Match 1: 8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinals - Desmond Wolfe vs. D'Angelo Dinero
I feel like I've seen this match about a dozen times. Either way, these two open up a PPV again and are the first contestants for the 8 Card Stud Tournament. Cool concept for the night to find who will challenge for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship at Lockdown. Poor Desmond Wolfe, he went from taking Kurt Angle to the the limit a couple months ago to losing here to D'Angelo Dinero in the opening match in under ten minutes. The match was fine but nothing special when all things considered as there will be many matches tonight for the tournament. Some nice exchanges per usual from Wolfe who eventually falls to Dinero who hits his D'Angelo Express.
Winner: D'Angelo Dinero
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: 8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinals - Hernandez vs. Matt Morgan
The two are the World Tag Team Champions and let it be known before the match that this match will not interfere between their relationship. We'll see about that. I always love when tag team partners have to face each other for whatever reason. Their styles really meshed well together surprisingly. Matt Morgan was able to show off his strength while Hernandez was able to show his off, too. This included holding Morgan for a vertical suplex for over fifteen seconds and a sick dive over the top rope and onto the entrance ramp. However, Morgan was able to capture the win as he grabbed a handful of tights. Hernandez leaves in disgust after. Good stuff here, the pieces were nicely planted for the split and the action was fun despite a couple miscues.
Winner: Matt Morgan
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: 8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinals - Ken Anderson vs. Kurt Angle
For those who forgot, 2010 saw a great feud between these two that started at this show. Some fine action here before Ken Anderson scored the advantage over Kurt Angle by picking up Angle's warrior medal and cutting Angle's forehead with it while the referee's back was turned. Blood began to flow out of Angle badly. Angle wasn't able to get back into the match as Anderson and the cut was too much. Anderson is able to use an exposed turnbuckle against Angle and hit a Mic Check for the win. Afterwards, Anderon picks up the warrior medal and places it upon Angle's bloody body before spitting right on it. Wow. That is how you start a feud. That is what heels do to get over. Angle sold everything perfectly and the image of Anderson laying the medal on Angle and spitting on it was something else. Mike Tenay's commentary added an extra layer to it. The match was okay, it was the blood and everything in between that really made things that much more interesting. Little things like that are what push a **3/4 to a *** for me.
Winner: Mr. Anderson
Rating: ***
Match 4: 8 Card Stud Tournament Quarterfinals - No Disqualification - Abyss vs. Mick Foley
Before the match, Eric Bischoff meets with both Abyss and Mick Foley to let them know that any shenanigans in the match would lead to Abyss unmasking. He then hands them a baseball wrapped in barbed wire and tells them that it must be used. This can't be serious. The match was as bad as you could imagine. Didn't they just have this match at Bound for Glory a few months prior to this? They slowly fought each other before they brought out the damn thumbtacks where Abyss hit a Black Hole Slam on Foley onto them before being reluctant about it earlier. Abyss then helped Foley up after the match. This was horrendous and embarrassing on so many levels. Don't even get me started on the Mr. Socko battle they had which saw Foley take the referee's sock. This match has implications for the most coveted prize in the company. Why is this happening? Who paid for this? Why do they constantly have to break out the tacks?
Winner: Abyss
Rating: 1/2*
Match 5: The Nasty Boys vs. Team 3D
I remember cringing when hearing about Hulk Hogan's boys coming to TNA. It all started with the old nWo guys arriving and now, it's The Nasty Boys. The crowd could care less about these guys and you could even hear Taz on commentary cringe at all this as he tried to sell what was happening. I don't even want to talk about this mess of a match. Jimmy Hart appeared out of nowhere where he handed one of The Nasty Boys a helmet. Through a referee distraction, Brian Knobbs hits Brother Ray with it to score the win. That is why this company never got over the hump in 2010. Does anyone care for The Nasty Boys? What about Jimmy Hart? This just made me mad more than anything.
Winners: The Nasty Boys
Rating: 1/2*
Match 6: 8 Card Stud Tournament Semifinals - D'Angelo Dinero vs. Matt Morgan
Crowd definitely seems a bit tired after seeing these guys again, should be pretty interesting to see the third entrance. This match felt more of Matt Morgan dominating the tired Dinero. Morgan was definitely working as a heel here, it just feels right to see him in this role. Morgan lets his guard down once and allows Dinero to hit a D'Angelo Express to pick up the win. I question Morgan losing so fast here but I understand that they didn't want a semifinals match to drag for too long. Decent match here that saw too much of Dinero getting beaten down. At least we didn't get a screwy finish here.
Winner: D'Angelo Dinero
Rating: *3/4
Match 7: 8 Card Stud Tournament Semifinals - Abyss vs. Mr. Anderson
Once again, we have ourselves another Genesis rematch as the 8 Card Stud Tournament continues with Abyss trying to score some revenge over Mr. Anderson. This was a smoother match than the last one. They both got in some good offense and the crowd wasn't absolutely crapping all over Anderson. Different match with the same result here. Anderson is able to toy with Abyss' mask to deter his vision. Abyss then accidentally goozles the referee for a Chokeslam before being kicked from behind by Anderson who delivers a Mic Check to seal the win. TNA looks to be big behind Anderson, two big wins for the show.
Winner: Mr. Anderson
Rating: **1/4
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Samoa Joe
Eric Bischoff is the guest referee here for whatever reason as Ric Flair accompanies AJ Styles for the contest. We've seen this match a bazillion times but it never seems to fail. Great chemistry from the two veterans who know how to balance the offense and make things believable throughout. The main gripe I had was how so much of the focus was placed upon both Flair and Bischoff. I get they play distinct roles in the match but the main focus should have been placed on the match for the company's top prize. Flair pulled Bischoff out of the ring after Samoa Joe hit a Muscle Buster on Styles that cost him the win. Joe let his guard down to tell Bischoff what he thought and ran into a kick along with a Styles Clash to lose the match as Bischoff reluctantly counted to three. Great for what it was worth but would have much preferred to see this go on longer and a little less distractions from ringside. Styles still gets another big win under his belt.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ***1/2
Match 9: 8 Card Stud Tournament Finals - D'Angelo Dinero vs. Mr. Anderson
Before the match, D'Angelo Dinero is ambushed by The Band as they call out Hulk Hogan. It looked so stupid. Either way, Dinero is feeling the effects of the attack as he slowly made his way to the ring before Mr. Anderson looked to take advantage of it. However, Dinero turns the tides and manages to put up a fight. Anderson's onslaught looks to be too much and tries to finish the match as he cuts a mini promo before nailing a Mic Check. Dinero kicks out of the count and hits a third D'Angelo Dinero Express of the night to win the match and the tournament! Predictable finish but sometimes, the predictable finish is the best finish. Anderson has easily become one of the company's top heels and is seizing the opportunity. I liked the underdog story here for Dinero to "overcome the odds" despite being on the brink of elimination. They needed a different story from the other matches in the tournament and this worked fine. But they still need to cut off this shit with The Band, a Matt Morgan ambush would have worked better and made more sense.
Winner: D'Angelo Dinero
Rating: **3/4
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
Despite a couple disastrous matches on the card, this was still a better effort than Genesis. None of the matches were amazing but they all served its purpose and helped guide new feuds. The 8 Card Stud Tournament flowed nicely and outside of the Abyss vs. Mick Foley match, the matches were good and nothing seemed to drag. Despite that, the company desperately needed a step in a new direction. Probably the exact opposite of the one Hulk Hogan points to.
Rating: 6/10
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Friday, May 13, 2016
TNA Genesis 2010 Review
Match 1: X-Division Championship - Amazing Red (c) vs. Brian Kendrick
Brian Kendrick makes his TNA debut here after Hulk Hogan announces that the company has switched to a traditional ring. I always enjoyed watching Amazing Red, definitely one of the more underrated performers out there. Decent opening match here that allowed the commentators to introduce the audience to Kendrick and saw Red pull out some sweet moves. He hit his Code Red finisher to pick up the win and retain the title. Would have preferred to have this match go on longer but I guess they wanted to save the air time for more Hogan junk.
Winner: Amazing Red
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Daniels vs. Sean Morley
Just a month prior to this, Daniels was challenging AJ Styles for the biggest prize in the company in the main event of a PPV. Now, he faces Val Venis. What. The. Actual. Fuck. The crowd is very vocal in expressing their displeasure with the booking. And for damn good reason. Daniels is supposed to be the heel here but the crowd just can't stand Sean Morley. Even better, the crowd can't stand Brooke Hogan sitting ringside. The match itself was better than I had expected. Give it to Morley, a veteran of the game and really knows how to incorporate psychology into a match. But the dude is way past his prime and has no real business in beating one of the company's biggest names. Morley hit his Money Shot and scored the win that resulted in a slew of boos from the crowd.
Winner: Sean Morley
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - ODB (c) vs. Tara
I really wish the camera and the commentators would stop focusing on Brooke Hogan. I'm definitely a fan of both of these ladies, great wrestlers (although ODB can be pretty one-dimensional at times) and glad they got a nice spot on the card. Decent match here that saw Tara score two consecutive pins that saw her roll up ODB first before hitting a Widow's Peak to capture the gold. Despite the focus constantly being shifted to Hogan at ringside, the match itself was still watchable. Good to see Tara get the big win here. She then celebrates with Poison after the match. Okay.
Winner: Tara
Rating: **
Match 4: World Tag Team Championships - The British Invasion (c) vs. Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Personally liked the pairing of Matt Morgan & Hernandez, gave them a nice spot on the roster immense all the crazy bookings that came along with Hulk Hogan's arrival. The British Invasion were a really good tag team and got some good heat from the crowd. Despite the size difference, The British Invasion were smart enough to use any advantage necessary to cut off any tags and double team whoever was legal in the ring. It made for some fun action since you knew that this wouldn't last long. Morgan was able to land his Carbon Footprint finisher to score the win and the belts for himself & Hernandez. Hate to see British Invasion drop the belts, but definitely went to show how the new booking changes loved the big guys in Morgan & Hernandez. I guess if they were to drop the belts, it's better against these guys than some old WCW guys. By the way, why are TNA referees the dumbest things on this planet?
Winners: Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe
Loved watching these two back in 2009-2010, they both redesigned themselves and became focal points of the program. Desmond Wolfe comes out with some hot chick who undresses him to reveal his new attire during D'Angelo Dinero's entrance. That was kind of weird. Wolfe brought out the goods here, an array of submission moves that we've never really seen before and they all looked sicker than the last. Dinero managed to squeeze in some offense but it felt like Wolfe was dominating for the better part of the contest. Sweet ending when Wolfe derailed Dinero's DDE with a huge Lariat. I wanted to give this match a higher score but it felt like it was way too one-sided for my liking. Despite that, a great match with some cool submissions from Wolfe and great pacing throughout.
Winner: Desmond Wolfe
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Band
Who seriously wants to see this? Better yet, who would seriously pay for this? It's pretty scary when old WCW are part of one of the company's marquee PPV shows. It's Kevin Nash & Syxx-Pac against Beer Money, Inc. By the way, Scott Hall isn't in this match because he lost a game of rock-paper-scissors in the back earlier. I can't make this stuff up. They're having this match so they can impress the Hulkster to get contracts or some bullshit. The worst part of this match was that Pac actually put up a fight against Beer Money! Hall later comes out and beats up a fan. This distracts The Band and allows Beer Money to win the match. I hate to be the guy that completely bashes a match but absolutely none of this made sense.
Winners: Beer Money, Inc.
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: Abyss vs. Mr. Anderson
After Abyss hilariously ambushed Bobby Lashley earlier, he has a new opponent in the debuting Mr. Anderson, another WWE castoff. The crowd is quick to respond to Anderson with some "overrated" chants. Match was as basic as you could get with Abyss teasing us by not pulling the trigger when it comes to using the steel chair. Hogan told Abyss earlier to put his hardcore past away but it came to his detriment when Anderson pulled out some brass knuckles from his tights and drilled Abyss to pick up the win. Funny, I don't even think he pulled anything out of his tights. Anderson then gets on the mic and does his patented ring announcing gimmick with a little Family Guy reference. Pretty dull match but a good way to establish the new look on life Abyss has and a good win for Anderson.
Winner:
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Kurt Angle
This is Kurt Angle's last chance at the gold against AJ Styles in 2010 if he loses. What's funny is that they had this match on the January 4th edition on Impact. This is the epic rematch but I can't help but feel like this is pretty much a carbon copy of that much. Don't get it twisted, the match was great, they pretty much brought out all the stops for this one. But like I said, it was almost like watching their January 4th match all over again. The major difference I felt between the two was that this one dragged a little more. That's possible because there were no commercial breaks here but the crowd was definitely drained from the whole night. The exchanges of moves between the two was fun to watch but it kind of felt like they were just taking turns on each other. That's not to say it wasn't cool to see, it just made things feel predictable. Ric Flair came out to check out the action before swiping Earl Hebner out of the ring when Styles began to tap to an Ankle Lock. As Angle chased Flair into the ring, Styles blindsided Angle before striking Angle with the belt that Flair tossed in. Styles covered Angle for the win. There you have it, the AJ Styles heel turn of 2010. Such a weird execution and such a weird pairing for him with Flair of all people. Still, the match was a great main event for the new brand that TNA is trying to launch. But damn, you can't help but marvel at their booking sometimes.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A pretty lackluster outing from TNA here. If this PPV was an indicator for anything, it's that this company was doomed for failure from the start in 2010. They for sure bit off more than they could chew in January of 2010. This show was filled of old WCW stars and WWE rejects. The matches were pretty bad and the booking was even worse. The saving grace was the main event... which we saw on free television just a couple weeks prior to this. It's so funny to look back at all this and woner what the damn hell were they thinking.
Rating: 4/10
Brian Kendrick makes his TNA debut here after Hulk Hogan announces that the company has switched to a traditional ring. I always enjoyed watching Amazing Red, definitely one of the more underrated performers out there. Decent opening match here that allowed the commentators to introduce the audience to Kendrick and saw Red pull out some sweet moves. He hit his Code Red finisher to pick up the win and retain the title. Would have preferred to have this match go on longer but I guess they wanted to save the air time for more Hogan junk.
Winner: Amazing Red
Rating: **1/4
Match 2: Daniels vs. Sean Morley
Just a month prior to this, Daniels was challenging AJ Styles for the biggest prize in the company in the main event of a PPV. Now, he faces Val Venis. What. The. Actual. Fuck. The crowd is very vocal in expressing their displeasure with the booking. And for damn good reason. Daniels is supposed to be the heel here but the crowd just can't stand Sean Morley. Even better, the crowd can't stand Brooke Hogan sitting ringside. The match itself was better than I had expected. Give it to Morley, a veteran of the game and really knows how to incorporate psychology into a match. But the dude is way past his prime and has no real business in beating one of the company's biggest names. Morley hit his Money Shot and scored the win that resulted in a slew of boos from the crowd.
Winner: Sean Morley
Rating: **1/2
Match 3: Knockouts Championship - 2 out of 3 Falls - ODB (c) vs. Tara
I really wish the camera and the commentators would stop focusing on Brooke Hogan. I'm definitely a fan of both of these ladies, great wrestlers (although ODB can be pretty one-dimensional at times) and glad they got a nice spot on the card. Decent match here that saw Tara score two consecutive pins that saw her roll up ODB first before hitting a Widow's Peak to capture the gold. Despite the focus constantly being shifted to Hogan at ringside, the match itself was still watchable. Good to see Tara get the big win here. She then celebrates with Poison after the match. Okay.
Winner: Tara
Rating: **
Match 4: World Tag Team Championships - The British Invasion (c) vs. Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Personally liked the pairing of Matt Morgan & Hernandez, gave them a nice spot on the roster immense all the crazy bookings that came along with Hulk Hogan's arrival. The British Invasion were a really good tag team and got some good heat from the crowd. Despite the size difference, The British Invasion were smart enough to use any advantage necessary to cut off any tags and double team whoever was legal in the ring. It made for some fun action since you knew that this wouldn't last long. Morgan was able to land his Carbon Footprint finisher to score the win and the belts for himself & Hernandez. Hate to see British Invasion drop the belts, but definitely went to show how the new booking changes loved the big guys in Morgan & Hernandez. I guess if they were to drop the belts, it's better against these guys than some old WCW guys. By the way, why are TNA referees the dumbest things on this planet?
Winners: Matt Morgan & Hernandez
Rating: **3/4
Match 5: D'Angelo Dinero vs. Desmond Wolfe
Loved watching these two back in 2009-2010, they both redesigned themselves and became focal points of the program. Desmond Wolfe comes out with some hot chick who undresses him to reveal his new attire during D'Angelo Dinero's entrance. That was kind of weird. Wolfe brought out the goods here, an array of submission moves that we've never really seen before and they all looked sicker than the last. Dinero managed to squeeze in some offense but it felt like Wolfe was dominating for the better part of the contest. Sweet ending when Wolfe derailed Dinero's DDE with a huge Lariat. I wanted to give this match a higher score but it felt like it was way too one-sided for my liking. Despite that, a great match with some cool submissions from Wolfe and great pacing throughout.
Winner: Desmond Wolfe
Rating: ***1/2
Match 6: Beer Money, Inc. vs. The Band
Who seriously wants to see this? Better yet, who would seriously pay for this? It's pretty scary when old WCW are part of one of the company's marquee PPV shows. It's Kevin Nash & Syxx-Pac against Beer Money, Inc. By the way, Scott Hall isn't in this match because he lost a game of rock-paper-scissors in the back earlier. I can't make this stuff up. They're having this match so they can impress the Hulkster to get contracts or some bullshit. The worst part of this match was that Pac actually put up a fight against Beer Money! Hall later comes out and beats up a fan. This distracts The Band and allows Beer Money to win the match. I hate to be the guy that completely bashes a match but absolutely none of this made sense.
Winners: Beer Money, Inc.
Rating: 1/4*
Match 7: Abyss vs. Mr. Anderson
After Abyss hilariously ambushed Bobby Lashley earlier, he has a new opponent in the debuting Mr. Anderson, another WWE castoff. The crowd is quick to respond to Anderson with some "overrated" chants. Match was as basic as you could get with Abyss teasing us by not pulling the trigger when it comes to using the steel chair. Hogan told Abyss earlier to put his hardcore past away but it came to his detriment when Anderson pulled out some brass knuckles from his tights and drilled Abyss to pick up the win. Funny, I don't even think he pulled anything out of his tights. Anderson then gets on the mic and does his patented ring announcing gimmick with a little Family Guy reference. Pretty dull match but a good way to establish the new look on life Abyss has and a good win for Anderson.
Winner:
Rating: *3/4
Match 8: TNA World Heavyweight Championship - AJ Styles (c) vs. Kurt Angle
This is Kurt Angle's last chance at the gold against AJ Styles in 2010 if he loses. What's funny is that they had this match on the January 4th edition on Impact. This is the epic rematch but I can't help but feel like this is pretty much a carbon copy of that much. Don't get it twisted, the match was great, they pretty much brought out all the stops for this one. But like I said, it was almost like watching their January 4th match all over again. The major difference I felt between the two was that this one dragged a little more. That's possible because there were no commercial breaks here but the crowd was definitely drained from the whole night. The exchanges of moves between the two was fun to watch but it kind of felt like they were just taking turns on each other. That's not to say it wasn't cool to see, it just made things feel predictable. Ric Flair came out to check out the action before swiping Earl Hebner out of the ring when Styles began to tap to an Ankle Lock. As Angle chased Flair into the ring, Styles blindsided Angle before striking Angle with the belt that Flair tossed in. Styles covered Angle for the win. There you have it, the AJ Styles heel turn of 2010. Such a weird execution and such a weird pairing for him with Flair of all people. Still, the match was a great main event for the new brand that TNA is trying to launch. But damn, you can't help but marvel at their booking sometimes.
Winner: AJ Styles
Rating: ****
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
A pretty lackluster outing from TNA here. If this PPV was an indicator for anything, it's that this company was doomed for failure from the start in 2010. They for sure bit off more than they could chew in January of 2010. This show was filled of old WCW stars and WWE rejects. The matches were pretty bad and the booking was even worse. The saving grace was the main event... which we saw on free television just a couple weeks prior to this. It's so funny to look back at all this and woner what the damn hell were they thinking.
Rating: 4/10
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
ROH Hate: Chapter II Review
Match 1: The Bravado Brothers vs. The House of Truth
It's been six years since this event, it's cool to see how the company has evolved. The Bravado Brothers were pretty much nobodies at the time so they definitely had a lot to prove here. Decent opening match here, the type of tag match you would expect from both teams in an opening match for ROH. The House of Truth scored the win after hitting their elaborate finisher from the top rope.
Winners: The House of Truth
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Erick Stevens vs. Grizzly Redwood
I never really got behind the hype of Erick Stevens. Actually, I never really got behind The Embassy. Stevens was a pretty bland wrestler and the company was trying to get back to getting him over. His match against Grizzly Redwood here did him no good. Redwood is half his size, why is he giving Stevens the fight of his life? The action was plain until Necro Butcher came out to attack Redwood. Rasche Brown then comes out to make the save as all hell broke loose with Brown standing tall next to Redwood immense all the chaos. I believe Brown vs. Necro was supposed to be a match. But who cares. That segment was just stupid from all cylinders.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *
Match 3: Colt Cabana vs. Roderick Strong
Remember the Pick 6 thingy? The idea on paper was great, the execution of it was pretty poor. This match was a Pick 6 match and Colt Cabana really showed off his comedic side to the max here. It's hard to take this whole match seriously when Colt plays with the audience so much. Isn't this supposed to be for the company's richest prize? I love Colt, but looking back at it now, I can see how Jim Cornette wasn't the biggest fan of his gimmick. Roderick Strong was able to score the win after Truth Martini hit Colt in the back after a missed Flying Asshole. Good match as expected but like I said, Colt's silly side can be a little too much sometimes. This was definitely the case, Colt is always entertaining but his seriousness for this match should definitely have been higher.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: The American Wolves vs. Generation Me
I have probably seen this match over ten times, but this is my first viewing in years. I loved this match back in the day, let's see how it holds up. You tend to forget how over The American Wolves were during this time, they were the hottest thing going in independent wrestling. This match reminded me why. Their intensity and their passion was a thing of beauty to watch, especially against TNA's newest tag team in Generation Me, or otherwise known as The Young Bucks. This was basically a spotfest that probably had Jim Cornette shaking his head in the back. It was hectic, wild and fun to watch as the two teams beat the holy hell out of each other with kicks, chops, punches and dives left and right. My only problem was that this match went on for a little longer than it needed to. The false finishes were getting predictable and started to feel repetitive. I'm not even going to mention the selling of the moves from both sides. Wolves picked up the win as Davey Richards then got on the mic and put over Eddie Edwards. Good stuff.
Winners: The American Wolves
Rating: ****
Match 5: Austin Aries & The All Night Express vs. Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn & Delirious
Always forget how stacked this company was back in 2010. Going from The American Wolves vs. The Young Bucks to this on a B show is pretty hard to believe. Austin Aries' run in the company was concluding in 2010 and one of his last feuds was against Delirious for whatever reason. This was a good match, it wasn't overly crazy and it was nice cool down from the previous match. Good spacing in this match, the hot tags all came at a nice pace and nobody had the clear advantage. The All Night Express make for a fantastic heel group. The way they root each other on and some of the shit they say is just plain hilarious. But when needed to, they were easily able to switch their masks and look like savages. As weird as this may sound, I liked how Tyler Black took a lesser role here. After main eventing the show before this and main eventing the one after this, a little step back doesn't hurt. Delirious is able to roll up Aries for the win where Aries then abducts Daizee Haze at the end of the match. Kevin Steen then comes out and attacks Black afterwards to remind him of tomorrow night. Good stuff, never overdid its welcome and was a nice lead towards the two upcoming main matches.
Winners: Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn & Delirious
Rating: ***
Match 6: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
I recall when this match was booked, people felt like the company was pulling the trigger way too early from their rematch. Looking back now, it's so funny how stupid it is to jump to conclusions considering how the whole feud folded out amazingly. I love when these two step in a ring together, you can not just see their passion, you can feel it. They fought each other like the bad blood was more present than ever. Loved the interactions with the crowd and loved how El Generico refused to back down from the bigger and badder Kevin Steen. They put on a great match but were smart enough to not pull out all the stops because after all, this match was simply just a set up for what was to come. Generico looked to take out Steen with his patented dive through the ropes outside the ring until Steen threw a steel chair through Generico's diving head. That looked sweet, especially the way Generico's body just hung on the ropes after the shot. However, Generico gets the last laugh as he was able to rebound and jump off a scaffold and onto Steen's body through a table afterwards. The hate was evident but the worst was yet to come. Awesome stuff.
Winner: El Generico
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: The Kings of Wrestling & Sara Del Rey vs. The Briscoes & Amazing Kong
With 2010 being so caught up with guys like Kevin Steen, El Generico, Tyler Black or Davey Richards, you tend to forget about how incredible The Kings of Wrestling were. They just brought a certain ambiance to the show whenever they showed up with their sweet jackets and gold belts. Their feud against The Briscoes was an awesome one with some amazing matches. I liked how this match got chosen to close out the night, a nice distribution of main events for the weekend. This is your typical Ring of Honer tag team match. Super fast with lots of spots and lots of near falls. But I couldn't help but feel like this match dragged on longer than it needed to. They had some cool moments with Sara Del Rey going against The Briscoes or Amazing Kong facing off against Chris Hero or Claudio Castagnoli. But I couldn't even begin to tell you how many near falls there were here. Action was fun but I felt like I was watching the match on repeat. After all the close finishes and big spots, Jay Briscoe rolls up Hero for the win. So after all that, the match ends with Hero getting rolled up for the count? Regardless, good match to close out the night to end into Chicago.
Winners: The Briscoes & Amazing Kong
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
For a B show, this was quite good. The opening matches were pretty bad. However, all that can be forgiven when looking at the main matches that closed the show. They all served a purpose on the card and truly made the card feel special. 2010 was a fantastic year for the company, this second show of a three-show stint is a perfect example.
Rating: 7/10
It's been six years since this event, it's cool to see how the company has evolved. The Bravado Brothers were pretty much nobodies at the time so they definitely had a lot to prove here. Decent opening match here, the type of tag match you would expect from both teams in an opening match for ROH. The House of Truth scored the win after hitting their elaborate finisher from the top rope.
Winners: The House of Truth
Rating: **1/2
Match 2: Erick Stevens vs. Grizzly Redwood
I never really got behind the hype of Erick Stevens. Actually, I never really got behind The Embassy. Stevens was a pretty bland wrestler and the company was trying to get back to getting him over. His match against Grizzly Redwood here did him no good. Redwood is half his size, why is he giving Stevens the fight of his life? The action was plain until Necro Butcher came out to attack Redwood. Rasche Brown then comes out to make the save as all hell broke loose with Brown standing tall next to Redwood immense all the chaos. I believe Brown vs. Necro was supposed to be a match. But who cares. That segment was just stupid from all cylinders.
Winner: n/a
Rating: *
Match 3: Colt Cabana vs. Roderick Strong
Remember the Pick 6 thingy? The idea on paper was great, the execution of it was pretty poor. This match was a Pick 6 match and Colt Cabana really showed off his comedic side to the max here. It's hard to take this whole match seriously when Colt plays with the audience so much. Isn't this supposed to be for the company's richest prize? I love Colt, but looking back at it now, I can see how Jim Cornette wasn't the biggest fan of his gimmick. Roderick Strong was able to score the win after Truth Martini hit Colt in the back after a missed Flying Asshole. Good match as expected but like I said, Colt's silly side can be a little too much sometimes. This was definitely the case, Colt is always entertaining but his seriousness for this match should definitely have been higher.
Winner: Roderick Strong
Rating: **3/4
Match 4: The American Wolves vs. Generation Me
I have probably seen this match over ten times, but this is my first viewing in years. I loved this match back in the day, let's see how it holds up. You tend to forget how over The American Wolves were during this time, they were the hottest thing going in independent wrestling. This match reminded me why. Their intensity and their passion was a thing of beauty to watch, especially against TNA's newest tag team in Generation Me, or otherwise known as The Young Bucks. This was basically a spotfest that probably had Jim Cornette shaking his head in the back. It was hectic, wild and fun to watch as the two teams beat the holy hell out of each other with kicks, chops, punches and dives left and right. My only problem was that this match went on for a little longer than it needed to. The false finishes were getting predictable and started to feel repetitive. I'm not even going to mention the selling of the moves from both sides. Wolves picked up the win as Davey Richards then got on the mic and put over Eddie Edwards. Good stuff.
Winners: The American Wolves
Rating: ****
Match 5: Austin Aries & The All Night Express vs. Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn & Delirious
Always forget how stacked this company was back in 2010. Going from The American Wolves vs. The Young Bucks to this on a B show is pretty hard to believe. Austin Aries' run in the company was concluding in 2010 and one of his last feuds was against Delirious for whatever reason. This was a good match, it wasn't overly crazy and it was nice cool down from the previous match. Good spacing in this match, the hot tags all came at a nice pace and nobody had the clear advantage. The All Night Express make for a fantastic heel group. The way they root each other on and some of the shit they say is just plain hilarious. But when needed to, they were easily able to switch their masks and look like savages. As weird as this may sound, I liked how Tyler Black took a lesser role here. After main eventing the show before this and main eventing the one after this, a little step back doesn't hurt. Delirious is able to roll up Aries for the win where Aries then abducts Daizee Haze at the end of the match. Kevin Steen then comes out and attacks Black afterwards to remind him of tomorrow night. Good stuff, never overdid its welcome and was a nice lead towards the two upcoming main matches.
Winners: Tyler Black, Jerry Lynn & Delirious
Rating: ***
Match 6: El Generico vs. Kevin Steen
I recall when this match was booked, people felt like the company was pulling the trigger way too early from their rematch. Looking back now, it's so funny how stupid it is to jump to conclusions considering how the whole feud folded out amazingly. I love when these two step in a ring together, you can not just see their passion, you can feel it. They fought each other like the bad blood was more present than ever. Loved the interactions with the crowd and loved how El Generico refused to back down from the bigger and badder Kevin Steen. They put on a great match but were smart enough to not pull out all the stops because after all, this match was simply just a set up for what was to come. Generico looked to take out Steen with his patented dive through the ropes outside the ring until Steen threw a steel chair through Generico's diving head. That looked sweet, especially the way Generico's body just hung on the ropes after the shot. However, Generico gets the last laugh as he was able to rebound and jump off a scaffold and onto Steen's body through a table afterwards. The hate was evident but the worst was yet to come. Awesome stuff.
Winner: El Generico
Rating: ***1/4
Match 7: The Kings of Wrestling & Sara Del Rey vs. The Briscoes & Amazing Kong
With 2010 being so caught up with guys like Kevin Steen, El Generico, Tyler Black or Davey Richards, you tend to forget about how incredible The Kings of Wrestling were. They just brought a certain ambiance to the show whenever they showed up with their sweet jackets and gold belts. Their feud against The Briscoes was an awesome one with some amazing matches. I liked how this match got chosen to close out the night, a nice distribution of main events for the weekend. This is your typical Ring of Honer tag team match. Super fast with lots of spots and lots of near falls. But I couldn't help but feel like this match dragged on longer than it needed to. They had some cool moments with Sara Del Rey going against The Briscoes or Amazing Kong facing off against Chris Hero or Claudio Castagnoli. But I couldn't even begin to tell you how many near falls there were here. Action was fun but I felt like I was watching the match on repeat. After all the close finishes and big spots, Jay Briscoe rolls up Hero for the win. So after all that, the match ends with Hero getting rolled up for the count? Regardless, good match to close out the night to end into Chicago.
Winners: The Briscoes & Amazing Kong
Rating: ***
Overall Show Thoughts and Rating:
For a B show, this was quite good. The opening matches were pretty bad. However, all that can be forgiven when looking at the main matches that closed the show. They all served a purpose on the card and truly made the card feel special. 2010 was a fantastic year for the company, this second show of a three-show stint is a perfect example.
Rating: 7/10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
