into NWA Powerrr, I want to inform my readers of one thing. This is a studio wrestling show, shot and carried out like the classic days of yore. This is done to pay tribute to the history of our beloved sport and showcase this style of wrestling presentation to a new generation of fans while bringing back the fans who may have grew up on this style of wrestling. This revamp of the National Wrestling Alliance is spearheaded by the leadership of Billy Corgan and David Lagana.
Episode 1 | Tim Storm vs. Nick Aldis 3
Right off the bat, you're going to notice that this is a promo-heavy show, carried by the strength of its talkers. NWA has quite a few great talkers featured on this debut episode, including but not limited to Eli Drake, Eddie Kingston, The Wildcards (Royce Isaacs and Thom Latimer, who you may recognize Latimer as Bram from TNA/Impact Wrestling), and "Cowboy" James Storm.
I loved the retro graphics and name bars for the matches too. This style of presentation sets itself apart from everything else presented out there in wrestling today, regardless from the wealth of alternatives at our fingertips these days. NWA World Championship Match: Nick Aldis (w/ Kamille) def. Tim Storm, Storm cannot challenge for the NWA World Championship ever again
Great match to headline this opening episode. I think this was the best match that they have shown to date after seeing all of the episodes so far (outside of Episode 5) as of this posting. Do yourself a favor and go out of your way to check out this match.
Can I take a moment to comment on the fineness that is Kamille? Good Lord, Braun Strowman is a lucky man indeed.
Episode 2 | Clickbait
Aron Stevens’ debut
Colt Cabana and a surprise partner (Mr. Kennedy/ Ken Anderson) def. Jordan Kingsley and Sal Rinauro
Ricky Starks def. Trevor Murdoch
NWA Women’s Champion Allysin Kay def. Ashley Vox
NWA World Tag Team Champions The Wildcards vs. Eddie Kingston and Homicide ends in a No Contest
Another great episode, highlighted by the fact that these talents are allowed to be themselves instead of being handed a script to read. Those used to WWE style matches might be caught a little off-guard off some of the finishes here though as there's not many (if any) big near-falls. Matches are quick and decisive without the 50/50 booking nonsense.
FYI Aron Stevens is the former Damien Sandow from WWE working a Hollywood actor gimmick here. NWA Women's Champion Allysin Kay is none other than Impact Wrestling's Sienna and former Mae Young Classic competitor from the past year. Allisyn Kay excells at being at the top of her division. We saw that while she was in Impact Wrestling and it's a no brainer that Corgan would trust her to fill in the same role here. Trevor Murdoch is the same one from his tenures in both Impact Wrestling (briefly) and WWE. I was really happy to see him in a promotion like this. He fits in here like a glove.
Episode 3 | Twilight of Tim Storm
Marti Belle def. Crystal Rose
Aron Stevens debuts the first trailer of his film project "Tropical Pirates"
Caleb Konley def. Dan Parker
The Dawsons def. Eli Drake & Tim Storm
I enjoyed that they are continuing Tim Storm's "fall from grace" narrative. His peers still have the utmost confidence in his abilities but he still finds himself doubting if he still has "it" anymore. Eli Drake opted to pick up his spirits by asking him to be his partner to answer the Dawsons' challenge to anyone BUT Homicide and Eddie Kingston - to deny them payback from their attack in the previous episode.
Caleb Konley is the Impact Wrestling alumni of the same name. I thought he had potential back then too and anxious to see what they do with him here. I got a chuckle out of Stevens' trailer but I didn't think it was as hilarious as some people did on social media. Can't say I was expecting much from Belle since I haven't seen her work following her quick stint in the original Mae Young Classic, but what I saw here was a vast improvement.
Episode 4 | Dealer Calls Again
Trevor Murdoch def. Jocephus
The Dawsons def. Eddie Kingston & Homicide
Marti Belle def. Ashley Vox
Ricky Starks def. Aron Stevens
Nick Aldis, Colt Cabana, and Ken Anderson def. James Storm & The Wild Cards
I can't tell that Marti Belle has improved since her run in Impact Wrestling or appearance in the Mae Young Classic a few years ago, but this match didn't overstay it's welcome. Allisyn Kay's promo delivery was much better here than it was in the previous episode as you could tell they edited it because she botched her line or lost her train of thought. Thunder Rosa (formerly Kobra Moon in Lucha Underground) makes her debut post-match and extends a hand to Marti Belle who blows her off in that exchange.
Team Aldis' win grants Colt Cabana another shot at Jame Storm's North American title on the upcoming Episode 5.
Other News & Points of Interest:
The 2019 WWE Draft & SmackDown! Debut on FOX
This quickly devolved into a massive waste of time for two nights of WWE programming where there were no surprise moves taking place as everyone ended up where they were already at post-WrestleMania before the Wildcard rule turned everything into a clusterfuck from everyone just jumping over to whatever show they wanted whenever they wanted.
When they announced Brock Lesnar and Becky Lynch as one of the first two moves, I should have known they weren't changing shit, even though Brock to SmackDown! was a given after the fact that he squashed Kofi Kingston for the WWE Championship in seconds that very same night before Cain Valasquez debuted.
And it was at that moment, Kofi realized he fucked up...
Just like I told people the night that title changed occurred, let's count our blessings that Kofi was allowed to win the championship in the first place and managed to have a credible run with it for 6 months following WrestleMania when he wasn't in the original plans for WrestleMania this year in any shape or form before Ali got injured and KofiMania took fire. At the same time, I don't feel sorry for Kofi in the least as he didn't change a damn thing about his act or demeanor following the title win as he still came out throwing pancakes and dressing like a traveling goof. As a black man, I'm proud to see one of my own reach the top of the mountain in WWE, but at the same time, I can't feel sorry for Kofi in this situation in the least. One would think that he would change up his attitude and retool his gimmick with championship gold around his waist. Instead, he was content with maintaining the gimmick that got him there instead of going the extra mile to convince the company to do more with him after the hype train cooled down.
I don't understand why WWE blew their load on Cain coming in now when the guy needs knee surgery. They could have signed him then brought him in during WrestleMania season when it would have been a bigger deal. That being said, I can't say that I was really blown away by his performances in AAA that I happened to stumble across either. To me, it's just another big ex-UFC/MMA fighter signing taking away another opportunity from another deserving established talent on the roster, despite his previous history with Brock Lesnar.
The Jordan Myles Situation
I was with Myles 110% on the shirt design looking like a racist blackface depiction, but when he started dragging people into the mud who had nothing to do with this decision, including Ring of Honor (who has their own string of problems to contend with right now) and Jay Lethal (who recently broke his arm during ROH's recent UK show), it started to feel like this guy was fishing (and still is from his ongoing outbursts on social media) to get released/terminated from his contract with WWE. He seems to be dead set on being some sort of a martyr "#ForTheCulture" but I feel like how the message that you're trying to communicate to the masses can be tarnished on how you convey it too. Truth be told, I used to tweet back and forth with Myles all the time when he was in ROH to chit chat about anime and video games from time to time. I thought and still do think he's a pretty cool dude from our interactions in the past, so I don't want to come across as I know what he's been going through in his wrestling career. I just feel like there should have been a better way to handle this situation offline rather than "spilling the tea" all over social media. His intentions may have been pure, but that type of negative connotation will follow you for the rest of your professional career in and out of wrestling.
WWE has since pulled the shirt, only to replace it with a much less offensive design. I just think it's messed up that the design is still on a black shirt like they didn't get the memo the first time. That being said, I don't see how this is a surprise when we all have seen how WWE treats minorities for YEARS now.
WWE Crown Jewel (October 31, 2019) AKA Sweet Saudi Money IV: Please God No More...
Quick Results:
20-man Battle Royal with the Winner faced AJ Styles for the WWE United States Championship - Humberto Carrillo won by last eliminating Erick Rowan
WWE Championship Match - Brock Lesnar (c) (with Paul Heyman) def. Cain Velasquez (with Rey Mysterio) by submission
Nine-team Tag Team Turmoil match for the WWE Tag Team World Cup - The O.C. (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) def. The Viking Raiders (Erik and Ivar), The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston), The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder), The B-Team (Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas), Heavy Machinery (Otis and Tucker), Dolph Ziggler and Robert Roode, Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder, and Lucha House Party (Lince Dorado and Gran Metalik) (with Kalisto)
Mansoor def. Cesaro
Tyson Fury def. Braun Strowman by countout
WWE United States Championship Match - AJ Styles (c) (with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) def. Humberto Carrillo
Congratulations to Lacey and Nattie having this opportunity to do something really special in a foreign country like this. I'm sure we're not going to be allowed to forget this in terms of "first for women" in all of those promotional packages that Stephanie McMahon is going to shove down our throats for the years to come.
Natalya def. Lacey Evans by submission
Team Hogan (Roman Reigns, Rusev, Ricochet, Shorty G, and Ali) (with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart) def. Team Flair (Randy Orton, King Corbin, Bobby Lashley, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Drew McIntyre) (with Ric Flair)
Falls Count Anywhere match for the WWE Universal Championship - "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt def. Seth Rollins (c), Match could not have been stopped for any reason
Outside of Brock Lesnar squashing Cain Valasquez in less than three minutes and the Fiend winning the Universal Championship, those were the only things of note that I took away from reading the results as I'm still continuing my personal protest of not watching these Saudi Arabia shows. I heard Cesaro vs. Mansoor was the best match of the night though in terms of match quality, but that's no surprise given Cesaro's talents. That dude knows how to make anyone look like a million bucks that he steps into the ring with. It blows my mind why WWE will never do much with that man.
I'll end with my thoughts on what we do know as of this posting of the Saudi Arabia situation that saw majority of WWE talent outside of Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon, and a few "Top 20" talent being stranded in the foreign country due to some sort of "mechanical error" with the airplane(s). Reports from talent made them feel as if they were being held hostage as sort of bargaining chips in the middle of Vince McMahon's dealings (read: dick measuring contest) with the Saudi Prince. I honestly don't know all of the details as the story is still ongoing as of this posting, but I'll just say this much. Hearing stuff like this doesn't do anything for the company's morale, especially when you have guys like Myles popping off down in NXT - with whose talent are already upset at the lack of pay raises despite their move to the USA Network, along with other assorted malpractices in that company, ranging from piss poor booking decisions and lack of creative freedom only being the tip of the iceberg. According to Dave Meltzer, quite a number of talents are literally counting down the days until their contracts are up for they leave for greener pastures. When you hear more and more reports about stuff like this, I honestly can't blame them.
At least the roster was able to make it back stateside safe and sound and didn't wind up as "puddin'"... Unless you're Andrade if you catch my drift, eh?
And on that note my friends, I'm going to end this recap and bid you all adieu.
