offical wwe thread
- Thread starter orochi_lubu
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Droz was like the least bitter former wrestler ever, too. He wasn't even mad at D'Lo for paralyzing him.
Bret Hart is more mad today about someone forgetting to shake his hand in 1993 than Droz was for having his career and mobility taken from him in his prime.
Bret Hart is more mad today about someone forgetting to shake his hand in 1993 than Droz was for having his career and mobility taken from him in his prime.
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to LeClair's real-time report).
(1) BUTCH vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. SANTOS ESCOBAR vs. DAMIAN PRIEST vs. RICOCHET vs. L.A. KNIGHT vs. LOGAN PAUL – Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match
Logan Paul was surrounded by the other six competitors as soon as the bell rang. They pounced, beating him down in the center of the ring and tossing him to the outside. The remaining six quickly paired off and battled through the ropes and around ringside. Logan Paul was the first to return to the ring with a ladder in tow. Shinsuke Nakamura cut him off quickly. Damian Priest returned to take down Nakamura and knock him from the ring using the butt of the ladder.
Butch, Santos Escobar, and Ricochet worked together to isolate Priest in the corner. They trapped him against the turnbuckle with a ladder strung through the middle rope. L.A. Knight rejoined the fray and gave Butch a DDT to a massive reaction. Shinsuke Nakamura took down Knight, then delivered a leaping knee from the middle rope to the still-trapped Priest. Ricochet and Nakamura, the only two to have previously competed in MITB, battled briefly. Butch hit the ring and traded quick strikes with Shinsuke. Escobar caught Nakamura with a cross body from the top rope. His advantage was short lived as Paul tossed him into the propped ladder.
Paul set up the ladder and began to climb as the match crossed 3:30. Within seconds, a cavalcade of wrestlers entered the ring and stood below Paul. They ripped him from the ladder and beat him down a second time. Butch headed outside the ring and retrieved a pair of tables. He also pulled out a cricket bat, much to the crowd’s delight. He beat Knight and Ricochet with it before trying to climb a ladder. Priest cut him off. Butch clotheslined Priest to the outside. Priest popped up and caught him with a stiff rolling elbow. Damian went to knock out Paul, but Logan begged him off. “Me and you, we can work together!’ he pleaded. Priest seemed to agree. They retrieved the two tables and set them up at ringside.
“They’ve already been ganged up on by the rest of the field!” Wade Barrett correctly pointed out. Paul asked Priest for a high five after they slid the tables together. Priest punched him in the face and tossed him over the steel steps. “You deserve it!” the crowd shouted. Santos Escobar dove through the middle rope onto Priest. In the ring, Ricochet dove through a ladder to the outside, taking out a field of wrestlers below. L.A. Knight was left alone in the ring. He started to climb, but Paul cut him off with a Russian Leg Sweep. Paul cracked Knight with a ladder, then drove it into Butch’s ribs. He delivered a guillotine to Priest, then tried to dive onto him. Priest caught him with a big forearm.
Priest turned the steel steps on their side and bridged a ladder on top of them and the ring apron. Nakamura lifted Priest onto the make-shift bridge. He climbed to the apron, but Paul grabbed his leg and swept him face first onto the edge of the ring at 8:35. Paul climbed to the apron himself and delivered a frog splash onto the bridged ladder and Priest. The ladder didn’t budge, causing Paul to bounce violently. Priest coughed and gasped for air.
Nakamura and Ricochet entered the ring with a tall ladder. They traded punches. Ricochet tied up Shinsuke in the rungs. He tried to slam him with another ladder, but Shin ducked. The ladder wound up bridged between a rung and the rope. Nakamura gave L.A. Knight a DDT, then a sliding snap German Suplex to Ricochet off the bridged ladder. Santos Escobar climbed the tall ladder and was the first to get a hand on the briefcase. Nakamura cut him off. Santos knocked Shinsuke to the mat. Butch climbed the side side Escobar occupied. He applied a sleeper hold and dragged Escobar down to the propped ladder. Ricochet hit a springboard 450 splash onto both men. Everyone bounced to the mat.
All seven men slowly rose to their feet in the ring for a reset moment. Bedlam ensued. Butch was the first knocked to the outside. Damian Priest was left alone to climb the ladder while other wrestlers fought in the corner. Knight was the first to catch him. He backdropped Priest off the ladder. Paul hit knight with a Blockbuster. Ricochet hit Paul with a 450. Escobar dropped Ricochet. Nakamura caught Escobar with a flying knee. Butch dragged Nakamura to the floor. Butch climbed a ladder stationed at ringside. He hit a Moonsault onto a waiting field of wrestlers below as the match crossed 14:00.
The Brawling Brute rushed into the ring to climb the ladder. Logan managed to cut him off halfway up the climb. Paul was quickly thwarted by Ricochet with a series of rapid kicks. Paul caught Ricochet with a right and dropped him. Escobar gave Paul a leaping kick into the corner, followed by a running knee. Santos was left alone to climb. He got a hand on the briefcase again, but Shinsuke grabbed his leg. Nakamura began climbing. Escobar rushed up the opposing side. L.A. Knight. returned with a ladder. He used the butt of it to knock Nakamura down. He set it up adjacent to Escobar and began climbing. They traded punches atop the ladders. Escobar gave Knight a Hurricanrana off the ladders. Shinsuke and Santos climbed. They grabbed at each other’s hair. Logan Paul and Ricochet springboard dove off opposing sides of the ring to meet Nakamura and Escobar on the ladder. All four men were within distance of the briefcase. Ricochet got a hand on it. Knight knocked over Escobar and Nakamura’s ladder. After a brief struggle, he did the same to Paul and Ricochet’s.
Paul and Ricochet caught themselves on the top rope as the ladder teetered. They nearly fell, but managed to hold onto each other to to execute a rough looking Spanish Fly off the ropes and through the two tables at ringside. Back in the ring, Butch and L.A. Knight climbed the ladder. Knight set up Butch for a Superplex. Butch snapped Knight’s fingers. Butch had a handle on the briefcase. Priest leapt up to play spoiler. Butch stretched Priest’s fingers, too. Priest grabbed Butch by the throat and tossed him backward off the ladder. Butch crashed into a propped ladder in the corner.
Knight pulled Priest from the ladder. He tossed him out. Santos returned and battled with Knight, but Knight tossed him too. Nakamura entered and got tossed by Knight. Each time, the crowd’s elation and anticipation grew. Knight climbed the ladder. Priest returned to meet him at the top. He gave Knight a Broken Arrow off the ladder. Priest climbed the ladder and retrieved the briefcase.
WINNER: Damian Priest in 20:27
Priest celebrated with the briefcase. The camera caught the disappointment from the other wrestlers, who were strewn about at ringside. Paul was bleeding pretty heavily from his shoulder area.
(This was on the highest end of men’s Money in the Bank matches in quite a long time. Each of the seven wrestlers felt like they got ample time to showcase themselves, and the lack of a clear winner coming into the match made it fun to guess when the finish might come. The crowd was rabid and red hot from bell-to-bell, setting up an infectious atmosphere that elevated the match to even higher heights. There’s no question that Knight was the crowd’s heavy favorite here, even booing other babyfaces that they genuinely liked when they would thwart Knight’s attempts to retrieve the briefcase. While I think he would’ve been a lot of fun with the briefcase, I at least appreciate the fact that they gave him several near-victories toward the end to not only rile up the crowd, but build some heat on Priest for his eventual win. Logan Paul continued to shine, not only as a big spot-machine, but someone who can simply go with other talented wrestlers. The most impressive moments from Paul came not during his crazy stunts, but rather, the way he assimilated himself as viable and believable wrestler throughout. That brutal Spanish Fly spot near the end with Ricochet was nearly disastrous, and certainly very dangerous. I’m not even sure the match needed it, which is saying something. Great stuff.)
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com (direct link to LeClair's real-time report).
(1) BUTCH vs. SHINSUKE NAKAMURA vs. SANTOS ESCOBAR vs. DAMIAN PRIEST vs. RICOCHET vs. L.A. KNIGHT vs. LOGAN PAUL – Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder match
Logan Paul was surrounded by the other six competitors as soon as the bell rang. They pounced, beating him down in the center of the ring and tossing him to the outside. The remaining six quickly paired off and battled through the ropes and around ringside. Logan Paul was the first to return to the ring with a ladder in tow. Shinsuke Nakamura cut him off quickly. Damian Priest returned to take down Nakamura and knock him from the ring using the butt of the ladder.
Butch, Santos Escobar, and Ricochet worked together to isolate Priest in the corner. They trapped him against the turnbuckle with a ladder strung through the middle rope. L.A. Knight rejoined the fray and gave Butch a DDT to a massive reaction. Shinsuke Nakamura took down Knight, then delivered a leaping knee from the middle rope to the still-trapped Priest. Ricochet and Nakamura, the only two to have previously competed in MITB, battled briefly. Butch hit the ring and traded quick strikes with Shinsuke. Escobar caught Nakamura with a cross body from the top rope. His advantage was short lived as Paul tossed him into the propped ladder.
Paul set up the ladder and began to climb as the match crossed 3:30. Within seconds, a cavalcade of wrestlers entered the ring and stood below Paul. They ripped him from the ladder and beat him down a second time. Butch headed outside the ring and retrieved a pair of tables. He also pulled out a cricket bat, much to the crowd’s delight. He beat Knight and Ricochet with it before trying to climb a ladder. Priest cut him off. Butch clotheslined Priest to the outside. Priest popped up and caught him with a stiff rolling elbow. Damian went to knock out Paul, but Logan begged him off. “Me and you, we can work together!’ he pleaded. Priest seemed to agree. They retrieved the two tables and set them up at ringside.
“They’ve already been ganged up on by the rest of the field!” Wade Barrett correctly pointed out. Paul asked Priest for a high five after they slid the tables together. Priest punched him in the face and tossed him over the steel steps. “You deserve it!” the crowd shouted. Santos Escobar dove through the middle rope onto Priest. In the ring, Ricochet dove through a ladder to the outside, taking out a field of wrestlers below. L.A. Knight was left alone in the ring. He started to climb, but Paul cut him off with a Russian Leg Sweep. Paul cracked Knight with a ladder, then drove it into Butch’s ribs. He delivered a guillotine to Priest, then tried to dive onto him. Priest caught him with a big forearm.
Priest turned the steel steps on their side and bridged a ladder on top of them and the ring apron. Nakamura lifted Priest onto the make-shift bridge. He climbed to the apron, but Paul grabbed his leg and swept him face first onto the edge of the ring at 8:35. Paul climbed to the apron himself and delivered a frog splash onto the bridged ladder and Priest. The ladder didn’t budge, causing Paul to bounce violently. Priest coughed and gasped for air.
Nakamura and Ricochet entered the ring with a tall ladder. They traded punches. Ricochet tied up Shinsuke in the rungs. He tried to slam him with another ladder, but Shin ducked. The ladder wound up bridged between a rung and the rope. Nakamura gave L.A. Knight a DDT, then a sliding snap German Suplex to Ricochet off the bridged ladder. Santos Escobar climbed the tall ladder and was the first to get a hand on the briefcase. Nakamura cut him off. Santos knocked Shinsuke to the mat. Butch climbed the side side Escobar occupied. He applied a sleeper hold and dragged Escobar down to the propped ladder. Ricochet hit a springboard 450 splash onto both men. Everyone bounced to the mat.
All seven men slowly rose to their feet in the ring for a reset moment. Bedlam ensued. Butch was the first knocked to the outside. Damian Priest was left alone to climb the ladder while other wrestlers fought in the corner. Knight was the first to catch him. He backdropped Priest off the ladder. Paul hit knight with a Blockbuster. Ricochet hit Paul with a 450. Escobar dropped Ricochet. Nakamura caught Escobar with a flying knee. Butch dragged Nakamura to the floor. Butch climbed a ladder stationed at ringside. He hit a Moonsault onto a waiting field of wrestlers below as the match crossed 14:00.
The Brawling Brute rushed into the ring to climb the ladder. Logan managed to cut him off halfway up the climb. Paul was quickly thwarted by Ricochet with a series of rapid kicks. Paul caught Ricochet with a right and dropped him. Escobar gave Paul a leaping kick into the corner, followed by a running knee. Santos was left alone to climb. He got a hand on the briefcase again, but Shinsuke grabbed his leg. Nakamura began climbing. Escobar rushed up the opposing side. L.A. Knight. returned with a ladder. He used the butt of it to knock Nakamura down. He set it up adjacent to Escobar and began climbing. They traded punches atop the ladders. Escobar gave Knight a Hurricanrana off the ladders. Shinsuke and Santos climbed. They grabbed at each other’s hair. Logan Paul and Ricochet springboard dove off opposing sides of the ring to meet Nakamura and Escobar on the ladder. All four men were within distance of the briefcase. Ricochet got a hand on it. Knight knocked over Escobar and Nakamura’s ladder. After a brief struggle, he did the same to Paul and Ricochet’s.
Paul and Ricochet caught themselves on the top rope as the ladder teetered. They nearly fell, but managed to hold onto each other to to execute a rough looking Spanish Fly off the ropes and through the two tables at ringside. Back in the ring, Butch and L.A. Knight climbed the ladder. Knight set up Butch for a Superplex. Butch snapped Knight’s fingers. Butch had a handle on the briefcase. Priest leapt up to play spoiler. Butch stretched Priest’s fingers, too. Priest grabbed Butch by the throat and tossed him backward off the ladder. Butch crashed into a propped ladder in the corner.
Knight pulled Priest from the ladder. He tossed him out. Santos returned and battled with Knight, but Knight tossed him too. Nakamura entered and got tossed by Knight. Each time, the crowd’s elation and anticipation grew. Knight climbed the ladder. Priest returned to meet him at the top. He gave Knight a Broken Arrow off the ladder. Priest climbed the ladder and retrieved the briefcase.
WINNER: Damian Priest in 20:27
Priest celebrated with the briefcase. The camera caught the disappointment from the other wrestlers, who were strewn about at ringside. Paul was bleeding pretty heavily from his shoulder area.
(This was on the highest end of men’s Money in the Bank matches in quite a long time. Each of the seven wrestlers felt like they got ample time to showcase themselves, and the lack of a clear winner coming into the match made it fun to guess when the finish might come. The crowd was rabid and red hot from bell-to-bell, setting up an infectious atmosphere that elevated the match to even higher heights. There’s no question that Knight was the crowd’s heavy favorite here, even booing other babyfaces that they genuinely liked when they would thwart Knight’s attempts to retrieve the briefcase. While I think he would’ve been a lot of fun with the briefcase, I at least appreciate the fact that they gave him several near-victories toward the end to not only rile up the crowd, but build some heat on Priest for his eventual win. Logan Paul continued to shine, not only as a big spot-machine, but someone who can simply go with other talented wrestlers. The most impressive moments from Paul came not during his crazy stunts, but rather, the way he assimilated himself as viable and believable wrestler throughout. That brutal Spanish Fly spot near the end with Ricochet was nearly disastrous, and certainly very dangerous. I’m not even sure the match needed it, which is saying something. Great stuff.)
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(2) RONDA ROUSEY & SHAYNA BASZLER (c) vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & LIV MORGAN – WWE Undisputed Women’s Tag Team Championship match
Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey began the match. Morgan quickly knocked Ronda to the outside, then gave Baszler a kick to the floor to join her. Rodriguez entered the ring to Powerbomb Morgan over the top rope onto the tag champions below. It didn’t take long for the champions to recover, though. Rousey tagged in Baszler. She took down Morgan, folded her arm and stomped on her elbow. Morgan screamed in agony. Baszler tagged out.
Rousey whipped and dragged Morgan around the ring by the now-injured arm. She gave her a violent toss to the corner and tagged Baszler back in. Shayna continued to work on the elbow, applying an arm lock and settling into the mat as the match crossed 3:15. Morgan managed to fight free with an arm drag. She rushed to her corner, but Baszler still managed to cut her off. Liv met a charge from Baszler with a boot to the face. She dumped Shayna into the ring post. Morgan crawled toward Rodriguez again. She kicked Shayna away, inadvertently sending her flying right to her partner. Rousey tagged in and picked Morgan’s ankle.
After a brief struggle, Liv turned Rousey into a school-girl for a two count. She hit Rousey with a Codebreaker and used the opportunity to reach Raquel for a hot tag. Raquel gave Rousey a Fallaway Slam. Baszler entered the ring and got one too. She gave Ronda a spinning Powerslam for a cover and two count. She sent Ronda toward the corner. Rousey countered her and lifted her to the top turnbuckle. The two women battled briefly on the top and middle turnbuckle. Rousey went for a hanging arm bar, but Raquel deadlifted her up and into a sit-out Powerbomb from the top rope for a near fall.
Raquel reached Morgan for a tag. Rousey tagged Shayna. Liv dove from the top rope, but Shayna picked her out of the air into an arm bar. Rousey entered the ring and applied an ankle lock at the same time. Rodriguez rushed back into the ring to break the holds at 6:30. Liv caught Baszler with a step-up enziguri. On the outside, Rousey ripped Raquel from the apron just as Morgan reached for a tag. She tossed her into the ring post. Morgan looked for Oblivion on Shayna. Baszler countered into a German Suplex. Baszler swarmed Liv’s back and locked in the Karifuta Clutch. Morgan managed to battle out of it after a struggle.
Baszler tagged in Ronda Rousey. She stalked the injured Liv Morgan. Shayna attacked her partner from behind. She put her in the Karifuta Clutch. Baszler left the ring as Liv Morgan watched in horror. Rousey screamed out for Baszler, confused. Rodriguez gave Ronda a slam, setting her up for Morgan to hit Oblivion for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez in 9:02 to win the WWE Undisputed Women’s Tag Team Championships
(Huh. Consider me stumped. There was no indication whatsoever that this was coming. The crowd wasn’t clamoring for a big singles run for either of these women. The team with Rousey was finally allowing Shayna to find her footing on the main roster. This just felt like a swerve for the sake of a swerve. I don’t get the sense that the crowd has any interest in cheering Ronda Rousey, and Baszler’s character and presentation certainly isn’t conducive to working as a babyface. This is just a puzzling move all around. The match itself was fine. Nothing particularly notable from either side.)
(3) GUNTHER (c) vs. MATT RIDDLE – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
Matt Riddle came at Gunther quickly. He was taken down with a quick slam. Gunther tossed him toward the corner. Riddle was slippery enough to escape and fall into an arm hold over the ropes. The referee broke it up at 4. Riddle re-entered the ring and was immediately dropped by a massive chop. The champion tossed Riddle to the corner and gave him a trio of hard chops to the chest, which had already turned bright red. Riddle battled out of the corner with kicks to the mid-section. He hit a rolling pop-up clothesline to take Gunther off his feet.
The champion recovered quickly. He tried to clothesline Riddle, but the challenger rolled under and picked the champion’s ankle. Riddle struggled to take Gunther off his feet. The champion broke the hold with minimal struggle. Riddle peppered Gunther with more kicks, but had his leg swept out from underneath him. Gunther then went to work on the taped ankle of Matt Riddle. He removed some of the wrap and began stomping at it. He twisted it between his own ankles. Cole noted that Gunther has never lost a singles match on the main roster.
Riddle caught Gunther with a Final Flash pump knee, rocking the champion. He shook it off and gave Riddle a release German Suplex, then immediately went back to work on the ankle. The crowd built into a “Gunther” chant. Riddle slapped helplessly at Gunther’s chest. Gunther gave him one of his own. Riddle finally kicked free with his free leg. He dropped Gunther with a Dropkick, then went for a Broton. Gunther caught him in a Sleeper. Riddle managed to pull Gunther’s hands apart and roll through the hold just past 5:00. Gunther went for another German Suplex. Riddle flipped through it and landed on his feet, but his ankle gave out. Gunther caught him with a massive lariat and covered for a near fall.
Riddle struggled back to his feet. He managed to take Gunther down again with a knee strike and climb to the top rope. Riddle hit the Floating Bro for a cover and two count. Both men rose slowly. Gunther dropped his challenger with another massive chop. He climbed to the top rope and dove for what looked like a headbutt. Riddle spread his legs and caught Gunther in a triangle choke. Gunther struggled for a moment, but then deadlifted Riddle into a stack Powerbomb for a cover and two count. Gunther immediately turned Riddle over into a single leg crab. Riddle managed to twist himself free and kick himself to his feet.
Gunther held onto Riddle’s ankle. He chopped it repeatedly, then ripped Matt to the mat. Gunther applied a fully wrapped ankle lock and Riddle tapped out almost immediately.
WINNER: Gunther in 7:44 to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Gunther held up the title just as the sound of a swiping blade rang out. Drew McIntyre’s music hit and the “Scottish Psychopath” marched to the ring with purpose. The crowd popped big. Cole said the rumors of McIntyre’s demise in WWE are not true. Drew stepped in the ring with a smirk on his face. He took a defiant step toward Gunther and got in his face. Gunther palmed his whole face away. McIntyre gave him a Glasgow Kiss. He shook the ropes and led the crowd in a countdown. McIntyre gave the champion a Claymore and kipped to his feet to a massive reaction. He slowly picked up the Intercontinental title and held it high above his head.
(Solid match, as Gunther title defenses typically are. Riddle seemed to be the least competitive challenger for Gunther in a while, perhaps even more so than Ricochet. His stock seems to have fallen considerably in recent months, and that includes in the eyes of the fans. The affable love he used to receive seems to have dwindled. It’s no surprise that Gunther was the favorite in London, but the crowd reactions to this point would’ve made me think Riddle would have also received a strong response. Instead, it just felt like respectful acknowledgment. I thought they told the story of the angle well, with Gunther working hard at the injured ankle and Riddle trying to fight valiantly through it, eventually succumbing not to a Gunther finish but a continued assault to the injured appendage. McIntyre’s post-match return was the real highlight, with a massive star reaction and a moment that felt decidedly big. McIntyre vs. Gunther seems like a great time.)
(2) RONDA ROUSEY & SHAYNA BASZLER (c) vs. RAQUEL RODRIGUEZ & LIV MORGAN – WWE Undisputed Women’s Tag Team Championship match
Liv Morgan and Ronda Rousey began the match. Morgan quickly knocked Ronda to the outside, then gave Baszler a kick to the floor to join her. Rodriguez entered the ring to Powerbomb Morgan over the top rope onto the tag champions below. It didn’t take long for the champions to recover, though. Rousey tagged in Baszler. She took down Morgan, folded her arm and stomped on her elbow. Morgan screamed in agony. Baszler tagged out.
Rousey whipped and dragged Morgan around the ring by the now-injured arm. She gave her a violent toss to the corner and tagged Baszler back in. Shayna continued to work on the elbow, applying an arm lock and settling into the mat as the match crossed 3:15. Morgan managed to fight free with an arm drag. She rushed to her corner, but Baszler still managed to cut her off. Liv met a charge from Baszler with a boot to the face. She dumped Shayna into the ring post. Morgan crawled toward Rodriguez again. She kicked Shayna away, inadvertently sending her flying right to her partner. Rousey tagged in and picked Morgan’s ankle.
After a brief struggle, Liv turned Rousey into a school-girl for a two count. She hit Rousey with a Codebreaker and used the opportunity to reach Raquel for a hot tag. Raquel gave Rousey a Fallaway Slam. Baszler entered the ring and got one too. She gave Ronda a spinning Powerslam for a cover and two count. She sent Ronda toward the corner. Rousey countered her and lifted her to the top turnbuckle. The two women battled briefly on the top and middle turnbuckle. Rousey went for a hanging arm bar, but Raquel deadlifted her up and into a sit-out Powerbomb from the top rope for a near fall.
Raquel reached Morgan for a tag. Rousey tagged Shayna. Liv dove from the top rope, but Shayna picked her out of the air into an arm bar. Rousey entered the ring and applied an ankle lock at the same time. Rodriguez rushed back into the ring to break the holds at 6:30. Liv caught Baszler with a step-up enziguri. On the outside, Rousey ripped Raquel from the apron just as Morgan reached for a tag. She tossed her into the ring post. Morgan looked for Oblivion on Shayna. Baszler countered into a German Suplex. Baszler swarmed Liv’s back and locked in the Karifuta Clutch. Morgan managed to battle out of it after a struggle.
Baszler tagged in Ronda Rousey. She stalked the injured Liv Morgan. Shayna attacked her partner from behind. She put her in the Karifuta Clutch. Baszler left the ring as Liv Morgan watched in horror. Rousey screamed out for Baszler, confused. Rodriguez gave Ronda a slam, setting her up for Morgan to hit Oblivion for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: Liv Morgan & Raquel Rodriguez in 9:02 to win the WWE Undisputed Women’s Tag Team Championships
(Huh. Consider me stumped. There was no indication whatsoever that this was coming. The crowd wasn’t clamoring for a big singles run for either of these women. The team with Rousey was finally allowing Shayna to find her footing on the main roster. This just felt like a swerve for the sake of a swerve. I don’t get the sense that the crowd has any interest in cheering Ronda Rousey, and Baszler’s character and presentation certainly isn’t conducive to working as a babyface. This is just a puzzling move all around. The match itself was fine. Nothing particularly notable from either side.)
(3) GUNTHER (c) vs. MATT RIDDLE – WWE Intercontinental Championship match
Matt Riddle came at Gunther quickly. He was taken down with a quick slam. Gunther tossed him toward the corner. Riddle was slippery enough to escape and fall into an arm hold over the ropes. The referee broke it up at 4. Riddle re-entered the ring and was immediately dropped by a massive chop. The champion tossed Riddle to the corner and gave him a trio of hard chops to the chest, which had already turned bright red. Riddle battled out of the corner with kicks to the mid-section. He hit a rolling pop-up clothesline to take Gunther off his feet.
The champion recovered quickly. He tried to clothesline Riddle, but the challenger rolled under and picked the champion’s ankle. Riddle struggled to take Gunther off his feet. The champion broke the hold with minimal struggle. Riddle peppered Gunther with more kicks, but had his leg swept out from underneath him. Gunther then went to work on the taped ankle of Matt Riddle. He removed some of the wrap and began stomping at it. He twisted it between his own ankles. Cole noted that Gunther has never lost a singles match on the main roster.
Riddle caught Gunther with a Final Flash pump knee, rocking the champion. He shook it off and gave Riddle a release German Suplex, then immediately went back to work on the ankle. The crowd built into a “Gunther” chant. Riddle slapped helplessly at Gunther’s chest. Gunther gave him one of his own. Riddle finally kicked free with his free leg. He dropped Gunther with a Dropkick, then went for a Broton. Gunther caught him in a Sleeper. Riddle managed to pull Gunther’s hands apart and roll through the hold just past 5:00. Gunther went for another German Suplex. Riddle flipped through it and landed on his feet, but his ankle gave out. Gunther caught him with a massive lariat and covered for a near fall.
Riddle struggled back to his feet. He managed to take Gunther down again with a knee strike and climb to the top rope. Riddle hit the Floating Bro for a cover and two count. Both men rose slowly. Gunther dropped his challenger with another massive chop. He climbed to the top rope and dove for what looked like a headbutt. Riddle spread his legs and caught Gunther in a triangle choke. Gunther struggled for a moment, but then deadlifted Riddle into a stack Powerbomb for a cover and two count. Gunther immediately turned Riddle over into a single leg crab. Riddle managed to twist himself free and kick himself to his feet.
Gunther held onto Riddle’s ankle. He chopped it repeatedly, then ripped Matt to the mat. Gunther applied a fully wrapped ankle lock and Riddle tapped out almost immediately.
WINNER: Gunther in 7:44 to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Gunther held up the title just as the sound of a swiping blade rang out. Drew McIntyre’s music hit and the “Scottish Psychopath” marched to the ring with purpose. The crowd popped big. Cole said the rumors of McIntyre’s demise in WWE are not true. Drew stepped in the ring with a smirk on his face. He took a defiant step toward Gunther and got in his face. Gunther palmed his whole face away. McIntyre gave him a Glasgow Kiss. He shook the ropes and led the crowd in a countdown. McIntyre gave the champion a Claymore and kipped to his feet to a massive reaction. He slowly picked up the Intercontinental title and held it high above his head.
(Solid match, as Gunther title defenses typically are. Riddle seemed to be the least competitive challenger for Gunther in a while, perhaps even more so than Ricochet. His stock seems to have fallen considerably in recent months, and that includes in the eyes of the fans. The affable love he used to receive seems to have dwindled. It’s no surprise that Gunther was the favorite in London, but the crowd reactions to this point would’ve made me think Riddle would have also received a strong response. Instead, it just felt like respectful acknowledgment. I thought they told the story of the angle well, with Gunther working hard at the injured ankle and Riddle trying to fight valiantly through it, eventually succumbing not to a Gunther finish but a continued assault to the injured appendage. McIntyre’s post-match return was the real highlight, with a massive star reaction and a moment that felt decidedly big. McIntyre vs. Gunther seems like a great time.)
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(4) DOMINICK MYSTERIO (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. CODY RHODES
Dominick Mysterio climbed the turnbuckle and posed for the crowd as soon as the bell rang. They pelted him with massive boos. He returned to the center of the ring to lock up with Cody Rhodes. Dom caught Cody with a quick cheap shot to the jaw for more heat. Cody shrugged it off and began chasing Dom around the ring. Mysterio slid under Cody’s legs and slapped him in the face. Rhea laughed maniacally from ringside. Cody looked around at the crowd, then ripped off his cast. Dom was horrified. He left the ring and began running up the ramp. Rhodes gave chase.
Cody caught up to Mysterio before the entrance curve. He grabbed him by the hair and dragged him back to ringside, tossing him in the ring and stomping him out. Cody gave Dom a running Powerslam and then set up for Cross Rhodes at just 2:30. Dom dropped to the mat and slid out of the ring quickly to avoid it. He leapt into the crowd and tried to escape again. Cody gave chase and caught up quickly, dragging him back to the front and tossing him to the ringside. Cody went for a Suplex on the floor, but Dom slid out of it. Rhea Ripley got in Cody’s face and begged him to hit her.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Dominick Mysterio removed a turnbuckle. This distracted the referee long enough for Rhea to pull Cody from the apron. Dom used the opportunity to dive through the middle rope, sending Rhodes crashing into the announcers desk. Mysterio tossed Rhodes back into the ring and hit him with rapid fire punches. He shoved Rhodes to the floor and slammed his head repeatedly into the announcers desk. Ripley clapped and cheered. Dom slid back in the ring as the referee counted Cody. Ripley got in Rhodes’ face.
After answering the count, Cody went for a backdrop on Dom. He flipped out of it and dropped the American Nightmare with a back elbow for a cover and two count at 5:30. Dom applied a side headlock and dropped Cody to a knee. The crowd sang to Cody. Dom taunted them, then initiated the Three Amigos Suplexes. Cody blocked the third and dropped Dom with a stalling front Suplex. Cody hit the ropes and caught Dom with a quick open shoulder tackle. He sent Dom flying to the corner, then fired up. Cody leapt off the middle rope and connected with a Disaster Kick for a cover and near fall. Dom writhed around on the mat as Cody set up for another kick, or perhaps a cutter. Ripley leapt onto the apron to prevent it.
Dom gave Cody a dropkick into the middle rope. He went for a 619, but Cody caught his legs and pulled him up and into a spinning Alabama Slam. Rhodes delivered the Cody Cutter, then called out. He hit the Cross Rhodes for a cover and three count.
WINNER: Cody Rhodes in 8:38
(This was just about everything it should’ve been. A decent 8-or-so minute encounter that never felt in doubt. The crowd wanted to see Dominick get beat up, and Dominick got beat up. What little offense Mysterio managed was due to interference or distraction from Rhea Ripley. Often times, WWE books matches like this to go 60/40, or even 50/50. That shouldn’t have ever been the case here. A quick in and out, with a dominant performance and clean win from Cody is exactly what needed to happen. While it’s not the most satisfying match from a wrestling standpoint, it accomplishes everything it needs to from a storyline perspective.)
(4) DOMINICK MYSTERIO (w/ Rhea Ripley) vs. CODY RHODES
Dominick Mysterio climbed the turnbuckle and posed for the crowd as soon as the bell rang. They pelted him with massive boos. He returned to the center of the ring to lock up with Cody Rhodes. Dom caught Cody with a quick cheap shot to the jaw for more heat. Cody shrugged it off and began chasing Dom around the ring. Mysterio slid under Cody’s legs and slapped him in the face. Rhea laughed maniacally from ringside. Cody looked around at the crowd, then ripped off his cast. Dom was horrified. He left the ring and began running up the ramp. Rhodes gave chase.
Cody caught up to Mysterio before the entrance curve. He grabbed him by the hair and dragged him back to ringside, tossing him in the ring and stomping him out. Cody gave Dom a running Powerslam and then set up for Cross Rhodes at just 2:30. Dom dropped to the mat and slid out of the ring quickly to avoid it. He leapt into the crowd and tried to escape again. Cody gave chase and caught up quickly, dragging him back to the front and tossing him to the ringside. Cody went for a Suplex on the floor, but Dom slid out of it. Rhea Ripley got in Cody’s face and begged him to hit her.
Meanwhile, in the ring, Dominick Mysterio removed a turnbuckle. This distracted the referee long enough for Rhea to pull Cody from the apron. Dom used the opportunity to dive through the middle rope, sending Rhodes crashing into the announcers desk. Mysterio tossed Rhodes back into the ring and hit him with rapid fire punches. He shoved Rhodes to the floor and slammed his head repeatedly into the announcers desk. Ripley clapped and cheered. Dom slid back in the ring as the referee counted Cody. Ripley got in Rhodes’ face.
After answering the count, Cody went for a backdrop on Dom. He flipped out of it and dropped the American Nightmare with a back elbow for a cover and two count at 5:30. Dom applied a side headlock and dropped Cody to a knee. The crowd sang to Cody. Dom taunted them, then initiated the Three Amigos Suplexes. Cody blocked the third and dropped Dom with a stalling front Suplex. Cody hit the ropes and caught Dom with a quick open shoulder tackle. He sent Dom flying to the corner, then fired up. Cody leapt off the middle rope and connected with a Disaster Kick for a cover and near fall. Dom writhed around on the mat as Cody set up for another kick, or perhaps a cutter. Ripley leapt onto the apron to prevent it.
Dom gave Cody a dropkick into the middle rope. He went for a 619, but Cody caught his legs and pulled him up and into a spinning Alabama Slam. Rhodes delivered the Cody Cutter, then called out. He hit the Cross Rhodes for a cover and three count.
WINNER: Cody Rhodes in 8:38
(This was just about everything it should’ve been. A decent 8-or-so minute encounter that never felt in doubt. The crowd wanted to see Dominick get beat up, and Dominick got beat up. What little offense Mysterio managed was due to interference or distraction from Rhea Ripley. Often times, WWE books matches like this to go 60/40, or even 50/50. That shouldn’t have ever been the case here. A quick in and out, with a dominant performance and clean win from Cody is exactly what needed to happen. While it’s not the most satisfying match from a wrestling standpoint, it accomplishes everything it needs to from a storyline perspective.)
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(5) BAYLEY vs. IO SKY vs. ZELINA VEGA vs. ZOEY STARK vs. TRISH STRATUS vs. BECKY LYNCH – Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match
The match kicked off almost immediately, with Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark meeting Becky Lynch in the ramp way to attack her. They tossed her into ladders and the crowd barrier. Back at ringside, Zelina Vega caught Bayley with a Meteora off the apron and onto the floor. Io Sky used a ladder to drop Vega, then pin her under the ladder. Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus returned to ringside to toss Bayley into the ladder pinning Vega.
Sky flipped off the apron, but Stark picked her out of the air and dropped her. Vega was still comically trapped, despite having plenty of leverage to escape. Becky Lynch returned and slammed both Stratus and Stark into the ring apron. Trish recovered and used the propped ladder to climb into the ring. Stark retrieved the ladder, finally freeing Zelina. The heel duo set up the ladder in the center of the ring. Trish climbed while Zoey played defense. Damage CTRL entered the ring and knocked the ladder over, sending Trish bouncing off the top rope and rolling to the floor. The crowd sang to Bayley as the match hit 3:00.
Zelina Vega and Io Sky tussled near the corner. Bayley told the crowd to shut up. They did not. Vega dumped Sky in the corner and gave Bayley a basement dropkick. She climbed the ladder. Sky grabbed her leg. Vega kicked her away and hit a Hurricanrana off a middle rung. Vega began another ascent. Bayley cut her off. She pulled her underneath the ladder and she and Io took turns pulled her shoulder into the frame of the ladder from one side to the other. Bayley and Io re-positioned the ladder and began to climb opposing sides. Becky Lynch flew at them with a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle, sending both women crashing to the mat.
Lynch and Stark battled in the center of the ring. Becky tossed Stark through a low rung on the ladder and pounded away at her. She applied a Disarm-her. Stark screamed in pain, but was quickly saved by Trish Stratus. The veteran tossed Lynch aside and helped free Stark. She then kicked Vega away. She began to climb the ladder with Io Sky on the other side. Trish knocked Io off with a Trish Kick. Zelina Vega set up a ladder next to Trish. She kicked at her and used her body as a bridge to climb onto the ladder positioned near the briefcase. Vega climbed, but Stark cut her off. Lynch returned to knock other competitors away.
Becky wound up alone atop the best-positioned ladder. Bayley climbed the adjacent ladder to meet her. She tossed Becky to the mat, then gave her a big elbow off her ladder. This left Sky alone to climb. Meanwhile, Vega and Stark did battle below. Stark took down Zelina, then worked to pull Io’s ladder away from the briefcase. No longer able to reach the prize, Sky instead decided to deliver a Moonsault off the ladder onto a group of waiting wrestlers below as the match ticked past 8:00.
Trish Stratus returned to the ring alone. She dragged the ladder into position and climbed the ladder, getting a hand on the bottom of the briefcase. Lynch shot up the ladder to meet her. Stratus looked horrified. Becky gave her some quick punches. Stark tried to climb Becky’s side. Lynch kicked her away. She shoved Trish to the floor, then jumped down and hit a double axe handle on Stark. Vega climbed a ladder and Lynch a diving cross body. Sky went for a leaping kick off the top rope, but Zelina ducked her. She tossed Io to the outside and began climbing the ladder again. Trish and Becky momentarily worked together to give Sky a double Powerbomb off the ladder. The two stared each other down and then came to rapid blows.
Stratus and Lynch traded turnbuckle blows and more punches until Bayley and Io returned to the ring with another ladder. They slid the butt of the ladder at Lynch, but she moved. The ladder got bridged between another ladder and the middle rope. Stratus delivered Stratusfaction to Becky. Stark retrieved handcuffs from underneath the ring. She and Trish beat down Becky on the floor. Trish choked her violently. Stark got one handcuff on Lynch’s wrist, but couldn’t close the other around the turnbuckle. Becky fought her off and tossed her to the barricade. She cleared the barricade and played to the crowd. Stark and Trish overwhelmed Becky. They tried to hit her with a ladder, but Lynch ducked. She tossed Stratus over the announce desk and slammed Stark onto the ladder.
Zoey was draped across the bridged ladder. Lynch climbed onto the announce desk, but Trish was there to meet her. After a brief struggle, Lynch gave Stratus a Man-Handle Slam off the announce desk and onto the bridged ladder. Stratus bounced to the floor in a heap. Stark caught Lynch with a rolling neckbreaker off the ladder. Back in the ring, Zelina Vega climbed a ladder. Zoey Stark rushed in to catch her. The two battled atop the ladder. Vega flipped over Stark and connected with a Code Red off the ladder and onto the bridged ladder below. Both women bounced violently to the canvas.
Io Sky returned to the ring alone at 15:40. She cleared the wreckage of the bridged ladder and began climbing the other. She looked poised to retrieve the briefcase, but Bayley toppled the ladder over. She looked conflicted. Barrett said it was instinct. Cole said she screwed her partner. Bayley began climbed, but Becky Lynch ran up the opposite side. Becky stuck the open handcuff in Bayley’s mouth and used it to drag her down off the ladder. Bayley broke free and climbed again. Sky grabbed Lynch’s leg. Becky fought her off. Sky grabbed Lynch’s free handcuff and locked it around Bayley’s wrist, trapping them both in the middle of the ladder. Sky climbed right over Bayley to the top of the ladder to retrieve the briefcase.
WINNER: Io Sky in 18:04
(Another really good match, and on the high end of women’s MITB matches. The offense was innovative, fast, and focused. I liked the attention paid to the ongoing rivalry between Lynch, Stark, and Stratus. The handcuff bit has been overdone in the past, so I thought putting a twist on it where the babyface fights off the attempt was smart and effective. Stratus took some serious bumps that looked great and were sold well. I thought the finish, in particular, was wildly creative. After Bayley cost Sky her shot moments before, Io made the smartest play of the match. It was a great continuation of the failed usage of handcuffs earlier in the match, and climbing over Bayley to retrieve the briefcase was a particularly fun touch. Io is a great choice for a fascinating run with the briefcase, but I’m certainly surprised that they opted to go with someone who feels like a legitimate chance to take a title. Given that the women’s MITB holder has never failed a cash-in, I thought for sure they’d put the briefcase on someone who would make a lot of sense to come up short. Perhaps that’s still Io, but, of all competitors in the match, she truly seemed least likely to fit that bill.)
(5) BAYLEY vs. IO SKY vs. ZELINA VEGA vs. ZOEY STARK vs. TRISH STRATUS vs. BECKY LYNCH – Women’s Money in the Bank Ladder match
The match kicked off almost immediately, with Trish Stratus and Zoey Stark meeting Becky Lynch in the ramp way to attack her. They tossed her into ladders and the crowd barrier. Back at ringside, Zelina Vega caught Bayley with a Meteora off the apron and onto the floor. Io Sky used a ladder to drop Vega, then pin her under the ladder. Zoey Stark and Trish Stratus returned to ringside to toss Bayley into the ladder pinning Vega.
Sky flipped off the apron, but Stark picked her out of the air and dropped her. Vega was still comically trapped, despite having plenty of leverage to escape. Becky Lynch returned and slammed both Stratus and Stark into the ring apron. Trish recovered and used the propped ladder to climb into the ring. Stark retrieved the ladder, finally freeing Zelina. The heel duo set up the ladder in the center of the ring. Trish climbed while Zoey played defense. Damage CTRL entered the ring and knocked the ladder over, sending Trish bouncing off the top rope and rolling to the floor. The crowd sang to Bayley as the match hit 3:00.
Zelina Vega and Io Sky tussled near the corner. Bayley told the crowd to shut up. They did not. Vega dumped Sky in the corner and gave Bayley a basement dropkick. She climbed the ladder. Sky grabbed her leg. Vega kicked her away and hit a Hurricanrana off a middle rung. Vega began another ascent. Bayley cut her off. She pulled her underneath the ladder and she and Io took turns pulled her shoulder into the frame of the ladder from one side to the other. Bayley and Io re-positioned the ladder and began to climb opposing sides. Becky Lynch flew at them with a missile dropkick off the top turnbuckle, sending both women crashing to the mat.
Lynch and Stark battled in the center of the ring. Becky tossed Stark through a low rung on the ladder and pounded away at her. She applied a Disarm-her. Stark screamed in pain, but was quickly saved by Trish Stratus. The veteran tossed Lynch aside and helped free Stark. She then kicked Vega away. She began to climb the ladder with Io Sky on the other side. Trish knocked Io off with a Trish Kick. Zelina Vega set up a ladder next to Trish. She kicked at her and used her body as a bridge to climb onto the ladder positioned near the briefcase. Vega climbed, but Stark cut her off. Lynch returned to knock other competitors away.
Becky wound up alone atop the best-positioned ladder. Bayley climbed the adjacent ladder to meet her. She tossed Becky to the mat, then gave her a big elbow off her ladder. This left Sky alone to climb. Meanwhile, Vega and Stark did battle below. Stark took down Zelina, then worked to pull Io’s ladder away from the briefcase. No longer able to reach the prize, Sky instead decided to deliver a Moonsault off the ladder onto a group of waiting wrestlers below as the match ticked past 8:00.
Trish Stratus returned to the ring alone. She dragged the ladder into position and climbed the ladder, getting a hand on the bottom of the briefcase. Lynch shot up the ladder to meet her. Stratus looked horrified. Becky gave her some quick punches. Stark tried to climb Becky’s side. Lynch kicked her away. She shoved Trish to the floor, then jumped down and hit a double axe handle on Stark. Vega climbed a ladder and Lynch a diving cross body. Sky went for a leaping kick off the top rope, but Zelina ducked her. She tossed Io to the outside and began climbing the ladder again. Trish and Becky momentarily worked together to give Sky a double Powerbomb off the ladder. The two stared each other down and then came to rapid blows.
Stratus and Lynch traded turnbuckle blows and more punches until Bayley and Io returned to the ring with another ladder. They slid the butt of the ladder at Lynch, but she moved. The ladder got bridged between another ladder and the middle rope. Stratus delivered Stratusfaction to Becky. Stark retrieved handcuffs from underneath the ring. She and Trish beat down Becky on the floor. Trish choked her violently. Stark got one handcuff on Lynch’s wrist, but couldn’t close the other around the turnbuckle. Becky fought her off and tossed her to the barricade. She cleared the barricade and played to the crowd. Stark and Trish overwhelmed Becky. They tried to hit her with a ladder, but Lynch ducked. She tossed Stratus over the announce desk and slammed Stark onto the ladder.
Zoey was draped across the bridged ladder. Lynch climbed onto the announce desk, but Trish was there to meet her. After a brief struggle, Lynch gave Stratus a Man-Handle Slam off the announce desk and onto the bridged ladder. Stratus bounced to the floor in a heap. Stark caught Lynch with a rolling neckbreaker off the ladder. Back in the ring, Zelina Vega climbed a ladder. Zoey Stark rushed in to catch her. The two battled atop the ladder. Vega flipped over Stark and connected with a Code Red off the ladder and onto the bridged ladder below. Both women bounced violently to the canvas.
Io Sky returned to the ring alone at 15:40. She cleared the wreckage of the bridged ladder and began climbing the other. She looked poised to retrieve the briefcase, but Bayley toppled the ladder over. She looked conflicted. Barrett said it was instinct. Cole said she screwed her partner. Bayley began climbed, but Becky Lynch ran up the opposite side. Becky stuck the open handcuff in Bayley’s mouth and used it to drag her down off the ladder. Bayley broke free and climbed again. Sky grabbed Lynch’s leg. Becky fought her off. Sky grabbed Lynch’s free handcuff and locked it around Bayley’s wrist, trapping them both in the middle of the ladder. Sky climbed right over Bayley to the top of the ladder to retrieve the briefcase.
WINNER: Io Sky in 18:04
(Another really good match, and on the high end of women’s MITB matches. The offense was innovative, fast, and focused. I liked the attention paid to the ongoing rivalry between Lynch, Stark, and Stratus. The handcuff bit has been overdone in the past, so I thought putting a twist on it where the babyface fights off the attempt was smart and effective. Stratus took some serious bumps that looked great and were sold well. I thought the finish, in particular, was wildly creative. After Bayley cost Sky her shot moments before, Io made the smartest play of the match. It was a great continuation of the failed usage of handcuffs earlier in the match, and climbing over Bayley to retrieve the briefcase was a particularly fun touch. Io is a great choice for a fascinating run with the briefcase, but I’m certainly surprised that they opted to go with someone who feels like a legitimate chance to take a title. Given that the women’s MITB holder has never failed a cash-in, I thought for sure they’d put the briefcase on someone who would make a lot of sense to come up short. Perhaps that’s still Io, but, of all competitors in the match, she truly seemed least likely to fit that bill.)
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- Sep 14, 2003
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(6) SETH ROLLINS (c) vs. FINN BALOR – WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
As the bell rang, Michael Cole noted the tape on Seth Rollins’ ribs. He said that Balor attacked Rollins as recently as last night at a live event in Newcastle. Both Seth Rollins and Finn Balor stood stoically across from one another for a moment. Balor was the first to move, charging and driving a knee right into the tape on Rollins’ ribs. Seth collapsed. Finn went on the offensive, stomping Rollins quickly. Seth used the ropes to pull himself up and toss Balor to the outside for separation. He dove through the middle rope onto Balor, clutching his ribs as he sucked in air.
Rollins smashed Balor’s head off the announce desk then tossed him back in the ring by the ears. Finn went to spear him off the apron, but Seth leapfrogged him and came down on the back of his head with a leg drop. Back in the ring, the two traded quick take downs. Rollins went for the stomp, but Balor easily evaded. He dropped Rollins and delivered the double stomp to the injured ribs. Rollins covered up his stomach, but Balor stayed vigilant in his pursuit.
Balor locked in a rear chin lock briefly, then drove an elbow into the champion’s back. He covered Rollins for a one count at 3:00. Balor drove Rollins rib first into the turnbuckles. He taunted the crowd, then walked Seth to the adjacent ropes. He delivered elbows to the kidneys, then twisted Rollins up into the ropes. Balor placed a pin-point boot right into the ribs of Rollins, sending him tumbling to the floor. Balor continued his assault on the outside. Cole noted that Finn has to be careful to not be disqualified or counted out due to champion’s advantage.
Finn tossed the champion back in the ring before too long. He cornered him and drove his shoulder into Rollins’ ribs repeatedly. Cole said that Rollins is already gasping for breath. Finn whipped the champion to the opposing corner and delivered another shoulder. He tried a second time, but Seth flew out with a spinning clothesline in desperation. The camera pulled back for Cole to reset the scene. Balor and Rollins traded punches in the center as the match ticked past 6:00. Rollins got the better of his challenger with forearms to the ear and jaw. Balor slumped over. Seth kicked him in the face repeatedly, then delivered a modified Backbreaker and knee to the face. Barrett said that Rollins doesn’t even have it in him to make a cover.
Seth used the ropes to steady himself. He set up shop in the corner and prepared for the Stomp. Finn telegraphed it and rolled him into a small package for a two count. The two met on their knees. Rollins invited Balor to attack. The Prince obliged. He dropped Rollins again, then set up for and executed a Sling Blade. Finn charged for the signature corner dropkick, but Seth popped out and caught him with a kick. He gave Balor a Buckle Bomb into the corner. Cole mentioned that it’s the same move that injured Finn in 2016.
Both men fought to their feet. Finn managed to shove Rollins away and kick him into the corner. He set up for the Coup De Grace, but Rollins leapt to the top rope to meet him. Finn shoved him back to the mat and looked for it again. Rollins moved. Finn rolled out of it. Rollins rolled him up for two. Balor bounced to his feet with a Pale Kick. Rollins shrugged it off and hooked Finn in to deliver a Pedigree for a cover and near fall. Damian Priest ran down the ramp and circled ringside.
With Priest watching intently, Balor rolled Rollins up for a surprise two count just before 11:00. Rollins kicked Finn to the mat, then left the ring to challenge Priest. Damian set up a folding chair and sat down next to the announce desk. With Rollins distracted, Finn burst into frame with a brutal missile dropkick that sent Seth crashing into the timekeeper’s barricade. Balor jumped onto the desk and delivered a Coup De Grace. He quickly tossed the champion into the ring and hit his signature turnbuckle dropkick. Balor set up for another Coup De Grace. Just before the dive, Priest rose to his feet. This distracted Balor. He snapped out of it and jumped, but Rollins rolled out of the way. He quickly hit Balor with the Stomp for a cover and three count.
WINNER: Seth Rollins in 12:31 to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
After the match, Balor argued with Priest at ringside as Rollins held the title above his head.
(Good match, but it never really felt like it moved into high gear. Just as these two started to really get going, Damian Priest came to ringside and the situation quickly devolved into a “will he or won’t he” deal, as they often like to do with the briefcase winner. Despite doing a pretty good job building Balor up in anticipation, once it came time for the match, he wound up feeling a lot more like a villain of the month instead of a viable challenger for Rollins’ title. Solid action, but it just didn’t feel like there was much meat on the bone here.)
(6) SETH ROLLINS (c) vs. FINN BALOR – WWE World Heavyweight Championship match
As the bell rang, Michael Cole noted the tape on Seth Rollins’ ribs. He said that Balor attacked Rollins as recently as last night at a live event in Newcastle. Both Seth Rollins and Finn Balor stood stoically across from one another for a moment. Balor was the first to move, charging and driving a knee right into the tape on Rollins’ ribs. Seth collapsed. Finn went on the offensive, stomping Rollins quickly. Seth used the ropes to pull himself up and toss Balor to the outside for separation. He dove through the middle rope onto Balor, clutching his ribs as he sucked in air.
Rollins smashed Balor’s head off the announce desk then tossed him back in the ring by the ears. Finn went to spear him off the apron, but Seth leapfrogged him and came down on the back of his head with a leg drop. Back in the ring, the two traded quick take downs. Rollins went for the stomp, but Balor easily evaded. He dropped Rollins and delivered the double stomp to the injured ribs. Rollins covered up his stomach, but Balor stayed vigilant in his pursuit.
Balor locked in a rear chin lock briefly, then drove an elbow into the champion’s back. He covered Rollins for a one count at 3:00. Balor drove Rollins rib first into the turnbuckles. He taunted the crowd, then walked Seth to the adjacent ropes. He delivered elbows to the kidneys, then twisted Rollins up into the ropes. Balor placed a pin-point boot right into the ribs of Rollins, sending him tumbling to the floor. Balor continued his assault on the outside. Cole noted that Finn has to be careful to not be disqualified or counted out due to champion’s advantage.
Finn tossed the champion back in the ring before too long. He cornered him and drove his shoulder into Rollins’ ribs repeatedly. Cole said that Rollins is already gasping for breath. Finn whipped the champion to the opposing corner and delivered another shoulder. He tried a second time, but Seth flew out with a spinning clothesline in desperation. The camera pulled back for Cole to reset the scene. Balor and Rollins traded punches in the center as the match ticked past 6:00. Rollins got the better of his challenger with forearms to the ear and jaw. Balor slumped over. Seth kicked him in the face repeatedly, then delivered a modified Backbreaker and knee to the face. Barrett said that Rollins doesn’t even have it in him to make a cover.
Seth used the ropes to steady himself. He set up shop in the corner and prepared for the Stomp. Finn telegraphed it and rolled him into a small package for a two count. The two met on their knees. Rollins invited Balor to attack. The Prince obliged. He dropped Rollins again, then set up for and executed a Sling Blade. Finn charged for the signature corner dropkick, but Seth popped out and caught him with a kick. He gave Balor a Buckle Bomb into the corner. Cole mentioned that it’s the same move that injured Finn in 2016.
Both men fought to their feet. Finn managed to shove Rollins away and kick him into the corner. He set up for the Coup De Grace, but Rollins leapt to the top rope to meet him. Finn shoved him back to the mat and looked for it again. Rollins moved. Finn rolled out of it. Rollins rolled him up for two. Balor bounced to his feet with a Pale Kick. Rollins shrugged it off and hooked Finn in to deliver a Pedigree for a cover and near fall. Damian Priest ran down the ramp and circled ringside.
With Priest watching intently, Balor rolled Rollins up for a surprise two count just before 11:00. Rollins kicked Finn to the mat, then left the ring to challenge Priest. Damian set up a folding chair and sat down next to the announce desk. With Rollins distracted, Finn burst into frame with a brutal missile dropkick that sent Seth crashing into the timekeeper’s barricade. Balor jumped onto the desk and delivered a Coup De Grace. He quickly tossed the champion into the ring and hit his signature turnbuckle dropkick. Balor set up for another Coup De Grace. Just before the dive, Priest rose to his feet. This distracted Balor. He snapped out of it and jumped, but Rollins rolled out of the way. He quickly hit Balor with the Stomp for a cover and three count.
WINNER: Seth Rollins in 12:31 to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
After the match, Balor argued with Priest at ringside as Rollins held the title above his head.
(Good match, but it never really felt like it moved into high gear. Just as these two started to really get going, Damian Priest came to ringside and the situation quickly devolved into a “will he or won’t he” deal, as they often like to do with the briefcase winner. Despite doing a pretty good job building Balor up in anticipation, once it came time for the match, he wound up feeling a lot more like a villain of the month instead of a viable challenger for Rollins’ title. Solid action, but it just didn’t feel like there was much meat on the bone here.)
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- Sep 14, 2003
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WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(7) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SOLO SIKOA (w/ Paul Heyman)
“F— you Roman!” the crowd chanted as the champion took his place on the apron. Solo Sikoa began the match with Jimmy Uso, who pointed and laughed at the chants directed toward his cousin. Solo stood relaxed as Jimmy sized him up. They engaged in a lock up. Solo tossed his older brother clean across the ring into the corner. Jimmy smirked, then retreated to his own corner to talk to his twin. Jey gave him some instructions. The crowd continued to insult Roman.
Solo gave Jimmy a big body slam. Jimmy pulled himself to the corner and used the ropes to stand. He talked to Jey again. Jimmy sold the slam to his back as he circled around Sikoa. Jimmy ducked a punch from solo and hit him with a set of three big chops. Solo teetered, but quickly regained his footing and threw his full weight behind a chop of his own. It slumped Jimmy into the ropes. Solo stepped backward and Jey kicked Solo in the back of the head. Jimmy rushed to his corner and tagged in his brother. The Usos double-teamed Sikoa briefly. Solo recovered and looked poised to strike. “No!” Reigns screamed from his corner. Solo stopped in his tracks.
Roman Reigns demanded a tag. After momentary hesitation and a brief stare down, Solo obliged. Reigns slowly entered the ring as the match crossed 4:30. Roman adjusted his pants. Jey took off his wrist tape and arm sleeve. Roman tightened his bright red glove and shook his head at the increasing volume of the crowd. Reigns grabbed a headlock on Jey, shot him to the ropes and dropped him with a tackle. He got in Jimmy’s face on the apron and shouted “the only one!” The referee stopped Jimmy from throwing hands.
The Tribal Chief turned around to a waiting Jey Uso, but quickly overcome his offense and dropped him again. Reigns worked Jey to the ropes and dropped him to the apron. “It’s easy,” he told the crowd. He brushed his shoulder off. Jey caught himself on the ropes off of an Irish Whip. Jimmy tagged himself in. The Usos threw a tandem Superkick, but Reigns ducked it and slid to the outside to regroup. He talked with Paul Heyman. Paul asked Roman if he wants his sons to sit around the table with “head” Jey Uso. Reigns grew incensed. He climbed back in the ring, talking trash. Jey tagged back in.
Reigns worked Jey to the corner and pummeled him. The referee got in between them. “Don’t touch me!’ Reigns yelled. He raised a fist to the official, but thought better of it. This lapse in attention allowed Jey to recover enough to toss Reigns to the corner. He mounted him for rapid punches. Reigns tossed him away at eight and began stomping at his chest. The referee admonished Reigns again. Reigns got in his face, allowing solo to choke Jey in the corner as the match approached 10:00. Reigns tagged in Solo Sikoa.
Sikoa gave Jey a series of headbutts, leaving Jey dazed on the mat. He clutched the trap muscle and applied his upper body weight to Jey’s shoulders. Jey managed to fight to his feet and catch Solo with a Jawbreaker. Jey made a tag. Jimmy climbed to the top rope and leapt, but Solo ducked him. Sikoa caught Jimmy with a back elbow that flattened Uso. “Jimmy may be out!” Cole exclaimed. Solo paced around the ring while Dan Engler checked on Jimmy. The crowd began singing to Reigns. He turned to them in anger and eventually dropped off the apron to talk with Heyman. “England is the dumbest place of all time. A bunch of idiots,” he told Paul.
In the ring, Solo continued to beat down Jimmy Uso. He looked to Roman for advice. The champion instructed him to continue the punishment. Solo threw his arms back and hit a violent running hip check to Jimmy in the corner. The crowd began singing (positively) to Solo Sikoa. He largely ingnored them. Solo draped Jimmy against the middle rope, then tagged in Roman Reigns. Roman dropped to the floor and hit Jimmy with a Drive-By. He slid in the ring and covered Jimmy lackadaisically for a two count at 14:30. Another loud “f— you Roman” chant broke out. Reigns shook his hand and stomped at Jimmy.
The champion worked Jimmy to the corner, hit him with some punches and then dropped him with a forearm for a cover and two count. He tagged in Solo. Solo stalked his brother, again wrapping his claw around Uso’s neck and shoulder. Jimmy fought to his feet and sent Solo toward the ropes. Roman made a blind tag, but Jimmy didn’t see it. Uso tossed Solo outside the ring and went to tag his brother. Roman cut him off, dragging him back to the heel corner. Jimmy kicked Roman away and stumbled toward Jey, but Solo ripped him off the apron at the last second. Reigns dropped Jimmy from behind.
“When the Usos stop doing their job, you upgrade,” Barrett said in response. Reigns tossed Jimmy to the floor, then distracted the referee. Solo clotheslined Jimmy on the outside. Reigns retrieved his former cohort, then played to the crowd as Jimmy dragged himself up. Roman cocked a fist and charged. Jimmy ducked the Superman Punch and threw his whole body into Reigns, causing both men to tumble over the top rope and to the floor.
Jimmy returned to the ring first. He crawled slowly toward his twin. Reigns returned and tagged in Solo, but not quick enough to prevent Jimmy from reaching Jey. Jey caught Solo with a kick, then a step-up enziguri. Solo stumbled to the corner and the crowd came to life. Jey charged, but Solo tossed him to the apron. Jey recovered and hit Sikoa with another kick, followed by a top rope cross body for a cover and two count just before the 20:00 mark. Sikoa rolled to a seated position in the corner. Jey called out to the crowd. He delivered the running hip check.
Jey tried it a second time, but Solo flew out of the corner and lifted Jey onto his shoulders. Jey slid free, but Solo stumbled into the waiting tag of Roman Reigns. He tossed Solo to the outside. He speared Reigns to the floor. Jey hit running dives through opposite middle ropes, taking down both Sikoa and Reigns. He looked for a second on the Tribal Chief, but Reigns picked him out of the air with an uppercut. Back in the ring, Roman sized Jey up and dropped him with a Superman Punch. He pulled back for the Spear. Jey rose slowly, but Jimmy tagged himself in. Reigns didn’t see it. He charged at Jey. Jimmy stepped in and the Usos hit Reigns with a double spear. Jimmy covered, but Solo saved the match for he and Reigns.
All four men rose to their feet slowly in a stalemate. The Usos drew a figurative line in the sand and then everyone came to blows. Jey and Solo spilled to the outside. Legal men, Jimmy and Roman battled in the center. Jimmy went for a kick. Roman caught it and spun him around. He hit a Superman Punch, but didn’t get the full wind up. He covered Jimmy for a near fall. Reigns held his head in his hands, kneeling on the mat. He told the crowd to shut up.
Reigns threw back his arms and called for a Spear. Jimmy caught him dead to rights with a Superkick instead. Reigns staggered. Jimmy hit another one. Jimmy climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for a splash. Reigns caught him in the Guillotine right in the center. Jimmy flailed, then began to fade. The referee raised his hand, but Jimmy held on. Heyman looked shocked. Jimmy used his lower body to power to his feet and force Reigns into the corner. He tagged in Jey. Reigns elbowed Jey off the apron.
Uso and Reigns got tangled up, toppling over Engler. Jey entered the ring. Jimmy hit a Superkick on Reigns. The Usos dropped Roman with the One-D. Jimmy covered for a visual win, but there was no referee. The Usos climbed opposite corners of the ring. Solo Sikoa knocked Jey from his. Reigns stood and pulled Jey down. Reigns and Solo hit the Usos with tandem Uranagis. Solo gave Jimmy a Spike. He held Jey up for Reigns. He and Roman hit a tandem Spear and Spike. He dragged Jimmy on top of Jey and let Reigns go for the cover. The referee crawled into position. Both Usos kicked at two. The crowd exploded.
Continued in next post due to 10k character rule...
(7) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SOLO SIKOA (w/ Paul Heyman)
“F— you Roman!” the crowd chanted as the champion took his place on the apron. Solo Sikoa began the match with Jimmy Uso, who pointed and laughed at the chants directed toward his cousin. Solo stood relaxed as Jimmy sized him up. They engaged in a lock up. Solo tossed his older brother clean across the ring into the corner. Jimmy smirked, then retreated to his own corner to talk to his twin. Jey gave him some instructions. The crowd continued to insult Roman.
Solo gave Jimmy a big body slam. Jimmy pulled himself to the corner and used the ropes to stand. He talked to Jey again. Jimmy sold the slam to his back as he circled around Sikoa. Jimmy ducked a punch from solo and hit him with a set of three big chops. Solo teetered, but quickly regained his footing and threw his full weight behind a chop of his own. It slumped Jimmy into the ropes. Solo stepped backward and Jey kicked Solo in the back of the head. Jimmy rushed to his corner and tagged in his brother. The Usos double-teamed Sikoa briefly. Solo recovered and looked poised to strike. “No!” Reigns screamed from his corner. Solo stopped in his tracks.
Roman Reigns demanded a tag. After momentary hesitation and a brief stare down, Solo obliged. Reigns slowly entered the ring as the match crossed 4:30. Roman adjusted his pants. Jey took off his wrist tape and arm sleeve. Roman tightened his bright red glove and shook his head at the increasing volume of the crowd. Reigns grabbed a headlock on Jey, shot him to the ropes and dropped him with a tackle. He got in Jimmy’s face on the apron and shouted “the only one!” The referee stopped Jimmy from throwing hands.
The Tribal Chief turned around to a waiting Jey Uso, but quickly overcome his offense and dropped him again. Reigns worked Jey to the ropes and dropped him to the apron. “It’s easy,” he told the crowd. He brushed his shoulder off. Jey caught himself on the ropes off of an Irish Whip. Jimmy tagged himself in. The Usos threw a tandem Superkick, but Reigns ducked it and slid to the outside to regroup. He talked with Paul Heyman. Paul asked Roman if he wants his sons to sit around the table with “head” Jey Uso. Reigns grew incensed. He climbed back in the ring, talking trash. Jey tagged back in.
Reigns worked Jey to the corner and pummeled him. The referee got in between them. “Don’t touch me!’ Reigns yelled. He raised a fist to the official, but thought better of it. This lapse in attention allowed Jey to recover enough to toss Reigns to the corner. He mounted him for rapid punches. Reigns tossed him away at eight and began stomping at his chest. The referee admonished Reigns again. Reigns got in his face, allowing solo to choke Jey in the corner as the match approached 10:00. Reigns tagged in Solo Sikoa.
Sikoa gave Jey a series of headbutts, leaving Jey dazed on the mat. He clutched the trap muscle and applied his upper body weight to Jey’s shoulders. Jey managed to fight to his feet and catch Solo with a Jawbreaker. Jey made a tag. Jimmy climbed to the top rope and leapt, but Solo ducked him. Sikoa caught Jimmy with a back elbow that flattened Uso. “Jimmy may be out!” Cole exclaimed. Solo paced around the ring while Dan Engler checked on Jimmy. The crowd began singing to Reigns. He turned to them in anger and eventually dropped off the apron to talk with Heyman. “England is the dumbest place of all time. A bunch of idiots,” he told Paul.
In the ring, Solo continued to beat down Jimmy Uso. He looked to Roman for advice. The champion instructed him to continue the punishment. Solo threw his arms back and hit a violent running hip check to Jimmy in the corner. The crowd began singing (positively) to Solo Sikoa. He largely ingnored them. Solo draped Jimmy against the middle rope, then tagged in Roman Reigns. Roman dropped to the floor and hit Jimmy with a Drive-By. He slid in the ring and covered Jimmy lackadaisically for a two count at 14:30. Another loud “f— you Roman” chant broke out. Reigns shook his hand and stomped at Jimmy.
The champion worked Jimmy to the corner, hit him with some punches and then dropped him with a forearm for a cover and two count. He tagged in Solo. Solo stalked his brother, again wrapping his claw around Uso’s neck and shoulder. Jimmy fought to his feet and sent Solo toward the ropes. Roman made a blind tag, but Jimmy didn’t see it. Uso tossed Solo outside the ring and went to tag his brother. Roman cut him off, dragging him back to the heel corner. Jimmy kicked Roman away and stumbled toward Jey, but Solo ripped him off the apron at the last second. Reigns dropped Jimmy from behind.
“When the Usos stop doing their job, you upgrade,” Barrett said in response. Reigns tossed Jimmy to the floor, then distracted the referee. Solo clotheslined Jimmy on the outside. Reigns retrieved his former cohort, then played to the crowd as Jimmy dragged himself up. Roman cocked a fist and charged. Jimmy ducked the Superman Punch and threw his whole body into Reigns, causing both men to tumble over the top rope and to the floor.
Jimmy returned to the ring first. He crawled slowly toward his twin. Reigns returned and tagged in Solo, but not quick enough to prevent Jimmy from reaching Jey. Jey caught Solo with a kick, then a step-up enziguri. Solo stumbled to the corner and the crowd came to life. Jey charged, but Solo tossed him to the apron. Jey recovered and hit Sikoa with another kick, followed by a top rope cross body for a cover and two count just before the 20:00 mark. Sikoa rolled to a seated position in the corner. Jey called out to the crowd. He delivered the running hip check.
Jey tried it a second time, but Solo flew out of the corner and lifted Jey onto his shoulders. Jey slid free, but Solo stumbled into the waiting tag of Roman Reigns. He tossed Solo to the outside. He speared Reigns to the floor. Jey hit running dives through opposite middle ropes, taking down both Sikoa and Reigns. He looked for a second on the Tribal Chief, but Reigns picked him out of the air with an uppercut. Back in the ring, Roman sized Jey up and dropped him with a Superman Punch. He pulled back for the Spear. Jey rose slowly, but Jimmy tagged himself in. Reigns didn’t see it. He charged at Jey. Jimmy stepped in and the Usos hit Reigns with a double spear. Jimmy covered, but Solo saved the match for he and Reigns.
All four men rose to their feet slowly in a stalemate. The Usos drew a figurative line in the sand and then everyone came to blows. Jey and Solo spilled to the outside. Legal men, Jimmy and Roman battled in the center. Jimmy went for a kick. Roman caught it and spun him around. He hit a Superman Punch, but didn’t get the full wind up. He covered Jimmy for a near fall. Reigns held his head in his hands, kneeling on the mat. He told the crowd to shut up.
Reigns threw back his arms and called for a Spear. Jimmy caught him dead to rights with a Superkick instead. Reigns staggered. Jimmy hit another one. Jimmy climbed to the top turnbuckle and went for a splash. Reigns caught him in the Guillotine right in the center. Jimmy flailed, then began to fade. The referee raised his hand, but Jimmy held on. Heyman looked shocked. Jimmy used his lower body to power to his feet and force Reigns into the corner. He tagged in Jey. Reigns elbowed Jey off the apron.
Uso and Reigns got tangled up, toppling over Engler. Jey entered the ring. Jimmy hit a Superkick on Reigns. The Usos dropped Roman with the One-D. Jimmy covered for a visual win, but there was no referee. The Usos climbed opposite corners of the ring. Solo Sikoa knocked Jey from his. Reigns stood and pulled Jey down. Reigns and Solo hit the Usos with tandem Uranagis. Solo gave Jimmy a Spike. He held Jey up for Reigns. He and Roman hit a tandem Spear and Spike. He dragged Jimmy on top of Jey and let Reigns go for the cover. The referee crawled into position. Both Usos kicked at two. The crowd exploded.
Continued in next post due to 10k character rule...
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2003
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- 19,684
WWE Money In The Bank PLE Results: 7-1-23
(7) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SOLO SIKOA (w/ Paul Heyman) conclusion...
Roman was in complete disarray. He seemed to be near tears. “What are we gonna do?” Heyman yelled from ringside. Solo moved back into frame. He began viciously punching his brothers. This snapped Reigns back into focus. He helped Solo toss Jimmy to the outside. Sikoa cleared off the announce desk. “Destroy him!” Reigns shouted. Solo superkicked his older brother onto the desk as the match ticked toward 30:00. Jimmy lay prone on the desk. Solo climbed the barricade and looked to his cousin before throwing out his arms. He dove, but Jimmy rolled out of the way. Solo crashed through the desk.
“The Usos have an opportunity!” Cole exclaimed. Back in the ring, Jey gave Roman a Superkick. Reigns shrugged it off and gave Jey a Superman Punch. Jey hit another kick. Roman stumbled back into the ropes and charged forward with a Spear. He covered, but Jey just managed to kick out at the last possible moment. A replay showed that Jey delivered a low blow on the kick out. Back live, The Usos hit Reigns with multiple, double Superkicks. Solo jumped on the apron. They Superkicked him, too. They gave Reigns one more kick.
Jimmy tagged Jey. Jey climbed to the top rope and hit the splash for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: The Usos in 32:26
Jimmy slumped in the corner, nearly in tears. The crowd erupted. “Roman Reigns is not unbeatable!” Cole yelled through a cracked voice. The Usos shared a big hug in the middle of the ring as the crowd sang their theme song. Paul Heyman looked on in horror. The Usos slumped against the ropes, overcome with emotion.
(Man, what a story. They took a risk going extremely heavy-handed in the slow, prodding build for nearly twenty minutes, just teasing the crowd into a frenzy and building toward the massive concluding minutes. As usual, the facial expressions and body language by everyone involved elevated this to a completely different level, drawing upon the layers and layers of complex storytelling to create another masterful performance. Though this seemed like the obvious time for Reigns to take a fall, he’s truly become so unbeatable that there were several moments that seemed the catch the crowd buying into a false finish hook, line and sinker. When the Usos were able to clear Solo and began hitting Superkicks on Reigns, the realization settled in but didn’t ruin the moment. The pop for three count, rivaled only by Jey kicking out of the Spear, was chill-inducing. Jey is now firmly in place as Roman’s next challenger, and they’re going to tell a hell of a story. The only knock worth mentioning is that the camera failed to catch the low blow, a small miss that WWE rarely makes in these Bloodline matches where everything has its place and catching the intricacies are crucial.)
(7) THE USOS (Jimmy & Jey) vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SOLO SIKOA (w/ Paul Heyman) conclusion...
Roman was in complete disarray. He seemed to be near tears. “What are we gonna do?” Heyman yelled from ringside. Solo moved back into frame. He began viciously punching his brothers. This snapped Reigns back into focus. He helped Solo toss Jimmy to the outside. Sikoa cleared off the announce desk. “Destroy him!” Reigns shouted. Solo superkicked his older brother onto the desk as the match ticked toward 30:00. Jimmy lay prone on the desk. Solo climbed the barricade and looked to his cousin before throwing out his arms. He dove, but Jimmy rolled out of the way. Solo crashed through the desk.
“The Usos have an opportunity!” Cole exclaimed. Back in the ring, Jey gave Roman a Superkick. Reigns shrugged it off and gave Jey a Superman Punch. Jey hit another kick. Roman stumbled back into the ropes and charged forward with a Spear. He covered, but Jey just managed to kick out at the last possible moment. A replay showed that Jey delivered a low blow on the kick out. Back live, The Usos hit Reigns with multiple, double Superkicks. Solo jumped on the apron. They Superkicked him, too. They gave Reigns one more kick.
Jimmy tagged Jey. Jey climbed to the top rope and hit the splash for a cover and three count.
WINNERS: The Usos in 32:26
Jimmy slumped in the corner, nearly in tears. The crowd erupted. “Roman Reigns is not unbeatable!” Cole yelled through a cracked voice. The Usos shared a big hug in the middle of the ring as the crowd sang their theme song. Paul Heyman looked on in horror. The Usos slumped against the ropes, overcome with emotion.
(Man, what a story. They took a risk going extremely heavy-handed in the slow, prodding build for nearly twenty minutes, just teasing the crowd into a frenzy and building toward the massive concluding minutes. As usual, the facial expressions and body language by everyone involved elevated this to a completely different level, drawing upon the layers and layers of complex storytelling to create another masterful performance. Though this seemed like the obvious time for Reigns to take a fall, he’s truly become so unbeatable that there were several moments that seemed the catch the crowd buying into a false finish hook, line and sinker. When the Usos were able to clear Solo and began hitting Superkicks on Reigns, the realization settled in but didn’t ruin the moment. The pop for three count, rivaled only by Jey kicking out of the Spear, was chill-inducing. Jey is now firmly in place as Roman’s next challenger, and they’re going to tell a hell of a story. The only knock worth mentioning is that the camera failed to catch the low blow, a small miss that WWE rarely makes in these Bloodline matches where everything has its place and catching the intricacies are crucial.)
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- Oct 11, 2004
- Posts
- 14,429
Brief note, AEW Fight Forever is actually pretty decent other than the hilariously outdated roster. I got the PC version since it's refundable and its sale price is more in line with what the game is worth ($52 there instead of $60 on consoles), and I admit it's been more fun than I expected. It's better than Yuke's last few WWE games but definitely not up to par with Visual Concepts' latest. Graphics are alright, feels about a generation behind, which would make sense given the dev issues. Entrances, bad, 5-10 seconds and then it cuts out. Four guys in the ring at a time max, bad. General gameplay though, oddly fun. It's not a 1:1 reimagining of the old AKI games on N64, but it's somewhere in the arena of that mixed with Smackdown and it mostly works.
The DLC situation is trash though. I appreciate being able to unlock Cody/Aubrey/Brodie much easier than in 2K stuff, but WTF with making FTR a launch $12 add-on?
The DLC situation is trash though. I appreciate being able to unlock Cody/Aubrey/Brodie much easier than in 2K stuff, but WTF with making FTR a launch $12 add-on?
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2007
- Posts
- 13,430
Who cares about FTR other than people who masturbate to Jim Cornette's trash podcast?
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2007
- Posts
- 13,430
Just turned on Impact.
Heard the words "special enforcer Darren McCarty" (51 year old retired hockey player)
That's enough of that.
Heard the words "special enforcer Darren McCarty" (51 year old retired hockey player)
That's enough of that.
- Joined
- Sep 18, 2007
- Posts
- 13,430
Not to be outdone by Impact bringing in a washed up hockey goon, MLW booked 91 year old boxing promoter/actual real life serial killer Don King.
- Joined
- Feb 12, 2010
- Posts
- 136
Let's hope Asuka retains at Summerslam and we can get some kind of feud with her and IYO. Pending on IYO's cash-in
- Joined
- Dec 14, 2001
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- 8,239
- Joined
- Sep 11, 2002
- Posts
- 10,626
Starks vs Phillip is the best match in AEW history
Day 1 & 2 of the G1 might just be the most fun days I’ve had watching the G1, Eddie vs Shingo and Ren vs Shota are my matches of the weekend. Both nights are also free on NJPW World.
Back to the shadows
Day 1 & 2 of the G1 might just be the most fun days I’ve had watching the G1, Eddie vs Shingo and Ren vs Shota are my matches of the weekend. Both nights are also free on NJPW World.
Back to the shadows
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2003
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- 19,684
NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 1
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) YOSHI-HASHI (0 pts) vs. ELP (0 pts) – B Block match
There was a friendly handshake to start the match. ELP took over the match for a stretch after a brief back and forth. Yoshi-Hashi found an opening when ELP played to the crowd. ELP was able to slow Yoshi’s momentum but was selling a hurt neck-collarbone area. ELP hit Thunder Kiss ’86 after a Sudden Death superkick for a near-fall near the ten-minute mark. Things picked up as they traded moves but Yoshi unveiled a crucifix-bomb for the win.
WINNER: Yoshi-Hashi at 11:00.
( It took a while for the crowd to warm up to the match, noticeably enough that Kevin Kelly it brought up. It was an okay, unremarkable match otherwise. **)
(2) CHASE OWENS (0 pts) vs. GABE KIDD (0 pts) – A Block match
Despite both being Bullet Club, Kidd attacked Chase with a chair as Chase made his entrance. They fought on the stage and into the crowd. Kidd attacked the Young Lions. Kidd went back up the stage and took a running leap, taking out Chase and the Young Lions. Kidd went to Kevin Kelly and said that Juice Robinson got himself “cancelled” a few years ago for saying he was going to bed a Japanese woman, and that Kidd didn’t care (about getting “canceled”) and was going to bed three.
As soon as the match entered the ring the bell rang and Chase hit a knee to begin to fight back. Chase hit a half-and-half suplex, C-Trigger, and package piledriver for the win.
WINNER: Chase Owens at 3:42 (13:15 from the initial attack on the stage.)
(I like the brawl into the crowd to wake the crowd up. Chase weathered the storm and found an opening to win showing his experience edge. The Finlay Bullet Club is willing to even kill their own members. I still find this version of Kidd a bit over the top so his act comes across as a bit to “try-hard”. **½)
(3) TANGA LOA (0 pts) vs. KENTA (0 pts) – B Block match
This was Tanga’s first match after being out with an injury. Tanga flexed his power advantage over Kenta in the early goings. Kenta tried playing keep-away until he found and opening and hit a dragon-screw leg-whip while Tanga was sliding into the ring. Kenta began working over Tanga’s knee for a stretch. Tanga eventually fired up, catching a Kenta kick into a sidewalk slam to stop Kenta’s momentum. Tanga went for Ape Sh*t but Kenta took out the ref. Kenta grabbed a chair that he used to work over Tanga and Tanga’s knee. Tanga escaped what was meant to be a flying double-stomp with a chair on his knee to take back over. Tanga survived a low blow from Kenta and hit Ape Sh*t for the win,
WINNER: Tanga Loa at 12:48.
(Tanga’s knee looks like the target for his opponents. Kenta has had a string of big losses recently so they might be telling the story of a slow start that eventually leads to a string of wins for him at the end. The match itself was fine. **½)
(4) SHOTA UMINO (0 pts) vs. REN NARITA (0 pts) – A Block match
This is the first meeting of the NJPW dubbed Reiwa Era Three Musketeers in the G1. They immediately began a striking exchange. Each man took turns taking the advantage in the match. Narita’s early offence mostly targeted Shota’s leg. Shota fought back with the Chono bequeathed STF. Shota also hit the Blackpool Combat Club hammer and anvil elbows. Shota controlled until he went for Death Rider which Narita countered. Narita fired up and fought back, continuing the targeting the knee. Narita applied a leg lace Boston crab Shota barely escaped. At five minutes, the two began to evenly trade moves, firing through each move received. They struck each other, both falling. They started striking while on their knees with only three minutes left. They fought to their feet and exchanged an enzuigiri and drop kick leading to the two-minute warning. Shota was on the offence with Narita barely kicking out of Shota’s maneuvers. At the one-minute mark Shota went for the Death Rider but Narita countered. Narita began eking out an advantage but as they went back and forth time expired for our first draw.
WINNER: Time-limit draw at 20:00.
(This was exactly what I was hoping to see in this block. The two set out to prove themselves against each other giving the fans a taste of what is to come between these two in the future. Kelly and Chris on commentary did a great job selling the fact that this was the first chapter in a what should be a long saga. ****)
(5) KAZUCHIKA OKADA (0 pts) vs. GREAT-O-Khan (0 pts) – B Block match
The match started with a series of technical exchanges. Okada proved no match for O-Khan in this style and soon O-Khan was having his way with Okada. The longer O-Khan controlled things the more overconfident he got which gave Okada the opening to fight back letting Okada to string some offence together, going through his list of signature spots. At the ten-minute mark O-Khan began fighting back going through his own signatures. Okada started going for the Rainmaker but O-Khan kept escaping it until O-Khan missed his straight punch that Okada transitioned into the Rainmaker for the win.
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada at 15:25
(The match was fine. O-Khan going down after one Rainmaker tells me he is not high on management’s priority list to push. The match never really got out of second gear. **½)
(6) YOTA TSUJI (0 pts) vs. KAITO KIYOMIYA (0 pts) – A Block match
Before the bell, Tsuji dove through the ropes at Kiyomiya as Kiyomiya did his entrance routine on the floor. Tsuji controlled early on until he encouraged Kiyomiya to strike him. Kiyomiya stunned Tsuji with a chop and hit a dragon screw. Kiyomiya began to work the leg. Tsuji got a few offensive runs in, but Kiyomiya kept going after the leg. They went back and forth with Kiyomiya having a slight advantage. Kiyomiya set up, and hit, the shining wizard for the win.
WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya at 14:53
(Man did commentary do no favors for Kiyomiya. It reminded me of how over the top harsh they were on Sanada before he went on his run which I believe is the intention, but still. As for the match, it was solid enough. Kiyomiya was shown to be the more dominant wrestler, only really being in trouble thanks to the surprise attack that kicked things off. ***)
(7) TAICHI (0 pts) vs. WILL OSPREAY (0 pts) – B Block match
The two exchanged strikes early with Ospreay eventually being forced to the outside. Outside the ring the two jockeyed for control with Ospreay winning out. They went out into the crowd where Ospreay tossed Taichi into the seats and hit a DDT on the floor. Taichi beat the count. Ospreay forced Taichi outside again and hit a draping cutter from the apron. Ospreay went full heel, berating Taichi for not fighting for his hometown audience. It was one hundred percent Ospreay until a desperate kick from Taichi caught Ospreay in the ear. Kevin Kelly called the damage a likely perforated eardrum as Ospreay sold having bouts of vertigo. Without any equilibrium Ospreay was unable to mount any offence, buying time for Taichi to recover. Kawada kicks (Taichi’s mentor) fired up Taichi who took down Ospreay. Taichi took off the pants. Taichi survived an Os Cutter and a (not so) Hidden Blade. Taichi cut off a Super Os Cutter attempt with a Super Dangerous Suplex. A furious back and forth ended with Taichi hitting Black Mephisto for the win.
WINNER: Taichi at 17:45
(Taichi was the obvious crowd favorite, so the plan here was to beat up Taichi to set up the comeback win. Ospreay’s “concussed” sell job took away from my enjoyment of the match though. ***)
(8) SANADA (0 pts) vs. HIKULEO (0 pts) – A Block match
It was a fast start with an aggressive Hikuleo who controlled early on until Sanada hit a plancha to the outside. Sanada played to the crowd. The two took turns on the attack as the match swung back and forth. Neither gained a definitive advantage for any significant length of time. Hikuleo went for Godsend, but Sanada countered with Deadfall for the pin.
WINNER: Sanada at 10:56
(This was a really underwhelming main event. The jury is still out on Sanada as champion and I’m still waiting for Hikuleo to impress me. **)
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) YOSHI-HASHI (0 pts) vs. ELP (0 pts) – B Block match
There was a friendly handshake to start the match. ELP took over the match for a stretch after a brief back and forth. Yoshi-Hashi found an opening when ELP played to the crowd. ELP was able to slow Yoshi’s momentum but was selling a hurt neck-collarbone area. ELP hit Thunder Kiss ’86 after a Sudden Death superkick for a near-fall near the ten-minute mark. Things picked up as they traded moves but Yoshi unveiled a crucifix-bomb for the win.
WINNER: Yoshi-Hashi at 11:00.
( It took a while for the crowd to warm up to the match, noticeably enough that Kevin Kelly it brought up. It was an okay, unremarkable match otherwise. **)
(2) CHASE OWENS (0 pts) vs. GABE KIDD (0 pts) – A Block match
Despite both being Bullet Club, Kidd attacked Chase with a chair as Chase made his entrance. They fought on the stage and into the crowd. Kidd attacked the Young Lions. Kidd went back up the stage and took a running leap, taking out Chase and the Young Lions. Kidd went to Kevin Kelly and said that Juice Robinson got himself “cancelled” a few years ago for saying he was going to bed a Japanese woman, and that Kidd didn’t care (about getting “canceled”) and was going to bed three.
As soon as the match entered the ring the bell rang and Chase hit a knee to begin to fight back. Chase hit a half-and-half suplex, C-Trigger, and package piledriver for the win.
WINNER: Chase Owens at 3:42 (13:15 from the initial attack on the stage.)
(I like the brawl into the crowd to wake the crowd up. Chase weathered the storm and found an opening to win showing his experience edge. The Finlay Bullet Club is willing to even kill their own members. I still find this version of Kidd a bit over the top so his act comes across as a bit to “try-hard”. **½)
(3) TANGA LOA (0 pts) vs. KENTA (0 pts) – B Block match
This was Tanga’s first match after being out with an injury. Tanga flexed his power advantage over Kenta in the early goings. Kenta tried playing keep-away until he found and opening and hit a dragon-screw leg-whip while Tanga was sliding into the ring. Kenta began working over Tanga’s knee for a stretch. Tanga eventually fired up, catching a Kenta kick into a sidewalk slam to stop Kenta’s momentum. Tanga went for Ape Sh*t but Kenta took out the ref. Kenta grabbed a chair that he used to work over Tanga and Tanga’s knee. Tanga escaped what was meant to be a flying double-stomp with a chair on his knee to take back over. Tanga survived a low blow from Kenta and hit Ape Sh*t for the win,
WINNER: Tanga Loa at 12:48.
(Tanga’s knee looks like the target for his opponents. Kenta has had a string of big losses recently so they might be telling the story of a slow start that eventually leads to a string of wins for him at the end. The match itself was fine. **½)
(4) SHOTA UMINO (0 pts) vs. REN NARITA (0 pts) – A Block match
This is the first meeting of the NJPW dubbed Reiwa Era Three Musketeers in the G1. They immediately began a striking exchange. Each man took turns taking the advantage in the match. Narita’s early offence mostly targeted Shota’s leg. Shota fought back with the Chono bequeathed STF. Shota also hit the Blackpool Combat Club hammer and anvil elbows. Shota controlled until he went for Death Rider which Narita countered. Narita fired up and fought back, continuing the targeting the knee. Narita applied a leg lace Boston crab Shota barely escaped. At five minutes, the two began to evenly trade moves, firing through each move received. They struck each other, both falling. They started striking while on their knees with only three minutes left. They fought to their feet and exchanged an enzuigiri and drop kick leading to the two-minute warning. Shota was on the offence with Narita barely kicking out of Shota’s maneuvers. At the one-minute mark Shota went for the Death Rider but Narita countered. Narita began eking out an advantage but as they went back and forth time expired for our first draw.
WINNER: Time-limit draw at 20:00.
(This was exactly what I was hoping to see in this block. The two set out to prove themselves against each other giving the fans a taste of what is to come between these two in the future. Kelly and Chris on commentary did a great job selling the fact that this was the first chapter in a what should be a long saga. ****)
(5) KAZUCHIKA OKADA (0 pts) vs. GREAT-O-Khan (0 pts) – B Block match
The match started with a series of technical exchanges. Okada proved no match for O-Khan in this style and soon O-Khan was having his way with Okada. The longer O-Khan controlled things the more overconfident he got which gave Okada the opening to fight back letting Okada to string some offence together, going through his list of signature spots. At the ten-minute mark O-Khan began fighting back going through his own signatures. Okada started going for the Rainmaker but O-Khan kept escaping it until O-Khan missed his straight punch that Okada transitioned into the Rainmaker for the win.
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada at 15:25
(The match was fine. O-Khan going down after one Rainmaker tells me he is not high on management’s priority list to push. The match never really got out of second gear. **½)
(6) YOTA TSUJI (0 pts) vs. KAITO KIYOMIYA (0 pts) – A Block match
Before the bell, Tsuji dove through the ropes at Kiyomiya as Kiyomiya did his entrance routine on the floor. Tsuji controlled early on until he encouraged Kiyomiya to strike him. Kiyomiya stunned Tsuji with a chop and hit a dragon screw. Kiyomiya began to work the leg. Tsuji got a few offensive runs in, but Kiyomiya kept going after the leg. They went back and forth with Kiyomiya having a slight advantage. Kiyomiya set up, and hit, the shining wizard for the win.
WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya at 14:53
(Man did commentary do no favors for Kiyomiya. It reminded me of how over the top harsh they were on Sanada before he went on his run which I believe is the intention, but still. As for the match, it was solid enough. Kiyomiya was shown to be the more dominant wrestler, only really being in trouble thanks to the surprise attack that kicked things off. ***)
(7) TAICHI (0 pts) vs. WILL OSPREAY (0 pts) – B Block match
The two exchanged strikes early with Ospreay eventually being forced to the outside. Outside the ring the two jockeyed for control with Ospreay winning out. They went out into the crowd where Ospreay tossed Taichi into the seats and hit a DDT on the floor. Taichi beat the count. Ospreay forced Taichi outside again and hit a draping cutter from the apron. Ospreay went full heel, berating Taichi for not fighting for his hometown audience. It was one hundred percent Ospreay until a desperate kick from Taichi caught Ospreay in the ear. Kevin Kelly called the damage a likely perforated eardrum as Ospreay sold having bouts of vertigo. Without any equilibrium Ospreay was unable to mount any offence, buying time for Taichi to recover. Kawada kicks (Taichi’s mentor) fired up Taichi who took down Ospreay. Taichi took off the pants. Taichi survived an Os Cutter and a (not so) Hidden Blade. Taichi cut off a Super Os Cutter attempt with a Super Dangerous Suplex. A furious back and forth ended with Taichi hitting Black Mephisto for the win.
WINNER: Taichi at 17:45
(Taichi was the obvious crowd favorite, so the plan here was to beat up Taichi to set up the comeback win. Ospreay’s “concussed” sell job took away from my enjoyment of the match though. ***)
(8) SANADA (0 pts) vs. HIKULEO (0 pts) – A Block match
It was a fast start with an aggressive Hikuleo who controlled early on until Sanada hit a plancha to the outside. Sanada played to the crowd. The two took turns on the attack as the match swung back and forth. Neither gained a definitive advantage for any significant length of time. Hikuleo went for Godsend, but Sanada countered with Deadfall for the pin.
WINNER: Sanada at 10:56
(This was a really underwhelming main event. The jury is still out on Sanada as champion and I’m still waiting for Hikuleo to impress me. **)
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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 2
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1)TOMOHIRO ISHII vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo)
Ishii always looks like he’s in pain coming down the ramp. Of course I will not be saying that to his face. Or anywhere in his vicinity for that matter. Finlay on the other hand has mastered the sleazy, Jay White-esque cocky heel look in a short time. Kevin Kelly reminds us that there is a 20-minute time limit this year in the round robin phase, which I expect to play a role in the standings more than once.
Both men exchange stiff forearms in the middle of the ring to start. As you might expect, Ishii gets the better of the exchange with a shoulder tackle. Finlay makes the bad life choice of backing himself into a corner while delivering a series of forearms, none of which seem to register on Ishii. The Stone Pitbull responds with one almighty smack of his own and Finlay is reeling. Finlay gains control with a chop block and starts working on the knee. Standard heel work on the knee by Finlay who starts a mocking “Ishii” chant. Chops and forearms in the corner beat Ishii down to the mat at the four minute mark.
Ishii counters a whip and catches a charging Finlay with a snap powerslam. He somehow manages to make it look good and also sell the knee. Ishii returns the corner beatdown favor and hits a suplex for a quick 2. Finlay (who I keep going to call White, which says a lot) counters a whip but Ishii holds on and hits a snug Saito suplex. A counter by Finlay leads to a hotshot into a blue thunder bomb to regain control. Uranage backbreaker by Finlay for a long 2 count. He changes tactics and applies an Indian deathlock in the center of the ring. Ishii breaks the hold so Finlay applies a side headlock and punches. Gutwrench attempt by Finlay, Ishii escapes but Finlay dropkicks the knee. Ishii comes roaring back with a lariat and both men are down at the 8:30 mark.
Ishii positions Finlay on the top rope and looks for a superplex…connects! Finlay kicks out at 2. Ishii hits a German and misses the sliding lariat. Finlay with a forearm, a spinning forearm and his own German suplex. Dominator from Finlay gets a very close 2 count. Finlay measures Ishii and tries for a spear but gets caught, powerbomb attempt by Ishii is escaped, Ishii shrugs off a heavy forearm and levels Finlay with his own. Finlay rebounds with a spear for 2, tries for a powerbomb but cannot get Ishii up. Stiff headbutt by Ishii and a stacking powerbomb for 2. Finlay counters a lariat with a headbutt, then hits a second blue thunder bomb for 2. Powerbomb attempt by Finlay…this time he connects. He cannot follow up as he catches his breath, then tries for Into Oblivion. Ishii escapes and hits a spear-like E. Honda style headbutt and the sliding lariat for 2. Finlay escapes the vertical drop brainbuster and eats an enziguiri for his troubles. Big lariat by Ishii gets a very close 2. The announcer calls the 15-minute mark. A series of escapes lead to an inverted stundog millionaire and the Into Oblivion for the win.
WINNER: David Finlay (2pts) at 16:04 (***)
(Good hard-hitting opener that told something of a story and kept me interested. Either result seemed possible, which is not always the case in these block matches)
(2) TORU YANO (w/mascot Tomo-kun) vs. HIROOKI GOTO
Chris Charlton tells us that historically this match does not last long. For the uninitiated, Yano is mostly a comedy wrestler these days and has been known to win matches by doing things like attaching his opponents to guardrails with tape.
Back slide by Yano gets a quick 2. A series of reversals leads to another quick 2 for Yano. Low bridge by Yano and Goto goes to the floor, Yano follows with the corner pad and attempts to smack Goto but misses. They work a series of attempted whip reversals on the outside in a display that has to be seen to be believed, leaving both men out of breath and dizzy. Yano recovers faster and whips Goto into the barricade a few times. Yano lifts the ring skirt, bundles Goto under the ring, and then encourages Tomo-kun to follow. Yano goes under, and the ref takes a look before returning to the ring to count. We hear battle noises under the ring, and Yano emerges first. At the 10 count, Goto rolls out from under the ring with the mascot head on his head. I am not making this up folks. The commentators are selling this like crazy Goto is able to remove the mascot head and roll back in the ring at 19.
Goto charges and Yano in front of the exposed turnbuckles, so of course Yano moves. Schoolboy for 2. Goto recovers with a lariat and both men are down. Goto is up first and hits a spinning leg lariat in the corner followed by a bulldog for 2. Yano tricks Goto with a fake run into the ropes and hits an inverted atomic drop and a whip to the exposed corner. Yano attempts a last ride powerbomb, Goto escapes but Yano gets a series of rollups for a couple of near falls. Goto blocks two low blow attempts (one with each hand) and headbutts Yano to his knees. GTR by Goto ends it.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto (2pts) at 6:48 (**)
(Yano is not for everyone, but I usually enjoy his matches as something of a palate-cleanser. This was fun, with a unique spot under the ring, but ultimately didn’t do much. Yano knows his role and plays it well, and Goto is usually good for one spoiler win.)
(3) HENARE vs. MIKEY NICHOLLS (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita)
Henare is sporting a newly-shaved head and face paint that hearkens back to his indigenous roots. Wait, is that a tattoo? It is a tattoo. That could not have been easy.
Henare looks terrifying right now. Giving Mike Tyson vibes. They exchange shoulder tackles without either man giving an inch. Back elbow by Nicholls, Henare pops up and they slug it out to the floor. Nicholls gets the upper hand on the outside until Henare revseres a whip and sends Nicholls over the barricade. Henare lays in some round kicks to the chest, Nicholls no-sells and comes back with some shots. Back in the ring, Henare gets the better of a series of counters with a pop-up Samoan drop. He’s not even Samoan! Midsection shots by the heavy-handed Henare, a snap mare and some kicks to the spine followed by a senton from Henare. Curb stomp by Henare for 2. Henare shrugs off a comeback attempt from Nicholls and levels him with a spinning heel kick at the five minute mark.
Nicholls stops a charging Henare with an elbow and hits an awkward DDT. Corner clothesline and another awkward DDT, this time of the tornado variety, gets a 2 count. Nicholls deposits Henare on the top, but his superplex attempt is stopped with some shots from Henare. The reprieve is temporary as Nicholls climbs all the way to the top and hits the move. They exchanged unprotected headbutts and Nicholls has been split open, hard way. They exchange blows and escapes before Henare eats a Mikey bomb for 2. Henare avoids the sliding lariat, connects with a body shot and locks in Ultima. Nicholls fights for the ropes and makes it for the break as the announcer calls the 10-minute warning.
Streets of Rage attempt by Henare is countered into a Death Valley Driver by Nicholls for 2. Nicholls now has blood all over his forehead and on to his face. He goes to the top for a moonsault, but misses by some margin. It looked great, at least. Henare stalks Nichols, hits a series of strikes and a heavy leaping knee. A running knee strike in the corner from Henare leads to another blocked Streets of Rage attempt. Nicholls and Henare exchange headbutts and counters until a NASTY Emerald Fusion gone wrong by Nicholls drops Henare on his neck for the win.
WINNER: Mikey Nicholls (2pts) at 13:16 (**½)
( A hard-hitting match that didn’t quite flow smoothly and ended on a scary bump that might well have injured Henare. Nicholls looked concerned after the bell. This would have been higher-rated if not for the few spots that were off, and the finish.)
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1)TOMOHIRO ISHII vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo)
Ishii always looks like he’s in pain coming down the ramp. Of course I will not be saying that to his face. Or anywhere in his vicinity for that matter. Finlay on the other hand has mastered the sleazy, Jay White-esque cocky heel look in a short time. Kevin Kelly reminds us that there is a 20-minute time limit this year in the round robin phase, which I expect to play a role in the standings more than once.
Both men exchange stiff forearms in the middle of the ring to start. As you might expect, Ishii gets the better of the exchange with a shoulder tackle. Finlay makes the bad life choice of backing himself into a corner while delivering a series of forearms, none of which seem to register on Ishii. The Stone Pitbull responds with one almighty smack of his own and Finlay is reeling. Finlay gains control with a chop block and starts working on the knee. Standard heel work on the knee by Finlay who starts a mocking “Ishii” chant. Chops and forearms in the corner beat Ishii down to the mat at the four minute mark.
Ishii counters a whip and catches a charging Finlay with a snap powerslam. He somehow manages to make it look good and also sell the knee. Ishii returns the corner beatdown favor and hits a suplex for a quick 2. Finlay (who I keep going to call White, which says a lot) counters a whip but Ishii holds on and hits a snug Saito suplex. A counter by Finlay leads to a hotshot into a blue thunder bomb to regain control. Uranage backbreaker by Finlay for a long 2 count. He changes tactics and applies an Indian deathlock in the center of the ring. Ishii breaks the hold so Finlay applies a side headlock and punches. Gutwrench attempt by Finlay, Ishii escapes but Finlay dropkicks the knee. Ishii comes roaring back with a lariat and both men are down at the 8:30 mark.
Ishii positions Finlay on the top rope and looks for a superplex…connects! Finlay kicks out at 2. Ishii hits a German and misses the sliding lariat. Finlay with a forearm, a spinning forearm and his own German suplex. Dominator from Finlay gets a very close 2 count. Finlay measures Ishii and tries for a spear but gets caught, powerbomb attempt by Ishii is escaped, Ishii shrugs off a heavy forearm and levels Finlay with his own. Finlay rebounds with a spear for 2, tries for a powerbomb but cannot get Ishii up. Stiff headbutt by Ishii and a stacking powerbomb for 2. Finlay counters a lariat with a headbutt, then hits a second blue thunder bomb for 2. Powerbomb attempt by Finlay…this time he connects. He cannot follow up as he catches his breath, then tries for Into Oblivion. Ishii escapes and hits a spear-like E. Honda style headbutt and the sliding lariat for 2. Finlay escapes the vertical drop brainbuster and eats an enziguiri for his troubles. Big lariat by Ishii gets a very close 2. The announcer calls the 15-minute mark. A series of escapes lead to an inverted stundog millionaire and the Into Oblivion for the win.
WINNER: David Finlay (2pts) at 16:04 (***)
(Good hard-hitting opener that told something of a story and kept me interested. Either result seemed possible, which is not always the case in these block matches)
(2) TORU YANO (w/mascot Tomo-kun) vs. HIROOKI GOTO
Chris Charlton tells us that historically this match does not last long. For the uninitiated, Yano is mostly a comedy wrestler these days and has been known to win matches by doing things like attaching his opponents to guardrails with tape.
Back slide by Yano gets a quick 2. A series of reversals leads to another quick 2 for Yano. Low bridge by Yano and Goto goes to the floor, Yano follows with the corner pad and attempts to smack Goto but misses. They work a series of attempted whip reversals on the outside in a display that has to be seen to be believed, leaving both men out of breath and dizzy. Yano recovers faster and whips Goto into the barricade a few times. Yano lifts the ring skirt, bundles Goto under the ring, and then encourages Tomo-kun to follow. Yano goes under, and the ref takes a look before returning to the ring to count. We hear battle noises under the ring, and Yano emerges first. At the 10 count, Goto rolls out from under the ring with the mascot head on his head. I am not making this up folks. The commentators are selling this like crazy Goto is able to remove the mascot head and roll back in the ring at 19.
Goto charges and Yano in front of the exposed turnbuckles, so of course Yano moves. Schoolboy for 2. Goto recovers with a lariat and both men are down. Goto is up first and hits a spinning leg lariat in the corner followed by a bulldog for 2. Yano tricks Goto with a fake run into the ropes and hits an inverted atomic drop and a whip to the exposed corner. Yano attempts a last ride powerbomb, Goto escapes but Yano gets a series of rollups for a couple of near falls. Goto blocks two low blow attempts (one with each hand) and headbutts Yano to his knees. GTR by Goto ends it.
WINNER: Hirooki Goto (2pts) at 6:48 (**)
(Yano is not for everyone, but I usually enjoy his matches as something of a palate-cleanser. This was fun, with a unique spot under the ring, but ultimately didn’t do much. Yano knows his role and plays it well, and Goto is usually good for one spoiler win.)
(3) HENARE vs. MIKEY NICHOLLS (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita)
Henare is sporting a newly-shaved head and face paint that hearkens back to his indigenous roots. Wait, is that a tattoo? It is a tattoo. That could not have been easy.
Henare looks terrifying right now. Giving Mike Tyson vibes. They exchange shoulder tackles without either man giving an inch. Back elbow by Nicholls, Henare pops up and they slug it out to the floor. Nicholls gets the upper hand on the outside until Henare revseres a whip and sends Nicholls over the barricade. Henare lays in some round kicks to the chest, Nicholls no-sells and comes back with some shots. Back in the ring, Henare gets the better of a series of counters with a pop-up Samoan drop. He’s not even Samoan! Midsection shots by the heavy-handed Henare, a snap mare and some kicks to the spine followed by a senton from Henare. Curb stomp by Henare for 2. Henare shrugs off a comeback attempt from Nicholls and levels him with a spinning heel kick at the five minute mark.
Nicholls stops a charging Henare with an elbow and hits an awkward DDT. Corner clothesline and another awkward DDT, this time of the tornado variety, gets a 2 count. Nicholls deposits Henare on the top, but his superplex attempt is stopped with some shots from Henare. The reprieve is temporary as Nicholls climbs all the way to the top and hits the move. They exchanged unprotected headbutts and Nicholls has been split open, hard way. They exchange blows and escapes before Henare eats a Mikey bomb for 2. Henare avoids the sliding lariat, connects with a body shot and locks in Ultima. Nicholls fights for the ropes and makes it for the break as the announcer calls the 10-minute warning.
Streets of Rage attempt by Henare is countered into a Death Valley Driver by Nicholls for 2. Nicholls now has blood all over his forehead and on to his face. He goes to the top for a moonsault, but misses by some margin. It looked great, at least. Henare stalks Nichols, hits a series of strikes and a heavy leaping knee. A running knee strike in the corner from Henare leads to another blocked Streets of Rage attempt. Nicholls and Henare exchange headbutts and counters until a NASTY Emerald Fusion gone wrong by Nicholls drops Henare on his neck for the win.
WINNER: Mikey Nicholls (2pts) at 13:16 (**½)
( A hard-hitting match that didn’t quite flow smoothly and ended on a scary bump that might well have injured Henare. Nicholls looked concerned after the bell. This would have been higher-rated if not for the few spots that were off, and the finish.)
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- Sep 14, 2003
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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 2
(4) SHANE HASTE (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) vs. ALEX COUGHLIN
Haste is out in a fetching orange hat. Coughlin comes out twirling his NJPW Strong tag title like Bianca Belair’s braid.
Coughlin charges at the bell and hits a fallaway slam right off the bat. Coughlin shrugs off a chop and chokes Haste down. Coughlin with a beatdown, but Haste comes back with a very high dropkick sending Coughlin to the floor. Haste goes for a dive but gets caught in the ropes and by Coughlin, who hits an overhead suplex on the outside followed by a whip to the barricade. Coughlin continues the aggression on the outside, but Haste comes back with a backdrop on to the apron. The comeback is short-lived as Coughlin lifts Haste from the apron and gets a deadlift gutwrench suplex from the outside to the inside, and gets a near fall. More heel tactics by Coughlin and a hard whip to the corner at the five minute mark sends Haste to the mat.
Haste counters an Irish whip with an arm wringer into a backdrop suplex, a series of kicks, a reverse backdrop suplex and a running elevated PK for a near fall. Coughlin blocks a suplex attempt but after a few counters eats the mat on a release falcon arrow for 2. Kicks to the chest and back by Haste but a missed shot leads to a German suplex and a Death Valley Driver by Coughlin for 2. Mounted punches by Couglin into a straight-up choke, and a stiff inside-out lariat gets 2 for Coughlin. Impressive power by Coughlin to hold on to a suspended vertical suplex, but Haste turns it into a guillotine choke! Coughlin then turns that into a pop-up powerbomb for 2! Very nice exchange there. Coughlin berates the ref before tossing Haste to the outside. A whip to the barricade by Coughlin, who retrieves a pair of chairs and tosses them into the ring. Ten minutes have elapsed.
Coughlin rolls Haste back in, then gets his title belt and brings it into the ring. The ref takes it away and while his back is turned, Haste hits a Saito suplex on the chairs followed by a pop-up uranage for the three count.
WINNER: Shane Haste (2pts) at 11:13 (**½)
( Solid if unspectacular effort from the two G1 debutants there. Haste showed some unorthodox but exciting offense, and I think the reckless aggression from Coughlin could be one of those mini-stories that we often see woven into G1 block matches.)
(5) SHINGO TAKAGI vs. EDDIE KINGSTON
How, HOW is this not the semi-main? Easily the match I am most looking forward to this morning. Eddie is out to his AEW theme and shows no sign of the fact that he is living a dream right now.
The two bulls square up to each other and this could be violent. Shingo gets the best of the early exchange with some chops, but Kingston replies with chops of his own. Shingo wins the exchange with a double-handed chop sending Kingston to the mat. He pops up with open handed slaps, Shingo returns with interest, and they exchange again. Ouraken by Eddie! Shingo rolls to the floor to avoid the cover. Eddie follows with some aggressive chops and a whip to the barricade. Neither man is giving an inch as Shingo comes back with a whip of his own, and Eddie rebounds off with a lariat on the outside. This is just a physical war. Back inside, Eddie with some machine-gun chops in the corner. Shingo absorbs it and fires back with shots of his own in the corner. Eddie turns the tables and hits a few chops and an exploder for 2. Eddie looks for a dragon suplex but is countered with an elbow and a lariat by Shingo as we reach the five minute mark.
Kitchen sink and a shoulder tackle by Shingo level Kingston. Vertical suplex by Shingo who has established control now. Eddie is positioned on the top for a superplex, which connects. Has there been one of those in each match now? Two count for Shingo, who mockingly kicks at Eddie’s head. Eddie is not amused. Right jabs by Shingo and a chop, and Eddie does not seem impressed. He fights to his feet and the two exchange chops to the neck. Ouraken by Eddie is ducked into a back suplex by Shingo. Enziguiri by Eddie into a back suplex of his own for 2. Both men are slow to get up, but Eddie is first two his feet and attempts a Northern Lights bomb. Shingo counters with an elbow. Eddie measures Shingo, who fires himself up, and they charge into each other with lariats. Left-arm lariat from Shingo is countered by Eddie with a slap, they exchange clotheslines. Half and half suplex by Eddie, Shingo pops up right into a lariat! Both men are down as the announcer calls the halfway point.
Ouraken blocked again, a series of shots by Shingo into his own Northern Lights bomb. It only gets a one count! Pumping bomber by Shingo gets two. Last of the Dragons is countered by Eddie, a clothesline gets a one count for Eddie. Forearms by Shingo and Eddie is groggy. Ouraken out of nowhere! A second one! And a third! Northern Lights bomb by Eddie and that’s enough for the win.
WINNER: Eddie Kingston (2pts) at 13:10 (***)
(This was good and stiff but seemed to be missing something from this style of match. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the exchanges seemed almost abbreviated. I might be a little harsh because I expected more, but I was not on the edge of my seat here.)
(6) HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita)
Tanahashi still has that undeniable charisma with his entrance and presence. Kevin Kelly points out that Toronto (for Forbidden Door) was not kind to Tanahashi, which could indicate the start of his descent down the card. Chris Charlton reminds us that these two have history, and that Tanahashi is 4-1 against ZSJ. Tanahashi is wrestling in some sort of weird sleeve halter top.
Early headscissors on the mat by ZSJ. Tanahashi escapes and applies one of his own, which of course ZSJ escapes. An extended collar and elbow leads to an exchange of stiff forearms, which Tanahashi wins. Backslide attempt by ZSJ is blocked, they go back and forth on the backslide until Tanahashi hits an arm pumphandle into a short arm scissors. ZSJ turns the hold over in an attempt to escape and makes it to the ropes for a break as we hit five minutes.
Tanahashi tries to jack ZSJ’s arm over the top from the apron, but gets caught in a sleeper instead. The referee calls for the break, and ZSJ hits a dragon screw in the ropes as Tanahashi tries to come back into the ring. That’s the cue for ZSJ to go after the leg of Tanahashi, applying a leg lace with a bridge. Tanahashi rolls to the ropes for a break. ZSJ continues to attack the knee of Tanahashi and mocks him with some kicks on the mat. Tanahashi gets to his feet and fires back with some kicks of his own, but ZSJ snaps the arm and goes back to the knee. Irish whip by Zack, Tanahashi comes off the ropes with a flying forearm to regain control. Scoop slam by Tanahashi who goes to the second rope, ZSJ gets to his feet but Tanahashi applies a kimmura while sitting on the turnbuckle. He kicks at ZSJ and hits a somersault senton from the second rope for two. Slingblade attempt by Tanahashi is blocked, ZSJ applies an octopus hold. At the halfway point, Tanahashi escapes with a hip toss and a drop kick.
ZSJ catches a kick from Tanahashi and hits a dragon screw, then applies a spinning toe hold. He transitions to a Texas cloverleaf, Tanahashi counters to a triangle choke, and ZSJ turns that into another dragon screw. It’s like they are each reading the other’s playbook. Another counter from Tanahashi turns into a heel hook by ZSJ. Tanahashi makes it to the ropes. Kneebreaker by ZSJ is blocked and Tanahashi connects with a Twist and Shout. A dragon screw…arm whip I guess by Tanahashi, followed by two more. Interesting innovation. He avoids a dropkick to the knee and hits a basement dropkick and a slingblade for two. Fifteen minutes have passed as Tana goes to the top.
ZSJ rolls through the High-Fly Crossbody and kicks Tana in the back of the head for two. Sabre Drive attempt is blocked, and Tanahashi rolls through into an armbar attempt. ZSJ tries to escape, Tana holds on, ZSJ stacks him up with a rollup for and gets the three as Tanahashi refuses to let go.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. (2pts) at 16:20 (***)
(That was a fun mat wrestling exchange from the master of that style. Tanahashi can still go when the match looks like this, but not many can carry that sort of match like Zack can. If Tanahashi’s theme for the G1 is that he needs to change and reinvent himself, we’ll see more like this. The announcers repeatedly said he doesn’t need the High Fly Flow, so that could be the approach. Good win for ZSJ here in a tough block.)
(4) SHANE HASTE (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) vs. ALEX COUGHLIN
Haste is out in a fetching orange hat. Coughlin comes out twirling his NJPW Strong tag title like Bianca Belair’s braid.
Coughlin charges at the bell and hits a fallaway slam right off the bat. Coughlin shrugs off a chop and chokes Haste down. Coughlin with a beatdown, but Haste comes back with a very high dropkick sending Coughlin to the floor. Haste goes for a dive but gets caught in the ropes and by Coughlin, who hits an overhead suplex on the outside followed by a whip to the barricade. Coughlin continues the aggression on the outside, but Haste comes back with a backdrop on to the apron. The comeback is short-lived as Coughlin lifts Haste from the apron and gets a deadlift gutwrench suplex from the outside to the inside, and gets a near fall. More heel tactics by Coughlin and a hard whip to the corner at the five minute mark sends Haste to the mat.
Haste counters an Irish whip with an arm wringer into a backdrop suplex, a series of kicks, a reverse backdrop suplex and a running elevated PK for a near fall. Coughlin blocks a suplex attempt but after a few counters eats the mat on a release falcon arrow for 2. Kicks to the chest and back by Haste but a missed shot leads to a German suplex and a Death Valley Driver by Coughlin for 2. Mounted punches by Couglin into a straight-up choke, and a stiff inside-out lariat gets 2 for Coughlin. Impressive power by Coughlin to hold on to a suspended vertical suplex, but Haste turns it into a guillotine choke! Coughlin then turns that into a pop-up powerbomb for 2! Very nice exchange there. Coughlin berates the ref before tossing Haste to the outside. A whip to the barricade by Coughlin, who retrieves a pair of chairs and tosses them into the ring. Ten minutes have elapsed.
Coughlin rolls Haste back in, then gets his title belt and brings it into the ring. The ref takes it away and while his back is turned, Haste hits a Saito suplex on the chairs followed by a pop-up uranage for the three count.
WINNER: Shane Haste (2pts) at 11:13 (**½)
( Solid if unspectacular effort from the two G1 debutants there. Haste showed some unorthodox but exciting offense, and I think the reckless aggression from Coughlin could be one of those mini-stories that we often see woven into G1 block matches.)
(5) SHINGO TAKAGI vs. EDDIE KINGSTON
How, HOW is this not the semi-main? Easily the match I am most looking forward to this morning. Eddie is out to his AEW theme and shows no sign of the fact that he is living a dream right now.
The two bulls square up to each other and this could be violent. Shingo gets the best of the early exchange with some chops, but Kingston replies with chops of his own. Shingo wins the exchange with a double-handed chop sending Kingston to the mat. He pops up with open handed slaps, Shingo returns with interest, and they exchange again. Ouraken by Eddie! Shingo rolls to the floor to avoid the cover. Eddie follows with some aggressive chops and a whip to the barricade. Neither man is giving an inch as Shingo comes back with a whip of his own, and Eddie rebounds off with a lariat on the outside. This is just a physical war. Back inside, Eddie with some machine-gun chops in the corner. Shingo absorbs it and fires back with shots of his own in the corner. Eddie turns the tables and hits a few chops and an exploder for 2. Eddie looks for a dragon suplex but is countered with an elbow and a lariat by Shingo as we reach the five minute mark.
Kitchen sink and a shoulder tackle by Shingo level Kingston. Vertical suplex by Shingo who has established control now. Eddie is positioned on the top for a superplex, which connects. Has there been one of those in each match now? Two count for Shingo, who mockingly kicks at Eddie’s head. Eddie is not amused. Right jabs by Shingo and a chop, and Eddie does not seem impressed. He fights to his feet and the two exchange chops to the neck. Ouraken by Eddie is ducked into a back suplex by Shingo. Enziguiri by Eddie into a back suplex of his own for 2. Both men are slow to get up, but Eddie is first two his feet and attempts a Northern Lights bomb. Shingo counters with an elbow. Eddie measures Shingo, who fires himself up, and they charge into each other with lariats. Left-arm lariat from Shingo is countered by Eddie with a slap, they exchange clotheslines. Half and half suplex by Eddie, Shingo pops up right into a lariat! Both men are down as the announcer calls the halfway point.
Ouraken blocked again, a series of shots by Shingo into his own Northern Lights bomb. It only gets a one count! Pumping bomber by Shingo gets two. Last of the Dragons is countered by Eddie, a clothesline gets a one count for Eddie. Forearms by Shingo and Eddie is groggy. Ouraken out of nowhere! A second one! And a third! Northern Lights bomb by Eddie and that’s enough for the win.
WINNER: Eddie Kingston (2pts) at 13:10 (***)
(This was good and stiff but seemed to be missing something from this style of match. I can’t quite put my finger on it but the exchanges seemed almost abbreviated. I might be a little harsh because I expected more, but I was not on the edge of my seat here.)
(6) HIROSHI TANAHASHI vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita)
Tanahashi still has that undeniable charisma with his entrance and presence. Kevin Kelly points out that Toronto (for Forbidden Door) was not kind to Tanahashi, which could indicate the start of his descent down the card. Chris Charlton reminds us that these two have history, and that Tanahashi is 4-1 against ZSJ. Tanahashi is wrestling in some sort of weird sleeve halter top.
Early headscissors on the mat by ZSJ. Tanahashi escapes and applies one of his own, which of course ZSJ escapes. An extended collar and elbow leads to an exchange of stiff forearms, which Tanahashi wins. Backslide attempt by ZSJ is blocked, they go back and forth on the backslide until Tanahashi hits an arm pumphandle into a short arm scissors. ZSJ turns the hold over in an attempt to escape and makes it to the ropes for a break as we hit five minutes.
Tanahashi tries to jack ZSJ’s arm over the top from the apron, but gets caught in a sleeper instead. The referee calls for the break, and ZSJ hits a dragon screw in the ropes as Tanahashi tries to come back into the ring. That’s the cue for ZSJ to go after the leg of Tanahashi, applying a leg lace with a bridge. Tanahashi rolls to the ropes for a break. ZSJ continues to attack the knee of Tanahashi and mocks him with some kicks on the mat. Tanahashi gets to his feet and fires back with some kicks of his own, but ZSJ snaps the arm and goes back to the knee. Irish whip by Zack, Tanahashi comes off the ropes with a flying forearm to regain control. Scoop slam by Tanahashi who goes to the second rope, ZSJ gets to his feet but Tanahashi applies a kimmura while sitting on the turnbuckle. He kicks at ZSJ and hits a somersault senton from the second rope for two. Slingblade attempt by Tanahashi is blocked, ZSJ applies an octopus hold. At the halfway point, Tanahashi escapes with a hip toss and a drop kick.
ZSJ catches a kick from Tanahashi and hits a dragon screw, then applies a spinning toe hold. He transitions to a Texas cloverleaf, Tanahashi counters to a triangle choke, and ZSJ turns that into another dragon screw. It’s like they are each reading the other’s playbook. Another counter from Tanahashi turns into a heel hook by ZSJ. Tanahashi makes it to the ropes. Kneebreaker by ZSJ is blocked and Tanahashi connects with a Twist and Shout. A dragon screw…arm whip I guess by Tanahashi, followed by two more. Interesting innovation. He avoids a dropkick to the knee and hits a basement dropkick and a slingblade for two. Fifteen minutes have passed as Tana goes to the top.
ZSJ rolls through the High-Fly Crossbody and kicks Tana in the back of the head for two. Sabre Drive attempt is blocked, and Tanahashi rolls through into an armbar attempt. ZSJ tries to escape, Tana holds on, ZSJ stacks him up with a rollup for and gets the three as Tanahashi refuses to let go.
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. (2pts) at 16:20 (***)
(That was a fun mat wrestling exchange from the master of that style. Tanahashi can still go when the match looks like this, but not many can carry that sort of match like Zack can. If Tanahashi’s theme for the G1 is that he needs to change and reinvent himself, we’ll see more like this. The announcers repeatedly said he doesn’t need the High Fly Flow, so that could be the approach. Good win for ZSJ here in a tough block.)
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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 2
(7) EVIL (w/Dick Togo) vs. TAMA TONGA (w/Jado)
It’s been a while since Tama turned face but he still looks wrong with a smile.
Evil attacks before the bell and chokes Tama, but Tama comes back with an exploder suplex as Evil rolls to the outside. Tama follows him and continues the attack. Back in the ring, Tama with a series of shots in the corner and the ten-spot of punches followed by the Dusty Rhodes elbow. Tama charges Evil in the corner, but he and Dick Togo have loosened the corner pad. Evil moves and Tama eats steel in the corner. To the outside now and Evil suplexes Tama on the ramp. Evil opens the barricade and drags Tama into the crowd, throwing him into some chairs. It’s walk and brawl time. Evil deposits Tama into some chairs and heads back to the ring as Togo and Jado square off ringside. Red Shoes is unimpressed with Evil’s antics but starts the count. Tama makes it back to the ring at 19.99. Evil goes for the cover but the referee just turns his back and refuses to count the cover as we hit five minutes.
Evil continues his offense with a backbreaker. Tama tries to fire back with some gut shots and gets some separation with a drop kick. A pair of clotheslines and a body slam from Tama put him in control. Stinger splash from Tama gets a near fall. A seated lariat gets another near fall. Evil escapes a Tongan twist with an eye rake, then blocks a suplex and hits his own for two. On the kickout Evil throws himself on top of the referee, and this is probably the cue for shenanigans. Evil connects with a release fisherman’s suplex, and here comes Dick Togo. He knocks Jado off the apron and lays the boots into Tama Tonga. Evil joins in as the fans react negatively. Magikiller by Togo and Evil. Red Shoes is still down, but crawls over to count. Tama kicks out at one! We are ten minutes in.
Evil applies the Darkness Scorpion death lock in the middle of the ring. Tama fights to the ropes and the ref calls for the break, but Evil maintains the hold as long as legally possible. A fireman’s carry from Evil is reversed into the Tongan Twist from Tama. Yay for alliteration! Superman punch and an enziguiri follow from Tama, and a spinebuster takes Evil to the mat. Supreme Flow from Tama gets a near fall. Tama measures Evil, but Dick Togo pulls him out of the ring. Jado gets on the apron, distracting the ref and allowing Togo to snap Tama’s neck over the top rope. Everything is Evil…blocked! Tama gets a schoolboy for a near fall, but Gun Stun is blocked by Evil who then levels Tama with a lariat. As the announcer calls the 15-minute mark, Evil pulls Tama up.
Darkness Falls connects for Evil, but is only good for a two count. Tama blocks Everything is Evil, but eats a pair of lariats. Tama is groggy on his feet, and gets whipped into the exposed corner. He shrugs it off and comes roaring out with a lariat! Togo into the ring…Gun Stun to Togo! Bloody Sunday to Evil! It only gets a two count. Evil blocks an attack and tries to whip Tama into the exposed corner again, but Tama jumps to the second rope. Evil pulls the ref between him and Tama, who leaps over the ref and tries for Gun Stun. While the ref is facing the wrong way Evil hits a low blow! Everything is Evil! That’s enough for the win.
WINNER: Evil (2pts) at 17:30 (**½)
(This would have got a higher rating if not for the ubiquitous House of Torture nonsense. I have to believe there’s a plan for all this cheating by Evil and his cohorts, but it’s pretty tiresome in the meantime. A good performance from both men nonetheless.)
(8) JEFF COBB vs. TETSUYA NAITO
Jeff Cobb just looks like a tank. A confident tank. Naito is 3-0 against Cobb.
Naito tries to convince Cobb to do the LIJ salute, but Cobb is having none of it. Naito throws Cobb to the floor and runs the ropes, but Cobb trips him and pulls him to the floor as well. They trade whips to the barricade before going back to the ring where Naito locks in a cravate. Naito tries the combinación cabrón but Cobb catches him midair, Naito rolls through but eats a beautiful drop kick. Naito rolls to the floor and Cobb pretends to go for a dive before hitting Naito’s trademark taunt. Cobb goes to the floor and lays in some shots before returning to the ring and posing while he waits for his opponent. Naito rolls back in at a count of 16. Cobb hits a stalling vertical suplex drop and gets a two count on a cocky cover. No way this casual attitude comes back to bite him, right? That never happens.
At the five-minute announcement, Cobb carries Naito into the corner and hits the Combinación Cobb-rón before once again mocking Naito. Cobb goes for a whip, Naito tries to reverse with a tornado DDT but Cobb blocks it with sheet strength. Naito gets a double handful of hair to save himself and hits a spinning neckbreaker. Naito has a hip toss blocked but after a series of reversals he is able to get an armdrag and basement dropkick. Combinación Cabrón connects. Naito goes to the ground game with a full leg nelson. Cobb lifts Naito and gets to his feet, but a series of back elbows from Naito sends the big man back down. Naito puts Cobb on the top rope and goes up with him for a huracanrana…super powerbomb by Cobb! That gets a near fall. A standing moonsault from Cobb gets another near fall. Men that size should not be able to do that so easily.
As we reach the halfway point, Naito is on the apron and Cobb tries to bring him in the hard way with a deadlift superplex. Naito fights it off with forearms and tries a rana off the second rope but almost piledrives himself in the process. That was not supposed to look like that. Naito follows up with a tornado DDT and tries for Gloria, which is blocked. Cobb connects with Spin Cycle! A series of reversals and blocks by each man is capped off with a running Destino by Naito! He retains wrist control and tries for a second, but Cobb reverses into Tour of the Islands! Both men are down as the referee starts the count. Both men get to their feet at the count of 9. Rolling kick by Naito, inverted atomic drop and the running jacknife cover gets two for Naito. Tour of the Islands attempt from Cobb is blocked into a rollup for two more. Stiff right hand by Cobb into a German suplex, Naito fires up but is leveled by a headbutt to the chest. Tour of the Islands…connects! One…two…three!
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (2pts) at 14:39 (***½)
(That was a worthy main event, especially in light of the minor disappointment that was Shingo vs Eddie. Cobb looked like a real threat and Naito helped that greatly by bringing his best. Given that Naito has promised to win the G1, this is not a great start for him. Solid match that probably stands as the best of the night.)
(7) EVIL (w/Dick Togo) vs. TAMA TONGA (w/Jado)
It’s been a while since Tama turned face but he still looks wrong with a smile.
Evil attacks before the bell and chokes Tama, but Tama comes back with an exploder suplex as Evil rolls to the outside. Tama follows him and continues the attack. Back in the ring, Tama with a series of shots in the corner and the ten-spot of punches followed by the Dusty Rhodes elbow. Tama charges Evil in the corner, but he and Dick Togo have loosened the corner pad. Evil moves and Tama eats steel in the corner. To the outside now and Evil suplexes Tama on the ramp. Evil opens the barricade and drags Tama into the crowd, throwing him into some chairs. It’s walk and brawl time. Evil deposits Tama into some chairs and heads back to the ring as Togo and Jado square off ringside. Red Shoes is unimpressed with Evil’s antics but starts the count. Tama makes it back to the ring at 19.99. Evil goes for the cover but the referee just turns his back and refuses to count the cover as we hit five minutes.
Evil continues his offense with a backbreaker. Tama tries to fire back with some gut shots and gets some separation with a drop kick. A pair of clotheslines and a body slam from Tama put him in control. Stinger splash from Tama gets a near fall. A seated lariat gets another near fall. Evil escapes a Tongan twist with an eye rake, then blocks a suplex and hits his own for two. On the kickout Evil throws himself on top of the referee, and this is probably the cue for shenanigans. Evil connects with a release fisherman’s suplex, and here comes Dick Togo. He knocks Jado off the apron and lays the boots into Tama Tonga. Evil joins in as the fans react negatively. Magikiller by Togo and Evil. Red Shoes is still down, but crawls over to count. Tama kicks out at one! We are ten minutes in.
Evil applies the Darkness Scorpion death lock in the middle of the ring. Tama fights to the ropes and the ref calls for the break, but Evil maintains the hold as long as legally possible. A fireman’s carry from Evil is reversed into the Tongan Twist from Tama. Yay for alliteration! Superman punch and an enziguiri follow from Tama, and a spinebuster takes Evil to the mat. Supreme Flow from Tama gets a near fall. Tama measures Evil, but Dick Togo pulls him out of the ring. Jado gets on the apron, distracting the ref and allowing Togo to snap Tama’s neck over the top rope. Everything is Evil…blocked! Tama gets a schoolboy for a near fall, but Gun Stun is blocked by Evil who then levels Tama with a lariat. As the announcer calls the 15-minute mark, Evil pulls Tama up.
Darkness Falls connects for Evil, but is only good for a two count. Tama blocks Everything is Evil, but eats a pair of lariats. Tama is groggy on his feet, and gets whipped into the exposed corner. He shrugs it off and comes roaring out with a lariat! Togo into the ring…Gun Stun to Togo! Bloody Sunday to Evil! It only gets a two count. Evil blocks an attack and tries to whip Tama into the exposed corner again, but Tama jumps to the second rope. Evil pulls the ref between him and Tama, who leaps over the ref and tries for Gun Stun. While the ref is facing the wrong way Evil hits a low blow! Everything is Evil! That’s enough for the win.
WINNER: Evil (2pts) at 17:30 (**½)
(This would have got a higher rating if not for the ubiquitous House of Torture nonsense. I have to believe there’s a plan for all this cheating by Evil and his cohorts, but it’s pretty tiresome in the meantime. A good performance from both men nonetheless.)
(8) JEFF COBB vs. TETSUYA NAITO
Jeff Cobb just looks like a tank. A confident tank. Naito is 3-0 against Cobb.
Naito tries to convince Cobb to do the LIJ salute, but Cobb is having none of it. Naito throws Cobb to the floor and runs the ropes, but Cobb trips him and pulls him to the floor as well. They trade whips to the barricade before going back to the ring where Naito locks in a cravate. Naito tries the combinación cabrón but Cobb catches him midair, Naito rolls through but eats a beautiful drop kick. Naito rolls to the floor and Cobb pretends to go for a dive before hitting Naito’s trademark taunt. Cobb goes to the floor and lays in some shots before returning to the ring and posing while he waits for his opponent. Naito rolls back in at a count of 16. Cobb hits a stalling vertical suplex drop and gets a two count on a cocky cover. No way this casual attitude comes back to bite him, right? That never happens.
At the five-minute announcement, Cobb carries Naito into the corner and hits the Combinación Cobb-rón before once again mocking Naito. Cobb goes for a whip, Naito tries to reverse with a tornado DDT but Cobb blocks it with sheet strength. Naito gets a double handful of hair to save himself and hits a spinning neckbreaker. Naito has a hip toss blocked but after a series of reversals he is able to get an armdrag and basement dropkick. Combinación Cabrón connects. Naito goes to the ground game with a full leg nelson. Cobb lifts Naito and gets to his feet, but a series of back elbows from Naito sends the big man back down. Naito puts Cobb on the top rope and goes up with him for a huracanrana…super powerbomb by Cobb! That gets a near fall. A standing moonsault from Cobb gets another near fall. Men that size should not be able to do that so easily.
As we reach the halfway point, Naito is on the apron and Cobb tries to bring him in the hard way with a deadlift superplex. Naito fights it off with forearms and tries a rana off the second rope but almost piledrives himself in the process. That was not supposed to look like that. Naito follows up with a tornado DDT and tries for Gloria, which is blocked. Cobb connects with Spin Cycle! A series of reversals and blocks by each man is capped off with a running Destino by Naito! He retains wrist control and tries for a second, but Cobb reverses into Tour of the Islands! Both men are down as the referee starts the count. Both men get to their feet at the count of 9. Rolling kick by Naito, inverted atomic drop and the running jacknife cover gets two for Naito. Tour of the Islands attempt from Cobb is blocked into a rollup for two more. Stiff right hand by Cobb into a German suplex, Naito fires up but is leveled by a headbutt to the chest. Tour of the Islands…connects! One…two…three!
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (2pts) at 14:39 (***½)
(That was a worthy main event, especially in light of the minor disappointment that was Shingo vs Eddie. Cobb looked like a real threat and Naito helped that greatly by bringing his best. Given that Naito has promised to win the G1, this is not a great start for him. Solid match that probably stands as the best of the night.)
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- Sep 16, 2003
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My thoughts on Tiger Driver ‘23, as told to The Cult of Cornette FB group:
Jim’s questions May have been rhetorical; however, ‘why didn’t they do the Tiger Driver the normal/safe way’ & ‘is there a Tiger Driver that doesn’t look like a botch’ are answerable…
1) They did the Tiger Driver ‘91 because best case scenario they were going for high drama/holy shit moment, worse case they are self felating wrestling nerds that would risk severe injury for an homage that is two generations too late to resonate.
2) yes. The Tiger Driver is a double underhook sit-out power bomb that Misawa and others have used for a convincing finish.
* The Tiger Driver ‘91 and ‘98 were originally botches that were parlayed into legit spots because of the strength of the athlete’s necks, the strength of the Japanese Sports press, and the way that the product was presented in that era.
** I miss Misawa so much, and he passed away too soon. Even rigorously training your neck isn’t always enough to protect yourself from cumulative damage.
_____\\\\\_______
What are n-g. c o m’s thoughts?
Jim’s questions May have been rhetorical; however, ‘why didn’t they do the Tiger Driver the normal/safe way’ & ‘is there a Tiger Driver that doesn’t look like a botch’ are answerable…
1) They did the Tiger Driver ‘91 because best case scenario they were going for high drama/holy shit moment, worse case they are self felating wrestling nerds that would risk severe injury for an homage that is two generations too late to resonate.
2) yes. The Tiger Driver is a double underhook sit-out power bomb that Misawa and others have used for a convincing finish.
* The Tiger Driver ‘91 and ‘98 were originally botches that were parlayed into legit spots because of the strength of the athlete’s necks, the strength of the Japanese Sports press, and the way that the product was presented in that era.
** I miss Misawa so much, and he passed away too soon. Even rigorously training your neck isn’t always enough to protect yourself from cumulative damage.
_____\\\\\_______
What are n-g. c o m’s thoughts?
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- Sep 14, 2003
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NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 3
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) KAITO KIYOMIYA (2 pts) vs. CHASE OWENS (2 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya (4 pts) at 8:28. (**1/2)
(A very middle of the road start to today’s show. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I struggle to get invested in Chase Owens’ matches. At least it’s cool to see Kiyomiya start to gain some steam. With how heavy on newcomers Block A is, I think Kiyomiya has a decent shot at making it to the next round.)
(2) THE GREAT-O-KHAN (0 pts) vs. KENTA (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Kenta (2 pts) at 11:40. (**)
(Very slow paced and a lot of walk-and-brawl out of the ring. The final minutes were okay, but this didn’t need to go anywhere near as long as it did.)
(3) HIKULEO (0 pts) (w/Jado) vs. GABE KIDD (0 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Gabe Kidd (2 pts) at 3:29. (**1/2)
( I like the way Kidd has carried himself throughout his first two matches with the wild brawls at ringside. It obviously wasn’t clean, but I’m surprised Kidd got a pinfall victory over Hikuleo. Let’s just hope that Kidd is doing okay after that scary-looking fall.)
(4) TAICHI (2 pts) vs. TANGA LOA (2 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Taichi (4 pts) at 12:34. (***)
(Early on this match wasn’t really clicking with me, due to the slow pace and a couple of clunky spots. However, by the end they really got into a decent streak of counters and nearfalls. A much better showing from Loa after his match with KENTA from Night One.)
(5) REN NARITA (1 pt) vs. YOTA TSUJI (0 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Time limit draw at 20:00. Ren Narita (2 pts), Yota Tsuji (1 pt). (****)
(Just like Umino and Narita on Night One, Ren Narita and Yota Tsuji pushed each other to their limit in 20 minutes of back-and-forth action. I’m really loving the story between the former Young Lions and the way they portray their desire and ultimate failure to one-up each other.)
(6) YOSHI-HASHI (2 pts) vs. WILL OSPREAY (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Will Ospreay (2 pts) at 12:04. (****)
(Ospreay and YOSHI-HASHI started the match in second gear and never slowed down. intense and hard-hitting from bell-to-bell, this was easily one the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far.)
(7) SANADA (2 pts) vs. SHOTA UMINO (1 pt) – Block A Match
WINNER: SANADA (4 pts) at 18:50. (***1/2)
(A very methodical match early on that had some really great exchanges in the second half. This was more of a chance to showcase Umino in a lengthy top-billing match. Out of all the Young Lions, I thought Umino had an actually decent shot at beating SANADA and earning a future title shot.)
(8) KAZUCHIKA OKADA (2 pts) vs. EL PHANTASMO (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada (4 pts) at 16:22. (***1/2)
(A rock solid main event with an outstanding final stretch. I love seeing ELP get a main event spot against a top name like Okada and actually look like a semi-credible threat. The crowd seemed to be very into ELP and I really hope New Japan’s management notices the connection he’s created with the audience.)
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) KAITO KIYOMIYA (2 pts) vs. CHASE OWENS (2 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Kaito Kiyomiya (4 pts) at 8:28. (**1/2)
(A very middle of the road start to today’s show. It wasn’t terrible by any means, but I struggle to get invested in Chase Owens’ matches. At least it’s cool to see Kiyomiya start to gain some steam. With how heavy on newcomers Block A is, I think Kiyomiya has a decent shot at making it to the next round.)
(2) THE GREAT-O-KHAN (0 pts) vs. KENTA (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Kenta (2 pts) at 11:40. (**)
(Very slow paced and a lot of walk-and-brawl out of the ring. The final minutes were okay, but this didn’t need to go anywhere near as long as it did.)
(3) HIKULEO (0 pts) (w/Jado) vs. GABE KIDD (0 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Gabe Kidd (2 pts) at 3:29. (**1/2)
( I like the way Kidd has carried himself throughout his first two matches with the wild brawls at ringside. It obviously wasn’t clean, but I’m surprised Kidd got a pinfall victory over Hikuleo. Let’s just hope that Kidd is doing okay after that scary-looking fall.)
(4) TAICHI (2 pts) vs. TANGA LOA (2 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Taichi (4 pts) at 12:34. (***)
(Early on this match wasn’t really clicking with me, due to the slow pace and a couple of clunky spots. However, by the end they really got into a decent streak of counters and nearfalls. A much better showing from Loa after his match with KENTA from Night One.)
(5) REN NARITA (1 pt) vs. YOTA TSUJI (0 pts) – Block A Match
WINNER: Time limit draw at 20:00. Ren Narita (2 pts), Yota Tsuji (1 pt). (****)
(Just like Umino and Narita on Night One, Ren Narita and Yota Tsuji pushed each other to their limit in 20 minutes of back-and-forth action. I’m really loving the story between the former Young Lions and the way they portray their desire and ultimate failure to one-up each other.)
(6) YOSHI-HASHI (2 pts) vs. WILL OSPREAY (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Will Ospreay (2 pts) at 12:04. (****)
(Ospreay and YOSHI-HASHI started the match in second gear and never slowed down. intense and hard-hitting from bell-to-bell, this was easily one the most entertaining matches of the tournament so far.)
(7) SANADA (2 pts) vs. SHOTA UMINO (1 pt) – Block A Match
WINNER: SANADA (4 pts) at 18:50. (***1/2)
(A very methodical match early on that had some really great exchanges in the second half. This was more of a chance to showcase Umino in a lengthy top-billing match. Out of all the Young Lions, I thought Umino had an actually decent shot at beating SANADA and earning a future title shot.)
(8) KAZUCHIKA OKADA (2 pts) vs. EL PHANTASMO (0 pts) – Block B Match
WINNER: Kazuchika Okada (4 pts) at 16:22. (***1/2)
(A rock solid main event with an outstanding final stretch. I love seeing ELP get a main event spot against a top name like Okada and actually look like a semi-credible threat. The crowd seemed to be very into ELP and I really hope New Japan’s management notices the connection he’s created with the audience.)
- Joined
- Sep 14, 2003
- Posts
- 19,684
NJPW G1 CLIMAX 33 Results: Night 4
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) TORU YANO (0) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) (2) – D Block match
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. (4 pts) at 5:37. (***½)
(This was a tremendous comedy match. I recommend going out of your way to see this one. It was tremendously well put together.)
(2) MIKEY NICHOLLS (2) vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo) (2) – C Block match
WINNER: David Finlay (4 pts) at 9:52. (**)
(The story was simple enough with Finlay working over Nicholls’s head to set up his finish. It never felt like Finlay was ever in any danger of losing. The crowd was almost silent at times during the match.)
(3) JEFF COBB (2) vs. ALEX COUGHLIN (0) – D Block match
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (4 pts) at 9:51. (***½)
( This was a lot of fun with Coughlin showing his power and manhandling Cobb at times before taking the Tour of The Islands out of nowhere for the loss.)
(4) EVIL (2) (w/Dick Togo) vs. EDDIE KINGSTON (2) – C Block match
WINNER: Evil (4 pts) at 15:15. (**)
(This was the usual Evil match with tons of interference and referee spots. These matches have grown so tiresome after so many years. Is there nothing NJPW management can do to stop Evil from a storyline standpoint.)
(5) SHANE HASTE (2) (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) vs. HIROSHI TANAHASHI (0) – D Block match
WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi (2 pts) at 12:04. (***)
(It was tough to get excited for the action. Haste was dominant for the most part and the crowd only woke up when Tanahashi was going for a comeback. I was almost surprised Tanahashi won because this seemed like the perfect spot for him to lose and give Haste some momentum moving into his next series of matches in the tournament.
(6) SHINGO TAKAGI (0) vs. HENARE (0) – C Block match
WINNER: Henare (2 pts) at 19:38. (****)
(This was about two men going to war for two points. They woke up a dead crowd and the last five minutes of this match were outstanding. This was an insane battle of wills. I wasn’t comfortable with the headbutt spot earlier in the match, but that was the only detraction here. I’m excited about Henare again, but they’ve done so many overhauls with his character in the past. I think this one can stick. He was really good here and looks insane with his new face tattoo.)
(7) TETSUYA NAITO (0) vs. HIROOKI GOTO (2) – D Block match
WINNER: Tetsuya Naito (2 pts) at 17:40. (**½)
(The crowd is so weird for this show. They seem to want to get chants going and get into the matches, but whether or not the matches are good or average the crowd seems to lose steam quickly.
(8) TAMA TONGA (w/Jado) (0) vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII (0) – C Block match
WINNER: Tama Tonga (2 pts) at 15:38. (****)
(This was a war with Ishii going full Terminator and refusing to stay down long for most of the match. They had some great exchanges and built up to some great fighting spirit spots late in the match.
Results courtesy of PWTorch.com
(1) TORU YANO (0) vs. ZACK SABRE JR. (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) (2) – D Block match
WINNER: Zack Sabre Jr. (4 pts) at 5:37. (***½)
(This was a tremendous comedy match. I recommend going out of your way to see this one. It was tremendously well put together.)
(2) MIKEY NICHOLLS (2) vs. DAVID FINLAY (w/Gedo) (2) – C Block match
WINNER: David Finlay (4 pts) at 9:52. (**)
(The story was simple enough with Finlay working over Nicholls’s head to set up his finish. It never felt like Finlay was ever in any danger of losing. The crowd was almost silent at times during the match.)
(3) JEFF COBB (2) vs. ALEX COUGHLIN (0) – D Block match
WINNER: Jeff Cobb (4 pts) at 9:51. (***½)
( This was a lot of fun with Coughlin showing his power and manhandling Cobb at times before taking the Tour of The Islands out of nowhere for the loss.)
(4) EVIL (2) (w/Dick Togo) vs. EDDIE KINGSTON (2) – C Block match
WINNER: Evil (4 pts) at 15:15. (**)
(This was the usual Evil match with tons of interference and referee spots. These matches have grown so tiresome after so many years. Is there nothing NJPW management can do to stop Evil from a storyline standpoint.)
(5) SHANE HASTE (2) (w/Ichiban Sweet Boy Kosei Fujita) vs. HIROSHI TANAHASHI (0) – D Block match
WINNER: Hiroshi Tanahashi (2 pts) at 12:04. (***)
(It was tough to get excited for the action. Haste was dominant for the most part and the crowd only woke up when Tanahashi was going for a comeback. I was almost surprised Tanahashi won because this seemed like the perfect spot for him to lose and give Haste some momentum moving into his next series of matches in the tournament.
(6) SHINGO TAKAGI (0) vs. HENARE (0) – C Block match
WINNER: Henare (2 pts) at 19:38. (****)
(This was about two men going to war for two points. They woke up a dead crowd and the last five minutes of this match were outstanding. This was an insane battle of wills. I wasn’t comfortable with the headbutt spot earlier in the match, but that was the only detraction here. I’m excited about Henare again, but they’ve done so many overhauls with his character in the past. I think this one can stick. He was really good here and looks insane with his new face tattoo.)
(7) TETSUYA NAITO (0) vs. HIROOKI GOTO (2) – D Block match
WINNER: Tetsuya Naito (2 pts) at 17:40. (**½)
(The crowd is so weird for this show. They seem to want to get chants going and get into the matches, but whether or not the matches are good or average the crowd seems to lose steam quickly.
(8) TAMA TONGA (w/Jado) (0) vs. TOMOHIRO ISHII (0) – C Block match
WINNER: Tama Tonga (2 pts) at 15:38. (****)
(This was a war with Ishii going full Terminator and refusing to stay down long for most of the match. They had some great exchanges and built up to some great fighting spirit spots late in the match.
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2009
- Posts
- 9,091
1 that they're both nerds who want desperately to be a best ever mention. Kenny's probably said he's insured so let's do it.