TNA Xplosion 2/14/2025

TNA Xplosion 2/14/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/tna-xplosion-272025.html

Around The Ring with Gia Miller

Gia says The Personal Concierge is her guest and doesn't call him George Iceman for some reason. Gia says he has lived many lives and says he has a connection to the paranormal. George says he was in LA and weird things were happening that night. He says he had to find out what it was and found someone named Patti Star who taught him the basics on the paranormal. She then recommended he go see someone named Lorraine Warren.

He said he tracked her down and learned from her. He says he then spent 13 years studying the occult and demons. George says he went to a room in a hotel and said he felt something was happening in there. He says he went to the manager and said it turned out to be an old folks home with people dying. He said he was told there were a lot of reports of that stuff there.

George says he takes this stuff seriously and does a protection prayer before going in. Gia says dark entities can follow you and he agrees. George says people can trigger ghosts to appear. He says he was at a prison and said it was built on Indian burial grounds. He says people there would do rituals and there was black magic and murders. He says there was lots of spooky stuff there. He says he has photo evidence and tells us to follow Gia to see it.

Thoughts: Well, this was better than the usual interview at least and was something different.

The Rascalz (Zachary Wentz and Trey Miguel) vs First Class (AJ Francis and KC Navarro) vs The Good Hands (Jason Hoch and John Skylar)

 

John gets on the mic during his entrance. He tells everyone to pipe down. We are in San Antonio. He says The Spurs, The Cowboys and The Texans suck. He says the state is full of losers. He says they will drop them all tonight with these good hands.

Hotch hammerlocks Wentz. Wentz rolls out and la magistral's him. They stand off and Hotch side headlocks him. Hotch takes an atomic drop and then is held for a baseball slide. Hotch eye pokes Trey. Hotch M. Bison stomps Trey for 2.

Trey hits forearms on John. KC tags himself in and does like a slingblade on Trey. KC corner euros Trey and pulls his neck foreward. Trey then double stomps him for 2. Wentz and AJ get in. AJ shoulders him over. AJ has both Rascalz on his shoulders. Hoch jumps up on them and AJ does a triple slam on them. John lariats AJ over the top.  KC throws out John then tope con hilos him. The Rascalz then do topes outside.

Hotch 2nd rope moonsaults outside. John tags himself in. Wentz knocks Hotch of the top. Trey spinebusters John. John is on Trey's knees and gets 2nd rope double stomped and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was only a little over 5 minutes long but I liked it. AJ's triple slam spot was nice and we got a few dives before going home.

Overall thoughts: There was only one new match and one new interview. Both were entertaining though and you can clear out the new content in 12 minutes or so. It wasn't a bad way to spend a few minutes but isn't must see.

WWF This Tuesday In Texas 12/3/1991

WWF This Tuesday In Texas 12/3/1991

Pre-show thoughts: This comes a week after Survivor Series 1991. Survivor Series was a total dud and basically just a long paid infomercial for this show, so this better be good since another PPV was sacrificed for it. As someone who only watched Superstars, the only two matches I know of are Jake/Macho and Hulk/Taker. But that's what happens when two shows are booked so close together like this.

We are in San Antonio, Texas. Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan are on commentary. 

We open up with the post-Survivor Series 1991 Mean Gene interview with Paul Bearer and Undertaker

Gorilla and Heenan talk. Heenan says we saw the death of Hulkamania and now we see the wake of it. Heenan says dealing with Jake Roberts is dangerous and says it could be a double wake today.

WWF Intercontinental Title - Bret Hart (c) vs Skinner

This one doesn't make much sense. Bret has been feuding with The Mountie yet Skinner gets the title shot.

Bret armdrags Skin twice then armlocks him. Skin leapfrogs Bret and takes an atomic drop and inverted atomic drop. Bret lariats Skin out. Bret bounds on Skin's arm and armdrags him. Skin armdrags him but Bret holds on and reverses it.

Bret hits knee drops to the arm then leg drops it. Skin hides between the buckles and they trade hammerlocks. Bret drops him with a shot and stomps his gut. Skin sends Bret into the post shoulder first. 

Skin stomps on Bret then chokes him outside. Skin double axe handles Bret then abdominal stretches him. Skin shoulderbreakers Bret for 2. Bret boots Skin out of the corner then misses a 2nd rope elbow drop. Skin spits out tobacco and hits Bret with the gator claw he has. Skin chokes Bret on the ropes.

Bret is sent into the buckles chest first. Skin chokes Bret and bangs his head off the mat. Skin reverse ddt's Bret for 2.  Skin comes off the 2nd buckle and eats a boot from Bret. Bret hits shots to the gut and headbutts him. Bret back elbows him  then hits a shot to the gut. Bret russian legsweeps him for 2.

Bret suplexes Skin for 2. Bret 2nd rope elbow drops Skin. Skin back rolls him then is pushed out. They trade shots outside and Bret's head is banged off the apron. Skin stomps him. Bret throws Skin off the buckles. Bret sharpshooters Skin and submits him.

Thoughts: I didn't think it was that good. It's not like there were any botches or anything but Bret didn't work the leg much before getting the sharpshooter win. It was a little long for the opener as well and there weren't that many highlights here.

Sean Mooney interviews Jake "The Snake" Roberts. Jake isn't worried about Macho. He says the last time he saw Macho, he was flailing like a helpless drowning child. He says the snake does what he has to and takes care of what he has to like Jake. Jake says Macho's eyes were gone when he got bit. He says he got a rush out of seeing Liz's eyes with her pupils small and scared. He says it felt so good to listen to see Macho squeal.

He says Tunney banned his snake. He said nothing he does out there is his fault. He says Tunney makes him do what he does out there tonight and says it's Tunney's fault. Jake says to trust him about the snake in the corner.

Macho Man Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth are interviewed by Mean Gene. Macho says Jake told them not to trust him. Macho says he doesn't trust him. Macho says they won't trust each other. He says he will jump off the top and crush him with an elbow to win. Macho says to trust him that that's what will happen. He says he will then get the rush there when Jake is down and he looks in Liz's eyes.  We hear Jake's music and Macho says Jake must be on his way to the ring. Macho says it's a date with destiny.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage vs Jake "The Snake" Roberts

Macho nails Jake from behind as he enters and bangs his shoulder off the post. Macho eye rakes him then hits punches in the corner. Macho eye rakes him more with his entrance gear on. Macho back elbows Jake. Macho then top rope double axe handles Jake with his big hat still on.

Jake goes into the aisle and Macho double axe handles him. They get back in and Jake throws Macho out. Macho is sent into the post while trying to throw Jake into it. Jake pulls Macho's snake bitten arm into the post and bangs the arm off the post. 

Macho uppercuts Jake and Jake eye pokes him. Jake atomic drops him. Jake takes Macho's arm bandage off. Jake bangs the arm off the ropes and Macho's head off the buckles. Jake bends over and is kicked. Jake misses a short arm clothesline and is elbowed in the head. Macho runs into Jake's knee in the corner. Jake short arm lariats Macho.

Macho rams Jake into the buckles. Macho's mouth is busted open. Macho top rope elbow drops Jake and pins him.

Thoughts: It was a short one here with no time wasted. Jake worked Macho's arm and Macho ended up winning with a top rope elbow drop. I was surprised it didn't go longer and didn't get wilder with blood especially since it's one of the few feature matches on this show. They did put over that they hated each other well though and both made it look like a fight. I liked what we got but I wanted more.

Macho grabs a chair but an official pulls it away. He pushes the timekeeper over and grabs the ring bell. Jake then ddt's Macho.

Jake then hits another ddt. The ref tells Jake it's over and to get out. Jake says he gave Tunney his word and said there was no snake in the corner. Jake then pulls a bag out from under the ring. Miss Elizabeth runs down and tries to protect Macho. Jake slaps Macho around as Liz says to stop it. Jake grabs Macho and hits another ddt. Jake puts the snake handling glove on. He tells Liz to beg if she wants to save Macho. Jake says Macho is nothing. Jake grabs Liz by the hair and slaps her. Another ref comes out then Jack Tunney finally comes to ringside Tunney yells at Jake and Jake finally walks off.

Thoughts: I'm really surprised no one came to Macho's rescue. Jake slapping Liz was pretty wild and should lead to another match between these two.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Jake Roberts. Gene calls him a sicko for hitting Liz. Jake says no man wants a woman who will beg for someone's life. He says he wants a woman who will stand up. Jake says he slapped her but he will slap himself. He says ddt'ing Macho felt good and said grabbing Liz was the best feeling of his life. He says it felt so good to slap Liz that he would pay for it. Jake says to please bring Liz back so he can touch her again. He says he can cultivate her into something he would want. Gene then calls for Gorilla and tells Jake to get the hell out of here:

Thoughts: Wow, this was really raunchy for 1991 WWF. This was not something you saw very often then. 

The Warlord vs The British Bulldog

These two were feuding through promos a bit ago so this totally isn't out of left field, but I had the impression that feud was done with. Harvey Wippleman is with War.

War pushes Davey off the lock up and poses. Davey then pushes him. War boots and clubs on Davey. Davey catches War's boot then headbutt drops him in the gut. Davey's head is banged off the buckle. Davey lariats War out of the ring.

Davey plancha's War but is caught and rammed into the post. Davey bangs War's head off the buckle. Davey then top rope dropkicks War. Davey lariats War into the ropes and ties him up in the ropes. Davey pounds on him there. Davey then misses something on the ropes and goes in crotch first.

War stomps Davey's back. War hits a nice back body drop. Harvey calls the fans idiots and says him and War are the #1 thing in the WWF. War boots Davey in the corner then bearhugs him (like we were going to get a match between these two without that spot?). Davey breaks out and War powerslams him.

War hits shots on Davey's back for 2. Davey tries to sunset flip War, War kneels on him but Davey gets it. War then lariats Davey over. War full nelson's Davey. War keeps the hold on for a long time then just releases it.

Davey's head is banged off the buckles. Davey boots War out of the corner then 2nd rope diving lariating him. davey does an impressive suplex on War for 2. Davey hits a corner lariat and goes for the powerslam but War falls on him. Davey crucifixes War and wins.

Thoughts: It was every Warlord match you have ever seen and it was what you would expect. War did his usual bearhugs here along with boots and clubs. It was boring at times and not that good. Davey's agility here was impressive though.

Sean Mooney goes to interview Macho Man. Macho tells him to shut up. Macho grabs Sean. Macho says Jake degraded Liz. He says it's the worst day of his life that he let her do that. Macho slaps himself and says it's his fault. Macho says he's gonna get Jake and says there will be not stopping him. He says he didn't even get a piece of him today and says he blames himself. He goes down to the floor. He says it's over and says there's no control. He says he's gonna get Jake. Macho then punches himself and says it's not over or even started.

Thoughts: This was a wild and great promo from Macho. We've never seen Macho quite like this before.

"The Million Dollar Man" Ted Dibiase and The Repo Man vs Virgil and El Matador

This is a random one that kind of built off of Survivor Series Showdown where Tito saved Virgil from a Dibiase beating. Virgil and Ted have been feuding for 10 months now and I hope this is it.

Repo boots Tito in the gut and hits punches. Tito wristlocks and hammerlocks him. Tito shoulders Repo over then armdrags him.Tito hits some shots on Repo then Virgil gets one in too. Tito hiptosses Repo over the top.

Repo misses a lariat on Tito then gets hit with one. Virg and Ted go at it. Ted clubs on him and hits shots to the gut. Virg sunset flips him then atomic drops Ted out. Ted gets back in and Virg hits a lariat, sending Ted back over the top. Tito hits a shot on Ted outside. 

Ted back elbows Virg out of the corner. Repo slams Virg. Ted chokes Virg with the tag rope. Ted lariats Virg. Repo pounds on Virg. Virg hits some shots back. Ted gutwrench suplexes Virg. Virg neckbreakers Ted.

Tito gets the hot tag in and hits shots on Repo. He back elbows and dropkicks him. Tito flying forearms Repo. Ted trips Tito from the outside and Repo knocks Tito over the top. Tito's head is banged off the steps. Repo boots Tito in the gut for 2.

Ted double axe handles Tito off the buckles. Virg is tagged in but the ref doesn't see it. The heels double slam Tito. Tito and Repo do a double clothesline spot. Ted and Virg get in. Virg hits punches and lariats Ted and Repo. Virg russian legsweeps Ted for 2. The four fight. Sherri tries to hit Virg with her heel but mises. Virg grabs Sherri and Repo breaks it up with a boot. Ted then pins Virg.

Thoughts: It was fine. Everything Ted did here looked great which isn't news and Tito had nice looking offense as well. Ted wins and hopefully this feud with Virgil ends.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Hulk Hogan. Hulk says it will be the happiest day in the history of Hulkamania. Hulk says they felt Taker stop him at Survivor Series. He brings up Flair interfering. He says The Hulkamaniacs were the real survivors.  Hulk says they got the rematch because they believed. Hulk tells Flair to stay out of it. He says the WWF Title will be where it should be - around Hulk's waist. He asks what will Taker do when Hulk buries him.

WWF Title - The Undertaker (c) vs Hulk Hogan

Hulk takes his shirt off as he walks to the ring. Paul and Taker stomp Hulk as he enters. The ref sees it and ignores it. Hulk bangs Taker's and Paul's heads together.

Hulk hits punches on Taker and corner lariats him. Hulk bites Taker and hits corner punches. Jack Tunney is at ringside and Hulk atomic drops Taker. Taker gets right back up. Hulk lariats Taker. Hulk picks him up and Taker clubs him. Hulk eye rakes him then slams him.  

Taker gets right back up and Hulk nails Paul on the apron. Hulk hits punches on Taker then lariats him over the top rope. Taker lands on his feet. Hulk clubs Take's chest and punches him on the apron. Taker pulls Hulk out and uppercuts him.

Taker chokes Hulk outside then inside. Heenan says Taker should have taken a month off to relax and bury people after winning the title. Hulk rams Taker into the corner. Taker then gets his knee up when Hulk charges him in the corner. Heenan says Taker will be around for a long time which ended up being true. Taker walks the top rope and clubs Hulk.

They go outside and Hulk hits punches. Hulk is thrown into the post. Taker iron claws Hulk. Hulk makes his comeback. He boots  Taker in the gut and eye rakes him. Taker goes into the ropes but slips or gets himself caught and goes down. Taker boots Hulk out of the corner. Taker flying lariats Hulk. Taker tries to walk the top rope and Hulk pulls him down.

Ric Flair comes down and Jack Tunney stops him. Hulk starts to hulk up. Hulk lariats Taker over the top. Hulk chairs Flair outside and knocks him into Tunney. Hulk boots Taker and running elbows him in the head. Hulk hits punches.

Hulk chops Taker. Flair gets on the apron and holds a chair up. Hulk shoves Taker into it and lariats Flair over. Hulk hits the big boot on Taker. Taker sits out. Paul Bearer gets on the apron as Flair grabs Tunney. Paul misses an urn shot on Hulk and nails Taker. Hulk pours the urn out and throws the ashes into Taker's eyes. Hulk then pins Taker.

Thoughts: This was a lot better than their Survivor Series match. It was much quicker and had more action. It still did have some slow points though. There was tons of shenanigans with Flair and Paul here but Hulk pulled out as expected. I would hope there's some suspensions in order for Paul and Flair getting involved when they weren't supposed to but I double it. I wouldn't say this was good but it was acceptable.

Overall thoughts: The show was better than Survivor Series 1991, but that show was awful. This was a shorter one at around 90 minutes. We got 5 matches here and we really only knew of 2 of them coming in. The opener went long and wasn't that good. I liked Jake vs Macho but I was expecting a big showdown and we didn't get that. Warlord/Bulldog was what you would expect and was boring at times. The Dibiase tag match was fine. The Taker/Hulk rematch was much better than their Survivor Series 1991 match and had a bunch of shenanigans in it. Because it was a shorter show, a bunch of stars were missing from this including Piper and The Legion of Doom. I think the important question coming out of this show to ask is that was This Tuesday in Texas worth sacrificing Survivor Series 1991 for? And my answer is no. Maybe if they had stacked the rest of the card up it would have been, but there were only 2 matches promoted here and neither were classics. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10. It's nothing you need to see and there was nothing great on it but they gave what they promised and it wasn't a total rip off. It was just average overall.

WWE Monday Night Raw 2/17/2025

WWE Monday Night Raw 2/17/2025

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/wwe-monday-night-raw-2102025.html

We are in Charlotte, NC. Michael Cole and Pat McAfee are on commentary.

We see various wrestlers arrive.

Sami Zayn comes out to talk. He says it's been a rough couple of weeks. He says no one has had their careers tied together like him and KO and says they did it together. Sami says there's no forgiving as KO tried to end his career. He says his neck isn't 100%, but it's enough for a fight. He says he'll also be in Toronto for Elimination Chamber. He says he wants the fight with KO.

Adam Pearce comes out. He says everyone wants the match but Sami has been told no by him, Pearce, The Board and Medical. He says Sami is not medically cleared to compete. Sami asks how long he has known him and says he knows Sami won't take no for an answer. Sami says he's not leaving until he gets the match. Adam says he can't sanction it. He says he won't be able to stop KO and says  neither he or the officials can help. He says it could be the last match in Sami's career.

Adam asks if he understands. Sami does. He says if he wants to beat KO up, Adam can't stop him. Sami says to give him the match. Adam gives him the match but says it's unsanctioned.

Thoughts: It was a good segment. I thought they got to making this kind of quick without any teases. It should have maybe been dragged out a bit more.

We see The Judgment Day in their hangout. Dom says he heard Bianca and Naomi are looking for revenge on Liv and Raquel. Liv doesn't care. Dom says they should add a new member but Finn jumps down his throat about it when he tries. Finn walks in. He says they will have 3 members of their crew at Elimination Chamber. Finn tells Raquel it would be embarrassing if she loses to Perez. Raquel says she will take care of business and tells Finn to handle his. Finn says they will be back in business at the end of the night. He then says no new members. Raquel says she wants to squash that pipsqueak Finn.

AJ Styles vs Dominik Mysterio

AJ side headlocks him then backdrops him. Dom's head is banged off the buckles. AJ backbreakers him. Dom is thrown hard into the buckles. Dom hits shots and is dropkicked. Patt says that's a total nonstop action dropkick and Cole mentions TNA.

AJ running knees Dom from the apron. AJ goes to springboard and is pulled down by Carlito. Dom then topes AJ. We go to break and return. Dom pulls AJ down by the hair then he slingshot swantons him. Dom hits two of three amigos. Dom 619's him.

Dom misses a top rope splash. Dom hits a strike combo and spinning lariats Dom. Dom sliding forearms him.

AJ hits an ushigoroshi. Carlito tries to interfere but AJ stops him. AJ is distracted and Dom rolls him up for 2. AJ pops up Dom and hits a styles clash for the win.

Thoughts: It was fine. I liked the pop-up into the styles clash finish. The two worked alright together and AJ won as expected.

Bron Breakker comes out and tries to spear AJ after but nails Dom instead. AJ enzugiri's Bron then throws him out.

American Made talk to Ivy Nile and talk about hitting The War Raiders with the titles. Ivy says they didn't win though. Ivy says they promised Gable they'd have gold around their waists when he returned and said that's why she will win tonight. Dakota Kai comes in. Ivy says she will beat her tonight then Kai says she will earn her rematch tonight.

#1 Contenders Women's Intercontinental Title - Dakota Kai vs Ivy Nile

Kai hits armdrags and pulls Ivy out. She pump kicks her. Kai goes for a cutter but is caught and thrown out. Ivy kicks her in the leg outside then bangs her leg off the apron edge. Ivy stomps on the leg inside. Kai is put in tree of woe and Ivy boots her. Ivy flying pumping knees her in the leg.

Kai upkicks her and dropkicks her. Kai facewash kicks her in the corner twice. Kai sunset flip backbreakers her. Ivy goes up top and is kicked. Ivy powerbombs her and Kai rolls her up for 2. Ivy ankle locks her and Kai ropebreaks.

Ivy hits kicks and is pump kicked. Ivy swinging side slams Kai for 2. Kai rolls her up for 2. Kai scorpion kicks her. Ivy ankle locks her again. Ivy gets stuck between the ropes and is curbstomped down. Kai hits a GTK and wins.

Thoughts: I was fine with this. It wasn't great but Ivy worked the leg the whole match and Kai ended up picking up the win. The crowd wasn't too into this one though. I don't understand what they are doing with American Made losing matches when Gable told them to win gold but we will see.

Kai and Lyra meet in the ring after and Lyra holds the title up at her. 

We get ads for WWE Evolve and WWE LFG.

Gunther is in the concourse and says he wants to feel what the yeet is all about. He then goes into the seats and tries to do his own yeet. He says it's a simple gesture for very simple people. He says Jey is a simple guy himself. Gunther says him performing for the fans is like reading Shakespeare to a dog. He says he's sick of facing people who can't lace his boots. He says the fans forced Jey into digging his own grave and says it stinks in the crowd.

Gunther says the match won't happen in the stands but in the ring. He says Jey's blood will be on the fans' hands.  He asks the crowd if they think Jey really stands a chance. He asks Cole and Pat if they think Jey has a chance to beat him. Gunther throws his mic at Pat. Pat says he hopes Jey can beat Gunther. Gunther goes for Pat then Jey Uso comes out.

Jey is stopped by security but comes out and pounds on Gunther. Jey beats up security and Gunther sleepers him. Pearce and other officials try to stop him. Jey corner splashes Gunther. It is broken up and Pat yeets with Jey.

Thoughts: Some of Gunther's lines in the crowd were pretty funny here.

Liv Morgan and Raquel Rodriguez are interviewed. Liv says all they have done is elevate the competition. She says Raquel beats cute little Roxanne like the bug she is. Cathy asks about them attacking Jade. Liv and Raq say they wouldn't feel about it if it happened as it could happen to anyone who gets in their way.

Thoughts: I don't think this is the best way to solve the mystery of Jade being out. We don't know for sure that Liv and Raquel did it though so maybe it's just a twist.

Penta vs Pete Dunne

Penta goes to do his taunt and is slapped. They trade forearms. Penta spin kicks him in the gut. Penta side headlocks him. Penta hurricanrana's him. Pete dropkicks Penta and twists Penta's fingers. Pete stomps the arm into the mat. Pete hits chops then Penta goes up and over with a backcracker. Pete rams Penta's face into the mat. 

Ludwig Kaiser comes down and we go to break. We return and Penta headscissors Pete down from the buckles. Penta slingblade bulldogs him. Penta hits a spinning F-5 for 2.  Pete blocks a pendulum double knee in the corner then sitout powerbombs him for 2. Pete germans Penta. Penta superkicks him then Pete hits a step up enzugiri. Penta canadian destroyers him.

Kaiser gets on the apron. Penta tries to dive out but is kicked by Pete. Pete rolls him up for 2. Pete yells at Kaiser. Penta sends Pete into Kaiser then Penta hits a made in japan on Pete to win.

Thoughts: It wasn't anything too special. Pete did his usual finger manipulations early on and then it just kind of turned into them trading big moves and getting Kaiser involved.

Kaiser beats up Penta after. Pete and Kaiser fight outside then Penta tope con hilos both.

Cathy interviews Jey in the back. Jey says he feels underestimated. Jey says they doubted him but he's The Royal Rumble winner. He says he will shock the world again when he beats Gunther.

We see Bayley compete at NBA All-Star Weekend.

We get a package on Roxanne Perez. She say all she sees is The Prodigy when she looks in the mirror. She talks about the things she won. She says there's no moment that's too big for her. She says no one is on her level.

The War Raiders do a video on The Creeds. Ivar put s them over as everything they are advertised to be but says they aren't built for war. Ivar says they are still the tag champs. Erik says they made the mistake of their lives and says next time, it's war.

Women's Elimination Chamber Qualifier - Raquel Rodriguez vs Roxanne Perez

RP rolls out of a lock up. RR throws her back then lifts her by the arm and throws her down. RP slaps her. RR clotheslines her. RP is thrown into the corner and takes back elbows. RR throws her. RP slaps her again.

RR chases her around. RP dropkicks her off the apron. RP is caught off a tope and rammed into the post. RR throws her off her shoulders and poses.  RR hits snake eyes.

RR swings her off the guillotine. RP pulls her throat down on the top rope. RP corner euros her. RP rolls her up for 2. RP gets on her back for a sleeper.

RP is caught off the buckles and takes a fallaway slam. RR twisting vader bomb elbow drops her for 2. RR spears the post when RP moves. RP then topes her twice.

RP hits a ddt then double jump asai moonsaults her for 2.  RP hits forearms. RR facekicks her for 2. Bianca and Naomi then come out after Liv. Liv is beaten up by them and thrown into the rails. RP double jump springboard code red's her and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't care about the match going in but they did a good job with it. RP worked as the underdog face here and RR was the bigger monster. The crowd didn't care but the logic was good and Naomi and Bianca coming out protected RR some. I liked this and thought it was good.
Bianca and Naomi go for a double KOD but Liv screams and Raquel saves her.

Cathy interviews Seth Rollins. He says he can't get into The Chamber or Mania unless he wins tonight. He says it's as big as it gets and he needs it more than Finn does tonight.

Karrion Kross and Scarlet walk in. Kross says he knows Sami will see this. Kross doesn't buy Jey beating Gunther at Mania or that Seth will win tonight. He says those two lost their minds but he believes Sami knows there is more time to turn things around.

We get a video on Iyo Sky. She says how quickly everything can change. She says she was champ and on top of the world last year headlining at Mania. She says her path isn't clear and she may not have a chance to get there this year. She says the match with Rhea is all the opportunity she needs tonight. She says she knows rhea better than she knows herself. She talks about fighting her in NXT and said she beat her always there. She says she will beat her again in 2 weeks and punch her ticket to Mania. 

The New Day are in the ring. We see more clips of their attack on Rey last week, which we didn't get to see. Dragon Lee came out for the save but got double powerbombed. Rey's leg was chaired against the post. Woods says, "Get well soon, Rey".

The fans boo them and Woods tells them to shut up. Woods says they are mad at them for telling the truth to Big E. Woods says Rey has sucked the lives out of the careers of any fresh faced luchador here. He says everyone has gone insane if you expect them to respect Rey.

Kofi says he has more title wins than Rey. He says he's been here longer than him. Kofi says he never left unlike Rey so he should be locker room leader. Woods says Rey's disrespect forced their hand. Kofi says Rey laid in the ring crying and embarrassed. 

Kofi says we should thank them for showing mercy to Rey. Woods says they should be thankful for not giving Rey the Old Yeller treatment. Kofi says they did it for the fans.

The LWO come out. Dragon Lee says what they did to Rey was unforgivable. Lee says New Day sucks. They attack New Day. Kofi is lariated out and Woods takes a double superkick. Lee goes to dive and New Day runs away.

Naomi and Bianca are interviewed in the back. Naomi says they were counting their days to find out what happened to Jade and now Liv and RR will. Bianca says Liv better bring it on as it will be them vs Liv at The Chamber. They say they aren't afraid to bring the fight to each other.

Men's Elimination Chamber Qualifier - Finn Balor vs Seth Rollins

Finn goes after him before it starts. Finn hits corner spears. Finn hits boots to the gut then pedigrees him for 2. Finn shotgun dropkicks him. Seth hits a flying lariat.  Finn hits chops in the corner then pounds on Seth. Seth boots him out of the corner. Seth stomps on him in the corner.

Seth misses an asai moonsault then topes him into the rails. Finn slingblades him. Seth dropkicks him in the knee. Seth kicks Finn in the leg and sweeps him multiple times. Finn drives Seth's ribs into the apron edge outside. 

Finn stomps Seth's ribs into the apron edge. Seth drops Finn knee first on the commentary table. Seth misses a curbstomp on the steps then he is swept ribs first on the steps.

We go to break and return. Seth hiptosses Finn. Finn knees him in the gut and hits shots on him. Seth step up enzugiri's him. Finn pele kicks him. Seth hits chops on Finn. Seth chops Finn in the knee then ddt's him. Seth pumping knees him for 2. Seth asai moonsaults him for 2.

Seth buckle bombs Finn. Seth goes for a top rope splash but Finn gets his knees up. Finn hits him in the gut and is kicked in the leg. Finn hits him in the gut again. They trade shots. Finn hits a final cut then slingblades him. Seth blocks a dropkick and does a sharpshooter off of it. Seth pedigrees him for 2. He and everyone else thinks Seth has it won.

Seth tells the ref to suck it. Finn kicks him in the gut. Finn is up top, Seth runs up after him and goes down hard. Finn hits a top roe double stomp to the ribs. Finn crossfaces him. Seth rolls out and curbstomps him for the win.

Thoughts: I really liked it though it would have been even better if Seth won with some kind of leg hold. Finn does well at these matches where you work an unusual body part and Finn worked the ribs here. Seth countered with knee work. The finish was neat though.

Overall thoughts: It was a decent Raw here with Perez/Rodriguez and the main being good. I liked the Gunther segment too. I do think they could have gotten more out of Sami trying to get a match with Owens and I don't think this was the best way to finish off the "Who attacked Jade?" storyline, but it may not be done yet. None of the storylines feel real hot at the moment but with The Rumble just happening and The Chamber happening soon, there's only so much time. CM Punk was surprisingly not on the show. I'd give this one a 6 out of 10 and would recommend seeing Finn/Seth and Perez/Rodriguez.

WWF Superstars of Wrestling 11/30/1991

WWF Superstars of Wrestling 11/30/1991

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/wwf-superstars-of-wrestling-11231991.html

We are in New Haven, CT. Vince McMahon, Roddy Piper and Mr. Perfect are on commentary. Vince says Hulk isn't the champ after Survivor Series and Perfect is happy about it.

We see clips of Jack Tunney setting up Jake Roberts vs "Macho Man" Randy Savage at Tuesday in Texas. Vince also tells us about Hulk Hogan vs The Undertaker having a rematch for the title at Tuesday in Texas. We see Jack Tunney officially announce it at Survivor Series.

The Barbarian vs Mark Thomas

Barb hits Mark from behind while he still has his jacket on. Barb lays his jacket on Mark and hits elbow drops. Barb then stands on him. Barb lariats him over and chokes him. Barb chokes him in the corner. Mark hits shots on Barb. Barb catches his crossbody and drops him throat first on the ropes. 

Mark is thrown out then is backbreakered on the steps. Barb stands on him on the steps. Barb facekicks Mark and slams him. Barb tope rope diving lariats Mark and pins him.

Thoughts: It went longer than Barb's usual squashes do and Mark got some offense in before getting put down. Barb's offense looked good as usual.

WWF Event Center

Sean Mooney talks Tuesday in Texas. He says Macho Man and Mr. Madness are the same person. He talks the next Boston Garden show. IRS does a promo and says Boss Man exposed himself. He says Boss tried to hit him with a nightstick. IRS says he won't sit down and take a beating from a tax cheating cop like Boss. He says he told him he was gonna audit him and he said he kept his word.

Bret Hart does a promo on The Mountie. He said Mountie tried to electrocute him and kill him for a title shot. He says he will break Jimmy Hart's neck if he sees him and says Mountie is in for a shock with him.

The Big Boss Man vs Von Krus

Von Krus is Big Vito. Von gets a shot in then Boss throws him down. Boss hits a facekick then leg lariats him on the buckles. Boss then uppercuts Von. Boss shoulders him over and hits a splash. Boss sidewalk slams Von and wins.

Thoughts: It was a short one with Von only getting a punch or two in before going down.

Boss handcuffs Von to the ropes after and threatens him with a night stick.

Jake Roberts does a promo. He says Jack Tunney says he won't bring a snake to Tuesday in Texas. Jake says he won't bring a snake to the ring. He says the snake in the bag isn't the dangerous one, but him. Jake says he has always milked the people's emotions for all they are worth. Jake says to trust him.

Macho Man Randy Savage does a promo. Macho doesn't trust Jake and talks about his bad deeds. Macho says there's no snake at ringside, just Jake, the real snake. Macho says he will be at Tuesday in Texas to take him out then says Jake's "trust me" line.

Ric Flair vs Glen Ruth

Ric slaps him before it starts. Ric's belt is still blurred out here. Ric slaps Glen before the match.

Ric side headlocks him and hammerlocks the arm. Ric kneedrops the arm. Ric chops him in the corner and throws him out. Ric chops, punches and eye rakes him outside. Ric pulls Glen's throat down over the top rope. Ric snapmares him and knee drops him for 2. Ric foot chokes him and stomps on him.

Ric back elbows him then backdrops him. Ric then submits him with the figure four.

Thoughts: It went longer than you would think and Piper tried to put over Glen. It wasn't much with Ric working the arm some then going for the figure four.

We see Gary Strydom working out with Tito Santana in the gym.

WWF Event Center

Sean hypes up the 12/14/91 Boston Garden show. Skinner does a promo on Virgil. He says it's hunting season and he's hunting. Skinner says he's here to hunt superstars. He says the only thing left is Virgil's hide and he will take it.

Virgil does a promo. He says Skin was beating up alligators while he beat up people as an alligator. He says he will dance on him and take him down on the ground.

The Beverly Brothers and The Genius do a promo. Genius says The Bushwhackers and Jimmy Snuka's brains don't match the average vegetable. Beau says they need to be a taught a lesson and say to ask Jim Neidhart, as he didn't graduate their school.

We see clips from last week's Wrestling Challenge. The Nasty Boys clothesline Jim Duggan with his US flag then choke him with it. Sgt. Slaughter comes out to make the save and hits a double clothesline then punches on The Nasty's. Sarge throws Jimmy Hart out on The Nasty's. Sarge kisses the flag after. Sarge and Duggan shake hands after.

"Hacksaw" Jim Duggan and Sgt. Slaughter vs Paul Perez and Dale Wolfe 

Sarge clubs on Dale and bangs his head off the buckles. Dale is thrown out and has his head banged off the rails and steps. Dale takes a double back elbow then Jim bangs Dale's head off the buckles. Jim slams Dale.

Sarge backbreakers Dale. Sarge clubs on Paul then stomps him. Sarge back body drops him. Paul is whipped into a lariat from Duggan and is pinned. Jamison salutes both from the crowd after.

Thoughts: It was all squash here. Sarge wrestled like a heel on this one and threw Paul out after as well.

Paul Bearer and The Undertaker do a promo. Paul says Hulkamania died at Survivor Series. He says instead of burying Hulk the next day, they will do it at Tuesday in Texas. He says they will disembowel Hulk. Taker says Hulk is a defeated him. He says now he comes for the soul of Hulk to reset in the urn for eternity. 

The British Bulldog vs Dave Wilson

Dave hits a knee to the gut then takes a hiptoss. Davey armdrags him and armlocks him. Davey knee drops the arm. Davey hits a nice running dropkick. Davey suplexes Dave then armlocks him. Davey corner lariats Dave then powerslams him for the win.

Thoughts: Davey's dropkick was nice here. Dave was a little bigger than Davey and Davey looked good throwing him around.

WWF Event Center

Sean Mooney hypes up the next Boston Garden show. We are told it's Sgt. Slaughter vs Mustafa and Adnan in a handicapped flag match. General Adnan calls Sarge a double crosser and says he's a man without a country. Col. Mustafa says they taught Sarge all he knows and know how to bring him down.

Sgt. Slaughter calls them maggots. Sarge says he has his country back and says they will find out what it means for Sarge to be back.

The Repo Man vs Phil Apollo

Repo boots and punches Phil. Phil's head is banged off the buckles. Repo lariats him and Phil is put in tree of woe. Ted Dibiase and Sensational Sherri do an inset promo. Ted says everything he does is well planned and executed to his satisfaction. He says Virgil has nothing he wants than to beat him for his pleasure. He says Virgil will pay a dear price like the others.

Repo legweeps Phil then stomps on him. Repo wraps Phil's leg around the rope then slams him. Repo leglocks Phil and wins.

Thoughts: It was a quick one and wasn't too much. Repo did a lot of basic offense and wrapped Phil's legs around the ropes towing style.

Repo ties up Phil's legs and pulls the rope over the top like he's towing a car. 

Repo threatens Jamison in the seats. Jamison says he thought the fans were gonna help him.

Hulk Hogan does a promo. He says nothing has changed in our world. He says sometimes it takes a tragedy to wake the rest of the world up. Hulk says him and his Maniacs still believe in the training and the vitamins. Hulk says just because Taker got a pin on him via Ric Flair, nothing has changed. Hulk says if he doesn't beat Taker, Taker might as well bury him. Taker says all you would find in him though are millions of Hulksters you'd have to fight night after night.

Vince says we will have results from Tuesday in Texas next week. 

Overall thoughts: There wasn't much going on here. It was all about pushing Hulk/Taker and Jake/Macho for Tuesday in Texas. There was only one week to hype this up and they didn't have a lot of time. I couldn't tell you what the other matches were on the show just from watching this alone and that's not a good thing leading to the PPV. I would have just cut some of the squashes here to promote the show more. I wouldn't recommend this as the wrestling wasn't much and not too much of note happened here. I just thought it was below average overall.

WOW Women of Wrestling 2/15/2025 Season 5, Episode 23

WOW Women of Wrestling 2/15/2025 Season 5, Episode 23

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/wow-women-of-wrestling-282025-season-5.html

Animal Instinct comes out. Jinx says she's been silent about the abuse from Betty and Jones. McLane says they were the ones who brought the dog collars out. Goldie says those were accessories. Goldie says this is animal cruelty. Jessie Jones and Big Rig Betty come out. The heels run out. Jones says they will take the match or they will find them in the parking lot.

Ashley Blaze and The Dojo Defenders (Tara Strike and Kara Kai) vs Top Tier (Coach Campanelli, Gloria Glitter and Kandi Krush)

Coach takes down Blaze then they trade side headlocks. Blaze armdrags Coach off the ropes and dropkicks her. Coach takes kicks from The Defenders. Krush hits leg kicks on Kai then bangs her knee off the mat for 2.  Krush throws Kai into the corner. Kai is double tripped and has her legs pulled on.

Glitter bangs Kai's knee off the mat and stomps on it in the corner. Kai's leg is banged off the apron. Coach gets in and Kai fights back on her. Coach drago nscrews her. Kai takes her down.

Kara gets in and hits corner facekicks on Glitter and Krush. She then double bulldogs them for 2. Krush hits a jumping pump on Kara and wins.

Thoughts: It was short. They worked Kai's leg for most of this until she got out. There wasn't a lot else to it. Top Tier won here as expected.

Top Tier attack their opponents after. Kai is put in a sharpshooter and has her legs kicked by Top Tier. McLane gets on the mic and gets mad. She says Top Tier will pay for this. Kara's leg is like straightened out in some kind of brace and the paramedics help her out.

Scout Parker vs Keta Rush

We haven't seen Keta since November. Keta takes Scout down then back elbows her. Keta corner splashes her then monkey flips her. Scout hiptosses Keta then rolls her. Scout flying back elbows her then standing moonsaults her for 2. Keta hits kicks on Scout then is knee'd in the corner. Scout does a standing shiranui for 2. Keta 2nd rope crossbodies her then dropkicks her. We see Tara Strike is being attended to in the back.

Keta springboard crossbodies her for the win.

Thoughts: It was fine and Scout's standing shiranui was impressive. I didn't expect Keta to win here since she hadn't been around and Scout is kind of getting pushed.

The Alliance (BK Rhythm, Gigi Gianni and Reina del Rey) vs Chantilly Chella, Holidead and Kalaki The Island Girl

Adrianna Gambino is on commentary. The faces pose on the ropes and get nailed. The faces then make a comeback. The faces avoid being thrown into each other and hit forearms then splashes on their opponents. The faces hit stereo corner punches and Reina is pulled out. Holi and Chella do stereo atomic drops then stereo shoulderblocks.

Holi hits corner lariats on BK then drops her throat first on the ropes. Holi hits a bad tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for 2. Holi then flapjacks Chella onto BK for 2. Chella hits kicks on BK then armdrags Gigi. Chella armlocks her then hits a dropkick. Chella snapmares Gigi and is caught by the hair by Reina on the ropes.

Gigi gets a 2 count on Chella. Gigi walks on Chella, dances and elbow drops her. Gigi corner lariats Chella. Gigi flying double knees Chella in the corner. Reina corner meteora's Chella.

Holi blocks a double suplex on Chella then rams her into the heels. Holi hits a double clothesline. Kal hits dropkicks then does a weird gutwrench powerslam on Gigi. Kal leg lariats Gigi for 2. All 6 girls fight outside and the ref ends up disqualifying Holi's team.

Thoughts: I'm not sure about that finish as it probably should have been a no contest or double countout. I didn't expect that ending and it seems like we will probably get some kind of rematch out of this one. It was different than the usual WOW match and I was fine with this one.

Nigel the commentator talks to Pep Riley in the back. He asks what was on the video Pep saw last week. Pep says she was shocked. She says she saw a girl (implied to be Chainsaw) living in a dark and dirty place alone. We see this girl grabbing a chainsaw and filming herself. She pulls out a doll dressed like a cheerleader and put it in black clothing. Pep says this doll was the girl's only friend. Pep said she's glad she's not alone and knows someone else like her. She says she can be who she really is now and says Chainsaw taught her this.

Thoughts: They tried here but it just didn't work. I couldn't really get past why this video would exist.

Sibley Scoles is in the back. She talks about the main event. Big Rig Betty says they had the match won fair and square then the heels attacked. Jones says she hoped the heels had a lot of fun as they are going to hurt them tonight. Betty says they have nowhere to run.

Next week has Santana Garrett vs Paola Mayfield.

Double Dog Collar Match - Animal Instinct (Goldie Collins and Catalina Jinx) vs Big Rigs and Bourbon (Big Rig Betty and Jessie Jones)

The heels have to be dragged out here by the heels. Jones grabs Jinx by the hair and the heels have the collars put on them. The heels slide out and each team pulls each other. The heels get back in. Goldie is whipped into Jones' boots. Betty bangs Goldie's her off the buckle and stomps on her. Jones sliding lariats Jinx with the chain.

Jones chokes Jinx in the corner with the chain. Goldie chokes Betty with a chain. Goldie chokes Jinx with the chain. Jinx kicks Jones down then Goldie camel clutches Betty with the chain.

Jones and Betty hit back elbows on the heels in the corner and send them into each other. They then roll them up together and pin them.

Thoughts: I didn't like this. The camera's didn't really know how to shoot this and they made it hard to watch. Add in Jones and Betty looking rather identical from far away with the same style outfits and same hair color and it was even harder to follow. Double dog collar matches are always a mess because the wrestlers can't move that much without getting tied up and with the WOW girls being more limited, the work wasn't good at all.

Overall thoughts: It wasn't one of the better WOW episodes. The main was hard to watch and wasn't that good. The matches weren't that bad otherwise but having a bad main always brings down the whole show. The Pep Riley/Chainsaw segment was also kind of hard to follow but they did try. I wouldn't recommend this and would only give it a 4 out of 10.

WWE LFG 2/16/2025

 WWE LFG 2/16/2025

This is the debut episode of WWE LFG.

Mickie James, Booker T, Bubba Ray Dudley and The Undertaker are our coaches. We have 16 competitors.

We are at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida.

We see Shawn Michaels arrive at the PC. We also see the arena where WWE LFG is. Shawn greets the coaches. Shawn says they want to pull the curtain back, have the coaches train the wrestler and see how they implement the feedback the coaches give them. Shawn says they chose 16 of the 100 athletes at the PC. Shawn says some of them have been here a year and some have been here a week.

Shawn says every coach picks 2 men and 2 women and 2 people get contracts. Shawn says the coaches compete for the WWE LFG Title. Shawn says they excelled at what they did in this business and he wants them to pass their skills on to the next gen.

We see some of the athletes. Shawn walks in. Shawn says he wants to bring them training from some of the best WWE has seen. He then brings in the coaches. Shawn runs down the rules and says every coach is given a point if their trainee is labeled a "Standout".

Booker T comes in and we learn about him. Booker says he's looking for the elite wrestler and calls it Shakespeare and Romeo & Juliet. Booker says he wants someone who is hungry.

Mickie James is brought out next and we learn about her. James says she's looking forward to seeing how great some of the people are.

Bubba Ray Dudley comes in next and we learn about him. One of the trainees offers to shake Bubba's hand. He says he will shake their hand when they earn his respect. He wants he's not here to make friends and says this is a business. He says the sooner they get this, the better off they will be. BJ Ray talks about getting his handshake turned down by Bubba. He says it's not that deep.

The Undertaker then rides a motorcycle in. We go to break and return. Taker walks in and we learn about him. He says e will find out who's playing for second now. Taker says he expects everything and more from you. Taker says he has a lot to share and lots of things are lost from his era.

Taker tells one trainee to put a headlock on Shiloh Hill. He says there needs to be some struggle. Hill says he was terrified of Taker as a kid. Hill says he was a staring linebacker at Stanford. He says his dad was a big WWE fan and said he passed away. He says he thinks about him before having a match.

Bubba and Booker say they have their work cut out for them. Zena Sterling says she has big nerves. Drake Morreaux says having the coaches watch him do drills messes with your mindset. Booker tells a trainee to keep things in control.

Bubba says he's looking for someone with the IT factor like it's Mania. Bubba tells Hill he slipped on his drop down and needs to move within his own athletic ability. Bubba says that one slip could put someone in harm's way.

Anthony Luke says everyone has potential but he doesn't see anyone as competition. He's from Sacramento. He played football, did amateur wrestling and trained MMA. He's dating Maxxine Duprii. We see clips of Luke having a match.

Booker says Anthony has something and says he looks good. He says he sees a young Booker T in him. Mickie says it's always the easy stuff you get hurt on. Bubba tells two of the girls to circle before a lock-up. One of them is Dani Sekelsky. She says she wants to share the room with Bubba and says she's a nobody right now. She says she's from Connecticut. She says she has been a cheerleader her whole life and was an NFL cheerleader. She says it translates well into WWE. She says wrestling is tough but fun and rewarding.

They say we will pick people for matches tonight. Taker says we need to sell tickets tonight even though the tapings are free.

Thoughts: We have seen Drake Morreaux and Shiloh Hill on Level Up already. BJ Ray was on WWE Next Gen, though I didn't see the whole series yet so there could be more people from there.

The coaches are going to judge promos next. Tyra Mae Steele, who already debuted on Level Up, is up next. She's a gold medalist in wrestling and a 2x world champ. She says the medal opened so many doors for her. We see a clip of her on Level Up.

She says she knows what it's like to be someone at the top of her game but knows nothing here. She says she has something to offer. Bubba and Taker rip her saying they don't know who's she going to wrestle. She's bubbly and thanks them for the criticsm. She says it's intense.

Jasper Troy, who also debuted on Level Up already is next. He says he was fascinated with the business growing up. He says instead of dreaming, he made it his reality. He says everyone better show respect as the world will be under his thumb. Booker says that's the one. Troy says he loves promos.

Zena Sterling talks. She says she's tired of everyone telling her to watch her back. She says there's nothing there. She says she's going for a ditzy blonde. Booker says he doesn't buy it and it would be a good time to go to the bathroom when she talks.

Leigh Laurel is up next. She says she wants everyone to know what's it like to be alone like her. She says she better bring your best fight as she's a canine in the cage and ready to rage.

Drake Morreaux is up next. He says if you step into the ropes, you stepping into the swamp with him. He says if you ring the bell, you might not see him again.

Chris Island is next up. He says there's new blood in the waters and he's a shark. Taker says he doesn't feel like Chris believes it.

Elijah Holyfield is next. It's his first week here. he says he brings pain and destruction to everyone in his way. He says he's here to denominate and says it's Holyfield's time now. Bubba says he should use his last name as it is known. Bubba says to mention it but then get away from it so we know who he is.

Shiloh Hill is next up. He says no matter who he faces, he has the same plan. Hit em, hit em harder and repeat step 2. He says he didn't come here to prove he's a genius, he says it's time to prove he's the toughest. He says it's time to hit 'em. Booker says he wants to see a promo. Booker tells him to whoop his @ss. Hill says it's easy for Booker to sit on the chair. He says he doesn't know if Booker still likes to wrestle. He says he will bring him to NXT so he can look him in the eyes and get to know each other. Bubba asks why he was so sweet in the beginning and says he wants rage from the beginning. Taker says he's gonna do something.

Troy Yearwood is next. He is #1 all time in multiple strength and jumping categories. He says he needs to get better at talking. He asks people to look and see who he is. He says he has every weight lifting record they have. He says he's gifted in body and mind and is the next big thing in NXT. Booker says he doesn't believe it. He says he's from the street. Bubba says he could kick Troy's @ss and says he doesn't believe in him. Mickie says she sees a lot in him. Troy says they know what they are talking about and he will believe them as he has a lot to work on. A-Train tells him to show what he's feeling.

Booker says he needs whiskey. We hear promos from Anthony Luke, Bayley Humphrey and Dani Sekelsky. Bay says she has pulled bodies from rivers, cut them open and stitched them together. Tker says it's his wheelhouse. Tatyanna Dumas says she is known as Tat. Penina Tuilaepa is up next. She's a rugby player. She says she doesn't play and says to go play with the kids if you want to go play. She calls herself "P Nasty". Mickie and Booker love it. BJ Ray is next. He says he's a west coast gangster, a Division I wrestler at duke and from California. He says it was a lot at his tryout but says it's for him. BJ says he got kicked in the head a few weeks ago. He said people laughed at him. He says he has a message for you - you got Snapchat? Booker asks what's that and asks if it's a promo. Booker asks for a real promo.

BJ says he tried to shake Bubba's hand but Bubba disrespected him. He says he's not about that. He says about he's about showing respect. Bubba says it sounds like he has a real issue with him. BJ says he's a bully. Bubba says his ticks are showing. BJ mocks him. Bubba says he should think about his attitude and BJ says he will chew on it. Taker asks him to come back.

We goto break and return. BJ says he's having fun and Taker says he's risking it all to be a smart @ss. He asks if that sounds like a good idea. BJ says it was a promo and he says he's glad it came across as real. Bubba akss if they can book a match now and Taker says he's loaded with talent.

Anthony Luke says BJ knows how to tick people off. Sirena Linton is here and it's her first week. She says she's born a warrior and has never had an easy life. She says her dad was deported when she was a kid. She says she will take everything the other girls love and says she will be a champ. Bubba asks who got deported. Bubba says he brought emotion out of her and made her cry and says she needs to do it on her own.

Wrestlers will be picked for matches tonight. Dani Sekelsky fights Tyra Mae Steel and Shiloh Hill fights Anthony Luke. This will be Luke and Dani's TV debuts. She says the top male and female get to choose their mentor. We see Fit Finlay work with them on their match.

Shiloh Hill vs Anthony Luke

Vic Joseph and Jeremy Borash are on commentary. Luke side headlock takeovers Hill and side headlocks him. Luke shoulders him over. Hill shoulders him over then atomic drops him. Hill armdrags him. Hill hits corner spears then slams Luke.

Luke neckbreakers him. Luke pounds on him. Luke hits a suplex for 2. Luke chinlocks him. Hill jawbreakers him out of it. Hill crossbodies him, Luke rolls through and pins him with his feet on the ropes.

Thoughts: This was edited and not shot like a wrestling match. I don't really feel comfortable rating this since it wasn't true pro wrestling here. 

Taker says it looked like Luke was going through the motions. Shawn talks to both wrestlers after. Booker says they both did a good job but Luke stood out more. Mickie says Luke didn't do anything heelish and says the face didn't overcome any odds. She says Hill was better. Bubba says he saw things he liked and said he saw of The Rock in him and says Luke was better. Taker says Hill just stood in the corner before this started. He says he saw great things in both but says Luke was better.

Dani Sekelsky vs Tyra Mae Steele

Dani does a standing moonsault in the ring. They lock up. Tyra rolls her backwards. Tyra trips her then waistlock takedowns her. Dani cartwheels and wristlocks her. Dani armdrags her. Tyra slams her for 2. Tyra bangs Dani's face off the buckles. Dani 2nd rope sunset flips her for 2. Tyra hits a knee to the gut and backdrops her. Tyra side headlocks her.

Tyra throws her down and misses an elbow drop. Dani running forearms her then slams her. Dani misses a 2nd rope crossbody and is german suplexed. Tyra wins.

Thoughts: We saw a little more of this and it was more like a real match. Dani looked good here and is an obvious face. She's got a good look and I thought she did well here. 

Shawn is impressed with Dani. Booker says Dani was in total control and picks her. Mickie agrees. Mickie says it was good and picks Tyra. Bubba picks Tyra. Taker says both should be proud. Taker says he's impressed with both but picks Tyra.

Tyra calls her husband and asks who to pick for her coach. Her husband tells her to choose Taker and she does. Taker says he's excited and says her potential is unlimited. Luke says he watched all 4 wrestle. He chooses Booker as he's the best fit.

They then make Luke do a spinarooni as he said he practiced it as a kid. He then tries to do one. Booker says it's a 5.5-6. We then see clips of future episodes.

Overall thoughts: This was the first episode. They had a lot to do here and I'm sure next week's show is going to be different as the trainees pick their coaches. I would say the show is closer to Tough Enough than Level Up, though the trainees are already signed so they aren't quite competing for anything. We didn't get any true matches here though I think we will in future weeks. I feel like there was maybe some reality in some of the stuff we saw like the wrestlers critiquing the matches but that's really it. I think the show is just a way to see the legends to get to know some of the trainees so people are familiar with them when they get put on WWE Evolve or NXT. I wouldn't really recommend this show or episode as it all felt manufactured, it wasn't a true look at what training at the PC is like and it didn't give us any true matches either.

AEW Grand Slam Australia 2/15/2025

AEW Grand Slam Australia 2/15/2025

This is basically AEW Collision as it's on in the same slot, though the Collision name isn't part of it. Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2025/02/aew-collision-282025.html

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay vs Konosuke Takeshita and Kyle Fletcher

Will and Kyle trade forearms and shoulders. Kyle shoulders him over. Will takes a double shoulderblock. Will handspring flying corkscrew kicks Kyle. Kenny comes in and top rope crossbodies Kyle. He hits double axe handles on him then Kenny hurricanrana's Kyle. KT hits Kenny from behind. KT then takes an over the back fameasser from Kenny.

The faces do stereo tope con hilos. Kyle prevents a double team in the ring and sends Will into Kenny. He then boots Kenny over. KT second rope sentons Kenny.

Kenny boots KT out of the corner then drives his head down into the mat. Will springboard forearms KT. Kenny snap dragon suplexes Kyle. KT exploders Kenny. Will superkicks KT's head into the buckles. Will standing spanish flies Kyle.We go to break and return. Will hits Kawada kicks on Kyle then hook kicks him. Will hits a ddt out of the powerbomb position. Will hits another ddt on Kyle. Don Callis trips up Will then Kyle half-nelson suplexes Will.

KT flying lariats Kenny. Will hits Kawada kicks on KT then is forearmed over. KT hits a double german on both opponents. Kenny hits a 2nd rope hurricanrana on KT then Will corkscrew moonsaults out onto Kyle outside. Kenny pumping knees KT for 2. KT blue thunders Kenny for 2. Kenny hits a bad poisonrana on KT. KT is on Kenny's shoulders on the buckles and Will cutters KT from the top. Kyle superkicks Kenny then Will hidden blades Kyle. Kenny pumping knees KT on the ropes. Will and Kenny take a tombstone and a package tombstone at the same time for 2.

The four trade forearms. Kenny takes a forearm + superkick then Will does as well. Kyle brainbusters Kenny for 2. Will hook kicks KT then KT flips him with a lariat. Kenny and KT trade forearms. Kenny flying pumping knees KT. KT is dropped face first on the top buckle. Will flips over KT in the corner and dives out onto Kyle. KT takes a hidden blade + one winged angel combo and is pinned.

Thoughts: I'm not a big fan of long openers and that's what this was. They tried to have an epic here but it felt rushed and basically just went straight into the middle portion of the match from the start. It was all action and kicking out of big moves.

AEW TBS Title - Mercedes Mone (c) vs Harley Cameron

Momo Watanabe is at ringside and gets a shot at an AEW Title because she won the International Women's Cup at Wrestle Dynasty.

Mone lays on the ropes. Mone throws HC down backwards then slams her. HC russian legsweeps her then does a sliding flatliner for 2. HC armdrags her and bulldogs her into the buckles. HC axe kicks her and rubs her chest into her face.

HC grabs her Mone puppet. HC hits Mone with it. Mone jumping double knees her in the corner and stomps on the puppet. Mone foot chokes HC. Mone corner meteora's HC. Mone chokes her on the ropes then meteora's her for 2.

We go to break and return. HC bounces off the ropes with her feet and bulldogs her. HC hits forearms and chops. HC lariats her. Mone suplexes her. Mone tries to tope rope splash her but HC gets her knees up. HC wrist clutch backdrops her for 2.

Mome backcrackers her and sends her out. HC grabs her puppet and hits Mone with it. HC top rope crossbodies her then HC hits a canadian destroyer for 2. Mone powerbombs her then 2nd rope meteora's her. HC sunset flips her for 2. 

Mone is tripped into the buckles and takes a 619. HC misses a top rope swanton. Mone then hits the money maker and wins.

Thoughts: It got a lot of time and HC did more here than she ever has in her AEW run. They tried. I thought it was about average though and a little boring at times. I thought they should have had Mone get the edge, have HC make her comebacks then just have Mone put her down. Instead they tried for a classic and didn't quite succeed. I think it's also tough to start a show off with 2 long matches.

Mone shoves her title in Momo's face after.

Kenny Omega and Will Ospreay do a promo. Kenny says he had to listen to KT and Don talk about how they beat him twice in one week for a year. Kenny challenges KT to an International Title match at Revolution. Will talks about beating Kyle today. Will then challenges Kyle for a match at Revolution in a cage.

Brisbane Brawl Match - Cope & Jay White vs. Death Riders (Claudio Castagnoli & Jon Moxley)

The faces attack off the apron as The DR's come down. Mox is sent into the rails. The DR's takes corner punches and corner lariats. Mox is double lariated over the top. CC then is double back body dropped over the top. Cope rips CC's shirt off and they go into the seats. 

Jay and Mox fight in the aisle. Jay throws Mox into the rails. Jay tries to plancha Mox but is hit with a trash can lid. Cope jumps off a wall in the crow onto CC. Jay is put on a table and choked.

Mox gets stuck up top. Shafir hits Cope with a kendo stick. Jay is pulled off the apron by CC and euro'd. Cope is powerbombed through a table. We go to PiP break and return.

Cope hits a top rope diving double lariat. Mox double underhook ddt's Cope then sends him into the post shoulder first. Jay hits kendo stick shots on both opponents. Jay is sent into a chair between the buckles.

CC spears a chair between the buckles then Jay blade runners him. Wheeler Yuta comes out and whips Jay with a belt. Jay flatliners Yuta. Mox curb stomps Jay. Cope crotches Mox into the post.

CC euros Cope then takes a back body drop. Cope spears CC through a table. Cope spears Mox. Cope grabs a barbed wire chair and hits Mox's back with it. Cope goes for the conchairto but Yuta and Shafir hit Cope. CC neutralizers Cope. Mox bulldog chokes Cope. Cope is out and Mox wins.

Thoughts: I was surprised to see the faces lose here since Cope is challenging for the AEW Title against Mox and you'd think he would win. It was your usual hardcore match. It was fine for what it was. It's always so funny with Mox though. You'd expect him to bleed buckets here yet only his back ended up getting a little bloody from the barbed wire.

Mox keeps the bulldog choke on Cope after. 

AEW Continental Title - Kazuchika Okada (c) vs Buddy Matthews

KO gives him the finger. BM side headlock takeovers him and is put in a headsissors. They then do the spot again with the roles switched. BM flying headscissors him.

KO grabs his title and goes to leave BM. BM says he called him a b!tch but he's just being a wanker. KO forearms him and BM knees him in the gut. BM knee drops him for 2. KO backdrops Okada on the apron.

KO flapjacks BM. BM is on the 2nd rope and is dropkicked down. We go to break and return. BM top rope diving meteora's Okada. KO over the back neckbreakers BM on the knee. KO hits a top rope elbow drop. KO forearms him then BM hits a go to sleep. KO rainmakers him for 2.

BM rolls him up and curbstomps him for 2. BM hits a made in Japan for 2. KO ddt's him on the floor. BM superplexes him and holds on for a jackhammer. BM is almost sent into the ref. KO is almost sent into the ref. KO grabs the ref and low blows BM. KO rainmakers BM and pins him.

Thoughts: I was surprised it didn't go longer and didn't try to be more of an epic since that was pretty much the entire purpose of this. It was okay but nothing too memorable and didn't quite live up to the hype it had gotten. This was yet match on this card that was designed to be a good match and nothing more.

AEW Women's World Title Match - Mariah May (c) vs. Toni Storm

Luther was dressed up as a movie theater usher for this.

Toni pounds on May. Toni then thesz presses her and hits mounted shots. Toni stomp flurries her in the corner. May slingblades her then shotgun dropkicks her. Toni hits 6 germans on her.

Toni is pulled down face first on the apron. May shotgun dropkicks her into the rails. We go to PiP break and return. Toni hits lariats then sky highs her for 2. Toni does an STF variation. Toni misses a hip attack on the buckles and takes a cradle shock on the floor. May top rope dropkicks her. Toni cradle shocks her for 2. Toni corner hip attacks her then hits a storm zero for 2. May germans her then hits a cradle shock. May hits another cradle shock for 2.

May hits wild slaps on her. May kisses her on the buckles then Toni running powerbombs her. Toni hits a storm zero but May rolls out. May storm zero's her then Toni cradles her and wins.

Thoughts: I didn't like the finish. You shouldn't be doing surprise cradle pins in the main on a big show. I thought Toni got a little too much offense in early with the endless germans and I didn't think they sold that well here with multiple finishers meaning nothing. I thought it was an average match for the most part and they didn't do anything too crazy in this.

Overall thoughts: It was as heavy as a wrestling show as you can get. There was like only non-wrestling segment here that didn't go long. It got a little tiring after a while and started to run together. I would have really liked some matches where the sole purpose wasn't to have the best match possible. Because of the 2 hour time slot, some of the matches couldn't have been as good as they were supposed to be either. I'd give this one a 5 out of 10 as it just didn't interest me that much and because it offered nothing outside of good matches.