Hello again! Hope everyone had as a productive Easter as I did; which involved me sitting on my ass during the day, and drinking LOTS during the night. I got no work done over Easter, which is really bad as I’m heading toward my final university exams, and then into the BIG WIDE WORLD! I’m shitting my pants literally.
My Wrestlemania XXI Thoughts
Rey Mysterio v Eddie Guerrero
The obvious choice for the opener, a decent match which was cut a little short for my liking. It shows how far Eddie has fallen down the card in a year and the shocking depth of the tag divisions on both shows that they could not put on one tag feud for mania this year. Taz did a good job on colour commentary throughout, attempting to explain the physiology behind the moves, especially the mat based work. There were some really slow mat sequences, with a real lack of a hot finish, which is not what a long show needs.
Good, but nothing like Halloween Havoc ’97, but it was to be expected since Rey’s knees are f*cked, and the general restrictions of WWE style small man booking. Good job they did not turn Eddie in this match, I felt it would have been forgotten by the end of the show, this way they can make a focus of it on TV, or at Judgment Day, but unless they do something big with his turn, I worry for Eddie. ***1/2
My prediction: Eddie 0-1
Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Chris Jericho v Chris Benoit v Christian (w/ Tomko) v Edge v Shelton Benjamin v Kane
It would have been really hard for them to mess this match up. Very ROH like segment early on with the series of dives to the outside, but unlike an ROH style scramble match; there was some actual selling going on, and some wicked psychology thrown in (everyone working on Benoit’s arm was just genius). Benoit sold like a champ throughout, and the physiology was paid off in the finish. Predictable winner and I felt this match also had longer to go. ****
My prediction: Edge 1-1
Eugene/Hassan/Davari/Hogan Segment
Sigh. Having Hogan completely destroy the WWE’s big racist heel, and save Eugene who got no offence in whatsoever on the heels, is not good for the long run. This segment could have led to a potentially intriguing angle if they had not blown their load in one (metaphorically), and made Hassan into a stronger heel (I want to say for the record that Davari looks a much better worker than Hassan). What is it with all this Americana crap too, it kinda makes me sick to watch it. I’m sure Hogan can convince someone that he can still draw money as a result of the reaction he got here. God help us.
Randy Orton v The Undertaker
Yeah, this was probably Undertaker’s best match since Vengeance a couple of years ago, and the match ok. But having him no sell everything Orton was throwing at him for 20 minutes, and to be able to overcome the odds by fending off both Ortons, AND to kick out of the RKO really hurts Orton, not that anyone cares about Orton anymore. **1/2
My prediction: Undertaker 2-1
Women’s Championship: Trish Stratus(c) v Christy Hemme
Next! Trish practically bumped for Hemme too, and the bimbo blew everything. I heard that she had to apologise to McMahon at the post show party, she is gonna have to suck some serious shlong to get another push like that. So, they sacked Gail Kim and Jazz and jobbed Molly Holly to the bimbo who cannot wrestle; bye bye woman’s division. Alexis Laree better come in soon to save it. DUD, what a joke.
My prediction: Hemme 2-2
Kurt Angle v Shawn Michaels
Ok, so I was right in the sense that they could not deliver on the ***** match they promised, but they came really close. Couple of picky points; the headlock sequence was too long at the start, the physiology of Angle working on the back in the middle of the match was quickly forgotten, the sequence after the table bump should have been the end sequence, and Michaels did not tap quick enough at the end, and he did not sell the leg when exiting. Right man went over since Cena won the WWE title, I’d cash in on this win now if I were booking, and have Cena/Angle at Judgment day. MOTYC ****1/2
My prediction: Michaels 2-3
Piper’s Pit
If they do something with Carlito now, then this would have been worth the time. But it was not really entertaining at all IMO, except for Piper questioning the crowd about the ‘What’ chants. Predictable.
Sumo Challenge: Akebono v The Big Show
Now seeing Big Show in a nappy was a sight I could have done without. What purpose did this serve, and how did the WWE think that this would draw at all? I’m sure there are some retards on the booking committee. DUD
My prediction: Akebono 3-3
WWE Title: JBL (c) v John Cena
Ok for what it was. Not particularly entertaining, and the finish just came out of nowhere. I’d never thought I’d say that I wanted a Bradshaw match to go longer. Bad decision to put the title on Cena for the long run; I think he will be exposed. But in the short term, cashing in on his popularity is ok I guess. ** (On a side note: it’s funny to see that Eddie and Cena have basically swapped places on the card from WM XX)
My prediction: JBL 3-4
World Title Match: Triple H (c) v Batista
H’s did not have his white working boots on, and the match was really dull. The winner was set in stone, and Batista got a good pop for the win. I’m fearful in the short term, as there are not enough strong heels apart from H’s for Batista to feud with, I don’t think Edge is there yet, and no one else springs to mind. Title will be back with H’s soon enough. Great blade job BTW, almost on a par with some of Michaels best efforts for subtlety. **1/4
My prediction: Batista 4-4
Overall: Good show, a MOTYC, a good ladder match too. Not up there with WM III, IIX, X, X-7 or XX in terms of show quality, but also not as bad as I thought it would be.
I attended the TWC International Showdown event in Coventry on the 19th of March, my report is up, and I met with loads of really great wrestlers; some of whom are featured on this show. I recommend you read the last bit of the report, and find out what I think of Samoa Joe and CM Punk after meeting them.
To the show; which followed on from ‘Glory by Honor’, which saw Joe debut as part of the Prophecy, and face Low-Ki in a definite MOTYC, in which they kick the living shit out of each other. Jay Briscoe pinned Xavier in a non-title match to earn a shot at the ROH title at this show. The Backseat Boys debuted at ‘Glory’ as CZW invaders, and they faced the unlikely duo of Homicide and Steve Corino. During the match, Homicide inadvertently forearmed Corino, so he decked Homicide, which cost the ROH tem the match. Look out for that feud to progress at this show.
– Corino walks up to Low-Ki in the back, they have to team against Otani and Tanaka tonight. Homicide is offended by Corino, and blames him for them loosing to the Backseat Boys at ‘Glory by Honor’.
Scramble Match – Special K (Dixie & Joey Matthews) v Divine Storm (Chris Divine & Quiet Storm) v The SAT (Joel Maximo & Jose Maximo) v Da Hit Squad (Monsta Mack & Mafia)
My IQ feels about 10 points lower by typing all those names. Joel & Storm start with the usual, Jose & Joey come in for more of the same. Mack does not seem to know what he is doing here. As often the case, there is too much to call, and still nothing to really note. Stupid suplex sequence of the top, with everyone involved; completely unbelievable to boot (as in it is not believable).
Everyone gets the usual, no one sells anything. I’m sorry, there is really nothing interesting to call. Spinal shock by Storm, Maximo explosion by Joel as the SAT decide to give Strom as many Germans as they can. And I always thought the Spanish hated the Germans. Cannon ball on Dixie by Mafia, frog splash by Mack. Double flatliner on Mack from Divine Strom, and the SAT finish it with a Spanish fly on Dixie. Oh sweet lord that was all shades of shit. ¼* Usual cookie cutter shit, with NOTHING innovative; despite what the commentators might say.
– Prophecy promo. They have all the titles, and to Daniels, that = power. We have to look at Xavier’s body, why can’t we see a camera shot like that on Simply Luscious, or did Corino not allow that? Joe is NOT going to violate the code of honor, and Daniels just has to deal with that. I smell a turn…
No 1 Contenders Trophy Gauntlet Series:
CM Punk v Michael Shane
This is Punk’s debut in ROH. Indy ish lockup sequence, very easy on the eye (unlike Punk’s hair). Shane grabs a knuckle lock; Punk counters and controls the arm, and stays on it. Good stuff. CM walks the rope, taking a page out of the Undertaker’s playbook (GREAT way to get yourself over in an anti WWE promotion), and leg drops the arm. He misses on the second attempt, and Shane hits a backdrop suplex. BUT, in a cruel twist, Punk holds on to the arm, and a dropkick gets 2. Shane is still selling the arm to great effect.
Michael Shane has a slower, more old school style than most others his size; I never felt he fit into the X Division in TNA when he was the champion. Crowd chant ‘boring’. Shane hits a spear, and still sells the arm! Quality physiology. They trade forearms, Punk goes back to the arm, and rolls in to the ring with a senton on the arm.
Enziguiri to Punk gets 2, but he counters by rolling into a nice arm-bar, Shane escapes with the ropes. Split leg moonsault only gets knees for Punk, and Shane misses a Picture perfect elbow drop. Shining Wizard gets a near fall for Punk, and Shane grabs the ropes on a roll up for the pin. **1/2. Really slow, but really good for what they were trying to do. The physiology of the match was forgotten in the finish, and the rating would have been even higher if they had a clean finish to the match.
Michael Shane v Paul London
This feud should have ended at ‘Unscripted’ in a street fight/ladder match that MUST be seen. They trade strikes rather than locking up to show the two are still feuding. London gains the advantage on the outside, but takes out the crappy guard rails, and gets suplexes by Shane on the floor. Inside; backbreaker for 2, Powerbomb into a crab positioned to work on London’s back.
London fakes injury on a rib breaker, and fakes Shane into a tripping DDT for the 3. *. Finish was a nod to what Shane did at ‘Honor Invades Boston’. Shane will not shake hands with London, so TOMMY DREAMER comes out to make him. Yada yada, ROH reminds him of ECW, blah blah. Dreamer says that in a few years the WWE would steal some of ROH talent like they did with ECW; well that is ironic, as the next person they took from the ROH roster was London, who stands there shaking his head like a dickhead. Time makes fools of us all Paul. Both shake hands, but Shane cheap shots him, so he gets a DDT from Dreamer. This segment was used in the right slot; although it broke the momentum the gauntlet series was building, it gave London a breather for the next matches.
Paul London v The Amazing Red
718 by Red, and a tornado DDT on the outside. Attempted baseball slide blocked, and London flings him into the crappy guard rails that could not even keep a toddler from attacking the wrestlers. Back in, delayed vertical brainbuster gets 2. Red counters with a series of nice kicks, red star press gets a near fall. Massive super brainbuster, Powerbomb, shooting star press means London progresses. *3/4 finish was a bit out of nowhere, with no real build to it. Not much here.
Paul London v American Dragon
Dragon controls with mat work on the arm and head of London. Dragon looks really quite green tonight colour wise I mean, odd camera effect. Some nice mat exchanges, butterfly suplex by Dragon. They go to the outside and trade strikes, Dragon just smacks London around, and tries to take his head off with European uppercuts. Ouch. Back in, London gets a DDT, and controls the match with the usual; but is eventually cut off by a Dragon lariat.
Backdrop suplex is reversed off the top, and London hits an impressive looking Russian leg sweep. He goes back up, and Dragon meets him up there with a superplex. Dragon suplex followed by Cattle mutilation for the submission. ***3/4 Good stuff, ROH saw the potential these two had, and the feud culminated in the MOTY at ‘Epic Encounter’, which you NEED to check out.
ROH Tag Team Titles – The Prophecy (Christopher Daniels & Donavon Morgan) (c) & Samoa Joe v Low-Ki, Homicide & Doug Williams
The titles are on the line because the Prophecy wanted to screw ROH because they gave them a crappy trophy after winning the tag title tourney at ‘Unscripted’. Daniels had beaten Williams at ‘Glory by Honor’, meaning that Doug could not shake hands in ROH anymore. Daniels also won the FWA title from Williams around this time, and the two had a fantastic three way with Jody Fleish at an FWA show.
Lots of stalling in the early stages, Ki and Morgan with a long mat sequence, no one can gain the advantage. Daniels and Homicide come in and do some faster chain work, Homicide gains the upper hand. Tag to Ki, and they exchange face locks on Daniels. Williams in with some wicked knee strikes, Doug is so crisp; and it is easy to see why he is now half of the GHC tag champs in NOAH. Daniels is your heel in peril (?). Double yakuza kick by Homicide and Ki, but Joe breaks up Williams’s crazy double submission to turn the tide. Generic double team stuff from the Prophecy, solid stuff never-the-less. Lots of heel ANTICS! Williams eventually reverses a double team attempt, and Homicide comes in for a luke-warm tag, Ace crusher from the top gets 2.
Match breaks down, pier 5 on the floor is broken up by AIR JOE~! Typical ROH sequence; Joe dragon suplex for Williams, Island driver is reversed, Morgan with a Saido suplex and a Golden gate swing (fisherman neckbreaker). Ki and Daniels reverse each others finisher attempts. Revelations on Low-Ki, Chaos theory on Daniels, Golden gate swing on Doug for 2. Brainbuster gets 2 for Homicide, Joe saves and no-sells Homicide’s lariats, and Powerbomb into STF into choke for the submission. Match was solid if nothing special **3/4. Morgan is really dull to watch, and has no depth in his move set. I can see why he is popular in Japan, he has a stiff style; but there is a reason ROH no longer books him. The match did a good job of establishing Joe as a major player, and was booked in that manner. Homicide showed his potential as a singles star.
Post match, Joe shakes hands and Daniels is not happy. I smell a turn.
Allison Danger (w/Mase) v Alexis Laree
Match is clipped, it’s crap anyway. Laree, who I’m really looking forward seeing her new boobs in WWE, gets the inverted DDT for the win. Mase attacks after the match, to set up their thrilling match as ‘Scramble Madness’. DUD what a waste of time.
Ring Crew Express v Carnage Crew
Ah, this is painful. CC just throw the jobbers around, including Dunn and Marcos. More come out, and the same boring CC offence controls them. Spike pile driver for 3 on Marcos. DUD. This was a warm up for Homicide and Abdullah the Butcher at ‘Revenge of the Butcher’. Thrilling stuff, really.
From this point on, I had lost my notes, and am forced to do the recap from memory. Sorry!
ROH Title Match: Xavier (C) v Jay Briscoe
This match was set up when Jay beat Xavier at ‘Glory by Honor’ in a non-title match. And as with nearly all of Xavier’s matches at this point in time, I was bored to tears by it, and so were the crowd. Completely heatless match, with some good selling by Jay, and a blade job too. At this point, Xavier was just not a credible champion; he had not been built up enough to beat Low-Ki for the title at ‘Unscripted’, with only wins over Scoot Andrews (who was not even being booked at this point), James Maritano (who after loosing to Xavier was not a major player in ROH, and before he jumped to WWE to become crazy cousin Nunzio), Tony Mamaluke (who has never been a major player). He did not even beat Low-Ki clean, even though the heel turn had been done well.
Jay at this point had only just started to make an impact on the ROH roster, but had been a consistent performer on the previous ROH shows (see ‘Honor Invades Boston’ for his ****+ MOTYC against Mark Briscoe). But you did not really believe that ROH would switch the title to Jay here, even though he had beaten Xavier in a non-title match; because he had lost so many matches, and was not built up as a contender.
Anyway, Xavier wins with an X-Breaker (modified hangman’s neck-breaker) from the top rope. Match was far too long for the lack of heat, and the lack of credibility both men had. **
No 1 Contenders Trophy Gauntlet Finals: American Dragon v AJ Styles
Yes! This is the final I wanted, and both men had been built up as credible challengers for the title in previous shows, so there was no clear winner. AJ was beaten in an ROH title match at ‘Honor Invades Boston’ by Low-Ki, in a good match, not as good at the NWA Title match they had on a NWA:TNA PPV, which was ruined at the end by a Russorific finish.
Some fantastic mat exchanges, and really sold strong style segments in this match. Some of Dragon’s strikes are really sold, which left me a little disappointed in the two matches he had with Joe at ‘Final Battle 2002’ and ‘First Anniversary Show’. Usual AJ style match around this time, with a little less of his flashy aerial stuff, and more actual work. Styles is now currently realising the potential he had to work at the moment in TNA, but around this time, he was mostly concerned with getting most of his spots into a match.
Dragon gets busted open in a great forearm exchange, which looks really brutal. He does his usual good job of making AJ’s offence look great; his expression at one point where AJ super kicks him from the other side of the crappy guard rails is priceless.
Styles wins after eventually being able to hit his second Styles Clash of the match; ramming Dragon’s head into the turnbuckle until he was able to position him for the move. Fantastic exchange and a definite MOTYC, which was really forgotten in the mix in the long run. ****1/2
Shinjiro Otani & Masato Tanaka v Steve Corino & Low-Ki
All men work for Zero-One in Japan, where Corino and Ki were becoming big names at the time, and Corino was embarking on a feud with Low-Ki’s trainer, Homicide at this point in time. Otani is a former WCW Light-Heavyweight champion, and beat Chris Benoit in the final of a tournament to bring that belt back as the Cruiserweight belt. Tanaka is the former ECW standout, who had a few decent matches with Mike Awesome back in the day, like Corino, he is a former ECW champion. I believe Tanaka has also just become the new AWA champ, but don’t quote me on that.
Otani rocks! And the crowd love him too. Very much a Japanese style tag match, which is to be expected as the Zero-One cameras are at ringside taping the match. The crowd are fantastic in this match, they understood that the match would be a different style to what they had been conditioned to. Otani introduces the face wash to ROH, soon to be copied by Samoa Joe and CM Punk (did I mention I don’t like those two?).
Typical Japanese tag style, which would not look out of place in NJPW or NOAH, no double DQs, and both teams trade the advantage frequently, so there is always some action in the match. Low-Ki looked really crisp in the match, and nailed all of his strong style offence perfectly; it is really easy to see why he is so popular in Japan. Same with Corino; ROH fans may not like him, but he has a presence around him in the ring, and knows how to work the crowd.
Tanaka ducks an attempted double team from Ki and Corino, and Otani comes in with a missile dropkick on Corino, and finishes him off with a spiral bomb for the pin. ***1/2. Great showcase of the Zero-One style for the US fans.
– Backstage, Homicide is still pissed at Corino for what happened at ‘Glory by Honor’, so he stabs him in the eye with a fork. I’d hate to see what he would have done if Corino had called his mother fat, or slept with Homicide’s wife. Talk about overreacting.
