TNA Victory Road 2010

TNA Victory Road 2010

Orlando, FL - July 2010

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was Rob Van Dam, the Global Champion was "Big" Rob Terry, the X-Division Champion was Doug Williams, the World Tag Team Championships were vacant, the Knockouts Tag Team Champions were The Beautiful People, and Madison Rayne was also the Knockouts Champion.

Brian Kendrick challenged Doug Williams in an Ultimate X match for the X-Division Championship in the opening contest. The story here was that Kendrick was focused on winning the championship via submission with a cobra clutch and that Doug Williams was scared of heights. One half of this set-up was delivered upon as Kendrick continuously worked to choke out Williams. Williams, meanwhile, didn't seem afraid of heights except for the few times he remembered he was. At just 10 minutes, this match seemed like it was only getting started when it ended and felt like a real waste of time to even set-up the Ultimate X structure. There was one good spot - Kendrick getting shoved off one of the climbing poles and landing neck-first on the top rope - but the rest of this was rather dull. They focused a ton on the story, but by doing so, they wasted any opportunity they had to do something innovative or fresh with the Ultimate X stipulation. I'm also not sure why TNA kept these two working together for weeks on end when their chemistry wasn't all that great. Disappointing. (1.5/5)

Next, Brother Ray vs. Jesse Neal vs. Brother D-Von. This is a continuation of the storyline feud between Bubba and Team 3-D's protege, Neal. When the match starts, Ray sneak attacks Jesse Neal as he's making his entrance and when it is time for D-Von to come in, a camera shows that he is locked in his lockerroom, shouting for help. Of course, the camera man doesn't help him because...In the ring, Ray is in full control until the ECW Alumni show up in the stands - Tommy Dreamer, Rhyno, Stevie Richards, and Raven - which allows Neal to hit a spear onto Ray for 2. D-Von makes his entrance and there is a tease of a reunion with Ray, which is weird because one would assume that D-Von figured Ray was the one who locked him in his dressing room, but they end up coming to blows. This leads to Neal hitting another spear, this time onto an unsuspecting D-Von, and Bubba ends up getting the W. At under 6 minutes, this wasn't long enough to ever be boring. They added every bell-and-whistle they could, from the "Where's D-Von?" intro to the arrival of the alumni to a super stiff chairshot from Bubba (that is somehow not captured by the camera) to the final "Whose side is he on?" tease, and it effectively kept the crowd engaged. (2/5)

The TNA Knockouts Championship was on the line next as Madison Rayne defended her title against Angelina Love in a battle between two former best friends/stablemates (as Love was once the leader of the Beautiful People). Angelina Love is putting her career on the line in this match as ending careers has become part of Rayne's gimmick. Both women perform very suggestive entrances. The wrestling was not good, which could be expected, but the booking was even worse as a mystery woman shows up on a motorcycle (why?) wearing a motorcycle helmet, attacks Angelina Love and the referee (causing a DQ), and then the title changes hand inexplicably and Madison Rayne has a tantrum for about 30 seconds before leaving on the motorcycle with the woman who just cost her her TNA Knockouts Championship. Why would the title change hands on a DQ? Why would Madison Rayne not be super pissed at the mystery woman? How does a victory like this help Angelina Love whatsoever? (0.5/5)

Another sub-10 minute match follows as AJ Styles and Kazarian team up to take on a mystery tag team of Rob Terry and Samoa Joe. The story coming into this match was that Ric Flair was starting a new stable - Fourtune - and that Styles and Kazarian wanted to be a part of it but had to earn their spot. Joe is very over with the crowd. Styles and Kazarian do some fun stuff as a team, playing up their disdain for each other in the early part of the match before finally coming together as the match goes on and they realize that they have to get along to survive. Desmond Wolfe shows up and attacks Joe on the outside to prove his value to Flair. This leads to the heels having the numbers advantage and allows them to steal a victory. This felt like a TV-worthy match and a not a PPV one, but it was easily the best match on the show by this point (even if that is faint praise). (2.5/5)

A cage match followed as Hernandez took on Matt Morgan in a grudge match. I've generally been positive on this feud and storyline and have enjoyed Matt Morgan's heel work...but this was just badly produced and one has to wonder who was the agent behind this mess. The work itself isn't awful - though it is uninspired and Hernandez' "dies" early on, showing minimal spirit in his selling - but the psychology is counterproductive. I don't even hate the two times Hernandez goes for the Border Toss and can't get Morgan up. At one point, Morgan clearly has the match won but chooses not to take the victory out of arrogance. It buries Hernandez as having essentially lost the match in 4 minutes while also making Morgan out to be an idiot. Then, later on, Hernandez has the match won but decides to do a splash from the top of the cage for a pop, a move that also makes him look dumb. The crowd is flat and not into this match either. Pretty bad stuff. (1.5/5)

Ric Flair didn't come out of retirement to compete in the next match - he'd already done that on an Australian tour against Hulk Hogan and had wrestled in multiple tag team matches on TV by this point during his TNA run - but this was his first major PPV singles match since WrestleMania XXIV. His opponent was Jay Lethal, who Flair had been feuding with for several months by this point because Lethal had the audacity to imitate him. I wasn't expecting much out of Flair, but he was better than decent here, taking some big bumps early on and generally keeping up with his much younger, much more agile opponent. There are some fun moments in this match too as Lethal hits a Muta-inspired handspring back elbow and does the classic Flair turnbuckle spot. We also get to see Flair's ass, another throwback comedy spot. The part I liked least was the finish, which saw Flair submit to his own trademark hold. With all the references to classic Flair matches, I would've preferred for them to have gone with an inside cradle like the one Savage used to beat him at WrestleMania VIII (if I recall correctly) or a Stinger Splash or even a Sweet Chin Music superkick. Not nearly as bad a match as one might've expected considering Flair's age. (3/5)

The TNA Tag Team Championships - which were vacated due to issues with “The Band,” specifically Scott Hall running into legal issues and Walkman also having heat with TNA that led to him being fired as well - were up for grabs in the next match as the Motor City Machine Guns took on Beer Money. The wrestling was good. Both teams have great double-team moves in their arsenal. There were defined stakes and commentary played up both teams’ credentials. Still, something was just a little flat for me. The crowd didn’t seem to be fully invested and I found the initial false finish - with the father-son duo of Earl and Brian Hebner counting conflicting falls - was predictable as soon as Earl showed up. It was an unnecessary “twist” in a match that probably would’ve delivered a bigger “feel-good ending” if they’d just gone with a straight-up clean finish. Not terrible or anything, but not as good as I’m guessing the teams were hoping it’d be. I was surprised to see that Meltzer gave this 4 stars. (2.5/5)

Kurt Angle vs. D'Angelo Dinero was next. This was part of Angle's quest to "earn" his spot as the number one contender. Dinero was given a huge spotlight at the February PPV (Against All Odds?) and won a TNA World Heavyweight Championship shot, but he lost title match at Lockdown to AJ Styles and then didn't seem to do much of consequence. 5 months later, he and Angle get enough time to put on a decent match but decent is about as good as it gets. There's nothing memorable that really happens and it doesn't have the star-making vibe that Angle/Jay Lethal had a few years earlier or even the Angle/Matt Morgan match that was arguably Morgan's career match. This was solid, but nothing more than that. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Rob Van Dam putting the TNA World Heavyweight Championship on the line against Abyss, Jeff Hardy, and Mr. Anderson. What's been weird about Van Dam's title run - at least based on watching just the PPVs from this time - is how little "meat" there is to his storylines. Its an interesting tact, much closer to what he did in his ECW years than when he was in the WWE and every storyline has to have some element of personal animosity. This is Rob Van Dam as the cool, laid-back champion who is willing to defend the title against anybody who challenges him...but that means you don't get much in terms of emotion to invest in. That lack of emotion is why this match is fine in terms of in-ring action, but didn't really grab me. The portion of the match that seemed to get the biggest reaction was the interplay between Anderson and Jeff Hardy, which is no surprise considering that their characters have been intertwined for months by this point and there was history to play off of. The rest of the match wasn't as intriguing or suspenseful, though, to their credit, there are some good false finishes in the final minutes. Ho-hum stuff and another reason why putting the World Title on Van Dam so quickly upon his arrival - and taking it off of AJ Styles, who was a better, more versatile worker even back then - was such a poor decision. (2/5)

With a Kwang Rating of just 2-out-of-5, Victory Road 2010 is the lowest-rated TNA PPV I've reviewed since...the last Victory Road in 2009. On paper, that show had some intriguing matches on its card - Styles vs. Nash, Foley vs. Angle, Joe vs. Sting - but didn't deliver. This show is similar, loaded with a number of big name talents that weren't around a year prior (Anderson, Hardy, RVD) and featuring more than a few matches that had potential to be good (Hernandez/Morgan, Angle/Dinero, Beer Money/MCMG) but didn't pan out. Lethal/Flair is the only matches that exceeds expectations only because expectations for a Ric Flair match in 2010 were understandably low. Overall, a weak show with nothing worth checking out.

FINAL RATING - DUDleyville

TNA Slammiversary VIII

TNA Slammiversary VIII

Orlando, FL - June 2010

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Heavyweight Champion was Rob Van Dam, the TNA X-Division Champion was Doug Williams, "The Band" (made up, at this point, by Eric Young, Scott Hall, and Kevin Nash) were the recognized Tag Team Champions, the Knockouts Champion was Madison Rayne, the Global Champion was "Big" Rob Terry, and the Knockout Women's Champions were The Beautiful People (Lacey Von Erich and Velvet Skye, but also Madison Rayne?).

Kurt Angle vs. Kazarian is our opening contest. Cue my usual "TNA tried really hard to make Kazarian a star and it never really clicked" line. This was part of Angle's really cool storyline where he announced that, rather than just being automatically ranked as the number one contender to the TNA World Heavyweight Championship based on his reputation and record, he wanted to prove he was still the best wrestler in the world by systematically working his way through the Top 10. Kazarian was ranked at 10, so we get this match. This is also around the time when it could be argued that Angle was, in fact, at the peak of his abilities. Kazarian was a heel at this point, having aligned himself with AJ Styles, but aside from gloating here and there and using the ropes for leverage towards the end, its not like he's a different performer than he was as a face. There is some very good wrestling on display as, even if Kazarian is a bit too bland for me to ever really get into, he is unquestionably one of the smoothest workers of his generation. I think one issue is that there is really never a question as to who will win this match, even when there are really good near falls and well-timed 2-counts. Its the epitome of "good wrestling-for-good wrestling's sake" because that was essentially Angle's whole gimmick at this point. (2.5/5)

Brian Kendrick challenged Doug Williams for the TNA X-Division Championship next. I'm not sure what it is, but there is just something "off" about this match and pairing. I think the issue might be Kendrick, a guy the audience wanted to cheer for but who didn't have the likeable underdog babyface gimmick that would've made that happen. Instead, Kendrick leaned into the "bizarre" nature of his character and so there's a disconnect as to how sympathetic he is. Williams, meanwhile, is good but not at the same level as the Regals and Finlays that he is comparable to (at least not based on what I've seen so far). They pack a ton into this 10-minute and I liked Williams busting out an "X-Divisiony" move to get the W. (2.5/5)

The TNA Knockouts Championship was on the line next as Madison Rayne defended against Roxxi. Rayne cuts a pre-match promo sans the rest of the Beautiful People and baits Roxxi into putting her career on the line. Rayne clubs her with the microphone before the bell and Roxxi bleeds a ton. Today, seeing blood in a women's match is more commonplace, especially in AEW, but back then, it wasn't so common and definitely stood out. Roxxi was the better worker but there was never really any doubt as to who would win. Inoffensive, but not long enough - I think the pre-match promo runs longer than the actual match - to really leave much of an impression beyond Roxxi blading. (2/5)

A video package airs to hype the next match - a Master vs. Student battle between Bubba Dudley and Jesse Neal. Once again we get a pre-match promo with Bubba apologizing to Neal and attempting to "squash the beef" with both Shannon Moore and D-Von also in the ring initially. However, as they make their exit post-reconciliation, Bubba attacks Neal and throws him into the ring to start the match. D-Von and Moore are prevented from stopping the attack and Dudley controls the majority of it. Again, the pre-match promo feels like it runs longer than the match. I'll give some credit to Bubba too; he's moving with clear motivation and purpose and I'm guessing its because he knew this storyline would sink or swim based on his effort and ability to draw heat (and I've always preferred Bubba in a heel role). Tommy Dreamer shows up in the crowd to a massive ovation in a genuinely cool surprise for the ECW faithful. 15 years later, its may be hard to understand why another "ECW Reunion" would get such a big response, but in 2010, the "failures" of the WWE's ECW relaunch was fresh in people's minds and ECW alumni showing up in TNA made people wonder if Paul Heyman may have been returning too (in a creative role). Dreamer's distraction costs Bubba the match. (2.5/5) 

Matt Morgan vs. Hernandez followed. And for the third time, we get a pre-match promo, this time with Matt Morgan claiming to be injured and handing the referee a note from his physician in order to "duck" this match. Hernandez stops him as he's returning to the locker room and the match happens (which is bizarre logic). Morgan basically dominates most of the match that ensues and, I must admit, I found his whole heel act to be quite good. He was really easy to hate here. The match gets thrown out, which was done to protect both guys. The action was okay for what it was. (2/5)

Abyss vs. Desmond Wolfe in a Monster's Ball Match was next. Finally, Abyss is back to doing the thing that he's really good at: garbage wrestling matches. Wolfe takes some nasty-looking bumps in this, including a head-into-a-chair corner spot that is particularly cringe-inducing when you consider Wolfe's history of concussions. This match doesn't have a great reputation, but I enjoyed it quite a bit for what it was and showed that Wolfe did have the range and character to work in every context, including ultra-violent hardcore matches built around weapon shots and goofy valet drama. I loved Abyss getting powerbombed from the corner onto a bed of barbwire. Not everyone's cup of tea, but worth checking out if you're a fan of either guy. (3/5)

Next up - AJ Styles vs. Jay Lethal. This is another match that got some "heat" from fans at the time because Styles had been dropped down the card after being the World Champion just a few months prior, seemingly because Hogan and Bischoff had lost confidence in his ability to "draw" and wanted established main eventers like Van Dam, Hardy, and Sting, to be at the top of the card instead. And so Styles and Lethal ended up feuding over Lethal disrespecting Ric Flair and Styles wanting to prove that he was still worthy of being the Nature Boy's protege. It's a thin story, but you knew the in-ring would be good so it makes sense they'd book it. As one might expect, this match is full of great sequences, smooth wrestling, and well-executed high flying moves, but I wouldn't call it "must watch." Lethal gets put over strong here by hanging with the former champ and eventually getting the victory, but it was hard for me to get into that emotional aspect of the match when all I - and at least a vocal portion of the Impact Zone crowd - could think about was why Styles was being treated like just another midcarder after being the best worker in the company not named Kurt Angle for at least two years by this point. (3/5)

Beer Money took on the newly formed Enigmatic Assholes - Jeff Hardy and Ken Anderson - in a match that was really all about the experience of Beer Money vs. the uneasy alliance of new main event-caliber singles guys in Hardy and Anderson. Beer Money were really good here and Anderson was also impressive, taking some great bumps to the floor and, by the end, busting himself open hardway from something or other. Jeff Hardy was also in good form, hitting an awesome somersault dive to the floor off of Anderson's back. I can understand the argument that Beer Money should've gotten the W because of their experience level, but this was worked well enough to not be anything close to a burial and more about the craftiness of Hardy and Anderson. A really solid tag team match. (3/5)

Main event time - Rob Van Dam vs. Sting for Van Dam's TNA World Heavyweight Championship. This is a weird one on paper and an underwhelming one on-screen. Van Dam is not the most reverent guy based on his interviews over the years, laid back to the point of seeming unaffected at times, and I think that lack of real vision hurt this match considerably. Van Dam and Sting don't show a lack of effort, but I'm not sure how hard they searched for chemistry or fresh ideas either, having a pedestrian brawl in the Impact Zone crowd to start and then sauntering back to the ring for some listless action before going into a shoddy ref bump spot that also exposed Earl Hebner as being a shadow of his former self too. This led to
Jeff Jarrett showing up and attacking Sting, which, at the very least, made logical sense (I was half-expecting Jarrett to inexplicably cost Van Dam the title despite Sting being the one who put him on the shelf a month prior). A disappointment because, while its hard to envision what a good RVD/Sting even could be, this match showed what an uninventive one would be. (2/5)

Slammiversary VIII's decent-enough 2.5-out-of-5 Kwang Score is higher than one might expect when they look at the card on paper, but Desmond Wolfe does everything he can to make his match with Abyss as good as it is, Lethal and Styles have a strong bout, and the pairing of Anderson and Hardy works too. Still, matches like Kendrick/Williams and Angle/Kazarian are a bit underwhelming and the main event is an outright clunker.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW Dynasty 2025

AEW Dynasty 2025

Philadelphia, PA - April 2025

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Jon Moxley, the AEW Womens' World Champion was Toni Storm, the TBS Champion was Mercedes Mone, the TNT Champion was Daniel Garcia, the AEW International Champion was Kenny Omega, the AEW Continental Champion was Okada, the AEW Tag Team Champions were The Hurt Syndicate, and the Death Riders were the AEW Trios Champions (specifically Claudio Castignoli, PAC, and Wheeler Yuta).

Kevin Knight made his AEW PPV debut against Will Ospreay in the opening contest, a first round match from this year's Owen Hart Invitational. Knight was a last-minute replacement for Jay White due to injury. It is so rare to see Ospreay perform a "sloppy" move, but there was an awkward couple of moments here. Of course, that can almost be expected in a match like this, which was loaded with insane maneuvers and fought at a breakneck speed. Knight's dropkicks were excellent and there was at least one counter - to an Ospreay Styles Clash attempt - that got a "What the fuck?" pop out of me. This was a hot opener and a crowd-pleaser, but certainly a "lesser" match than what Ospreay and White would've delivered in terms of gravitas and importance. (3/5)

The Hurt Syndicate - Shelton Benjamin and Bobby Lashley - defended their AEW World Tag Team Championships against Big Bill and Bryan Keith of the Learning Tree. Noticeably absent from the match was Chris Jericho (which had me wondering if it was due to tension with MVP). Big Bill was very over with the Philly crowd, but its not like the Hurt Syndicate were getting booed out of the building. This was a decent bout and had more heat and crowd engagement than the Hurt Syndicate haters would ever admit. MJF interfered to help give the Syndicate a win, an interesting wrinkle in the story of him potentially joining the faction but not having the acceptance of Lashley. Nothing super special, but at least average. (2.5/5)

Mercedes Mone vs. Julia Hart was next in another Owen Hart Invitational match. Mone botched a move early on that drew huge boos, but I loved the way she turned the moment into another reason to gloat and grind, dancing around in such a way as to draw even more attention to her cockiness. There were some telegraphed spots that stood out and some near-misses where one or both competitors could've been badly hurt, but they worked through them and some the "big moments" in this match - like Mone's double-knees off the apron or the finishing sequence - got huge reactions. It was an imperfect match, but Julia Hart, under 25 and relatively "green" compared to the better workers in AEW let alone the WWE, didn't crumble under the spotlight and Mone showed what she brings to the table in terms of keeping the crowd's focus on the action through impressive, attention-grabbing spots. (2.5/5)

The AEW Trios Championships were on the line as PAC, Claudio Castignoli, and Wheeler Yuta defended against Adam "Cope" Copeland and FTR. The story coming into this show was that there had been some dissension between FTR and they weaved that into the in-ring action. The crowd seemed a little bit burnt out at the start, but things picked up once we got the flurry of signature moves and near falls that the match desperately needed towards the back end. This was not Cope's best performance in AEW, but "hiding him" in tag matches is a wise decision at this point as he was noticeably slower than everyone else involved in this contest. The post-match was a little "cutesy" with Cash feigning that he wasn't going to join Dax in his beatdown of Copeland before "revealing" his true colors, but the level of violence and execution of the piledriver on the chair (as well as the two 1-man Conchairtos) was excellent. I also loved the post-match heeling of FTR here, really going the extra mile to draw heat from the crowd when turning on Cope could've actually gotten cheered based on the general "anti-ex-WWE guys" mood that can sometimes rear its head onto AEW shows. (3/5)

Toni Storm defended the AEW Women's Championship in the next bout against relative newcomer Megan Bayne. Bayne was accompanied to the ring by Penelope Ford. "Timeless" Toni's pre-match video was a somewhat odd tribute to Rocky, but like seemingly everything she's done with this gimmick, it worked (I also dug Luther's "Mickey" get-up). Bayne tried to use her power early but Toni hit her with a crossbody to slow her momentum. Bayne caught her with a suplex and then dropped her with a stalled powerslam and then an impressive reverse slam ala Scott Hall followed by a big boot to the floor. Bayne hit an insane dive, but caught Luther instead of the champ, who then planted her with a DDT on the floor. Ford distracted Storm, allowing Bayne to rock her with a nasty big boot. Bayne then hit a beautiful butterfly suplex as Excalibur did a great job on commentary explaining how much Bayne has improved since her early days. To be honest, prior to this match, I hadn't caught much of Bayne's work but she was very, very impressive in this match, especially for a 26 year-old. Bayne hit a series of short-arm clotheslines but failed to capitalize. Toni hit some slaps but then it was Bayne again in control with a trio of absolutely great belly-to-belly suplexes. Bayne went for a weak pinfall just to slap Storm in the face and, for the third time in the match, Ford got involved. Luther carried her away to a huge pop, evening the odds. Storm hit a series of forearms and then a Lou Thesz Press. Storm hit another tornado DDT and then applied an STF, but Bayne powered her way to the ropes. Bayne countered a Storm Zero attempt and ended up hitting a back suplex that lifted Storm from the apron back into the ring - a move one would normally see out of a powerhouse like Castignoli. Back to the top rope they went, where Storm then hit a nasty back suplex of her own, flipping Bayne all the way around to the point that she nearly landed directly on the top of her head. It was a scary, scary drop in a match that had already been full of nasty drops. An earned strike exchange sequence followed - something I'm not usually a fan of but made sense here because of how heated things were. Bayne missed a splash and Storm landed another German suplex and then attempted a hip attack but got German suplexed directly on the back of her head! Bayne then hit a brilliant Falcon Arrow for a great nearfall. Storm went for a roll-up and got 2 and then, after some standing switch counters, another German suplex and a hip attack! Bayne no-sold it but Storm hit a headbutt and then an even more nasty trio of hip attacks! Storm Zero, but Bayne kicked out at 1! Holy shit! Bayne hit a back body drop, a lariat, and then a flying clothesline followed by a sit-out powerbomb, but didn't go for the cover. Bayne went for her cover, but Storm countered it into an inside cradle to somehow sneak out the victory! Wow. Another Match of the Year contender for Storm and another "Best Women's Match in AEW History"-caliber match to my eyes. (4.5/5)

Kyle Fletcher vs. Mark Briscoe had the unenviable task of having to follow an instant classic but worked very hard to keep the show's momentum and generally succeeded. Fletcher and Briscoe have great chemistry and did not hold anything back. Fletcher hit a nasty suplex that sent Briscoe's head into a chair early on, a move that could've worked as a finish but was just "table-setting" here. Whereas the previous match featured a real progression of a story from beginning to end, this was more of a tit-for-tat war where it was hard for either guy to get a clear, lengthy advantage despite all the bombs being thrown, including an absolutely wicked brainbuster on the apron. I'm not sure why this match would have a higher rating over on Cagematch than the Storm/Bayne bout, but I'm guessing it has something to do with a word that rhymes with nexism. (3/5)

Chris Jericho defended his Ring Of Honor World Championship against Bandido in the next match. They were behind the eight ball before the match even began as Jericho is not well-liked among the "smart" fans these days, this feud feels like it exists on a separate island than anything else on AEW's flagship shows, Jericho's title is wholly irrelevant at this point (with him making the title all about "sports-entertainment" and not pro-wrestling a punchline to a joke that was finished being told months and months ago), and Bandido is not considered even close to a "top guy." Once the bell rang, Jericho and Bandido worked hard and they tried to throw in every possible hook they could to get the crowd engaged. Much of it worked. Bandido hit some impressive maneuvers that showed off his mix of speed and strength. Jericho didn't look terrible either and was able to keep up with Bandido's pace. Having Bandido's family at ringside did allow for Jericho to get good heat and did help Bandido garner support from the crowd. But then...it became the focal point of the match...and the match went on for close to 20 minutes (the longest on the show by that point)...and Jericho's bat strike looked super weak...and then we got a silly "Dusty Finish" that was meant to be a feel-good moment but made Bandido look a bit like an undeserving goober when this could've/should've been a big triumphant moment for him. This wasn't a trainwreck and those calling it that are being overly critical of Jericho, but the booking and layout of this match did not do it favors and this probably would've been much better received if they had shaved off 2-3 minutes of in-ring action and went with a more definitive victory for Bandido. (2/5)

Daniel Garcia vs. Adam Cole followed for Garcia's TNT Championship. This was the third match in a row - on a very long show - that felt like it could've been on an episode of Dynamite or Collision and not necessarily a PPV as it has mostly played out on Collision for a much smaller audience. The crowd wasn't asleep for this, but they were working extra hard to keep a crowd engaged with big spots and "finisher spamming" on a night where the crowd had already had their mind blown by any number of flashier, more impressive athletes. Cole and Garcia are also in the unfortunate position of not having "the look" of some of their peers, an element of that matters in a cosmetic business where being undersized or thin must be overcome through personality or innovative offense. While Cole and Garcia both have charisma and, at times, have seemed like they could breakout as top-of-the-card talents, Cole hit several career speedbumps due to injury over the past few years and Garcia is still putting it all together, a promising future star but not one that has accelerated the way, say, Kyle Fletcher has. This was a good match, but not a memorable one. (2.5/5)

Kenny Omega defended the AEW International Championship against "Speedball" Mike Bailey and Ricochet in the next contest. This match went over 30 minutes and though I didn't love some of the "cooperation" that was occurred - especially early on when all three fell prey to the nasty habit of rolling their opponent over during a pinfall, essentially helping them kickout quickly and get back to their feet so they could get to the next spot - this was a spectacular fireworks show featuring some incredible sequences and some very innovative offense out of everyone. There was also great character work from Ricochet, who, over the past few months, has definitely come across as a much bigger star than he ever was in WWE. I loved Bailey's multiple double-knee variations, some of which were absurd in their execution and impact. Talks of this being among the best triple threats in history may be going a bit too far when this sort of match has become increasingly commonplace, but this was certainly well above average and one of the better matches on the show. (3.5/5) 

Main event time - Jon Moxley vs. Swerve Strickland for Mox's AEW World Championship. This followed a much more traditional structure as they were some babyface shine in the beginning, followed by an extended heel beatdown that led to Strickland being bloodied, before he got in some hope spots. Moxley's use of a variety of submissions is selfish jui-jitsu fetishism to me, a style that pops him but clashed with the high-energy offense of Strickland, who was excellent here, giving the match life with his facial expressions and offense as Mox continued to grind him down with chokes and leglocks. I can understand Mox wanting to work a slower pace than the go-go-go style on display elsewhere on the card, but at this point on a 4+ hour show (not including Zero Hour), the crowd wanted some big drama and it took arguably too long to get to it. Things picked up quite a bit in the second half, once Swerve began to rally, hit his kicks-to-the-face, and Shafir ate a neckbreaker from Mox. At this point, Mox also grabbed a ladder, which didn't make a ton of contextual tense (okay, none at all), but did lead to Swerve stomping Moxley off the ladder and through the ringside table. It wasn't perfectly executed, but it still made for a great visual and got a huge reaction. Into the ring they crawled to exchange forearms, another Moxley "go-to" that he's maybe overused a bit too much in his attempt to pay constant homage to the Japanese wrestling he adores. I liked the ref bump that came when Mox threw a chair and Swerve ducked. This led to Hangman coming out, looking unsure of who he might hit with the front-flip clothesline, but then getting attacked by the Death Riders. Page fought them off and nailed Mox with his reverse piledriver, which led to HOOK, Joe, and Shibata running out to even the odds in a total clusterfuck. Swerve tossed the chair to Mox, hit a stomp from the top rope, and pinned him to win the title to a huge ovation...is how the should've ended. But, instead, Swerve hit the stomp, the lights went out, and then the lights came back on the Bucks hit him with their finish to help Mox retain in one of the more poorly-received PPV finishes in AEW history. From a storyline perspective and - in terms of execution - this was an effective gut punch that raises serious questions about where this storyline is going...but the issue is, Mox's title defenses have been mostly "mid" as the kids say, his work has been outright sloppy at times (note in this match how many times Mox re-positioned himself or telegraphed the next big move in blatant ways) and Swerve Strickland is very over and among the best wrestlers on the planet right now, the kind of talent that you can build a main event around with minimal effort (something AEW has not successfully done with Mox during this run). AEW is a company that's "best foot forward" is its wrestling and Mox is looking more and more like a relic. The match itself wasn't terrible (thanks to Swerve) and the big finishing angle was well-produced and legitimately surprising...but it'd be near-impossible to want to revisit this or recommend it. (2.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 2.9-out-of-5, Dynasty 2025 featured two excellent matches, a few matches that were good-not-great, but, unfortunately, some underwhelming matches in the middle of the card and a main event that left a sour taste in most viewers' mouths. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand

WWE Survivor Series 2004

WWE Survivor Series 2004

Cleveland, OH - November 2004

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: The World Heavyweight Champion was Triple H, the WWE Champion was John Bradshaw Layfield, Shelton Benjamin was the Intercontinental Champion, the US Champion was Carlito, the WWE Tag Team Champions were Rene Dupree and Kenzo Suzuki, the World Tag Team Champions were La Resistance (Conway and Grenier), the Cruiserweight Champion was Spike Dudley, and Trish Stratus was the Women's Champion.

Live from the Gund Arena in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, the show begins with a Fatal 4-Way for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship with Spike Dudley defending the title against Rey Mysterio, Chavo Guerrero, and Billy Kidman. This was an all-out spotfest, but a very good one and the crowd was into it. Rey Mysterio was the biggest star in the match, but Kidman's Shooting Star Press being a lethal finish had gotten over and Spike Dudley was also over as a heel with the audience. Highlights included Mysterio hitting a hurricanrana that brought Kidman to the floor, a really good Tower of Doom spot, and a very good closing stretch with a somewhat surprising ending. The WWE's Cruiserweight division never really took off, but it wasn't for a lack of effort by the wrestlers involved. (3/5)

Backstage, Paul Heyman is with Heidenreich. We then get Heidenreich and Snitsky flirting. Yup. That's the only way to describe it. They are breathing heavily in each other's faces, complimenting each other, and talking about how they plan to see each other later. This is classic Vince McMahon creative as he was basically sacrificing whatever seriousness these characters had for a quick, weak joke. Needless to say, neither of these guys would go on to accomplish much of anything in the company.

Shelton Benjamin defended his Intercontinental Championship against Christian in the next bout. This is the era where Christian was either on the gas or trying to look like he was. This is a solid match, but not super memorable (and I say that as a fairly big Christian fan). Benjamin was an incredible athlete and brought a ton of energy and was arguably as over during this run as he'd ever be. Christian, meanwhile, is a very smart worker who likes to put lots of classic wrestling storytelling elements into his matches and they are some good ones thrown into this, including some nice false finishes, finisher-teasing and counters, and cleverly done interactions from Tomko that get big reactions. I wouldn't call this a "hidden gem" or anything, but its good enough and just more proof of how good and consistent Christian is throughout most of his career. (3/5)

An old-fashioned (sorta) Survivors match followed as Team Guerrero - Eddie Guerrero, Big Show, John Cena, and Rob Van Dam - took on Team Angle - Kurt Angle, Luther Reigns, Carlito, and Mark Jindrak. Before the match could even get started, John Cena got his big moment by chasing after Carlito and his henchman (Jesus), who had stabbed him on an episode of SmackDown before this. I don't remember that angle as I wasn't a regular watch in 04', but it sounds pretty ridiculous to my ears. This also seemed to have been an excuse to limit Cena's in-ring demands as, by this point, there was already a little bit of a pushback towards him due to his perceived lack of fundamentals. That being said, with the majority of the crowd, Cena was over and he is clearly getting the biggest pops of the babyface side. Eddie Guerrero does most of the heavy lifting for his team while Angle does the same for his side. This is not a "great" match, but it is a fun one and I liked the babyfaces having and maintaining an advantage from the beginning to end. It may not have made for a very suspenseful or drama-rich match, but the logic was sound and none of the babyfaces - even Van Dam, the sole elimination on his side - looked weak coming out of it. This wasn't an all-timer or anything, but it was good enough as PPV filler. (2.5/5)

Heidenreich vs. The Undertaker followed and this match was better than it had any right to be and is criminally underrated over at Cagematch. Obviously Taker has had any better matches against much better, more experienced opponents, but its kinda fun to watch him lead a match with a greenhorn and actually show how capable he is in terms of storytelling and building up suspense and momentum. The crowd is more into this match than one might expect and its all because of Undertaker's timing and pacing. Anyone expecting a mat classic should look elsewhere, but that goes without saying. I really liked how Heidenreich continued to pepper the Deadman with body shots whenever he had an opening. I also thought his bumping and selling were pretty good for a big man, at one point busting out the "Terry Funk jelly legs," which is the opposite of a knock against him. If you're going to steal, steal from the best, right? Perfectly respectable filler that, despite a runtime of 10+ minutes, actually showed there may have been some juice in Heidenreich as a performer, but already being 35 at this point meant he was already going to be working against the clock. (3/5)

The next "match" is more of an angle than a contest as Lita challenged Trish Stratus for the WWE Women's Championship but was really only interested in hurting Stratus for her various verbal jabs about Lita's (storyline) miscarriage. What a horrendous and offensive storyline that Vince cooked up and that these two had to perform. I'll give Lita and Trish credit, though - this angle is terrific and it has everything to do with their performance and willingness to actually make it feel "real" within the context of a pro-wrestling show. Lita comes out swinging (literally), punching Stratus before the bell and, within a minute or two, Lita is grabbing hold of chairs to bash Stratus' brains in. Because this is wrestling, Lita eventually applies a Tazzmission on the floor, but seemingly digs her nails into Trish's nose to open her up. She then sends her into the steel steps to a huge pop as the referees try to restrain her. The blood, the chairs, the steps - all designed to sell the idea that Lita had broken Trish's nose and it works and it does feel violent and unlike anything you'd have seen in a women's division storyline before. I'm glad Vince had the sense to understand that if you're going to build a feud around a miscarriage, you can't blow it off in a standard wrestling match. (+1)

JBL defended his WWE Championship against Booker T in the next bout. They'd spend several weeks pushing the idea that Booker T had JBL's number because he had pinned him on TV and has also consistently thwarted Orlando Jordan, JBL's "Chief of Staff," proving he could "equalize him" once the title was on the line. This, like the Taker/Heidenreich match, is not an all-timer, but for a story-driven, heavyweight title fight, it delivers what it needs to. I'm not sure anyone believed Booker T had a chance here - its clear by this show that John Cena was the guy being groomed for a big run in 2005 - but the crowd is engaged enough and both JBL and Booker T "lay their shit in" to make sure the match never feels boring or perfunctory. Orlando Jordan did great work at ringside too, executing a great "pull out the ref at 2.9" spot towards the end. One of the better JBL matches that doesn't rely on a ton of blood, especially for this period (when seemingly every good title match he had involved bleeding a bucket's worth). Like the Heidenreich/Taker match, this is underrated over at Cagematch largely because, in terms of workrate and big flashy moves, it isn't special...but as a "main event style" match that the WWE was known for around this time, it's not bad at all and I'll even say it was slightly above-average. (3/5)

Main event time - Triple H, Batista, Gene Snitsky, and Edge vs. Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and Maven in another somewhat-classic Survivor Series match (this one also being 4-on-4 instead of 5-on-5). Earlier in the show, Maven was attacked and taken out by Snitsky, which put the babyfaces at a disadvantage. The other big story coming into this match was that, if the babyface side won, each member would get to become "King For A Day" on a Raw and "run the show" for one week - meaning they could theoretically book themselves to face Triple H for the World Heavyweight Champion (everyone except Orton, who, for a reason I can't recall, was no longer allowed to challenge for the title as long as Triple H held it). On the flipside, Snitsky and Edge both made it clear that, if they were to win the match, they would want World Heavyweight Championship matches as well. And so, with all this extra drama, there are genuine stakes in this match and it benefits the festivities considerably. I'm surprised to say it, but I like Gene Snitsky in this match and his interactions with Triple H. I also like the pre-match tease of Batista also showing interest in the World Heavyweight Championship, though this doesn't really come into play during the match itself. The refereeing of this match might be its weakest element as, multiple times during the contest, it is unclear who the legal man is, if anyone has made a proper tag, or why Maven is even allowed to enter the fray when he was essentially "eliminated" by Eric Bischoff before the match even started. Good action throughout and I'm not surprised that Dave Meltzer gave this a solid review. Randy Orton was over with the crowd as a babyface so his victory gets a huge reaction and I like that both Edge and Triple H (especially) put the RKO over strong to end things. Nothing I'd necessarily go out of my way to see, but perfectly decent match with a surprisingly strong performance out of Snitsky. (3/5)

Survivor Series 2004 is a consistently good show, but doesn't feature that one single "great" match that elevates it into the upper tier of WWE PPVs or even Survivor Series events. Earning a Kwang Score of 3.08-out-of-5, there isn't a truly weak match or moment on the card  and even the reprehensible Lita/Trish storyline is furthered with an angle that delivers the necessary intensity and violence to match its objectively offensive subject matter. The biggest shock watching this show is just how decent Snitsky and Heidenreich look, especially considering they are expected to deliver in two marquee matches as well as in a prominent backstage segment. Its a bit odd that, despite delivering the goods here, this would be both men's career peaks. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It...With Remote in Hand