AIW Gauntlet For The Gold 10 Review

AIW hosts the tenth edition of their annual Gauntlet For The Gold Match!

AIW Gauntlet For The Gold 10

Cleveland, Ohio 3/20/15

1.) Six-Way Scramble - Eric Ryan vs. Flip Kendrick vs. Nikki Storm vs. Tracy Williams vs. Tyler Thomas vs. Tyson Dux: ***1/4

This was pretty standard opening contest. There were some entertaining spots throughout, and everyone seemed to get a chance to shine with the time they were given. In particular, I really enjoyed Nikki Storm. She’s so charismatic, plus she’s a very good wrestler. How could you not love her? Another story that developed here is that Tracy Williams & Tyson Dux worked together at numerous points, which obviously teases the fact that they’ll be forming a tag team in the future. In the end, Flip Kendrick got the victory, which was a big deal, since (I guess) Kendrick had never won a scramble the finish. The finish was actually pretty cool, as Eric Ryan was on the shoulders of Tracy Williams, and then Flip Kendrick jumped off the top rope and hit an insane reverse hurricanrana.

2.) Alexia Nicole vs. Jasmin: **

This was Jasmin’s last match in AIW before she got signed by WWE. These two had been teaming on the last few shows as Team Barely Legal, but at I-Choo-Choo-Choose You!, things broke down, and the two attacked each other. The match itself was….ok. Let’s just say that you could really tell in this match that both of these girls were still green. It wasn’t awful, but it was the worst match on the show by the wide margin. Alexia Nicole would end up getting the win here with a really nice wheelbarrow stunner.

After the match, the two embraced (seemingly putting their issues aside), as Jasmin was now on her way to WWE.

3.) AIW Tag Team Titles - The Forgotten (Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer) vs. To Infinity & Beyond (Cheech & Colin Delaney): ***1/4

Jimmy Jacobs & BJ Whitmer have been holding these titles for several months at this point. In hindsight, the outcome of this match was never really in question, as Jimmy Jacobs would soon be off to WWE to take a job as a member of the creative team. With that being said, however, these two teams put together a pretty solid match with some good action throughout. Jacobs & Whitmer have always been a really good team, and they worked well here with Cheech & Colin Delaney, who had become a fine team in their own right. In the end, the AIW Tag Team Titles would end up changing hands, as To Infinity & Beyond scored the victory!

After the match, Jacobs & Whitmer embraced in the ring. Jacobs took the mic, and said that he truly appreciated every fan that comes out to see AIW. He said he’s had a long career, traveling all over the country, and added that it didn’t matter how many people were in the crowd on any given show, because he gave it his all every singled time. Jacobs thanked everyone once again before leaving with Whitmer.

4.) AIW Intense Title - Fatal Four-Way Match - Davey Vega vs. Candice LeRae vs. Chris Sabin vs. Louis Lyndon: ***1/4

Davey Vega was almost nine months into his reign as AIW Intense Champion, and in that time, he had successfully defended his title nine times against a plethora of opponents. Here, he was facing three incredibly different and unique opponents. I thought this was a pretty good Fatal Four-Way. It was very similar to the Six-Way Scramble the night before. There were plenty of entertaining moments, and everyone involved had the chance to shine. In one particular section of the match, Candice LeRae hit the ballsplex on her three opponents, and they all retorted by giving her a triple superkick. Ultimately, Davey Vega managed to pick up the win to retain his AIW Intense Title.

5.) Johnny Gargano vs. Raymond Rowe: ***1/2

This match is taking place in the context of the larger feud between AIW and the Dudes On TV. I was actually excited to see this one, considering who was involved. You weren’t going to see this match anywhere else, since Rowe was in ROH and Gargano was with EVOLVE. This ended up being a really good match. There was some solid back & forth action in this one, and for the most part, I liked it. Unfortunately, the finish took away from the match a bit. Towards the end of the match, Raymond Rowe went for his shotgun knees in the corner, but accidentally took out the referee. Rowe took this opportunity to hit Johnny Gargano with the ringbell. A second referee comes out to count the pin, but Gargano kicked out! Despite fighting back, Gargano would still end up losing to Rowe. Again, this was a really good match, though I don’t think the referee bump towards the end was necessary.

6.) Rickey Shane Page vs. 2 Cold Scorpio: ***3/4

I’ve heard a lot of good things about 2 Cold Scorpio over the years, but I think this is the first time that I’m watching one of his matches. Here, he’s taking on Rickey Shane Page. As a whole, I really enjoyed this match. There was a LONG feeling out process at the start, and that did hurt the match a little bit (in my eyes), but the second half was legitimately GREAT. Rickey Shane Page always works hard, but 2 Cold Scorpio really put on a show here. As I already mentioned, the latter portion of the match was particularly awesome, with a ton of cool moves from 2 Cold Scorpio and a number of nice near falls. In the end. 2 Cold Scorpio would get the victory after hitting a moonsault double stomp. I thought this was the best match on the undercard, without question. Some might complain that Rickey Shane Page lost to a guy who was only in for this show, but the result of the main event really overshadowed the result of this match.

After the match, 2 Cold Scorpio took the mic, and he thanked Rickey Shane Page for the match. The two shook hands, and then the legendary 2 Cold Scorpio thanked all of the fans for coming out, as they chant “please come back”.

7.) AIW Absolute Title - Josh Alexander (with Veda Scott) vs. Dick Justice: **3/4

This was a very odd title match, to say the least. I guess you can explain this by saying that WWE has treated their title matches on Royal Rumble shows in a similar manner, as the champion defended their title against a mid-card opponent who isn’t realistically a title contender. Josh Alexander dominated most of this match, but Dick Justice really put up a fight. At one point, Dick Justice ripped off his shirt, and got fired up, which was certainly a sight. Later on, Veda Scott pulled the referee out of the ring during a pin attempt, which led to Dick Justice grabbing her by her hair on the ring apron. It looked like he might hit her, but he kissed her instead. This distraction allows Josh Alexander to take advantage once again. He busted Dick Justice open with repeated punches to the face, and Alexander just attacked him with more vicious strikes until he got the pin. Dick Justice had no shot of winning the AIW Absolute Title here, but he was a decent opponent for Josh Alexander, as he got a strong victory.

After the match, Veda Scott took the mic, and said that the only people to blame for the beating Dick Justice just took are the fans themselves. The crowd drowns the duo out with boos, but Scott said that she & Josh Alexander control their own destiny.

8.) 30-Man Gauntlet For The Gold Match: ***3/4

The Gauntlet For The Gold Match is, of course, a major highlight of AIW’s year. It’s basically their version of the Royal Rumble Match (with a new entrant coming in every ninety seconds). I won’t go over the entire match, but I will bring up some important highlights and moments.

Entrants #1 & #2 were Marion Fontaine & Nikki Storm. They seemed to develop a fun little relationship here, but that got interrupted quickly. Alessandro Del Bruno was Entrant #3, and he accidentally threw a soccer ball right in the gut of Nikki Storm. Ray Rowe was Entrant #6 and cleaned house, eliminating four competitors right out the gate. Rickey Shane Page came out as Entrant #10, and he would eliminate three guys right out of the gate. Johnny Gargano came out as Entrant #12, and went right after Ray Rowe, but his emotions got the best of him, and was eliminated by Rowe in about a minute. Josh Prohibition was Entrant #14, and also went right after Ray Rowe. He eliminated Rowe quickly, but then he nearly got tossed out by BJ Whitmer. Prohibition then noticed that Rowe was going after Gargano (who was still at ringside), and was so focused on Rowe that he eliminated himself so he could go after Rowe. In an interesting note, Davey Vega (the AIW Intense Division Champion), was eliminated by Chris Sabin, so there might be a title shot in Sabin’s future. Gregory Iron came out as Entrant #20, but just hung out around ringside. Chris Sabin hid under the ring at one point, and Marion Fontaine went after him. Meanwhile, Facade made his AIW return as Entrant #21. The ring really started filling up with competitors by this point. Joshua Singh eliminated Gregory Iron, and then Singh was then eliminated by Benjamin Boone. This led to Iron brawling with Singh to the back. Eddie Kingston came out with The Duke as Entrant #30, and eliminated three guys almost immediately. 

The final four were BJ Whitmer, Eddie Kingston, Ethan Page, & Rickey Shane Page. Rickey Shane Page eliminated BJ Whitmer. Ethan Page & Rickey Shame Page then tried to team up to eliminate Eddie Kingston, and they did, but The Duke had the referees distracted, so Kingston slipped back into the ring, and threw out Ethan Page out between the middle and top ropes. He collided with the referees, and they thought (with convincing from The Duke & Eddie Kingston) that Ethan Page had indeed gone over the top rope. The Duke then got in the ring to help Eddie Kingston, but Ethan Page quickly disposed of him, and took out Kingston. It came down to Eddie Kingston vs. Rickey Shane Page, and in the end, Rickey Shane Page scored the elimination to win Gauntlet For The Gold!! The match as a whole was relatively fun. It’s hard for these kinds of matches to be less than good (though WWE has proven otherwise on certain occasions), and as a whole, AIW put on a very good rendition of their annual Gauntlet For The Gold. The only negative note about this match was how they handled the final four. I get that they wanted to continue the Eddie Kingston/Ethan Page feud, but I think in doing that, it hurt the end of the match. It’s only a minor complaint, because otherwise, I liked the match, and it was very cool to see Rickey Shane Page get such a huge win. He would go on to get his title shot at Absolution X.

Overall: 7.25/10

This was a very solid showing from AIW. There wasn’t a truly great match on this card, but the show did feature a number of good to really good matches. Of course, the Gauntlet For The Gold Match itself was entertaining, while 2 Cold Scorpio vs. Rickey Shane Page really stole the show on the undercard. I would definitely recommend checking that one out. There were minor problems here and there with some of the finishes to certain matches, but other than that, it was a mostly entertaining card.

Smash Wrestling: Any Given Sunday 3 Review

Chris Hero returns to Smash Wrestling to take on Tommaso Ciampa!!

Smash Wrestling: Any Given Sunday 3

Toronto, Ontario, Canada 3/15/15

1.) Brent Banks vs. Matt Cross: ***1/4

After winning a Triple Threat Match back at Battle Lines, Brent Banks had challenged Matt Cross to a match at this show. I thought this was a pretty solid opening contest. There was a crowd brawl at the beginning, and during this brawl, Cross took the mic and said that what he’s doing to Banks right now is a taste of what TARIK can expect when he does get his hands on him. There was some decent action throughout, and as a whole, it was a good way to kick off the show. Eventually, Cross picked up the victory with a Shooting Star Press. Cross celebrated afterwards, while Banks looked visibly frustrated when he left.

2.) Candice LeRae vs. Kimber Lee: ***1/2

When looking at the card for Any Given Sunday 3, this was one match that really stood out to me. It probably wouldn’t be the best match on the show, it definitely had the chance to be very good. When the dust settled, these two lived up to my expectations. It wasn’t the most memorable match in the world, but for what it was, I really enjoyed it. These two are so good, that it was next to impossible for this to not be good. There was a ton of very solid action in this one, included a vicious Diving DDT off the middle rope that Candice LeRae delivered to Kimber Lee, who got spiked on her head. That looked nasty. Towards the end of the match, Kimber Lee hit a Swanton Bomb, but as she went for the cover, Candice LeRae reversed the pin attempt into a crucifix pin for the victory! Once again, that was a really good match.

The two shake hands and hugged after the match.

3.) The Goat Brigade (Kirk Warmack & Shane Sabre) vs. The Super Smash Brothers: ***1/2

While this was a rematch of Smashapalooza (from July 2014), this was mainly set up after The Goat Brigade attacked The Super Smash Brothers back at Battle Lines. The Super Smash Brothers came out to a version of the Legend of Zelda theme song. Before the match began, The Goat Brigade tore up a pro-SSB sign, and as a retort, Player Uno took a Goat Brigade T-Shirt and dropped an elbow on it. As for the match itself, I thought it was a pretty good tag team bout, but it was a little too long for my liking. It went about eighteen minutes or so, and I think that length hurt the match a bit. They probably could’ve shaved a few minutes off of this. Additionally, it was hard to keep track of the legal man in this particular contest. Normally, that’s not really something I complain about that much, but in this particular case, it was pretty noticeable, to the point where it couldn’t be ignored. Despite those issues, the match was still good. It definitely wasn’t bad by any means. Towards the end of the match, The Super Smash Brothers hit FATALITY! (their tag team finisher) on Kirk Warmack, but Shane Sabre was the legal man. He tossed out Player Dos, went after the mask of Player Uno, and then rolled up Uno for the win. Again, this was pretty good, but their match from Smashapalooza was better.

4.) Johnny Gargano vs. Tyson Dux: ****

These two have met in Smash Wrestling on two previous occasions, with each scoring a victory, making this is the rubber match. I thought this was an awesome match! That really shouldn’t be a surprise, though. Johnny Gargano tends to have one of the best matches on the show, regardless of what promotion he’s working on a given day. He’s always awesome. Meanwhile, Tyson Dux is very technically sound (hence why his nickname is “Cyborg”), and always delivers whenever he’s on a Smash Wrestling event. There was some great back & forth action throughout, and the crowd was really into the match. In a funnier moment, Gargano hit a tornado DDT on Dux onto some fans into the front row, and it sent their beers flying. This contest came to an end when Gargano countered a suplex attempt (or a brainbuster attempt, I’m not sure) by Dux into a tight small package for the win, giving the series to Gargano. Again, this was awesome. Easily one of the best matches on the show, in my opinion. 

The two men shook hands after the match.

5.) Six-Man Elimination Gauntlet Match - Josh Alexander vs. TARIK vs. Scotty O’Shea vs. Gregory Iron vs. Pepper Parks vs. “Speedball” Mike Bailey: ***1/2

This is essentially a mini-Royal Rumble, except eliminations occur via pinfall or submission instead of over the top rope. A new entrant would come out every ninety (90) seconds. The order I have the wrestlers in the match listing above is the order they entered the match. Josh Alexander & TARIK started us off, but before this officially got underway, TARIK got the mic, and cut a promo. It was hard to hear TARIK over the crowd booing him, but he appeared to be upset about being in a Gauntlet Match, and also taunted Alexander. There was some early stalling initially between Alexander & TARIK, but then the pace started to pick up. There was some really entertaining action throughout this match, and things got more exciting with each new entrant. The big story told here was that, once everyone was in the match, Josh Alexander dominated. Gregory Iron, Pepper Parks, Mike Bailey, & Scotty O’Shea were all eliminated by Alexander, via Spinning Tombstone Piledriver, in that order. It came down to Alexander vs. TARIK, and there was a really nice closing exchange between the two. However, the match came to a conclusion when TARIK escaped the spinning tombstone piledriver, ran out of the building, and got counted out. This gave the victory to Josh Alexander. That was certainly a flat finish, but still, Alexander was booked like a beast in this match.

6.) Chairs Match - Courtney Rush vs. Vanessa Kraven: ***1/4

Here we have another match that was set up back at Battle Lines. This was a pretty fun Chairs Match. I actually thought the booking here was really well done. Instead of the competitors getting hit with chairs right out of the gate, they actually built up to using those chairs, with both Kraven & Rush initially dodging a number of chair shot attempts. That just made it even better when the chairs were eventually used. I would say the biggest highlight saw Rush hit a sunset flip powerbomb on Kraven through a set of chairs. In the end, Rush would pick up the win with a chair-assisted sharpshooter. Again, this was good, but I would say that Candice LeRae vs. Kimber Lee from earlier in the night was definitely the better women’s match on this card.

After the match, Courtney Rush & Vanessa Kraven shook hands, as the two had earned each other’s respect. However, this moment was interrupted when Candice LeRae & Kimber Lee attacked! Kimber Lee took the mic, and started a “USA” chant. This was clearly building towards CANUSA 2015 (Smash Wrestling’s annual women's show that built around a team of women representing the United States going up against a team of women representing Canada). Rush & Kraven recovered and sent the Americans packing. Kimber Lee then said that, as far as Team USA is concerned, CANUSA starts now (even though the show itself wasn’t until October).

7.) Drew Gulak & TARIK vs. The Overdogs (John Greed & Sebastian Suave): ***1/2

This was originally scheduled to be Biff Busick & Drew Gulak vs. The Overdogs, but apparently, Busick had issues crossing the border into Canada. I believe the same issue prevented him from wrestling at Battle Lines. Gulak decided to bring out TARIK to take Busick’s place in this match, meaning that the hated turncoat would be pulling double duty. This was another pretty good tag team match on this show. There was some good action, and they told a good story with the heels going after John Greed’s leg. While this was very solid, it suffered a similar problem to the earlier tag team match, in that in went a little too long. The Overdogs would fight back, but in the end, it wouldn’t be enough, as Drew Gulak & TARIK scored the victory.

8.) Chris Hero vs. “Sicilian Psychopath” Tommaso Ciampa: ****

Tommaso Ciampa came out dressed in his Doctor Doom-inspired entrance attire, which looks really cool. He also had a lot of tape wrapped around his torso, as he had fractured his ribs on a ROH event a few weeks prior. Before the match, Ciampa took the mic, and mentioned his rib injury from two weeks ago. Despite the injury, he said that he wasn’t going to miss this show, and he wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to wrestle a guy like Chris Hero. Ciampa said he'd give the best performance he could. Hero then took the mic, and said that while he appreciated Ciampa wrestling through this injury, he didn’t need to go after the ribs to knock his ass out, and this kicked off the match. They actually managed to tell a good story early, as Ciampa pretended that his injury was really hindering him. This lured Hero into a false sense of security early, and Ciampa took advantage by blasting Hero with repeated knee strikes in the corner. He was still injured, but it was clear that Ciampa used this trick to catch Hero off guard. As you would’ve guessed, this match was awesome. There was some incredible action throughout, but they also managed to get in some lighthearted moments, such as Ciampa getting into an argument with a young fan at ringside. The closing stretch of the match was particularly great, as both men through vicious strikes at one another in an attempt to put their opponent away. Ultimately, Hero would manage to get the win after hitting Ciampa with a tombstone piledriver. The only thing I didn’t like about this match was the finish. It was slightly unexpected, and it felt like it came out of nowhere, but maybe that’s just me. Still, this was pretty great.

After the match, Hero took the mic, and gave credit to Ciampa for fighting through his injury, and asked him to come back to Smash Wrestling. The two shook hands. Hero then said it was good to be back in Smash Wrestling, and told the crowd to chant “Hero SMASH”. He then said, as far as the current conflict goes between Smash Wrestling and TARIK’s forces, everyone knows what side he’s on. This brought out Drew Gulak & TARIK, and it looked like they were going to to attack Hero, but Matt Cross & Johnny Gargano appeared make the save. Then, in a shocking move, Gargano then took out Matt Cross with a superkick, and joined Gulak & TARIK in beating up Chris Hero! Tyson Dux & The Overdogs came out to even the odds, but then were soon disposed of. This assault included Gulak & TARIK taking out Matt Cross & Sebastian Suave with a horribly botched version of the double team powerbomb that Gulak performs with Biff Busick.

Johnny Gargano then took the mic. He said that the fans hadn’t gotten any answers about what’s happened over the last few months, and they weren't getting any answers tonight. The fans drowned him out with boos. Gargano said he’d been putting on great matches in Smash Wrestling for a long time, and is upset with the reaction he’s gotten. He said that he’s a great human being, and added that their faction is now called Fourth Gunn. Gargano said that his mentor, Alex Shelley, gave him a special present, in the form of the SMASH Wrestling Title, revealing that he was wearing it under his hoodie and t-shirt. Gargano then said that if Smash Wrestling wanted their title back, he wanted something in return: A rematch with Matt Cross at the next show, The Art Of War. Finally, Gargano proclaimed that, at The Art Of War, he’d prove that he’s better than Cross, and that Fourth Gunn is better than Smash Wrestling.

Overall: 8.25/10

This was a really strong outing from Smash Wrestling. The quality of the card was incredibly consistent, as you have a number of really good matches, plus two great matches in the form of Johnny Gargano vs. Tyson Dux & Chris Hero vs. Tommaso Ciampa. I would say that those two encounters are definitely worth checking out. With regards to the rest of the undercard, everything is, at the very least, good. In addition to the matches, with did get a major storyline development with Johnny Gargano turning heel and asserting himself as the de facto leader of Fourth Gunn. As a whole, this is definitely a show worth checking out.

PROGRESS Chapter 11: To Fight War, You Must Become War Review

Jimmy Havoc makes his first defense of the PROGRESS Title against Zack Sabre Jr.!

PROGRESS Chapter 11: To Fight War, You Must Become War

Islington, London, England 1/26/14

Before the show officially begins, I feel obligated to show this cool video package, which highlights the Jimmy Havoc story up to this point.

1.) PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Dave Mastiff & Stixx vs. Team Screw Indy Wrestling (Mark Haskins & Nathan Cruz): ***1/2

This is the third match in the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament. Based on what happened at the last show between The Bhangra Knights & The London Riots (their tournament match ending in a double count out), the Finals to crown the first-ever PROGRESS Tag Team Champions will now be a Triple Threat Tag Team Match. Once again, Katherine Rose does the introductions for Nathan Cruz & Mark Haskins. They would jump Stixx during his entrance, before Mastiff came out. The heels ganged up on him a little bit, but Mastiff soon ran out to even the odds, and the match got going. In one funny moment during the match, Cruz tried to escape Mastiff's grasp, but Mastiff held on to Cruz's tights, which led to his ass being exposed to the world. This tag team match was actually a little bit better than I was expecting. There was some good action from start to finish, and they also managed to tell a solid story, as Cruz & Haskins isolated Stixx, which built to a hot tag to Mastiff. At one point, towards the end of the match, Mastiff went for a cannonball in the corner on Nathan Cruz, but Rose got in the ring and covered up Cruz, preventing Mastiff from hitting the move. It looked like Mastiff was going to take out Rose, but then Cruz took him out. Haskins then went after Stixx, and pinned him to score the win. Again, this was better that I was expecting.

2.) Natural Progression Series II - Quarterfinals - Josh Bodom vs. “Flash” Morgan Webster: ***1/2

Up next, we have the first match in the second Natural Progression Series Tournament. Both of these men would go on to make a bigger name for themselves on the UK scene, but at this point, they were two young guys fighting for the same prize that went to Mark Andrews. This was another really good match. There was some very nice back & forth action throughout this one, and both guys got the chance to shine here. Webster would ultimately get the win, but Bodom showed a lot in defeat. A great showcase for both guys. They really won the crowd over.

3.) Noam Dar vs. El Ligero: ***1/4

This is a rematch from the first match in PROGRESS history. They also had a PROGRESS Title Match at Chapter 7. Dar was just coming back from (I believe) a pretty bad collar bone injury. There was some good action throughout this one, and as a whole, I would say the match was good, but it just went WAAAAY too long. I don't know the exact time of the match, but I think it went (at least) twenty-five minutes, maybe more. Again, the match was by no means bad, and there were a number of highlights, but they really needed to shave ten minutes off of this one. Both guys worked hard, but again, the length of the match hurt it significantly. Towards the end of the match, El Ligero went for the C4L, but Dar countered it into a rollup, and managed to get the win.

After the match, Dar took the mic and talked about his recovery from injury. He said he wasn’t worried about contracts, TV deals, or excursions overseas. He was worried about being here. The only contract he’ll sign is one that’ll allow him to stay here and do what he does best, on a “jobseeker’s allowance” (I think that's what he said). Dar closed by saying something about a lightsaber. Basically, he said he wants to paint it purple like Mace Windu, because he’s a bad motherfucker. It was pretty hard to understand Dar (in this particular promo) with his thick Scottish accent.

4.) PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - F.S.U. (Eddie Dennis & Mark Andrews) vs. The Swords Of Essez (Will Ospreay & Paul Robinson): ***3/4

This is the fourth and final match in the first round of the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament. Early in the match, Eddie Dennis pulled out a Rey Mysterio mask and put it on. He then started doing some lucha. The start of the match was definitely more lighthearted, but once things got more series, and the pace picked up, this turned into a really good match! There was a ton of crazy action in this one, particular in the closing stretch. All four guys are incredibly talent, and they all did a great job here. In the end, Andrews pinned Ospreay with a springboard hurricanrana into a pin for the win. I believe this was the third time that Andrews had pinned Ospreay in PROGRESS. Robinson shook hands with F.S.U. after the match, though Ospreay appeared to be visibly frustrated.

This meant that the next show would feature a Triple Threat Tag Team Match with Project Ego, Team Screw Indy Wrestling, and F.S.U. to crown the first-ever PROGRESS Tag Team Champions.

Eddie Dennis took the mic after the match. He promised that F.S.U. would become the first PROGRESS Tag Team Champions. He then talked about the crowd chanting “PROGRESS Champ” at Mark Andrews. Dennis talked about the attack by Jimmy Havoc & The London Riots back at Chapter 10. He said that they stole something that Andrews had worked so hard to earn. He invited the three of them to show up at ENDVR: 3 (for those who don't know, ENDVR is basically the developmental brand of PROGRESS, as they featured both established talent as well as new talents from the PROGRESS wrestling school, called the Projo), and added that he doesn’t want a wrestling match....he wants a fight!

5.) Rampage Brown vs. Tommy End: ***1/2

Tommy End has had a number of good outing since he made his debut in PROGRESS. Meanwhile, his opponent on this show, Rampage Brown, is coming off losing the PROGRESS Title to Mark Andrews at Chapter 10. As far as this match is concerned, I really enjoyed it. It was a hard-hitting affair, and it featured some very nice action. Brown would ultimately get the win here, but Tommy End looked strong in defeat.

Rampage Brown took the mic after the match. He gives credit to End for being a tough opponent, but then turns his attention to the PROGRESS Title. Brown said that he didn’t agree to that title match at Chapter 10, and he vowed to get the staff back.

6.) PROGRESS Title - Special Guest Referee: Marty Scurll - Jimmy Havoc vs. Zack Sabre Jr.: ***1/2

Zack Sabre Jr. has his half of the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles from NOAH with him. Smallman says that the usual head referee isn’t comfortable with being the referee in this match after being attacked by Jimmy Havoc back at Chapter 10. He then announces Marty Scurll (Zack Sabre Jr.'s longtime tag team parter) as the special guest referee. Havoc took the mic after Scurll came out, and said that he & Zack Sabre Jr. didn't need to fight, since they both have titles. He said that they’re “mates”, and added that they should just fuck off and go get drinks at the pub. Zack Sabre Jr. refuses, and the match gets going.

I actually think it's pretty cool that they had a special guest referee for this match, as these two had a very good technical match back a Chapter 7 with Nigel McGuinness as the special guest referee. Obviously, this time around, they're facing off under very different circumstances. While this wasn't quite as good as the match they had at Chapter 7, I still thought this was a really good match. Havoc played his role as a heel well, while Zack Sabre Jr. showed some incredible babyface fire. You could criticize Marty Scurll a little bit here from a logic standpoint, as you might wonder why he didn't just do fast counts if Zack Sabre Jr. tried for a pin attempt, but honestly, I didn't mind the fact that Scurll pretty much called this right down the middle. 

Towards the end of the match, Scurll got accidentally taken out by Zack Sabre Jr. via a kick. The "technical wizard" got Havoc in a submission, and the champion tapped out, but of course, Scurll was out, and couldn’t see the submission. Zack Sabre Jr. tried to revive Scurll, but this gave Havoc an opening, and he hit a low blow. Havoc followed this up with a Go Home Driver on the PROGRESS Title Staff after one of the Projo Trainees slid it into the ring. After Scurll finally recovered, he shoved Havoc, and the champion responded by taking him out. Havoc then took the mic, and tells Jim Smallman to call for the end of the match, or he’d kill Zack Sabre Jr. by choking him out. Zack Sabre Jr. managed to put up a brief fight, and it looked like he might break the hold, but he ultimately passed out, and Havoc retained the PROGRESS Title. Again, the match was (mostly) good, but the shenanigans at the end did hurt it a little bit, in my eyes. With that being said, I will give them some credit, as the ending of the match was actually very well done.

After the match, Jimmy Havoc got the mic back, and said that Jim Smallman was stupid if he didn’t think he’d have someone to help him win this match, even with The London Riots banned from ringside. He said that he’ll show Smallman respect once he showed him respect, and told everyone to fuck themselves before leaving. Following the champion's departure, Smallman took the mic and said that he and the PROGRESS management would make sure that Jimmy Havoc’s life was a living hell as long as he was champion. He adds that they’ll do everything in their power to make sure he loses that title. Smallman then thanked Zack Sabre Jr. & Marty Scurll for their efforts, as well as the fans for coming out.

Overall: 7.75/10

While Chapter 11 wasn't quite as good as Chapter 10, it was still a very solid outing from PROGRESS. If there's anything you could say about this show, it's that it was incredibly consistent. No match fell below ***1/4, but unlike Chapter 10, this show didn't have that one great match that cracked the **** mark. F.S.U. vs. The Swords of Essex was the best match on this particular show, while Noar Dar vs. El Ligero was probably the lowlight of the show, mainly due to it's length (again, it was still a fine match). I enjoyed the main event, but shenanigans did take it down a notch for me (though the finish did make up for it, to a degree). As a whole, this was another PROGRESS event that, with a ton of really good matches, was relatively easy to watch.

PROGRESS Chapter 10: Glory Follows Virtue As If It Were A Shadow Review

A wild chain of events unfolds as PROGRESS hosts their final show of 2013!

PROGRESS Chapter 10: Glory Follows Virtue As If It Were A Shadow

Islington, London, England 11/24/13

1.) Tommy End vs. Mikey Whiplash: ***1/4

I thought this was a very solid opener. There was some good back & forth technical action, and it was entertaining to watch. End would pick up the win with a diving double stomp. Nothing much else to say here. It was fun.

2.) PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - Project Ego (Kris Travis & Martin Kirby) vs. Grado & Mad Man Manson: ***1/4

This is the first match in the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament. I think the idea was that they were doing four qualifying matches for a Four-Way Finals to crown the first-ever PROGRESS Tag Team Champions. I’ve seen Mad Man Manson a few times before in PCW (primary on the joint shows with PCW & ROH in 2014), but here, he’s making his PROGRESS debut. Considering who was involved, I had a feeling this would turn into a comedy match, and that’s exactly what we got. There were a ton of wacky and entertaining shots throughout. We got some slow motion spots, wimpy kicks (sounds odd, but trust me, it was funny), and Manson using a "mysterious white powder" to get fired up. The highlight of the match was long conga line that went all around the venue involving all the wrestlers in the match, the referee, Jim Smallman, and a number of fans. That was hilarious! When they eventually got back in the ring, Project Ego quickly capitalized, and Kirby rolled up Manson for the win. This was definitely one of the better comedy matches I've seen.

3.) Nathan Cruz vs. Doug Williams: ***1/4

Cruz has a random woman due his introduction. Apparently her name was Katherine Rose. Anyway, as far this match goes, I thought it was pretty solid. You can always count on Doug Williams to put on a good performance, and that's exactly what we got from him here. With regards to Nathan Cruz, based on what I've seen of him thus far, he's really not a standout performer, as far as his in-ring work is concerned, but he usually has a solid match against the right opponent. Ultimately, Doug Williams managed to pick up the victory.

4.) ROH World Champion Adam Cole vs. Mark Haskins: ***1/2

Haskins had an open challenge coming into this show. Before the match began, he talked some trash to the crowd. Jim Smallman then revealed the mystery opponent to be none other than Adam Cole who (at the time) was both the ROH World Champion & the PWG World Champion. I thought this was a really good match. There was plenty of entertaining action throughout, and they also managed to tell a good story, as Haskins worked over Cole’s arm for most of the match. The latter half was particularly exciting, as it featured some very good exchanges. In the end, Adam Cole was able to pick up the win over Haskins.

5.) PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament - Semi-Finals - The Bhangra Knights (Darrell Allen & RJ Singh) vs. The London Riots (James Davis & Rob Lynch): ***1/4

This is the second match in the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament. Jim Smallman tells the fans to turn their backs to The London Riots as they came out to no entrance music. Most of the fans held up middle fingers as they have their backs turned. The action throughout this one was actually very good, but unfortunately, the match got thrown out when the two teams started brawling on the outside and wouldn’t get back in the ring, resulting in a double count out. Even though neither team won, the brawl continued. The fans were understandably upset that a match in the PROGRESS Tag Team Title Tournament ended in a double count out. Jim Smallman said they can’t do anything about it now, since both teams brawled out of the building, but he said what he can do is make a Street Fight between the two teams at the 2nd Anniversary Show.

6.) PROGRESS Title - Rampage Brown vs. Stixx: ***1/2

I'm not the biggest fan of Stixx (based on what I've seen of him so far), but you have to give PROGRESS a ton of credit for building up this match. The storyline here is very logical. Stixx worked his way through the rest of Team Screw Indy Wrestling (Mark Haskins & Nathan Cruz) one by one, before eventually earning this title shot. When the dust settled, this ended up being a really good match. I would say that it was pretty close to hoss battle, as you had two bigger guys beating the crap out of each other. Beforehand, this wasn't a match that I was really looking forward to, but it ended up being better than I was expecting. Credit to both guys involved. In the end, Brown would score the victory, after hitting his signature piledriver, to retain the PROGRESS Title. I think it's very cool that they really established that piledriver as a devastating finisher for Rampage Brown. One he hits it, the match is usually over, and that was the case here.

7.) Natural Progression Series - Finals - Mark Andrews vs. Paul Robinson: ****

The winner of this match will not only be the first-ever Natural Progression Series winner, but they will also receive a future shot at the PROGRESS Title. Out of all the matches on the card, this one definitely had the most potential, and it lived up to that potential in a big way. I thought this was an awesome match. It wasn't the best match I've ever seen in PROGRESS, but it was still pretty freaking great to watch from start to finish. This was packed with so much good action, as you would've guessed. Both of these guys are so incredible, that there's no way this match wouldn't be (at the least) very good. During the match, Eddie Dennis & Will Ospreay both came out to support their respective man. Eventually, Andrews was able to finally put Robinson away to win the Natural Progression Series!! Once again, this was a great match. It was easily the Match of the Night.

The two participants shook hands after the match. Jim Smallman said that Andrews not only earned a shot at the PROGRESS Title at any time of his choosing, but also had the chance to pick someone who was eliminated from the Natural Progression Series to return for the 2nd iteration of the tournament in 2014. Andrews then took the mic. He shows respect to Robinson, and then turns to picking someone to return to the Natural Progression Series. Andrews said that he’d love to pick his partner, Eddie Dennis, but said that there’s one person that deserves it more, and it’s Will Ospreay. He accepts this invitation, and Ospreay’s return to PROGRESS was set. Smallman then asked Andrews about when he’ll take his title shot, and at the behest of the fans, Andrews decided that he wanted his title shot right now! Rampage Brown then came out with Nathan Cruz, who cut a promo making fun of Andrews for accepting this challenge now. He said that Brown would destroy him, and he went to the back so Rampage Brown could take care of business.

8.) PROGRESS Title - Rampage Brown vs. Mark Andrews: N/R

So this match was.....odd, at least in my view. Brown dominated Andrews for two minutes of so. When Andrews wouldn't stay down, he got in the referee's face. The referee then shoved Brown, and Andrews rolled him up for the pin! Mark Andrews is the new PROGRESS Champion! I really can’t rate this, as it went only two or three minutes. Honestly, I wasn't a fan of the finish. Yes, the referee shoving back spot is usually fine, but I don't recall an instance where it directly led to the finish. It made Rampage Brown look bad, and despite the big reaction it got from the crowd, it hurt the moment of Mark Andrews winning the PROGRESS Title. I'm also disappointed that this match was so short. When you consider what would happen in a few moments, it would have been better for the story if this had gone longer, and we got an actual match between the two.

Mark Andrews celebrated in the crowd with the Natural Progression Series Trophy & The PROGRESS Title staff. Andrews returned to the ring to celebrate with Eddie Dennis, but they were then interrupted by Jimmy Havoc & The London Riots. Havoc attacked Andrews with his pink steel chair while The London Riots tape Dennis to the turnbuckle. Havoc took the mic, and taunted Jim Smallman, Mark Andrews & Eddie Dennis. He then brings up the contract that Smallman signed for him, which granted him a match against any opponent with any stipulation at any time. It became pretty clear by this point that Havoc wanted to use that for a match against Andrews for the PROGRESS Title right now. Smallman initially refused, and in response, Havoc poured gasoline on Andrews, and threatened to set the new champion on fire!! He then demands that Smallman count the pin. Smallman again refused, pointing out that there’s already a referee in the ring. In response, Havoc took out the normal referee. This basically forced Smallman to get into the ring to serve as the "referee".

9.) PROGRESS Title - Mark Andrews vs. Jimmy Havoc: N/R

Smallman reluctantly went to count the pin, but Andrews kicked out! Despite taking several chair shots, Andrews was still fighting. Havoc stares down Smallman before hitting Andrews repeatedly with the pink steel chair yet again. He then hit Andrews with the Go Home Driver, and this time, Smallman counted to three, meaning that Jimmy Havoc is the new PROGRESS Champion. Havoc holds the title staff high as he celebrated with The London Riots. Before leaving, Havoc said that if anyone tried to touch him on the way out, he’d end him. He then hopes everyone has a good fucking Christmas. After they leave, Jim Smallman apologizes to everyone, and thanks them for coming out.

Overall: 8.0/10

I thought this was pretty good show from PROGRESS, both from an in-ring standpoint and from a storyline perspective. The card was relatively strong and consistent from top to bottom. No match fell below the ***1/4 mark, yet only one match reached ****. The Natural Progression Series Finals was easily the best match on the show, but we also had a number of other really good matches, such as Adam Cole vs. Mark Haskins & Rampage Brown vs. Stixx. Of course, the end of the show was highlighted by all of the storyline stuff surrounding Jimmy Havoc on the PROGRESS Title. It had its issues, but PROGRESS (from what I've seen thus far) has done a fantastic job with their storylines, particularly surround Jimmy Havoc. He went from the lovable loser to the hated heel champion in the span of two shows, and that's really incredible. The matches themselves and the storylines involved really helped PROGRESS close out 2013 on a strong note.

WWE WrestleMania 32 Review

WWE fills AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for their biggest show of the year!

WWE WrestleMania 32

Arlington, Texas 4/3/16

A little side note before I begin my review. There were a number of issues with people actually getting into the venue, which meant that, by the time we started getting into the pre-show, the massive AT&T Stadium wasn’t even half full. It was a big fiasco at the time, but fortunately, I believe everyone eventually got into the building.

Kickoff-Show

1.) WWE United States Title - Kalisto vs. Ryback: ***

I find the placement of this match to be odd. It’s the only title match on the Kickoff Show, so you’d think it would be the “pre-show main event”. Anyway, Ryback turned heel shortly after Fastlane, and set his sights on the United States Title, which was held by Kalisto. The story here (both the match itself and the storyline in general) was the big vs. the little guy. I thought this was a pretty solid match. It was by no means spectacular, but for what it was, the match was fun to watch, and featured some entertaining back & forth action. Ryback showcased his power, while Kalisto showcased his athleticism and speed. Eventually, Kalisto knocked Ryback into an exposed middle turnbuckle (after the turnbuckle pad had been ripped off), and then followed up with the Salida Del Sol for the victory.

2.) Ten-Woman Tag - Team B.A.D. and Blonde (Naomi, Tamina, Emma, Summer Rae, & Lana) vs. Team Total Divas (Brie Bella, Paige, Natalya, Alicia Fox, & Eva Marie): ***

This big tag team match involved pretty much every woman on the main roster that wasn’t in the title match on the actual PPV. The biggest story here was that Lana was making her in-ring debut here. Yes, you read that right. Lana’s first-ever match was on WrestleMania. We’ve seen these kinds of matches hundreds of times before involving the women on the roster (especially on big shows like this), and they’re usually average and/or forgettable, but this particular bout was actually relatively good. The match got a fair amount of time (just over eleven minutes), and everyone involved got a chance to shine at one point of another. Even Eva Marie & Lana, who are easily the most limited of the bunch, did a decent job (I thought Lana was the better of the two, for the record). Ultimately, Brie Bella got Naomi to tap out to the Yes! Lock to win the match for Team Total Divas.

After the match, Nikki Bella came out in a neck brace (she was still on the shelf with a neck injury) to celebrate with his sister and the rest of Team Total Divas.

Before our next match, we had a special in-ring announcement from Lita. She talked about some of the legendary women’s performers that have competed in WWE, and then announced that the Triple Threat Match later that night involved Charlotte, Becky Lynch, & Sasha Banks would be for the new WWE Women’s Title. It’s essentially the WWE World Heavyweight Title, but with a white strap instead of a black strap.

3.) The Dudley Boyz vs. The Usos: **1/2

The main event of this Kickoff Show would’ve been much more enticing if The Dudley Boyz were fifteen years younger. Anyway, the story here is that The Dudley Boyz turned heel several weeks prior, and actually swore that they would never use tables again. The match itself was decent, but it was by far the weakest match on the Kickoff Show. Other than that, there’s really not much else to say about this one. The only other highlight was the trash talk during the match from Bubba Ray. After The Usos picked up the win, The Dudley Boyz attacked them. They went to set up tables (proving themselves to be hypocrites), but The Usos turned the tables (pun intended), and ended up putting the ECW Originals through a pair of tables with simultaneous splashes off the top rope.

PPV

Before the first match got underway, we got a live rendition of “America The Beautiful” by Fifth Harmony.

1.) WWE Intercontinental Title - Ladder Match - Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz vs. Zack Ryder vs. Sin Cara vs. Stardust: ****1/4

For the second year in a row, a multi-man Ladder Match for the Intercontinental Title opened up the PPV. This was pretty awesome!! It was about as crazy as you would’ve expected, and it was easily one of the best matches of the night. There were a ton of insane spots throughout, and bodies were flying all over the place. Everyone busted their ass here to deliver the best match possible, but the coolest exchanges of the match were between Kevin Owens & Sami Zayn. It’s so awesome to see that their rivalry has now reached the grandest stage in all of wrestling. Anyway, the match was ultimately won by….Zack Ryder!! That had to be the most shocking result of the night, by far. Even though his reign only last twenty-four hours, it was still a cool moment for Zack Ryder. He got to have a big WrestleMania moment, and his father was in the front row.

2.) AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho: ***3/4

These two have been having a series of matches ever since AJ Styles made his debut in WWE. They would go on to form a tag team, but it was brief, as Jericho soon turned heel, attacking AJ Styles, and setting up this match. Before I talk about the match, I have to note that, in just a few month span, AJ Styles had competed at ROH Final Battle, New Japan Wrestle Kingdom, and WWE WrestleMania (the biggest shows for each company) in about a four month span. That’s pretty crazy. As for the match, I thought it was pretty good. Similar to their match at Fastlane, I feel like I’m the high man here. The action was solid throughout, and we saw some entertaining action, which wasn’t much of a shock. Even though every match in this feud has been good to very good, I think it’s fair to say that it was slightly disappointing. None of their matches reached the levels of being great. If Jericho was five years younger, I’m sure we would’ve gotten that one truly great match. If there was anything shocking about this match, it’s that Jericho got the clean victory. It was an odd result at the time, but what we saw the next night on RAW made this result make a little more sense.

3.) Six-Man Tag - The League of Nations (Alberto Del Rio, Rusev, & Sheamus with King Barrett) vs. WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods): **1/2

I’m pretty sure there was a lot of debate at the time over whether this would be a four-on-three handicap match, and whether the WWE Tag Team Titles would be on the line. In the end, we got a Six-Man Tag (with King Barrett playing the role of manager), and the WWE Tag Team Titles weren’t on the line. The New Day had a spectacular entrance, coming out of a giant box of Booty O’s Cereal, while also being dressed in attire inspired by the Frieza Force Armor from Dragon Ball Z. It has to be seen to be believed. Unfortunately, that entrance was easily the best highlight from this whole thing. The match itself was fine, but it was pretty average, to be completely honest. It wasn’t bad by any means, but this was a match that you could plop on any normal episode of RAW. You’d think we’d get something a little better on a show like this, but that wasn’t the case. The League of Nations would score the victory.

Afterwards, King Barrett takes the mic, and says that “The Lads” won, adding that no three men could match this unit. This brought out Shawn Michaels (in his wrestling gear), Mick Foley, & “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. The three legends then took out The League of Nations with all of their signature moves. After the heel unit had been dispatched, The New Day got in the ring, and they tried to get the three legends to dance with them. HBK & Foley danced a little bit, and it looked like Austin might join in, but instead, he just gives Xavier Woods a Stone Cold Stunner. He then gets a bunch of beers and celebrates with Shawn Michaels & Mick Foley. For what this was, it was a fine little segment in the moment, though I don’t think it’ll be helped in the long run.

4.) No Holds Barred Street Fight - Brock Lesnar (with Paul Heyman) vs. Dean Ambrose: ***1/4

So this feud got started after these two were involved in a Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match at Fastlane (which was won by Roman Reigns). It was nice to see Dean Ambrose get a pretty significant spot like this on the biggest show of the year, but unfortunately, this match ended up being a disappointment. That’s not saying the match was bad, because it wasn’t. It was still a relatively fun No Holds Barred Street Fight. The problem was that these two could’ve had a much better match, especially when you consider the buildup. When you see how WWE was hyping this up, you’d think that we were going to get a wild and crazy hardcore brawl. It was a hardcore brawl, as various weapons became involved (chairs, a kendo stick, a fire extinguisher, and the tease of a barbed-wire baseball bat), but it certain wasn’t wild or crazy. Again, the match was good, but it never really reached that next level. Lesnar ultimately got the win here. A solid undercard match, but in the grand scheme of things, it was largely forgettable.

Before the next match, the crowd was introduced to the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2016. The inductees included Sting (who had announced his retirement at the WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony), The Fabulous Freebirds, The Godfather, The Big Bossman (posthumously), Jacqueline, Stan Hansen, and Snoop Dogg (Celebrity Wing). Joan Lunden received the Warrior Award.

5.) WWE Women’s Title - Triple Threat Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte (with Ric Flair) vs. Sasha Banks: ****1/4

Earlier in the night (on the Kickoff Show), Lita had announced that this Triple Threat Match would be crowning a new WWE Women’s Champion, essentially signaling that WWE was dropping the “diva” moniquer (aside from Total Divas, of course). All three women had grand entrances. Of particular note, Sasha Banks had Snoop Dogg (her cousin) & Raven Felix come out with her to perform her entrance music. She was also wearing Eddie Guerrero-themed gear (Eddie Guerrero was her favorite wrestler). Meanwhile, Charlotte had an extravagant robe that resembled something her legendary father would’ve worn in his heyday. As for the match itself, I thought it was fantastic!! It’s a tossup between this and the Ladder Match, but honestly, this is my pick for Match of the Night. There was plenty of exciting back & forth action throughout this one, and all three women got the chance to shine. The division had been struggling since the whole “Diva’s Revolution” thing started, but the introduction of a new Women’s Title, this match, plus the women now being referred to as “superstars” instead of “divas”, have finally signaled a big positive change in this division. In the past, the women’s match on WrestleMania was usually the bathroom break match, but on this night, they had the best match on the entire card. To have that change in just a year is incredible. That’s a testament to all three women in this match, who put forth incredible performances. Yes, the match did have a screwy finish, with Ric Flair helping Charlotte win AGAIN, but still, you can’t take away from the work these three women put in. It had some rough points, but that doesn’t change the fact that this was awesome!  

6.) Hell In A Cell Match - Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker: ***

So the story leading up to this match was….odd, to say the least. I’ll try to sum it up the best I can. Shane McMahon came back to WWE for the first time in several years (he left the company in early 2010) and proclaimed that he wanted to control of RAW. After a mysterious lockbox was somehow brought into the equation, Vince McMahon agreed that Shane would get control of RAW…..if he defeated The Undertaker in a Hell In A Cell match at WrestleMania. He also added that if The Undertaker lost, he would never compete at WrestleMania again. While it was really cool to see Shane McMahon back, this whole storyline felt really convoluted, and came totally out of left field. What’s with the lockbox? Why would The Undertaker, a uber babyface, agree to (essentially) fight for the ultimate heel in Vince McMahon? So many questions surrounding this match, but that didn’t change the fact that the match ended up happening.

As far as the match itself was concerned, it was a giant spectacle, filled with smoke & mirrors (as you would’ve expected). A lot of people didn’t like this match at all, and they had every right not to like it, especially since it clocked in at just over thirty minutes. Personally, I thought the match was totally fine for what it was. It was pretty much exactly what we expected. The majority of the match wasn’t that good, but it was anchored by all of the crazy spots throughout. Of course, the big highlight (that will be a WrestleMania moment forever) was Shane McMahon doing the Leap of Faith off the top of the Hell In A Cell structure. The Undertaker had been placed on an announcer’s table, but he moved out of the way, and Shane McMahon ended up crashing through that announcer’s table. That was legitimately one of the scariest things I’ve ever seen on a major WWE PPV, and we’re talking about the same guy who’s jumped off the titantron MULTIPLE times. To this day, I still can’t get over the fact of how insane that was. Shortly thereafter, The Undertaker managed to score the victory over Shane McMahon. It’s so odd looking at this in hindsight, because Shane would end up running RAW a couple of times over the following months, and eventually, was selected to be the Commissioner of SmackDown Live! ahead of the WWE Draft. Again, this was far from the greatest match in the world, but given the limitations of the two guys involved, it was exactly what we all should’ve expected.

7.) Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal: **

I know battle royals can be “eh” matches, but I think it’s kind of cool that this match has become a mainstay of WrestleMania. It essentially guarantees that everyone on the roster has a match at the biggest show of the year. The third edition of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal might have been the smallest one we’ve seen thus far (only twenty participants), but we get some cool surprises. These came in the form of DDP, Tanaka, and Shaquille O’Neal. Yes, you read that right. Shaquille O’Neal was in this match. He got into it with The Big Show (as you would’ve guessed), and everyone else ganged up on the two giants to eliminate them. Eventually, it came down to Kane & Baron Corbin (a surprise entrant from NXT), and in the end, “The Lone Wolf” eliminated Kane to win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It’s nice to see that WWE used this match to put over a new talent (regardless of what you think of Baron Corbin) on their biggest show of the year. It established him right out of the gate, so credit to them.

Up next, we had a massive segment that was one of the strangest things I’ve seen on any WrestleMania. The Rock came out, and had a LOOOOONG entrance that included him taking a flamethrower to set fire to some giant “ROCK” lettering on the stage. He finally got to the ring, did his usual shtick, and announced the attendance as 101,763 (which is obviously a number from WWE that was overestimated, though the difference between that number and the actual attendance wasn’t as large as you would think). He’s then interrupted by The Wyatt Family, sans Luke Harper (who unfortunately tore his ACL a few weeks before the big show). Bray Wyatt cut a promo on The Rock, and said this was “his” moment. The Rock then got in his verbal jabs at The Wyatt Family, and then, calls for a singles match against Wyatt himself or one of his “inbred Duck Dynasty bitches”. He then rips off his clothes to reveal that he was wearing his wrestling gear underneath. Amazing. Erick Rowan ends up accepting the challenge, and a referee comes out to get the match underway….

8.) The Rock vs. Erick Rowan (with The Wyatt Family): N/R

This lasted all of six seconds, as The Rock quickly hit The Rock Bottom on Rowan to score the win.

After the “match” ended, Bray Wyatt & Braun Strowman surrounded the ring. It looked like they were going to gang up on The Rock, but then John Cena (who was still on the shelf with an injury, though he had recovered enough to do this skit on the show) came out to even the odds. The two former rivals came together and sent The Wyatt Family packing. They then celebrated together as the segment came to a close. No offense to any of the guys involved, but this was one big waste of time.

9.) WWE World Heavyweight Title - Triple H (with Stephanie McMahon) vs. Roman Reigns: **

Triple H got a grand “King of Kings” entrance (as he always does). As a prelude to his actual entrance, Stephanie McMahon was on an elevated stage dressed like an evil witch (her hair made her look like she did back in the early 2000’s during the late Attitude Era and The Invasion in 2001). She gave a grand speech before Triple H came out. Roman Reigns had a much simpler entrance, though he no longer comes out through the crowd.

While Triple H’s entrance was spectacular, this match was certainly not spectacular. I wouldn’t go as far as to call it “bad” (it wasn’t bad), but this was not a good match at all. It was long (going just over twenty-seven minutes), slow, BORING, and didn’t engage me in any way. The crowd didn’t care at all, which didn’t help either. The show had (legitimately) been several hours up to this point, and this was the wrong match to have in this spot. You can’t have a show go six or seven hours (counting the pre-show), and then have a slow, methodical main event like this. You just can’t do it. Triple H is no stranger to boring WrestleMania main events (vs. Chris Jericho at WrestleMania X8 in 2002, and vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania 25 in 2009), and unfortunately for him, this was another one to add to that list. Roman Reigns ultimately won the match, and successfully recaptured the WWE World Heavyweight Title. This was easily one of the worst WrestleMania main events in the show’s history. That is something that cannot be disputed.

Overall: 6.0/10

I could be wrong, but I think this might’ve been the longest WWE PPV in history. The fact that this show was so long was one of the main things that hurt it. This was just WAAAY too long for a wrestling show. I get that it’s WrestleMania, but still. The thing is, you can get away with a really long PPV if the wrestling is great throughout (that’s been proven by New Japan over the last few years). This show did have a few really good to great matches, but unfortunately, the number of matches that either underperformed, were “just ok”, or just weren’t good, really took this show down a couple of notches, in my opinion. The last hour/ninety minutes of the show (which included the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal, the segment with The Rock, and Triple H/Roman Reigns) was incredibly long to get through, and the third of those three things (the main event) closed out the show with a massive wet fart. Fortunately, we did have some more positive highlights. The Triple Threat Match for the WWE Women’s Title was fantastic (and was my vote for Match of the Night), the Ladder Match for the WWE Intercontinental Title was awesome, and AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho was really good. Additionally, even though it was far from the best match in the world, Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker featured some spectacular and truly memorable moments. Despite being (quite possibly) the biggest WrestleMania to date, from an attendance perspective (along with sheer scale), this was easily one of the most disappointing WrestleMania’s of the 21st Century.