Monday, February 29, 2016

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks ended in a double-pin finish; Sasha deliered a sunset flip powerbomb off the turnbuckles, but fell back to the mat and both women's shoulders were counted down (6:09 aired).  Women's Champion Charlotte Flair & Ric Flair watched the match from ringside.
-Mike Mizanin d. Dolph Ziggler via rollup (1:04).
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy & Alexander Rusev(w/ Alberto Del Rio & King Wade "Bad News" Barrett) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara) when Rusev pinned Kalisto after a roundhouse kick (5:05).
-Ryback d. Adam Rose(w/ Heath Slater, Curtis Axel, & Bo Dallas) with the Shellshock (2:02).
-A.J. Styles & Chris Jericho d. Tag Team Champions The New Day(Big E Langston & Kofi Kingston)(w/ Xavier Woods)(non-title) when Jericho made Kofi tap out to the Walls Of Jericho (5:45 aired).  Next week, Styles & Jericho get their shot at the Tag Team Titles.
-Buh-Buh Ray Dudley(w/ D-Von Dudley) d. Jey Uso(w/ Jimmy Uso) with the Buh-Buh Bomb (2:12).
-The Big Show d. Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens by countout(non-title) after crotching him on the top rope (2:37).
-Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) d. Brie Bella with the Slayomission(headscissors crucifix hold) (4:07).
-Newest inductees to the WWE Hall Of Fame:  The Fabulous Freebirds(Michael Hayes, Terry Gordy, Buddy Roberts, & Jimmy Garvin).
-Dean Ambrose d. Alberto Del Rio(w/ Sheamus O'Shaunessy, King Wade "Bad News" Barrett, & Alexander Rusev) by DQ when WWE Champion Triple H ordered The League Of Nations members to gang-attack Ambrose (9:07).  HHH trash-talked Ambrose, but Ambrose rushed him until HHH stopped him with a Pedigree...then agreed to give him a title shot.  Ambrose sarcastically thanked HHH as he was leaving...which brought HHH back into the ring to continue the beatdown.

Dynamo Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Saturday's Dynamo Pro Wrestling show at the Douglas Club in Wood River, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

It's been a busy month in this area's wrestling scene.  I didn't get a chance to watch the video of the MMWA show until last night.  Doing a comedy show last weekend meant that I missed THREE events on the same night.  There were several choices for this past Saturday evening...High Risk Wrestling now runs in Warsaw, Missouri, which is a bit out of my traditional driving range.  Other options were World League Wrestling in Troy, Missouri and World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville, Illinois, so the local talent roster was spread thin with Ricky Cruz, Mike Outlaw, and Brandon Aarons(among others) not in attendance for this show.  I didn't know if Jake Dirden or Brandon Espinosa would be at Dynamo until I got to the show; only a handful of talent names were announced ahead of time and no matches were promoted, but the show had a surprisingly strong turnout in spite of those factors.

Your ring announcer was Chris Roedel, your assistant ring announcer was Luke Roberts, and your referees were Eric Allen and Jay King.

Garrett Shanks vs. "The Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell:  Shanks is a guy who has primarily competed on these Wood River shows and is very new.  I've seen him three times and he has been making progress in that time...he was extremely green in his match with Sean Orleans, but looked quite a bit better in this singles bout.  He has a good look and size and seems to have some fan support already, so those are some positives.  The highlight of the match saw Parnell set up Shanks in a chair at ringside, then springboard off the bottom rope into a flying forearm smash...ouch.  Parnell picked up the win with the pumphandle Michinoku Driver in 6:25.

"Cowboy" Ric Maverick vs. Jayson Khaos(w/ C.J. McManus):  Khaos is normally the bigger man in his matches, but he was up against an opponent of comparable size here.  I need to do more digging on Maverick's background as I've been told that he was involved in wrestling prior to his recent Dynamo debut.  I thought they had a solid competitive matchup; C.J.'s distraction made the difference for his side as Khaos was able to blindside Maverick, then take him down in a guillotine hold for the tapout in 5:42.

Heavyweight Champion "Dirdey" Jake Dirden came out and issued an open challenge, fully expecting to get a "greenhorn" to dominate.  Instead he got D-1 Champion Outtkast...they're no strangers to each other as they clashed in a House Of Fun Hardcore Match during Dirden's first reign.  The war of words led to co-promoter Crystal Yount making the main event for the evening as a title vs. title bout, as the secondary title holder is technically the number-one contender to the big belt...woo.

"Young & Dangerous" Evan Morris vs. The Snitch(w/ Sophie Darling):  This was a rematch from the January Wood River show; Morris has come a long way since his in-ring debut in that very venue.  Sophie was walking with a cane as she suffered a knee injury during training; she didn't stay at ringside after Snitch's entrance.  Snitch gave him a good fight, but hasn't won a whole lot in his short career; Morris hit the TKO onto the knee out of nowhere for the win in 7:17.

"The Don Mega" Shorty Biggs & C.J. Shine vs. The Professionals(Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby):  Hmm..."Bigg Shine"?  Wouldn't be a bad thing while Outtkast has a singles title to defend.  Eric Allen was the referee for this match, something that became a factor as Santel & McDarby had pushed him around at the January Wood River show.  The fans who regularly attend shows in that venue are aware of the past history from Metro East Championship Wrestling...that was one of the final feuds in the building before the promotion shut down.

The more experienced team isolated Shine and wore him down, but Shorty got a hot tag and cleaned house.  Shorty was taken out by The Professionals and they hit their back suplex/flying elbowdrop double-team on Shine(the elbowdrop was from the middle rope due to the low ceiling); however, Allen rightly wouldn't count the fall as Shine wasn't the legal man.  That led to another confrontation and it escalated when The Professionals threw down Allen's glasses and broke them...but that allowed Shorty and Shine to make a comeback.  Shorty dropped McDarby with the Paydirt and Allen counted the pinfall in 10:11...woo.  After the match, Santel & McDarby attacked Allen until Shorty and Shine re-entered the ring for the save...they had to hold back Allen from retaliating and reminded him that he's an official for a reason (nagging injuries forced him out of active competition).  Allen said that he had to stand up for himself and challenged The Professionals to a match; I wasn't sure if it was a one-on-one match with McDarby or a tag bout against both of them with a partner to be named later.

Making things more interesting, McDarby brought out a covered item and said that it was something that once belonged to Allen...if Allen won, he could have it back, but if Allen lost, he had to give up wrestling for good.  Setting the wayback machine for late 2012/early 2013:  McDarby had lost to then-MECW Heavyweight Champion Allen with the stipulation that he would get no more title shots.  That led to Allen edging out a win over Michael Elgin in February '13, after which Elgin destroyed Allen with three powerbombs and forced him into an injury layoff and title forfeiture.  McDarby would defeat Shorty Biggs(continuity~!) to capture the vacant title, after which it was revealed that McDarby and Santel had paid off Elgin to injure Allen so McDarby could get another opportunity at the gold.  I can only assume that McDarby's mystery item is the MECW Heavyweight Title belt...it was a nice nod to the previous history of wrestling in that building.

Intermission~!  My Official Ben Simon Concession Count(tm) is pretty high as I didn't eat dinner before going to the show.  As such, I indulged a bit:  Hot dog, two root beers, bag of cheddar/sour cream Ruffles, and a Hershey bar with almonds.  Yes, I am fat, thanks for asking.

Keon Option vs. Brandon Espinosa:  This was a rematch from the first Dynamo show in Wood River; the bout main-evented the show and Option scored a big upset win at that time.  This time around, Espy wasn't taking his less-experienced opponent quite as lightly and he remained focused with his standard game plan.  Espy worked on the arm to build up to his finisher, similar to the previous match between these two in Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling...I guess that would have made this the rubber match as Espinosa won that encounter.  They had a good closing stretch, ending with Espy executing a cross-armbreaker takedown for the tapout in 11:18.

Kevin Lee Davidson vs. "American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph:  Me:  "You have my attention."  HOSS BATTLE~!  They had a wild brawl that went all over the building...I got a bit messy as a nearby trash can came into play, severely soiling the concession area.  A steel chair got involved on the floor as well...referee Jay King allowed a bit of leeway in that regard.  I feared for the state of the ring once they got back between the ropes.  I've been vocal about my fandom of K.L.D. and it's really good to see Rudolph(and Parnell) compete in the area on a more regular basis.  K.L.D. won with a massive spinebuster in 10:27...nicely done.

"Dirdey" Jake Dirden vs. Outtkast, Heavyweight Title vs. D-1 Title:  When the time limit was announced as fifteen minutes, I had a sneaking suspicion of how this one was ending.  For obvious reasons, it was a lower-key bout than their previous hardcore battle...the two seem to work really well together and it made for a solid (if more conservatively-paced) main event.  Outtkast showed impressive strength and leverage when he delivered two straight Northern Lights suplexes, but Dirden fought out of the third one.  Dirden's best near-fall of the match happened after he countered a top-rope headscissors attempt into a massive top-rope chokeslam, but he couldn't make an immediate cover and only got a two-count.  Outtkast came back to hit the Case Study, but the time limit expired at 15:00 before he could make the pin attempt.

Outtkast wanted Five More Minutes(tm), as did the fans, but Dirden declined...I guess that puts Outtkast in the running for a future Heavyweight Title shot as well.  The field of contention is getting crowded with Ricky Cruz, Mike Outlaw, and Brandon Espinosa already in line...

I will touch on something that occurred late in the show and shortly after it wrapped up, though I won't name names in order to avoid giving publicity to those whose actions don't merit it.  If you want to build your name on the independent wrestling scene, then put on shows, promote them, and put on an entertaining event.  The fans will have a good time, keep coming back, and (most importantly) tell other people to check out your promotion's shows.  If you try to disrupt other people's shows (and this was not the first time in recent memory that these people have done it), then all you're doing is giving yourselves a bad reputation among fans and wrestlers alike.  It hurts your promotion and it drags down the other groups by association.

March looks like this:

-Saturday 3/5:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Fenton, MO
-Saturday 3/12:  Mid-Missouri Wrestling Alliance in St. Louis, MO
-Saturday 3/19:  World League Wrestling in Troy, MO
-Saturday 3/26:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Wood River, IL; Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling in East Carondelet, IL

That's my special comment for this, the eighth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Weekend wrestling

WWE Main Event

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan & Jerry Lawler.
-Bo Dallas(w/ Heath Slater, Curtis Axel, & Adam Rose) d. Darren Young by blocking a re-entry sunset flip and holding the ropes (3:30).
-Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) d. Paige Knight with the Slayomission(headscissors crucifix hold) (9:37 aired).
-Ryback d. Tyler Breeze after the Shellshock (3:38).
-Braun Strowman(w/ Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan) d. Johnny Fandango with the head-and-arm guillotine hold (1:53).

World League Wrestling TV Episode 3

-Commentators:  Brian Thompson & Leland Race.
-Brandon Espinosa & "Kickin'" Kyle Roberts d. Kevin Lee Davidson & Hannibal; Roberts pinned Hannibal after he and Espinosa hit stereo frog splashes on their opponents.
-Trevor Murdoch & Brian Breaker d. Moonshine Mantell & Josef Von Schmidt when Murdoch pinned Mantell after a powerbomb/top-rope clothesline combo.

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Kevin Kelly & Mr. Wrestling III.
-Silas Young & "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester d. The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate)(w/ Dalton Castle) when Silas pinned Brent after Bruiser hit both Boys with a corner cannonball (7:04 aired).
-Top Prospect Tournament:  Brian Fury d. Action Ortiz with a modified pop-up powerbomb (4:04).
-Top Prospect Tournament:  Lio Rush d. Punisher Martinez after a one-man Spanish Fly (6:05).
-Matt Sydal d. Adam Cole after the shooting star press (10:47 aired).
-Next week:  Dalton Castle vs. Christopher Daniels, plus Lio Rush vs. Brian Fury in the Top Prospect Tournament final.

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentators:  Drew Abbenhaus & Herb Simmons.
-Ron Powers & Ken Kasa d. Classic Champion Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll(w/ Big Daddy); Kasa rolled up Flanagan after Troll accidentally avalanched Flash in the corner.
-Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Ax Allwardt ended in a double DQ when the referee was knocked down.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Saturday DPW Results From Wood River, IL

-"The Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell d. Garrett Shanks with the pumphandle Michinoku Driver (6:25).
-Jayson Khaos(w/ C.J. McManus) d. "Cowboy" Ric Maverick after C.J.'s distraction allowed Khaos to win with a guillotine hold (5:42).
-Heavyweight Champion Jake Dirden gloated over his recent title win and told the next "greenhorn" to come out as his opponent...but he got new D-1 Champion Outtkast instead.  Co-promoter Crystal Yount made the match official for the main event with both belts at stake.
-"Young & Dangerous" Evan Morris d. The Snitch(w/ Sophie Darling) after a TKO onto the knee (7:17).
-"The Don Mega" Shorty Biggs & C.J. Shine d. The Professionals(Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby).  The Professionals hit their back suplex/flying elbowdrop combo on Shine, but referee Eric Allen wouldn't count the fall as Shine was not the legal man.  The Professionals confronted Allen and broke his glasses, but the loss of focus led to their downfall as Shorty hit Paydirt on McDarby for the three-count (10:11).  Santel & McDarby snapped and beat down Allen after the bell until Shorty and Shine re-entered the ring for the save...Shorty told Allen not to risk his health by getting into a fight, but Allen said he had to stand up for himself and challenged McDarby to a match.  McDarby accepted the challenge for the next Wood River show on March 26th...
-Brandon Espinosa d. Keon Option with the cross-armbreaker takedown (11:18).
-Kevin Lee Davidson d. "American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph with the spinebuster after a wild brawl (10:27).
-Heavyweight Champion "Dirdey" Jake Dirden fought D-1 Champion Outtkast to a time-limit draw, meaning neither title changed hands; Outtkast rallied and hit the Case Study in the closing seconds of the match, but couldn't make the cover before the time limit expired (15:00).  Outtkast wanted five more minutes, but Dirden declined...

Friday, February 26, 2016

Show results

Friday ROH results from Las Vegas, NV:

-Tomohiro Ishii won a triple threat match with Bobby Fish and Roderick Strong to retain the T.V. Title.
-B.J. Whitmer d. Adam Page.
-Hirooki Goto d. Dalton Castle.
-Alex Shelley d. Christopher Daniels.
-Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin d. The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark).
-Kazuchika Okada d. Moose.
-Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) d. Matt Sydal, A.C.H., & Yujiro Kushida.
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) d. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus) in a no-DQ match to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Jay Lethal won a triple threat match with Kyle O'Reilly and Adam Cole to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Friday SHINE results from Ybor City, FL:

-Maria Maria d. Kennedy Brink.
-Barbi Hayden d. Leah Vaughan.
-Andrea d. Tracy Taylor.
-Luscious Latasha d. Mia Yim by countout.
-Amber O'Neal-Gallows d. Thunderkitty to retain the NWA Women's Title.
-Crazy Mary Dobson d. Su Yung.
-Better Than You(Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson) d. La Sicaria(Ivelisse Velez & Amanda Rodriguez) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Vanessa Kraven vs. Jessicka Havok ended in a no-contest.
-Taylor Made d. Kimber Lee to retain the SHINE Title.

Saturday WLW results from Troy, MO:

-Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Jon Webb d. Danny Adams.
-Tag Team Champion Superstar Steve Fender & Mark Sterling d. Roy Lewis & Air Raid.
-"Miss Natural" Heather Patera vs. Lucy Mendez for the Women's Title ended in a no-contest.
-Jr. Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Ace Hawkins d. Kyle Roberts.
-Leland Race & Jayden Fenix d. Heavyweight Champion Trevor Murdoch & Air Raid(who revealed himself to be Michael Magnuson).

Saturday HRW results from Warsaw, MO(credit to Ben Simon):

-Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Mike Sydal d. Paco Gonzalez via Yogasault (8:31).
-Kiyoshi Shizuka d. John E. Rock with a backslide (7:31).
-Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Tyler Copeland d. Jack Gamble via rollup (6:32).
-Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Elvis Aliaga d. The Math Magician after the T.C.B.(Falcon Arrow) (6:55).
-Heavyweight Title Tournament:  Tony Kozina d. Jeremy Wyatt with a reverse springboard bulldog off the middle rope (13:07).
-Ricky Cruz d. Brandon Aarons via rollup to retain the MWR Missouri Title (10:18).
-The Riegel Twins(Logan & Sterling) d. Mike Outlaw & Justin D'Air to win the Tag Team Titles when Sterling pinned D'Air after a Doomsday Device/Buff Blockbuster combo (12:49).

Saturday WPW results from Collinsville, IL:

-Scar & Victor Cortez won a four-corner match with Alexander Steele & Knyght Fyre, The Purple Dragons, & The Giroux Brothers to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Gideon Morbid d. Johnny Gutrot.
-Playboy Double H d. Cobra.
-Ivan Strokgenovf d. Gauge Evans.
-Sniper d. Johnny Rocco.
-L.V.K. d. Adrian Surge.
-Bronson d. Uriah Eleazar to win the U.S. Title.
-Gauge Evans d. Bronson to win the U.S. Title.
-Heavyweight Champion Damian Blade & Nero Khan d. Xavier Frost & Curtis Payne.

Saturday ROH results from Las Vegas, NV:

-Brian Kendrick d. Will Ferrara.
-Tomohiro Ishii d. Cedric Alexander to retain the T.V. Title.
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) d. Reno Scum(Adam Thornstowe & Luster The Legend).
-Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin d. The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson).
-Roderick Strong won a four-corner match with Matt Sydal, Moose, and Adam Page.
-Cheeseburger vs. ? ended in a no-contest.
-Jay Lethal d. Hirooki Goto to retain the Heavyweight Title.
-reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) d. Kazuchika Okada & Gedo.
-Adam Cole d. Yujiro Kushida.
-The Motor City Machineguns(Chris Sabin & Alex Shelley) d. The Addiction(Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian).
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) d. Roppongi Vice(Rocky Romero & Trent Barreta) to retain the Tag Team Titles.
-Kenny Omega d. A.C.H.
-Dalton Castle d. Silas Young in a Fight Without Honor.

Saturday CHIKARA results from Bronx, NY:

-Jaka d. Shynron.
-Pinkie Sanchez d. Sid Gilmore.
-The Devastation Corporation(Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch) won a four-way dance with Dasher Hatfield & Heidi Lovelace, Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.), and Hermit Crab & Rock Lobster.
-The Estonian Thunderfrog d. The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova to retain the Young Lions' Cup.
-Oleg The Usurper & The Batiri(Obariyon, Kodama, & Kobald) d. Amasis, Fire Ant, Worker Ant II, & Warren Barksdale.
-Jakob Hammermeier d. Eddie Kingston.
-Princess Kimber Lee d. Soldier Ant to retain the Grand Championship.
-Rick Beanbag(aka Scoot Tatum, aka Chuck Taylor) d. Wani.

Saturday Why We Wrestle results from Cornelia, GA:

-Seth Delay d. Gil Quest by countout.
-Anthony Henry d. Prince Apollo.
-Geter d. C.B. Suave.
-Se7en d. Black Baron.
-Mikael Judas d. Todd Sexton.
-Kevin Blue d. Sugar Dunkerton.
-Chip Day d. Kory Chavis.
-Billy Buck d. Slim J to retain the Anarchy Triple Crown Title.

Sunday CHIKARA results from Philadelphia, PA:

-Silver Ant d. Eddie Kingston.
-Juan Francisco De Coronado & Prakash Sabar d. Ophidian & Argus.
-The Estonian Thunderfrog d. "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti by DQ to retain the Young Lions' Cup.
-Heidi Lovelace d. Bugg Nevans(aka Rick Beanbag, aka Scoot Tatum, aka Chuck Taylor).
-Grand Champion Princess Kimber Lee & Oleg The Usurper d. The Devastation Corporation(Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch).
-Hallowicked, Frightmare, Jakob Hammermeier, & Jaka d. Campeones De Parejas N_R_G(Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell), Icarus, & Dasher Hatfield.
-Chuck Taylor(TM)(aka Stokely Hathaway) d. Jacob Hendrix.

XPlosion + Superstars

TNA XPlosion

-Commentator:  Josh Mathews & D'Angelo Dinero.
-Mahabali Shera d. Jessie Godderz via Skyhigh (6:47 aired).

WWE Superstars

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan & Byron Saxton.
-Summer Rae d. Alicia Fox by blocking a sunset flip out of the corner and holding the ropes (4:00).
-Stardust d. Zack Ryder after the Queen's Crossbow(inverted swinging neckbreaker) (7:27 aired).

Thursday, February 25, 2016

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators:  Mauro Ranallo, Byron Saxton, & Jerry Lawler.
-The League Of Nations(Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, King Wade "Bad News" Barrett, & Alexander Rusev) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara), Dolph Ziggler, & Adrian Neville when Sheamus pinned Neville after the Brogue Kick (4:57 aired).
-D-Von Dudley(w/ Buh-Buh Ray Dudley) d. Jimmy Uso(w/ Jey Uso) via rollup after Buh-Buh shook the ropes to disrupt Jimmy's balance on the top rope (0:47).
-Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens d. The Big Show by countout(non-title) when a superplex fight ended with Owens crotching Big Show on the top rope, causing Show to fall to the arena floor (3:04).
-Natalya Neidhart d. Becky Lynch by DQ when Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka attacked Natalya (1:22).  Sasha Banks saved Becky from Naomi & Tamina's post-match attack on her; Women's Champion Charlotte Flair(w/ Ric Flair) announced that Becky vs. Sasha would happen on Raw for the next shot at her title.
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings(w/ Goldust) d. Heath Slater(w/ Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas, & Adam Rose); the referee was occupied with the Social Outcasts, so Goldust punched Slater to assist R-Truth in executing a backslide for the pin (2:34).
-A.J. Styles, Chris Jericho, & Mark Henry d. Tag Team Champions The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) when Styles made Woods tap out to the Calf Crusher (7:50 aired).

Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 5

-Commentators:  Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage:  Vampiro encouraged Pentagon Jr. to let nothing stand in his way...not even "her"(Catrina Perez)...while he's playing the good guy on commentary, it seems as though his alter-ego is still pulling the strings of Mr. Cero Miedo.
-Jack Evans d. P.J. Black via bridging backslide when Drago attempted to blind Evans with green mist and hit Black by mistake (3:53).
-Vignette:  Famous B wants to make YOU famous.  Sure.
-Gift Of The Gods Champion King Cuerno d. Killshot(non-title) with the Thrill Of The Hunt(fireman's-carry Michinoku Driver) (5:30).  Cuerno dished out a post-match beating but Fenix ran him off before he could deliver the package Tombstone.
-Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco) d. El Texano Jr. in a gauntlet match.  Texano p. Cisco after a superkick (0:10).  Texano p. Castro by countering a rana attempt with a sitout powerbomb (3:08).  Chavo p. Texano when Castro tripped him with his own bullrope during a re-entry suplex, then held his feet with the rope as Chavo fell on top for the pin (5:45).
-Elsewhere:  Dario Cueto has a chat with Black Lotus.  He said that his brother Matanza once saved him from his abusive mother...Dario wasn't strong enough to stand up to her, but Matanza stopped her and made sure she couldn't hurt them any more.  That day:  Dario learned his love of violence.
-Backstage:  Pentagon confronted Catrina in a training area, demanding another match with Prince Puma.  This led to a brief fight in the ring(!) and Pentagon threatened to break her arm, but she BAMFed away and gave him his match.  However, she noted that Pentagon had made a big mistake by putting his hands on her...
-Johnny Mundo d. Brian Cage; Cage hit the Weapon X(Gory Special Flatliner), but Taya Valkyrie distracted the ref and left a lead pipe on the ring apron.  As the ref was distracted, Mundo knocked out Cage with the pipe and got the tainted three-count (7:54).  Mundo and Taya put the boots to Cage after the match and slapped him around, leading to Taya hitting a double knee on Cage as he was slumped in the corner.  Mundo added the Fin Del Mundo(corkscrew split-legged moonsault) to cap off the beating.
-Backstage:  Cuerno went to Catrina's office and said he was cashing in his championship for a shot at Heavyweight Champion Mil Muertes...their deal was off.  However, Catrina denied his request and told him that he would be defending his title against Fenix next week...in a ladder match.

Wednesday, February 24, 2016

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips & Corey Graves.
-American Alpha(Jason Jordan & Chad Gable) d. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy(w/ Alexa Bliss) when Gable pinned Blake with the Grand Amplitude(Jordan belly-to-back throw into Gable bridging back suplex) (10:16 aired).
-Backstage in the General Manager's office:  S. William Regal announced that Sami Zayn would face Samoa Joe in a best-of-three-falls match in two weeks to finally determine a number-one contender to NXT Champion Finn Bálor.  Also, a new talent has signed with NXT and he will be making his debut appearance on next week's show.
-Apollo Crews d. Christopher Girard(aka Biff Busick on the independent circuit) with the delayed Blue Thunder Bomb (5:11).
-Backstage:  Alex Reyes interviewed NXT Women's Champion Bayley Rose & Carmella Van Damme about their match tonight against Nia Jax & Eva Marie.
-Earlier this week:  Security cameras caught NXT Tag Team Champions Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder attacking Enzo Amore in the parking lot of the Performance Center.  "Big Cass" Colin Cassady made the save, but the damage was done.
-Tommaso Ciampa d. Bull Dempsey via bridging Fujiwara armbar (4:18).
-Backstage:  Samoa Joe was not impressed with Regal's decision...NXT's popular because of him and he should be entitled to a title shot.  Sami Zayn will have to suffer twice as much in a best-of-three-falls match...
-Backstage:  Alex Reyes interviewed Sami Zayn about his upcoming contenders' match.
-Nia Jax & Eva Marie d. NXT Women's Champion Bayley Rose & Carmella Van Damme; Nia hit three Legdrops O' Doom on Carmella and Eva tagged herself into the match to get the pin (2:14 + 6:07 aired).
-Backstage:  Rich Brennan interviewed Regal and NXT Champion Finn Bálor...Regal noted that Bálor is approaching the record for the longest reign as NXT titleholder.  With that in mind, next week's main event will be Bálor against the person who holds said record:  Adrian Neville.

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & D'Angelo Dinero.
-Beer Money(Bobby Roode & James Storm) d. King Of The Mountain Champion Eric Young & Bram Cameron in a cage match when Roode pinned Bram after the Driving While Investing(powerbomb/neckbreaker combo) (8:33).
-Trevor Lee(w/ Gregory Shane Helms) d. Tigre Uno with the small package driver in a cage match to retain the X-Division Title (6:15).
-The Dollhouse(Mia "Jade" Yim, Marti Belle, & Rebel) d. Women's Champion Gail Kim, Velvet Sky, & Maria Kanellis-Bennett(subbing for Madison Rayne who had been attacked backstage) in a Lethal Lockdown Match.  Order of entry:  Gail & Jade, Marti, Velvet, Rebel, and Maria(who had accepted Gail's offer to join the team but instead locked the door and left it as a three-on-two situation).  Jade pinned Gail for the win after a package piledriver onto a chair (10:14 aired).
-Odarg The Great d. Eli Drake(w/ Jessie Godderz) in a cage match by escaping the cage after Mahabali Shera stopped Godderz from interfering (6:33); Drake pulled off Odarg's mask as he escaped over the top of the cage.
-Matt Hardy(w/ Tyrus Clay) d. Ethan Carter III in a cage match to retain the Heavyweight Title.  EC3 fought off Hardy and Tyrus, then Rockstar Spud stopped Reby Sky-Hardy from interfering only to turn on EC3 by slamming the cage door on his head.  Hardy crawled over EC3's lifeless body and through the door to escape the cage for the win (11:36).  Afterwards, Spud bashed EC3 in the head with a chair.

Comedy Parts 656-7: If You Were A Gas, You'd Be Inert

Location:  Helium Comedy Club(garage)
Emcee:  Rusty Hughes
After:  Cameron Keys
Before:  Jeremy Hellwig

Location:  Helium Comedy Club
Emcee:  Ryan Dalton
After:  Mike McGuire
Before:  Chris Cyr

Cool to make the list at Helium for the second time...they've started doing a pre-show workshop of sorts in the garage area, so I got to perform twice in the same evening.  I arrived in time to put my name in the bucket and went on stage second-to-last, trying out a handful of new bits I had been working on.  Valentine's Day jokes are in-season, so I might as well get those out on the table.  I got a few good laughs from a smaller audience of mostly comedians, so that was an accomplishment in itself.

I went up fairly early in the main show, so I didn't have as much time to psych myself out (har har).  I wanted to do a strong set, but I didn't want to do the same jokes that I had done in my previous Helium performance.  I looked at my notes too often, which is something I REALLY want to avoid (especially after the Hey Guys contest).  Despite that, I feel like I did well...and I was asked about performing at the "Dirty Dozen" show at Helium on March 2nd!  Very cool...I don't know if "dirty" comedy would be my wheelhouse, but I have a few edgier topics (some of which I used in my two sets that night).  Next up for me:  Wherever fate takes me next Tuesday...then the Dirty Dozen on Wednesday!

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

This week in wrestling

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event this week has:
-Johnny Fandango vs. Braun Strowman
-Ryback vs. Tyler Breeze
-Darren Young vs. Bo Dallas
-Paige Knight vs. Naomi Night

NXT this Wednesday has:
-Bayley Rose & Carmella Van Damme vs. Nia Jax & Eva Marie
-Jason Jordan & Chad Gable vs. Wesley Blake & Buddy Murphy
-Tommaso Ciampa vs. Bull Dempsey
-Apollo Crews vs. Christopher Girard

Superstars this week has:
-Zack Ryder vs. Stardust
-Alicia Fox vs. Summer Rae

Smackdown on Thursday has:
-A.J. Styles, Chris Jericho, & ? vs. The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods)
-Kevin Owens vs. The Big Show
-The Lucha Dragons(Kalisto & Sin Cara), Dolph Ziggler, & Adrian Neville vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, King Wade "Bad News" Barrett, & Alexander Rusev
-Jimmy Uso vs. D-Von Dudley
-"R-Truth" Ron Killings vs. Heath Slater
-Becky Lynch vs. Natalya Neidhart

WrestleMania XXXII is on Sunday 4/3:
-Triple H vs. Roman Reigns - WWE Title
-Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar - Street Fight
-The Undertaker vs. Shane McMahon - Hell In A Cell Match

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact on Tuesday has:
-Kurt Angle vs. Bobby Roode
-Drew Galloway vs. Mike Bennett
-Jimmy Havoc vs. Abyss - Monster's Ball Match
-The American Wolves(Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) vs. Mark Andrews & Will Ospreay
-Eric Young vs. Big Damo

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-Matt Sydal vs. Adam Cole
-The Boys(Brandon & Brent Tate) vs. Silas Young & "Beer City Bruiser" Matt Winchester
-Action Ortiz vs. Brian Fury - Top Prospect Tournament Semifinal
-Lio Rush vs. Punisher Martinez - Top Prospect Tournament Semifinal
-In action:  B.J. Whitmer

Next show is Friday 2/26 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly - Heavyweight Title
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Moose
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Roderick Strong vs. Bobby Fish - T.V. Title
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus) - Tag Team Titles - No-DQ Match
-Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Matt Sydal, A.C.H., & Yujiro Kushida
-Alex Shelley vs. Christopher Daniels
-Adam Page vs. B.J. Whitmer

ROH has a show on Saturday 2/27 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Kenny Omega vs. A.C.H.
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Adam Cole

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

Information on upcoming episodes of World Pro Wrestling will be posted when it becomes available.

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.luchaunderground.com)

This week's episode has:
-Brian Cage vs. Johnny Mundo
-El Texano Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco) - Gauntlet Match
-King Cuerno vs. Killshot
-P.J. Black vs. Jack Evans

-----

ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 5/20 in Alton, IL:
-Mat Fitchett vs. Christian Rose - Heavyweight Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Team I.O.U.(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) - Tag Team Contenders Tournament
-The Viking War Party(Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa(Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan) - Tag Team Contenders Tournament
-Gary Jay vs. Trik Davis

SLA has a show on Saturday 5/21 in Alton, IL:
-Tag Team Contenders Tournament Final
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Andy Dalton

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Wood River, IL.

SICW(www.sicw.org)

Next show is Saturday 3/26 in East Carondelet, IL.

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 3/12 in St. Louis, MO.

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 4/30 in Granite City, IL:
-Steven Kennedy vs. K.C. Karrington - Last-Man-Standing Match

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Warsaw, MO:
-Ricky Cruz vs. Brandon Aarons - MWR Missouri Title
-Heavyweight Title Tournament Semifinals & Final
-Mike Outlaw & Justin D'Air vs. The Riegel Twins(Logan & Sterling) - Tag Team Titles
-Jack Gamble vs. Tyler Copeland - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Ryan Howe vs. Elvis Aliaga - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Billy McNeil vs. Tony Kozina - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Mike Sydal - Heavyweight Title Tournament

PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 4/9 in Kansas City, KS:
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Rhino - Heavyweight Title

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 3/4 in Des Moines, IA:
-Nate Redwing vs. Jake Dirden - Heavyweight Title
-Kraig Keesaman vs. Marek Brave - Pure Wrestling Title
-Black Wrestlers Matter(Jon West & James Grizzle) vs. Mad Dog McDowell & Devin Carter - Tag Team Titles
-Ricky Cruz vs. Preston Maxwell
-Devin Thomas & Adrian Alexander vs. Jaysin Strife & J.C. Slater
-Brandon Espinosa vs. Stephen M. King

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Troy, MO:
-Appearing:  Ted DiBiase

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/outlawwrestling01)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)

Next show is Sunday 4/24 in Swansea, IL.

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)

Next show is Saturday 4/30 in Lebanon, MO.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Collinsville, IL:
-Xavier Frost & Curtis Payne vs. Damian Blade & The Searcher
-Uriah Eleazar vs. Bronson - U.S. Title
-Scar & Victor Cortez vs. Alexander Steele & Knyght Fyre vs. The Purple Dragons vs. The Giroux Brothers - Tag Team Titles
-Ivan Strokgenovf vs. Gauge Evans
-L.V.K. vs. Adrian Surge

NEW BREED WRESTING(www.facebook.com/NewBreedMO)

Next show is Saturday 3/26 in Eldon, MO
-The Math Magician vs. "Iceman" Howard Moritz - Mask vs. Dress Match

-----

EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 3/19 in Queens, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle - Heavyweight Title
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Johnny Gargano
-Team Tremendous(Dan Barry & Bill Carr) vs. Anthony Nese & Caleb Konley

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 3/20 in Brooklyn, NY:
-Drew Galloway & Johnny Gargano vs. Team Tremendous(Dan Barry & Bill Carr) - Tag Team Titles
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Caleb Konley - Heavyweight Title
-Chris Hero vs. Matt Riddle
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Drew Gulak

EVOLVE has a show on Friday 4/1 in Dallas, TX:
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Will Ospreay

EVOLVE has a show on Saturday 4/2(afternoon) in Dallas, TX:
-Ricochet vs. Will Ospreay
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Matt Riddle

EVOLVE has a show on Saturday 4/2(evening) in Dallas, TX:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Sami Callihan - Heavyweight Title
-Zack Sabre Jr. vs. Chris Hero

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 3/4 in Reseda, CA:
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal - Tag Team Titles
-Roderick Strong vs. Mark Andrews
-Trevor Lee vs. Chuck Taylor
-Chris Hero vs. Marty Scurll
-Drew Galloway vs. Trent Barreta
-Tommy End vs. Kyle O'Reilly
-Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

PWG has a show on Saturday 3/5 in Reseda, CA:
-Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Heavyweight Title
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) - Tag Team Titles
-Chuck Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
-Mark Andrews vs. Evil Uno
-Drew Galloway vs. Trevor Lee
-Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Heroes Eventually Die(Chris Hero & Tommy End)
-Adam Cole vs. Trent Barreta

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Bronx, NY:
-Princess Kimber Lee vs. Soldier Ant - Grand Championship
-Oleg The Usurper & The Batiri(Obariyon, Kodama, & Kobald) vs. Amasis, Fire Ant, Worker Ant II, & Officer Warren Barksdale
-The Estonian Thunderfrog vs. The Proletariat Boar Of Moldova
-The Devastation Corporation(Blaster McMassive & Flex Rumblecrunch) vs. Dasher Hatfield & Heidi Lovelace vs. Los Ice Creams(El Hijo Del Ice Cream & Ice Cream Jr.) vs. Hermit Crab & Rock Lobster
-Shynron vs. Jaka

CHIKARA has a show on Sunday 2/28 in Philadelphia, PA:
-Princess Kimber Lee & Oleg The Usurper vs. The Devastation Corporation(Max Smashmaster & Blaster McMassive)
-N_R_G(Race Jaxon & Hype Rockwell), Icarus, & Dasher Hatfield vs. Hallowicked, Frightmare, Jakob Hammermeier, & Jaka
-The Estonian Thunderfrog vs. "Mr. Touchdown" Mark Angelosetti - Young Lions' Cup
-Ophidian & Argus vs. Juan Francisco De Coronado & Prakash Sabar
-Eddie Kingston vs. Silver Ant

WHY WE WRESTLE(www.anarchy-wrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Cornelia, GA:
-Mikael Judas vs. Todd Sexton
-Sugar Dunkerton vs. Kevin Blue
-Chip Day vs. Kory Chavis

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Next show is Saturday 4/16 in Philadelphia, PA.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 4/2 in Dallas, TX featuring the Heart Of SHIMMER Title tournament.

SHIMMER has shows on Saturday 6/25 and Sunday 6/26 in Chicago, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 2/26 in Ybor City, FL:
-Taylor Made vs. Kimber Lee - SHINE Title
-Better Than You(Marti Belle & Jayme Jameson) vs. La Sicaria(Ivelisse Velez & Amanda Rodriguez) - Tag Team Titles
-Amber O'Neal-Gallows vs. Thunderkitty - NWA Women's Title
-Vanessa Kraven vs. Jessicak Havok
-Su Yung vs. Crazy Mary Dobson
-Tracy Taylor vs. Andrea
-Leah Vaughan vs. Barbi Hayden
-Mia Yim vs. Luscious Latasha

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 3/18 in Berwyn, IL.

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 4/17 in Austin, TX:
-Jojo Bravo vs. Steve O. Reno vs. Curt Stallion - Heavyweight Title
-Darin Childs vs. Ricky Starks
-Scot Summers vs. Jay Howard

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook at: @patrickab7

Monday, February 22, 2016

WWE Raw

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & John Bradshaw Layfield.
-Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley's opening segment was interrupted by the return of Shane McMahon.  This led to Vince booking Shane in a WrestleMania match against The Undertaker in Hell In A Cell with Shane's stake in the company on the line.
-Tag Team Champions The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara) & Adrian Neville when Kofi pinned Sin Cara after the Trouble In Paradise (8:35 aired).
-Jimmy & Jey Uso d. The Ascension(Konnor O'Brian & Rick Viktor) when Jey pinned Viktor after the top-rope splash (1:59); The Dudley Boys(Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von) watched the match from the entrance stage.
-A.J. Styles & Chris Jericho d. Heath Slater & Curtis Axel(w/ Bo Dallas & Adam Rose) when Jericho made Axel tap out to the Walls Of Jericho (joined in progress; 3:56 aired).
-Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan(w/ Braun Strowman) d. Ryback, The Big Show, & Kane; Ryback walked out on his team, leaving Kane to be pinned by Wyatt after the Sister Abigail (9:28 aired).
-Sasha Banks d. Naomi Night(w/ Tamina Snuka) with the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) after Becky Lynch stopped Tamina from interfering (3:13 aired).  Afterwards, Women's Champion Charlotte Flair(w/ Ric Flair) announced that Becky would face Sasha to determine who would get the next shot at her title.
-Next Hall Of Fame entrant:  The Godfather.
-Roman Reigns vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy(w/ Alberto Del Rio, King Wade "Bad News" Barrett, & Alexander Rusev) ended in a no-contest when WWE Champion Triple H came out to brawl with Reigns (about 6:30 aired).

WIA Special Comment

Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's Wrestling Invades America show at the Improvement Center in Swansea, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

Saturday was an interesting night as I was booked for a comedy show in O'Fallon, MO(see recent blog), meaning I would be missing THREE local wrestling shows that evening.  Results were posted with due credit given to Chris Roedel(Dynamo), Tommy Peterson on Twitter(PWCS), and Drew Abbenhaus(SICW).  It sounds like a fine evening was had by all.  Lux from 105.7 The Point stopped by the Dynamo show and it sounds like she had a blast...always cool to have local celebrities in the house.

The show had an early start time of 5:00 with an advertised preshow starting at 4; the preshow featured music by a local band(Welcome Home)...a bit above my comfort level, decibel-wise, but maybe I'm just getting old.  They had a really good fan turnout for a Sunday evening show, especially with WWE Fast Lane running on the same night.  Crowd energy was kinda iffy for some reason...it took some doing to get people to react as prompted by the wrestlers' actions.

The show's production was...hit-and-miss, I'll say.  Music cues weren't always on the mark and they cut the lights at seemingly random points during entrances.  Hey, it happens...sometimes it's better to keep things simple in wrestling.

Your ring announcer was Ben Simon; your referees were Jason Pemberton & Tim Givens.

The show officially started with a promo by The Landlord(w/ Clownman Jacko).  I missed the previous show, but Landlord took over the General Manager's position from (Trystan) Brady Shadeux at some point.  One of the night's featured matches was a tag team bout with brothers Darkside and Landlord on opposite sides, but Landlord said he was taking himself out of the match...despite that, he was still in the match when it occurred.  (Didn't understand THAT part, but oh well...maybe some other authority figure in the promotion overruled him?)

Fearless Bueller(Billy McNeil & Ace Hawkins) vs. Leone Mephisto & Mike Everest:  Billy was asking for team names on Facebook earlier in the day...I think they got a winner.  McNeil and Mephisto have an ongoing issue; Canadian competitor Everest was making his St. Louis-area debut.  They had a solid opening match with a slightly surprising finish; Hawkins got the clean pin on Mephisto after an Asai DDT by McNeil followed by a swanton bomb by Hawkins in 11:30.  It made more sense a bit later in the show, however...

Battle Royal For The Interstate Title:  Defending champion "The Enforcer" Jimmy D has wavered between face and heel status in his WIA tenure...he said he had brought in his brother Bobby D to watch his back and help him win.  The battle royal only had five entrants; I believe Taylor Champion was scheduled to be involved but he wasn't at the show.  The other participants were Prince Moses, Big Jim Hoffarth(who had a previous issue with Jimmy D), and Jax Daniels(from central Illinois).  As expected, the Ds worked together for the most part...it was a really weird battle royal as guys brawled out of the ring on a few occasions.  It even got to a point where the ring was literally empty as all five guys were fighting on the floor!  The Ds finally double-teamed Daniels and eliminated him...it took considerably more effort to get Hoffarth over the top rope, but they finally accomplished that task.  The Bodily Harm members nearly forgot about Moses, who re-entered the fray with some aerial moves but was cut off by the numbers.  Out of nowhere, Jimmy tossed Bobby to the floor, declaring that it was HIS title...Bobby simply left the ringside area and Jimmy had to regain his focus to deal with Prince Moses.  Moses was at a size disadvantage, but finally managed to eliminate Jimmy D in 11:24 to capture the Interstate Title!

Moses barely had time to celebrate before Mephisto interrupted his celebration...he talked down to the "six-month rookie" and asked him what championship status meant to him.  Moses said it meant pride and fighting spirit...that was Mephisto's cue to slap Moses repeatedly, goading him into a fight.  A few wrestlers and security guards separated the two, but Moses had lost his cool and demanded an impromptu match with Mephisto.  He even offered to put the title on the line and G.M. Landlord was perfectly fine with granting his request...that was exactly what the veteran Mephisto was wanting to accomplish.

Prince Moses vs. Leone Mephisto for the Interstate Title:  Moses managed to get in a few big moves on Mephisto, but the challenger was relatively fresh compared to Moses as he had just been through the battle royal.  I thought the match was fine for what it was, a short competitive sprint...Mephisto rolled him up with feet on the ropes in 3:48 to end Moses' title reign in short order.  Mephisto delivered a post-match Air Raid Crash and was all too proud to accept his ill-begotten championship, then let everyone know about it...

"The Young Thriller" Derek Moss vs. Da'Marius Jones:  Had only seen central Illinois competitor Moss once before(at last year's Pro Wrestling Epic show in Brownstown); he's a pretty good-sized guy but is surprisingly agile.  The fans didn't know Moss at first, but he seemed to win them over as the match progressed.  Jones was the smaller and more agile of the two, plus he was more willing to bend the rules to gain an advantage.  I heckled him a bit for wearing a belt over his trunks...but the belt's purpose would become apparent as he tried to use it as a weapon.  The low ceiling made it difficult for Moss to attempt his signature brainbuster...Jones took advantage of a near-collision with the ref to wrap the belt around his fist and hit Moss with the buckle.  That was enough for Da'Marius to get the cheap win in 12:20.

LaMarcus Clinton & Chase King vs. Adam Caster & Tony Kozina(w/ Tyler Copeland) for the Tag Team Titles:  Copeland, Caster, & Kozina formed a new stable at the previous show; the referee ejected Copeland from ringside before the match even started.  Caster & Kozina had joined forces at a High Risk Wrestling show last fall and seemed to work well together.  Unfortunately, the match itself went a bit off the rails as King injured his knee in the early minutes...he delivered a double-axhandle off the top rope as L.M.C. was holding Kozina, but his leg buckled as he landed.  That forced L.M.C. to do the lion's share of the ring work for his team...even when King entered the fray after the hot tag, he had to limp his way through the rally.  Somewhere along the way, the referee lost track of who was legal in the match; as the ref was getting King out of the ring, Kozina superkicked L.M.C. into a schoolboy trip and rollup by Caster for the pin in 14:37.  We have NEWWWWW Tag Team Champions...I don't recall if Caster was legal, but I'm almost certain that L.M.C. had never tagged back into the match.  Oh well, such is life and instant replay is rare in professional wrestling...

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count:  With the cash from a paid comedy gig in my wallet, I indulged a bit with two sodas(Mountain Dew and root beer), cheese fries, and a cheeseburger.  Things went a bit askew as they had planned a burger-eating contest for intermission, but the burgers weren't done yet so they had one more match before doing the contest...

PWE Heavyweight Champion Brandon Aarons vs. "Infamous" Tyler Copeland, non-title:  Copeland lost to Aarons at a previous WIA show, but he wanted a rematch and got it(despite the belt not being at stake).  They had a relatively quick but solid matchup, ending with an interesting spot reminiscient of the old Shawn Michaels/Owen Hart angle with the face/heel roles reversed.  Aarons delivered a flurry of offense ending in an enzuigiri, but Copeland stayed down and Kozina ran into the ring to check on him.  They played it up as a serious head injury, but it was a ploy as Copeland delivered a low blow while the referee was occupied with Kozina.  Copeland capitalized with the curbstomp to win in 6:39, presumably earning himself a future title shot whenever PWE has a show again.  As a postscript, I will mention that Aarons' hair was on point as usual...I feel as though that goes without saying, but Brandon has requested that I reaffirm that observation.

Burger-eating contest~!  The venue has a trademark "Big Big Burger"(two large burgers with three pieces of Texas toast assembled Big Mac-style, plus bacon).  Four contestants attempted to eat as much of a burger as possible(along with fries) in a ten-minute time limit.  I could have possibly eaten one of those in my younger days, but probably not today; at one time, I would get the Monster Burger at Hardee's!  One of the band guys named Jose(I think) won, but he probably needed a shot of Pepto Bismol afterwards...

Gavin Alexander & Darkside vs. Jonathan Napier, Clownman Jacko, & The Landlord, no-DQ handicap match:  Alexander called for the match to be no-DQ because...why not?  Napier hadn't appeared in several months as he was out of action with a concussion, forcing him to forfeit the WIA Heavyweight Title to then-interim champion Kevin Lee Davidson.  I found it weird that a manager like Landlord would fight on equal terms with the wrestlers(mostly Darkside) as I would have expected him to stay out of harm's way and hide behind his proteges.  I don't know a whole lot about Darkside as I've only seen a few of his matches.  This match was just...all over the place, to be semi-diplomatic about it.  Guys would brawl out of the ring, brawl to the backstage area and brawl back out...it was tough to follow at times.  I've seen decent stuff out of Jacko, but he hasn't had much direction in recent times...I do like the evil clown better than the good-guy clown, at any rate.  The finish saw the numbers catch up to the good guys, but two masked characters made a big entrance...I presume the main one was the much-hyped "Vulum".  Vulum took out Jacko, allowing Alexander and Darkside to hit stereo finishers on Napier and Landlord(Flatliner and reverse Stunner, respectively) for stereo pins in 14:43.  That probably could have gotten the message across in half the time, honestly.  Alexander dished out some severe post-match abuse on Landlord with an Umaga Smash, cannonball into the corner, and finally a Stinkface...err.  Hey, the good guys got a decisive win, which is something you don't see nearly often enough in wrestling nowadays.

Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Brandon Espinosa for the Heavyweight Title, best-of-three-falls match:  Was really looking forward to this one...I figured these guys would work well together as they've battled in the past, plus the stipulation is a personal favorite of mine.  The contrast was obvious as K.L.D. is bigger and stronger, but Espy is faster and has far more experience.  Would the endurance factor come into play in a longer match such as this one?  Espy did his best to outmaneuver the champion, but he had trouble matching power with Davidson.  The experience came into play as well as Espy's knack for bending the rules in his favor...as K.L.D. got Espy on his shoulders, Espy frantically reached out and raked the eyes of the referee in his efforts to escape.  Espinosa brought a chair into play and whacked Davidson in the arm with it...after that, he maneuvered into a cross-armbreaker takedown from the top rope and K.L.D. had to tap out in order to preserve himself for the remainder of the match.  Thus, Espy won the first fall in 5:52.

With the champion injured, Espinosa focused his attack on the bad limb in an effort to neutralize the power/strength advantage.  Every time K.L.D. attempted a comeback, the left arm would give him problems...limb work can be very effective if a wrestler focuses on it and the opponent shows the effects of the damage.  However, Davidson was able to gut it out and surprise Espy with a swinging uranagi into a modified Jackhammer, evening the score in 11:55.

Despite the pinfall, K.L.D.'s arm was still a problem and Espinosa had no problem with continuing his attack on the weakened body part.  Davidson managed to rally but the referee was accidentally avalanched in the corner.  Espy brought in a chair and missed his initial wild swing, but managed to recover and clock Davidson in the head with the chair...not once but three times.  Espy got the cover and the ref counted...two.  Espinosa hooked the cross-armbreaker again, but this time K.L.D. was able to break the hold by lifting Espy into a powerbomb.  Espinosa, mocking K.L.D.'s "11:11" shirts, went old-school with a KICK WHAM STONE COLD STUNNER...for two.  He attempted a Rock Bottom...um, no.  K.L.D. fought out of that and delivered a spinebuster, then set up for a People's Elbow(no, really) but was caught in an F-U by Espinosa...for two.  (Yup, that happened.)  K.L.D. was finally able to deliver a last-ditch pop-up spinebuster for the final victory in 23:09(!)...nicely done!

The next show will be on Sunday, April 24th...I can only imagine that Napier will want a shot at the title he never lost in the ring, but I guess we'll see how things turn out.  I also heard rumblings about a women's division...we'll see if that comes to fruition.  The show had its hiccups, but this group has come a long way in the past year or two and they deserve credit for that...it certainly beats the attitude of some people who continue to do the same things that they've always done and refuse to change with the times.

Next Saturday has three shows:  Dynamo Pro Wrestling in Wood River, IL; World League Wrestling in Troy, MO; and World Powerhouse Wrestling in Collinsville, IL.  It'll be another busy weekend...choose as you wish, wrestling fans.

That's my special comment for this, the seventh wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Sunday WIA Results From Swansea, IL

-Fearless Bueller(Billy McNeil & Ace Hawkins) d. Leone Mephisto & Mike Everest when McNeil hit Mephisto with an Asai DDT and Hawkins followed up with a swanton bomb for the pinfall (11:30).
-Prince Moses won a five-man battle royal for the Interstate Title.  Eliminations:  "The Enforcer" Jimmy D(C) and Bobby D joined forces to eliminate Jax Daniels.  The Ds double-teamed and eliminated Big Jim Hoffarth as well.  Jimmy turned on his brother Bobby and threw him out of the ring, but he forgot about Moses who eliminated him for the win and the championship (11:24).  After the match, Leone Mephisto sarcastically applauded Moses' win, then goaded him into accepting an impromptu challenge with his title on the line...
-Leone Mephisto d. Prince Moses with a rollup and feet on the ropes for illegal leverage to win the Interstate Title (3:48).  Mephisto dropped Moses with a post-match Air Raid Crash.
-Da'Marius Jones d. "The Young Thriller" Derek Moss after hitting him with his belt wrapped around his fist (12:20).
-Adam Caster & Tony Kozina(w/ Tyler Copeland) d. LaMarcus Clinton & Chase King to win the Tag Team Titles.  King tweaked his knee early in the matchup and the challengers were able to isolate L.M.C. for several minutes.  The champs attempted a comeback, but Kozina superkicked L.M.C. into a schoolboy trip and rollup by Caster for the three-count (14:37).
-"Infamous" Tyler Copeland d. PWE Heavyweight Champion Brandon Aarons in a non-title match.  Copeland appeared to be unconscious after an enzuigiri by Aarons and Tony Kozina ran out to check on him...but it was a ploy as Copeland delivered a low blow while the referee was with Kozina.  Copeland followed that up with a curbstomp for the win (6:39).
-Gavin Alexander & Darkside won a no-DQ handicap match against Jonathan Napier, Clownman Jacko, & The Landlord.  Late in the match, two masked individuals came out to the ring and one of them(Vulum?) took out Jacko.  Alexander dropped Napier with the Flatliner and Darkside hit Landlord with a reverse Stunner, leading to stereo pinfalls (14:43).  Alexander destroyed Landlord post-match, adding insult to injury with a Stinkface.
-Kevin Lee Davidson d. Brandon Espinosa in a best-of-three-falls match to retain the Heavyweight Title.  Espy won the first fall after "accidentally" hitting the ref while on K.L.D.'s shoulders, then hitting Davidson in the arm with a chair.  He followed that up by hooking the  cross-armbreaker for the tapout (5:52).  Espy focused his attack on the arm, but K.L.D. was able to catch Espy in mid-air for a swinging Jackhammer to even the score (11:55).  K.L.D. accidentally avalanched the ref in the corner and Espy bashed Davidson with a chair three times, but was unable to keep him down.  K.L.D. powered out of a cross-armbreaker with a powerbomb, then the two traded familiar-looking signature maneuvers before K.L.D. got the third fall with his signature spinebuster (23:09)!

WWE Fast Lane

-Kalisto d. Alberto Del Rio in a best-of-three-falls match to retain the U.S. Title.  Kalisto won the first fall by DQ when Del Rio hit Kalisto with a chair.  Del Rio won the second fall with the Tree Of Woe double-stomp off the top rope.  Kalisto won the deciding fall via rollup.
-Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch d. Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka when Sasha made Tamina tap out to the Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) while Becky had Naomi in the Dis-Arm-Her(armbar submission).
-Kevin Owens d. Dolph Ziggler with the pop-up powerbomb to retain the Intercontinental Title.
-Ryback, The Big Show, & Kane d. Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan(w/ Bray Wyatt) when Ryback pinned Harper after the Shellshock.
-Charlotte Flair(w/ Ric Flair) d. Brie Bella with the Figure-Eight Leglock(bridging figure-four) to retain the Women's Title.
-A.J. Styles d. Chris Jericho with the Calf Crusher.
-Curtis Axel(w/ Heath Slater, Bo Dallas, & Adam Rose) d. "R-Truth" Ron Killings via rollup w/ tights after Goldust's involvement backfired.
-Roman Reigns won a triple threat match with Brock Lesnar(w/ Paul Heyman) and Dean Ambrose when he pinned Ambrose after the spear.

ROH, SICW, 3XW

ROH TV

-Commentators:  Kevin Kelly & Nigel McGuinness.
-Roderick Strong d. Jonathan Gresham via jumping knee strike to retain the T.V. Title (6:09 aired); Veda Scott protested that Cedric Alexander should have had the title shot, but Gresham refused to relinquish his opportunity.  Afterwards, Bobby Fish had another confrontation with Strong.
-Tag Team Champions War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) d. Tough Guy Inc.(Brutal Bob Evans & Tough Tim Hughes)(non-title) when Hanson pinned Hughes after a splash off the second rope (3:06).  Afterwards, The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus) dished out a few threats prior to their no-DQ title shot at the anniversary show.
-B.J. Whitmer d. Chase Brown after the exploder suplex (0:57).  Steve Corino came out to confront Whitmer after the bell, but it was a feint as Adam Page jumped the guardrail to attack B.J.
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark)(w/ O.D.B.) d. A.C.H. & Alex Shelley; Christopher Daniels did commentary and distracted Shelley, leading to Mark pinning A.C.H. after the Briscoes hit the Doomsday Device (6:58 aired).  Frankie Kazarian & Chris Sabin ran in for an Addiction gang-attack on Shelley, but Sabin hesitated to attack his former tag team partner and A.C.H. pulled Shelley out of the ring.

SICW Wrestling Explosion

-Commentator:  Drew Abbenhaus.
-Ax Allwardt d. Bobby D after a DDT.
-Drew interviewed Big Daddy and his new stable:  Bubba Troll, Ax Allwardt, & Dave Vaughn.
-Flashback to February 1981:  Ted DiBiase fought Big John Studd to a double countout.

3XW All Stars Of The Midwest Episode 42

-Commentators:  Jeremy Jacobs, Brady A. Dezire, & Jeremy Robb.
-Nate Redwing won a handicap match against Jaysin Strife & J.C. Slater to retain the Heavyweight Title when he pinned Strife after the rewind powerslam (7:03).
-Tag Team Title Tournament Finals:  Black Wrestlers Matter("American Fury" Jon West & James Grizzle) d. Guns & Beer(Duke Cornell & "Joedozer" Joey Anderson) to become the new champions.  The referee was bumped and there was no one to count the pin after Anderson hit the lariat on West.  A second referee ran in, but Griz attacked him before he could make the pin count.  Griz BELTed Anderson and West hit a frog splash off the second rope as Griz dragged the original official over to count three (8:17).

Comedy Part 655: O'Fallon Out Loud

Location:  Rendezvous Cafe & Wine Bar
Emcee:  Shaun Arredondo
Lineup:  Me, Amber Klear, Scott James, Dean Schardan

I carpooled with Amber to O'Fallon, Missouri for Shaun's monthly comedy showcase; it was a lot of fun and I'd always heard good things about the venue.  There was a good audience at the intimate venue and we all got positive reviews for our performances; I did a ten-minute set and got some good laughs.  I wish I'd had that kind of poise on Thursday, but what's done is done.  I tried one new Valentine's Day-related bit that I hadn't had a chance to do; it still needs work, so hopefully I can fine-tune it in the near future.  Next up for me is Helium on Tuesday night at 8!

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Saturday show results

Saturday DPW results from St. Louis, MO(Ready Room) (credit to Chris Roedel):

-Shorty Biggs d. The Snitch after the Shortcut(corkscrew snapmare driver) (8:54).
-The Professionals(Shawn Santel & Mauler McDarby) d. C.J. Shine & Garrett Shanks (9:05).
-Mike Sydal d. J-Mal Swagg (11:30).
-Kevin Lee Davidson d. Brandon Aarons via spinebuster (12:56).
-Jackal d. Jayson Khaos with a rollup (4:02).
-High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) d. Justin D'Air & Keon Option to retain the Tag Team Titles (12:20).
-Ricky Cruz d. Brandon Espinosa by reversed decision to retain the MWR Missouri Title (7:29).
-Outtkast d. Jayden Fenix via rollup to retain the D-1 Title (11:54).

Saturday PWCS results from Granite City, IL featuring the St. Louis Invitational Tournament (credit to Tommy Peterson):

-Dangerous Deveroux & Tank Engine Tommy vs. The Troy Athletic Club(J.A. Fair & Roy Lewis) ended in a no-contest.
-Davey Vega d. Everett Connors.
-K.C. Karrington d. Mat Fitchett by DQ.
-Austin Blackburn d. Jay Howard.
-Paco Gonzalez d. Adam Caster.
-Zakk Sawyers d. Mark Sterling.
-K.C. Karrington d. Davey Vega.
-Zakk Sawyers d. Paco Gonzalez.
-Makaze & Jojo Bravo d. Gary Jay & Pierre Abernathy.
-Zakk Sawyers d. K.C. Karrington to win the tournament.

Saturday SICW results from East Carondelet, IL(credit to Drew Abbenhaus):

-Brandon Espinosa & Chris Hargas(w/ Travis Cook) d. Barackus & Jimmy D by DQ when Ken Kasa interfered to break up a second spike piledriver on Jimmy D (11:52); Barackus had been injured by Espinosa's cross-armbreaker and was taken to the backstage area.
-Britton Tucker d. Jayson Khaos after an exploder suplex (6:54).
-Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Ax Allwardt ended in a double DQ when the referee was knocked down (5:44).
-Kahagas(w/ Travis Cook) d. Daniel Gunner after a short-arm lariat (8:08).
-Sean Vincent fought Dave Vaughn to a time-limit draw; the time limit expired as Vincent had Vaughn in the Canadian Mapleleaf in the middle of the ring (15:00).  Vaughn attacked Vincent after the bell and dropped him with two double-underhook DDTs.
-Gary Jackson d. Curtis Wylde(w/ Wyldefyre) by DQ when Wyldefyre interfered by throwing powder in Jackson's eyes(accidentally blinding referee Jay King as well) (11:27); Wylde attacked Jay after the match with the Wylde Ride(Flatliner), leading to him being suspended.
-Ron Powers & Ken Kasa d. Classic Champion Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll(w/ Big Daddy); Kasa rolled up Flanagan after Troll accidentally avalanched Flash in the corner (11:06).

Main Event, Superstars, WLW

WWE Main Event

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan & Jerry Lawler.
-Adrian Neville & Zack Ryder d. Tyler Breeze & Stardust when Neville pinned Stardust after the Red Arrow(corkscrew shooting star press) (6:29 aired).
-Paige Knight d. Summer Rae via scorpion crosslock (4:31).
-Tag Team Champions The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) d. The Social Outcasts(Heath Slater, Curtis Axel, & Adam Rose)(w/ Bo Dallas) when Woods reversed Axel's O'Connor Roll with a handful of tights (10:11 aired).

WWE Superstars

-Commentators:  Rich Brennan & Byron Saxton.
-Natalya Neidhart d. Alicia Fox with the Sharpshooter (5:04).
-Jack Swagger d. Johnny Fandango via Patriot Lock(anklelock) (7:43 aired).

World League Wrestling TV Episode 2

-Commentators:  Brian Thompson & Leland Race.
-"Miss Natural" Heather Patera d. Stacey O'Brien in a best-of-three-falls match to win the Women's Title. Miss Natural won the first fall via rollup with feet on the ropes. Stacey evened the score when the referee stopped Miss Natural from using a chair, allowing Stacey to hit the backcracker for the second fall. Miss Natural won the third fall by referee stoppage when she pulled Stacey's feet out from under her on the second rope, causing her to hit her head on the turnbuckle. Stacey stayed down after that bad fall and the referee declared her unable to continue, awarding the match and the championship to Miss Natural.
-"The Legacy" Leland Race fought NWA Jr. Heavyweight Champion "The Exclamation Point" Steve Anthony to a time-limit draw to retain the Heavyweight Title. Race kicked out after Anthony's 450 Splash and Anthony survived Race's full nelson faceplant; Race hit his finisher for a second time, but the time limit expired before he could get the three-count.

Friday, February 19, 2016

WWE Smackdown

-Commentators:  Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, & Jerry Lawler.
-Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, & Alexander Rusev(w/ King Wade "Bad News" Barrett) d. The Lucha Dragons(U.S. Champion Kalisto & Sin Cara) & Dolph Ziggler when Sheamus pinned Ziggler after the Brogue Kick (7:56 aired); Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens did commentary and distracted Dolph to set up the finish.
-Sasha Banks d. Tamina Snuka(w/ Naomi Night) via Bank Statement(modified Crippler Crossface) (2:21).  Becky Lynch saved Sasha from a post-match attack, but Sasha didn't seem happy with the assist.
-Chris Jericho d. Mike Mizanin with the Walls Of Jericho (8:50 aired).  Afterwards, Jericho called out A.J. Styles to turn down his challenge for Fast Lane...but Styles rather directly convinced him to change his mind.
-Women's Champion Charlotte Flair(w/ Ric Flair) d. Natalya Neidhart(non-title) with the Figure-Eight Leglock(bridging figure-four) (3:54 aired).  Brie Bella fought with Charlotte afterwards.
-Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose d. The Dudley Boys(Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von) by DQ when Brock Lesnar(w/ Paul Heyman) interfered (8:54 aired).  The participants in the Fast Lane main event fought it out, but Reigns accidentally hit Ambrose and Lesnar dropped Reigns with an F-5.  WWE Champion Triple H came out to survey the situation at the end of the show.

Show results

Friday ROH/NJPW results from Tokyo, Japan:

-Jushin Liger & IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Matt Sydal d. Dalton Castle & Ryusuke Taguchi.
-Delirious d. Gedo.
-IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Yujiro Kushida d. Frankie Kazarian in a non-title match.
-Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, Moose, & IWGP Tag Team Champion Tomoaki Honma d. Bad Luck Fale, Tama Tonga, Yujiro Takahashi, & Cody Hall.
-IWGP Intercontinental Champion Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) d. IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata & reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish).
-IWGP NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Champions The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) d. Karl Anderson & Doc Gallows.
-Heavyweight Champion Jay Lethal & Tetsuya Naito d. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi.
-Tomohiro Ishii d. Roderick Strong to win the T.V. Title.

Friday AAW results from Merrionette Park, IL:

-Trevor Lee d. Joey Janella.
-Candice LeRae & Alex Daniels d. Eli Machete & Connor Braxton.
-A.R. Fox d. Matt Cage to retain the Heritage Title.
-Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett d. Zero Gravity(Brett Gakiya & C.J. Esparza).
-Abyss & Kongo Kong d. Ryan Boz & Russ Jones in a Monster's Ball Match.
-Shane Hollister, Markus Crane, & Dave Crist d. Tag Team Champions The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) & Bucky Collins.
-Chris Hero & Drew Gulak d. Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano.
-Sami Callihan d. Eddie Kingston to win the Heavyweight Title.

Saturday ROH/NJPW results from Tokyo, Japan:

-Jay White d. David Finlay.
-Jushin Liger & IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Champion Matt Sydal d. Delirious & Gedo.
-Dalton Castle d. Frankie Kazarian.
-Hirooki Goto, IWGP NEVER Openweight Champion Katsuyori Shibata, & reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) d. Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, Bad Luck Fale, & Tama Tonga.
-Moose & IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Champion Yujiro Kushida d. Tetsuya Naito & BUSHI.
-Hiroshi Tanahashi, Michael Elgin, & Roderick Strong d. IWGP Heavyweight Champion Kazuchika Okada, ROH T.V. Champion Tomohiro Ishii, & Yoshi-Hashi.
-IWGP Intercontinental Champion Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) d. The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) & Toru Yano to win the IWGP NEVER Openweight Six-Man Tag Team Titles.
-Jay Lethal d. Tomoaki Honma to retain the ROH Heavyweight Title.

Sunday ACW results from Austin, TX:

-The Bad Boyz(Li'l Tony & Seph Anunnaki) won a four-way dance with D.G. Taylor & Reggie Lincoln, The Swarm(Wade Olsen & Dick Money), and The Southern Lunatics(Haywire & Smoke The Reaper).
-Mad Tigre, Stan Summers, Jamie Hollye, & Kody Krash d. Chuey Martinez, Ken Johnson, Clay Walker, & Papi C.
-The Hole F'n Team won a four-way dance with The Diamond Dogs(Graham Bell & Luke Langley), The Association Of Aviation(Taylor & Tyler Jett), and The Radikal Athletes(Ty Wilson & Dontae Smiley).
-Scotty Santiago d. Marcus Rose to retain the U-30 Title.
-Angel Blue d. Baby Dumplings to retain the Joshi Title.
-Ricky Starks won a four-way dance with Jay Howard, Darin Childs, and Tag Team Champion Gregory James.
-Franco D'Angelo d. Johnny Swole.
-Dick Money d. Just Willie.
-Steve O. Reno vs. Curt Stallion ended in a no-contest.
-Jeff Gant d. Jack Jameson to retain the T.V. Title.
-The Troy Athletic Club(J.A. Fair & Roy Lewis) d. Sky DeLacrimosa & Tank Engine Thomas.
-Jojo Bravo d. Raymond Rowe to retain the Heavyweight Title.

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Comedy Part 654: Hey Guys, Contest Time Again

Location: Hey Guys Comedy
Emcee: Mike McGuire
After: Andrew Topping
Before: Libbie Higgins

I felt confident going into my set and I went up around the middle of the pack, an improvement over my previous Hey Guys contest outing when I went up first.  I kept some notes in my pocket and glanced at them a few times; that may have cost me in the stage presence department.  Cool to see Kory Kimbrell at the show; glad he could make it out.  I felt like my set went well, but I didn't advance in the contest; Bruce Veach told me that I missed the cut by two points.  Ouch.  Congratulations to the four winners:  Jeremy Hellwig, Andrew Topping, Libbie Higgins, and Josh Funneman!  Also, congrats to the two wildcards:  Rex & Echo Selix and Nathan Orton!

Lucha Underground Season 2 Episode 4

-Commentators:  Matt Striker & Vampiro.
-Backstage in Catrina Perez's office:  Ivelisse Velez stormed through the door, saying she could have won the title from Mil Muertes if The Disciples Of Death hadn't interfered.  Ivelisse wanted to challenge for the Trios Titles, but Catrina said there are no automatic rematch clauses in her temple.  Catrina said that they'll have to earn their return match tonight...
-Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez d. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco) when Angélico pinned Castro after a top-rope double-stomp (5:56).  After the match, Chavo argued with his partners...but El Texano Jr. ran in to clear the ring with his bullrope.
-Johnny Mundo enlightened us...he felt like he hadn't been treated properly as he was in the opening match at Ultima Lucha and deserved the main event.  Brian Cage is a mere obstacle on his way to the top.
-Backstage:  Joey Ryan crossed paths with Castro, who was still hurting from his earlier matchup...he told his "partner" to watch his debut match and see how it's done.
-Brian Cage d. Joey Ryan after a Steiner Screwdriver (4:07).  Johnny Mundo attacked Cage after the match, but Cage turned the tide and lifted Mundo into the Weapon X(Gory Special into a Flatliner).
-Elsewhere:  Rey Misterio Jr. trained with Dragon Azteca Jr....they said they were preparing for war.  Rey said that Dario Cueto met the original Dragon Azteca to find the descendants of the seven Aztec tribes...but Dario became obsessed with the dark side of the legends and it's said that he made human sacrifices.  They made a treaty to avoid each other's domains...so he knew he was walking to his own end when he entered the temple in Season 1.
-Next week:  Cage vs. Mundo.
-Prince Puma d. Pentagon Jr.; Pentagon hit the package piledriver and tried to turn a surfboard hold into a pinning combination, but Puma bridged his shoulders off the mat and Pentagon's shoulders were counted down (7:55).  Pentagon superkicked the referee and Puma took out Pentagon with an enzuigiri, then nearly subjected Pentagon to his own hammerlock/armbar hold before a cooler head prevailed.
-Backstage:  Sexy Star had apparently escaped from Marty "The Moth" Martinez and made it to the temple...she ran into Willie Mack and tried to tell him what happened.  He wanted to go after The Moth, but she said "Not him...her..."

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

WWE NXT

-Commentators:  Tom Phillips & Corey Graves.
-Enzo Amore, "Big Cass" Colin Cassady, & American Alpha(Jason Jordan & Chad Gable) d. NXT Tag Team Champions Scott Dawson & Dash Wilder, Wesley Blake, & Buddy Murphy(w/ Alexa Bliss) when Enzo & Cass hit the Rocket Launcher on Dawson and Enzo got the pin (8:26 aired).
-Backstage:  Alex Reyes interviewed Deonna Purrazzo about her match with Asuka Urai...Asuka knocked her out in their previous encounter, but she's taking that as a learning experience.  Emma Tayla & Dana Brooke interrupt her promo, saying that she could never beat Asuka if the two of them couldn't do it (though Asuka was lucky in both of those instances).
-Asuka Urai d. Deonna Purrazzo after a spinning kick (2:52).
-Backstage:  Nia Jax & Eva Marie felt justified in their attack on NXT Women's Champion Bayley Rose and Carmella Van Damme.  As for Asuka...she needs to stay out of their business.  Bayley & Carmella face Nia & Eva next week.
-Tye Dillinger d. Alex Riley with a victory roll from the mat (3:18).
-Backstage:  Reyes interviewed NXT Champion Finn Bálor about the night's main event; he commended Apollo Crews' effort in their previous matches and he's looking forward to seeing who challenges for his title.
-Backstage in General Manager S. William Regal's office, Baron Corbin demanded that Regal put him in the match...but Regal said that Corbin lost and his decision was final.
-Next week:  American Alpha vs. Blake & Murphy.
-Sami Zayn fought Samoa Joe to a double-pin finish.  Zayn hit the Helluva Kick and fell back on Joe for a three-count, but Zayn's shoulders were also on the mat and Joe got his hand and leg over Zayn's arms, causing both men were counted down (12:34 aired).  The referee conversed with Regal and declared the match a draw.

TNA Impact

-Commentators:  Josh Mathews & D'Angelo Dinero.
-Eric Young(w/ Bram Cameron) fought James Storm(w/ Bobby Roode) to a no-contest to retain the King Of The Mountain Title when all four men brawled around the ring area (4:10).
-Mike Bennett(w/ Maria Kanellis-Bennett) d. Mark Andrews after the Miracle In Progress(fireman's-carry Michinoku Driver) (3:43).  Drew Galloway saved Andrews from a post-match attack.
-The American Wolves(Davey Richards & Eddie Edwards) d. The Decay(Abyss & Crazzy Steve)(w/ Rosemary Rush) in a Monster's Ball Match to retain the Tag Team Titles; Edwards pinned Steve after the Wolves hit their version of Chasing The Dragon(brainbuster/head kick combo) onto a set-up chair with tacks on it (10:33 aired).
-Women's Champion Gail Kim & Madison Rayne d. The Dollhouse(Mia "Jade" Yim & Marti Belle)(w/ Rebel) when Rayne pinned Marti by reversing a victory roll (4:00).  Velvet Sky saved Gail & Madison from a post-match attack.
-Mahabali Shera & Odarg The Great(debuting masked wrestler who bore a striking resemblance to Grado) d. Eli Drake & Jessie Godderz when Odarg pinned Drake with a schoolboy trip and rollup (4:38).
-Ethan Carter III & Rockstar Spud d. Heavyweight Champion Matt Hardy & Tyrus Clay when EC3 pinned Hardy after the One-Percenter(headlock driver) (8:03 aired).
-Next week:  Lockdown.

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

SLA Special Comment (Part 2) + This Week In Wrestling

Now, as promised, a special comment about Sunday's St. Louis Anarchy show at the Spaulding Hall Club in Alton, Illinois.

DISCLAIMER:  I'm biased.  Deal with it.

The Midwest got a few inches of snow on Sunday morning, but the roads were clear by showtime...despite that, attendance was noticably down for the second part of the weekend doubleheader.  I suspect fans may have been worn out from the lengthy Saturday event as well, but that's just my own theory.  At least this time there were no worries about travel issues as Chris Hero was already in town.

Your event host was Jordan Lacey, your ring announcer was Sean Orleans, and your referees were Brandon Tolle, Austin Heiberg, and P.J. Drummond.

Lacey started the show by introducing new Heavyweight Champion Mat Fitchett.  Fitchett was showing the battle scars from his title win the night before...and he told the fans that he wasn't cleared to wrestle due to a concussion.  That brought out Christian Rose to claim a case of testicular deficiency on the titleholder's part...and THAT brought out Gerald James & Dorian Victor to confront Rose over his betrayal.  Gerald was banged up as well, but Rose backed out of the ring...leaving Fitchett and Gerald to do the mutual-respect thing.  Fitchett said he'd be more than happy to grant James a rematch once he was cleared to return to action.

Steve O. Reno vs. "Buck Nasty" Bucky Collins:  Indie guys seem to change their theme music all the time, so recognition by music can be tough.  Of course it's a bit easier when there's a double-shot like this one, so I was able to ID Bucky by the song "I Touch Myself" by Divinyls.  Bwahahaha.  This time around, Reno was the clear fan favorite...they had a standoff over their respective "sexy vests", leading to several cases of wardrobe abuse.  THAT VEST HAS A FAMILY~!  (...I'll keep saying it until someone laughs...*waits for awkward laughter*...okay then...)  Bucky won and Reno lost on Saturday, so I guess this evened things out for them; Reno got the victory with a Buff Blockbuster in 9:59.  The match featured such chants as "Vest! Vest! Vest!"(a la "Yes! Yes! Yes!") and "Vest In The World!"...outstanding.

Stephen Wolf vs. "Dirty" Andy Dalton:  Wolf had a fine pair of outings in his Anarchy debut weekend while Dalton went 2-0...it wasn't pretty on his side of things, but you wouldn't expect that from a guy named "Dirty".  Maybe he should feud with Jake Dirden over that.  Anywho, Dalton won a solid match after a cheapshot while using the referee as a shield...he finished with a piledriver in 6:53 or so(I forgot to write down the exact time...oopsie).

Roscoe Eat Lisa("Zesty" Zakk Sawyers & "The Big Mustache On Campus" Mikey McFinnegan) vs. Team I.O.U.("The Down-South Dandy" Nick Iggy & "The Music City Mutt" Kerry Awful):  Three matches in the show and we had clear face/heel structures...woo.  Sawyers was isolated for a little while, but McFinnegan got the hot tag and things broke down from there.  A few more tags were made and near-falls were exchanged...Mikey got the fall on Iggy after an over-the-shoulder powerslam/running neckbreaker drop with Zakk in 12:19.

Roy Lewis vs. "Absolute" Ricky Starks:  Starks was still in "NXT superstar" mode and Lewis was enthused to be wrestling him...but the match didn't last too long.  This was Lewis' first singles match in SLA (he teamed with Jay Howard at the PWCS joint show in December).  Starks won after a chokeslam in 3:21, then proclaimed the win to be a "WrestleMania moment" before leaving his kneepads in the ring...ha ha.  The next referee got major boos for picking up the pads to get them out of the way.

Davey Vega vs. Trik Davis:  This was a battle of fan favorites, but there was a minor underlying story as Davis' mentor Chris Hero was upset by Vega last May.  This was a really good matchup, though I expected the general style of SLA to be weird from my perspective after Daniel Bryan's retirement.  It's something that makes you cringe a bit more at the harder strikes, unprotected headbutts, and head-and-neck-first landings.  I'm just saying:  Don't use up your physical mileage so quickly.  (Yeah, I'm getting old.)  Vega delivered a Death Valley Driver into the turnbuckles that practically stood Trik on his head...eep.  He followed that up with the brainbuster onto the knee for the win in 13:57...nicely done.

Gerald James(w/ Dorain Victor) vs. Christian Rose:  Gerald and Dorian hit the ring and called out Rose to kick-start this matchup...it had been a while since I'd seen these two lock horns (at an All-American Pro Wrestling show in Nashville IL!).  Among the more distinctive theme songs of the weekend was Rose's as he entered to "S.O.B." by Nathaniel Rateliff & The Nightsweats...I hear it on 105.7 The Point A LOT.  Gerald started the match off fast with a suicide dive as Rose was entering...it was more of a brawl than anything else.  Normally you'd go with the larger competitor in a striking contest, but never underestimate Gary Jay in that department.  However, the damage from the previous night was a big factor; Gerald was in rough shape after taking several cradle piledrivers from Fitchett.  Gerald occupied the referee long enough for Victor to run in and spear Rose(getting some payback for the previous night's sneak attack)...however, Gerald's subsequent headlock driver only got a near-fall.  Rose was able to lock on the No-Leaf Clover(Liontamer-style Boston crab) in the middle of the ring, punctuating the hold with stomps to the head until the referee finally stopped the bout in 9:29.  It was definitely a statement win for Rose over the former champion...and he cemented his position as the top contender to the title.

Intermission~!  Official Ben Simon Concession Count:  Three sodas(root beer, Pepsi, Mountain Dew) and a bag of honey-roasted peanuts.  Mmm, peanuts.

"The Money" Matt Cage vs. Alex Castle, last-man-standing match:  This whole feud started last year; Castle turned on Cage after The Kentucky Buffet lost to The Viking War Party in the Tag Team Title tournament.  Since then, they've been at each other's throats and this would HOPEFULLY settle the issue.  I wonder how Castle's previously-mentioned ex-fiancee will respond to being referenced in Cage's Saturday promo...hmm.  At any rate, this was another brawl with a lot of weapons brought into play.  Cage's ankle was still sore from Paco's anklelock on Saturday, so Castle focused on that body part.  Despite the feud, the fans don't seem to react too much to Castle...but then the Sunday crowd was a bit mild at times anyway.  Cage managed to survive two Pedigrees and finally blasted Castle in the head with a chair...that was enough to keep him down for the ten-count in 13:57.

Mike Outlaw vs. Paco Gonzalez:  This was another battle of fan favorites; Paco won a previous counter between the two in Dynamo Pro, but that was a year and a half ago and a lot has changed with both guys.  Thought they had a fine outing, but the crowd was kinda tough on this night so a face/face matchup was going to be a hard sell.  Paco scored a slight upset after a hanging Codebreaker out of the corner in 8:37 (the matches were noticably shorter than on Saturday since they weren't Holding Out For A Hero(tm) this time around).

Chris Hero vs. Jojo Bravo:  SLA has just been cursed in its effort to book a final blowoff for Jojo and Michael Elgin; Elgin was wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling this past weekend.  (In that regard, pardon the namedropping:  Shoutout to Matt Sydal for winning the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Titles with Ricochet!)  I'll leave the debate about Hero's physique to other people:  It sounds like there have been other factors out of his control that may have played a role in that.  The guy is still great in the ring and hopefully he'll be on a big stage again in the near future.  One of my colleagues admitted his perspective about the huge-moves-for-near-falls aspect of the Ring Of Honor style in this promotion; it's understandable, especially when guys are surviving finishers left and right.  In this bout, Bravo survived not one but TWO piledrivers from Hero...Memphis wrestling fans would have heart attacks if they saw that.  Despite Jojo's strong showing, his losing streak continued as Hero won with the Death Blow(Rude Awakening setup into a roaring elbow to the back of the head) in 20:02.  Afterwards, Hero said that he'd like to visit this area a bit more often(woo) and He Wants Da Belt...ooh.  He even promised to give Jojo the first shot at the belt if/when he wins it.

The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) & The Viking War Party("American Viking" Alexandre Rudolph & "Littlest Viking" Jake Parnell) vs. The Cause(Tag Team Champion Evan Gelistico, Danny Adams, Everett Connors, & Austin Blackburn), elimination-tag street fight:  Mr. Blackburn(discarding his neckbrace) was a last-minute replacement for Adam Caster; Mr. Caster was said to have been injured in the previous night's four-corner Tag Title match.  Mr. Gelistico's mic work seemed to suggest that the belts were at stake in this bout, but that was never clarified (especially the minor detail of who would get the belts if The Cause lost).  It didn't take long for this one to get out of hand as the eight guys brawled all over the building.  Chairs flew early and often, as you might expect with the fan favorite side of the equation.  However, it was a bit of subterfuge that led to the first elimination as Mr. Connors stunned Devin with a low blow and rolled up him for a cheap pin in 8:24.  The good guys managed to get things back in their favor as the Vikings stacked up their prey:  Parnell hit the Codebreaker on Mr. Blackburn, then Rudolph chokeslammed Mr. Connors onto Blackburn while Parnell held him across his knees.  After THAT, Mason Cutter double-stomped the pile from the second rope!  Rudolph mercifully pinned Blackburn after that carnage in 12:11.

Unfortunately for his side, The American Viking was the next to go as Mr. Gelistico knocked him out with the Rulebook and pinned him in 12:53.  The Cause maintained the momentum as Mr. Adams took out Mason Cutter with a reverse Stunner onto a set-up chair in 15:40...leaving The Littlest Viking by himself against three opponents.

The Cause members toyed with their lone adversary, but wasted too much time and Parnell was able to battle back.  Parnell eliminated Mr. Connors with a pumphandle powerbomb in 21:07.  A miscue led to Mr. Gelistico wiping out Mr. Adams with the Rulebook and Parnell rolled up Gelistico in 23:41...so it came down to Jake Parnell and Danny Adams.  Parnell survived a lot of punishment, but the referee was knocked down in the midst of the chaos.  Parnell hit the pumphandle powerbomb and a referee ran in to count...but it was Austin Blackburn in the striped shirt and he stopped short of the three-count.  The momentary distraction was enough for Adams to deliver the reverse Stunner and win the final fall in 29:17...whew.

The Cause members hit the ring to do more damage to The Littlest Viking, but Alexandre Rudolph and The Hooligans ran back out for the save.  Mr. Gelistico and company bailed but Blackburn was caught in the ring...the hapless underling was subjected to an obscene amount of pain for his actions.  The Hooligans delivered their wheelbarrow/second-rope flying DDT double-team to drop Blackburn on a chair, then Parnell followed up with the pumphandle powerbomb...a bloody Blackburn was left laying in the ring for a long time after his adversaries had left.  It took some time before they finally assisted the unconscious official from the ring area.

Comedy takes precedence for me this coming weekend as I have a show in O'Fallon, Missouri on Saturday night...local wrestling fans have three choices for their evening entertainment.  Dynamo Pro Wrestling returns to The Ready Room in St. Louis, MO.  Pro Wrestling Championship Series starts their third season in Granite City, IL with the St. Louis Invitational Tournament.  Southern Illinois Championship Wrestling has their monthly offering in East Carondelet, IL.  You can't go wrong with any of those three options...go where your wrestling tastes lead you.  On top of that, Wrestling Invades America has its anniversary show in Swansea on Sunday...so I'll be in the house for that event.

February wraps up with several shows on tap for the 27th.  Dynamo is back in Wood River, IL and World League Wrestling has its first show of the year in Troy, MO.  For the more adventurous types, High Risk Wrestling debuts in its new home of Warsaw, MO; also, World Powerhouse Wrestling has a show on Collinsville, IL.

That's my special comment for this, the sixth wrestling show I've attended in the year 2016.  Good night, good luck, and #yaywrestling.

-PB, Watching Wrestling Wrong Since 1991

P.S. We are all marks.

-----

WWE(www.wwe.com)

Main Event this week has:
-The New Day(Big E Langston, Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) vs. The Social Outcasts(Heath Slater, Curtis Axel, & Adam Rose)
-Adrian Neville & Zack Ryder vs. Tyler Breeze & Stardust
-Paige Knight vs. Summer Rae

NXT this Wednesday has:
-Sami Zayn vs. Samoa Joe
-Enzo Amore, Colin Cassady, Jason Jordan, & Chad Gable vs. Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder, Wesley Blake, & Buddy Murphy
-Alex Riley vs. Tye Dillinger
-Asuka Urai vs. Deonna Purrazzo

Superstars this week has:
-Jack Swagger vs. Johnny Fandango
-Natalya Neidhart vs. Alicia Fox

Smackdown on Thursday has:
-Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. The Dudley Boys(Buh-Buh Ray & D-Von)
-Dolph Ziggler & The Lucha Dragons(Kalisto & Sin Cara) vs. Sheamus O'Shaunessy, Alberto Del Rio, & Alexander Rusev
-Chris Jericho vs. Mike Mizanin
-Charlotte Flair vs. Natalya Neidhart
-Sasha Banks vs. Tamina Snuka

Fast Lane is on Sunday 2/22:
-Roman Reigns vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar
-Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler - Intercontinental Title
-Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio - U.S. Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-Charlotte Flair vs. Brie Bella - Women's Title
-A.J. Styles vs. Chris Jericho
-Ryback, The Big Show, & Kane vs. Braun Strowman, Luke Harper, & Erick Rowan
-Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch vs. Naomi Night & Tamina Snuka

TNA(www.tnawrestling.com)

Impact on Tuesday(Lockdown) has:
-Matt Hardy vs. Ethan Carter III - Heavyweight Title Cage Match
-Beer Money(Bobby Roode & James Storm) vs. Eric Young & Bram Cameron - Cage Match
-Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, & Velvet Sky vs. Mia "Jade" Yim, Marti Belle, & Rebel - Lethal Lockdown Match
-Trevor Lee vs. Tigre Uno - X-Division Title Cage Match
-Odarg The Great vs. Eli Drake - Cage Match

RING OF HONOR(www.rohwrestling.com)

ROH TV this week has:
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. A.C.H. & Alex Shelley
-Roderick Strong vs. Jonathan Gresham - T.V. Title
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. Brutal Bob Evans & Tim Hughes

Next show is Friday 2/26 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Jay Lethal vs. Adam Cole vs. Kyle O'Reilly - Heavyweight Title
-The Briscoe Brothers(Jay & Mark) vs. Hiroshi Tanahashi & Michael Elgin
-Kazuchika Okada vs. Moose
-War Machine(Todd Hanson & Raymond Rowe) vs. The All Night Express(Kenny King & Rhett Titus) - Tag Team Titles - No-DQ Match
-Matt Sydal, A.C.H., & Yujiro Kushida vs. Kenny Omega & The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson)
-Hirooki Goto vs. Tomohiro Ishii

ROH has a show on Saturday 2/27 in Las Vegas, NV:
-Kenny Omega vs. A.C.H.
-Yujiro Kushida vs. Adam Cole

NEW JAPAN PRO WRESTLING(www.njpw.co.jp/english)

World Pro Wrestling this Friday has:
-Tomohiro Ishii vs. Togi Makabe

LUCHA UNDERGROUND(www.luchaunderground.com)

This week's episode has:
-Prince Puma vs. Pentagon Jr.
-Son Of Havoc, Angélico, & Ivelisse Velez vs. Chavo Guerrero Jr. & The Crew(Cortez Castro & Mr. Cisco)
-Brian Cage vs. Joey Ryan

-----

ST. LOUIS ANARCHY(www.slawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 5/20 in Alton, IL:
-Mat Fitchett vs. Christian Rose - Heavyweight Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. Team I.O.U.(Nick Iggy & Kerry Awful) - Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament
-The Viking War Party(Alexandre Rudolph & Jake Parnell) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa(Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan) - Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament

SLA has a show on Saturday 5/21 in Alton, IL:
-Tag Team Title Contenders Tournament Final

DPW(www.dynamoprowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/20 in St. Louis, MO(Ready Room):
-Ricky Cruz vs. Brandon Espinosa - MWR Missouri Title
-Outtkast vs. Jayden Fenix - D-1 Title
-High Level Enterprise(Jack Gamble & Jon Webb) vs. Justin D'Air & Keon Option - Tag Team Titles
-Brandon Aarons vs. Kevin Lee Davidson

DPW has a show on Saturday 2/27 in Wood River, IL.

SICW(www.sicw.org)

Next show is Saturday 2/20 in East Carondelet, IL:
-Ron Powers & Ken Kasa vs. Flash Flanagan & Bubba Troll
-Gary Jackson vs. Curtis Wylde
-Sean Vincent vs. Dave Vaughn
-Big Jim Hoffarth vs. Ax Allwardt

MMWA(www.southbroadwayac.com)

Next show is Saturday 3/12 in St. Louis, MO.

PWCS(www.pwcswrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/20 in Granite City, IL featuring the St. Louis Invitational Tournament:
-Makaze & Jojo Bravo(Blacklist) vs. Gary Jay & Pierre Abernathy(Submission Squad)
-Mat Fitchett vs. K.C. Karrington - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Davey Vega vs. Everett Connors - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Adam Caster - Tournament Quarterfinal
-Zakk Sawyers vs. Mark Sterling - Tournament Quarterfinal

HIGH RISK WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/hrwstl)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Warsaw, MO:
-Ricky Cruz vs. Brandon Aarons - MWR Missouri Title
-Mike Outlaw & Justin D'Air vs. The Riegel Twins(Logan & Sterling) - Tag Team Titles
-Jack Gamble vs. Tyler Copeland - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Ryan Howe vs. Elvis Aliaga - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Billy McNeil vs. Tony Kozina - Heavyweight Title Tournament
-Paco Gonzalez vs. Mike Sydal - Heavyweight Title Tournament

PRO WRESTLING EPIC(www.prowrestlingepic.com/)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

METRO PRO WRESTLING(www.metrowrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 4/9 in Kansas City, KS:
-Jeremy Wyatt vs. Rhino - Heavyweight Title

3XW(www.3xwrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 3/4 in Des Moines, IA:
-Nate Redwing vs. Jake Dirden - Heavyweight Title
-Kraig Keesaman vs. Marek Brave - Pure Wrestling Title
-Black Wrestlers Matter(Jon West & James Grizzle) vs. Mad Dog McDowell & Devin Carter - Tag Team Titles
-Ricky Cruz vs. Preston Maxwell
-Devin Thomas & Adrian Alexander vs. Jaysin Strife & J.C. Slater
-Brandon Espinosa vs. Stephen M. King

WLW(www.harleyrace.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Troy, MO:
-Appearing:  Ted DiBiase

GATEWAY ELITE WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/TheGatewayElite)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

OUTLAW WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/outlawwrestling01)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

WRESTLING INVADES AMERICA(wrestlinginvamerica.wix.com/wrestlinginvamerica)

Next show is Sunday 2/21 in Swansea, IL:
-Kevin Lee Davidson vs. Brandon Espinosa - Heavyweight Title Best-Of-Three-Falls Match
-Brandon Aarons vs. Tyler Copeland - PWE Heavyweight Title
-LaMarcus Clinton & Chase King vs. Adam Caster & Tony Kozina - Tag Team Titles
-Derek Moss vs. Da'Marius Jones

CENTRAL STATES CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING(www.facebook.com/nwaccw)

Next show is Saturday 4/30 in Lebanon, MO.

WORLD POWERHOUSE WRESTLING(sites.google.com/site/worldpowerhousewrestlingstl/home)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Collinsville, IL:
-Xavier Frost & Curtis Payne vs. Damian Blade & The Searcher
-Uriah Eleazar vs. Bronson - U.S. Title

NEW BREED WRESTING(www.facebook.com/NewBreedMO)

Next show is Saturday 3/26 in Eldon, MO
-The Math Magician vs. "Iceman" Howard Moritz - Mask vs. Dress Match

-----

EVOLVE(www.wwnlive.com & www.dgusa.tv)

Next show is Saturday 3/19 in Queens, NY:
-Timothy Thatcher vs. Matt Riddle - Heavyweight Title

EVOLVE has a show on Sunday 3/20 in Brooklyn, NY.

PRO WRESTLING GUERRILLA(www.prowrestlingguerrilla.com)

Next show is Friday 3/4 in Reseda, CA:
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. Ricochet & Matt Sydal - Tag Team Titles
-Roderick Strong vs. Mark Andrews
-Trevor Lee vs. Chuck Taylor
-Chris Hero vs. Marty Scurll
-Drew Galloway vs. Trent Barreta
-Tommy End vs. Kyle O'Reilly
-Adam Cole vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

PWG has a show on Saturday 3/5 in Reseda, CA:
-Roderick Strong vs. Zack Sabre Jr. - Heavyweight Title
-The Young Bucks(Matt & Nick Jackson) vs. reDRagon(Kyle O'Reilly & Bobby Fish) - Tag Team Titles
-Chuck Taylor vs. Marty Scurll
-Mark Andrews vs. Evil Uno
-Drew Galloway vs. Trevor Lee
-Ricochet & Matt Sydal vs. Heroes Eventually Die(Chris Hero & Tommy End)
-Adam Cole vs. Trent Barreta

CHIKARA(www.chikarapro.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Bronx, NY.

CHIKARA has a show on Sunday 2/28 in Philadelphia, PA.

WHY WE WRESTLE(www.anarchy-wrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 2/27 in Cornelia, GA.

HOUSE OF HARDCORE(www.houseofhardcore.net)

Next show is Saturday 4/16 in Philadelphia, PA.

SHIMMER(www.shimmerwrestling.com)

Next show is Saturday 4/2 in Dallas, TX featuring the Heart Of SHIMMER Title tournament.

SHIMMER has shows on Saturday 6/25 and Sunday 6/26 in Chicago, IL.

SHINE(www.shinewrestling.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

IWA MID-SOUTH(iwamidsouthwrestling.webs.com)

Information on upcoming shows will be posted when it becomes available.

AAW(www.aawrestling.com)

Next show is Friday 2/19 in Merrionette Park, IL:
-Eddie Kingston vs. Sami Callihan - Heavyweight Title
-Abyss & Kongo Kong vs. Ryan Boz & Russ Jones - Monster's Ball Match
-A.R. Fox vs. Matt Cage - Heritage Title
-Tommaso Ciampa & Johnny Gargano vs. Chris Hero & Drew Gulak
-Zero Gravity(Brett Gakiya & C.J. Esparza) vs. Davey Vega & Mat Fitchett

ACW(www.anarchychampionshipwrestling.com)

Next show is Sunday 2/21 in Austin, TX:
-Jojo Bravo vs. Raymond Rowe - Heavyweight Title
-The Unholy Complex(Gregory James & Jason Silver) vs. The Hooligans(Devin & Mason Cutter) vs. The Bad Boyz(Li'l Tony & Seph Anunnaki) vs. Roscoe Eat Lisa(Zakk Sawyers & Mikey McFinnegan) - Tag Team Titles
-Scot Summers vs. Darin Childs vs. Jay Howard vs. Ricky Starks
-Steve O. Reno vs. Curt Stallion
-Angel Blue vs. Baby Dumplins - Joshi Title
-End Of Days(Killah Kash & Sky DeLacrimosa) vs. The Troy Athletic Club(J.A. Fair & Roy Lewis)
-Jeff Gant vs. Jack Jameson - T.V. Title

Missouri Wrestling Revival: http://www.missouriwrestlingrevival.com/
St. Louis Wrestling: http://www.saintlouiswrestling.com/
St. Louis Wrestling Community: http://community.livejournal.com/stlwrestling/

Leave a comment or e-mail: patrickab7@yahoo.com
Follow me on Twitter or Facebook at: @patrickab7