TNA Victory Road 2008

TNA Victory Road 2008

Houston, TX - July 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Samoa Joe was the TNA World Heavyweight Champion, the X-Division Champion was Petey Williams, Taylor Wilde was the Knockouts Champion, and the Latin American Exchange (Homicide and Hernandez) were the TNA World Tag Team Champions.

A 4-team/12-man X-Division Cup match opens between Team Japan (Masato Yoshino, Puma [aka TJ Perkins/TJP], and Milano Collection), Team Mexico (Averno, Rey Bucanero, and Ultimo Guerrero), Team TNA (Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, and Curry Man [Christopher Daniels]), and Team International (Doug Williams, Tyson Dux, and Alex Koslov). This match was a ton of a fun and borderline "must see." What really stood out about this match was that elimination-style matches often suffer from having to rush through a bunch of pinfalls and submissions that aren't built up properly and end up making certain guys look awfully weak. Here, every elimination made sense and felt like it was earned and credible. 90% of the wrestlers in this match were folks I had not seen much from, but everyone got a chance to shine and look good. The MVPs were Puma, the Guns, Yoshino (he really seems like a guy that could've and should've been a star in the WWE with his incredible speed), and Koslov (another guy that feels like he was just about a decade too early to be a bigger deal in the US), all of whom had some match-stealing moments. For a "spotfest," they did an excellent job making moves count and not going too overboard or cutesy. This felt like a real struggle and competition because of how impactful every suplex and superkick and hurricanrana looked. I'm not surprised this was rated super high by the Observer (or over at Cagematch) because, especially for its time, you just didn't see matches like this on a national stage. However, I do think it slows down a bit towards the back end and doesn't quite reach "Must See" status any moreso than similar multi-mans that we now see regularly on AEW or were being produced in Japan. Still well above-average and a very hot opener for this show. (3.5/5)

Gail Kim vs. Angelina Love followed. This was solid for what it was. At the time, you rarely saw more than one women's match on a wrestling pay-per-view, so it is commendable that TNA saw the value in women's wrestling a good 5-6 years before the WWE saw much value in it. Inoffensive match, but nothing special. Gail Kim busts out the ringpost-assisted Figure Four and Tenay mentions Bret Hart, which seems like a little bit of a "wink wink" joke about Kim and Hart dating (though I'm not sure that was ever really confirmed or if they were dating at the time). (2/5)

Sonjay Dutt vs. Jay Lethal was up next. This rivalry was based on the wedding angle from the previous PPV where Dutt interrupted the proceedings by declaring his love for So Cal Val. I fully expected Val to turn heel here, but to TNA's credit, they didn't go that route (at least on this show). For a match between two ex-best friends over one guy trying to steal the other guy's fiance, this was a pretty tame wrestling match. Sonjay Dutt is too cartoonish, as a heel or a face, for me to take him seriously and this is the sort of storyline that really needs to be treated seriously to not come off as corny. Not very good or interesting and off-key in terms of what a match like this should be. The intensity wasn't there, even if both guys are great athletes who can do a bunch of cool stuff in the ring. (1.5/5)

The TNA Tag Team Championships are on the line in the next match - The LAX defending against Beer Money in a Fans-with-Straps Lumberjack match. Horrid, very cheap, low rent stipulation - not my thing at all even if it is "old school." That being said, I'll give credit to Storm and Roode for taking a whipping from the fans (plants?) that were around the ring and really leaning into the "fun" of the stipulation. This was not a serious championship match and they didn't treat it as such, but it also seemed like the live crowd and the fans involved were having much more fun than I was watching from home 15 years later. Ho-hum stuff. (2/5)

Awesome Kong tried to regain her TNA Knockouts Champion by defeating Taylor Wilde in the next match. Taylor Wilde had shocked the world by getting pulled from the crowd and somehow defeating Kong (winning not only the Knockouts Championship but also a kayfabe $25,000 prize). It is somewhat important to note that TNA was wise enough not to just have a "random fan" defeat Kong, but to always try their best to emphasize that the fans volunteering to face Kong had some sort of athletic background or training (as they'd done with Serena Deeb and Josie Robinson). In this case, Wilde had been actively challenging Kong for several weeks before getting an opportunity, making it clear that she had at least some confidence and reason to believe she could beat the monster. Anyway...this goes under 5 minutes and Wilde gets another fluke win. The company needed to build around more than just Gail Kim and Kong, which is why spotlighting Wilde and Angelina Love made sense, but it does feel like some of the other women on the roster - notably Roxxi and ODB (who may have been injured at this time?) - were a touch more deserving. Kong and her manager/handler beat down on Wilde after the match, which leads to Abyss coming out to stop them (he had done the same thing at the previous pay-per-view when Scott Steiner and Petey Williams were putting the boots to somebody). Forgettable, inconsequential, but also inoffensive. (1.5/5)

Ultimate X is up next - Volador Jr. vs. Kaz vs. Daivari vs. Naruki Doi. A fun 10-minute match that delivered some good action and high spots, especially from the eventual winner, Volador Jr. The final spot was the best of the match as Kaz hit an incredible leg drop from the top of one of the corner climbing structures onto Daivari, who was prone, hanging from the middle of the ropes trying to disconnect the "X" trophy. I haven't seen a ton of Ultimate X matches so its hard to say whether this was a good one, a bad one, or one in the middle. Fun for what it was, but inessential. (3/5)

The massive "posts" from the previous match were kept in the corners - I'm guessing it would've taken too long to take them down - as we got ready for Full Metal Mayhem: Christian Cage, Abyss, and AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle and Team 3D. Wild brawl to start this off with AJ hitting an insane somersault dive early on to take out D-von and Angle. The first weapon strikes happen within the first two minutes as Christian uses a garbage can against Bubba. Team 3D takeover for a little while, but are cut off when Rhyno and Christian bring in a ladder. Angle comes in with a chair to even things up. Angle hits a nasty overhead belly-to-belly on Christian that sends him into a ladder. Christian has to be on the short list of best ever ladder match performances, but AJ is...well...phenomenal here, hitting an insane springboard splash off the ropes and off the ladder onto Bubba. The heels take over, but Christian reverses the momentum with a massive crossbody from the very top of one of the Ultimate X posts. Incredible move there. Rhyno hits a Gore on both the Dudleys and then brings in a table, the crowd going wild for him. Rhyno sets up D-von in the corner and attempts a superplex but Bubb cuts him off and it leads to a Doomsday Device through the table. Maybe not the best-looking spot, but effective nonetheless. Christian makes the save to stop the count and the match continues. After a series of finisher-attempts and counters, Angle applies the Ankle Lock on Christian but the Instant Classic escapes and goes to the top rope to attempt a frogsplash. D-von prevents it, though, and they send Christian through a table with a 3-D on the floor! Back in the ring, AJ goes after Angle but gets brained by a trash can from Bubba. AJ is clearly outnumbered but is able to duck and dodge and cause Angle to clothesline D-von. AJ gets a bit of offense in but is cut off by a NASTY superkick from Bubba, a shocking move that Bubba adds an exclamation point by shouting into the camera something along the lines of "You didn't think I could do that, did ya'?!?" Its a cool and genuinely surprising moment and I wish we'd seen more of that in Team 3D's other matches over the previous few years. Bubba sets up AJ on a table and goes up for a splash, but AJ springs up, connects with a low blow, and brings him down through a table with a facebuster! D'von tries to ram him with a shoulder tackle but AJ dodges and D-Von goes through another table! Styles Clash on Angle! AJ gets a two count and out comes Johnny Devine. AJ nails him with a Pele Kick and then bashes him with a kendo stick! AJ points the stick to Frank Trigg and Angle sneaks behind him, hitting him with an Angle Slam for 2. Angle brings in another table and then uppercuts AJ. He sets up a ladder and then shoves Hebner for no real reason. This injures Hebner's leg, telegraphing that we are going to get some sort of BS finish. AJ ends up with the upperhand and puts Angle on the table. AJ climbs up the ladder, but Frank Trigg bashes him in the head with the stick! Angle then climbs on the ladder too and hits AJ with an Angle Slam off the ladder and through the table to get the win. Man, this match was really, really great...until the insanely dumb finish. Why would you need a ref bump in a No DQ match? If Johnny Devine was able to interfere, why would the ref need to be out for Trigg to? Also, because of how elaborate the finish was, requiring a table to be set-up and a ladder and the unnecessary ref bump and the involvement of Frank Trigg, it did make me wonder why Rhyno and Christian were still "out cold." Had this had even a slightly better finish, I'd consider this to be one of the best TNA matches I've seen in months...but the finish prevents it from reaching "must see" status. (3.5/5)

Backstage, Samoa Joe cut a promo about his title defense tonight but gets interrupted by Kevin Nash, who promises he will stay backstage tonight and not involve himself in the main event.

Main event time - Samoa Joe defending the TNA World Heavyweight Championship against hometown hero Booker T. This is one of the worst main events I've ever watched and its not even about the wrestling itself, which is fine. The production is abhorrent. Before the match begins, we get a lengthy video package reviewing the key plot points that led to this match - which is great. I like this sort of thing. But then, before each man makes their entrance, we got another condensed version for each participant, an unnecessary move that just eats up even more time. Still, not an egregious decision, but annoying nonetheless. The crowd is absolutely hot for this and firmly behind Booker T, which makes for a cool dynamic as I always like how Joe can work heel at the drop of a hat. Unfortunately, we don't get to see the nuisances of Joe's performance or really enjoy the way this match is built because every 15 seconds, the camera crew cuts to Sharmell on the outside. I'm a Sharmell fan, but the amount of cutaways to her is absurd and definitely detracts from the match. When I rate matches, I rate them on what I see on my screen, not necessarily what the live crowd experienced...but it's not like the live crowd seemed particularly happy at the end either as we get a ref bump, Joe going on a rampage, Booker T getting mauled, and then Sting showing up to essentially make the save. The crowd, expecting an actual title match with an actual finish, does not seem to like this booking any more than I did and, honestly, I'm perplexed as to what TNA was trying to accomplish here. Sure, in Houston, Samoa Joe beating down on Booker T was going to elicit a ton of heat and Joe's body language (and flipping the bird at Sting) make it seem pretty cut-and-dry that this was meant to be a heel turn...but Joe wasn't getting booed on previous shows, still came across as a bad ass that I want to root for, and Booker T wasn't remotely as over in Orlando as he was in Houston. To make matters worse, when Booker T "wins" the title (Booker covers Joe as if to prove a point and Sharmell makes the three count) and leaves with the championship belt, it really feels like a heel move. A confusing mess of an ending when just having Joe and Booker T give us a solid 15-minute match with a definitive finish would've been so, so much better. I really try not to rate matches on booking decisions too heavily, especially because, again, Joe and Booker's actual performances were very good (I love Booker's selling towards the end, for example) but between the kick-in-the-nuts non-finish and the inexplicably terrible production that put more focus on Sharmell than what was actually happening in the ring, this was bad stuff that was helped by a crowd that was invested for at least the first 85% of its runtime. (2/5)

Earning a Kwang Score of just 2.38-out-of-5, Victory Road 2008 is not a show worth checking out. The opener and the six-man are fun matches but neither are "must see." The main event is a real disappointment. The middle of the crowd is mostly sub-average with the Ultimate X really only working because of it doesn't overstay its welcome and, by that point, most viewers would likely be craving a "spotfest" to spice things up (as I was). 

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE Clash at the Castle: Scotland

WWE Clash at the Castle: Scotland

Glasgow, Scotland - June 2024

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, Cody Rhodes was the reigning WWE Universal Champion, Damient Priest held the World Heavyweight Championship, the United States Champion was Logan Paul, the Intercontinental Champion was Sami Zayn, the Women's Champion (on the SmackDown brand) was Bayley, the Women's World Champion (on the RAW brand) was Liv Morgan, Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill held the Women's Tag Team Championships, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were Austin Theory and Grayson Waller (collectively known as A-Town Down Under), and the RAW Tag Team Champions were The Awesome Truth (Miz and R-Truth). 

Cody Rhodes defended his WWE Championship against AJ Styles in an "I Quit" match to start the show. As expected, the crowd was electric for this and very much in the corner of Cody Rhodes, singing his name to the tune of a Boney M song (it was unfamiliar to me, but that's what I could dig up online). Rhodes and AJ brawled through the crowd and into the production area to start the match, but this didn't really "pick up" until AJ hit a nasty-looking brainbuster on the announce table. What I was less happy with was AJ wrapping a steel chair around Cody's head and "Pillmanizing" his neck - a move that, in the past, has led to guys getting stretchered out and kept off TV for weeks (and usually returning with a neck brace on). I know, I know - the DDT used to be a finish and times change and all that, but there should be some things that should maintain their credibility as "death moves" and, to me, a "Pillmanizing" qualifies. I also wasn't super into AJ's interactions with Cody's mom. Her involvement post-Mania is giving Jose Lothario. AJ eventually busted out the handcuffs to further punish Rhodes, who had been bloodied earlier in the match (I initially thought he'd used a blood capsule but I now am leaning towards it being a small blade job). AJ too ended up with some "hardway" color, nicked and scraped by this and that. Despite receiving a ton of kendo stick shots, chairs to the body, and getting lashed with a strap, Rhodes refused to say "I Quit" and eventually fought his way free and back into the match by countering a Phenomenal Forearm attempt and sending AJ through a table. From there, Rhodes turned things around with a bunch of Cross Rhodes and then handcuffed AJ to the ring rope so he could beat him down with a chair. AJ showed some toughness at first, but when Rhodes went out and grabbed the steel steps, AJ gave up. Rhodes still bashed him with the steel steps, though. Not necessarily a super babyface thing to do. Why didn't AJ have The Good Brothers to help him? Seems like a real unnecessary miscalculation by Styles. As Rhodes was leaving, the New Bloodline attacked him. Randy Orton - inexplicably dressed in his wrestling attire despite not having a match on the show - and Kevin Owens showed up to make the save. The New Bloodline story is not something I've been particularly interested in or following closely. Overall, Rhodes and AJ delivered a good-not-great opener and the electricity of the crowd certainly helped tremendously. I didn't mind the finish as it exposed AJ as a coward - which, a heel should be - but there were too many other elements in the match that I didn't like for me to consider this even close to great. Above-average, yes, but not one I'd ever be interested in watching again. (3/5)

The Women's Tag Team Championships were on the line in the next match - a triple threat between the reigning titleholders Jade Cargill and Bianca Belair, Alba Fyre and Isla Dawn (Scotland natives), and Shayna Baszler and Zoey Stark. The crowd seemed a little dead for this in the beginning. Belair, as far as I can remember, hasn't had a big heel run, which only adds to the general feel that she hasn't really developed much over her career. Meanwhile, Jade Cargill is a bona fide Superstar, but still looked a little green here at times, messing up a move off the ropes for her hot tag and looking a little lost afterwards and then, later on, fairly obviously tapping out while in a sleeper to the point that the commentators had to cover it up on commentary as the referee being out of position to see it. A weird moment there. Cargill's "botches" were unfortunate, but they didn't take me out of the match and I loved seeing her hit an incredible sit-out powerbomb while also kicking Baszler with one foot. The best action of the match happened when the two challenging teams were given their spotlight, their chemistry on full display (I'm guessing from previous matches and encounters in NXT?). This match was torn up on Cagematch, but I didn't think it was too bad and quite entertaining for its last third. (2.5/5)

Sami Zayn defended the Intercontinental Championship against Chad Gable in the next match. The story here has been going on for months as Gable and Zayn competed to see who would face GUNTHER at WrestleMania with Gable eventually helping Zayn train for the match. From there, though, Gable's jealousy and ego drove him heel, much to the dismay of his best friend Otis and Alpha Academy stablemate Maxxine. This was a terrific contest as Zayn and Gable are excellent workers and adequately built towards the big turning points in the match, namely Gable trying to have Maxxine interfere on his behalf and then, later on, accidentally calling her to fall on her previously-injured foot (which led to Otis carrying her out of harm's way rather than assist Gable). The crowd was red hot for this, but like I wrote in my review of Backlash, could be distracting at times as a viewer. This was Gable's best overall performance that I've seen as he not only delivered the in-ring goods, but his interactions with Otis and Maxxine on the outside were perfect. Very good stuff, but maybe just a hair below the "must watch" level. (3.5/5)

Bayley defended her WWE Women's Championship, the one defended on Raw, against Piper Niven. Niven was the hometown gal and she did have audible support from the crowd as the match went on, though Bayley was also (obviously) super popular with the audience. I liked that they put a ton of heat on Chelsea Green with her involvement in the match and particularly liked her late-match return as it led to a believable nearfall for Niven. As they say on Cagematch, this was in that "satisfactory" territory in terms of quality, the last few minutes helping to boost what was, up till then, a somewhat dull match. I also found the commentary to be a bit heavy-handed at times with their praise of Niven, who is a solid performer but not a proven winner and certainly not the "biggest"/"strongest" competitor that Bayley has faced in her career (not only did Bayley have a lengthy feud with Bianca Belair, which was noted on commentary, but has had at least a half-dozen matches with Nia Jax over the years). (2.5/5)

Main event time - Drew McIntyre challenging Damien Priest for the WWE Championship. As expected, McIntyre got a huge welcome from his home country crowd. While technically a heel/heel match, Drew was the babyface coming into this match. Big front-flip splash in the early going from Drew before Priest started ramming into the post and guardrail. Priest's arrogance cost him control back in the ring as Drew took over from a huge spinebuster. A hard-hitting but not particularly astounding match shifted considerably when Priest attempted a step up over-the-top rope something-or-other and got his foot caught in the ropes, fortunately tying himself up in the process before he may caused himself a serious injury. As the commentators noted, it was possible that Priest broke or fractured his ankle here, but the match went on and Drew maintained control, delivering a vertical suplex to bring Priest back into the ring. Priest sold the damage to his leg, but fought hard, kicking out of a Future Shock DDT. Priest hit a huge Razor's Edge from the corner and the match continued with solid back-and-forth bomb-throwing, McIntyre revving up the crowd as he called for a Claymore (but Priest rolled out of the ring before he could attempt it). On the outside of the ring, Priest hit the Claymore and sent the champion through the barricade and into the timekeeper area. He attempted another one in the ring, but Priest countered it with a chokeslam for 2. Into the corner they went, but Priest struggled with his knee and barely got off a hurricanrana from the top rope - that McIntyre quickly sprung back up from to hit a Claymore for another huge nearfall. I'm not sure I like Drew's finisher (which, by this point, he'd hit three times) not being able to put away the champion. At this point, McIntyre and Priest's sparring led to the official being knocked off the ring apron. McIntyre hit another Claymore and made the cover, getting the visual pin. Another referee came out and while McIntyre had the match won, the referee only counted to 2...because its CM Punk! Punk hit McIntyre with a low blow, drawing a whole ton of boos, and then watched as Priest hit another South of Heaven chokeslam to get the W. A controversial finish, but not one that was totally unexpected as wrestlers failing to win the big one in their hometown is more common than the reverse. I loved the camera angle they used to "reveal" Punk as the referee and how the commentary team sold the moment too. Maybe not the most memorable match ever, but I'm not sure how anyone could consider this a poor showing from anyone involved. (3.5/5)

With a solid 3-out-of-5, Clash in the Castle: Scotland continued the WWE's undeniable "winning streak" of good-to-great premium live events. Assisted by a red hot crowd, every match was at least good with the main event and the Zayn/Gable match being great at times - but not quite great enough in their entirety to push them into absolute "must watch" territory. Even the woman's tag match, criticized heavily by most fans, was really solid at times, especially when the two lesser known teams were given the spotlight and Belair and Cargill were selling damage. 

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

TNA Slammiversary VI

TNA Slammiversary VI

Southhaven, MS - June 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into tonight's show, the TNA World Champion was Samoa Joe, the X-Division Champion was Petey Williams, the LAX were the TNA World Tag Team Champions, and the Knockouts Champion was Awesome Kong.

After a video hyping tonight's show filled with Elvis references, we get our X-Division Championship match as our opener - Petey Williams defending against Kaz. Kaz was in the midst of a very strong push, though the crowd wasn't particularly rabid for him (at least not in Memphis). Petey had transformed his character into a Scott Steiner "Mini-Me," which gave him a character and a fresh new look, but I've always had a distaste for these sorts of gimmicks regardless of which company is doing it. With Kaz and Williams, you know you're going to get a good mix of high-flying, technical wrestling, and plenty of whirlwind slams and drivers. The crowd was much more into this than I was watching it years later, but everything was executed well and I liked the twists-and-turns during the finishing stretch. Once Williams couldn't put it away with the steel pipe, I thought for sure Kaz was going to get the feel-good victory, but it didn't turn out that way. I don't think that was the right booking decision. Having Kaz win multiple "number one contender"-type matches only to lose in the actual title fights is not how you build your next star babyface. A good match and maybe watching it in context would've endeared it more to me. (3/5)

Gail Kim, Roxxi, and ODB took on The Beautiful People (Angelina Love and Velvet Sky) and Mickie "Moose" Knuckles in the next bout. They got plenty of time and they didn't rush things, allowing the heels to build heat by targeting Gail Kim's knee after some wild brawling to start things out. Roxxi was really over with this crowd and showed great fire in her spotlight moments. The heels weren't as impressive, but they too got good responses from their crowd for their work. Not a bad match at all, but not very good or super interesting either. (2.5/5)

The TNA Tag Team Champions, The LAX (Homicide and Hernandez) defended against Team 3D in the next match. The crowd wants tables from within the first two minutes, which is not a great sign of engagement in this rivalry. These teams had faced each other numerous times over the previous 18 months - according to Cagematch, it was EIGHT times - but I can't recall being blown away by any of their matches. They have chemistry, but there's no creativity or variation to these matches, especially without the benefit of a stipulation. Hector Guerrero, Salina, and Johnny Divine all get involved because of course they do. The last few minutes were the best minutes of the match because they played off of the way LAX won the titles and I'm not sure I've ever seen a team defeat Team 3D by having someone roll up Bubba as he's prepping for the Dudley Death Drop. Forgettable match, not necessarily in a bad way, but this left no impression. (2/5)

Awesome Kong had a gimmick going where she would offer $25,000 to anyone who could defeat her. Jeremy Borash pulls two "randoms" from the crowd - Josie Robinson and Serena Deeb. Deeb would end up in the WWE and is now part of AEW. Josie Robinson would re-appear in TNA under the ring name "Sojourner Bolt." Anyway, this is just a pair of squash matches culminating in Eric Young bringing out an Elvis impersonator who also gets hit with an Awesome Bomb. More of an entertainment angle than two distinct matches. Inoffensive. I'm not going to "rate" this because, even combined, we're talking about under 5 minutes of action. 

I'm not sure whose decision it was to then proceed with the Jay Lethal/So Cal Val wedding as the next segment, but it was a bad one. This crowd had certainly not been "burned out" by the action in the six-woman tag or the Tag Team Titles match, so why would you book 30+ minutes of nonsense back-to-back? Jay Lethal's groomsmen are some dude from American Idol (who gets booed), Kamala, Jake Roberts, George "The Animal" Steele, and Koko B.Ware. His best man is Sonjay Dutt, who stops the wedding to declare his love for So Cal Val and then attack Lethal. This causes the legends to come in and beat up on Dutt. Really bad stuff all around. Predictable, unfunny, and uncreative, plus we just saw two  squash matches and an Elvis impersonator in the last segment. I don't often give negative points in these reviews, but I feel I have to here because booking this stretch of the show really took away any potential enjoyment there might've been in either segment. (-1)

AJ Styles vs. Kurt Angle is next. These two had had one previous match (according to Cagematch), but this was their first major match against eachother in a 1-on-1 context and it did not disappoint. AJ Styles was an established main event-caliber performer in TNA before this match, but watching it now, it really seems like this was a major "step up" match for him as he was finally given the full spotlight and didn't have to share it with Tomko or Joe or anyone else that was embroiled in a feud with Angle going into their multi-man matches. The match gets great once the aforementioned Tomko is banished from ringside and AJ hits a somersault dive onto the floor that looks, for lack of better terms, impactful. For going 20+ minutes, this one moves so beautifully and never feels rushed. There is a bit of the go-go-go style that Angle has been criticized for over the years, but AJ is good enough to not only keep up but give things that need room to breathe the right amount of time. I've read reviews that criticize this match for feeling disjointed from the storyline, but that's one benefit of not watching the weekly TV or being super familiar with the stories coming into these events - I can judge the action mostly on what is presented and not what should be presented. Angle and Styles having an "underdog vs. champion"/"future vs. past" type match is certainly not what the story called for, but I didn't mind a bit watching in a vacuum. I liked AJ Styles getting his nose busted up as it made the match feel that much more physical and violence. Karen Angle's involvement in the finish wasn't very good; I'm not sure why, aside from Kurt (or Jarrett?) pushing for it, Karen was given such a prominent role on TV when she was not a good actress or a good manager or had good timing or anything. Not the best match these two ever had or had against each other, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy this quite a bit. (3.5/5)

Main event time - Samoa Joe defending his TNA World Championship in a 5-Man King of the Mountain match against Christian, Booker T, Rhyno, and Bobby Roode with Kevin Nash as the special enforcer on the outside of the ring. The pre-match video packages and entrances are looooong and I'm not sure why. The King of the Mountain match stipulations are fairly complex - it starts with all 5 men in the ring, there's a penalty box, and you have to earn the right to hang the World Championship (in a reversal of the typical ladder match stipulation of having to retrieve the belt) by pinning or submitting one of your opponents. It's a gimmick match with too many gimmicks and there's little to no strategy that anyone seems to be employing, aside from Christian and Rhyno, who do some double-team work on Roode at the start of the match. To be honest, I'm not even sure what would be the best strategy in this match aside from trying to get a fast pin and then preventing others from doing the same. These matches tend to play out with everyone involved eventually becoming eligible when the match might make more sense if it really did come down to people teaming up to prevent others from becoming eligible. Anyway...this match has good action and I love the energy that Samoa Joe brings from beginning to end. Christian took the brunt of the punishment. Nobody else really stands out too much, though, that's not a bad thing. Just not a very memorable match. (3/5)

With a surprisingly solid 2.6-out-of-5 rating despite featuring a huge lull in the middle of the show as the content dipped into a predictable series of squashes and then some bad comedy in the wedding angle and the appearance of an Elvis impersonator, Slammiversary VI has just enough good wrestling to make it a decent watch. If you ignore that the Styles/Angle storyline probably should've led to a more violent, more personal match and just enjoy what these two can do in the ring against each other, it is a very good outing. The main event is fine for what it is - an overcrowded match with a silly, overly complicated gimmick - but Joe and Christian are terrific in it. The opener and the women's 6-man are at least average and may even slightly above, with neither overstaying their welcome. If you're into TNA from this era, there are better shows to check out, though.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

WWE One Night Stand 2008: Extreme Rules

WWE One Night Stand 2008: Extreme Rules

San Diego, CA - June 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the World Heavyweight Championship was vacant (due to some sort of shenanigans involving The Undertaker and Edge), Triple H was the WWE Champion, the Intercontinental Champion was Chris Jericho, the United States Champion was Matt Hardy, the World Tag Team Champions were Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly while the WWE Tag Team Champions were The Miz and Jon Morrison, and the ECW Champion was Kane. On the women's side of things, the WWE Women's Champion was Mickie James.

Was this the last truly "extreme" WWE PPV? I'd have to check the history books, but it certainly seems so. The show kicks off with Jeff Hardy vs. Umaga in a Falls Count Anywhere match and while I prefer some of their other matches more, I'll give credit where its due - the crowd is hot for this, Hardy shows off some of his wild innovation by doing a stairwell slide into an elbow drop, and Umaga looks like a monster (especially in the early going during the in-ring portion of the match). The worst part of this match was the ridiculous finish, which was purposefully obscured and took place in the loading zone of the arena. Umaga took a huge fall to what we later learned was concrete (crash pad) and then Hardy came down atop him with a swan dive (also, probably into a crash pad) and then the camera finally reached them to see Hardy get the 3 count. Not a great ending because of how phony it came off. (2.5/5)

The winner of the next match would be able to challenge for the ECW World Championship at Night of Champions. Singapore canes surrounded the ring for a 5-man - The Big Show vs. CM Punk vs. Chavo Guerrero vs. John Morrison vs. Tommy Dreamer. I wasn't expecting much out of this match, but it was borderline great. These guys went wild with the canes and I loved the psychology of everyone trying to eliminate Big Show early as he was certainly the biggest threat in the match. The crowd popped huge for Chavo accidentally caning NFL star Shawn Merriman, not so much because they recognized it as Merriman but because it was executed perfectly and it really did look like Guerrero accidentally struck a random fan near ringside. Really enjoyed when Big Show re-emerged in the match, his face covered in blood, and started dishing out the punishment. Everybody in this match looked like they got at least a few really stiff shots in and received just as many in return. This exceeded my expectations because everyone involved "knew the assignment" (as the kids say) and did their part to make it work. (3.5/5)

John Cena vs. JBL in a First Blood match followed. Cena and JBL had a legendary blood feud a few years before this, so making this match First Blood rules made total sense. Like most Last Man Standing or I Quit matches, these sorts of fights are typically built around set pieces or big, surprising weapon reveals or some other "I've never seen that before!" moment. This match built up very well to JBL busting out a bullwhip, a weapon that would've absolutely mutilated Cena, but then quickly negated it by having Cena - who was caught in the ropes - instantly break free, strike JBL, and then put him in a chain-assisted STF that inexplicably caused JBL to bleed from the mouth. It was a really unfortunate ending to an otherwise solid match where there were multiple times I thought either guy could've been busted open "hard way" (running into the post, lots of punches to the head, loud and dangerous microphone shots to the skull). It's almost unfortunate that this match was fought under this stipulation because, had it just been booked as an I Quit or a No Holds Barred match, I think this would've been considered very good. The crowd was really hot for everything they did, but the finish was a real disappointment (and it didn't help that even the commentators couldn't really sell it as there was no real reason JBL should've been bleeding profusely from his mouth after being in the STF for less than 5 seconds). (2.5/5)

Beth Phoenix vs. Melina in an I Quit match followed. This was wrestled more as a submission match than your typical WWE-style I Quit match with all the weapons and set pieces and craziness. In other words, this was more like something you'd have seen out of Bret Hart than John Cena and I don't say that with any sarcasm or irony. Beth Phoenix is awesome as the powerhouse and Melina is equally great. Way back, almost a decade ago now, I noted in my first few reviews of the women's division matches in NXT that one thing female athletes could do to help them stand out was to accentuate their agility and athleticism in ways that men can't. At that time, I was referencing things like Charlotte Flair's Figure 8 spin on her father's finisher and the way Sasha Banks' rapidity could be blurring and entertaingly reckless in a way that hadn't been seen since the early days of Rey Mysterio. Here, Phoenix and Melina do an incredible job of showcasing Phoenix's strength and grit - crawling her way out of the ring when Melina applies an Indian Deathlock is such an awesome way to get out of the hold - and Melina's incredible flexibility (the finish is maybe the most painful looking thing on this entire show, which was built around seeing all sorts of blood and weapon shots and physicality). Considering the era in which this was produced, this was incredible and holds up really well even watching it 15+ years later. It's also worth noting that this match wouldn't work if Melina wasn't also a good seller. I can't speak of all of her work, but she really does a great job in her role here, showing toughness and determination but also not overdoing it to the point of making Phoenix's submissions look weak (something that, I'd argue, even someone like Shawn Michaels struggled with in his matches against Kurt Angle). A surefire "Must See" because of how unique it is, but also because the performances are that great. (4/5)

After a backstage segment involving Mickie James and John Cena - who were dating at the time sorta but also both involved in long-term relationships with other people (in the case of Mickie James, she was engaged to Kenny Dykstra of Spirit Squad fame) - it was time for the Stretcher Match between Shawn Michaels and Batista. This was an awesome match both in terms of the action that we get - which looks brutal at times - and the psychology and character work from beginning to end. There are so many "small moments" in this match that make it work, from Shawn's initial attack to Batista grabbing the ring apron to prevent himself from getting stretchered out to Shawn's pitiful attempt at a superkick towards the end.  If you hate Shawn Michaels' oft-ridiculous overacting and "brink-of-death" selling, this match will probably irritate the hell out of you...but I thought it worked in this context because it made Batista look like an absolute beast (or Animal?) and actually smart enough not to fall for any of Shawn's potential treachery. I liked how Batista targeted Shawn's lower back repeatedly based on Shawn's history. I loved that Shawn worked this as a pseudo-heel at times, using his cunning (and the stretcher and stairs and ring post) to put Batista out. As another review over at PWO wrote, this is "all killer, no filler" and it also progresses the storyline between Shawn and Jericho in an interesting way without sacrificing Batista's overness or credibility or sense of purpose here - which they easily could've done by having Batista go after Y2J despite not really having any beef with the guy. Just a wonderfully scripted and executed match. Maybe not a "must watch," but a "should watch," and, by my records, one of Batista's greatest matches (and one of the more interesting Shawn ones). (4/5)

The WWE Championship was on the line in the next match - Triple H defending against Randy Orton in a Last Man Standing match. The build-up for this was all about Orton and Triple H's long-running rivalry and the fact that Orton had defeated The Game in a Last Man Standing match the previous year. The fact that these two had already had close to a dozen matches over the previous 4 years in some for another - including a Last Man Standing match - should've been a sign that the main event scene needed some freshening up, but at the time, we were still a few years away from CM Punk, Bryan Danielson, Ryback, and others climbing the ranks. This match is a little tricky to rate because it seems like they were about to build towards the bigger spots just as Orton took a wicked fall to the outside (off of a failed RKO attempt) and the match essentially stops dead in its tracks as it is clear he has suffered an injury. Triple H and Orton were in a tough spot here because the awkward landing was clearly what caused his injury, but the match could really only end with a big weapons shot or something that truly "debilitated" Orton (who was very much awake and able to get to his feet even with what the commentators claimed was a broken collarbone). The 10 minutes before Orton's injury are fine - I liked Orton taking control with a hanging DDT onto the floor in the early going - but they were clearly still in stage-setting mode when the match fell apart. Not worth your time. (1.5/5)

Main event time - Edge vs. The Undertaker in a TLC Match for the vacant World Heavyweight Championship (with the added stipulation that Taker's career is on the line). A terrific and very violent TLC match that might've used just a touch of "color" to make it even more memorable and brutal. Edge has always been a worker that benefits from getting to use tables, ladders, and chairs in his matches and this one is another example of that. The Undertaker being out of his element but still fully capable of inflicting damage is cool to see. There were some really nifty and hard-hitting spots in this match without even mentioning the chair shots that both guys took. I can see why some fans would be turned off by the interference from Edge's allies (The Edgeheads, Chavo Guerrero, Bam Neely), but I thought their involvement not only allowed Edge to sell the pain and injury he suffered realistically, but also helped further the storyline (and long-running trope) that it takes a whole team of heels to put down the Deadman. Loved Taker's chokeslams on the Edgeheads that sent them through tables - they looked fantastic. Ditto for Edge getting slammed through a pair of tables in the end. And then you get the actual finish, which again looked terrific and felt "big enough" to really end things. Thoroughly entertaining match from start-to-finish and I even liked the post-match stuff with Edge being shocked that they'd actually vanquished the Phenom and the Undertaker really selling this as a "farewell match" by acknowledging the crowd as he left the arena. (4/5)

With a significantly better-than-decent Kwang Score of 3.14-out-of-5, One Night Stand 2008 is one of the better WWE shows I've visited/revisited over the past year. The opener and the Triple H/Orton match are disappointing but excusable due to the circumstances (Orton's injury and Hardy and Umaga clearly being put in a position to start the show "hot" without overshadowing anyone). Cena/JBL does not live up to their more brutal matches from years past, but everything else on the show is good-to-great. Melina/Phoenix is a hidden gem and, even 10 years later, remains in the conversation of being one of the best women's matches in the company's history. Michaels/Batista might be one of my favorite matches from either man and is well worth your time. The ECW multi-man is very fun and the main event is a riveting spectacle match featuring all-time great performances from both competitors. 

FINAL RATING - Watch It

TNA Sacrifice 2008

TNA Sacrifice 2008

Orlando, FL - May 2008

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the TNA World Champion was Samoa Joe, the TNA Tag Team Championships were vacant, the X-Division Champion was Petey Williams, and the Knockouts Champion was Awesome Kong.

One of the big storylines coming into tonight's show was the Deuces Wild Tournament to find new TNA World Tag Team Champions. The opening contest is one of four quarter finals - Team 3D taking on the odd couple pairing of James Storm and Sting. Storm was a heel and was essentially "big timing" Sting because he was the more experienced tag wrestler. Eventually Sting gets into the match and Storm gives up, opting to drink a beer outside of the ring instead of getting involved. A little bit of fun gaga with Jacqueline too and Brother Ray slapping her on the butt to a big pop. Sting ends up sending Storm through a table and letting Team 3D get the win. Not exactly the "hot opener" that this show - or any show - needs. (1/5)

Christian Cage and Rhino team up against rivals Booker T and Robert Roode next. Another short, forgettable match that just kinda happens. Everyone involved is perfectly capable, but this was nothing really special. After the match, Booker T turns heel by attacking Cage and Rhino. Seems sort of like TNA didn't have much of a plan for Booker T long-term when they brought him in (no surprise there). Slightly better than the opener, but not really by much. Neither team had any real chemistry or did anything remarkable. (1.5/5)

The tournament continues as The LAX (Hernandez and Homicide) take on Kip James and Matt Morgan. Another match that doesn't run long or leave much of an impression aside from how much smaller Homicide looked compared to everyone else. Hernandez is the most impressive performer as he goes toe-to-toe with both Gunn and Morgan and holds his own. It really is no surprise that as the years went on, "SuperMex" became one of the more popular powerhouses on the roster. Unremarkable and too short to even be considered close to good. (1/5)

AJ Styles and Super Eric vs. Awesome Kong and BG James followed in the last match of the tournament. Another skippable, forgettable, unremarkable match that is only salvaged because of how good AJ Styles and Awesome Kong are. This was still too goofy of an idea for me as there was no real chance of Kong winning. At one point, TNA's Tag Team Division was considered to be infinitely stronger than the WWE's, but looking at this tournament, you just don't see any of that. Styles botches the finish and they end things with a roll-up, a decent-enough save but another knock against this sub-par match. (2/5)

A 10-man Terrordome Match to find the new number one contender for the X-Division Championship follows with Consequences Creed, Shark Boy, Curry Man, Alex Shelley, Chris Sabin, Jimmy Rave, Kaz, Sonjay Dutt, and Jay Lethal all taking part. Before the match begins, Jim Cornette announces that the winner of this match will not only become the number one contender for the X-Division Championship, but will take Kurt Angle's spot in the main event. I'll give some credit to TNA for trying to hot-shot someone into a prominent match from this batch of talents - I assume they figured that it would be Lethal who got the rub as he had had some major matches and moments in 2007 - but I'm not sure it wouldn't have been a better story for Cornette to announce that he has found a suitable replacement and then to utilize someone on the roster who was a bit more of a "name" talent like Styles or Sting or even Matt Morgan or Ron Killings (who at least was a former TNA World Champion). Anyway...with Shark Boy, Curry Man, and Super Eric all on this card, it does feel a bit like TNA was veering too far into bad, gimmicky comedy as these characters/gimmicks were all treading on the same or, at best, adjacent grounds. Shelley and Sabin's double-team maneuvers are the highlight, but Creed and Sonjay also have spotlight moments. This was a fun 10-or-so minutes, but the concept of the match didn't lend itself to a great finish and the sheer number of bodies in the ring meant that there was lots of overselling so that certain guys could "get their shit in." (2.5/5)

The Deuces Wild Tournament continues as Team 3D takes on Christian and Rhyno. The commentators don't mention it, but the crowd recognizes that these four have considerable history from their WWE days. I like Christian and Rhyno coming in and selling the damage from Booker T's attack earlier. I wasn't expecting much about this match, but it was fine. Christian has good chemistry with both of the Dudleys and he and Rhyno get to look tough by keeping things relatively even despite the beatdown they suffered earlier in the show. Johnny Devine ends up coming out and helping the heels win after 10 minutes or so. Nothing remarkable, but nothing offensive or bad either. Better than I expected, to be honest. (2.5/5)

The LAX vs. Styles and Super Eric is next in another tournament match. If AJ Styles got to shine in the first outing, this is Super Eric's round to show what he can do. Lots of energy out of Eric from beginning to end. Hernandez looked like a beast here. Some good wrestling throughout, which is unsurprising because all four might be among the best performers in the entire tournament and they knew how to make the most of their minutes. But this needed more time to really be considered better than average. (2.5/5)

Another multi-man follows as we get a Knockout Battle Royal for the #1 Contender's spot where the final two participants will then fight in a ladder match where the loser will have their head shaved. Holy overbooked stipulation match, Batman! The participants are Rhaka Khan (whose entrance music is good enough to give this match at least 1 point by itself), Velvet Sky and Angelina Love (aka the Beautiful People, whose entrance is so lewd, even Attitude Era Vince McMahon would've probably had to loosen his tie watching it), fan favorite ODB, Salinas of the LAX, Christy Hemme, Jacqueline, Traci Brooks, Roxxi Laveaux, and Gail Kim (who has immunity from getting her head shaved because...I'm not really sure). Kim was the heavy favorite anyway so it was always likely she'd end up in the final two - I'm not sure there are two other women in this match who could even work a 3-minute ladder match - but there was at least some chance that the Beautiful People might end up the final two, which could have been interesting. Anyway, the action is not good in the battle royale, but it rarely is for these sorts of things. When the dust settles, Kim and Roxxi are the last two participants, but because Kim has immunity, if Roxxi wins, it will be Angelina Love who will get her head shaved. The Ladder Match portion of this is way, way, way better and more violent than it probably has any need to be. At one point, Kim hits a sunset flip powerbomb from the ladder and it looks like it might have given Roxxi all the concussions. She comes back, though, and nails a spinebuster onto the ladder in return that there was just no easy way for Kim to take. Vicious stuff. Roxxi is bleeded pretty bad from, I think, the side of her head and her hand. The Beautiful People are constantly interfering to try to make sure Kim wins (so that Angelina doesn't have to have her head shaved). Eventually, their efforts bear fruit and Kim wins the match, but because she did it in somewhat heelish fashion (the true babyface thing to do would've been to step aside, let Roxxi win and have her moment, and screw the Beautiful People) the crowd doesn't cheer and instead chants "Fire Russo" and "Bullshit." For how ridiculously overbooked this was, how did they not see that coming? After the match, Kim and Roxxi try to beat up on the heels, but they escape and it is Roxxi who is forced to have her hair cut. I'm not 100% sure, but it at least felt like the entrances and the post-match lasted longer than the battle royale and the match itself. Again, a point awarded to Rhaka Khan's theme music and another point to the incredible effort by Kim and Roxxi. (2/5)

The Deuces Wild Tournament Final was next - LAX vs. Team 3D for the vacant TNA World Tag Team Championships. These two teams had a whole series of matches against each other in 2007 (IIRC), so the chemistry was there. I really loved Homicide kick-starting the match with a ridiculous tope con hilo. Unfortunately, the rest of the match never really reached that peak again - though Hector Guerrero putting Johnny Devine was kinda cool (if very sloppy). Once again, "Super Mex" Hernandez was super impressive with his agility and power. I liked the clean finish off of a Border Toss-into-a-Frogsplash combo too. Nothing really special in this match, but no worse than average. (2.5/5)

Main event time - Scott Steiner and Kaz challenging Samoa Joe for the TNA World Heavyweight Championship. Kurt Angle was supposed to be in this match but was injured in South Korea. Frank Trigg was on commentary for this as he had become Angle's on-screen cornerman/training buddy. Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised with this match. It's not a classic or anything, but Steiner is more game than I believed he'd be by this point. Steiner's work in 2007/2008 is hit or miss, but this match is worked at the right pace for him and all of his big moments are good aside from a really awkward something-or-other that he and Kaz attempt from the top rope. Joe gets the decisive victory with no interference or bullshit - which I was expecting considering that Rhaka Khan and Petey Williams were at ringside - and Kaz got to look like he belonged in the main event (though, this didn't really solidify him as much as I'm sure he and TNA management hoped). (3/5)

With an overall Kwang Rating of 2.05-out-of-5, Sacrifice 2008 isn't the worst TNA PPV I've reviewed, but it's close to the bottom. The Deuces Wild tournament didn't produce a single match that was better than average and could've been booked in such a more creative way than what we got. The TNA World Championship match was the clear match of the night, though the most entertaining 5 minutes could've been the super violent ladder match portion of the TNA Knockouts Battle Royal. Not worth seeking out, but it did have its moments.

FINAL RATING - High Risk Maneuver

AEW Double or Nothing 2024

AEW Double or Nothing 2024

Las Vegas, NV - May 2024

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the AEW World Champion was Swerve Strickland, the Young Bucks were the AEW Tag Team Champions, the Trios Champions were the Bang Bang Gang (Jay White and the Gunns), Toni Storm was the AEW Women's Champion, Adam Copeland was the TNT Champion, Willow Nightingale was the TBS Champion, the International Champion was Roderick Strong, the Continental Champion was Okada, and Chris Jericho held the FTW Championship (which he had re-christened as the "For The World" Championship). 

Double Or Nothing 2024 - the 5th anniversary of AEW - kicked off with International Champion Roderick Strong defending his title against Will Ospreay. Loved the start of this match with Ospreay attempting to end things early with a running back elbow while Strong was posing and then taking out Bennett and Taven. The first crazy spot of the night happened moments later when Bennett and Taven attempted a Doomsday Device on the floor and nearly paralyzed Ospreay, who fell awkwardly on his neck. Wardlow came in, attempted to powerbomb Ospreay, but then got caught. Ospreay hit a wild twisting moonsault something-or-other on the whole Undisputed Kingdom to take them out. Ospreay's offense was incredible - a step-up enziguiri, a fisherman suplex - but Roderick Strong's heat segment was awesome too. I loved the sequence in which he tied Ospreay up in the ropes and proceeded to strike him from every angle and his fireman's carry-into-a-backbreaker. Plus, the superplex. The sequences in this match were crisp and flawless without feeling overly choreographed. Unfortunately, like so many of the other matches on this show, they inserted a needless "fighting spirit" strike exchange into it. I liked Don Callis trying to convince Ospreay to use the Tiger Driver to put down Strong and Ospreay feeling conflicted about it and then, because he didn't do it, nearly cost himself the match. The actual finish was great as Ospreay won with a brilliant back elbow (Hidden Blade) and then a Stormbreaker after flipping out of one of Strong's various backbreakers. People may not like it, but Ospreay is doing true "State of the Art" wrestling. It is not for everyone. It is intricate sequences, it is highly athletic maneuvers, it is incredible feats of agility and endurance, and it is nothing like the wrestling of the 80s or most of the 90s. But Ospreay is the vanguard, the guy pushing further than Kenny Omega or Ricochet or Seth Rollins and embodying "the future" more than anyone else in US wrestling. Strong was a great opponent for him here because he could keep up and hold his own, but Ospreay is in a world of his own right now. (4/5)

Adam Cole came out to a relative loud babyface pop - big enough to make me question why they turned him heel in the first place. The injury he suffered really ruined whatever storyline they had set for him and MJF. Anyway, he put down the crowd before MJF made his return to a massive ovation. Really good segment, though I didn't love MJF's line about not needing New Japan or Vince McMahon to get over. Name-checking Vince in 2024 feels like name-checking Jim Crockett in your shoot interview in 94'. The WWE has really gone out of its way to make it clear that there are new bosses in town so going after Vinnie Mac doesn't pack the same punch as it did even 2-3 years ago. The rest of MJF's promo was good, though, and I hope he sticks to his promise of cutting out all the "cheap pop" stuff and returning to his true scumbag persona.

The AEW Six-Man Championships were on the line next as Death Triangle (Rey Fenix, Pentagon Jr., and PAC) took on The Bang Bang Gang (Jay White and the Gunns). This match started out strong, but then seemed like it fell apart a bit when PAC sold a devastating DDT from Jay White like he was really injured. After the close call in the opening match, having PAC work that kind of "reality-bending" spot seemed to take the crowd out of the action and they never really recovered. The match picked up quite a bit for its finishing stretch but this wasn't as good as the six-mans the Death Triangle had against the Elite last year, which were all-out wars with lots and lots of crazy spots. Will Ospreay is always a tough act to follow, even with all the high-flying that the babyfaces are capable of. Not bad, just not all that special or different from what you may get on an episode of Dynamite. Juice Robinsons return was another nice surprise here. (2.5/5)

Toni Storm defended the AEW Women's Championship in the next contest against "The Professor" Serena Deeb. Deeb promised that this match would be the best women's championship match in AEW history, but this didn't click for me. Storm is very over with the crowd, but is a gimmicky performer. They tried to put on a very straight-forward, physical match with lots of action but also inserted some awkward "cutesy" spots that seemed out-of-place for the rest of how serious the match was. I liked the Mariah May/Luther interaction on the outside and thought the finish was tremendous and super-violent (Storm hitting a piledriver from the second rope). (2.5/5)

Orange Cassidy vs. Trent Beretta followed. This also felt a little lackluster to me. I'm not sure why they had a stipulation match on TV and then went with no stipulation here as this feud absolutely deserved to culminate in a big, wild, super-violent match. I'm also going to go on record and say that I like OC's Jefferson Starship entrance more than the Pixies one. Terrific spot where OC pulled Beretta's foot out from under him and he dropped back-first onto the steps. OC ended up winning with a straight-up wrestling pin, which, again, was not exactly the finish I expected for such a personal feud. After the match, Beretta bolted. This felt like a Dynamite match more than a PPV-worthy match. (2/5)

The WTF Championship was on the line next as "The Learning Tree" Chris Jericho defended against Shibata and HOOK. I was in the minority when I reviewed the Jericho/HOOK match from the last PPV and said it was pretty good. This was similar - the kind of match that the Jericho haters will undoubtedly rag on but that had enough goofy-but-hard-hitting hardcore action in it to make it work. Of course, if you're not into things like plastic dice being used as weapons in place of thumbtacks or table spots that are practically designed to fail, a match like this will not rate highly with you. If, on the other hand, you can enjoy the convoluted double-submission spots and the overbooking (this match featured not one, but two run-ins on behalf of Jericho), this will likely entertain you more often than not. Bryan Keith actually doing Bounty Hunter shit and coming in to help Jericho win because he was paid to do so - like a real bounty hunter would - made sense but wasn't exactly the most creative or interesting way to have Jericho retain. Speaking of run-ins, HOOK delivering a T-Bone Suplex onto Big Bill through a table on the floor was a bonkers spot that I can't believe Bill was willing to take. Shibata was the glue holding this match together because, of the three, he's the most technically gifted and the crowd, at one point, got behind him pretty clearly. HOOK seems like he's been exposed a bit and looked lost at one point. Jericho was fine, but I still think he needs to disappear sooner than later. Entertaining for what it was. (3/5)

Jon Moxley vs. Takeshita was next. Takeshita, despite coming out on the losing end of multiple big matches this year, has a great aura...too bad that TK seems dead-set on destroying it. This was an Eliminator Match for a shot at the IWGP Championship, which means that if Takeshita won, he would be able to challenge Mox for the title. Talk about a tremendous match that suffered because of inane booking and presentation issues. Someone needs to tell Takeshita that being the fifteenth guy in the company who comes out with a mask on his face is not going to establish him as a unique entity. Mox came in selling an injured arm as it was wrapped up in bandages. Takeshita went right after his arm from the very beginning and it was excellent - a hammerlock slam, an armbar-pulldown-thing-a-muhjig on the apron, a leaping "bulldog"-type move onto the mat that targeted the shoulder, an insane powerbomb into an armbar - it was all brutal-looking. Mox, to his credit, spent the majority of the match selling and doing a good job of it. All of Mox's offense seemed to come from counters, which made sense as Takeshita was in complete control for so much of the match. I didn't like the unnecessary and already-been-done-to-death strike exchange sequences, but I'll give credit to Takeshita for at least utilizing devastating forearms instead of sticking to more chest chops. Some good false finishes too with Takeshita hitting the Death Rider at one point. The finish came when Takeshita unwisely started tossing chairs into the ring only for the ref to get distracted trying to remove them and missing Mox deliver a Curb Stomp onto one and then his own Death Rider. I'm not sure why Takeshita didn't win here, but I try not to let win/loss decisions affect my rating of a match because the action here was tremendous and even Mox, who I sometimes actively dislike, was good here. A better finish, one in which the right guy won, would've probably had me scoring this higher because the finish just really took away from what was yet another should-be "star-making" performance. (3.5/5)

Adam Copeland vs. Malakai Black in a Barbwire Cage match for the TNT Championship followed. I'm not a massive Copeland fan, but give this guy the opportunity to use a bunch of weapons and do crazy spots and he usually lives up to it - and that's been true since his earliest WWE days. Copeland got his "South of Heaven" entrance, a nice little nod to the Hell in a Cell match he had with Finn Balor which was...different than this one. This was weapon-filled and ultra-violent from minute one. Black got color first as Copeland slammed him face-first into the wire. I liked the spot where Copeland put wire on the turnbuckle, avoided at first, but then ended up dropping face-first onto it when Black kicked his foot out from under him. The crowd was 50/50 at times in the early going, but seemed to have gotten behind Copeland by the end. Black brought in a barbwire bat and ground it against Cope's face but ended up eating a barbwire bat shot into his gut minutes later. Black hit a sunset flip powerbomb off the ropes that sent Copeland through a table in a wild spot. We got a piledriver out of Copeland to make it even more clear that this was not a match the WWE would ever put on. The craziest spot was when Copeland wrapped barbwire around Black's body on a table and then performed a very, very ugly elbow drop from the top of the cage, landing directly on his feet and potentially obliterating his ankles and causing tremendous damage to his knees. Just a horrendous spot. By this point, we'd also seen a bunch of spear and heel kick attempts by both guys. The climax of the match was when Black kicked Copeland through the cell door and we got the arrival of Buddy Murphy and Brody King. For a brief moment it looked like they might actually join Copeland, but they "double-turned" and beat him up instead. This led to Gangrel - yes, Gangrel! - emerging through the ring and taking out Murphy and King before getting dropped by a Malakai Black heel kick. Black ate a spear, though, and then got choked out with a barbwire-assisted STF that was shot so close up that you could see the wire wasn't really slicing into Black's face. This was bloody, violent, and everything that a barbwire cage match should be. (4/5)

Mercedes Mone challenged Willow Nightingale for the TBS Championship in the next match. Mone's pre-match video was incredible and 1000% a heel thing to do, but she continues to get babyface pops no matter how grating her personality is (on-screen, at least). Willow is much easier to love, but I liked how physical and aggressive she was as the champion here; this was not the silly, fun-loving Willow Nightingale and it is this version of her that I would love to see her tap into more. Lots of crazy bumps from Mone, which seemed like her way of saying that she had every intention to continue to work the sometimes-reckless/often-entertaining style that put her on the map so many years ago. It's cool to see her up against a "monster" that actually has the agility and strength to put on a great match-up (which is not something I think we ever saw in her NXT/WWE run). There were some awkward moments and a handful of telegraphed moves that took me out of it a little, but the crowd was hot for the majority of the match (though sometimes got quiet in anticipation for moves rather than really booing/cheering anyone), audibly split 50/50 at times. At one point, Banks was able to lift Nightingale up in a Razor's Edge-type position, which was a feat of strength I had no idea she was capable of. Very impressive. I loved the various Meteoras that she hit. Willow getting the visual pin was a neat touch that I wasn't expecting but gives Nightingale an "out" and a potential way to build her up as a future babyface challenger for Mone once Mercedes finally do goes "all the way" heel. Statlander and Stokely turning heel after the match was interesting, but it all really matters where the storyline goes. Stat is not great on the mic, but Hathaway is gold and I'm all about him toning down the comedy and sinking into a real feud. Willow won't need a mouthpiece as a babyface if she continues to give spirited promos from the heart. Anyway, this was a good match, borderline great, but maybe just a few awkward moments away from being must-see. (3.5/5)

The AEW World Champion, Swerve Strickland, defended his title against Christian in the next match. This was what it was. Nobody expected Christian to win this match and interference from his Family was all-but-guaranteed, so the real question was whether the content of the match would be good and interesting enough to carry 20-minutes. Unlike most of the other matches on the show, specifically the major singles titles matches, you also didn't have a wild stipulation (Copeland/Black) or featuring two of the most athletically-gifted and talents in the world right now (Ospreay/Strong) to rely on. Christian is one of my all-time favorites, but at his age, he's got to rely on a bag of tricks that has been condensed over time, plus Nick Wayne and Killswitch aren't exactly heat magnets the way, say, a Dom Mysterio. This match was carried by a handful of really good spots, mostly out of Strickland. I loved the stomp on the announce table and the spear-into-a-Blackout kick, though I was less into Christian having to position himself (and remain in that position) to take Swerve's final double stomp from the top. I've seen others compare this match to the Logan Paul/Cody Rhodes match from earlier in the weekend as the finish was never really in question and the match had to rely more the character work and the entertainment value they could pump into it. To me, they were equally successful in delivering a match worthy of being on a PPV but didn't necessarily surpass expectations. (3/5)

Main event time - Anarchy in the Arena: The Young Bucks, Okada, and "The Scapegoat" Jack Perry vs. Bryan Danielson, FTR, and Darby Allin. The term "madcap" comes to mind when describing this match. It was violent, but there were also comedic elements. There were stunts and weapons and set pieces. Darby Allin was the clear MVP and star of this match and, at this point, it might be argued he has become "Mr. AEW," the "Go-To" if not the GOAT of the company. Danielson and FTR were fine, but it was Allin - getting hit by a truck, delivering a Coffin Drop off a balcony, busting out a flamethrower, and ultimately getting suspended by his feet for minutes on end (causing the crowd to chant "Please Help Darby") - who captivated the audience. On the heel side of things, this was Young Bucks' party all the way. The Bucks' style is not for everyone and their taste level in wrestling has long been questionable. Is it too "wink wink"? Is it too over-the-top when they deliver dozens of superkicks in one match? When they eschew realism for the sake of entertainment and cheap laughs? I'm not a huge big Bucks fan, but this is the environment in which their act works best for me. Putting thumbtacks on their Reeboks before superkicking Darby, delivering the TK Driver on a stack of oversized poker chips, stealing FTR's finisher and then destroying Dax Hardwood with an exploding chair shot, all the theme music stuff in the first part of the match, it all got huge reactions and was executed perfectly. For an act known for their "cringe" elements, it was almost surprising how little "cringe" there was, even when the Jacksons were mugging for and speaking directly into the camera. This was a ton of a fun, but I wouldn't call it an all-time great match or essential viewing. (3.5/5)

With a Kwang Score of 3.15-out-of-5, AEW once again delivered an excellent PPV/PLE. While Dynasty in April featured a Match of the Year contender in Ospreay/Danielson, a better World Championship match, and an excellent Tag Team Titles contest, this show was a touch more consistent. Mone/Willow, Copeland/Black, Ospreay/Strong, and Anarchy in the Arena were all great matches and thoroughly entertaining. The World Championship was fine considering the outcome was never in question while Takeshita/Moxley was on the way to being one of the best matches of the year before it fell into a trap of needless strike exchanges and an unfortunate finish that negated Takeshita's incredible performance. This show could've used a bit of an editor, though, as the Six-Man, Women's Championship match, and Orange Cassidy/Trent Beretta matches all came off a bit like TV main events rather than PLE-worthy fights. 

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

WWE King and Queen of the Ring

WWE King and Queen of the Ring

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia - May 2024

CHAMPIONSHIP RUNDOWN: Coming into this show, the WWE Universal Champion was Cody Rhodes, the World Heavyweight Champion was Damien Priest, the RAW Women's Champion was Becky Lynch, the SmackDown Women's Champion was Bayley, the Intercontinental Champion was Sami Zayn, Logan Paul was the US Champion, the RAW Tag Team Champions were The Miz and R-Truth, the SmackDown Tag Team Champions were Austin Theory and Grayson Waller, and the Women's Tag Team Champions were Bianca Belair and Jade Cargill (who retained in the pre-show). 

The first King and Queen of the Ring show began with Becky Lynch defending her WWE Women's Championship against Liv Morgan. I wasn't super into this. It wasn't that it was bad, but it was lacking some oomph. I understand why they decided to turn Liv Morgan heel, but she's just not nearly as good in the role as she was as a plucky underdog babyface. They got plenty of time, but they didn't tell any kind of story that I picked up on. If Morgan is a heel, she should be trying to cheat more. If Becky is the cocky, cool champion, she should be rubbing Morgan's face in the dirt a little bit more to me. It was a back-and-forth match between two wrestlers that aren't particularly great technicians or high-flyers or even brawlers but have gotten over on their characters. Unfortunately, I didn't see enough of that character clash shine through and felt like this match really only picked up once Dom Mysterio showed up (and, even then, I thought the execution of the finishing sequence was wobbly and telegraphed). (2/5)

The Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, defended his title against Chad Gable and Bronson Reed in a triple threat in the next bout. Some really good stuff here, especially seeing Gable hit a double German Suplex on both Reed and Zayn at one point, plus an intriguing finish that saw Otis accidentally clobber Gable with a clothesline. The Gable/Otis storyline is over, but still feels a bit too comedy-based for me. For all the Gable/Angle comparisons, I can't fully get over Gable's whiny voice and the fact that he's my height (and I'm not a tall man). The folks over at Cagematch loved this, which is to be expected because it was non-stop action from beginning to end, but I went into it with 100% confidence that Zayn would retain and never really questioned that outcome. Each guy gave a good performance, but I'd like to see Zayn pushed away from the Gable/Otis stuff and given his own fresh storyline to sink his teeth into. Bronson is a monster who doesn't get to have enough dominant monster victories for me to take him seriously as a major threat. A good match, but nothing I'd go out of the way to watch. I also didn't necessarily love the logic - or lack thereof - with Gable not having Otis interfere more frequently and earlier in the match as it was a no DQ match. Why wait till the end? Also, Otis didn't seem conflicted in attacking Bronson Reed when the internal conflict of interfering was the sole reason Otis wouldn't have interfered earlier. Whatever. (3/5)

The Queen of the Ring Finals was next - Nia Jax vs. Lyra Valkyria. Lyra was basically an unknown coming into this, at least to me and most fans who don't follow NXT. I liked her Raven get-up. Nia was the favorite and showed off her power throughout the match. Lyra had to bring the energy here as Nia is and has always been a slow-moving "monster" worker with a limited moveset. We get the obligatory "My hole!/"That hurt!"" spot from Jax. The fact that those have become perfunctory in every one of her matches is grating. The match was fine, but the finish was EXCELLENT as Jax absolutely crushed Valkyria with her Annihilator/Bonzai Drop in the corner as Lyra was attempting a powerbomb. Triple H showed up for the coronation, though it wasn't mentioned that he was a former King of the Ring winner himself. (2.5/5)

Next up - The Men's King of the Ring final: GUNTHER vs. Randy Orton. The stakes for this were high as the winner would be given a World Championship match at SummerSlam (though it was unclear whether that meant they'd be challenging Cody Rhodes or Damien Priest). Orton got an extended entrance, the crowd singing along to every word of his theme. Great old school start with a collar-and-elbow tie-up, the crowd hotter for this than any match before it. The pacing and simplicity of the early minutes was terrific and the crowd was popping for the most basic of moves - headlock takedowns, shoulder tackles, chest chops. Note too how much fight Gunther put into escaping the headlock and how tight Orton's side headlock was - this was not a resthold, this was a struggle. After both attempting their finishers, Gunther took control with some big strikes to the kidneys and lower back. After wearing him down with a abdombinal stretch, Gunther hit a backbreaker for 2 and then a bodyslam, taking his time to dissect his opponent. Gunther went for a vertical suplex, but Orton countered with one of his own and then hit a big clothesline, but Gunther regained control and attacked Orton's knee (which Orton had been subtly selling for the previous few minutes). Orton hit a powerslam but didn't get all of it and Gunther rolled to the ropes. Orton hit the draping DDT but couldn't capitalize, selling damage to the lower back. The Viper called for the RKO, but Gunther shoved him away and hit a bodyslam and then a sloppy-but-still-decent splash off the ropes. Gunther went for another, but this time, Orton rolled out of the way and hit the RKO! Orton couldn't make the cover, though, and Gunther got to the floor. Orton hit his trademark sideslam on the announce table and then did it again before breaking the count (though I'm not sure how a match like this could end on a double countout). Gunther ate a back body drop on the floor and then hit a third sideslam on the table! Orton rolled Gunther into the ring but struggled to get into the ring himself. As he was climbing back through the ropes, Gunther hit him with a big boot to the knee and then applied a half-crab. Orton kicked him off but Gunther stomped on his knee and re-applied it. Orton was able to kick him off and hit the RKO, but Gunther struck him in his bad knee and rolled him up for 3! Talk about "outta nowhere" - I was not expecting that finish one bit. The replay showed that one of Orton's shoulders wasn't necessarily down - it'll be interesting to see if they use that as an "out" to lead to another match. This wasn't a Match of the Year contender, necessarily, but it was very, very good and, hopefully, means that we will see these two tear it up again because they have excellent chemistry. Terrific match. (4/5)

Main event time - "The Maverick" (and reigning US Champion) Logan Paul challenging Cody Rhodes for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Paul and Rhodes started things off with some old school wrestling - not dissimilar to what occurred in the previous match (as Graves noted on commentary). Rhodes delivered a gourdbuster that didn't make much sense at that point in the match and was barely sold before Paul hit a crossbody to the outside and then drove Cody into the steps. After hitting Cody with some body shots in the corner, Paul hit what he calls an "Overbomb" (a reverse powerbomb) and then a gut wrench slam for 2. Rhodes got some offense in with a Disaster Kick and then took the fight to the floor. This proved costly as Logan Paul was handed a pair of brass knucks and caught Cody Rhodes in the stomach when he attempted a splash off the steps. Michael Cole called Paul out on it and this distracted Paul long enough for Cody to recover and take over the match, delivering a splash, a powerslam out of the corner, the Bionic Elbow, and applying a figure four. Cody got 2 off the Cody Cutter but had his attempt at a Vertebreaker reversed into a Cross Rhodes. Paul got 2 and then went to the top rope to attempt a frog splash. Cody was on his feet early, though, and Paul hopped down to eat a twisting suplex. Paul regained control, though, and dumped Rhodes to the floor. After slamming Rhodes onto the announce table a couple times, Paul set him up for a pedigree on top of the announce table only for Rhodes to hit him with a Cody Cutter on - but not through - the table. Cody had the match won by countout but stopped the ref's count. Logan Paul recovered as Rhodes went to clear off the second announce table and hit Cody with a huge right hand on the floor. Rhodes sold it like a baseball bat to the head and Paul posed on the top rope. Paul hit a HUGE splash through the Arabic announce table that looked incredible. Paul hit a Frog Splash back in the ring...but Rhodes kicked out at 2! We got a ref bump before Cody hit the Vertebreaker and got the visual pin. Logan Paul hit Cody with a low blow and then put the knucks back on, but got stopped by the guest ring announcer, a famous Saudi Arabian comedian. Rhodes hit THREE Cross Rhodes and got the W to end the match. Not an all-time great finish and not an all-time great match either, but above-average. The finish was never really in doubt despite all the little swerves and false finishes and, though it could be because I don't follow the weekly TV, I didn't really get the "big fight feel" or personal animosity. (3.5/5)

With a strong 3-out-of-5 Kwang Score, this show was solid from beginning-to-end, featured at least one could-be Top 10 WWE Matches of the Year, and also had offered a nice surprise finish in the opener. Valkyria/Jax was the weakest match on the card but even that one didn't overstay its welcome. "Mileage may vary" on the main event depending on how you rate Logan Paul - I thought this was actually one of his less entertaining/interesting performances - but the King of the Ring finals was incredible.

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