Just another (Pro)Wrestling Blog

Professional wrestling is one of my biggest passions, with videogames, sports and collecting stickers and trading cards. I follow WWE, Impact Wrestling(TNA), ROH, Lucha Underground, NJPW and other promotions i sometimes follow. I love to write small/ironic reviews about the shows i watch

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

      WWE Survivor Series 2018 Review

           Sunday November 18th, From the Staples Center in LA,California

10 on 10 Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (Roode&Gable, Revival, Ascension, B-Team and Lucha House Party) vs Team SD (Usos, New Day, Sanity, Club and Colons): [**1/2]

We saw definitely worst stuff on the Kick off but at the same time the match was very sloppy until we got just two tag team for each side, then the matched went to a higher lever and got some really exciting stuff that got SD Live his first point of the night thanks to the Usos who beat the Revival.

If you don't count the first part of the match, which was worthy 3 episodes of Botchamania (Hopefully Kalisto isn't injuried) the match was fun, but unfortunately i can't just forget what happen for half of the match, but still it could have been much worse(sanity lasted less than the Ascension...) Also WWE can you give me a match between the Revival and the Usos?

Winners: Team SD (Usos sole Survivors)

5 on 5 Survivor Series Match: Team Raw (Mickie James, Nia Jax, Tamina, Sasha Banks and Bayley) vs Team SD(Naomi, Mandy Rose, Sonya Deville, Carmella and Asuka):[**3/4]

It was a fine match, but at times it was really stupid, like getting the team captain eliminated first. Brillant booking WWE. With the change during the kick-off, it was really predictable that Raw would take this W and get even with SD Live. Loved the exchanges between Sasha and Asuka and also absolution getting some time on PPV to show they got better. And on the Nia thing, i don't understand why they should use the boos and heat to push someone who injuried a collague. I know accident can happen in the ring, but its not the first time that happens with Nia: some other wrestler would get punished for doing this, but WWE clearly doesn't think this way. PS: Give me Asuka vs Sasha Banks chapter II

Winner: Team Raw (Nia Jax sole survivor)

Seth Rollins vs Shinsuke Nakamura:[***]

Honestly it was disappointing and i would never thought in my life that i would say this about a match between Rollins and Nakamura. It could have been the match of the night but it felt flat until the final stretch which was good, but still weirdly flat and boring in the first part. Rollins wins and brings Raw 2-1 up against SD and no sign of Dean Ambrose, who will challange the Kingsl(sorry seth but that's Dakota Kai) at TLC. Hopefully Dean will be fit because i don't think he was at 100% when he wrestled before he turned on Seth, so hopefully they can have a great match. Nakamura will probably face Mysterio and hopefully they will do better than the one on the 1000th episode of Smackdown

Winner: Seth Rollins

Authors Of Pain vs The Bar:[1/2*]

Honestly it was one of the worst matches of the year. It was disjointed, rushed, both teams had zero chemistry and no idea of what to do to make sure it could be a decent match and it really sucks because both are great teams, but that happens when you have a Raw vs SD live ppv with a heel vs heel match that makes zero sense. And to put the nail on the coffin, how the hell in 2018 we are supposed to believe that a guy peeing himself because he is scared is supposed to be funny? It's not funny at all and it is just embarassing. AOP win and puts Raw on a 3-1 lead over SD Live

Winner: Authors of Pain

Cruiserweight Championship: Mustafa Ali vs Buddy Murphy:[****]

After not a good start, luckily one of the three matches i wanted to see the most didn't fail to deliver and got us a really great bout, as Ali and Murphy already did in the past and thank god it wasn't on the kick-off. Maybe this match can help people stop overlooking 205 live and the cruiser and realise how good they are. Speaking of the match itself, it was the classic Murphy-Ali with both going nuts and trying to do anything to win, with Ali sacrificing is body (he took some nasty spots) but this time it wasn't worthy since he got hit by a Murphy's Law. I can see them squaring off again for the next months and maybe have a final showdown at the Royal Rumble with Ali winning the title, which really deserves to win now.

Winner AND STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Buddy Murphy

5 on 5 Survivor Series: Team Raw vs Team SD: [**]

And this survivor series match is maybe the worst of the three, even tho it had a good start and then it got so much worse. It didn't also made sense that they booked the match to show that SD is so weak compared to raw that even them fighting each other couldn't stop them from winning. Also, why in the hell Joe got eliminated like that? It's bullshit. Shane got eliminated last when he shouldn't haven't been in the match first and they even made him look better than his whole team. Done with this Shane shit, respect the man and performer, but this kinda of booking is tragic. And Raw goes 4-1 up against SD Live

Winners: Team Raw (Drew McIntyre, Braun Strowman and Bobby Lashley sole survivors)

Ronda Rousey vs Charlotte:[****]

Surprising and it's not for the match itself, but for some other stuff that happened. Let's start with the crowd: Ronda got booed even tho she was the second most over in the entire WWE before the match with Becky was made. This becky is so over she made Ronda get booed. Or probably people is already sick of Ronda, but honestly i dont think it is the case yet. Charlotte turned heel after a gruling wonderful match that was booked in an awesome way. Now the turn gets me interested, because it could be the start of the build up of the 4HW showdown or the start of Becky's re-turn face after they realised people love her, even tho the becky badass 3:16 alike version is so much better, so it makes SD landscape more interesting, while for Raw Ronda will have to go trough Nia again. And by the way, i don't undertstand why wrestling fans hate on MMA guys and girls wanting to have a wrestling career. Shouldn't you also hate all those people that failed in other sports or things as modeling, fitness stuff and such that had a good fortune in wrestling even tho they are not fan of it? PS: Raw 5 SD Live 1

Winner by DQ: Ronda Rousey

Brock Lesnar vs Daniel Bryan: [****]

I would totally say this was my favourite match of the night, even tho i also loved the cruiseweights and Ronda vs Charlotte. Why i picked this one? The storytelling. Perfect. Simply perfect. Bryan being too cocky, Lesnar mauling him, trash talking with the crowd, being too cocky too and then Bryan came back, the crowd followed him and tought he could make it, gave his best and he felt short. I dare you to find a better way to book this match to make Brock win. I'm not sure there isn't a better way to do that if Brock has to win the match. And for once it wasn't the usual Brock match, cause i felt he loved to face Bryan and wanted this match. He sold stuff (that selling when he went for the f-5 after bryan worked on his knee) and also the trash talking with the crowd was gold. Speaking of Bryan, im curious to see how they book him as heel and the future developments in the feud with The Miz, since they are not wasting the chance to do this feud with different roles. Great way to end the PPV and possibly a good call for MOTY (main roster wise obsviously). And it kinda makes me wanna see a rematch, even tho i usually prefer the first match in the big feud with repeated matches. PS: 6-1 Raw...oh wait, those fucking asshole decided not to count the kick off and just say Raw won 6-0

Winner: Brock Lesnar

Overall: i think this event could have been much worse, even tho booking wise they did wrong a lot of stuff, but at least the 3 great match were fine booking and wrestling wise. Overall, considering just the big 4, id say it was better than Mania, slightly worse than Summerslam and not as good as the Royal Rumble. For just a bragging rights PPV it was fine. Hopefully WWE can end the year with a good TLC PPV [6.5]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

         NXT Takeover WarGames 2: Review

               Saturday November 17, from the Staples Center in LA,California

Matt Riddle vs Kassius Ohno:[NR]

It wasn't clearly a match but actually a good angle to make wednesday's match more interesting as Ohno was too cooky and got caught easy by the King of Bros. Hopefully they will deliver on NXT TV.

Winner: Matt Riddle

2 out of 3 falls for the NXT Women's Championship: Kairi Sane vs Shayna Bazler [****]

Interesting way to “open” the show as i thought it would last more and honestly i think it's the only thing that i didn't liked about the match. Most people are talking about the overbooking being bad but for me it made sense since they are heading to a more stable vs “stable” feud between Kairi and Shayna and also fits the way the want to build Baszler, as she is such a great heel, while Kairi is a natural born babyface. The bout had some nasty spots like that reverse ddt on the apron, but the Insane Elbow is probably the best high flying move in the whole WWE. Now the question (aside why Var hasn't been introduced yet in wrestling too) is: will the feud go on or Kairi is headed to the main roster? I would say it will go on and involve more Io Shirai and Dakota Kai,as maybe the main roster isn't ready yet for someone like Kairi.Great match again between these two (sucks that the MYC wasn't this good tho)

Winner AND STILL NXT Women's Champion: Shayna Baszler

Johnny Gargano vs Aleister Black:[*****]

Where shall i start? Good lord it was nuts! Like really really nuts. Honestly i would rate it as my match of the year if Johnny Gargano didn't had an even better match with Ciampa in New Orleans. Stiff, great wrestling, great storytelling, great psychology, Johnny being great even as a heel, Black being ruthless, it was perfect. I was rooting for Johnny but i'm not even mad he lost to Black because probably we might even get a better version of Johnny being sick of losing while Black will probably get his rematch with Ciampa. For Johnny i don't know what's next: main roster, going back face, Velveteen Dream or even a newcomer. There is so much on the line that it's so great. If at the end of the year im gonna make some awards and pick my WOTY just for the WWE, i will say Johhnny Gargano because this year he hasn't made a bad match. So make yourself a favour and go watch this one. You won't regret it

Winner: Aleister Black

NXT Championship: Tommaso Ciampa vs Velveteen Dream:[****1/2]

And here is the biggest surprise of the night for me, because i was honestly curious to see if they could deliver a great match and they did even better than what i thought. The match started slow but as they went on, it got wild and started drama, the nearfalls (a shit ton of them), the nasty spots (the elbow drop from Dream was brutal) and also Ciampa got smart and won like every heel should by bending the rules because he is smart, because the DDT on the metal part used to connect both rings is really smart. Another great match for Dream who was so over last night and he has the potential to be even more over if he stays as a babyface. He also keep getting better and better and he is only 23. Now, if i was the NXT Booking team, i would book him vs Gargano for the next takeover. They already had a mini feud and he could be a good moment to go back to it and steal the show on the big stage, while Ciampa beats Black before Gargano can redeem himself and take the title from him in the final match. Another super match for this Takeover

Winner AND STILL NXT Champion: Tommaso Ciampa

Wargames: Undisputed Era vs Ricochet, Pete Dunne&War Raiders:[****1/4]

And it's time for the main event of the evening and i saw some mixed reactions on this: some people liked it a lot, some other said it was too long (and i kinda agree but not a problem for me), some others think that it was worse than the first one, but for me it was better. I saw more “controlled chaos” in the sense that everything had some sense, like when Fish tried to isolate Dunne in the cage and bring in the weapons, or the submission from O'reilly and strong and Cole and Fish blocking the babyface in the other ring and not letting the break up the hold. The first one was a good match but it had just chaos, it was fun but it was made just for the sake of making some chaos, while this one had some pshycology, some throwbacks to the first one (O'Reilly hitting the ropes with the chair) and the staredown between the two teams in the middle between both rings was cool as fuck. And this time there were just two teams and not 3 so it made even more sense, but also this time, UD era got short and lost to the babyface teams, which might lead us to another champion vs champion match between Pete Dunne(hopefully the injury isnt serious) and Ricochet (WHO DID A DOUBLE MOONSAULT OFF THE CAGE). Great main event for a sublime Takeover PS: Can you send those stupid shark cages to Narnia?

Winnners: Ricochet, War Raiders and Pete Dunne

Overall: Brillant, just brillant. Probably one of the first time where i don't have to complain about a match or any booking decision. The best takeover of the year and (maybe) the best takeover ever. This is why i love wrestling. [9]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

             WWE Evolution: Review

                                           Sunday 28th October, 

                           from the Nassau Colliseum in Uniondale,NY

Trish Stratus&Lita vs Mickie James and Alexa:[***]

We had no pre-show matches for Evolution (thank god i would say) and this match should have featured Alexa Bliss but the Goddess got injuried in a live event and missed the event so WWE replaced her with Alicia Fox. The match was better than i expected because at the Rumble, Lita looked really bad and wasn’t expecting much from this, but both HOFs did their best and Mickie James shines and honestly i believe she is better then when she was in her prime. Fox was ok even tho had a massive botch. The match itself was the standard heel vs face tag team with Bliss trying to help her friends. With this match going on the first 30 minutes of the show (the ones free on twitter), Lita and Trish win was really predictable (and right) and even more when they announced that Bliss was out of the contest. Crowd was on fire during the match

Winners: Trish Stratus and Lita.

Women’s battle royal for a future title match: [**¾]

It was solid but also the worst match of the night but it didn’t turned out as bad as i thought, even tho i hated some eliminations,like the Iiconic one at the beginning to have a commedy moment, or like the winner of the first ever Women rumble got eliminated like nothing by Ember Moon.  Thanks WWE. But at the same time, if your worst match of the event is just solid, it’s not a bad thing at all. The crowd loved everyone and the match and Nia got the win, as she will be an easy challenger for Ronda and it also set a rematch between the two since their match at MITB ended by DQ when Bliss cashed in her briefcase.

Winner: Nia Jax

Mae Young Classic Final: Io Shirai vs Toni Storm:[****]

Let’s start with the negative: why the hell this match only went 10 minutes? So rant mode off, but this match was very very good even tho it last just 10 minutes. It had drama, storytelling, good wrestling and also Storm is the only person in the tournament who didn’t got caught by Io’s moonsault, so in some way, they keep the magic and the effectivness around the move. Storm won and as i said in the reivew, she was my #1 pick to win the tournament and i’m so happy for her, because she deserved it the final last year and she deserved to win this year like shirai should, but for Io i guess they have already some solid plans in NXT, while Storm will be involved more with the UK brand rather then the main NXT one. Storm also defeated to win the tournament Jinny, Matsumoto, Yim and Shirai. Good lord, that’s impressive. This match was a good way to close a great tournament, wish it went longer, but it did justice to the whole tournament (full tournament review out later in the week/s as i need more time for it) PS: Storm entered with her MYC 2017 and NXT UK theme, after the bell they played her MYC 2018 theme. That’s so weird but fun (and geeky for a theme song nerd like me)

Winner of the MYC 2018: Toni Storm

Riott Squad vs Natalya, Sasha Banks and Bayley:[***¼]

Let’s start with another rand mode time: why the hell this match went longer than the MYC Final? I really really don’t get it, because this match at time felt a bit boring because they went too long and Shirai-Storm felt great but so short, but at least the six woman tag was a good match, topped my expactations and showed us that Liv can actually wrestle, since it was basically her best match so far in WWE. It started too slow but got much better in the final stretch and played out good, giving the babyface a great moment, like Sasha tributing Eddie. I still don’t like the Riott Squad, because probably they would be better by themselves rather than as a team, because they always make them lose as a team while in singles match they can pull it off. If their strenght is in the number, why the hell they can’t win a 3 vs 3?

Winner: Sasha Banks, Bayley and Natalya

NXT Womens Championship: Kairi Sane vs Shayna Baszler:[****]

Another rant mode time: not a fan at all of Kairi’s new theme. Just when i got used to her second theme, they change it. Usual WWE. Theme song rant aside, this match was really good, much better then their previous encounters. They finally nailed the match, even tho i wished we got a clean finish tho. The idea of having the other 2 4HW was great, they will be great in NXT, but this match was going really well and then a non clean finish took something away for me. The title change is fine because it was unexpected and came well, but still the interferences were a bit sloopy and could have been better or even non existent. Now, i guess we might get a team battle even with the ladies and this got me thinking: are we getting a womens war games too at Takeover? It would be interesting for sure.  But before i jump to the next match, there is still one thing for me to say: stop thinking Shayna is just Rousey’s best friend: she is a really good wrestler and a great heel, because she is legit someone i would boo at a show even tho i like her and criticising her just because ronda is her best friend, while she worked hard in the indies too to get here, is just wrong.

Winner AND NEW NXT Womens champion: Shayna Baszler

Last Woman Standing for the SD Womens Title: Charlotte vs Becky Lynch:[****½]

No rant mode this time, but let’s say that it was the best match of the night. And i usually don’t even like Last Man/woman Standing match, but with the right booking they can be really good. This one was the one i was hoping for, yes not a perfect match, but really really good with drama, storytelling, it made the crowd involved even tho on commentary tried everything to get people behind Charlotte, but it was the hard fought battle that this feud really needed. A great feud which needed a great ending (for the moment). Even tho i wished the babyface/heel role would switch, this feud has been superb and probably gave us the best Becky Lynch so far in WWE, while charlotte really doesn’t fit well as a babyface cause she is a great heel, but she never fails to look good. Speaking of the match, we had violence, because the tables spots and chair spot were nasty and even Becky jumping from the ladder was risky. It was perfect on this, while not on the way the ref handled it. Becky won with a powerbomb on the table and probably will face Ronda rousey at Survivor Series in a champion vs champion, if they are planning the event as Raw vs SD Live again like last year. MOTY? Maybe not, because i still think NXT delivered it, but these two women had the best match and feud in the main roster so far. Kudos to both of them…and Becky good luck with Ronda.

Winner AND STILL SD Womens Champion: Becky Lynch

Raw Womens Championship: Ronda Rousey vs Nikki Bella:[***]

Some people are trashing the whole show just because of this match. Personally i wouldn’t call them fans but simply stupid, because it’s stupid to trash an event for just a match, which even wasn’t that bad. I didn’t liked it, but it could have been a lot worse. Not a fan of how they are booking Ronda matches at the moment, because if they cant have her squash the whole division, they shouldn’t have her going through a beating for like ¾ of the match and then win. She is a former ufc champions, she should destroy someone like Nikki who doesn’t even wrestle regulary since she got injuried. Ronda won and everyone happy like the happy ending for the event. Speaking of her challenger, i think this Nikki, used like a veteran, could be helpful in the division, only if she gets the get her opponent over and not get another title shot for basically being a Bella

Winner AND STILL Raw Womens Champion: Ronda Rousey

Overall: I wasn’t really expecting Evolution to be this good, i hoped it could be this, i feared it could have been worse but it really surprised me. It had a takeover vibe and it was great because it was really different. Even the crowd felt like a NXT crowd where they are hot for thw whole show and don’t slowly die because the events are too long. Honestly i think an yearly event like this would be awesome. Yes there are still some stuff that wasn’t good, but for once i really enjoyed a WWE main roster PPV from the start to the bottom and that’s what matters the most to me. Kudos to everyone involved and keep proving the people, who trashed this event because it was all womens only, that they are just wrong. [7.75]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE Mae Young Classic 2018 (Episode 8-Semifinals) Review

Meiko Satomura vs Toni Storm:[****1/2]

If you want a good reason to watch the whole tournament, THIS match and episode is the reason you're looking for. It was a banger and honestly one of the best women matches i've seen this year anywhere. It had drama, fan involvment, great wrestling, storytelling and commentary did a great job to make it feel even better. The finish was unbeliavable and made Toni Storm a huge star not only because she beat a legend but also the way she did. Satomura is honestly the MVP of the tournament because she basically had a great match with all the women she faced. Toni heads to the final and to Evolution after last year she got to the semis and she is my #1 pick to win the tournament. Watch this match, you won't regret it. Best match of the tournament (until the final)

Winner: Toni Storm

Rhea Ripley vs Io Shirai:[***3/4]

And even this match was really good even tho not really on the level of Satomura-Storm. Ripley finally delivered big time and showed how much she improved from last years tournament, while Shirai is the ace of the tournament. The match was the classic david vs goliath style match where Ripley tried her best to ground and dominate Shirai with her size advantage, but she couldn't do much once Io got to speed up the match and go high flying.

Shirai-Storm is the perfect final for the tournament and Ripley gonna leave an Impact in NXT

Winner: Io Shirai

Overall: And with this one we finish off the weekly episodes of the MYC and luckily the best one of the eight we had. Two stellar match to lead us to Evolution, where we can expect to have a final that can steal the show. Kudos to everyone involved in the tournament so far. Much better than last year [8]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Mae Young Classic 2018 (episode 7) Review

Meiko Satomura vs Lacey Lane:[***]

Short but solid opener as the veteran tried to make the youngster learn a lesson. Loved when Meiko kicked Lane after she refused a handshake, Lane fought hard but got beat after a death valley driver. Lane still hasnt really impressed me, she is good tho, but she will have a lot of time to do that since she is already signed with WWE. Satomura will face the winner of Toni Storm vs Mia Yim in the semifinals of the tournament

Winner: Meiko Satomura

Io Shirai vs Deonna Purazzo:[***3/4]

Probably the most technical match in the whole touenament so far. This was really good and i'm sure you'll love if you particulary enjoy mat/techical wrestling. Deonna had a great run in the tournament and got really really close to knock off the ace of MYC, but she lost after Shirai hit her asai moonsault, but nothing to be ashemed of losing agaist probably the best women wrestler in the world today. Shirai will face Rhea ripley in the semifinal

Watch this match if you're looking for a great encounter in the MYC

Winner: Io Shirai

Tegan Nox vs Rhea Ripley:

This match was heartbreaking to watch, because this tournament meaned a lot to tegan, as she couldn't compete last year because of a injury and the year later she wrecked her knee in the tournament. Unlucky, very unlucky, but im sure she will come back even better and stronger. As far as the match, can't say too much, it was just bad luck and also it could have been really good, but luck wasn't on Tegan's side Ripley moves as she will have to climb a mountain to get to the final. Come back soon Tegan and stay strong

Winner by medical stoppage: Rhea Ripley

Toni Storm vs Mia Yim:[****]

And the episode ends with a banger and one of the best matches in the tournament. Wished it would last longer but it was great and they did something even cooler in the storytelling, because they remember that Yim injuried his hands during the tournament and this came in play at the end as Storm hit her hand so she could finish her off with a Storm Zero. This should be used more in this kind of tournament, as it makes the struggle to get to the final more legit and also makes it more sense that if someone gets “injuried” during a match than the match later will feel the consequences of it. Storm faces off Meiko Satomura in another possible awesome match, while Yim won too, because...well...she got signed and go watch her reaction when she knew about. Priceless

Winner: Toni Storm

Overall: Another great episode as the tournament gets better and better and moves towards Evolution where we will crown the winner. MYC being a great show to watch so far. It sucks that everything ends next week with the semifinals [7.5]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE Mae Young Classic (Episode 6) Review:

Zeuxis vs Io Shirai:[***]

Not a bad match to start the 6th episode off, as they put on a solid match where the luchadora tried to work on shirai explosivness and not letting her getting momentum, but the ace of the MYC got better and better and captalised with a running knee to the back of the head of zeuxis and finished her off with a perfect Asai Moonsault. Zeuxis looked way better than the match with Monroe in the first round but Shirai moving on is the right choice

Winner: Io Shirai

Xia Li vs Deonna Purazzo:[***1/4]

Really really solid match between Li and Purazzo and also surprising, because Li improved so much in one year and the match turned out much better than i thought and the chinese wrestler proved to be a tough challanger for Deonna as she escaped the first fujiwara armbar, but had nowhere to go after the second attempt. Li is honestly the most improved between those who were apart in last years tournament and i see her having her spot at NXT in the future months. As for Deonna, she will face Io Shirai in the QF

Winner: Deonna Purazzo

Tegan Nox vs Nicole Matthews: [**1/2]

Short but sweet match with the right opponent moving on. It sucks that Tegan got injuried because she would have been killed it in nxt after Evolution, but unfortunately she is on the sideline for a few months

Winner: Tegan Nox

Mia Yim vs Kaitlyn:[***]

Another solid main event and match in the tournament. Kaitlyn looking better than the times when she wrestled full time but also having Yim as her opponent might have helped. Yim goes on in the tournament thanks to a knee bar after she worked kaitlyn's knee the whole match and the finish makes a lot of sense. This Kaityln could be a good addiction for the main roster if she wants to come back full time. Yim will now face Toni Storm in the QF...oh my god...

Winner: Mia Yim

Overall: it was a solid episode with all matches being good and enjoyable like the whole tournament. QF's looking really tasty at the moment. Can't wait for next week[7]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE Mae Young Classic 2018 (Episode 5) Review:

Toni Storm vs Hiroyo Matsumoto:[***1/2]

Really strong opener for round two as we got two really great athlets who know each other and had some good amount of time to put on a lovely hard hitting contest. It also makes sense the way the match got booked as Storm managed to pull the victory with a roll up as the japanase wrestler was really dominating and looked very impressive during the tournament. Rumors say that Matsumoto signed with the company and she would be a massive addition to the women's division. As for Toni,  she steams towards the final that she didn't reached last year because of Kairi Sane

Winner: Toni Storm

Kacy Catanzaro vs Rhea Ripley:[**3/4]

Not a bad match at all, a bit sloppy tho, but well booked and catanzaro looked good again for someone who has little less wrestling background, while Ripley maybe oversold some moves too much, like the reaction when she got hit with that lovely corkscrew crossbody from Kacy. Rhea advances as predicted but honestly i believe Catanzaro can become a really great wrestler in a few years and the more and more she will train and gain experience, she will get better and better, cause i have seen worst stuff from people who works in the business since way more years than her

Winner: Kacy Catanzaro

Lacey Lane vs Taynara Conti:[sv]

Really short and easy match for Lane, it was just rushed and it didn't looked really good. Lane is solid but stll hasn't really impressed me

Winner: Lacey Lane

Meiko Satomura vs Mercedes Martinez:[****]

And the fifth episode ends with a bang as this match was REALLY good. Possibly the best match in the tournament so far, they had time to have a great match, great pace, drama, hard hitting action. Satomura is on fire right now and possibly the MVP of the event so far, as this match was sensational and something we should see also from the women's main roster division. Satomura brings home a W with a scorpion kick while Martinez had another great run even tho she didn't made it to the finals.

Winner: Meiko Satomura

Overall: It was a really a great episode with an awesome match,a great opener and then a solid match and a squash. So far it has been really enjoyable to watch this tournament because you have an hour of solid wrestling without BS and probably i'll keep saying it, but this is why the CWC had great success and why the MYC is working, because it's pure wrestling, without stupid angles and bad promos, which are also usefull but done in the right way[7.5]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Mae Young Classic 2018 (Episode 4) Review

Hiroyo Matsumoto vs Rachael Evers:[***1/2]

The last episode for the first round starts with a Banger and a match that i never thought it could be this good: hard hitting battle with the right opponent moving on and the young upcoming wrestler getting a lot of time to shine and make a name for herself. Evers really improved a lot from last years tournament and it is quite shocking that she hasn't signed with anyone yet, but i guess she wants to wrestle wherever she can for the moment. Matsumoto will face Toni Storm in the second round and this one could be another great contest. Also some rumor say that Matsumoto signed with NXT and potentially it is really a great news

Winner: Hiroyo Matsumoto

Jessie Elaban vs Taynara Conti:[*3/4]

I was actually very curious to see Elaban in action and for someone who just recently started wrestling, she actually looked good and she seems to have a good character and babyface potential to go really over with the crowd. Conti looks much better since her match in last years tournament and deserved to go on, even tho the match wasn't good at all. The brasial judoka will face Lacey Lane in the second round

Winner: Taynara Conti

Isla Dawn vs Nicole Matthews:[**1/2]

This match was actually ok even tho a little predictable, since you can't have one half of the canadian Ninjas to go out from the the tournament at the first round. Isla looked good and i'm sure she will do some good stuff in the NXT UK women's division, which based on the girls announced, could actually be really solid. Matthews will face Tegan Knox in the second round and on paper it's a good match

Winner: Nicole Matthews

Xia Brookside vs Io Shirai:[**]

The moment that most of us where waiting for: the legendary Io Shirai making her debut in a WWE ring. She faced the lovely Xia Brookside and the japanase litteraly squashed her, but it is an honor to face Shirai and Xia is still really young and will for sure do some great stuff in the business, because she has some good potential and she need time to grow as a performer. Shirai will face Zeuxis in the second round, match will be less one sided than this one but it will still be an easy win for Shirai, who for sure will make it to the final(Give me Io shirai vs Toni Storm and i’ll be a happy man)

Winner: Io Shirai

Overall: Episode 4 is overall an ok episode even tho it started really well and with a surprising match, but then it kinda lost momentum with the second match and then it didn't picked up, even tho i marked out for Io being in WWE. Second round on paper can have some really spectacular matches and hopefully it will be as get better than last years tournament. So far, it is but not too much, unlike commentary which is thousand miles better than last year's horrific one. [6.25]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE Mae Young Classic (Episode 3) Review

Kaitlyn vs Kavita Devi:[**]

Rough match but not the worst i have ever seen. Kaityln has still some ring rust but still looked decent, while Kavita still has a lot to work on and i guess she got featured in the MYC just because they needed an Indian for that kind of market. Kaitlyn picks up the win with a somekind of spear

Winner: Kaitlyn

Toni Storm vs Jinny:[***]

Probably my second most anticipated match in the first round as i watched both tear the house down in PROGRESS. The match was good, not superb, but still really enjoyable to watch. Jinny had some heat and even a few cheers but she went heel mode as Storm was so much over in the Full Sail. Storm picks up the win with a Storm Zero and moves to second round and she really look like someone who could win the whole tournament.

Winner: Toni Storm

Xia Li vs Karen Q:[**3/4]

It was actually a fun little match between two wrestler who really improved lately and Xia did after a not great performance in last years tournament, but this time she did really well and showed some potential in the striking aspect. I'm quite surprised by the result cause i was expecting Karen Q to win, but the chinese wrestler took the win with a spinning running kick that looked really good. Xia will have a tough second round match as she will face Deonna Purazzo

Winner: Xia Li

Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay:[***3/4]

The freenemies world tour goes on as we get another match between those two great wrestler but this time in a WWE ring. Loved the story, loved the psychology in this match and also the intenstity and some little references to past matches and even the ending is a reference to when Gail Kim won the Impact Knockouts title at BFG for the 6th time and pinned Sienna during that match, but this time it was Yim to hit the soul food (eat defeat) from the top rope. Really quality match, the best in the tournament so far and probably will be the best in the first round of the tournament. Both should be signed right now

Winner: Mia Yim

Overall: much better episode than last weeks, but to be honest, it was easy to do better than last week and this week's matches were much better even on paper and feautered some of the best women in the tournament. You should definitely check this episode out, an hour of good and enjoyable wrestling [6.75]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE Mae Young Classic 2018 Episode 2: Review

Deonna Purazzo vs Priscilla Kelly:[**1/2]

Fun little match to start the second episode off. It was really quick as Kelly had some good offence but she came short after Purazzo hit her with a side russian leg sweep-Fujiwara armbar combo for the win. Deonna will be a great addiction to the NXT roster and to the main one in the future

Winner: Deonna Purazzo

Zeuxis vs Aerial Monroe:[**]

Not as good as the opener but i have seen a lot worse stuff. Zeuxis didn't impressed me really much while Monroe actually has a good charisma and a good in ring background, but she got wrecked by a top rope spanish fly from the luchadora who will advance to the second round. I expect Monroe to get signed by NXT soon

Winner: Zeuxis

Kacy Catanzaro vs Reina Gonzalez:[**1/4]

For being someone that has no wrestling background, Catanzaro did a really great job in ring, she is really athletic (thats the gymnastic and american ninja warrior background coming in) and she could be a really great babyface in the future and also do some highflying stuff with more training. The match was the standard david vs goliath style match and Catanzaro picked up the win with a victory roll

Winner: Kacy Catanzaro

Ashley Rayne vs Mercedes Martinez:[**3/4]

First off i'm really happy to see Madison Rayne in the MYC, she deserved this opportunity. The match was ok, solid but with more time, i think they could have done better and have a killer match, even tho it still had some drama and a good storytelling. Martinez picks up the win as expected with her Fisherman Buster and i think that also this year she won't make it to the final at Evolution. Both should be signed but not sure if WWE is looking more for experienced people for the Women's division on NXT or prefers young and upcoming people to forge from scratch

Winner: Mercedes Martinez

Overall: The second episode was ok, but not as good as the first one: it wasn't a bad show at all, still enjoyable, but this time i felt it's not a can't miss show, because nothing is really remarkable and in the first round is ok to have a show that's not a bang because the quality will get better and better as we move on. [6.0]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Mae Young Classic 2018 (Episode 1) Review:

Tegan Knox vs Zatara:[**1/2] Fun little match to start the tournament off. Loved the story they told as the Chilean worked on Knox's injured knee and try to made her tap, but at the end of the day, Tegan got the win as predicted with her trademark shining wizard. Knox has really the potential to be a future top babyface in NXT, because you really can't hate her. Also loved commentary in the first match, much better already than last year Winner:Tegan Knox Rhea Ripley vs MJ Jenkins:[**1/4] Another solid match who Ripley getting a really easy win as her seize and power advantage got the better of the afrolicious diva, who got better since I saw her on Impact. Ripley repackage worked big time, as she looks more like someone who could dominate the whole tournament and also the whole nxt's women's division. I guess she is ready to TakeOver(even tho I think Belair will get that shot before the Aussie). Also on a less side note, Rhea has a killer theme song two years on a row. Winner: Rhea Ripley Vanessa Kraven vs Lacey Lane:[**] The classic power vs speed match up in the third match of the MYC. The match wasn't really great and Lane almost risked to get injured after she slipped from the top rope. Kraven is a solid power woman and for being tall and big she looked also agile. Lane showed some good stuff but really hasn't me impressed but she will have more chances in the tournament and in NXT she got signed and since she won the match with a Crucifix Bomb. Winner: Lacey Lane Meiko Satomura vs Killer Kelly:[***1/2] great great match to end the first episode. It was really competitive, Satomura showed why she is a legend and Kelly didn't look bad at all, as she almost got a win after a lovely perfectplex that got her only a near fall. Satomura gets the win after a Pele kick followed by her DVD. loved this match, because yeah it wasn't a long one, but it was intense right from the start, they told a good story, it had drama and we had good wrestling. Kelly will make in WWE while Satomura is gonna have a great MYC Winner: Meiko Satomura Overall: well the first episode of the Mae Young Classic 2018 was really solid and it felt like it was something big, unlike the first edition who I felt was just a test for the future. Commentary this year is so much better than JR&Lita who didn't do much at all for the matches and the competitors and i think it is well put together: Cole doing play by play without BS, Renee being a solid colour commentator while Beth adds the more technical bits. Overall I hope the show will keep this momentum because in some ways it reminded me the CWC: one enjoyable hour of good wrestling and nothing else. [6.65]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Rich Swann vs Matt Sydal vs Trevor Lee:[**1/2] We start the even off with an ok match, that looked like an house show Match,where the wrestlers tend to work and test their spots for future big matches. The match was solid and gave Swann a win to keep his momentum going as he is heading towards a feud with Sydal. I wish Lee would have won but I guess they don't really have big plans for him Winner: Rich Swann Adam Matxed&Robbie X vs Jake McCluskey&Lucas Steel:[***1/4] I went into this match not knowing much about the WOS so I wasn't expecting anything major, but they had a really really solid match. That Robbie X guy was actually  impressing and that ending Lethal Injection-Standing shooting star press was sick. Steel in some ways reminded me about Corbin but actually better. McCluskey is good too and Maxted too had some solid performances. Solid stuff from the WOS guys and if you're British you should check them out more often Winners: Adam Maxted&Robbie X Lana Austin vs Su Yung:[***1/4] I might be biased on this but I really loved this match and probably it Su's better match since she signed with Impact. For once, she wrestled with bs and her gimmick taking over her in ring work and they had also some solid chemistry. Lana is really underrated and I still don't know how she didn't make it to WWE yet and if I was Impact I'd try to get her to work more for the company. She went for her DDT but Yung wisely rolled out the ring, threw the chair in the ring and then misted her opened and picked up a win with her Panic Switch. They should have booked her like this and hopefully she will be booked like this when she will face Rosemary. I also hope we get more of Lana on Impact Winner: Su Yung Impact tag team championship: LAX vs Jody Fleisch&Jonny Storm:[****] Are you looking for a reason to watch this event? Well here is your reason, because this match really rocked. It was simply great: fun, fast, sick spots, sick tag team wrestling. Fleisch&Jonny doing this kind of stuff in 2018 is nuts considering that they aren't in their prime and just came back after they helped the UK scene grow. LAX keep delivering everytime they need to have a big match and that makes me kinda sad because I'm not sure we, the people who won't be on the cruise of Jericho,will ever get see their match with the Young Bucks. Super great match and LAX again involved in Impacts best matches of the year. Quality stuff you have to check out Winners AND STILL Impact Tag Team champions: LAX Joe Hendry vs Eli Drake:[**1/2] This match was fine, but to be honest, nothing that is really remarkable. They are both good wrestler but something two good wrestlers can have an awesome match if they don't have really a good chemistry and this was the case. Drake picked up the win because he is in the UK but to be honest drake needed it more. Winner: Joe Hendry Eddie Edwards&Justin Sysum vs Moose&Nathan Cruz:[***3/4] I also came into this match not knowing much about the WOS guys but they actually performed really well. This match was really solid and also a teaser of what we will we get between Moose and Eddie, as I guess they will square off at BFG. Slow start but it really picked up and the sequence between Eddie and Moose was really great. Ending was perfect as Moose decided to leave his partner alone and let the face take the win with a DDT by Eddie followed up by a sick 450Splash from Sysum. Another great match in this really surprising event so far Winners: Eddie Edwards&Justin Sysum Barbwire baseball bat Death Match: Sami Callihan vs Jimmy Havoc:[****] The main  reason I wanted to watch this event was this match and it truly lived up the hype. If you like violent matches, than its for you, if you like more pure wrestling,than better if you don't check it out because it was more about hardcore spots rather than good wrestling. It was violent but every spot had a sense, even the paper cuts or even the lemon juice spot. Callihan picked up the win thanks to his cactus driver on the thumbtacks after havoc did a foot stomp, without shoes and socks, on the tacks! Callihan this year delivered every time on Impact which is something nuts for him and he is also the best heel in the company, while Jimmy keeps being a sublime wrestler even tho people just think he is good only in death matches. Quality main event for a quality show Winner:Sami Callihan Overall: so what to say about this Twitch special. It was worth the watch. Two hours of great wrestling for free and you can check it out whenever you like, cause you'll find it on their channel. Production values aren't the best(audio was the best part of the event) but you can close an eye on that. If you like death matches, you love the main event, if you don't there is also stuff for your wrestling tastes. [7.75]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

In my small blog update, I talked about how I wanted to bring a breakdown of the Mae Young Classic 2018 and thanks to the recent revealed bracket, I have a chance to use the first round matches to talk about all the women who will take part in the tournament. So let's start to see which matchups and ladies we will see squaring off to win the second annual MYC Meiko Satomura vs killer Kelly: let's start off with an interesting one because Satomura is a true legend in the business and Killer Kelly is a really good performer so we can expect to see a good matchup. Personally I see we will see Satomura win because she never wrestled in a WWE ring so it would be a cool moment for the tournament and because Kelly can have her say in NXT UK. Ashley Rayne vs Mercedes Martinez: also in this match, it is a shame one of them will lose because both would deserve to win. Martinez reached the semis last year while Madison is at her WWE debut after being a big name in impacts knockouts division. Match will be good and I expect Martinez to go through and fell short like she did last year Lacey Lane vs Vanessa Kraven: well I honestly don't know what to say about either any of these two ladies. Never seen them wrestle so I hope at least we get a good Match. I think lane will win because I think she is hired by WWE but maybe I'm wrong. Next match please Taynara Conti vs Jessie Elaban: debut for Elaban in WWE even tho she is working nxt's live events, while Conti is at her second MYC, after she got eliminated by Lacey Evans last year. Don't know much about Elaban but I heard she is already a fan favourite because of her geeky gimmick, so I expect to see her win and I'm looking forward to see her wrestle Toni Storm vs Jinny: is this a women's match for a PROGRESS event? No, it's for WWE? Really? Jokes aside here we have my #1 pick to win the whole tournament: Toni Storm. She is so good and she came close last year but felt short to Sane in the semis. Jinny is also a really great wrestler, but it wouldn't make much sense to me to see Storm being eliminated in the first round. Possibly the best match in round 1 Rachel Evers vs Hiroyo Matsumoto: as much as I like Rachel, I guess she won't make it to the second round this year, as I think WWE won't lose the chance to have storm vs Matsumoto in the second round. The lady destroyer is very popular in Japan and she is a great wrestler so she can make Evers look good and then have a great match with Toni in the second round Mia Yim vs Allysin Kay: where have I seen this match? Did anyone said Impact wrestling? The freenemies are back at it and this time in a WWE ring. The match can be really good as Mia is one of the best wrestlers in the tournament and the former sienna can have a good match also with a broom. I expect Yim to go trough and reach the semis in a potential showdown with Toni Storm. For The AK47, I just want her to impress WWE management and get hired: she can make the Women's division better and more classy Kaitlyn vs Kavita Devi: good god what a clasterfuck it will be. Happy to see Kaitlyn back but she can pull out a miracle of Kavita who was absolutely horrible last year. Kaitlyn will win but she will also loose to Yim in the second round. Or at least I hope so. Tegan Nox vs Zatara: can't wait to see Nixon finally in the MYC. She is a great wrestler and she deserves this spot. Don't know much about her opponent but I hope they can have a good match Isla Dawn vs Nicole Matthews: as much as I really love Isla, I guess Nicole with go trough as the chance of having Nox vs Matthews in the second round is very appealing. Hopefully also this match can be a good one, as they are both good wrestlers especially Matthews Rhea Ripley vs MJ Jenkins: since last year's tournament, rhea changed her gimmick and I heard a lot of good thing about her from people who saw her during the live event. She impressed me last year and she can be the underdog of the even, and will easily beat MJ Kacy Catanzaro vs Reina Gonzalez: don't know much about Kacy but they say good stuff about her so I expect her to be good in the ring. Reina didn't caught my eye last year so she has a good opportunity to show improvements in the squared circle. Kacy will win probably in an easy way Io Shirai vs Xia Brookside: well well well...the moment a lot of people are waiting for since last year's tournament when an injury blocked her. Io Shirai will wrestle for WWE and she is the second big favourite to win the whole tournament. She is facing Xia Brookside who is really a good young prospect and they could have a solid match. I think I don't have to tell who is gonna win and also make it to the final Zeuxis vs Ariel Monroe: Monroe is Cedric Alexander's wife while Zeuxis is a luchadora. That's all I know about these two ladies. Probably the Mexican will win because she will face Shirai in the second round so they might want to have a more experienced wrestler for Io. Deonna Purazzo vs Priscilla Kelly: the virtuosa is for sure a fantastic addition to the NXT roster and she can have a really good tournament. She is facing a young but good wrestler in Priscilla so we can expect a good match. Purazzo is going trough and will face someone who she knows really well Karen Q vs Xia Li: if you follow the Women of honor, you know Karen Q: loved her match with Sumie Sakai at honor for all. She really impressed me and she could be a good pick up for nxt's roster. She will possibly square with deonna and since they both come from the WOH I expect a great clash from them in the second round. Overall this year's MYC roster is much better than last year's, where we had some girls who were at their wrestling debut, while this year we have a great balance of styles, of experience and future and overall a much better roster. Yeah there are a few noticeable missing (Laurel Van Ness, Tessa Blanchard is with Impact now, no Dakota Kay or Lacey Evans or either Belair) but I'm sure it will be better than the first edition. Having the episodes weekly is a good idea but realising them like last year gave a more Netflix series feel to the event, but with evolution coming up, they wanted to make it a big deal(thank god) and they had to do it this way. Having also Cole on commentary is a sign they want to do things in a different (and better) way than last year. May the best win.

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

All In Review: (September 1st, from The Sears Center in Chicago) SCU vs The Briscoes: [***1/2] We start off Zero Hour with a bang because it was really a great match and to be fair I wasn't even expecting it to be this good. They had a good amount of time, good chemistry, solid storytelling, crowd was super behind the SCU guys and they nailed some big spots like the finish, where the ROH Tag team champions went for the doomsday device and Kazarian countered into an insane scoop power slam for the win, which will set them possibly as the next challengers at Death Before Dishonor. Really cool way to hype the crowd..S C U ! Winners: Frankie Kazarian and Scorpio Sky Over budget battle royale: [***1/2] Maybe I'm overreacting but for me it was the most fun battle royal(e) I have ever seen. Everyone had its spot, it was fun, some good moments (Cage and Grace squaring off was nuts) to hype the crowd and the ending a lot of us wanted: Bully Ray thought he won but then Flip Gordon revealed himself to be the "son" of el Chico and eliminated Bully Ray causing a loud pop from the crowd. Great way to get Flip into all in and great storyline. Well done everyone. ps: Dear Impact wrestling, can you please book Brian Cage vs Jordayne Grace for the X Division title at BFG? Winner: Flip Gordon MJF vs Matt Cross:[**1/2] A good opener to give Matt Cross, who you may know as Son Of Havoc in Lucha Underground, a deserved win at the show. Nothing more to add Winner: Matt Cross Christopher Daniels vs Stephen Amell:[***] I have to be honest: I wasn't expecting a good match out of this one but it was really surprising for me, considering that Amell is an actor and managed to perform in a such a good way. Yeah Amell isn't a wrestler, but he has some guts and looked better than people who make wrestling their living, so I can't say anything bad about him. The most surprising thing tho is that he actually lost, which for me it was a shocker because i would have been some money on Arrow to win this match. Great night for SCU in Chicago( let's not forget that that was the worst town they have ever been in) Winner: Christopher Daniels Tessa Blanchard vs Madison Rayne vs Chelsea Green vs Britt Baker: [***1/4] And even the ladies killed it,because they had a really great match and the crowd exploding with this is awesome chants and a big standing ovation mid match was a great moment. They all shined, but one of them came out huge and she is the winner of the match: Tessa Blanchard. The actual impact women's champions legit looked like a star and she is definitely the future of women wrestling, because let's not forget she is still 23 and she has already done some big stuff. The match itself was fun,fast, enjoyable but at times a little sloppy and I'm not sure if they botched or not the ending, but it was still a really good bout. Kudos to them for being apart of history. ps: Britt coming out with the old ROH theme song of his boyfriend Adam Cole made me mark out. Winner: Tessa Blanchard NWA World Heavyweight Championship: Cody vs Nick Aldis[***] It was easily the best build match of the even and it turned out to be ok, even tho with some overbooking and probably not the best of finish, but just the final moments are worth the match alone: just watch the reaction after Cody won, the loud pop and the commentary going all silent for a few minutes. Goosebumps. It's great to see the NWA gaining so much buzz thanks to Cody and All in. It will be interesting now to see which are the plans for the title now that they have a champ with huge fan following and star power. Winner AND NEW NWA World Heavyweight Champion: Cody Chicago Street Fight: Joey Janela vs Hangman Page:[***3/4] Even with this match I have to be honest: I wasn't even expecting this one to be this good. They killed and put on a great match even with some funny moments that we saw on BTE and it had some really cool spots, like the powerbomb Janela took from the ramp on the table and the rite of passage from the ladder on the table who gave Page the win. Page keeps improving every match he makes and he deserves some gold...but what even more golden, was the post match, as we saw the "res-erection" of Joey Ryan with the help of the penis-Druids. That post match was easily one of the funniest moments I have ever seen in wrestling since I started following this form of art/entertainment/whatever you call it. Kudos to everyone involved Winner: Hangman Page ROH world heavyweight Championship: Jay Lethal vs Flip Gordon: [***1/4] This one was another really solid and in some moments also funny match, as they really well managed to build the storyline of Lethal going back to his black machismo roots during BTE and the match. Flip did his best to win, even going full hulk hogan(without racial slurs) but it wasn't enough to beat Lethal who caught him with a top rope cutter followed by his Lethal Injection. It could have been a great moment for Flip to win the title at All In, judging by the storyline he was involved in, but I guess ROH isn't really to have him as their heavyweight champion...but hey flip got some retribution of Bully tho in the post match thanks to Lethal, cabana and a table Winner AND STILL ROH World Heavyweight Champion: Jay Lethal Pentagon Jr vs Kenny Omega:[****1/2] I had a lot of hype for this match. Really a lot of hype and they didn't failed to deliver. Simply a wonderful match between two of the best wrestlers in the world. Great wrestling and storytelling as I loved that they booked to elevate Kenny's finisher, because he only needed to hit just 1 One winged Angel to defeat Pentagon, while he kicked out of the Mexican's finishers. The result was very predictable because new Japan wouldn't let Omega lose tonight since he is their champ, but at one time, I felt Pentagon could beat the IWGP champion. Post match we had a surprise as Jericho, dressed as Pentagon, attacked Omega before their big Bullet club vs Alpha Club match at the cruise of Jericho. If you want to check out just one match of All in, this one is the perfect for you. Winner: Pentagon Jr Marty Scurll vs Kazuchika Okada:[***] If I could talk about a match I was hoping to steal the show, but turned out to be a bit disappointing, it could be this match. Don't get me wrong, this match was good but not as good as I wanted it to be or as it could have been. Even tho the crowd loved it, I felt the match went too long and it is actually true, as this match was supposed to last 12 minutes less, and this match and another one going to long, had some consequences on the main event. Also I felt that Okada and Scurll don't have a great chemistry and they could have done a lot more. Okada won as expected because in Japan, a heavyweight wouldn't never lose a match with a junior and unfortunately for Scurll, he is a junior in Japan. Also I bet NJPW, even without the weight stuff, they would never let Scurll beat their golden boy Winner: Kazuchika Okada The Golden Elite vs Rey Mysterio, Fenix and Bandido:[***1/2] As I said in the previous match, two matches going longer had some consequences on this match as this bout was severely rushed to make sure the should could end in time. 12 minutes spot fest PWG style who was really fun to watch and had some super cool spots, but not much storytelling, but it is fine since the wrestler involved fit more a certain wrestling style. Bucks and Ibushi going over is the right call but the ending was super rushed because they were short on time which really sucks because it was planned to last 28 minutes instead of 12. A good main to close a superb show Winners: The Golden Elite Overall: so let's start with the negatives: the order of the matches for me, but it's not really a big negative at all. But the rest was great: cool wrestling, cool moments, 5 hours that felt good to watch and not boring at all. It is clear that when a promoter knows what his audience wants to see and lets his talent perform at their best, it easy to get a great show like this one. And also, there is not only WWE around, not only WWE can draw 10k people, there are a lot of alternatives and the more alternatives the better. It was a great night not just for Cody and the bucks but also Pro wrestling in general [8.5]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Small blog update

Hi everyone, thanks for the support on the blog, loving every single kind of feedback I get. I had to take a small break because my PC broke and also had some personal issues but luckily everything is fixed now and I also realised I can do the reviews with my Tablet

Now speaking of reviews, in the next weeks All in review and MYC 2018 reviews will come, followed by obviously WWE PPVS and such. My two cents will also come when something interests me and also I’ll start to talk about theme songs, which is something I truly love in pro wrestling. If I can I’ll also make a breakdown of the MYC competitors but not sure I can make it before Wednesday

Thanks for your attention and support and I hope you have a good day

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

Impact Wrestling ReDefined review: X Division Championship: Brian Cage vs Fenix:[****] In this ReDefined event, the opener is by far the best match of the night and honestly the best way they could have started. A lovely and fun match with Fenix showing off all his great ability in the Ring and Cage proved once again he is a machine, because find me someone so big who can move like a Cruiserweight. The match was really really great: high risk spots, like the cutter on the ramp or Cage turning a suicide dive into a delayed vertical suplex. we had drama, good storytelling, it had everything and easily one of the best impact's tv matches of the year. cage picks up the win thanks to a powerbomb from the second rope. If you wanna check out something out of this show, definitely this one is the one to check. Winner AND STILL X Division Champion: Brian Cage 3 way for the Knockouts Championship: Tessa Blanchard vs Allie vs Su yung:[**3/4] Second and final title match of the night and it was actually ok, but it could have been so much better. It felt really rushed as I thought the ladies would have given more time to shine, but in the few minutes they had, they showed some good stuff like the double submission move. We finally have a new champ as Tessa rolled up Allie and won the belt and it makes sense, because Allie wanted the match to be a 3 way and she got screwed by Tessa who ends Su's reign. Her reign is ok, but it lacked a big rival to make it better and in this sense, Rosemary's injury didn't helped at all. Tessa being champ is not just smart on the long term but also in the short as she probably will bring the belt to All In and I guess win her match too. Winner AND NEW Knockouts Champion: Tessa Blanchard Rich Swann vs Petey Williams: [***] A few years ago this match would have been an instant classic, but today we got a really solid match who made sense to see Swann winning, because he will be soon the #1 contender to the x division title, but first he has to go trough Sydal and those two guys can give us some really good matches. Winner: Rich Swann Moose&Eddie Edwards vs Austin Aries&Killer Kross:[***] Supposed to be a tag team match, but instead we had a good handicap match. Edwards fighting the odds was a good stuff to watch and so far I'm loving the pair of Aries and Kross, especially Kross as a more violent version of Agent 47. But then we had the big shocking moment: Moose came to the ring, got the tag, went after Aries and then spread Eddie. Is it a good move to Turn Moose? Yes and no: yes because he is better as a monster heel, no because they actually need baby faces and he was actually doing a good job. Also I hope he isn't part of a stable with Aries and Kross as I'd rather see him alone as a heel. We will see in the next weeks if impact had a good or a bad idea (match ended in a no contest) overall: ReDefined was a good episode of Impact, not as good as the other "special ones" but solid: good wrestling, good set up for the future plans and good storyline developments. If you want, check out the whole event, it is worth the time watching it,if short on time go for the opener. [6.75]

[justanotherprowrestlingblog]

WWE SummerSlam 2018 Review Andrade Cien Almas&Zelina Vega vs Rusev&Lana:[*3/4] Kick off starts with a match I had interest for the future development of Rusev, Lana and Aiden but we had zero and the heel picked up the win thanks to a super weird roll up by Zelina. Hopefully they move on with ALMAS and Zelina because they deserve better and because if a possible rematch is as bad as this match, honestly there is no need to go on then Winners: Andrade Cien Almas& Zelina Vega Cruiserweight Championship: Cedric Alexander vs Drew Gulak[***1/4] I think you already know how much I like my "Cruiserkids" and I was hyped for this match, and like at WM with Alexander and Ali, I feel it lacked something. It was a good match for sure but I felt the ending was a little bit rushed and maybe it means that they will go on with the feud, because Cedric didn't won with his Lumbar Check but just with a botched roll up. Hopefully we get a rematch and Gulak wins the title in an instant classic, unless they want to move to Alexander-Rush for the title Winner AND STILL Cruiserweight Champion: Cedric Alexander Raw Tag Team Championship: B-Team vs The Revival[**] In the last few months Raw's tag team division has been pretty horrific and this match is a good example why it is this way. It's not Axel and Dallas fault but booking wise is so bad and the match was bad too. No drama, no interest, nothing at all like the whole division at the moment Winners AND STILL Raw Tag Team Champions: The B-Team IC Championship: Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler[***1/4] The question that pops up after this match is: was it better than the iron man match? Yes but not too much. Yes it was better booked overall and had a way better final stretch but at the same time at the start the match was really slow and boring and you can feel that they don't have a great chemistry and it's quite shocking since how good both are. Seth regained the title overcoming the odds and with the help of Dean, who I guess might wait just a few weeks to get his hands on Rollins and the IC title. Hopefully this loss for Ziggler means that McIntyre is gonna soon take his head off with a Claymore Winner AND NEW IC Champion: Seth Rollins Smackdown tag team championship: New Day vs Bludgeon Brothers[***1/2] This match was actually really solid and for the first time the champs were really in danger of losing their titles. I loved the spot of the elbow drop from woods on the outside and also the double team spot new day usually performs on the outside. But the finish was really lazy as they didn't come up with something better to set a rematch between those two team. SD Live tag team division keeps delivering while Raw tag team division is poor. So much for the A Show Winners by DQ: New Day Kevin Owens vs Braun Strowman:[NR] Honestly it wasn't really necessary after what happened later in the night, like even destroying Owens like this. Unnecessary and just so much bullshit just like their whole feud. Poor Owens Winner: Braun Strowman Smackdown Women's Tag Team Champioship: Charlotte vs Becky Lynch vs Carmella:[***] Honestly I was expecting this match to be way worse, but it turned out to be good and well booked, as they kept the tension between Becky and Charlotte rising untill Charlotte screwed Becky and the Irish lass kicker had enough. Carmella actually pulled her best match of her career even tho she is not a good wrestler in the ring. Becky turning on Charlotte was the right moment, even tho I wanted the opposite,n because I believe Charlotte suits more a heel role, but it will be interesting to see Becky as a heel. Hopefully we have Carmella-Charlotte at HIAC and Becky-Charlotte at Evolution Winner AND NEW Smackdown Women's champion:Charlotte Flair WWE Championship: Samoa Joe vs AJ Styles[***3/4] I'll be honest: I didn't liked the build up of the match at all but I loved the story they told in this great match. Yes the DQ finish isn't the best and I'm not a fan of non finishes, but this one makes so much sense and it will give us a rematch probably inside HIAC and they will tear the house down. Joe is killing it so far on SD Live because he is so good not just in the ring but also on the extra ring. I'm gonna be actually interested to see how this feud will develop on SD because there is so much potential around these two guys Winner BY DQ: Samoa Joe The Miz vs Daniel Bryan:[****] So it was easily the best match of the night. Slow start, momentum grows, storytelling gets more intense, big spots coming and a good finish well booked who gave Miz the win. Wrestling wise it wasn't the best match ever but the storytelling was so great and Miz and Bryan have a natural chemistry when they have to tell a good story. Their rivalry really deserves to end inside HIAC and to be fair if they want to have just one match inside the cage, it HAS to be this one. Let them have this one epic final chapter Winner: The Miz Finn Balor vs Baron Corbin:[NR] I wasn't expecting a squash but hey it was actually better then their previous matches and it also makes sense for the storyline. and now please let's do something more interesting with Balor Winner: Finn Balor US Champioship: Shinsuke Nakamura vs Jeff Hardy To be honest I don't understand why they didn't involve Orton in the match and the post match makes even less sense for me. The match itself was ok, we had a crazy Jeff spot to remember and the right guy who. So we can move on Winner AND STILL US Champion: Shinsuke Nakamura Raw women's championship: Ronda Rousey vs Alexa Bliss:[NR] another match I wasn't expecting to be a squash but thank god they did it, because Rousey really needed to have a big and dominant win against Alexa with zero BS. But BS might be on the way if we get Ronda vs Nikki Bella, which honestly isn't really interesting for me. it would be better to have Ronda vs a current roster member, but hey it's WWE and they prefer the easy buzz and media coverage. Bliss vs Trish tho could be interesting in the build up, match wise not so much but we will see Winner AND NEW Raw women's champion: Ronda Rousey Universal Championship: Roman Reigns vs Brock Lesnar[*1/2] And here we have another bad match between Brock and Roman, even if They went just for 6 minutes and tried to fool us with Strowman, which he was just there to have Brock distract and make sure Roman won. BS, just BS. Not the result, but the way Roman won. Let's see if he will be able to have a better reign than Brock, but still, a horrible way to end a good overall PPV Winner AND NEW Universal Champion: Roman Reigns Overall: A good edition of Summerslam who could have been way worse trust me. We had good matches, good booking overall and a PPV that was enjoyable for once. Not the best edition ever but not bad at all. Still 6 hours PPV is a pain in the ass but for once not too much [6.75]