New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/5/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 7

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/5/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 7

BULLET CLUB (Gedo & KENTA) vs. TMDK (Kosei Fujita & Zack Sabre Jr.)

TMDK get jumped during intros. Zack is thrown out and Gedo chokes Kosei. Zack hits forearms on Taka outside. Gedo stomps on Kosei and chokes him. Kenta knees and neckbreakers Kosei. 

Kosei hits chops then flying kicks Kenta. Kenta facekicks Zack and Zack facekicks him after. They trade forearms and Zack facekicks him down. Zack twists and pulls on Gedo's beard and suplexes Kenta for 2. Zack rolling armbars Kenta then Kenta armbars him. Zack rolls him up for 2 then Zack pele kicks the arm. They high kick each other at the same time and both go down.

Gedo eye rakes Kosei then jawbreakers him. Kosei slaps him then springboard dropkicks him for 2. Kosei chops Gedo and Zack twists Gedo's neck with his feet. Kosei PK's Gedo. Kosei lifts Gedo for a suplex and drops him with a cutter to win.

Thoughts: It was as you would expect with Gedo doing little but cheating before being put down quick at 6 and a half minutes.

United Empire (Francesco Akira, Great-O-Khan & TJP) vs. Just 5 Guys (SANADA, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Yuya and Khan go at it. They try to take down each other. they criss cross and Yuya hiptosses him. Yuya armdrags and armlocks him. Khan goes for the sheep killer then dragon screws him. Khan leglocks him then ties up his legs. Khan sits on Yuya's neck in the corner.

Akira chops Yuya then 2nd rope diving hurricanrana's him. Akira rolls him into a double stomp. TJP slingshot swantons Yuya then facewash kicks him. Yuya rolls him up and hits a big chop. Sanada gets in and his dropkicks. He then plancha's Khan. Sanada stops TJP's paradise lock then puts him in one of his own. He then trips Akira into TJP.

They trad dragon sleepers and TJP final cuts him. Taka eye pokes Akira then Akira flying headscisosrs him. Akira top rope crossbodies Taka. Taka pump kicks Akira then running knees him. Taka then puts him in just facelock.

Akira backslides Taka then meteora's him in the back of the head. Akira then wins.

Thoughts: It was a short waste of time. They didn't have much time to work with so everyone got a section and then the match ended.

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Ryusuke Taguchi, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma & Yuji Nagata vs. House Of Torture (EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

RT gets jumped to start things. Sho rakes his eyes with his foot and boots him. RT hits chops then is eye raked. RT hip attacks Sho. Tiger gets in and hits kicks on Sho. YK nails Tiger from the apron. Tiger escapes a double team then tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Sho. YK is tripped and trampled on by Tiger. Tana hits shots on YK then 2nd rope twisting crossbodies him. Tana misses a corner splash and goes into the buckles.

A bunch of people go outside to fight. Sho chokes RK with the rail and Evil knocks the time keeper over by throwing Yuji into him. Tana takes a double knee drop from Yujiro and and YK. Yujiro leg drops, elbow drops, headbutt drops and splashes Tana.

Tana gets his legs split then Evil fisherman suplexe him for 2. HoT rings the bell pre-maturely to trick the faces. RT is sent into the rails outside. Tna bits forearms on Ren then Ren eye rakes him. Ren rubs Tana's eyes on the ropes.

Ren eye rakes Tana then Tana dragon screws him. Yuji gets in and gets some shots in on the heels. He belly to belly overhead suplexes Sho then hit chest kicks on Ren. Yuji running facekicks Ren in the corner then crossfaces him. Ren chokes Yuji then Ren exploders him.

Yuji exploders Ren. Honma and Evil fight. Honma bulldogs him then misses a headbutt drop. Honma takes corner attacks then Togo 2nd rope chops Honma in the nuts. RT and Evil fight. RT hits shots to the gut then he hip attacks him. Tana, RT and Yuji put submissions on the heels. Honma flying headbutts Evil then headbutt drops him for 2.

Togo distracts the ref and Honma is hit with the push-up board. Evil hits everything is evil on Honma and wins.

Thoughts: It was your usual HoT match with cheating and various shenanigans. It wasn't as offensive as other matches they have had. It's clear to me that someone in the back told them to cut out some of their usual schtick as we haven't seen some of the overdone tricks lately.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifier Tournament Final Round Match - YOSHI-HASHI vs. Callum Newman

They lock up. CN takes him down and pulls on his arm. Yoshi side headlocks him and shoulders him over. CN running facekicks him then hits euros. Yoshi facekicks him on the ropes then trips him. Yoshi is sent into the rails outside and he shoulders CN over.

CN is laid on the ropes and Yoshi baseball slides him. CN hits a forearm flurry then Yoshi spinning chops him. Yoshi double chops him. CN trips him then double double stomps his back. CN corner dropkicks him. CN PK's him and standing moonsaults him for 2.

Yoshi hits a nice headhunter. Yoshi corner lariats him then hits a top rope blockbuster for 2. Yoshi hits a forearm then CN standing spanish flies him for 2. CN facekicks him and Yoshi blocks his os cutter. Yoshi dragon suplexes him. They trade strikes. CN enzugiri's him and is superkicked. Yoshi hits a fisherman's buster for 2.

Yoshi does an unusual neckbreaker over the knee then meteora's him for 2. Yoshi running lariats him for 2. Yoshi goes for made in japan and CN cutters him out of it to win.

Thoughts: The ending as a bit sudden which hurt this a little. I thought the finishing stretch should have been given more time to really put this one over. It was a decent match as expected. Yoshi not being in the G1 is another loss though CN deserved to be in it too.

G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifier Tournament Final Round Match - Taichi vs. Oleg Boltin

They lock up and Oleg clean breaks him. They do leg kicks for forearms. Taichi running facekicks him twice and knocks him down. Oleg shoulders him over. Taichi enzugiri's him. Oleg is thrown into the rails and the seats.

Taichi hits boots and chest kicks Oleg. Taichi footslaps him and Oleg hits forearms. Taichi side kicks him for 2. Oleg catches him and slams him. Oleg corner splashes him and shoulders him over. Oleg splashes him for 2. Oleg does karelin's lift, throwing Taichi all around. He then kips up after.

Taichi headkicks him. Taichi puts him in stretch plum. Taichi buzzsaw kicks him. Oleg dropkicks him, catches a superkick and finlay rolls him for 2. Oleg corner splashes him then Taichi puts him in stretch plum again. Oleg samoan drops him and Taichi gets a 2 count off a pin attempt. Taichi facekicks him and backdrops him for 2.

Taichi running lariats him then Oleg does a running knee to the gut for 2. Oleg hits an F-5 then finlay rolls him to win.

Thoughts: Definitely an upset here with Oleg getting the G-1 berth off of it, but Oleg needed to be in it. Taichi not being in it a loss though. It was an okay match not but it was not great.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Shingo Takagi & Tetsuya Naito) vs. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Titan & Yota Tsuji)

Titan and Bushi start us off. They lock up and roll on the ropes. Titan poses and Bushi goes for a basement dropkick. Titan goes up and over out of the corner then takes a 2nd rope diving headscissors. Bushi ducks kicks. Yota and Shingo get in.

They shoulder battle and trade forearms. They shoulder battle more and both get knocked over. HT and Naito get in. HT hits a surprise shotgun dropkick and they throw each other into the rails outside. Naito rolls out of a kick and poses then HT poses and does Naito's pose. HT is ssnset flipped into a basement dropkick.

Shingo double axe handles HT's back then elbow drops him. HT gets his legs split and Bushi chinlocks him. Naito eye rakes HT. Yota corner splashes Naito then Naito takes a triple basement dropkick. HT back elbows and headscissors Naito. Yota hits corner spears on Naito. He ties up Naito's legs and sits on his neck.

Titan 2nd rope dropkicks Naito then legdrops him. HT stomp flurries Naito then pulls on his leg. Yota bangs Naito's knee off the mat then half-crabs him. Naito takes kicks from his opponents. Titan lariats Naito through the ropes in the conrer and Yota splashes Naito.

Naito atomic drops and enzugiri's Yota. Shingo gets in. He pop-up drops Titan then lariats HT over the top. Shingo suplexes Yota. Yota flatliners him but misses the curb stomp. Yota hits forearms on Shingo. Shingo forearms him then takes a standing blue thunder. Yota knees him in the face.

Titan gets in and springboard splashes Shingo. Shingo back elbows him and Titan headflips out of a ddt. Titan limbos out of a lariat and is powerslammed by Shingo. Bushi gets in and running back elbows Titan. Titan dropkicks him then tope con hilos him.

Bushi dropkicks Titan in the knee then bangs his knee off the mat. Bushi does a figue four variation on Titan while Shingo and Naito put submissions on. Titan hits strikes ending with a spin kick on Bushi. Titan top rope double stomps Bushi.

Bushi backcrackers Titan. HT and Naito go at it. HT shotgun dropkicks him then falcon arrows him for 2. Naito reverse ddt's HT while he's on the 2nd rope and Naito bridging neckbreakers HT. Naito hits diamond dust on HT. HT lifts him for a suplex but just drops him chest first in what they call "victory royal".

HT superkicks Naito. HT lariats him in the back of the neck and then does a normal lariat for 2. Yota pumping knees Naito and everyone gets a move in. HT superkicks Bushi then Naito hits destino on HT. Naito hits back elbows on HT then Naito hits a nortern lights bomb on him. HT hits an emerald flowsion. Naito goes for a pin as the time limit expires.

Thoughts: They telegraphed that this would go the distance as the announcers made special mentions of the elapsed time. It was a fun trios match but not a classic. They didn't go all out here but maybe did a little more than usual. It was fun to see a different matchup for a change.

IWGP Junior Heavyweight Title Match - El Desperado (c) vs. DOUKI

Douki headscissors him and Douki ties up the legs and lays on him. Douki flying snapmares him. Douki cravates him. Despy tries to roll out but Douki holds on. Despy dropkicks him in the knee then Douki flying headscissors him. Douki springboard armdrags him.

Despy dropkicks his leg while he's between the ropes. Douki handstands on the apron outside, handsprings and tornado ddt's Despy on the floor. Douki slingshots in and is caught in a double knee drop. 

Despy butt drops Douki's leg. Douki sells it then Douki's leg is banged off the mat. Douki chops him and gets forearmed. Douki's leg is banged off the post. Despy pulls on the leg. Douki flying headbutts Despy then springboard back elbows him. Douki is pulled off the ropes then Despy backdrops him. Despy suplexes him.

Douki misses a dropkick and Despy bangs his knee off the mat. Despy does a mean stretch muffler. Despy tornado ddt's him. Douki topes him into a ddt on the floor. Douki slingshot ddt's him then does the douki chokey. Douki goes for the douki chokey again but Despy does a scissors crab. Despy does a stretch muffler again.

Douki hits forearms. Despy forearms him back and germans him. Douki lariats him. Despy hits forearms then Douki dragon suplexes him. Douki dragon suplexes him again and wins.

Thoughts: It was just an average match. Douki's leg was worked on some here but didn't really play a role in the finish. Douki used the douki chokey on him and they each hit some suplexes before Douki got the win. 

Douki talks on the mic after but surprisingly, no one comes out to challenge him.

Overall thoughts: It was above a normal house show, but it was still a house show type of card. They had a main and semi-main that got a lot of time plus singles matches but nobody did anything too crazy here and no one went all out. So we got the time, but not quite the epic work to make for great matches. It was a good show but not what it would have been at a big arena.

Mid-States Wrestling 7/5/2024 Season 2, Episode 16

Mid-States Wrestling 7/5/2024 Season 2, Episode 16

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/mid-states-wrestling-6282024-season-2.html

We have a battle royale for a title match tonight.

Winner gets a Title Shot 15-Man Battle Royal

All 15 men fight to start. Austin Mulitalo comes off the top on Blue Bolt. Jimmy Fiasco hits chops in the corner with help from Johnny Dynamite. We go to break and return. Ateu was apparently accused of being eliminated by the ref but was not. Muy Macho gets eliminated and apparently Joey Vinetti got eliminated as well.

Johnny Lightning nearly gets eliminated but lands on the steps to save himself. El Matador Uno is eliminated as is Diamond Duke. Brandon Beretta pulls the rope down on Wrex Amadeus to eliminate him. CTV and Alan Jefferson get eliminated around the same time. Gabe The Babe also goes but you couldn't really see it.

Ernie Elwood is thrown out by a bunch of people. El Matador Dos is thrown out onto Ernie Elwood for the elimination. Austin Mulitalo pushes Burt Cameron out with his feet. Jimmy Fiasco and Cannonball Matthews go out at the same time.

Austin throws out Bolt then Johnny Lightning throws out Beretta. Austin Mulitalo back body drops Gary Gram over the top for the elimination. Gary Gram then comes in and nails everyone with his chain in a non-face move.

Johnny Dynamite and Austin Mulitalo trade. Johnny Lightning and Johnny Dynamite hit stereo back body drops. Dynamite and Mulitalo fight on the apron. Multialo is punched and gets eliminated then Lightning knocks Dynamite off the apron to eliminate his own partner. Lightning then eliminates Ateu with a lariat over the top and wins.

Thoughts: Due to the way the camera was positioned and due to how many people were in this, you really couldn't see anything until about halfway through. So people would get thrown out and you couldn't see it. They also had breaks during this and that was a problem too as eliminations happened during or around the break. The big problem here was that we were told Ateu had some issue where the refs thought he was eliminated, but apparently, he wasn't. This happened during the break when we couldn't see it, so I couldn't tell you what actually happened either. Ateu ended up being the 2nd to last person in and was eliminated. This was just too hard to watch and follow and I wouldn't recommend it.

Overall thoughts: There was only one match here and it was a battle royal. Unfortunately, because so many people were in it and because of the camera angle they chose, you couldn't see most of it. Add in breaks which happened while eliminations occurred and some situation with Ateu, the runner-up, which we didn't see, and it was too hard to watch. I wouldn't recommend this one.

Ring of Honor on HonorClub 7/4/2024 Episode #71

Ring of Honor on HonorClub 7/4/2024 Episode #71

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/ring-of-honor-on-honorclub-6272024.html 

The Infantry are in front of some 4th of July graphics. They say who better to host the Independence Day of ROH than America's Team? Bravo says we're here to celebrate the day Will Smith saved everyone and Dean says that's not the one. They said there's a cook out that everyone is invited to.

The Dark Order (Alex Reynolds, Evil Uno & John Silver) vs. Bang Bang Gang (Austin Gunn, Colten Gunn & Juice Robinson)

Uno and Austin go at it. Austin trips him and they shoulder battle. Uno shoulders him over and catches him with an atomic drop. All 6 men get in there and the heels miss corner attacks. The Order then hits mounted punches. The Order pose on Austin then Juice is thrown out. Austin flying shoulders Alex then Colten boots Alex. Alex is suplexed.

Juice sentons Alex, Uno brakes it up and gyrates for some reason. Juice then gyrates and spits at him. Juice lariats Alex over and chinlocks him. Alex fights out of the corner then takes a leg lariat from Juice.

Alex neckbreakers Juice. Uno forearms his opponents down then hits corner attacks on The Gunn's. Silver top rope crossbodies The Gunn's then The Gunn's take triple attacks on the ropes. Uno is pulled over the top then Juice is lariated over the top. Alex pop up knees Colten. Alex then takes a 310 to Yuma and is pinned.

Thoughts: After being heels last time, The Order are faces again. You just never know what role they will be each week but it's pretty much a given that the crowd will cheer them. This is Bullet Club's first appearance on ROH TV since being trios champs and they've been champs for months. This one was too short and not that special.

The Infantry are in front of a Liberty Bell graphic.  Bravo has knight's gloves on and says he wants to backhand Taven with them.

We see clips of Atlantis Jr. beating Kyle Fletcher for the ROH TV Title in Arena Mexico. I reviewed that.

Athena, Billie Starkz and Lexi do a promo. They are in the locker room and Athena says this is what safety feels like. They are with guards. Athena says this is what they should be treated like. Queen Aminata and Red Velvet walk in. They say it'll be Red vs Billie for the ROH Women's TV Title. Queen says it'll be her vs Athena for the ROH Women's Title. Athena says she's not medically cleared. They talk about some email that Lexy got. Lexy said she thought it was a scam and said the match was in The Board of Directions statement. Athena then yells for Tony Khan.

Thoughts: So, it's a trick and Athena actually is cleared? 

The Infantry are in front of Washington, DC graphics now. They talk about the monuments in DC. 

ROH World Tag Team Title Proving Ground Match - The Undisputed Kingdom (Matt Taven & Mike Bennett) vs Komander & Metalik

Taven and Kom go at it. Taven knocks away a dropkick and chops Kom. Kom flips over Taven then takes a orner splash. Kom corner lariats him and hits an enzugiri. Kom springboard hurricanrana's Taven. Kom fights out of the corner and runs into Mike's forearm.

Metal springboard crossbodies in on both opponents. Metal boots him out of the corner and takes a slingblade bulldog.  Metal walks the ropes and dropkicks Mike. Taven is pulled over the top rope and Mike is tossed over as well. Metal topes both opponents outside. Kom then corkscrew moonsaults both opponents outside.

Metal is popped up into a forearm then Mike basement dropkicks Metal. Mike forearms Metal. Metal is caught off the 2nd rope then takes a spingboard elbow drop from Taven while laying on Mike's knees. Metal back body drops Taven over the top. Metal sunset bombs Mike off the buckles.

Taven pops up Kom and Kom dropkicks Mike. Kom backrolls and ddt's Taven. Kom rope walk ssp's Taven for 2. Mike is back body dropped over the top. Taven takes a double hiptoss then Metal is flipped onto Taven for 2. Metal superkicks Taven. Metal takes a powerbomb + zig zag combo and is pinned.

Thoughts: It was a random one here with the luchadores losing as expected. It was fine and all but I doubt it leads to anywhere or anything.

The heels beat up on the luchadores after. 

We get a video on Mansoor and Mason Madden. They say Mason is "mother" and say Mansoor is the "sultan of suave". They say welcome to The MxM Collection.

The Infantry are in front of a Mount Rushmore graphic. They then deface the monument digitally, removing the president's off of it and put their own faces on it. That's real patriotic.

ROH Pure Title Proving Ground Match - Lee Moriarty vs. Wheeler Yuta

Yuta trips him and grabs an ankle. Yuta headscissors him and headlock takeovers him. Yuta is headscissored and headlocked. He then flips out of it. Yuta cravates him and rolls with it. Yuta ddt's him. Lee cartwheels over Yuta then boots him in mid-air. Lee basement dropkicks him.

Lee works the arm and the fingers. Lee bridges on Yuta's arm. Lee straightjacket chokes Yuta. Yuta hits downward elbows and Lee uses a ropebreak. Lee euros him. Lee is sent out and Yuta topes him.

Yuta germans him for 2. Lee facekicks him then hits a la mistica drop into a border city stretch. Yuta rolls him into a pin attempt but Lee turns it into a border city stretch. Yuta headbutts him and they forearm each other.

Yuta holds him like a tombstone and pulls on the legs. They each try pin attempts and Lee gets a 2 count. They try pin attempts and trade forearms and the time limit expires. Lee goes the 10 minutes and earns himself a title shot. He may be the only person so far in 71 episodes to do this.

Thoughts: It was an okay technical wrestling match. There was nothing wrong with this and they likely set up a rematch with this. Yuta looked a little better than usual here.

Shane Taylor and Anthony Ogogo come out after.

Overall thoughts: It was your usual edition of ROH. We had three random matches here. The only real notable thing we got out of it is a Proving Ground match actually going to the time limit which may be a first for this show. They also actually set up two matches for the PPV. It was a watchable show but not must see.

TNA Impact 7/4/2024

TNA Impact 7/4/2024 

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/tna-impact-6272024.html

Trey Miguel vs Leon Slater

Trey wristlocks him early then armdrags him. Leon handspring back elbows him then dropkicks him while he's hanging in the ropes. Leon plancha's him. Inside, Trey dropkicks him in the corner. Wentz chokes Leon on the ropes. Trey pulls him down by the hair and misses an asai moonsault.

Leon flying kicks him. Trey back elbows him then Leon cutters him from the side for 2. Trey hits kicks and double stomps him for 2. Leon rolls him up for 2 then Trey handspring back enzugiri's him. Leon standing blue thunders him.

Charlie Dempsey of NXT comes down and knocks Leon off the ropes. Zachary Wentz gets in and Dempsey hits him too. Dempsey then stomps on Trey and karelin's lifts the ref. Dempsey then does an STF variation on Leon.

Thoughts: The ending was a big surprise here and we'll have to see where it goes. It was a high flying and fast paced match with an unusual finish. It was a decent pick for an opening match.

Gia tries to interview Matt Hardy and Reby Hardy. Matt says Eddie learns about the repercussions of putting hands on his wife. He says he will decimate Eddie. Reby ask what kind of man puts his hands on a girl? Reby says it's been 8 years since she has been in the ring and she has no choice but to teach Eddie a lesson. Matt says they eat, beat and delete him.

The Rascalz talk about Charlie Dempsey. Trey asks if he wins where he's from. He says he's not welcome. Wentz says Dempsey is not going to make a name here off of them or in their home. Wentz says he knows where he comes from and knows where his home. He says if he wants to fight, let's get it next week.  

10 Minute Challenge - Dani Luna vs Jody Threat

They lock up and Jody backs her up on the ropes. Dani shoulders her over. Jody shoulders her over. We cut to the back as Nic Nemeth is laid out on the steps and knocked out. Dani rolls Jody up then Jody rolls her up. They each hook onto the ropes.

They stare down and Jody hits lariats in the corner.  Dani then hits lariats in the corner. Jody hits a sliding lariat for 2. Jody armlocks her. Jody pump kicks her from the side. Jody ends up going out to the floor. They fight on the ropes and Dani takes a pump kick to the floor while hanging on the top rope.

Jody lariats her into the ring from the outside. Dani hits a falcon arrow for 2 and the time limit runs out. They ask for 5 more minutes and get it.

They hug and lock up. Masha Slamovich and Alisha Edwards come down and beat up Dani and Jody.

Thoughts: I didn't think it was anything too special and the crowd wasn't into it. Some of their moves did not hit too well here and the finish wasn't good. Starting a show off with two dirty finishes in a row in a risky move.

Mustafa Ali and Campaign Singh talk to Santino. Ali wants to retract his challenge to Mike Bailey. He says he refuses to show up at Slammiversary if Mike doesn't prove his worth. Santino said Mike will have a chance to earn his title shot next week in a #1 contenders match. Santino then asks why The Blues Brothers (Ali's guards) are with him.

We see a video on Mike Santana. He said he's on the road to Slammiversary. He says The Road to Slammiversary matches have some of the best in them. Frankie Kazarian says you can expect him to win the entire thing. He says TNA needs a leader. Mike says Frankie knows the fight he brings and says there's a lot more stakes to it. Kaz said he only had 3 chances to compete for the TNA Title in his career and gave him a chip on his shoulder. He said that will propel him to win. Mike says he needs this.

Road To Slammiversary Qualifying Match - Frankie Kazarian vs. Mike Santana

They push each other and Mike armdrags him off the hiptoss. Mike flips over him then springboard twisting crossbodies him. Kaz knocks Mike off the apron and we go to PiP break.

We return and Kaz slaps Mike. Mike kind of takes a release backdrop. Mike rolls backwards and is caught in a backstabber. Mike backrolls and stunners him for 2. JDC comes down and tries to trip Mike. Mike then tope con hilos Kaz. JDC throws Mike into the post. Mike then gets counted out.

Thoughts: Come on, three matches in a row with dirty finishes? What is this? What we got here wasn't that good and they just didn't get the time they needed. Mike got busted open after getting sent into the post.

ABC do a promo. They say The System got lucky and their luck runs out at Slammiversary. Bey says you can trust that they will kick their @ss and Ace says ABC equals 1-2-Sweet.

PCO is flipping out in the back and the doctor says he has gone crazy. Steph de Lander is out and PCO puts her hands on his chest to wake her up.

First class do a promo. AJ says it's been a first class summer and Rich Swann puts him over. AJ says he is taking care of business elsewhere and in TNA. AJ says he will put his titles on the line against anyone. Santino walks in and says he heard he's a fighting champ. He sets him up in a Digital Media Title match vs PCO. AJ says he's not afraid of him and says Santino has a thing for Canadian's. AJ says they broke PCO's body and heart and says he won't come back.  

The System (Eddie and Alisha Edwards) vs Matt and Reby Hardy

I won't be covering this due to it being an intergender match and not a mixed tag match. Matt ended up pinning Eddie in a long match.

Brian Myers goes up and yells at Santino after. ABC laugh at him. JDC walks in and sets up Bey vs JDC next week.

Jordynne Grace does a promo. She said Ash By Elegance has had a front seat at all of her matches but isn't here at The Road to Slammiversary, she's on a beach. She says when duty calls, you come to work. Grace says she is issuing another open challenge next week and says to come and take the title if you think you can take it.

Jake Something says The Road to Slammiversary is the best of TNA. Joe Hendry says it means everything to him. He says he has the world behind him and can't  let them down. Jake says as long as he can swing his arm in Joe's face, he will have the advantage. He says he has to win and nothing will get in his way. Joe says you are talking about the greats when you talk about TNA champs and he wants to add his name to the list. Joe says he will add his name to the list. Joe says he will deliver.

Road to Slammiversary Qualifier - Jake Something vs Joe Hendry

Joe gets on the mic. He asks if Jake is ready to challenge for the world title. He said he doesn't seem sure of much and says he is asking the audience questions like "What's my name?". Joe mocks him with questions. Joe says the audience believes in Joe Hendry.

They lock up and Joe side headlocks him then hits a jumping knee. Joe suplexes Jake. Jake side headlocks him. Jake shoulders him over and battering rams him hard in the gut. Jake knocks him out of the ring then rams his back into the apron. Jake crossbodies him against the ropes from the outside.

Joe lariats him and suplexes him for 2. We go to PiP break and return. Jake stomps on Joe. Joe hits euros and chops. Jake whips Joe hard into the buckles. Joe hits euros and takes a michinoku driver. Jake forearms him down then puts him in a sleeper. Jake drops him backwards to get out and lariats him over the top.

Jake headbutts him outside and misses the crossbody against the ropes, going throat first into it. Joe hits lariats then fallway slams him. Joe kips up and Jake sitout powerbombs him for 2. Jake flying bodyblocks him. Joe lariats him down and both men are down. Joe hits shots and is forearmed down. Joe cutters him hits a standing ovation to win.

Thoughts: It was a decent big man vs big man match here with lots of strikes and some high impact moves. It was one of Joe's better efforts and Jake was someone who matched up well against him. I'm glad Joe got the win here.

Joe gets on the mic after. He said he got one step closer to becoming TNA Champ. He said it happened because of the fans He says he will see us in Montreal where he becomes the face of TNA. He says don't tell him it's not possible as anything is possible when you believe.

We see The System. JDC says he didn't take out Nemeth, just Santana. We see Frankie Kazarian smoking a cigar, laughing and calling them marks. He then asks what someone is filming to close the show.

Overall thoughts: I did not see the intergender tag, but I saw the rest. The main was decent, but it wasn't TNA's best work. Three of the matches here had dirty finishes which brought all of them down. Alot of TNA's best were not on this one and that hurt things as well as TNA just not being in an exciting state creatively. I wouldn't recommend this.

WWE Main Event 7/3/2024

WWE Main Event 7/3/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/wwe-main-event-6262024.html

Akira Tozawa vs Pete Dunne

Dunne side headlock takeovers him and they stare down. Dunne hits a forearm then double kneedrops his arm. Dunne bangs Tozawa's arm over his shoulder. Toazawa 2nd rope hurricanrana's him and dropkicks him out. Toz goes to dive and Dunne kicks him to stop it. Dunne pulls on Toz's fingers then stomps the arm.

Dunne works the arm and chops him. Dunne pops him up and is hurricanrana'd. Toz shining wizards him then top rope dropkicks him for 2. Toz pumping knees him and hits a german for 2. Toz rips his shirt. Dunne gets his knees up on Toz's top rope senton. Dunne splits the finishers then hits a bitter end to win.

Thoughts: It was short and okay. I would have liked some kind of arm or hand finish here since Dunne spent so much time working on it. Toz got bullied around here and lost after a small comeback.  

The Creed Brothers vs The LWO (Dragon Lee and Joaquin Wilde)

BC = Brutus Creed, JC = Julius Creed

BC takes down Wilde off the waistlock. Wilde spinning headscissors him and back elbows him. Wilde then does a corkscrew elbow drop. Wilde armdrags JC. JC is tripped into a baseball slide from Lee. Lee walks up the buckles and armdags JC.

BC pulls down Lee by the mask. Wilde slingshots in over JC thne superkicks him in the gut. Wilde facebusters him then JC hits belly to belly suplexes and kip ups.

We go to break and return. BC hits knees to Wilde's gut. Wilde takes a double gutbuster then JC powerbombs Wilde. BC chinlocks Wilde then pop-up drops him. JC misses a corner splash then Wilde tags Lee in. Lee flying headscissors BC then superkicks JC. Lee hits combinacion cabron then tornado ddt's JC for 2.

Wilde superkicks BC. BC throws Wilde out. Lee superkicks BC. Lee finlay rolls JC then JC suplexes Lee in. JC then backrolls and hits another suplex on him. JC is caught in tree of woe and takes a double stomp. Wilde then 450's JC and wins.

Thoughts: I'm not a big fan of The Creed's losing. that doesn't bode well for their current standing. It was an okay match though with The LWO bringing the flying and JC throwing people around.

Overall thoughts: There were only two matches here as usual. Neither was must see but were fine and it was an okay to spend 20 minutes or so.

CMLL 6/28/2024 Arena Mexico

CMLL 6/28/2024 Arena Mexico

Chamuel, KeMalito & Micro Sagrado vs. Los Micro Malditos (Micro Gemelo Diablo I & Micro Gemelo Diablo II) & Tengu

Gem = Either Gemelo Diablo since they look the same, Ten = Tengu, Ke = KeMalito

Ke drove on the ramp in a kid's car which was cool. Ke rolls Ten into a pin attempt them armdrags him. Ten dropkicks Ke and bangs his head off the buckles. Ke takes corner attacks and is suplexed by a Gem. Ke is thrown out. Cham is dropkicked in the back by a Gem then stomped on by both Gem's .

Cham is double flapjacked and double facebustered. Cham takes a basement dropkick then Sagrado is triple stomped on. Sagrado is double teamed in the corner. Sagrado then takesa double clothesline and double elbow drops.

Ten nails Ke from behind and Ke is double teamed. Ke punches a Gem down then the other Gem beats up Ke. Ke flips off the ropes and headscissors Ten off a double hiptoss. Ke headscissors a Gem then tilt-a-whirl armdrags the other. Sagrado topes out then Cham plancha's a Gem off the apron.

Gem cartwheels over Cham and backflips. Gem slips on a headscissors and dropkicks Cham into the buckles. Gem 2nd rope flips into an armdrag on Cham and dropkicks him out.

Ten and Ke go at it. Tean hammerlocks him and Ke snapmares him off of it. Ten shoulders Ke over and splashes him. Ke armdrags Ten then takes a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker from a Gem. Ke messes up a headscissors on Gem the back body drops him. Ke vader bombs Gem off the ropes and wins.

Thoughts: There was a lot of sloppiness here due to the size of the various wrestlers. They just didn't have the length or enough speed to do some of the things they wanted here which created botches. The work was okay otherwise with the heels working the faces and the faces making their comeback.

Raider & Vegas vs. Los Viajeros Del Espacio (Futuro & Max Star)

1st Fall - Veg and Fut go at it. Fut bodyscissors takedowns him then snapmares Veg. Veg shoulders him over and splashes him. Fut cartwheels over him then does a nice fireman's carry. Veg back elbows him then Fut headflips up.

Raid dropkicks Max and stomps on him. Max rolls him up then spinning headscissors him from the mat. Raid goes for a dive but is tripped and sent into the rails. Fut topes Raider. Veg takes double boots and a double dropkick. Veg is legdropped then Fut to prope splashes him.

Max hits a 450 on Veg and pins him. Raid then gets counted out and loses the fall.

2nd Fall - Max gets on Veg's shoulders and hurricanrana's him. Max enzugiri's Raid from the apron then armdrags him off a weird stomach springboard. Fut armdrags Veg then rotation headsissors him from his shoulders. Raid walks up the rail and dropkicks Fut. Max tries to con hilo out onto his opponents but is caught and slammed onto Fut.

Max walks on the 2nd rope and is backbreakered. Raid flips MAx with a lariat then Veg tilt-a-whirl backbreakers Max to pin him. Raid clubs on Fut's chest on the apron then deadlif superplexes him in. Veg top rope legdrops Fut and pins him to win the fall.

3rd Fall - Max tries to toyota roll but is powerslammed. Max is running powerbombed on the stage over the top rope. Fut is powerbombed onto Max. Raid and Veg spear the posts when their opponents move and then the faces do stereo dives out. Max headscissors Veg off the 2nd rope for 2. Veg gori special drops him then submits him with a double arm andleg hold.

Fut springboard crossbodies Veg then dragon suplexes him. Fut is crotched on the top. Raider tope rope moonsault fallaway slams Fut and pins him. Raider and Vegas win the fall and match.

Thoughts: It was your usual 2nd match workrate match. Lots of flying and stunts here. It was fast paced fun without them overdoing it.

Lluvia, Skadi & Tessa Blanchard vs. Persephone, Stephanie Vaquer & Zeuxis

L = Lluvia, Pers = Persephone, SV = Stephanie Vaquer,  Z = Zeuxis

1st Fall - Pers and L go at it. They double lariat each other early and Pers does an anaconda vice. L flying headscisosrs her then Pers stomps on her gut. L trips her and messes with her hair. All 6 girls fight and Pers footchokes L. Pers top rope dropkicks L then SV bangs L's head off the mat.

Skadi takes some offense and Z meteora's her. pers hits punches on Tess then Tess is double hiptossed into the ropes and thrown down. Tess takes a double superkick then Pers springboard splashes her to win the fall.

2nd Fall - L takes corner attacks the nhigh kicks SV off one. SV then dragon screws her while she sits on the middle rope. Tess is laid on the 2nd rope and Pers handstand pendulum double knees her there in the corner. Skadi takes double boots. Skadi does a nice wak up the ropes springboard reverse tope. Her partners hit dives. SV misses a springboard on the ropes then Skadi falcon arrows her to win the fall.

3rd Fall - Pers flips over Skadi's back. Pers toyota rolls her for 2. Skadi elbow drops her then does a pumphandle backbeaker. SV hits soul foot on L then has her head banged off the buckles. L trips her and messes with her hair. L pulls SV into a kick from her partner then basement dropkicks Z in the butt.

Pers and Tess go at it. Pers back rolls her. Tess goes up and over then hits a cutter. Tess cutters Z and SV too. Pers takes a triple team powerbomb. Z is lifted for a roll into a facebuster. Skadi hits a nice basement dropkick on SV then Pers bangs Tess' head off the buckles.

Tess ends up headscissoring Pers over the ropes. Pers then drops her gut first on the rails. Z and SV then hit corner metoras on their opponents and get pins. Zeuxis' team wins the fall and match.

Thoughts: The execution wasn't 100%, but it was pretty good for a girls match. They kept it moving and stuck to things they could do. Skadi had a good showing as she was pretty mobile here and this just did what it was supposed to.

Kyle Fletcher and Atlantis Jr. do a split screen promo. Atlantis says he has a belt that belongs to him. Kyle says he's here to expand his resume. He wants to main event Arena Mexico. He says he will find out why he's Kyle Fletcher. Atlantis says his championship will be his and says welcome to Arena Mexico.

Star Jr. & Ultimo Guerrero vs. Templario & Titan

UG = Ultimo Guerrero, Temp = Templario

1st Fall - Star and Titan go at it. Titan side headlocks him and wristocks him. Star pulls on his chin. Titan rides his back. They trade wristlocks. Titan cartwheels out of a wristlock. They duck each others kicks and stand off. UG boots the boots to Temp and Star slingshot boots Temp. Temp is tripped into a Star baseball slide.

Star springboard dropkicks Titan while UG holds him. Temp is kicked in the leg then UG baseball slides Temp off the apron. Sacarays (the parrot mascot) 619's Titan. Titan flips over UG's back then Star flying lariats him.

UG 2nd rope gordbusters Temp and Star 450's Titan. Star's team wins the fall.

2nd Fall - UG tries to untie Temp's mask. Temp takes a double gorilla press slam. He flips over both opponents backs then powerslams Ultimo. Temp drops Star onto UG. Titan walks up the ropes with Temp's help and diving hurricanrana's Star. Titan then tope con hilos Star outside. UG powerbombs Temp off the 2nd rope when he blocks Temp's hurricanrana.

Temp ropewalks and springboard dropkicks UG. Titan springboard crossbodies Star then pele kicks UG on the apron. Temp topes UG into the rails. Star jumping punches Titan. Star misses a springboard 450 from the ramp but lands on his feet. Titan strike combos him then top rope double stomps Star. Titan then pins Star.

UG rolls up Titan while Titan poses and UG pins Titan. UG rips off Titan's mask and then pins him.

Thoughts: UG's team won in straight falls here. UG and Star are a mish-mash team but it was okay for what it was. At least Temp didn't lose clean. I don't like it when the luchadores get their masks ripped off through as it ruins some of the mystery and the aura.

Esfinge, Mistico & Volador Jr. vs. Angel de Oro & Los Infernales (Averno & Euforia)

 
Es = Esfinge, Mist = Mistico, Vol = Volador Jr., Av = Averno, Euf = Euforia

1st Fall - Oro takes down Es and Es armdrags him. They roll on the mat and Es snapmares him. Es headflips up and Oro boots him. Es springboard crossbodies Oro then the faces all hit headscissors on their opponents. The faces then do stereo topes on their opponents.

Mist 619's Oro then Es does a springboard double dropkick. Es is thrown into the rails outside then Mist springboard twisting crossbodies Oro. Oro michinoku drivers Mist and pins him to win the fall.

2nd Fall - Mist takes a double back elbow and Euf hits facekicks on him. Oro joins in. Mist takes a double boot then Euf chops Es. Es is tripped and pulled out. Oro back elbows Vol then Euf boots Vol. Vol is triple stomped by the heels. Es fights off a triple team then Mist runs the ramp and is popped up into a headscissors on Oro. Mist tornillos Oro outside then vol toyota roll code red's Av to pin him. Es springboard sunset flips Euf to pin him. 

3rd Fall - Mist is triple teamed by the heels. Mis is popped up but does a double takeover then a double armdrag. Mist springbord hurricanrana's Oro. Es monkey flips Av and Oro. Mist walks up the buckles and corkscrew armdrags Euf out.

Es tope con hilos outside, Vol diving headscisosrs outside and Mist tope con hilos outside. Euf powerlams Es and rips at his mask. Es rips at Euf's mask. Mist springboard crossbodies Oro then springboard headscissors him. Es is popped up into a double dropkick on Av and Euf. Mist walks up the buckles and dives on Oro outside. Es tope con hilos, gets caught and slammed outside.

Vol springboard crossbodies Av. Vol satelitte headscissors Av then flying headscissors Euf. Av kicks Vol in the nuts and Vol's team wins the fall and match.

Thoughts: I'm not a fan of low blow endings. At least it maybe saved the heels getting pinned logic wise but it's not a fun ending. It was an okay match otherwise with the faces doing lots of flying and Mistico hitting all of his stuff clean.

Averno has words for Vol after. 

Chris Jericho comes out in a Mistico mask and beats up Mistico. Chris Jericho then takes off the mask to show who he is. Jericho says Mistico is "Corazon de Raton" and challenges him anytime, anywhere and anyplace. Mistico says welcome to his home in Arena Mexico and seems to challenge him to a match.

ROH World Television Title Match - Kyle Fletcher (c) vs. Atlantis Jr.

Kyle side headlocks Atlantis then Atlantis reverses it. Atlantis shoulders him and Kyle side headlocks him. Atlantis armdrags him then Kyle armdrags him. They shove each other. Kyle clubs and boots him. Kyle springboard armdrags him then Atlantis flying headscissors him. Kyle topes him outside.

Altantis is sent into the rails. Kyle does a tiger driver variation for 2. Kyle rips at his mask and slams him. They trade forearms and Atlantis dropkicks him. Atlantis monkey flips him then topes him. Atlantis top rope crossbodies him and rolls him up.

Atlantis rolls into a cutter on him. Kyle half-nelson suplexes him then michinoku drivers him for 2. They reverse each others tombstones and Atlantis does a package tombstone. Atlantis wheelbarrow germans him for 2.

They fight on the buckles and Atlantis spinning torture rack drops him for 2. Atlantis step up enzugiri's Kyle from the apron then is superkicked on the ramp. Kyle brainbusters Atlantis on the ramp.

Kyle corner enzugiri's him and brainbusters him for 2. Atlantis tilt-a-whirl backbreakers him twice then superkicks him. Kyle lariats him over the top. Kyle top rope moonsaults him outside. Kyle sitout powerbombs him for 2. Atlantis 2nd rope canadian destroyers him then top rope splashes Kyle's back. Atlantis top rope splashes Kyle's chest and wins.

Thoughts: It was a decent main here with Atlantis doing basic babyface stuff and Kyle not overdoing it for a chance. It was one of Kyle's better efforts in months though some basic holds and more basic heeling would have made this better.

Kyle congratulates Atlantis after. Kyle says Atlantis won because this is his house and says they do it next time in his house.

Overall thoughts: As usual, it was a decent show. Nothing was too great on here but all of the work top to bottom was solid enough. The main was fine and the women did okay. The mini's didn't have the best match and the semi-main's finish could have been better. They also set up Jericho vs Mistico here which should draw a nice house.

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/3/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 6

New Japan Pro Wrestling 7/3/2024 New Japan Soul 2024 Day 6

Great Bash Heel (Togi Makabe & Tomoaki Honma), El Desperado & Yuji Nagata vs. Just 5 Guys (DOUKI, SANADA, TAKA Michinoku & Yuya Uemura)

Despy and Douki start us off. They armdrag each other and Despy armdrags him. Douki springboard armdrags him and they each avoid dives. Sanada and Yuji go at it. Yuji puts a nagata lock on him and Taka breaks it up. Yuji enzugiri's him then Sanada puts a nagata lock on him. They trade chops and Yuya dropkicks him. Taka running knees Yuji and Yuji crossfaces him. Yuji exploders Taka.

Togi gets in and double lariats his opponnets. He hits corner punches on Taka. Taka superkicks him. Yuya and Honma go at it. They shoulderblock battle and Yuya is knocked over. Honma falling headbutts him. Honma lariats Yuya and headbutts him. Yuya enzugiri's and backdrops him for 2.

Douki and Despy get in. Douki flying headscissors him and topes him outside. Honma takes a triple boot then Yuya top rope crossbodies him to win.

Thoughts: It was your usual opener with everyone getting a segment in and getting out.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (Hiromu Takahashi, Titan & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (Ren Narita, SHO & Yoshinobu Kanemaru)

HoT attacks before it starts. Ren throws Yota into the rails outside. Titan walks up the ropes and headscissors Sho off them. Titan dropkicks then hits a tornado ddt on Sho. Sho takes a double shoulder then Yota drops HT on Sho.

HT corner lariats Sho. Yota and Titan are thrown into the rails outside. HT is thrown into the post. HT takes a chairshot then YK running knees him. Ren facekicks Ht for 2.

HT hits chops on Ren then dragon screws him. Yota gets in and shoulders over Ren. Yota splashes him then hits a double shoulderblock. Ren pulls Yota by the hair and Yota boots him. Yota crabs Ren then does a rocking chair off of it. The rest of HoT run in and interfere, actually getting DQ'd for a change. Shingo and Bushi then make the save. LIJ get on the mic and this tunrs into a larger tag match.

Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, Hiromu Takahashi, Shingo Takagi, Tetsuya Naito, Titan & Yota Tsuji) vs. House Of Torture (Dick Togo, EVIL, Ren Narita, SHO, Yoshinobu Kanemaru & Yujiro Takahashi)

Naito and Evil go into the crowd. Evil's head is banged off the West sign. Yota whip Ren with a belt. Shingo hits shots on Yujiro and fiths off a 2v1. Shingo hits a double lariat to escape his second 2v1. Naito basment dropkicks Yujiro. Yujiro eye rakes him and baseball slides him. Naito takes corner attacks from HoT.

Togo 2nd rope chops Naito in the nuts. Togo hits punches to Naito's gut. Naito evades a magic killer. Titan springboard dropkicks Togo and Togo takes corner attacks. Togo takes a 4 person basement dropkick.

Titan dropkicks Togo in the knee from the ropes then taps him out with a figure four variation.

Thoughts: Both of these matches were pretty short. At least HoT got DQ'd for interfering and at least we didn't get the usual nonsense. I was fine with this believe it or not. 

G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Semi Final Match - Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Oleg Boltin

Oleg and Tana lock up. Tana is backed up on the ropes. Tana side headlocks Oleg then Oleg shoulders him over. Tana basement dropkicks Oleg then dragon screw legwhips him. Tana ties up Oleg's legs.

Oleg and Tana trade shots then Oleg dropkicks him. Oleg slams Tana then splashes him for 2. Oleg fallaway slams him then corner splashes him. Oleg slams him then misses a vader bomb. Tana hits a twist and shout on Oleg then hits a slingblade for 2.

Tana gets caught on a top rope crossbody and Oleg hits a cradle shock for 2. Tana rolls him up for 2 then basement dropkicks his knee. Tana runs at him and takes a finlay roll. Oleg hits another finlay roll and wins.

Thoughts: It was a short one here and was just average. It didn't really have the time it needed to be anything great. It's a shame Tana isn't going to be in the G1, but he just can't do it anymore sadly. He tried last year and it wasn't good. It is the end of an era though.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifying Tournament Semi Final Match - KENTA vs. Callum Newman

Kenta hits him from behind to start. He hits chest kicks and throws him out. CN is thrown into the rails. Kenta hits kicks and throws him into the post. CN dropkicks Kenta off the apron then plancha's him.

CN is thrown into the rails. CN dropkiks Kenta into the rails then Kenta suplexes him on the floor. Kenta sends him into the post. Kenta knee drops him inside and chinlocks him. They trade shots and CN running facekicks him.

CN corner dropkicks him and PK's him for 2. CN spinning forearms him and facekicks the ref on accident. Kenta ddt's him and grabs a kendo stick. Kenta hits him with the kendo stick several times.

Kenta tries to hit him with a title belt but CN hits an os cutter. CN throws the ref in then Kenta low blows him. Kenta hits busaiku knee for 2. Kenta hits slaps then CN jumping knees him. CN facekicks him then double stomps his back off the top. CN then hits an os cutter and wins.

Thoughts: It was fine with Kenta bullying CN around and CN eventually making his comeback and winning. More importantly, it means Kenta is out of the G-1 which is fantastic. He has not been good in the G-1 the last few years and the tournament will be a lot better without him.

G1 Climax 34 Block B Qualifying Tournament Semi Final Match - TJP vs. Taichi

They lock up and Taichi cleanbreaks him. They trade wristlocks. TJP cartwheels and headstands headscissors him down. TJP headstands out of a headscissors. TJP dropkicks him then hits facewash kicks. TJP misses a triangle dropkick then Taichi lariats him while he's seated on the apron.

TJP is sent into the rails. Taichi hits kicks on TJP outside. Taichi enzugiri's him and Taichi facewash kicks him. Taichi side headkicks him then chinlocks him. Taichi does more facewash kicks and TJP 2nd rope diving hurricanrana's him. TJP cranks Taichi's arm back. TJP triangle dropkicks him then flying forearms him off the buckles.

TJP facewash kicks him. TJP dropkicks him through the ropes. TJP final cuts him while he's on the 2nd rope. TJP facekicks him and Taichi enzugiri's him. 

Taichi misses a superkick and an enzugiri then TJP pinoy stretches him. TJP bangs Taichi's arm over his shoulder. Taichi hits a big forearm and a backdrop. TJP lariats him and takes a spinning backfist. TJP superkicks him and hits a jumping spin kicks. TJP then rolls him up for 2.

Taichi enzugiri's TJP. Taichi running lariats him for 1. Taichi superkicks him then hits an air raid crash for 2.

Thoughts: It had some of the things you would look for in a great match but it just wasn't there. It needed some kind of story that it just didn't have. TJP also ended up losing this when him winning would have provided for a much better match and story.

G1 Climax 34 Block A Qualifying Tournament Semi Final Match - Tomohiro Ishii vs. YOSHI-HASHI

They lock up. Yoshi hits some chops and side headlocks him. They shoulder battle and Ishii shoulders him over. Ishii hits kicks to Yoshi's back and hits forearms. Yoshi shoulders him over.

Yoshi kicks Ishii in the bac. He slaps him in the back of the head and Ishii elbows him hard in the face for it. Ishii chops him down. Ishii no sells Yoshi's forearms then chops him down. Ishii hits a bunch of chops, punishing Yoshi. Yoshi tries to chop him back but can't compete. Ishii hits a chop and forearm combo.

Yoshi dragon screws him. Yoshi corner lariats Ishii then hits chops and forearms. Yoshi kicks him in the gut and neckbreakers him. Yoshi blockbusters him off the top for 2. Ishii backdrops him. They chop each other for a while. 

Yoshi tries to lariat Ishii but Ishii doesn't go down. They then lariat each other down and go down together on a double lariat. Ishii forearm combos him and headbutts him. Yoshi shotgun dropkicks him and Ishii shoulders him over. Yoshi superkicks him then hits a northern lights bomb for 2.

Yoshi running lariats him then does another one for 2. Ishii misses an enzugiri then takes a double stomp to the back. Ishii germans Yoshi. Ishii running lariats him then Yoshii spinning forearms him. Ishii drops him with a lariat.

Ishii running powerbombs Yoshi for 2. Yoshi codebreakers Ishii then Ishii sliding lariats him. Ishii goes for a suplex and Yoshi ddt's him out of it. Yoshi running lariats him then Ishii hits a big headbutt. Ishii runs at him and gets lariated. Yoshi hits a canadian destroyer for 2.

Yoshi running lariats him for 2. Ishii dragon suplexes him  then is slapped. Ishii enzugiri's him. Ishii running lariats him for 2. Yoshi dragon suplexes him then hits superkicks. Yoshi crucifix bombs him the hits a sitout fishrman's buster and wins it.

Thoughts: This was really good until the last part of it. They fought hard, showed spirit and they had a nice story going with Yoshi being unable to hurt Ishii. Just when it should have peaked, they did a canadian destroyer kickout and blew it for me. It's a shame too.

The match was a real lose-lose though. Both of these guys are good and should be in the G-1 but Ishii can't anymore due to health issues. It's sad because Ishii matches up well against anyone and could have done some great things in the tournament.

Yoshi talks on the mic after.

Overall thoughts: I wouldn't recommend this one. TJP/Taichi got close to having something going but didn't hit the mark. The main was on its way to being great but then they went indy with canadian destroyer kickouts and hurt it. House of Torture didn't ruin things here and Newman/Kenta was okay. This was one of those changing of the guard shows though with Tana, Kenta and Ishii all being out of the G-1.

AEW Dynamite 7/3/2024

AEW Dynamite 7/3/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/aew-dynamite-6262024.html

I lost my whole review of this which I am not happy about. Here is what I thought of the show: 

Daniel Garcia is interviewed with Matt Menard to start. MJF says he will be in his corner. DG wants to talk about what happened last week with Will but MJF doesn't want to.

Men's Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals - Bryan Danielson vs Pac

I thought this didn't have any real story to it but was an okay wrestling match as expected. They got a bunch of time for it and the goal was clearly to have a good match.

Willow did a bad promo on Kris ahead of their match and talked about how you just need to smile and ignore everything.

Mark Briscoe announced himself for Blood and Guts on Team AEW's side. His inclusion in this is totally random. This lead to Kyle O'Relly and The Elite coming out with The Elite leaving the faces laying until The Acclaimed made the save.

Toni Storm and Mariah May did a promo on Hikaru Shida that was hard to hear due to audio issues. May did the "watch for the shoe" line.

Women's Owen Hart Tournament Semifinals - Kris Statlander vs Willow Nightingale

I didn't like this one at all. They didn't act like they hated each other at all when they are actually currently feuding. Kris no sold a 2nd rope german and they didn't work Willow's size into the match much.Kris was throwing her around like nothing and Willow ended up winning. I'm not real sure what the play is here but Kris winning might have been the better option. 

Britt Baker returned. She said she had a mini-stroke and couldn't feel the right side of her body. She's a face now. The Elite interrupted and had Mercedes Mone get in the ring for a championship celebration while Britt was still in the ring. Britt and Mone had words. It wasn't clear if they set up a match or not though as Mone told her to get to the back of the line. I thought it was a good segment here and should have been the segment Mone debuted with.

Will Ospreay announced he was leaving The Don Callis Family. Don took it well and hugged him, but obviously, he's gonna screw him somehow.

Chris Jericho had Taz kicked out of commentary and took his place. 

Katsuyori Shibata, Samoa Joe and Hook vs The Cage of Agony (Brian Cage, Toa Liona and Kaun)

It was an okay tag here with The CoA losing like they always do in anything that isn't a squash. 

Jerichos' crew jump Shibata, Joe and Hook after. Hook gets chokeslammed through a table by Bill and is later attacked then nailed with a fireball from Jericho. 

Men's Owen Hart Cup Quarterfinals - "Hangman" Adam Page vs Jeff Jarrett

Page was the mystery man here. He has new music and pants and was real serious. They unfortunately had him beat Jeff here, who cut one of the best AEW promos ever about Owen. I don't know why they didn't pivot on this one as Jeff getting to the finals would have been a great story and much more interesting than whoever ends up making it to the finals.

Adam Page is interviewed. The Bucks walk in and congratulate him. They said they ended his suspension and said they will scratch his back if he scratches theirs. They say they need a 5th man for Blood and Guts. Page says he's not The Elite's man and said he doesn't need any more of their games. Page says he is in The Owen Hart Tournament and will win. He then pushes the other Buck.

AEW International Title - Will Ospreay (c) vs Daniel Garcia

Will shoulders DG over. DG shoulders him and snapmares him. Will chops him over and MJF says that ain't nothing. Will slides under DG's leapfrog. DG hiptosses him. Will side headlock takeovers him. Will tries to handstand out of a headscissors and kind of is piledrivered.

DG cravates him and basement dropkicks him. DG corner lariats him then hits corner punches. Will superkicks his head against the top rope and planchas him. MJF and Will stare down.

We go to PiP break and return. Will hits chops and DG hits a punch flurry. Will facekicks him. DG hits twists and shouts. DG ddt's him then hits another twist and shout for 2. Will springboard forearms him. Will hits Kawada kicks. DG hits him in the face with hits balls in a gross spot then Will standing spanish flies him.

DG hits a deadeye. Will powerbombs him then hits a styles clash. DG grounded chokes Will and Will throws him off. DG piledrivers him. MJF hands DG his Dynamite Diamond Ring to use. DG grabs it and Will backrolls him. DG tries a pin and Will rolls him up for 2. DG lariats him.

MJF tells DG to use the ring. DG gives it back to him. Will hits a hidden blade and wins.

Thoughts: It was okay for what it was but Garcia should not be in this position. At least he lost here as expected. It made sense some with DG working as the underdog and turning down the chance to cheat before losing.

DG cries in the corner and Will has words for him. MJF hugs DG after and raises his hand. MJF then kicks him in the balls. MJF knocks Menard off the apron then spits on DG. MJF hits DG with the ring. He then busts him up and hits mounted punches. MJF 2nd rope tombstones DG. Daniels and officials try to stop him but can't. Daniels asks why he did that and MJF beats up on DG. Will Ospreay comes down the ramp and MJF runs from him. DG gets carried out on a stretcher to end the show.

Thoughts: At least this makes MJF a heel again and gets him out of the face role. I wouldn't have done this. I just don't see the main event potential in Garcia that AEW does and I don't think anyone will care quite to the level they think they will. I also don't think this program will help MJF.

Overall thoughts: As usual, there were a lot of questionable booking decisions. I'm just not seeing the main event talent in Garcia that AEW sees. I thought they blew a great chance to do something good with Jarrett by having him lose to Page, who really didn't need to be there. I liked the Mone/Britt segment. I did not like the Kris/Willow match. Danielson and Pac was okay but it didn't do much besides provide for a good match. The Bucks and Jericho were also all over this show which was not a positive. I also don't get why they didn't have Swerve on this considering he's champ and supposed to be the biggest star in the world. That does not put him over. I thought the show was average overall.

WCW Monday Nitro 11/20/1995

WCW Monday Nitro 11/20/1995

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/07/wcw-monday-nitro-11131995.html

Mongo McMichael, Eric Bischoff and Bobby Heenan are our commentators as usual. Pepe is dressed up like a cowboy. Sting vs Hulk is the big match tonight. Eric says tonight is the superbowl of wrestling. Heenan says Hulk/Sting is a match people thought they would never see. He says he wants to see Sting beat Hulk then fall down stairs and crack his head, eliminating both guys.

Scott Norton vs Shark

Shark nails Scott as he walks down the aisle and they fight. Scott is thrown into the post and they get in. Shark hits a belly to belly suplex then elbow drops him. Shark knees him in the gut and hits a corner splash.

Scott takes shots and stares down Shark. Shark misses a corner splash and Scott powerslams him and wins.

Thoughts: It was sadly too short though the work was good. Shark stuck to the splashes and elbow drops here and Scott really didn't get much in but a very nice powerslam.

Mean Gene Okerlund interviews Jimmy Hart and The Taskmaster. Gene says Hart is stirring the pot. Hart says tonight is the night for Sting. He says he can beat Hulk. Hart says Hulk has a new best friend and that's Macho Man and not Sting. He says Hulk called Macho to be on Baywatch and not Sting. Task says World War III is for the title. He asks if Gene is gonna bet against The Dungeon in it.

Heenan says Hulk doesn't have a friend in the world and says everyone is out to get him. He says he has to come off the tree and beat 59 people to become champ or the world. He says he can't do it. Mongo says Heenan's opinions have a lot in common with his feet - they both stink.

The Disco Inferno comes out to dance on the stage when he's not supposed to. He then shows off his CD and Eddie Guerrero scares him off.

Ric is out in street clothes with Brian Pillman, who is in his wrestling gear. Ric says someone made a mistake thinking he would wrestle Eddie Guerrero. Ric says he's so focused on Sting that he will let Brian Pillman have the honors.

Eddie Guerrero vs Brian Pillman

BP shakes his red jacket at Eddie like he's a bull. BP hits chops. Eddie back elbows him out of the corner, headscissors takeovers him off the ropes, dropkicks him and slaps him. Eddie backdrops him. Eddie comes off the top and BP dropkicks him in the air.

BP rakes Eddie's eyes on the ropes then bangs his head off the buckles. Eddie rolls him up then BP bangs Eddie's head off the mat. BP back body drops Eddie then punches him in the face. BP suplexes him for 2.

They trade chops and BP eye pokes him. BP snapmares him and chinlocks him. BP powerslams him. Eddie takes him down and hits punches. BP suplexes him off the apron to the floor. BP misses a 2nd rope dive and goes into the rails when Eddie moves. Eddie walks up the buckles and plancha's BP outside.

Eddie brainbusters him then is crotched on the top rope. BP is pushed off the top and Eddie frogsplashes him for the win.

Thoughts: It was a good match here with the two match up well. They didn't overdo it here and Eddie racked up yet another win in his silent push. Eddie's dive over the post to the outside on BP was nice. I don't get the reasoning for replacing Ric with Brian here though.

We see Macho Man getting his arm injured.

Big Bubba vs Hawk

They tried this on 10/9 but Hawk got counted out. Maybe the second time is the charm. Hawk nails Bubba outside to start. Hawk sunset flips Bubba inside then running lariats him. Bubba hangs off the ropes and is pulled off. Hawk hits mounted punches then misses a rare top rope splash.

Bubba hits some punches and Hawk blocks a corner splash. Bubba lariats him and spinebusters him. Bubba leg lariats him on the ropes. Bubba slides out, gets hit then gets a shot in. Hawk does a backwards running back elbow. Hawk comes off the top and is thrown down. Bubba tapes his fist up with a weapon. He goes to hit Hawk but Hacksaw Jim Duggan trips him. Bubba lands on the weapon and Hawk gets pined.

Thoughts: This was unusual here as they kept just running into each other. It happened at least twice here as they collided out of nowhere. That made it a bit sloppy but these two do work well together otherwise. I just wish we could get a long match between these two because I think it would be good. The finish wasn't that great here and was kind of hard to buy if you think about it.

Sting vs Hulk Hogan

Sting has red and yellow on with a gold, yellow and red jacket. Macho Man comes out for Hulk's entrance with his arm in a sling. Hulk then comes out through the crowd with his Zorro mask on. Hulk then taps Sting from behind.

They go face to face and Hulk pushes him. Sting boots him and hits various strikes. Hulk trips but corner lariats Sting. Hulk hits punches on Sting. Sting ducks a clothesline and hits two dropkicks. Hulk goes over the top and is dazed.

Hulk pulls Sting out and bangs his head off the apron and rails. Hulk suplexes Sting on the floor then Sting flying crossbodies him. Mongo says him and his brother solved issues like this and Heenan says, "but he's 9". Hogan trips him and gets his back. Macho tells Hulk to find out what Sting's all about. Hulk rolls into an armbar on Sting.

Sting yanks on Hulk's arm and armlocks him. Hulk side headlocks Sting then headlock takeovers him. Hulk side headlocks him. Sting hits kicks to the leg. Hulk catches his corner splash and bearhugs him. Hulk then throws hims down.

Hulk boots him in the gut then running elbows him. Hulk backdrops Sting then suplexes him. Sting hits kicks to the leg then scorpion deathlocks him. Sting hits shots and Hulk hulks up. Hulk hits punches then boots him. Hulk misses a legdrop and Sting scorpion deathlocks him. Hulk tells the ref to help him then The Dungeon of Doom strike.

Sting and Hulk get beat up at first but start to fight them off. The Giant then comes out. Giant grabs Sting and Hulk by the throat then Macho chairs Giant in the back. Giant chokeslams Macho then Sting and Hulk clothesline Giant over the top with a chair.

Thoughts: The match was interesting as Hulk worked completely different up until he made his comeback. He was doing armbars and just not doing the usual heavy selling match he did. Sting did his usual offense and I think was more over than Hulk here. I wasn't surprised The Dungeon of Doom interfered and legit expected it about 10 seconds before it happened.

We go to break and return. Jimmy Hart and The Taskmaster are at commentary. Task tries to grab Heenan's headset and threatens Hulk.

They hype up World War III and Heenan is all fired up. Eric says anyone who thinks they can predict what goes on in WCW is twisted. Eric asks who will be the new champ Sunday. Mongo says it's just a taste of what you will get at WW3. Heenan says he needs insurance.

Overall thoughts: I thought it was a fun episode of Nitro here. They hyped up World War III well and with so many people in the mix right now, you could make the case for several people walking away with the title in the battle royale. Hulk and Giant would be the big favorites though. I liked Norton/Shark but it was too short as most Shark matches seemed to be. Eddie/Pillman was our workrate match of the night and it was a good one with the two providing some nice cruiserweight action. Bubba/Hawk wasn't the cleanest match ever but it's clear that if they just let them have a normal 10 minute match, it would be really good. Sting/Hulk was a hotshot of a match and it didn't have a clean finish as expected. It was interesting to see Hulk work outside of his usual formula and I know he didn't like Sting getting bigger reactions than he did. It's on to World War III, though I couldn't tell you a single match on the show outside of the battle royale.

Marigold 6/29/2024 Grand Opening Wars 2024 Day 8

Marigold 6/29/2024 Grand Opening Wars 2024 Day 8

The last show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/marigold-6232024-grand-opening-wars.html 

CHIAKI vs. Komomo Minami

They lock up. KM wristlocks her and is reversed. Chi cartwheels out of a wristlock and side headlocks KM. KM uses the ropes to headlock takeover her then misses a dropkick. Chi cartwheel double knee drops her for 2. Chi iron claws her then facewash kicks her. Chi spears her back while she's tied up in the ropes. Chi boston crabs her then stands on her.

KM rolls her up on a slam and hits dropkicks. They trade forearms then Chi rolling spears her for 2. KM arm throws her and rolls her around the ring with an armbar. Chi basement dropkicks her then KM rolls over her back and armdrags her. KM armbars her and ties her arm around the ropes.

KM running dropkicks her. KM rolls her up and backslides her. KM then tries another pin. KM tilt-a-whirl backbreakers her then torture rack drops her for the win.

Thoughts: It went longer than I expected as I thought it would be all squash. It was fine here and KM didn't look at all out of place against the more experienced Chiaki. It was just an average match though.

Nao Ishikawa & Natsumi Showzuki vs. Bozilla & Myla Grace

Nao and Boz go at it. Boz shoves her over and Nao tries screaming at her. Nao stomps Boz's feet and is pushed over again. NS tries chest forearms and gets nowhere. Boz bodyblocks her then bangs Nao's head off the buckles. Boz gorilla press throws Myla out onto their opponents.

The girls fight outside and Boz knocks over Nao with forearms. Myla ducks NS's shots and legsweeps her. Myla basement dropkicks her. Myla hip attcks her on the ropes for 2. NS running knees her and armbars her.

Myla 619's her while she's on the 2nd rope then top rope la silla's her. NS stomps on her then double knee drops her back for 2. NS corner dropkicks and corner meteora's her. NS hits a perfectplex for 2. NS top rope double knee drops her. Boz gets in and deadlift german suplexes NS off of Myla.

Nao hits forearms on Boz and is knocked back. Boz spinning sideslams her for 2. Nao tries for a sleeper on her back and is rammed into the ropes. Boz double suplexes her opponents. Nao escapes a powerbomb and ankle locks her. Nao top rope crossbodies her and is caught and fallaway slammed into NS. Boz then boots her and sit out powerbombs her for the win.

Thoughts: It was as you would expect if you've been watching these shows. Nobody got much in on Boz and Boz got the easy win over Myla. Myla was just kind of along for the ride and didn't blow anything for a change. 

Kouki Amarei vs. Victoria Yuzuki

Yuz boots her and dropkicks her. Kouki boots her in the face then Yuz headlock takeovers her. Kouki headscissors her twice and they stand off. Kouki wristlocks her and it gets reversed. They side headlock each other and Kouki shoulders her over. Yuz dropkicks her.

Yuz dropkicks her through the ropes for 2 then does a grounded octopus. Yuz chokes Kouki on the ropes. Kouki facekicks her then Yuz flying headscissors her. Yuz dropkicks her for 2. Kouki flying kicks her in the corner then dominators her.

Yuz springboard dropkicks her on the ropes then walks up the ropes and facebusters her. Kouki cutters her and splashes her for 2. Kouki ties both arms up then Yuz hip throws her. Yuz northern lights suplexes her for 2. Kouki facekicks her then is superkicked. Kouki spinebusters her for 2.

Yuz rolls her up and crucifixes her. Kouki pump kicks her then backdrops her for 2. Kouki top rope 180 splashes her and wins.

Thoughts: It was just an average match for the most part. I know they want to push Kouki but Yuzuki is better than her at almost everything except looks and height at this point and I don't know if that's going to change any time soon.

Nagisa Nozaki & Zayda Steel vs. Mai Sakurai & Utami Hayashishita

NN and Mai start us off. They lock up and trade forearms. Mai slaps her then Mai faekicks her. They grab each other by the hair. Zay gets in and hits kicks on Mai. She then basement dropkicks her. Mai basmeent dropkicks Zay for 2.

Utami spinebusters and sliding lariats Zay. Zay corner euros her and step up knees her. Zay 2nd rope crossbodies her for 2. NN corner facekicks Utami then is hit by Mai from the apron. Utami lariats NN over then hits an air raid crash for 2. NN facekicks Utami and basement dropkicks her for 2.

Utami germans NN then lariats her. NN shotgun dropkicks her. Zay and Mai trade forearms. Mai takes a codebreaker and a reverse pendulum kick. Mai takes a double kick from her opponents for 2.

Mai pump kicks Zay then leg slice reverse ddt's her. Mai STF's her. Zay takes a backdrop + top rope dropkick then Mai northern lights suplexes her. Utami olympic slams NN then Zay step up enzugiri's Mai. Mai flying knees Zay then Utami suplexes Zay. Mai top rope elbow drops Zay and wins.

Thoughts: It didn't really get enough time here and ended as it got cooking. What we got was fine and looked promising though.

Mai, Utami and Chiaki get on the mic after. I think Chi and NN maybe set up a team together.

Nanae Takahashi vs. Chika Goto

They lock up. NT clean breaks her and takes chest forearms. Goto wristlocks her then NT side headlocks her. NT shoulders her overthen chinlocks her. NT ties up the leg. Chika tries to tie up her leg but NT puts the hold back on. NT boots Goto then slams her.

NT goes for an indian deatlock and boots her around. NT chops her and they slap each other. NT chop flurries her then shoulders her over. Chika hits boots to the face and NT fights off a giant swing. NT shoulders her over for 2.

Chika slams her and NT ankle locks her off the giant swing attempt. NT figure fours her. Chika hits forearms. NT forearms her back and shoulders her over. Chika giant swings NT then hip attacks her on the ropes. NT sleepers her then lariats her over. Chika hits lariats then NT hits a running shot.

Chika slams her for 2. They slap each other and NT backdrops her. NT sliding forearms her and wins it.

Thoughts: It the usual Nanae singles match with her being the favorite and her challenger being the underdog. Chika did a better job than usual here but  I don't think she did as other girls would have. it was fine for what it was but not that great. Chika lost as expected here. 

Chika and NT talk on the mic after.

Marigold United National Title Tournament First Round Match - Miku Aono vs. MIRAI

This is attempt #3 here to find a winner for this matchup. God forbid someone gets a bye or we make a no time limit match. Miku dropkicks Mirai as her name gets announced. She dropkicks and forearms her in the corner. Miku corner lariats her then Mirai dropkicks her. Mirai whips her with her coat then chokes her with something. Miku double underhook suplexes her for 2.

They trade forearms and Mirai forearms her down. They trade more forearms. Mirai forearm flurries her down to the mat. Miku hits a hard leg kick then a kick to the back. Mirai snapmares her and dropkicks her in the back. Miku kicks her in the back then Mirai does a stiff running boot to the side of the head.

Mirai corner lariats her in the back of the neck then vader bomb style elbow drops her. Mirai elbows her in the back of the neck. Mirai lariats her against the ropes. Mirai ties up her arms and pulls on her neck at the same time. 

Mirai stomps on her after Miku ropebreaks. Miku works Mirai's knee and kneebreakers her. Miku does a half crab on her. Mirai's in it for a while and eventually ropebreaks. Mirai throws her down by the leg and low flatliners her. Mirai basement dropkicks her. Miku's head is banged off the buckles and Mirai pounds on the back of her neck.

Mirai does a suplex on her for 2. Mirai backdrops her for 2 then half-nelson wheelbarrow suplexes her for 2. Miku spinning slams her then fisherman suplexes her. Miku top rope dropkicks her then sliding lariats her for 2. Miku buzzsaw kicks her then hits a stiff lariat for 2. Miku headkicks her then hits a styles clash. The time then runs out....again.

We then go to a 5-minute overtime. Miku running lariats her and tries pin attempts. Miku hits her in the back. They fight on the buckles and Mirai hits headbutts. Mirai 2nd rope northern lights suplexes her.

Miku hits a chest kick then boots her. Mirai hits elbows to the back of her neck then Miku germans her. They lariat each other on the ropes and lariat battle. Mirai lariats her over twice for 2. Mirai backdrops her for 2. Mirai cradle shocks her for another 2. Mirai hits a big running lariat and the time limit expires again. The match ends in a draw again.

Thoughts: These two going to draws is really becoming a joke at this point. I really think they are just doing this to cover for their roster being small and to give away bigger singles matches without having anyone lose. I liked the match but not the outcome, it was all strikes and the two stiffing each other and it was much better than their last attempt. We also got some aggression in this one which added to it.

Overall thoughts: It was okay overall. Nothing was bad but nothing was must see either. Mirai/Miku had a better outing here than last time and Chika showed a little in her singles match with Nanae. Minami continues to do a decent job for her experience level and I thought Yuzuki showed up Kouki a little in their match. 

WWE Speed 7/3/2024

WWE Speed 7/3/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/wwe-speed-6262024.html

#1 Contenders Tournament Semifinals - Xavier Woods vs Nathan Frazer

NF flips over him then runs and rolls him up. Woods goes for a pin and takes a spinning kick to the head. NF topes him then springboard dropkicks him for 2. NF misses a phoenix splash then Woods hits an honor roll lariat. Woods fireman's carry gutbusters him for 2.

Woods hits chops on NF. Woods superkicks him in the gut and NF twisting neckbreakers him for 2. NF superkicks him in the head and misses a phoenix splash. Woods superkicks him then rope walk elbow drops him. Woods then gets the pin at 2:48.

Thoughts: They did what they could with the time. As usual, it was nothing great or must see but it was an okay way to spend 2:48. Woods won as expected here.

The next episode of WWE Speed will be Friday at Noon.

Overall thoughts: As usual, there was only one new match that went 2:48. I really don't know who this show targets or who watches it besides me. It's never must see and it just kind of exists. I wouldn't recommend this.

WWE NXT 7/2/2024

WWE NXT 7/2/2024

Last week's show is here: https://prowresblog.blogspot.com/2024/06/wwe-nxt-6252024.html

Street Fight - Michin vs Jaida Parker

JP comes at Michin with a baseball bat as she enters and ends up nailing the trash can Michin is carrying. Michin throws her into the steps and seems to be wearing old NXT logos. Michin throws a chain at her and misses. JP's head is banged off the apron. JP hits Michin with a trash can lid. JP hits knees to the gut and samoan drops her.

JP misses a cane shot and is german suplexed. Michin whips her with a belt. Michin is on the 2nd rope and JP buttpresses her down into a trash can. Michin throws JP into the post.

JP chairs Michin. JP is put in a chair outside, Michin tries to tope her and goes face first into unfolded metal chairs. JP tries to hip attack her into the rails but misses and goes into them.

We go to PiP break. Michin takes Vic's candy tray and hits JP with it. Michin slams her then throws candy out into the crowd. JP knees her in the gut then Michin is suplexed on the floor. JP slams Michin's fingers with a tool box lid then stands and stomps on the lid. 

JP grabs a wrench and chokes Michin with it. She then uses the wrench on Michin's fingers. JP sticks a hammer in Michin's mouth and pulls with the back of it. Michin pours out nuts and bolts on chairs. Michin is back body dropped onto it for 2.

Michin uses a kendo stick on JP. She then cannonballs a trash can that is on JP's head. JP sprays Michin with a fire extinguisher then hip attacks her into the riser wall. JP running hip attacks her in the ring and wins.

Thoughts: Without question it was the best match I've ever seen either of these girls in. It was pretty much all weapons shots and hardcore spots but all of it looked good. Michin's dive into the chairs was wild (and stupid) and JP hip attacking her through the riser wall was cool. Jaida really needed this one to show where she stands and it really couldn't have went much better than it did. This was good.

Karmen Petrovic and Arianna Grace are in the ocker room. KP is taping up her sword and Grace wants her attention. Grace says she doesn't want to talk about it then asks her to sit down. Grace says Sol snatched her soul and heart. She says now she won't go to Heatwave even though she is from Toronto. She says her people are yearning for her. Karmen says she's from there too and Grace says she's not as Canadian as her.

Jacy Jayne and Jazmyn Nyx walk in. They ask which one is more pathetic. They say Karmen for Natalya not being there. KP says she belongs and says they can fix it if there is an issue.

Je'Von Evans says it's crazy he will be in the main event of his first PLE. He said he never left the country before and had to get a passport. He says he's not worried about it being a four-way. He says he's not scared of his opponents. He says he's coming over the border NXT champ.

We get a video on Kelani Jordan winning the N-A Title. She says all she knows is structure and says her one track mind has produced results. She talks about her gymnastics career and says she's the first ever Women's N-A champ. She says no one will defend her title like Lani. She says her gymnast accolades can't be taken from her but her title can. She quotes Michael Jordan and says she will make it happen vs Sol Ruca at Heatwave.

New Catch Republic vs Hank Walker and Tank Ledger

Bate rolls out of a wristlock. Bate bridges and Hank is on top of him. Bate walks up the buckles with his hands and headscissors Hank down. Dunne works Hank's fingers. Dunne is criss crossed with a shoulder fromt Tank. Dunne takes a sandwich bodyblock.

Dunne stomps Tank's hand then Bate comes off the 2nd rope and flips off of Dunne onto Tank. Tank 2nd rope twisting shoulders Bate. Bate deadlift suplexes him. Bate straight punches Hank and airplane spins him. We go to break and return.

Dunne works on Tank then Tank bubba bombs him. Hank lariats Dunne then corner splashes him. Hank hits snake eyes on Dunne then pump kicks him. Hank drops Bate onto Dunne. Dunne takes a top rope diving lariat + powerbomb combo. Hank is enzugiri'd out by Bate. Bate gets caught on a tope con hilo and dropped on Dunne on the apron. Hank and Tank both do Josh Alexander's crossbody as their opponents sit ont he apron.

Dunne pump kicks Hank then is popped-up into a german from Hank. Hank comes off the top and takes knees from Dunne. Tank gets his fingers split and takes a rebound lariat. Bate spiral taps Tank off the top and wins.

Thoughts: It was a decent tag here as expected. Hank and Tank showed off a new move or two here and continue to seem better than the level they are being pushed at. 

Shawn Spears said he returned to NXT to guide young talent. He said he wanted to share his knowledge and said it has been met with reluctance. He says he will lead by example. He says he will return home to Toronto and will reach the pinnacle. He says he will win the NXT Title at Heatwave.

Robert Stone, Stevie Turner and Oro Mensah talk in the back. Stone puts over Oro's showing last week. Stevie copies it and they argue. Stone says Oro is fighting Myles Borne tonight. They argue over who will give him the bad news. Stevie tells him he won't be going to Heatwave due to altercations with Ethan Page. Stone says he will tell Ava about Stevie's behavior. 

Brinley Reece vs Izzi Dame

Izzi slams her then pendulum side slams her. Izzi stomps on her. Brin hits shoulders and a body block. Izzi's head is pulled into the buckles and Brin forward cartwheel lariats her. Brin backfists her.

Tatum Paxley comes out and tries to grab Izzi. Brin back rolls Izzi into a pin attempt for 2. Izzi boots Brin then hits a falcon arrow to win.

Thoughts: It was a quick one here but it was fine with both girls doing a decent job.

Tatum tries to grab Izzi after.

We go to Chase U. Chase U talks about titles being won in Toronto. Duke and Ridge talk. Duke says they didn't pin OC clean when they beat them. Duke then shows Chase proof with photos. Chase and Thea are disappointed in Ridge for cheating. Ridge says he wanted to be part of a family, not a group and said he was just trying to help. Chase says no one is free of mistakes but asks Ridge to stay back when they go to Heatwave.

Lola Vice comes out. She says the clock is ticking and tells Roxanne to come out here. Perez comes out with security and says they are here to stop Lola from attacking her again. Perez says she can see right through her and says it's the most important match of her career.

She brings up Lola screwing her out of the title by cashing in her Breakout Tournament contract. Lola says Perez is the champ but says she is a fighter. She says Lola is in her world on Sunday, a world she is a master of. She says she won't fight Lola's fight, she will make he wrestle her style of match. Lola says she was a fighter before she was born.

Lola says she hasn't told her story of sacrifice. She said her mom was pregnant with her during her blackbelt test. She said she became a 4th degree master in taekwondo and was training for the olympics. She said her mom got sick so she went into MMA to provide for her family. She said she was fighting in MSG at the age of 20. She says her mom will watch her on Sunday and she can't wait to tell her she did it.

Perez says she didn't know all of that and respects her story. Perez says every woman in the locker room wants to make that same phone call. She says those phone calls are never made as long as she is champ. She says she proves why she is called The Prodigy. She says Lola won't take the title from her and says it's unfortunate she came around during her era. Lola says she doesn't have to give it to her, she will take it. Lola says she will prove she is the greatest crossover and says she will become the first Cuban-American NXT champ.

Lola then backfists one of the security guards. She says we may be in Perez' world, but she won't know what world she is in when she knocks her out.

Thoughts: I wasn't a big fan of this. I think Lola is better in short promos and with both being more heelish, it was hard to get behind either. 

Ethan Page does a video. He says he rocked the foundation of NXT and racked it when he debuted taking out Trick Williams. He says he's been building a rep around the world for a while. He says there's only room for one them between him and Spears and says he will do as intended - becoming NXT champ.

No Quarter Catch crew talks in the back. Kemp says he found brass knuckles and asks him about them. Dempsey asks him if he thought it would work. Borne asks if they said something and Dempsey says not to worry about it. Dempsey says Borne's best friend is the power advantage, so use it.

We get a video on Eddy Thorpe being a DJ at the club. Lexis King comes in and says he should be ashamed of himself for being a DJ. King talks about rock and roll and says he likes rock and roll. Eddy says he likes EDM music. King says he wouldn't know cool if he was slapped in the face with it. Dani Palmer was here as one of the girls. Maybe she's back from injury?

Oro Mensah vs Myles Borne

Borne side headlocks him. Oro has some ugly tights on that look like fishnets from afar. Oro wristlocks him, Borne reverses it and Oro upkicks him. Oro isde headlocks him. Oro misses a koppo kick but it is sold anyway. Oro spinning forearms him in the back of the neck. 

Oro flips out of a back body drop but nails his throat off the ropes. Borne neckbreakers him. We go to PiP break and return. Borne chinlocks him and they trade forearms. Oro steamroller legsweeps him and kicks him. Oro asai moonsaults him then exploders him. Oro koppo kicks him. Borne hits a high dropkick.

Kemp tries to give Borne brass knucks. Borne is distracted and takes a rolling kick in the corner. Oro then wins.

Thoughts: They are doing some kind of story with Kemp being on the outs with NQCC here and that was what the finish was about. Oro was not good early on here and that brought this one down. This should have been better than it was.

Oro says he will be waiting for Ethan Page after Heatwave. 

We get a Wes Lee video. He says he wants nothing else but the title. He says Oba Femi seems unconquerable. He says he needs to win on Sunday as he doesn't know what to do otherwise.

Oba says Wes is referred to as the greatest because he came before him. He says Wes is living in the past. He says the beacon of light Wes once was is starting to Dim. He says every person wh ohas tried to beat him (Oro) has failed. He says he will crush Wes' body and his final dream.

We go to the back. Dupont and Igwe are fighting with Gallus. Igwe goes into steps and Dupont spears Wolf into a barrel. Mark chairs Dupont and it is broken up.

Brinlee Reece talks to Enofe and Blade. Blade ask if she's good. Enofe says positivity doesn't produce results. Brin says if they don't want her around, it's fine. She says she will go work out. The OC get on the camera. They say they aren't done beating up Nima and Price. Karl says he will break Price's face too.

Carlee Bright vs Wendy Choo

CB hits forearms on Choo. Choo throws her down backwards. CB cartwheels while in a wristlock and is thrown down. CB headscissors her then Choo side headlocks her. CB tries a pin off a blocked hiptoss then decks her with a forearm. Choo low flatliners her.

Choo snapmares her and twists her neck with her feet. Choo axe kicks her in the back. Choo forearms her in the corner then puts her in tree of woe. Choo dropkicks her there. CB headscissors her and hits lariats. CB cartwheel kicks her in the corner then Choo gets her knees up on CB's standing moonsault. Choo hits a pepsi twist and chokes her out with a buffalo sleeper variation to win.

Thoughts: Choo's new gimmick isn't working. Part of it is because it has never really been explained and the other part is because people like Choo. I think Carlee has more potential than her and I didn't really like her losing here, especially in a cold one like this. This was just so-so and the crowd wasn't into it.

Trick Williams talks about his Heatwave competitors. He says anything can happen but the only thing that will happen is him retaining his NXT Title.

Shawn Michaels talks. He says there's been many disturbances in NXT caused by Brooks Jensen lately. We see videos of him flipping out on Twitter about NXT. He says Brooks is not released from his contract despite claiming otherwise. They said he spiraled after breaking up with Brooks Jensen and showed him drinking. They said they forced him to stay away from NXT. Shawn says they could let him go but he's part of the NXT family and they believe in second chances. He says they want him to have a sit-down discussion with Ava to get on the right path.

Thoughts: Last week, Brooks was pulled away by security on camera. Unfortunately, they didn't say it was him nor could we see him so it was impossible to tell. Apparently he has maybe done this other times, but because it wasn't acknowledged on TV, nobody really noticed it. Now we know it's all storyline. Whatever they are doing here has not worked so far and it's all on WWE.

Jazmyn Nyx vs Karmen Petrovic

They each duck kicks. KP side headlocks her. KP is armdragged but rolls through it and holds onto Nyx's arm. Nyx wristlocks her then throws her down by the hair. Nyx rolling headhunters her for 2. Jacy gets on the apron and distracts KP. Nyx kicks KP hard in the gut then boots her.

Nyx neckbreakers her and PK's her for 2. Nyx headscissors her and we see Fallon watching this in the back on TV. Nyx tries to roll her on the headscissors but KP blocks it and goes for a pin. KP bulldogs her and hits forearms. KP spinning lariats her. KP goes for a kick and Jacy interferes. Nyx then pele kicks KP and wins.

Thoughts: The work wasn't bad with them doing some athletic work but it was marred by Jacy interference.

Axiom and Nathan Frazer talk in the back. Nathan talks about things he wants to do in a match. Ax thinks he's talking about their match but NF says he's talking about his singles match on Speed. Ax says they don't want to overlook Chase U. NF says they are the best team in the world and will be fine. 

Karmen Petrovic talks to Ava in the back. She asks if she saw that. She says she wants Jacy and Nyx. Ava says she doesn't have to do it alone as a friend volunteered to team with her. Grace says she's not Natalya but is a beauty queen. She says us Canadians have to team together and say what better place to team up for the first time than in their hometown. She says she's so excited.

We see sol Ruca talk about gymnastics and we see her balancing. She talks about being a multi-time champ in college. She says she was the best girl at Battleground but came up short. She said others talk the talk but she focuses on walking the walk. She says she is bringing the heat to Toronto.

Fatal Four Way Contract Signing

Trick Williams, Shawn Spears, Ethan Page and Je'Von Evans are in the ring. Trick says he will whoop that trick in the ring in Toronto. Page says Trick doesn't care and will bring the same energy no matter what. He says he's the champ and the hottest thing in WWE right now. He says he has seen his swagger at Battleground. He says he would have won at Battleground then Trick interrupts and said he got whooped.

Page says this Sunday isn't the same as Vegas. He says he doesn't have to win him to beat the title. He can beat him but he doesn't have to. He says the odds are not in Trick's favor. Trick says his back is always against the wall but he comes through each time.

Trick says he will add one more win to his resume on Sunday. Spears says Trick loves the sound of his own voice. Spears says Trick has emotion and says his emotion will bring him the title at Heatwave. Spears says Trick's emotion got his hand raised and it will again at Heatwave.

Spears says Evans is a 20 year old kid who is happy to be here. Spears says Evans is the team who made it to The Super Bowl but doesn't have a shot at winning the big one. Evans says everyone wants to use his age against him like he's a punk.

Evans says he is nervous but excited. Evans says since we are talking about experience, how about we talk about Spears' experience holding the NXT Title. Evans says Spears doesn't have any. He says he will show him what an NXT champ really looks like.

Page says him and Spears beat Evans, but can Trick? He says he doesn't like Trick's odds. Trick says he doesn't like him. Trick says Evans can do a lot of things but can't take his NXT Title from him. 

They make their cases for why they will win. Spears rips Evans for being 20. Evans threatens him. Evans says he is coming for the title Sunday and calls Page and Spears punks. Spears attacks him and all four fight. Spears and Page go through tables. Evans looks at the title and Trick takes it away.

Thoughts: Evans was legit the best person in this one. I thought they had a lot to work with but didn't really get all out of it that they could. It got a little better at the end but the early part of the segment didn't really hit. It's all for naught though. It's just not a hot program and I don't expect a classic out of this four way.

Overall thoughts: It was an okay night in-ring wise for the most part. The storylines just aren't really hitting the mark though and it's a real problem with a PLE coming up.  I can't say I'm too excited about anything on the PLE except Jordan/Sol, which hasn't gotten much build. These are all younger wrestlers so it's not a huge problem in the short-term, but I hope things are better 6-12 months from now or else we've got a real problem on our hands. I wasn't a huge fan of this and wouldn't recommend it.