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  • WWE results house show Casper, WY 11-1: Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns vs Bray & Braun

    By Luke Stricker

    – R-Truth beat Bo Dallas in about a minute, so Bo cried about it and wanted another match, saying he’d never return to Casper if he lost (safe bet on both counts).
    – Jack Swagger beat Bo.
    – Damien Sandow, Curtis Axel & Zack Ryder beat Heath Slater & The Ascension.
    – Sheamus beat Fandango.
    – New Day beat Prime Time Players.
    – Intermission.
    – Charlotte (big pop for her) & Becky beat Sasha & Tamina
    – Dolph Ziggler best Tyler Breeze (good match)
    – Dean & Roman beat Bray & Braun In a street fight (match of the night, didn’t really become a street fight until the second half of the match).

    Everyone seemed to have fun, and lots of wrestlers were great about posing for pictures and signing autographs. Good times!

  • GFW results 10/28 Lincolnshire, England: First international show

    Global Force Wrestling held their first international show on Wednesday 28th October at the Auditorium in Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, England.

    The event featured GFW founder Jeff Jarrett, as well as a reunion from the British Invasion tag team of Nick Aldis(TNA’s Magnus) and Doug Williams.Traffic caused by a serious accident on the main road into the town caused the event to be delayed by 15-20 minutes and there were still people coming into the venue at bell time.

    Merchandise was selling well, particularly the GFW Amped t-shirts but the most interesting point was the use of a four-sided ring (for the evening.

    The event started with ring announcer SoCalVal geeing up the crowd and introducing Karen Jarrett.

    Karen did an excellent job of noting the historic nature of the show and making it feel like something really special, before turning into a promo on the Nathan Cruz-Jeff Jarrett match, noting that Jeff had not ‘travelled all this way to lose’.

    CHRIS RIDGEWAY v NOAM DOR

    Ridgeway is highly-rated on the British circuit and is from Barrow-on-Furness. Dor is a veteran of TNA’s British Boot Camp II.

    Big things were expected of the opening contest but the participants opted to go for a comedy match centred on funny wristlock and back slide spots, whilst exchanging ‘wrestling’ taunts – it didn’t click with the crowd.

    Dor hit a nice standing drop kick to take control of the match. He worked on the arm before taking the victory with a quick tap out to a leg grapevine submission.

    1/2* – very disappointing match, the two guys didn’t click and what they put on seemed lost on the audience.

    BIG DAMO O’ CONNOR v BRAM – Falls Count Anywhere

    It was announced earlier in the day on social media that Bram would be Damo O’ Connor’s opponent in this open challenge match.

    O’Connor is huge, 6’4″ and around the 350lbs mark, he looks like a cross between Bray Wyatt and Jason Albert. He cut a good promo before the match saying that he was disappointed that Bram was answering the challenge and that it wasn’t the competition he was looking for.

    Bram responded by challenging O’Connor to a falls count anywhere match and the bout started straight away.

    They exchanged shoulderblocks to start with neither guy budging. Bram took charge with a flying tackle that sent Damo to the floor.

    The pair brawled into the first row but O’Connor took control and sent Bram flying back across the barrier.

    Bram hit the post hard and O’Connor got the first near fall with a running senton on the floor.

    Damo overpowered Bram but missed a diving headbuttallowing the Englishman to stage a bit of a comeback with a big bodyslam.

    That was cut off by a huge pump handle kick that elicited ‘oohs’ from the crowd. Damo got a fantastic near fall off a Samoan drop/running senton combination.

    Damo got another two off a Northern Lights Suplex. He went for a second one but it was blocked and Bram turned it around into an Impaler DDT for the win.

    **3/4 – Hard hitting brawl that would have benefited from using more of the falls count anywhere stipulation. First time seeing O’Connor and I was impressed with his movement and presence.

    NIKKI STORM v MICKIE JAMES

    First big pop of the evening for Mickie. Nikki declares herself the ‘Best in the Galaxy’ and never stops talking, constantly berating the audience and her opponent.

    Mickie gets the upper hand early on and Nikki stalls to argue with fans in the front row.

    Nikki cut off the early momentum with a drop kick and took over with the usual heel tactics, hair pulling, choking and slaps to the face.

    She went for a leglock submission but Mickie made the ropes. Nikki went up top but got caught and slammed off.

    Mickie scored two with a cross body from the top rope. She went for a sunset flip but Nikki grabbed the ropes and got two off that before the referee swiped her hands away.

    Nikki went for a suplex but it was reversed and Mickie was able to hit a kick to the midsection and a leaping DDT for the win.

    **1/2 – Better than the majority of the Diva matches you see on RAW. Mickie looked in great shape and you can see why there’s been some interest in Nikki.

    The interval took place after this with the opportunity to meet Mickie James and receive a signed photo for £10.

    ‘THE PRIMATE’ JASON PRIME v ROBBIE X

    These two young British wrestlers got a chance to shine but unfortunately much of the audience was still coming back from intermission.

    The match was fairly flat and lacked any heat. They went for a technical, ground based bout, which didn’t allow the fans to really get a feel for either man.

    Robbie got the win when he blocked a Prime charge in the corner and grabbed the ropes for a cheap three.

    * – hard to gauge this one as the match was solid enough from a technical standpoint but did little to get the crowd involved.

    NATHAN CRUZ v JEFF JARRETT w/ KAREN JARRETT

    Nathan Cruz is perhaps the biggest star of New Generation Wrestling (NGW) based out of Hull (around 30 miles from Grimsby). This meant he was familiar to many in the audience from local TV coverage and various other shows.

    Jeff cut a great promo before the bout stating that Cruz wasn’t strong enough competition and that the match would end up being like the NFL going up against the English Premier League (soccer) – the superior athlete would prevail.

    Jarrett took control with an armdrag and riled up the audience with the Fargo strut and then laid across the top rope.

    Cruz hit a nice dropkick to send Jarrett to the floor. He hid behind Karen but Nathan kept chasing them until he forced Jeff back into the ring.

    Nathan was in charge with some high-flying offence but Karen kept interfering to halt his momentum.

    Jeff went for a suplex but it was reversed into a slingshot suplex for a fantastic near fall.

    Cruz went back up top but Karen again interfered. This time Nathan dragged her into the ring but the referee pulled the pair apart. The distraction allowed Jeff to hit a low blow and the Stroke for the three.

    ***  This was an entertaining match that benefited from the constant interference from Karen, which made sure they got the right reaction.

    RAMPAGE BROWN & MARTY SCURLL v THE BRITISH INVASION (Nick Aldis & Doug Williams)

    Rampage Brown is again one of the top stars in NGW, so he received a good heel reaction.

    Marty Scurll is from the first TNA British Bootcamp and is now working a Clockwork Orange-inspired gimmick.

    Doug Williams got a nice pop and has wrestled in the area many times before. Nick Aldis is the former Magnus and had the GFW World Title with him.

    Scurll cut a promo before the match saying that Aldis wasn’t a good representation of a British world champion.

    The British Invasion guys bounced Scurll around to start but he eventually made the tag to Brown, who took over on Williams.

    It was old-school tag action with the heels cutting off the ring and using several illegal double teams to remain in control.

    Doug reversed a waistlock and went for the Chaos Theory on Scurll but Brown broke it up. Aldis got knocked to the floor and the heels took over again on Williams.

    They set him up for a double superplex but Aldis came back in to turn it into the Tower of Doom.

    This took Rampage out of the action and allowed Williams to hit an exploder suplex on Scurll, with Aldis coming off the top with a beautiful elbow drop for the win.

    ***1/4 – this was a really entertaining tag match that had the fans involved from the start and sent them home happy.

    SoCalVal then invited fans into the ring for a £10 photo opportunity with Aldis and the GFW Title belt.

    Overall it was an entertaining old-school show with plenty of fan interaction and some solid action.

    BIGGEST POPS

    1. Nick Aldis

    2. Mickie James

    3. Doug Williams

    4. The Jarretts (entrance)

    5. Nathan Cruz

    BIGGEST HEAT

    1. Jeff Jarrett

    2. Karen Jarrett

    3. Damo O’ Connor

    4. Nikki Storm

    5. Rampage Brown & Marty Scurll

  • Jim Ross live show schedule for WrestleMania weekend

    Jim Ross has announced doing three separate shows over WrestleMania weekend.

    Ross will be doing his one man show at the House of Blues, which is near the American Airlines Center, both before and after the WWE events in the building.

    Shows are set for 4 p.m. and 11 p.m. on Saturday, April 2nd.  That would be both before the Hall of Fame show and after.  The Hall of Fame show will likely be scheduled from 7-10 p.m., although it seems to always go long.

    Ross will also be doing a show after Raw on Monday, April 4th, at 11 p.m., which would be about 50 minutes after Raw ends live.

    Tickets for the events will go on sale Friday, which include Meet and Greet tickets for all three shows.

  • Judo Gene LeBell talks Ronda Rousey

    Combat legend Judo Gene LeBell made his second appearance on Submission Radio this week.

    Gene discussed his views on Ronda’s fighting future citing he’d like to see her retire while she’s on top and avoid the path many of his combat friends took by sticking around too long “I personally would like to see her retire while she’s on top. And if you think of Joe Louis, he fought too long. Muhammad Ali fought too long. You know, everybody eventually will get beat. There’s a tougher guy that comes along, and you’re not that tough anymore.” 

    Focusing on her next fight at UFC 193 Gene dissects Rousey’s fight with Holm “Well, the only way she could beat Ronda is boxing. She isn’t gonna beat her on the mat, she isn’t gonna beat her at Judo, she isn’t gonna beat her at wrestling. I’ve watched a lot of film on Holly, and she’s good. She’s very, very good. She usually hits and hits hard, and then when she backs up, she moves to her left. Very predictable. I’m a big one of watching old films if you’re gonna fight. Football players watch and see people’s habits, and they usually don’t change.”

    Another fight Gene would like to see Rousey have is with Cris Cyborg however LeBell doesn’t hide the fact that he’s prejudice when talking about how the fight would play out “Well you know, I’m prejudiced. Gene LeBell should keep him mouth shut. But at this time, it’s like when Joe Louis was in his prime, Muhammad Ali was in his prime, Henry Armstrong in his prime. Everybody else is fighting to be second favourite. Well that’s the way I feel with Ronda right now. She’s on top of the world. It’d be a great fight, because this gal, she can fight, she can box, and if she cuts Ronda, the finish could be something else.” Much like Ronda’s camp Gene doesn’t believe the fight should take place at anything but 135 “Why should she go up? She’s the champion at 135. Let them come to her, to Rowdy Ronda. Let them come to her and then fight. I don’t know if it will ever take place. I’d like to see it as a fan, take place, because I like to see the best go against the best.”

    Read the transcript below where Gene discusses Mayweather vs. Rousey, how Floyd stacks up to the all time boxing greats and his memories of Roddy Pipper. 

    Full interview:  http://bit.ly/1WdygSN (Starts at 53:30)

    Transcript

    On if Gene believes Holm’s 19 boxing world championships will matter in her fight with Rousey at UFC 193

    “Well, the only way she could beat Ronda is boxing. She isn’t gonna beat her on the mat, she isn’t gonna beat her at Judo, she isn’t gonna beat her at wrestling. I’ve watched a lot of film on Holly, and she’s good. She’s very, very good. She usually hits and hits hard, and then when she backs up, she moves to her left. Very predictable. I’m a big one of watching old films if you’re gonna fight. Football players watch and see people’s habits, and they usually don’t change.”

    On if Gene believes Mayweather would ever have an exhibition match with Rousey

    “First of all, a man against a women….it isn’t gonna go, because a man is physically a lot stronger than any women in comparison. And to me, it’s just something to talk about. A lot of the women swimmers now are swimming a lot faster, hundreds of yards then they did in the Olympics 40-50 years ago, ‘cause they’re learning better methods and they’re faster. But so are the men. You know, they had a tennis match between a women and a man. Well, the man was over the hill and was a bum – [Billie Jean] King was the women, and she beat him. To me it’s like a sideshow. It is something to talk about. Who’s the king of the mountain?”

    “I don’t think in a physical place…they [women] gotta be a big underdog. You get the best women basketball players in the world and if they win against a mediocre basketball team of men, the men have gotta win practically every time. So it’s a handicap.”

    “I don’t think it would ever happen. I think it would be bad. I’d personally like to see Ronda fight Cyborg. But she’s gotta get over Holly Holm first, and if Holly Holm hits her, she could hurt her, cut her. Ronda is very good with the gloves. Maybe she’s not in Holly’s class for sure, but her other accolades gotta make her a winner, and she’s devoted. I mean, you go into the gym [with Ronda] and people want to talk to her, rub elbows. She doesn’t even look at them. Why? Cause she’s working out. She is the most focused athlete I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of them and in a lot of different sports. And they joke and they get on their cell phones and texts and everything. When she’s working out, boxing – and she’s good at boxing, Judo, grappling, whatever – she doesn’t see you. You could be the famous movie star, she wouldn’t even look at you.”

    With Gene being around Muhammad Ali and Sugar Ray Robinson, where does Floyd Mayweather rank as the greatest of all time?

    “Well Floyd to me is as good a Welterweight or a fighter as has ever lived. He’s not as entertaining as Sugar Ray Robinson, Sugar Ray Leonard, but they’ve both lost. Mayweather has never lost. And he fought the ‘bum of the month’ and good people. He fought everybody. And he made a lot of money. His personality, a lot of people don’t like him for particular reasons which I’m not getting into. I admire his ability in the ring, and when he trains, he trains hard. Now he’s retired and gonna spend his millions of dollars, and more power to him.”

    “He’s one of the best that’s ever lived in his weight area.”

    On if Gene believes that Cyborg is clean and off steroids these days

    “I don’t know if she’s clean or not. I’m assuming she is. I hope she is. A lot of people knock Cyborg, but man, she’s probably in my opinion the second best women martial artist that ever lived. Did I say second best? Yeah. But it would be a good contest between Miesha and Cyborg. Everybody can get beaten. Ronda has all her fights [won in the] first round, but Miesha went three rounds with her. But always you had a feeling, well anytime she’s gonna finish it. Cyborg is an animal, well-conditioned athlete, and I thought it would be a good contest if the winner goes against Ronda.”

    How would Cybrog vs. Rousey play out if it ever does happen?

    “Well you know, I’m prejudiced. Gene LeBell should keep him mouth shut. But at this time, it’s like when Joe Louis was in his prime, Muhammad Ali was in his prime, Henry Armstrong in his prime. Everybody else is fighting to be second favourite. Well that’s the way I feel with Ronda right now. She’s on top of the world. It’d be a great fight, because this gal, she can fight, she can box, and if she cuts Ronda, the finish could be something else.”

    On if Ronda should fight Cyborg at a higher weight

    “Why should she go up? She’s the champion at 135. Let them come to her, to Rowdy Ronda. Let them come to her and then fight. I don’t know if it will ever take place. I’d like to see it as a fan, take place, because I like to see the best go against the best.”

    Gene talks about his special relationship with Roddy Piper and remembers a chat he had with Pipper two days before he passed away

    “Well Roddy Pipper, he’s good. I mean, when I say good, I don’t take that lightly. He would have made a fortune off MMA, but he was making a fortune doing Piper’s Pit. And every time he got in a bad mood he’d call me up ‘come on, we’re going down to the gym and wrestle’. And he spent a lot of time on an airplane, going from town to town. He had a little radio program here I was on, and two days before he passed, I was with him and he said he wants to come down on Monday to the dojo and workout. And I said ‘no problem’. I says ‘how do you feel’? He says “I’m tired. Gene, I’m really tired”. And you burn the candle at both ends, it’s gonna come up and get you in the middle.”

    “So anyway, he at 61, he passed. And I used to – I have a terrible memory. But I used to tell him, every year his birthday was April 17th and 1954. And I said ‘oh, it’s you’re birthday’, you know and he always asks ‘how do you remember?’. Well I do things through association. I won Judo nationals through that date for the US on April 17th 1954. So you know, now I am 104 and going up, but he was a good guy.”

    If Gene believes Ronda would make a good Pro Wrestler in the WWE after her MMA career

    “She could become one and she would be very good, but why? Because she wouldn’t go on the road, and drive from one town to the next to make things. She might do a spot-show once in a while, but it’s better to do movies. ‘Cause in movies, if they play it again, even if you have a small part – like you talk about Rocky. I get residuals. I must have gotten thousands of dollars in residuals from that, and in dollars, American dollars. And once you do wrestling, that’s it. Plus I got life time insurance, which is very important and for me and my family, and that’s a good thing. I love pro wrestling. I wrestled pro on-and-off for 20 years. I love it. It was the way of life. But I think she’s better off doing movies, and I personally would like to see her retire while she’s on top. And if you think of Joe Louis, he fought too long. Muhammad Ali fought too long. You know, everybody eventually will get beat. There’s a tougher guy that comes along, and you’re not that tough anymore. You think you are in your head: ‘I think I can beat the world’. And then I go out and I stumble on the mat and look for my glasses to see where my opponent is. In other words – of course I’m teasing – but there’s a time to retire. And she said ‘when I’ll retire, you’ll never hear from me again’. She’s gonna become a beach bum and just surf.”

    On if Gene discussed that she needs to retire and not hang around too long

    “Oh I told her that. I don’t want her hurt by fighting too long. And you can be the best in the world and catch a punch or a kick and it can hurt you. I’ve got injuries that, you know, they were over within a couple of days when you’re young. 20 years later, you come back and you’re limping around, ‘oh I remember when I hurt my knee’ and it comes back on you. The only initial investment you have, Denis and Kacper, is your body. You know, that’s in MMA, Football, Soccer, Basketball. Your body is your initial investment. I recommend all MMA fighters get a second job. In other words, I’ve had people that are real good, and then they can’t make it anymore and they made lots of money, and then they’re out of a job. Have another vocation, another avocation, another job. Something that you can go back on.”

  • Reader Feedback: WWE Hell in a Cell

    Thumbs Up

    Thought it was on-course for a thumbs in the middle show until the main event, with the crowd being a big factor, however after the main event no way you could give it anything other than a thumbs up. Speaking of the crowd, having not seen the pre-show match until after main card, I thought it was a case of an unenthused crowd based on the recent product, but after watching the six-man I was left scratching my head. I guess it was a case of some slow action, some average matches, some tiredness towards the end, and only having a strong desire to see certain people and the main event being responsible for the lacklustre response.

    Wasn’t thrilled with the return of Del Rio, and no idea what happened to things being bad under Triple H as Head of TR, and being able to make more money outside of the company. Always felt Del Rio consistently had decent-good matches in WWE, but never really “fit” in the company high up the card, and he was never close to being as over as he should’ve been given his push. As far as the match, I was pretty shocked. It seemed nothing more than a one-sided midcard house show. I understood that they couldn’t do too much with the first cell match following, but expected more. As far as the finish, I didn’t think it was a good idea at all. With the push Del Rio was getting in the company just over twelve months ago, I think there’s little chance of people taking him seriously as a high level guy anytime soon. And again, despite his huge push last time he never got that over. For him to beat Cena clean in the middle in an 80-20 match, especially at the present time, just seemed so wrong.

    As far as the rest of the show I thought Reigns & Wyatt had a good match with a great layout, but felt there was a real lack of intensity and aggression, and would’ve liked a change of pace a few times in the match. Thought Bubba did well to get some rare life out of the crowd in the back-end of the tag title match. Charlotte & Nikki had a good women’s match, there was some good aggression, a little too much aggression on one occasion in Nikki’s case, some nice athletic and creative spots, felt it was one of Nikki’s most solid performances in recent months, also Charlotte did some real babyface selling which is a novelty in WWE these days. My only real problem was going to the finish so soon after Charlotte took the Alabama Slam on the apron, didn’t seem right at all. Also not sure what the deal was with that top rope German spot, real odd looking spot.

    Thought Kane worked hard. They say better late than never, but it may be a little too late with the booking of Rollins. Ryback-Owens was a total rush job. Main event was great, thought the flow wasn’t quite there at times, but it was a real war, had a big match feel, lots of nice spots, plenty of aggression, great job by both guys without being overly reckless. As far as the blood, I thought it was a case of intended hard-way by both guys without permission from the company, but after the push on the doctor I’m not sure what to think. Closing angle was good, great to see someone get heat for a villainous beat-down in 2015. Interested to see where they go from here, whether it be a Taker-Wyatt match at Survivor Series with Taker possibly returning the favour, or perhaps a Wyatts vs. Taker/Reigns/Ambrose/? match at Survivor Series, as the backstage segment with Reigns & Ambrose could be seen as a hint and an explanation for their absence during the beat-down.                     

    Tom Griffiths

    Thumbs Up

    Best Match: Undertaker vs. Lesnar

    Worst Match: Ryback vs. Owens

    US Title: Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio

    – Great surprise with Del Rio returning, didn’t see that coming at all – and great to have another top heel in the mix who feels fresh after being gone for a while. Not sure about the pairing with Zeb, it seemed a bit awkward, but Zeb’s great, so we’ll see how it pans out. Both guys seemed a bit out of time with each other and I think the match would have meant a lot more later on in the card, but it was still a good match, just not up to the insanely high bar Cena has set this year. The finish of course came out of nowhere (as to how we’ve been conditioned as fans), but I didn’t mind it as it caught us all off guard (which is a good thing) and I think Del Rio is a great US champ while Cena’s gone. **3/4

    HIAC:Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt

    – Let me preface this by saying I hate having 2 of the same gimmick matches on the same card. You wouldn’t do 2 steel cage matches on the same night, you wouldn’t do 2 Last Man Standing matches on the same night… and Hell In A Cell is supposed to be the WWE’s ultimate grudge ending match. So to me it should be saved for the main event, something that you anticipate all night. That being said, this was a great match. Both guys took some brutal table bumps and had an extremely physical match. Much better than what I was expecting. ***1/2

    **Survivor Series: 25 years of Undertaker commercial… wow poor Taker, after what you know is going to be a brutal Cell Match later tonightthis 50 year old man has to wrestle again next month. This must be the most dates he’s worked in years now.

    Tag Titles: Dudleyz vs. New Day

    – This match definitely missed Xavier’s crazy antics outside the ring. I loved the set up for the false DQ finish by throwing the Trombone to the Dudleyz. If the Dudleyz were going to win the titles tonight would have been the night with New Day having a built in excuse by not having Xavier there, but they just haven’t had the momentum since coming back, so it was the right decision to keep them on New Day for the time being. **

    Divas Title: Nikki Bella vs. Charlotte

    – By Divas standards, really good singles match for the title. Best women’s match they’ve had on the main roster in quite a while. Thought both girls worked well and told a good story and pulled off a few big spots. ***

    WWE Title: Kane vs. Seth Rollins

    – Why in the hell in the champion coming out first? Stupid question, I know. What can I say about this match? They’ve made the WWE title mean about as much as the old European Title over the past few months of constantly pinning Seth. This was the 4th biggest match of the night, behind the two HIAC and Cena Open Challenge. That’s a sad, sad state of affairs for the title which meant SO MUCH just back in March. **1/2

    IC Title: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens

    – The IC title has officially replaced the Divas matches in the death spot before the main event. Total waste of time with KO facing Ryback. At least they kept it short. 1/2*

    HIAC: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

    – As usual, when Brock is on the card, he steals the show. Loved how they started out in MMA stances. Was shocked obviously to see colour (Canadian spelling) so early on.. let alone double colour from both guys. Taker looked like he took a nasty chair shot right in the jaw. Both guys looked like they were beating the absolute crap out of each other (again, Undertaker is a 50 year old man!). He really is a phenom to be having these kind of matches 25 years after his debut with the scariest genetic freak to ever step inside the ring. They found an interesting finish to the match with Brock pulling up the ring, I can’t remember seeing that before in WWE. I did find it somewhat amusing that a “balls shot” is still seen as a cheap shot in a match where you can use tables, kendo sticks, stairs, chairs, etc. Great, physical match overall. The blood really does add to a match like this when used properly. 

    ****1/2

    Aftermath: As soon as the Wyatt’s music hit I immediately thought, “Oh God no, Dave’s speculation of Taker vs. Braun Strowman as a possible Mania match might actually happen!” Luckily, I quickly remembered that Taker was scheduled for Survivor Series and there were 4 Wyatt’s now with Harper returning to set up a 4-on-4 traditional Survivor Series match. Obviously, Kane will get in there with Taker. If they want to keep with the “spooky gimmick character” theme it would be a good time to do a surprise debut for Finn Balor (although he would look like an absolute midget in there against all the Wyatt’s). And had Sting not got injured, it would have been a great spot to put him in as well, but maybe instead they’ll debut someone like Baron Corbin, or simply use a returning Randy Orton. 

    Strong show overall for a PPV that had an extremely weak build. 

    – Tim Dudley in Toronto

    Best Match: Brock Lesnar vs Undertaker

    Worst Match: Charlotte vs Nikki Bella

    This was a pretty fun show. I was really glad to see Del Rio and although the match could have been a little better it was a solid presentation overall and I liked the finish. I liked the Reigns vs Wyatt cell match, it is tough to know where to go with these two guys in a company where the booking is kind of lost but as a match it was quite good

    The New Day match was a lot of fun, even without Xavier Woods they are still really entertaining. Charlotte vs Nikki was a little weak to me but I still liked it. Rollins vs Kane was fine but I am begging to never have Kane in another world title match. Owens vs Ryback was too quick but I was glad to see Owens get a nice, simple win.

    Lesnar vs Undertaker was really great. I do wish that some of the things these guys were able to do were available to undercard guys but I also understand that they might not have been allowed to do them anyway. But ya, this was a great match that might not go down as an all-time classic but was well worth watching

    Dave Musgrave

    Oshawa, Ontario

    Thumbs Up!

    Best Match: Taker vs. Lesnar

    Worst Match: Owens vs. Ryback

    I felt like this was a quality show from the pre-show all the way through. Really not a bad match on the show at all. I thought the build up videos for each match were really well done and it felt like the blow off to several feuds. Lesnar vs. Taker felt like a big time match and the crowd reaction was totally different than the rest of the show. Alberto Del Rio was a real surprise in the opening match. I think WWE definitely needs to bring in a few more people of his caliber to mix things up a little. I will say that the product did not seem stale at all on this PPV because of the strong matches and build up videos. Raw is another story because the biggest stars do not even do Raw anymore. Looking forward to the Undertaker celebration at Survivor Series…I wonder if they are planning to bring in big stars from his past for this?

    Cory Walker

    Thumbs in the middle

    Best match: Lesnar vs. Undertaker

    Two cell matches on one show is pointless and the Reigns/Wyatt match would have been just as good without the cage. Lesnar vs. Undertaker felt like the climax to a heated feud, as it should have. Undertaker against the Wyatts has little appeal to me, I’d much rather have seen Undertaker ride off into the sunset.

    Del Rio returning doesn’t feel like a big deal since he’s just going to be stuck as an upper mid carder without many new people to work with.

    Mike Hiscoe

    WWE Hell in a Cell: Thumbs Up

    Best Match: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar

    Worst Match: Ryback vs. Kevin Owens

    Show started off well with a fun six man tag during the pre-show.  Cesaro is truly deserving of something more.  I know it gets said time and again, but it is so true.

    John Cena vs. a surprising Alberto Del Rio for the U.S. Title kicks off the show.  It is weird having him with Zeb Coulter.  Maybe it sets up a turn for the down line when Del Rio can’t take Zeb anymore.  The finish was a little shocking. 

    Reigns vs. Wyatt in the Cell was very good.  Not surprised that Reigns went over at least not until the close of the show in which it seems maybe Wyatt should have gone over. 

    Tag Title match was okay.  Not sure how the Dudley’s get another title shot after they keep not getting the job done, but since it is WWE they will probably get a hundred more title shots.

    Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella was the best Diva’s match probably since they brought the NXT Women up to the main roster.  Charlotte retains and I am sure Paige will be next in line.

    Rollins vs. Kane was solid.  I guess Kane will get fired tomorrow, but will probably continue as a wrestler. 

    Main Event was excellent with Lesnar vs. Taker and the finish with Wyatt Family looks to be leading to a traditional Survivor Series match for next month.  I would suspect Kane, Ambrose, and Reigns perhaps as the partners for Taker.

    Robb Block

    WWE Hell in a Cell 2015
    Thumbs Up
    Best Match: Brock Lesner vs. Undertaker
    Worst Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback

    It’s noteworthy that my feed was almost perfect for this show, the
    first time that has ever happened for me for a live WWE Network
    show/PPV on my PS3. They have almost always been problematic in the
    past with freezing, skipping, poor video quality, etc. particularly
    via the PS3 app.

    Lou Pickney

    Hey Dave,

    Overall: Thumbs up! One of my main criticisms of the WWE is the way that they never end feuds, rivalries, and angles with a climax and exclamation point. In stark contrast to Summerslam, I felt finality in the four major angles that served as the tent poles of the Hell in a Cell event.  Rollins soundly beat Kane. Cena cleanly ended his successful reign as the US Champion. Reigns decisively won his season long rivalry with Wyatt. Most notably, the Taker and Lesnar saga was ended in a climatic and fitting manner.  Furthermore, despite ending four major story arches, they established a new story branch at the conclusion of the event.

    Best Match: Taker and Lesnar was not pretty, but it felt like the most important match in WWE this year. It has the epic feel that is hard to create.

    Worst Match:  Nothing was bad. Ryback and Owens was disappointing.

    A. Neville, Cesaro, and Ziggler vs. Barrett, Sheamus, and Rusev.  As Michael Cole stated, “Cesaro was incredible during that match!” On this occasion, this was not an exaggeration. When Cesaro made the hot tag he was a runaway train and the Cali crowd supplied the nitrous. This match would have been a worthy PPV opener. Instead, it served as a better than usual pre match show. ***

    1. US Title Match: John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio was certainly a surprise, but I have never been a big fan of his. He is one of the few wrestlers in WWE who has been pushed beyond his ability. The match was above average. I appreciated the fact that the finish came out of nowhere and was not preceded by multiple near falls and finishers. The challenger was a surprise, and finish came as a surprise. **3/4

    2. Hell in a Cell: Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. Strong, physical, and lenghty match. The pacing was deliberate and the high spots were designed as the main transitions building towards a finish. The crowd was lukewarm at the onset, but were stirred into reacting by the physicality and the high spots. The announcers oversold the match a bit, but this is obviously a preordained step in elevating Reigns towards bigger and better things. With that said, the WWE brass must be at least somewhat concerned with the mixed reaction that Reigns receives in all of the WWE’s major markets. ***1/2

    3. Tag Team Title Match: New Day vs. Dudley Boys. Just an average tag match. Crowd was settling down after the Hell in a Cell carnage, and hence were quiet to start. Crowd came alive towards the end and really ate up the DQ tease spot.  The timing of the finish was a bit off. **

    4.  Divas Title Match: Charlotte vs. Nikki Bella. The layout of the match was good, the execution left some to be desired. The presentation of Nikki as the seasoned veteran rubs me the wrong way. The closing sequence was a highlight and it appears as though Nikki has been knocked off the pedestal she has occupied for the last year. Hopefully, this is onwards and upwards for women’s wrestling.  **1/2

    5. WWE Title Match: Seth Rollins vs. Kane. Strong win for Rollins. Despite how he is often booked, Rollins continues to be the WWE’s MVP.  This match was about the best one could ask from a aging big man like Kane. Acceptable match with a  clean and decisive finish. **1/2

    6. IC Title Match: Kevin Owens vs. Ryback. As a match, it was disappointing. From a character portrayal perspective, it worked. Ryback dominated the match with power and aggression. Owens snakes away the victory using under handed tactics. The camera man and announcers did not give adequate description and vantage point to the eye rake prior to the pop up powerbomb **

    7. Hell in a Cell: Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. It was not pretty, but it sure was exciting.  Most importantly, the match brought finality to the feud and rivalry. It was the exclamation point that should be placed as the capstone to an epic main event feud.  I enjoyed the tit for tat low blow that Lesanr delivered to defeat the Taker. It was a fitting blow that fit the tenor of the rivalry. I appreciated the fact that Taker got to take in the moment before the Wyatt attack. ****

    Derrick Hubbard

    Thumbs Up
    Best Match: Lesnar-Taker
    Worst Match: New Day – Dudleys

    Want to start by saying that Reigns vs Wyatt reminded me a lot of Rock-HHH from Summerslam 98. Two guys who management liked and were getting close to title/upper level and in a long feud with each other and took that next step. Did they use some gimmicks and shortcuts in it? Yes but so didnt that ladder match. Crowd really appreciated Reigns afterwards and Wyatt did a great job carrying most of the narrative. 

    Had to highlight that first since we know what everyone will be talking about – that main event. Holy cow. Started off a little slow but as soon as the bladejob and blood went to a frenzy. Saw all the talk on Twitter about Vince losing it about blood and though I dont doubt it for some reason I could see him not liking ripping the ring more, was an odd visual – added to the match though. These two had a challenge ahead of them matching their prior encounter and hell in a cell history but pulled it off. Would have preferred to have the Wyatt angle on Raw personally to not take away from the match and the gravity of it, as well as having a really good angle to fill out Raw but if they are set for Wyatt-Taker II guess they just wanted to bridge right to it. 

    Raw mat continue to disapoint but the PPVs have been so solid for a while. Gave the tag title match worst again but felt it was better than last months and nothing “terrible” about it. 

    Del Rio was a nice surprise, know his name had come up but you never know til you see it. He looked in great shape and had a little more fire and spirit. Was puzzled he didnt come in as a face considering they are short there and there is always the talk about a Latino star. Not the pandering forced face act around WM29 but just a straight up tough face role. 

    Was dreading Kane-Rollins but Seth was able to once again do a lot with it. Huge Owens fan and thought he got another solid match with Ryback. The six man was pretty exciting and Cesaro continues to just be a burst in every match. Its a broken record but its too bad they refuse to go with him as someone who can have legit title opportunities and around the top tier even if they never go “all” the way. The divas match had some rough parts but enough spots made it better to me then the tag match. 

    Im looking forward to the behind the scenes radio show talk about the Main Event and Del Rio!

    P.S. – Breaking Ground looks awesome from the sneak tonight. We know they are going for Hard Knocks but theres a reason why; its because that setup almost always delivers on its viewing experience and this looks to be the same

    Thanks,
    Michael O’Brien

    Thumbs up.

    Best match: Lesnar-Undertaker

    Worst match: Divas

    Best highlight: Del Rio return/winning title quickly in one-sided match

    Better than expected. With Undertaker-Lesnar, they made it work and engaged the crowd.

    Wyatt-Reigns did a great job in their match as well.  Del Rio’s surprise return with a pretty easy and

    decisive win over Cena was also well done. Rollins-Kane decent for what it was…kind of lost between 

    the other key matches.

    Owens fine. Could have lived without Divas, New Day matches, but it was a solid show. The Bray Wyatt-led attack on Undertaker at the end of the show interesting…

    gives Undertaker a potential “next step”.

     –Mike Omansky

    THUMBS just in the middle.  The lack of build probably hurt the show.  I wasn’t that invested in it.

    Best Match: Reigns v. Wyatt

    Worst Match: Kane v. Rollins

    Cena v. ADR: I paid less attention to the match than to the return of ADR.  A legit surprise, but not a terribly exciting one.  It is not clear to me whether he is going to be a babyface or a heel.  The Colter promo suggests possible babyface, but I think he works better as a heel.

    Reigns v. Wyatt:  Perhaps the most promising sign for Reign’s potential longevity was the dueling chant that broke out at one point.  Some people do love to hate this guy, but you have to agree, he can go in the ring, and is having much better matches than he did 1 year ago.  I think a solo heel run would really help him in the long run.  Wyatt put on a good match, too (he did seem to hit his head hard on that spear through the table, which I didn’t love seeing).  I think he would be the perfect babyface for the anti-establishment moment in our culture.

    On the booking, I hated seeing Reigns kick out of a GREAT looking Sister Abigail.  I hope Wyatt was just selling his eye, because that spot with the kendo sticks as spikes was very ominous looking.

    New Day v. Dudleys: The New Day held its own despite Woods notable absence.  Interesting to see the New Day getting more pops than even the Dudleys, and the Dudleys are clearly liked.  An interesting dynamic with the New Day.

    Charlotte v. Nikki Bella:  This match was okay, not great, but I want to commit a sacrilege by saying that Nikki outperformed Charlotte here.  I wish Charlotte would retire the wooing; it is just distracting.  

    Kane v Rollins: I just did not want to see this match, and the match itself didn’t change my mind.  I think the main problem was the outcome was never in any doubt.  Title defense in this spot on the card also says a lot.

    Ryback v. Owens:  A decent match.  The pop-up power bomb looked a lot better on Mark Henry than it did here, so much so I was afraid that Ryback was going to kick out.  I still like Owens, so I hope he’s on to something better.

    Taker v. Lesnar:  I feel like a lot of this we have already seen before.  I liked the ripping of the ring canvas and exposed boards as something we have actually never seen before.  I feel like this whole aftermath of The Breaking of The Streak didn’t really have much of a point.  Nonetheless, I am ready to see what is next for Lesnar, and how the Undertaker wraps up his legendary career.

    Undertaken Abduction:  I’m intrigued.  I just don’t want to see a replay of the Daniel Bryan-Wyatt angle, with UT taking over the Daniel Bryan role.

    Richard Orloski

  • ROH house show report 10-24 Dayton, OH: Champions vs. All Stars Elimination Match

    Ring of Honor: Glory By Honor XIV results, Dayton, OH
    by Justin McClelland

    Prior to the show, they announced AJ Styles was out with an undisclosed injury and ACH was out with a concussion. The original Champions vs. All Stars main event of Jay Lethal, Matt Taven and Michael Bennett vs. Roderick Strong, ACH and Styles was now Lethal, Taven, Bennett and Roderick Strong (since he won the TV title the night before) vs. Dalton Castle, Moose and the Addiction.

    1. Dark Match: Kongo (who naturally hails from South America and wears a caveman-looking singlet) beat the Outlaw (who naturally wears a cowboy hat).

    2. Kelly Klein (w/ BJ Whitmer) defeated Ray Lynn in about 2 minutes with a guillotine choke. After the match Whitmer gave a speech putting Kline over as a bad ass force. I was unsure if this was taped for the DVD or just a dark match because it was held before Kevin Kelly came out and the usual “fans cheering wildly” opening.

    3. Adam Cole defeated Will Ferrera. The top rope broke early in the match but they worked around it fine. Ferrera did the plucky underdog who is outmatched but refuses to give up role.

    4. The All Night Express beat Beer City Bruiser and Silas Young.  Before the match Young berated the Boys and had them fight for a minute. The Boys were actually holding their own with the ANX, but when they stopped to fan Titus, Young and BCB attacked them and took over the match. King looked to have been hurt on a botched Samoan drop by BCB but came back for the finish which was a combination Powerbomb and Blockbuster on the Bruiser.

    Caprice Coleman beat Sampson Walker. Coleman seems to be a heel now, as he cut a smug promo on Walker noting this was the latter’s “try to get a job” match but Coleman was going to make sure he failed. Walker did a weird/gross thing of biting Coleman’s stomach and back. At the end, Coleman did the Eddie Guerrero “pretend to be hit with a chair when the ref isn’t looking” routing. As Walker tried to argue his case with the ref, Coleman school-boyed him for the cheap win.

    5. Michael Elgin beat Donovan Dijak  (with Truth Martini) with the spinning power in a 20 minute match.  Match went too long as crowd lost interest by the 15 minute point, especially after Elgin hit a top rope senton. Both guys looked good and worked a hard hitting match, but it drug in places.

    6. Joey “Diesel” Daddy-iego (with Truth Martini) beat Shereh Ali. Daddy-iego is the former J. Diesel, with the new gimmick that allows him and Truth to yell “Whose Your Daddy?” constantly. Basically a squash to showcase the new gimmick.

    7. Cliff Compton won a four-way over Bob Evans, Cedric Alexander (with Veda Scott) and Adam Page (with BJ Whitmer). First Evans cut a promo mocking Cheeseburger who he said he injured the night before. Then Compton cut a promo, noting he had a seizure in August and thanked the fans for helping him recover. This led to later Alexander mocking Compton’s seizure, which got massive go-away, disgusted heat. There was a comedy bit where the ref tossed all the seconds after each interfered. Finally, Cheeseburger ran out and clocked Evans so Compton got the win. Cheeseburger noted Evans was an idiot who had “broken the wrong hand” (i.e. his non-punching hand”) and challenged Evans for a match at Final Battle.

    8. The Briscoes defeated War Machine. This was a good 20 minute match with crazy moved. Unfortunately the fans were distracted early by streamers that got caught in the ceiling fan and sundry attempts to get the streamers down. They did a lot of moves including each team giving their finishers to the other before Jay pinned Rowe (I think) with the Jay Driller.

    9. The Champions beat the All Stars in an elimination match. Dalton Castle was at worst the second most over guy on the show behind the Briscoes and maybe even exceeded their popularity and was definitely the star of this match. The Kingdom pinned Kazarian with a spike piledriver. Daniels pinned Taven and then Bennett. Lethal pinned Daniels. Castle and Moose fought the two singles champs for a long time until Lethal pinned Castle with the Lethal Injection after Truth Martini interfered and Moose was pinned by Stong shortly thereafter. Afterwards, Lethal had a staredown with Strong as each held up their belts. Then AJ Styles (Who was doing commentary) got in the ring and had a staredown with Lethal. A fun main event with a lot of comedy from Castle, who did his whole crazy routine and nobody knowing what to make of it, and Lethal who did some great heel stuff.

  • WWE NXT house show report Orlando 10-17: Finn Balor & Bayley team up in 8 person main event

    Submitted by Jay Williams

    Hype Bros beat Marcus Louis & Tucker Knight 

    Louis is growing his hair out, seemingly leaving the bald monster persona behind. Tucker & Marcus were half way to the ring when the Hype Bros music hit and the two sprinted past them to get everyone fired up. The crowd was all over Tucker Knight for his silver boots, always a fun live event tradition, even singing songs about them. Ryder took a beating here until making the hot tag to Mojo who ran wild before tagging in Ryder to hit the electric chair rough ryder from the top for the win. 

    Apollo Crews beat Elias Samson

    Elias makes his way to the ring with his guitar to be interviewed by our hostess Dasha Fuentes, he begins playing his guitar and does a fun song insulting the town they’re in as he does at each event. Apollo’s music hits to a good reaction, plenty of chants for Crews as Elias worked holds during this match. Towards the end Crews got a hold of Samson’s guitar and held it over the side of the ring threatening to drop it, then threatened to play it, all to infuriate Samson. After the guitar was safe the finish saw Crews fire back and hit his new finish a big scoop slam variation for the win. Apollo Crews has a lot of fan support growing here.

    Gionna Daddio & Aliyah the former Jasmin aka Nhooph Al-Areebi were out to talk to the crowd, very energetic and likable babyfaces here, talked about being the youngest divas in NXT and were proud to follow in the footsteps of those who started the Divas Revolution, mentioning Bayley, Sasha, Becky, and Charlotte. Which lead to Emma & Eva Marie interrupting them, Emma proclaimed she started the Divas Revolution, crowd was anti Eva Marie here, booing her down so she put her arms up and twirled to soak in the attention and encourage it. During the verbal exchange the heels took cheap shots and laid out the two youngsters leading to referees rushing the ring attempting to break it up and check on the roughed up divas. 

    Riddick Moss def. Levis Valenzuela Jr.

    Valenzuela is charismatic, likable and plausible as his persona, his dancing and proclaiming “Fiesta” brings the people in and his taunts received actual laughs from the crowd, the best being “Booo this man, he sucks!” as he pointed at Riddick. Simple yet wonderful when the wrestler has charm the way Levis does. Moss is technically sound and plays the straight heel to Levis’ flamboyant babyface. 

    Chad Gable & Jason Jordan beat Dash & Dawson

    A great reaction for Gable & Jordan, these are made men after that performance at Takeover Respect. The singing of their names to the old Kurt Angle theme is very over, with Jordan even encouraging it along. Dash and Dawson are also well respected by the local crowds and strong, rough, and tough workers. A very good tag match as one would expect, and in the end Gable & Jordan get the win with the assisted German suplex. Jordan and Gable feel like a cut above with their athleticism, they are amazing wrestlers. 

    Hugo Knox beat Sawyer Fulton

    Knox is another non-tv wrestler with personality that already shines through, his dancing and party boy attitude got a lot of “Go Hugo” and other chants of encouragement. Fulton is big and scary, so the dynamic of this match was the serious heel getting frustrated by the fun loving face and finally getting beat. 

    Gionna Daddio storms out from the back with a mic to call out Emma and Eva Marie, she says they don’t know who they’re messing with and she’s from Jersey. The heels make their way down and take each side of the ring asking her what she’s going to do, which leads to Gionna declaring she wasn’t challenging them alone…

    Asuka & Gionna Daddio beat Emma & Eva Marie 

    Huge pop for Asuka, this woman is a star. Emma’s nightmare continues as Asuka seems to be following her at every turn both on tv and on live events. Good heel work by Eva Marie in this match, taunting Gionna while in holds, embracing the heat. Hot tag to Asuka who laid in some ferocious kicks to Eva Marie at one point. Tag to Gionna who hit a crossbody for the win. Gionna has a lot of potential, as many of our non tv wrestlers on this show, the personality and likability is already there. Emma & Asuka did a good job here keeping everything going.

    Baron Corbin beat Solomon Crowe

    Heel heat for Corbin is not only on NXT tv but also at live events, there are always hecklers and those who get Baron’s attention only to get taunted right back. Crowe is out with an altered look, Orange sleeveless zip up hoodie, the sides of his head shaved and looking quite intimidating. Hard hitting match here, big moves in this one, Baron prevails with the End Of Days for the win and a chorus of booos.

    Blake & Murphy w/ Alexa Bliss & Tye Dillinger vs. The Vaudevillains & Finn Balor went to a no contest once Alexa Bliss interfered, leading to Bayley running in to have the match restarted as an 8 Person Tag.

    WWE NXT Champion Finn Balor, WWE NXT Women’s Champions Bayley & WWE NXT Tag Team Champions The Vaudevillains beat Tye Dillinger & BAMF

    BAMF entered first to their dubstep music which always gets them heat, Dillinger even as a heel is well liked at live events, and his Ten gimmick is over, even Alexa Bliss was holding up the two hands open Ten sign during his entrance.

    The Vaudevillains are quite popular at live events as well, superstar reaction to Finn Balor. The current non-demon persona with the leather jacket has included an attitude of confidence, he is the main event. Finn joins in posing with Gotch and English pre match and is entertained himself with their ole timey antics, including some awkward stretching by Simon Gotch.

    The match took off once it was restarted as Bayley is another true main eventer here in NXT, the place lit up, people jumped out of their seats at her music. Finn Balor himself was leaping and punching the air as Bayley laid into Alexa Bliss. Finn was ecstatic to see Bayley and was her biggest fan.  This match then went all over the place including all six men in a long connected submission hold with Finn at the end holding a Boston Crab on Murphy, yelling to ASK THEM.

    Then all hell broke loose, Aiden English hit a Stone Cold Stunner on one of BAMF and this lead to Bayley hitting one of her own on Alexa Bliss.  The place was going crazy. The ring clears and Bayley is seemingly alone as Bliss is down and the men are all on the outside.  As Tye Dillinger comes face to face with Bayley in the center of the ring, putting his hands in her face with his Ten gesture, and in the greatest moment of the night Bayley wraps her arms around Dillinger and hoists him up for the Belly To Bayley.  Leaping to her feet and pumping her fist after hitting him to the mat, the crowd was electric.  

    Balor then goes to the top and nails the Coup De Grace on Dillinger for the pin. The babyface champions all celebrated, hugs for all.  Bayley even Too Sweeted Finn Balor, everyone left this show happy. 

  • WWE NXT House Show Results Tampa 10/16: Samoa Joe vs. Tye Dellinger, Bailey vs Eva Marie

    By Jonathan Lyon

    1.Hugo Knox beat Riddick Moss (new Mike Rallis  name)

    2.Marcus Louis w/Sylvester Lefort loses to bull Dempsey. Louis dropped the monster gimmick. Good move.

    El Jefe Levis Venezuela came out for a promo about fiestas, and was interrupted by Tom Caden.  Crazy big dude, who proceeded to join in on the fiesta.. Not bad.

    Asuka, Carmella, and a girl who’s name I didn’t catch beat Emma, Cameron, and Peyton. Cameron didn’t look like she wanted to be there.  Asuka got a big reaction.

    Baron Corbin beats Angelo Dawkins- it could have been quicker?

    Match of the night was a fatal four way tag with The Vaudevillains beating Jordan and Gable, Blake and Murphy, and the Hype Bros. Blake and Murphy are can’t miss live, highly entertaining and engaging with the audience. When Gable came in, they put on ear guards. Pin comes with a whirling dervish to BAMF.

    Apollo Crews beats Dino Sabetelli.. Both guys are super athletes.

    Bayley beats Eva Marie in a not bad match. Bayley definitely carried her through, but Eva Marie did her part, she needs get her arm drags down though, very lazy and not in anyway believable.

    Main Event was Samoa Joe beating Tye Dellinger. Great Match. Fun to listen to the sounds of a Joe match in the front row. The crowd was full by appearance and kept the excitement up thoughout.  

  • WWE House show results 10-10 St Louis: Orton & Roman vs Strowman & Wyatt

    By Curt Chaplin

    R-Truth defeated Tyler Breeze

    Jimmy Uso defeated Heath Slater; Mimi dance off between Uso and Slater. Slater claimed to be cheap shotted and wanted another match; Neville came out and hit the red arrow for the win in under 30 seconds.

    Rusev with Summer defeated Mark Henry

    New Day (Big E and Xavier) retained against PTP and Dudley Boyz. Kofi was put through a table after the match.

    Becky Lynch and Charlotte defeated Naomi and Temena. Sasha was ringside but not in wrestling gear.

    Ryback defeated Kevin Owens by DQ (thumb to the eye) and an IC title match.

    Orton/Reigns defeated Wyatt/Stroman.

    Kind of interesting seeing Breeze work with the main roster when there was an NXT Live Event last night.

  • WWE house show report 10-11 Bloomington, IL: Reigns & Orton vs. Strowman & Wyatt

    By Kevin Shride

    1.  R-Truth pinned Tyler Breeze with a sunset flip.  Basic opener, better crowd heat that you’d guess.  Most seemed to know who Breeze was.

    2.  Jimmy Uso pinned Heath Slater with a superkick.  They started the match, then after just a couple of spots, Slater challenged Uso to a dance-off right then.  (Incidentally, the sound was the worst; everybody could barely be understood.)  Slater danced to “I’m Too Sexy”, which was typical goofy heel stuff.  Uso then brought 2 kids into the ring, and all three of them danced to  “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)”, which the kids were hysterical doing.  The ref declared Uso the winner of the dance-off, and as soon as the kids were out, Slater hit Uso, then was immediately superkicked and pinned.  After, Slater challenged anyone in the back to another match, since he was cheated in this one.

    3.  Neville pinned Heath Slater with an immediate kick and red arrow.  Took about 30 seconds.  Slater then issued another challenge.

    4.  Mark Henry pinned Heath Slater with the World’s strongest slam.  Even quicker.  They replayed “Watch Me” and Uso and Neville came back out to dance with Henry.  Not nearly as funny as the kids.

    5.  Dolph Ziggler pinned Rusev with the Zig Zag.  Easily the best match on the show.

    6.  The New Day (Kingston and Woods with Big E at ringside) beat Prime Time Players and Dudleyz in a 3-team elimination match to retain the WWE Tag Team Title.  Woods pinned O’Neill after Big E ran in and hit the Big Ending.  Then Woods pinned Bubba Ray with a schoolboy after Big E hit Devon while Devon was getting a table.  After the match, the Dudleyz 3-D’ed Woods through the table.

    7.  Charlotte & Becky Lynch beat Tamina & Naomi with Sasha Banks at ringside.  I guess they figure Sasha doesn’t need the work as much as the other two.  Charlotte pinned Tamina with the running rolling cutter.

    8.  Ryback beat Kevin Owens by DQ, so Owens retains the Intercontinental Title.  Owens was DQ’ed for poking Ryback in the eyes.  Seriously?  I guess Roddy Piper would have been DQ’ed in every match.  A low blow would at least be more in line with a DQ.

    9.  Roman Reigns & Randy Orton beat Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman when Reigns pinned Wyatt with a spear after an Orton RKO.  Perfectly fine match.  They didn’t let Strowman do much, but