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Okay there were just a few things I didn’t like Sunday at No Mercy. One was a match; the other segments were non-wrestling segments. I’m talking about the first promo with Randy Orton, MVP, Cody Rhodes with Ted Di Biase and Manu, and then JBL and Cryme Tyme. Okay, while I feel that Randy Orton has brought a lot to the shows, it’s getting to a point where he is being thrown on TV and it’s just the same thing over and over again. I think I even mentioned this a few weeks ago. He’s stoned face and in that monotone way that he has talks about how “great” he is. Sometimes it works but lately it doesn’t and it bombed at No Mercy. And even though I thought Cody Rhodes did a good job on the mic, the boring chants from the live Portland crowd said it all, it was a dull dragged out worthless segment. Plus having MVP involved made no sense, and the more this played out MVP came off looking like a total jerk, which I’ll explain in a little bit. This was one very poor segment and the other was with JBL after his loss to Batista. You got to give it to JBL he knows how to get major heat. I didn’t mind his promo at the end but it went on too long and when Cryme Tyme was added in it just felt like filler. Like they needed to waste time because there weren’t enough matches booked for the show. And the match that did nothing for me, yet so many are raving about was Taker vs. Big Show. It was as bland as the feud. I’m puzzled by compliments that so many on different sites and some of my readers have sent me. I saw nothing new being done in this match and it was just the way I thought it would be, except I saw Taker winning. But this was my worst match of the show.

Now I didn’t make the women’s match the worst, because I thought it was fine, no it wasn’t fantastic, but Beth Phoenix and Candice did a good enough job. My match of the night? Oh sure it was that brutal ladder match, with Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H a close second. These two matches were totally outstanding and so worth seeing if you haven’t caught them yet. As I watched Jericho and HBK I was not only concerned for their safety but I kept thinking that these two have nothing to prove and why even put themselves in such a physical match? But these are two pro’s that wanted to give the fans something that they would never forget and they totally succeeded. What a brilliant match. And Hardy vs. Triple H was off the charts. Okay Hardy didn’t win, but the surprise roll up by Hunter was different and a nice way to get that win and keep the title. Hardy brought the very best out in Hunter, and Hunter brought the very best out in Jeff. They have excellent chemistry and I don’t think you could have asked any more from these two.

The opening match with Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry came off so much better than I expected. It really was a pleasure to watch. And Kane vs. Rey Mysterio was going very well until the ending. I was very impressed by what was going on in the ring, but very disappointed with the ending. If Kane wanted Rey’s mask off so badly why didn’t Kane pull the damn thing off when Rey was laying on the ground? I thought the ending really took away from what Mysterio and Kane did. The only reason why I didn’t add Batista vs. JBL to my negative list was because it was a very fast match and Batista was made to look like a strong number one contender. Hey this wasn’t much of a match but at least it was quick. Also it was cool to see CM Punk come out with Kofi Kingston and it was even somewhat funny to watch them befriend MVP only to have Di Biase, Rhodes and Manu attack him, but as I said earlier this made MVP look like a tool. If MVP has been floundering on Smackdown, the attack certainly didn’t help on Sunday. Also let me add, while I have NOTHING against Manu, he doesn’t fit the tag team champs. It just doesn’t work with him. I mean he was just thrown in with them with no build up and he hasn’t gelled at all with Team Priceless. I think they should have left it with just Rhodes and Di Biase.

No Mercy came off so well and it’s always nice when a pay per view crowd is into the show and this Portland, Oregon crowd was very into the show from beginning to end. Okay so let me go on to Raw. I’ve got a few nice things to say I really do. For instance I really liked the opening with Chris Jericho and Batista. It just felt like it was something that we have never seen before. I also enjoyed watching the very smug Jericho taking Batista’s spinebuster. It capped off a very good opening. The tag team match with Santino and Beth Phoenix vs. Jamie Noble and Mickie James came off well. I am seeing a serious side of Noble lately especially last night. Kofi Kingston vs. Ted DiBiase was another good match. And we got another appearance by CM (I was once the World Champion) Punk. We had another really good tag team match with Mark Henry and Kane vs. Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. This one had a lot going for it and while I can’t say I like throwing Cade in there against Michaels, I did like the ending A LOT. The match itself didn’t do it for me, but HBK going after Cade with one hard chair shot after another was booked to perfection. We saw a very frustrated Michaels taking out his anger on Cade because the GM for the night Jericho made Michael’s wrestle injured. So Cade was the recipient of some really cool chair shots. So the first hour of Raw was actually very good, and then it was all downhill from there.

I would love to just list what I really didn’t like in hour number 2. So I think I will.
1. The three choices to go against Santino Marella for the IC title at Cyber Sunday. I would much rather see 3 current guys get that chance not Rowdy Piper, Goldust and the Honky Donkey man.
2. Khali doing the kiss cam and good old Vince bringing in the jack assess from Jackass into a program with Khali. Oh I dread this. And is Khali back on Raw? Do we care?
3. The most horrible banter going on between Miz and Morrison against Cryme Tyme while Kelly Kelly was taking on Jillian. The talking was so obnoxious and non-stop that no one seemed to care about what was going on in the ring. Well Cole and Lawler kind of did, but I could not stand the so-called trash talking between all four. Meanwhile Kelly Kelly and Jillian had a nice little match going on, but so what? I guess Vince thought having 4 talk over each other was more entertaining.
4. And finally I couldn’t get into JBL vs. Batista again. Sunday was enough and Jericho as special ref, Orton as announcer, which was a joke and William Regal the timekeeper just made me watch the clock and wait for the show to end. The second hour was just such a dud.
But we did find out that we could vote on whom we would like to see guest ref Batista’s match again Jericho for the World Title. We can choose between Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, or Steve Austin. Now I think Austin should have been used in something else, I don’t get how he got involved here but I would say it’s safe to say he’ll get the nod for this match. By the way speaking of Cyber Sunday, remember the good old days when we could vote online? Well that’s not going to happen this time. It’s now text your vote or don’t vote. I don’t know why the change but I know I probably won’t vote this year.

Raw just didn’t quite cut it for me but No Mercy sure did. Okay I will be back over the weekend with my Smackdown thoughts and maybe a few ECW thoughts as well. Let’s see it’s Big Show vs. Triple H for the WWE title. Oh yes another match that I could do without, but maybe I’ll get lucky and Undertaker will interfere and cut this one short. I will leave you with a really good question from a reader. The reason I say that is because I want to know the answer as well. He would like to know the name of the new Smackdown theme and the group that does the song. You can email my reader at domtos88@googlemail.com.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com












































































]]> 1223426943 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 20:49:03 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1223235636&archive=
Women's Championship Match – Beth Phoenix vs. Candice Michelle
If it were up to me this match would be Phoenix vs. Mickie not Candice. I am a Candice fan because this woman has improved so much when it comes to her wrestling. But because she really hasn’t been in a program since her return from her last injury I just feel that they put her in this title match too soon. If we get the Candice prior to her first broken collarbone then we are going to get a very good match. I just worry that she hasn’t found her groove yet and this could turn out to be nothing special. I am sticking with the Glamazon for the win and hopefully this will turn out to be a decent match.
Winner: Beth Phoenix

Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
I think Mysterio is the guy that is going to carry this match. Of course Kane will work his ass off as well, but it’s going to be Rey’s highflying moves and his speed that should make this one passable. I do not see Rey losing the match; because there is NO way that we are going to start seeing a maskless Mysterio. As I said look for some cool moves by Mysterio and I’m sure Rey is going to bump like crazy. I will definitely go with Rey for the win and I see Kane will continuing to go after the masked man. I don’t think it will end tonight.
Winner: Rey Mysterio

ECW Champion Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry
Okay sure Matt didn’t pin Mark Henry at Unforgiven. And sure that’s Henry’s big beef that Hardy won but not because he pinned him. Well tonight Matt Hardy will pin the big guy and continue to reign as the ECW champion. Gosh I don’t know what we will see here, but with Matt in there it should be a decent match.
Winner: Matt Hardy

Big Show vs. Undertaker
I will keep this short. I don’t like this feud, if that’s what you want to call it. I have absolutely no interest in it and I see this being the weakest of the show. I’m going with Taker for the win, and really that’s all I can say about tonight’s match.
Winner: The Undertaker

Batista vs. JBL
Here’s another match that I’m not exactly dying to see. I never cared for any match that these two had together years ago, so maybe that’s why I’m not that into watching this one. HOWEVER, Batista has come a long way since his last feud with JBL and even though I’m not a JBL fan when it comes to his wrestling I know he is going to give his all. I would say this might not be as weak as I’m thinking it could be. I am picking Batista for the win. I just don’t see JBL getting a title shot at this time.
Winner: Batista

WWE Champion Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy
This is the one that I’m seeing a pattern with when it comes to your picks. By that I mean it’s 50/50 when it comes to who is going to win. I was going with a clean Triple H win, but this morning I thought about it, see I really do think hard about whom I’ m going to pick. And now I think Kozlov will interfere, Jeff will win on a DQ and Hunter will still leave with the belt. You have to figure Kozlov is showing up since he’s gone after Hardy and Triple H week after week. If there is interference I hope it doesn’t take away from what could be a very strong, solid match.
Winner: Jeff Hardy on a DQ

World Heavyweight Championship Ladder Match – Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
At first Shawn was my winner, I figured this is his time, but after giving it a lot of thought I feel that Jericho will win and that things will still continue with these two. You can bet that this will be the match of the night. I cannot wait to see these two go at it, and I really hope no one gets hurt here because HBK and Jericho are going to give 110 percent and I believe that the majority of the fans are going to be on pins and needles during this baby.
Winner: Chris Jericho

There you have it, hey did you notice that the former World Champion CM Punk isn’t in one match? I’m sure you did, it’s not to say that a match with Punk and Kofi Kingston vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase won’t be added, but I think it’s sad when a guy like Punk is an after thought. On a personal note Molly and Sherri have a great time, and I want to hear how it was being there live from both of you. I will be back Tuesday with my Raw and No Mercy thoughts, and hopefully they will be very happy thoughts about both shows.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com]]> 1223235636 Sun, 05 Oct 2008 15:40:36 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222951029&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

This edition of TSR sees the debut of Pro Wrestling Revolution in these hallowed pages. I became aware of this particular promotion when I received an e-mail the Sports Webcasting Network, who broadcast their shows online, as well as selling their DVDs. So, having gotten my hand on a couple of these, we’re going to take a look at their August 10th event at the Metro New York Balloon and Music Festival, featuring two shows - Mid-Day Turbulence and Red Eye Fight. Commentary duties for this one are handled by Robert Goldenberg and former wrestler the Puppet Master.

Mid-Day Turbulence begins with Jester taking on “The Pyromaniac” Flames. As an opener, I’m afraid that this just doesn’t do much for me. It was slow to start, and some of the spots seemed a little contrived. In short, it just wasn’t that exciting, and came to an end when Jester missed a corkscrew moonsault from the top rope and Flames got the pin after a spin kick. Very quick and not very good.

Match #2 sees hardcore action, with Busta Uppa (I think that’s how his name is spelt, there’s no on-screen graphics here), probably the whitest white guy I’ve ever seen, who came to the ring to the classic “Gangster’s Paradise), facing the masked man Menace, described as a “pure-animal”. As hardcore matches go, it’s not that bad, and it’s certainly a lot better than the opening match, even if some of Busta’s weapons shots did look a little weak. The big masked man got the pin in this one, finishing his man off with his psycho crusher finisher. Not bad I suppose, even though the only weapons used here were an old street sign and a chair!

Then it’s on to Damien Darling, accompanied by Bobby Rydell, going up against Brutus “The Barber” Beefcake. Yep, it’s that Brutus, although I thought he couldn’t use that name anymore! Anyway, back to the match. A lot of jaw-jacking and posturing took place before this match actually began, which actually got me saying “get on with it!”, so it came as something of a relief when the match got underway. Beefcake has obviously slowed down quite a bit over the past few years, but he was still able to put over the charisma that made him such a star twenty years ago. As for the match, it was okay. Darling looked good at times, able to keep up with the veteran, with Beefcake getting the disqualification win. As he was applying his patented sleeper hold to Darling, Rydell climbed into the ring and clobbered him from behind. Beefcake proceeded to clean house in another match that gets the not bad rating.

Main event time, with Magic and Draven, the Wrecking Crew, challenging Demolition Blast and Brimstone, the Carnival of Destruction, accompanied by their manager Vito Bari, for the PWR Tag-Team titles. Blast, as you might have guessed, is doing the old Demolition face-painted gimmick. A hard-hitting affair between four big men which was essentially a brawl, good at times with some dodgy moments mixed in. But what confused me about this one was that the baby faces, Blast and Brimstone, were the ones who dominated the proceedings, as they took Draven apart for the majority of the match. We then got the obligatory four-way brawl, in which a blinded Draven took his own partner out with a sit down power bomb, before Blast and Brimstone took him out with a double-choke slam to get the title retaining pin. Another match that gets the not bad rating, even though the psychology of the match did cause me to scratch my head a little.

Then it’s on to the evening show, Red Eye Fight, which begins with “the dark and demonic” Fez challenging Chris Forza for the PWR International title. Fez is a strange looking fellow, garbed entirely in what looks like black rubber from head to toe, who reminds me a little of Spider-Man (or should that be Arachnaman?) Definitely the best match of the DVD so far. Both wrestlers put in good performances, mixing mat techniques with some good high spots, especially Fez’s flying squirrel (top rope big splash to you and me), and Forza’s sit down power bomb from the second rope. Pride of place though goes to the move that Forza used to finish Fez off, a beautiful top rope moonsault, which enabled him to get the title retaining pin. A very enjoyable match.

Next up, former WWE star John Heidenreich going up against “Luscious” Joe Sloan, although what was exactly luscious about him is beyond me. Now I never thought I’d say this about a Heidenreich match, but this one was actually quite good. It started quickly, was back and forth, before big John showed some good technical wrestling as he went to work on Sloan’s arm and shoulder. Sloan didn’t look too bad in this one either, but he wasn’t able to get the win, as Heidenreich finished him off with a sidewalk slam. A very good effort from both guys here, which made for a very good match.

More singles action follows, as “Pure Perfection” Will Wagner, and the nephew of the one and only “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, accompanied by his tag partner Busta Uppa, facing Johnny Ova. The third good match in a row saw two youngsters go at it, with fast-paced action mixed in with a but of technical stuff and topped off with some nice high spots. Ova almost got the early pin with a 450 splash off the top rope, but the pin was broken up by Busta, which saw him ejected from ringside. The match got better without the outside interference, but Busta soon returned, stopping Ova from executing a second 450, crotching him on the top rope. But Ova was able to counter Wagner’s superplex attempt with a michiku driver from the second rope to get the winning pin. Another match with two good performances from start to finish, and the third enjoyable bout in a row.

Main event time, a triple threat match, with Prince Samir Ahmed II and Mike Magnum challenging Bobby Rydell for the PWR World title. Rydell, as you may have surmised from the first show, is actually a manager, and not a full-time wrestler, who won the title after help from his protégé Samir. For a comparison, think of Vince Russo as WCW World Champion a few years back. Most of this match was actually wrestled by Samir and Magnum, and they looked good against each other, with Rydell making the occasional foray into the ring to make some weak looking offence - until Samir accidentally clobbered him with the title belt that is. Rydell soon recovered though, and almost got the pin several times after Samir had done the damage. But when Samir got knocked out of the win, Magnum took Rydell apart, before finishing him off with his dishonourable discharge finisher. However, just as he was about to get the pin, Samir came back into the ring, attacked Magnum, and then pinned his own manager to win the title. A very good and very enjoyable main event, with good action throughout, and a very good finish.

In conclusion - rather than look at this DVD as a whole, I’m going to give my conclusions on the two events separately.

Mid-Day Turbulence was a very poor show. All of the matches in the afternoon segment left quite a lot to be desired, and although they each had some good moments, these were few and far between. It certainly wasn’t a good advertisement for the PWR product.

Red Eye Fight though was the polar opposite. Each and every match of the evening show was great, very enjoyable. It was good to see big John Heidenreich doing stuff he wasn’t allowed to by the WWE creatives, and the main event, especially the swerve at the end which saw Samir pinning his own manager made that one for me. Which leaves me wondering this - if the evening show was so great, then why was the afternoon show just so poor? Answers on a postcard to the usual address.

So if you’re thinking of getting this DVD, or ordering the webcast, then be prepared to be disappointed by the first show, and enthralled by the second.

With thanks to the Sports Webcasting Network for supplying a copy of this release. To order a copy of this DVD, or to watch these shows online, visit www.sportswebnet.com. For more information on Pro Wrestling Revolution, visit www.pwrwrestling.net.
]]> 1222951029 Thu, 02 Oct 2008 08:37:09 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222832411&archive=
Is it me, or have you noticed that Michael Cole just stinks on Raw? Cole and Jerry Lawler don’t seem to click what so ever and when Cole isn’t over doing it on his own, the banter between these two guys is bland and most of the time very low keyed. It’s gotten to a point where I do my best not to pay attention to what is being said, because that’s how bad things are. Let’s face it; Cole wasn’t much on Smackdown, yet Tazz and JBL both seemed to mesh well with him. But not the King, I still feel that Lawler still can’t believe that he lost JR to Smackdown and ended up with Michael Cole. These two just don’t gel and you can’t help but notice it. I’m still wondering how the hell Cole got the Raw spot. Anyway I would have to say week after week Cole has proven to be the weakest link on the show.

The other guys that didn’t grab me last night were two of my favorites, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. There is no doubt about it Y2J has been a total hit on the mic during his feud with Shawn Michaels. Jericho’s mic work has been so outstanding that each week I really can’t wait to hear what he has to say. But last night, his promo didn’t have the usual energy that they usually have. Jericho seemed kind of not into it, like his mind was on other things. And as intense as Orton has been last night’s little interaction with Mike Adamle was a bore. I am getting tired of Orton saying the same things, and I would like to get a little more emotion from him and for creative to give him new lines. As I said Jericho and Orton by no means hurt anything on Raw but I was a little disappointed by both men’s mic work.

Other than the above I thought we got some good matches and nice entertainment. I cannot tell you how much I love Batista The Animal and Santino Marella. Or is that Batista the Manimal? Well whatever, this is a lot of fun to watch. And personally I would rather see a Marella vs. Batista match at No Mercy than JBL vs. Batista. Again Santino brought out the Marella makes it for 63 weeks he loses and he never ties the Honky Donkey Man? See I think that’s a good one especially since my husband isn’t much of a wrestling fan. But I am still getting a big kick out of Santino, and Batista is just playing off of him so damn well.

It was great to have the relaxed humorous Shawn Michaels back. It felt so good to watch his interview with Todd Grisham. We got the old HBK back; you know the one that has been missing for so long. I knew, as I’m sure many of you knew that Triple H would be the mystery partner but I thought Michaels teasing Austin, Hogan and Bret Hart was fun. There was no way Hogan or Hart was going to get the nod and I think I laughed the loudest when Shawn said his partner was the best there is, the best there was and the best there ever will be. Yeah like Hart would be there. But a nice short segment with Michaels.

I really like Cryme Tyme taking on The Miz and John Morrison. I still think Miz and Morrison turned out to be one of the best tag teams that WWE has given us in a long time. They have remained fresh and still exciting to watch. So putting Shad and JGT in a feud with them is all good as far as I’m concerned. They had another good match last night and I’m just waiting for Cryme Tyme to turn things around and get a win over these two. Another match that was good but too short was Jamie Noble and Mickie James vs. Paul Burchill and Katie Leah. Oh yeah I’m still waiting for WWE to announce they released Burchill, which I think would be a mistake, but every time this guy is in a match he loses, and last night was no exception. It was good to see Mickie in there even though I feel she deserves to be in the top tier with Beth Phoenix and Candice Michelle. But tall four did a nice job out there. I am still very happy with team Priceless and I have to give it to Cody Rhodes and Kane for their backstage segment. I like the way Rhodes came off when he was face to face with Kane. He was nervous yet he kept his head when he tried to talk Kane into being a “team player” in their match against Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne. While Di Biase, and Manu stood there Rhodes said because Paul Bearer was Kane’s dad, that would make0 Kane a second-generation wrestler. Well it sounded good but Kane snapped back by saying he doesn’t take orders from anyone and my favorite line from Kane? Well he wanted to massacre Rey. Now that’s the kind of talk I want to hear from that character.

And their match was one of Raw’s best last night. I was very into the talent that was out there. I thought the action was good, but I was watching Punk standing on the apron and it was hard for me to believe that this guy was once Raw’s World Champion. I guess he looked like he never got that big push. I know many of my readers keep telling me that he’s nothing more than a mid carder, but I believe that the ratings were up when he was champion and the crowd was taking to him. He just didn’t get a chance to hold on to that title long enough. But anyway this was a cool match and I’m Bourne to be wild. Get it? Evan Bourne? Well I’m a big fan of his and it’s great that he’s on Raw but I would love to see him on ECW as well, because I think ECW could benefit so much more with him if he’s on each week. I have to hand it to the diva’s they gave us a nice match last night. Kelly Kelly is working her ass off and doing a hell of a job out there. Candice came off okay, and Beth Phoenix and Jillian held their own. This was done well and I hope Candice and Beth can keep the momentum going at No Mercy on Sunday.

I was so happy to see the Great Charli last night. Adding Runjin Singh with Charlie Haas just made this a little funnier. Haas had some of Khali’s actions and I’m glad to see Haas able to keep this going. I still don’t get why Deuce from Deuce and Domino is still coming out to that music and is stuck in that gimmick. I remember months ago when supposedly they were going to re-invent this guy and nothing has changed. This was a quick match, but one that pleasantly surprised me because Haas got the win. What I also liked was Haas welcoming Khali in the ring and seeing a smile on Khali’s face. I don’t remember ever seeing Khali smile like that, that smile just added to this fun segment.
And now for the DX main event against Cade and Jericho. This was a good match, but it was way too short. But you know what? Just listening to the Minneapolis, Minn. crowd react to DX made this a cool main event. By the way I happened to like Cade’s promo earlier in the show, I thought he did a good job. Too bad he got the worst of it by DX. The splash off the ladder by HBK alone was something to see and with DX getting the upper hand over Jericho and Cade I think Raw ended in a very good way.

Did this show make anyone decide to order No Mercy? Probably not, it should have but way too much was focused on Smackdown’s move to MyNetworktv. But then again that’s understandable because they want to make sure the viewers remember to forget the CW and switch over. But if Raw did anything for me it still makes me want to see that Jericho/Michaels ladder match on Sunday. So it’s on to ECW and Smackdown, in fact ECW is on right now at its new time. See how I pay attention? Okay I will return over the weekend with my No Mercy predictions. So please feel free to start sending me your predictions.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com
]]> 1222832411 Tue, 30 Sep 2008 23:40:11 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222636693&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

This edition of TSR sees us taking a return trip to New England Championship Wrestling, a promotion I’ve featured a few times this year, and this time we’re going to look at the DVD release of the 2007 Iron 8 Championship, an eight-man tournament, with the final being a four-way, forty-five minute iron man match. Commentary for this one is handled by NECW’s main man, Sheldon Goldberg.

Disc one contains the four semi-finals, and they begin with “The Infamous” Bobby Fish taking on Jason Blade. Described as a technical contest by our commentator, it’s just that, between two exciting young wrestlers, and with hardly an illegal move in site. It’s a great match to open the show, very enjoyable, with both guys having their moments, with Fish advancing to the final. Blade had synched in a full nelson, but Fish pushed himself off the turnbuckles, with both wrestlers going down to the mat with Fish in the pinning position.

Semi-final #2 sees “Straight Edge” Brian Fury tackle Handsome Johnny. This one takes a few minutes to start, mainly because Johnny gets annoyed with the reception he gets from the fans. From there it develops into a very good bout, with the Handsome one playing the role of the villain particularly well, with Fury playing the young baby face on a quest to get a shot at NECW’s main title. It’s the second match in a row in which I can find no fault, only entertainment, with plenty of false finishes, and countering Johnny’s top rope superplex attempt with a sunset flip and bridging pin.

Semi-final #3 sees 2006 champion “Die Hard” Eddie Edwards against Gary Cassidy. Edwards has company for this one, in the form of his manager Sean Gorman. The third good match in a row is a pretty evenly fought contest at first, with the Irishman able to keep up with his more experienced American counterpart before Edwards takes control. Needless to say that a certain Mr. Gorman gets involved in this one. The final few moments saw both men almost get the win, with Edwards getting the win after his unique suplex variation.

Semi-final #4 sees “The Real Deal” Brandon Locke take on Antonio “The Promise” Thomas. Thomas, you may recall, had a cup of coffee in WWE as one half of The Heart Throbs. Although a good match in it’s own right, this is probably the weaker of the four semi-finals. It’s a good technical contest, but fought at a much slower pace than the previous matches, with Thomas spending a great deal of time working over Locke’s left arm and shoulder, before the Real Deal makes his comeback. The comeback worked. Thomas tried to counter Locke’s Locke Down slam finisher, only to get rolled up by Thomas for the three count. Not the best match of the first round, but okay nonetheless.

Disc two begins with a mixed tag-team match, as the aforementioned Sean Gorman, seconded by his charge D.C. Dillinger, teams with “Big” Rick Fuller against “The Human Nightmare” Evan Siks and Nikki Roxx, aka possibly TNA’s most underrated knockout, Roxxi. If I’m to be totally honest here, then this one wasn’t very good. The wrestling didn’t start until ten minutes after this segment began, which detracted from the actual match itself, which only lasted about six minutes, with Gorman getting the pin on Nikki after she’d been accidentally clobbered by Fuller, who was aiming for Siks. This was nothing more than filler material, and not very good filler material at that.

After a segment which sees NECW Triple Crown Champion D.C. Dillinger presented with a new title belt (and a mighty fine looking title belt it is), it’s on to the tournament final, four way iron man action with a forty-five minute time limit, with the wrestler with the most pins and submissions winning, with Eddie Edwards, Bobby Fish, Brandon Locke and Brian Fury. A very interesting concept match, with good performances throughout. Obviously as it has a forty-five minute time limit, it would take me too long to list everything of note here, so all I’ll say is that there were some good solid performances from all the wrestlers here, with Edwards impressing me the most, and with five minutes remaining it looked like it could be anyone’s match, with Locke and Fury tied on two falls each, with Fish and Edwards soon joining them on that score as the clocked ticked away. There was a mad rush to score that all elusive decisive pin with two minutes left, but the scores were all tied when the time limit expired, so the match went into sudden death overtime. This lead to Edwards eliminating Locke and Fury, drop kicking them off the ring apron into the guard rail, leaving him alone in the ring with Fish, and after a hard fought few minutes filled with near misses, Edwards scored the deciding pin, finishing his long-time nemesis off with a moonsault slam off the top rope. A very, very good match here. It took a while to get going, but it built up nicely before delivering an outstanding finish.

Disc two is rounded off with a few extras, including extra bonus footage, and a little look at how the Iron 8 Championship began.

In conclusion - I really liked the concept of the Iron 8 tournament, and it certainly made for interesting viewing, and while the mixed tag-team match wasn’t up to much and just seemed like filler material, it didn’t detract that much from my overall enjoyment of the tournament. The final was definitely the best match of the show, and as the action and time progressed, it didn’t seem to last as long as it did, it was that good. Mention must also be made of Sheldon Goldberg’s commentary. It was good, very good. Not over the top, and there was no shouting into the microphone when a big move was executed, he just did his job, which was to call the matches and to put over the talent. Well done sir.

So I guess what I’m trying to say here is if you’re looking for some good American indy action, then check out NECW, and to do that, visit www.necwwrestling.com. Also, if you want to download NECW’s regular online show, visit www.necw.tv. You’ll also be able to find details on how you can buy their numerous DVD releases.

With thanks to Sheldon Goldberg and NECW for supplying a copy of this DVD release.
]]> 1222636693 Sun, 28 Sep 2008 17:18:13 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222554992&archive= I’m back for how long I don’t know, but I hated being away so long. Okay here’s the latest about our house. Thankfully we are not going to have to pay for a new foundation and hopefully our construction company will get their plan approved very soon and the building will start. Now, we might have to move out for a few days, but that’s not definite so I’m just going to try to put my columns out per usual, however in case you don’t see one, then you know it has to do with what’s going on here. Okay now I debated about doing today’s column, because I guess you could say I have some pretty negative things to say. That’s not exactly a great way to return, but there is one major angle on Smackdown that is playing out very badly, and on Raw I was very angry about the way their champion at the time was treated. So I would like to talk about these two angles, and try to end on a positive note.

I’m going to start with Raw and CM Punk. The last column that I posted was my Unforgiven predictions. I never got to talk about that show, especially the way Punk was used or should I say misused and how he lost the belt. Well of course I was pissed that they used the lame angle with Orton kicking Punk in the head and because of that kick Punk was not only unable to defend his title that night but missed a week to “heal” from that kick. Yet, Shawn Michaels beat Chris Jericho senseless but Y2J was able to make his way out to the ring on his own and shake off that brutal beating and con his way into winning the World title. I despised the Jericho win and the way Punk lost, I bet you guys can’t tell.

Listen, I’m a major Jericho fan and I love the fact that he’s now the new champion, but I don’t love the way it was done. As I said he took this major beating by HBK, and was just about out cold, yet he’s able not only to walk to the ring, but mentally he wasn’t even shaken up by that beating and managed to out wit all the participants in that scramble match and win the match and become the new World Heavyweight Champion. Jericho should have been taken out on a stretcher and HE should have been the one to miss a Raw not Punk. Punk gets a kick to the head and the guy is done it made no sense at all. What all this shows me is, Punk was just a paper champion and that Vince McMahon had no intention of keeping him World Champion for a long period of time. I thought it was insulting to Punk and his fans to keep him from taking part in the championship match at Unforgiven. How many of his fans ordered that show to see him and then he’s a no show thanks to some lame angle.

And then to make matters worse the week that Punk returns he is put in a decent cage match against Chris Jericho for the World Title. Of course there was no way he was going to win, and yes he lost, but after this opening match Punk’s name was never mentioned again on the show. That really shows what Vince thinks of his former World champion, and things got even worse this week. Punk came out an went after Randy Orton, which was a good thing, but after a very good match against Cody Rhodes, it now looks like Punk along with Kofi Kingston will be going against Rhodes and Ted Di Biase for the tag team titles. That is Punk’s way to get even for what they did to him along with Orton’s kick to the head. So let me see if I got this right. Punk guy goes from World champion to doing his best to become a tag team champion, but JBL gets a match against Batista at No Mercy to see who will face either Jericho or HBK for the World title. Where is the logic in all of this, and how many more main events are we going to see JBL in? See for me this is all so wrong, so upsetting. And I really believe this is a major reason why the ratings are so low. I truly believe when they pulled this crap on Punk, slid Jericho in there that it turned off and angered a lot of fans. Plus you have John Cena gone; JBL all over the main events and it all makes Raw so much less appealing to view. However the Shawn Michaels/Chris Jericho feud is still sizzling on Raw and I can’t wait to see their Ladder match at No Mercy. Also while I’m not a big Shane McMahon fan, I thought his appearance this past week was very good AND my very good friend Molly put this great idea in my head. She thinks we are going to get a Shane vs. Adamle match at No Mercy. Her reasoning for this is because Shane kept over riding Adamle Monday night. Now while the match I could do without, I would love to see Shane make things interesting with the Adamle character; God knows something needs to be done. You can add a very dull GM to my list of reasons why the ratings are low. So now let me tell you my one big beef with the main angle on Smackdown.

It stinks, that’s right Big Show/Undertaker/Chavo and Vickie is so not working. When Vickie and Edge dominated Smackdown the shows came off solid, Edge alone added so much to the shows. But with his absence and slipping Show in to cover for Edge it’s just now working at all. It’s like watching a high school play. Chavo, Vickie and Big Show don’t have it at all. I feel absolutely nothing when I watch these three, and then things don’t help when Taker is hardly on. Up until last night all we got would be these three watching and re-watching what Big Show did to Taker at Unforgiven. Listen if I were Vince that would be the last thing that I would want shown over and over again. That was one pathetic segment that night. I will never forget how predictable Show’s turn looked as he was standing next to Vickie fake laughing while Taker came out. And then once he turned and attacked Taker the segment seemed to go on forever. It was horrible. Nothing has clicked with this angle and last night yes Taker showed up but he did another tombstone on Vickie and now what? She is going to return with a neck brace and sit in a wheel chair again? I can do without all of it. This match with Big Show vs. Taker at No Mercy has a very week buildup and I don’t see it getting better. Edge and Vickie made Smackdown something to watch each week and now this angle is doing the total opposite.

Sure I might not like everything going on with Smackdown, but by far this main angle is the worst thing that Smackdown has going for it. Okay here are the minor things that I don’t care for. Did they ever give Hawkins and Ryder a chance to defend their tag team titles on a regular basis? No, but then again there were really no teams to defend against. But last night they lost it in a hurry to Carlito and Primo. This should have gone on a little longer instead of having new winners after their first match. Hey what about MVP? He seems to be going nowhere fast supposedly because he made some wise cracks backstage about the guy that does the urine testing, MVP is continuously losing and while he’s losing Kozlov seems to be getting his push. I can’t say this makes me smile. I will admit I did like what I saw last week when Kozlov took out Triple H. However do I want to see Kozlov vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Triple H at Cyber Sunday? I don’t think so, but supposedly that’s what we are going to get. I would much prefer MVP in there instead. I guess I could go on and on with more of the minor things that I’m not into but I will stop with Brie Bella and her twin sister. I mean come on, how much longer are they going to make the divas look dumb before they discover that Brie has a twin waiting to come out from under the ring? Last night I was embarrassed when Brie didn’t get her legs totally underneath and her twin popped out from the other side. It’s time to move on and stop making Victoria and Natalya look like morons.

Okay so I bet many of you are so glad I’m back. I know this was a bitchfest, but hey I’m still enjoying ECW and Smackdown, and for the most part Raw. With the final shows coming up before No Mercy, all three shows could get very interesting. Hey for me it’s great to be back and remember I’m going to be here unless something comes up, and I’m unable to use the computer. I plan to be back on Tuesday with my thoughts on Raw. Stablewars is a site where you can predict many things about wrestling and prove that you are one of the elite predictors in the wrestling world. You can make picks for Pay Per Views, Titlewars which is a feature where you pick who you think the next champion will be, and Stablewars, a feature that is like fantasy football except you pick wrestlers, www.stablewars.com is the place to be.

Email lindarobin3@yahoo.com



]]> 1222554992 Sat, 27 Sep 2008 18:36:32 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222379289&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

One of the things I love about the wrestling business is it’s history. I love reading stories from veterans of years gone by, and the re-visiting classic moments that I’ve viewed in my thirty years plus as a wrestling fan. However, I’ve always paid attention to the eras I remember, and never to those that came before I was born. Which means that I’ve never learned about the man who, with the aid of a little invention called television, became an American icon, and a man who has inspired countless others over the past sixty years.

John Capouya’s “Gorgeous George: The Outrageous Bad-Boy Wrestler Who Created American Pop Culture” allowed me to do this. For those of you who don’t know, George Wagner was the man who came from the proverbial humble beginnings, who made his professional wrestling debut in the 1930’s, and gradually morphed into the foppish, snobbish dandy Gorgeous George, a man made for television when that media was still in it’s infancy.

To say that this book is an interesting read would be a massive understatement. Bringing together stories from a vast range of sources, Capouya tells the story as if it happened yesterday, making you forget about the poverty of the Great Depression that the young Wagner boy grew up in. You forget that Wagner started his career at a time when professional wrestling was mainstream news, when the internet, television and DVDs didn’t exist to sooth the egos of those competing in the squared circle.

Every detail is here. Through the words we get to see how the normal good-looking baby face became the snobbish heel, a man in garish garb who looked down on everyone around him, and made people want to part with their money just so they could see the snot getting beaten out of him. There’s also numerous stories about his personal life, and the demons that ultimately caused his premature death.

But George’s influence spread even further than the professional wrestling business. The likes of Bob Dylan, James Brown, Muhammad Ali (one of my personal idols) and John Waters count the Gorgeous one as their inspiration, and it’s easy to see why, such was his effect.

In conclusion - if, like me, you have a keen interest in twentieth century history, and you’re a professional wrestling fan, then this is the book for you. It’s a hell of a read, and one of the best wrestling biographies I’ve ever read. And considering I’m a big fan of Mick Foley’s written word, that’s saying something.

For more information on the Gorgeous George book, visit www.gorgeousgeorgebook.com.

With thanks to Harper Collins for supplying a copy of this book.
]]> 1222379289 Thu, 25 Sep 2008 17:48:09 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1222045266&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

This past Saturday Britain’s Cage Rage mixed martial arts promotion returned to our television screens, live on Nuts TV, with their twenty-eighth show, VIP, held at The Troxy in east London. As usual our hosts for the evening were O.J. Borg and promoter Dave O’Donnell.

The first fight saw action in the middleweight division, with Jack Mason taking on John Hathaway. As soon as the bell rang Mason tried for the take down, but it only succeeded in getting Hathaway into the top position. Lots of struggling between the two until they got to their feet, but with Hathaway taking Mason’s back, it wasn’t long before they went back down, with Hathaway executing a good throw. But again Mason managed to get to his feet, only to find himself slammed back down to the ground, and this was something that would happen again, and with Hathaway again controlling Mason’s back, the man on the bottom soon tapped, having sustained a nasty cut to his eyelid from a previous blow. Very impressive stuff from Hathaway, as he controlled the fight from the beginning, and I look forward to seeing more from him the future.

Fight two saw another Mason, Ross, taking on Scott Jansen in the welterweight division. Both fighters opened up with combinations early, with Mason staggering Jansen early with a couple of blows followed by a knee. Jansen responded quickly, connecting with several knees while in a clinch, one of which went south of the border. The action resumed after Mason rested a while, and it took up right where it left off, with blow met by blow and kick met by kick. It was hard to tell just who was getting the best of it, it was that even. The pace slowed down as the round went on, but bother fighters were still connecting well. Then, Mason caught Jansen with a good leg kick which knocked him off his feet, and moments after Jansen got to his feet Mason took him down. But then, as the round entered it’s last minute, Jansen spent most of the time on his back, looking to connect with an up kick.

Round two, and just a few seconds in Mason connected with a big left that sent Jansen down. Mason went down, but again, Jansen quickly got back to his feet. They then went back to type, moving around the cage, looking to connect whenever they could, only this time Mason was getting the upper hand, first with the kicks, and again with another knockdown. Mason went in for the kill, and although he looked like he was out of it for a few seconds, Jansen was able to defend himself, eventually going back to his lay on the back tactic, and with both fighters doing nothing, the referee stood them back up. Back upright, Mason again looked the better fighter, although his nose had been bloodied a little, and he continued to kick away at Jansen’s lead leg.

Round three, and again they continued where they left off. Mason continued to attack Jansen’s lead leg, and again staggered Jansen with a few good shots, which Jansen responded to immediately. Later on, a rib kick from Mason caused Jansen quite a bit of pain, which hampered him as he went on. It didn’t help that he was caught with a high head kick just a few moments later. As the fight entered it’s last two minutes Mason upped his game considerably, with Jansen constantly on the back foot and looking like a beaten man, especially when Mason caught him with another big left as Mason stalked him around the ring, and by the final bell, Jansen looked in a considerable amount of pain. At the end it was no surprise that the judges gave the unanimous decision to Mason. An exhausting fight for both fighters, with a brilliant performance from Mason.

Next up, Jake Bostwick taking on John Phillips in the light heavyweight division. These two began swinging as soon as the bell sounded, before grappling for position up against the cage, eventually ending up down on the ground with Bostwick in the guard position. Both guys worked for position, but it wasn’t long before they got back to their feet. Seconds later Bostwick scored with a double leg take down, connecting with a few good right handed body shots. Again, Phillips got back to his feet, only to be taken down again just seconds later, and although the Welshman showed some good defence at times, Bostwick still managed to get off a few good shots, before a lack of action forced the referee to stand them back up. Things didn’t stay long that way, as Bostwick scored with another take down, at one moment taking Phillips’ back, with the round ending with Bostwick connecting with a succession of right hands.

Round two, and Bostwick carried on where he’d left off at the end of the first round, taking Phillips down immediately. But nothing happened afterwards, so the referee stood them back up. I think you can guess what happened next - yep, Bostwick got yet another take down, and worked slightly more than he did before. But this didn’t stop the referee from standing them up again. After Phillips connected with a couple of good blows, Bostwick took him down again, but this time Phillips was in the mount position, looking good as he went to work with the ground and pound. Bostwick had no answer to this onslaught, and it wasn’t long before the referee called a halt to the proceedings after Bostwick verbally tapped out. Very good back and forth action here. When it looked like Bostwick was going to win, Phillips came back well and turned things around in a matter of seconds. Great stuff.

Then it’s on to Leigh Remedios taking on Robbie Olivier in the featherweight division. Quite a lengthy feeling out period in this one, with both fighters testing the waters with the occasional punch or kick. This actually went on for almost three minutes, and in truth it wasn’t very exciting, and something of a surprise when Olivier suddenly went for a take down attempt up against the cage, which he eventually pulled off after about thirty seconds. With thirty seconds to go in the round, Olivier upped his game a little, but this round was nothing much to write home about.

Round two began slowly, until Olivier decked Remedios with a right hand which looked to have broken his nose, as well as opening a cut on the bridge of the nose. Olivier the went for the kill, but the referee stopped the fight so the doctors could look at Remedios’ damaged knows. When the fight began, Olivier connected again, but Remedios came back with one shot, before things went back down to the ground. Remedios was now beginning to look like a bloody mess, a perfect target for Olivier to centre on. It certainly was an up and down round, with Olivier doing his best work when they were on the ground. As the round ended Olivier lifted Remedios up high before slamming him down to the mat.

Round three, like the previous round, also began quite slowly. A few punches were exchanged, but nothing really special. Two minutes in and Olivier went for another take down against the cage, which Remedios was able to defend against. After a few moments of this Remedios took Olivier down, applying a guillotine choke. It wasn’t long, though, before Olivier managed to escape, and this was really the last thing of note to happen as the fight came to an end, with the judges giving the unanimous decision to Olivier, a decision that was highly expected. In truth, not really an eventful fight, with one good round sandwiched in between two disappointing rounds, so a mixed bag here.

More action from the featherweight division follows, with Brad Pickett and Antanas Jazbutis. As with the previous fight there was quite a bit of feeling out between the two fighters, with a few exchanges between the two fighters, with Pickett looking the better fighter. Indeed it was Pickett who scored the first take down after blocking a Jazbutis axe kick. Pickett showed he was also good on the ground, transitioning well, before both fighters got back to their feet. Both fighters got off good shits before Pickett scored with another take down. The round ended with the fighters squaring off against each other.

Round two saw both fighters going for combinations, with Pickett looking like he was having a bit more success than Jazbutis. As the round went on Pickett seemed to be on the front foot constantly, although Jazbutis got in a few good shots as well. But as the round went on it seemed as if both fighters were going back to the feeling out process, until a doubled-up left from Picketts opened up a cut above Jazbutis’ eye. Pickett upped his work rate a little as the round came to an end, but it actually wasn’t that interesting to watch.

Round three, and it continued in the same vein, a fighter would move in, get in a couple of shots, then move out before taking a few seconds to look for his next opening. Even when Jazbutis went down and Pickett got off a couple of shots, he seemed to step back afterwards. Then, from out of nowhere, Pickett delivered a hard body shot to Jazbutis which winded the Lithuanian and sent him down. Pickett went in for the kill and got in another couple of punches, but that was enough for the referee, who stepped in to stop the onslaught. Although this was a somewhat dominant performance from Pickett, overall the fight was disappointing.

The final fight of the night, and time for big boys from the heavyweight division, with Roman Webber taking on James McSweeney. This one didn’t even last ten seconds. McSweeney came rushing in, connected with a right knee to the face in the clinch, and Webber was out of it, with the referee stopping things immediately. Explosive stuff from McSweeney here, just what the doctor ordered after the last two fights.

In conclusion - definitely a mixed bag here as far as Cage Rage shows go. While the opening two fights were very good, things seemed to go downhill a little, with Pickett/Jazbutis and Remedios/Olivier failing to deliver for me, only for the show to end on a big high with McSweeney’s explosive knockout of Webber.

But that’s not where the criticisms end. With Cage Rage moving away from Wembley Arena to the smaller Troxy in London’s east end, the atmosphere just didn’t seem to be there. The hook-up with EliteXC made the last couple of Cage Rage shows seem like special events, but this one was lacking that certain something.

The technical aspects were also missing. Some of the camera work was pretty poor, to the point where one of the knockdowns wasn’t actually picked up on the live coverage.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that Cage Rage 28 can be described in one word - disappointing.
]]> 1222045266 Sun, 21 Sep 2008 21:01:06 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1221949259&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

Well, I’m still suffering from tonsillitis, but I’ve decided to press on, this time taking a look at the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s latest offering, Ultimate Fight Night 15, shown live here in Britain on Setanta Sports, with our usual hosts, Mike Goldberg and Joe Rogan.

The show begins with action from the light heavyweight division, and Houston Alexander and Eric Schafer. Round one, and Alexander began things early by connecting with a couple of huge knees, before going for the ground and pound in the guard position. Schafer defended well, and did well enough to get back up to his feet. Schafer did well to recover, working in the clinch, before scoring with a take down, having attempted this move a few times before. Alexander managed to get out, but immediately found himself in a guillotine attempt, which he also managed to escape from. Schafer took control again straight away, getting in the guard and unleashing with the ground and pound himself. Shafer then synched I an arm triangle, and although he tried to pound his way out, it wasn’t long before Alexander tapped out with just seconds to go. A very good fight to start the show with, and this writer thought it would all be over in seconds after the start Alexander made.

Fight two was down in the middleweight division, with Ed Herman taking on Alan Belcher. No feeling out process in this one, as Belcher came out swinging, before a clinch up against the cage. Nothing much happened there, so the referee pulled them back to the centre, where the punches and kicks came in from both men, before they returned to the clinch. Again, this accomplished nothing, so it was back to the kickboxing tactics. Both guys got in some good shots, especially Herman, who followed up a hard blow with a take down attempt, which saw them return to the clinch up against the cage. More work there this time, as Herman scored with a take down after a high knee. Hermann did a lot of work on the mat, looking for the choke, but it wasn’t long before Belcher managed to get to his feet, only for Herman to take him back down straight away. The first round ended with Belcher trying to get back to his feet as Herman looked for another choke.

Round two began with both fighters coming out swinging, The pace slowed down a little as the blows were exchanged, with Belcher connecting with a left to the chin that rocked Herman but didn’t send him down. Herman later scored with a good left hook followed up by an elbow, but seconds later Belcher scored with an overhand right, following this up with a clinch, which didn’t last long as both fighters moved away from the cage, with Belcher connecting with an elbow. The back and forth blows and kicks continued, before the fight went down to the ground, with Herman working in Belcher’s half guard. Both fighters worked from the outset of this move, before Belcher was able to get back to his feet, and the round came to an end with both fighters again exchanging blows.

Round three, and Herman went for the take down early on, only for Belcher to sprawl. With the fighters starting to show signs of fatigue, they continued with their back and forth punching and kicking, before another clinch up against the cage led to nothing. They soon returned to type, and as Belcher attempted a spinning back fist, Herman went for a take down, which resulted in, yep, you guessed it, another clinch up against the cage. But this time Herman managed to complete the take down. Once again it wasn’t long before Belcher got back to his feet, and scored with a good high kick that rocked Herman. Moments later Herman scored with another take down, and went for the ground and pound as the seconds ticked away and the fight came to an end, with the judges giving the fight to Belcher with a split decision. A good fight here, and a good decision, as I couldn’t really decide who won.

Following that close contest, it was on to Mac Danzig and Clay Guida in the lightweight division. Another quick beginning here, with Danzig going for a few quick combinations, with Guida on the back foot. The exchanges continued, with Danzig looking the superior fighter, in the early stages of the opening round. Once again Guida seemed to be on the back foot as Danzig came forward, but he suddenly came back quickly with a take down. Danzig tried for a kimura, but managed to wall walk out and up to his feet. He didn’t stay upright long as Guida picked him up and slammed him back down. Danzig was soon standing up again, only to be taken down again, with Guida trying to push him away from the cage so he couldn’t stand up again. But as the round came to an end, Danzig managed to use the cage again to get back to his feet.

Round two began just as quickly as round one, with blows exchanges, except Danzig was on the back foot this time. Danzig then tried a kick, which Guida caught, and then used for an attempted take down. A second attempt by Guida failed, before they began to exchange blows again. This continued until Guida scored with a rather tepid take down, with Danzig constantly working to get out, which he soon accomplished. Guida then managed to get another take down, and again, Danzig was soon able to escape. Guida’s almost constant attempts to take Danzig down soon bore fruit, as he took Danzig’s back and finally managed to get a successful take down. Once there he went for the rear naked choke, but again Danzig was able to escape from this precarious position.

Round three, and despite it being the third round, Guida looked as fresh as a daisy as he again tried for a take down up against the cage. When this failed it was back to the boxing, and after connecting with a couple of good punches it was actually Danzig who scored with a take down, and almost synched in a kimura. But when Guida managed to get out, he was able to take Danzig’s back, before dropping down and going for a double leg. By this time Danzig was looking exhausted, and it wasn’t surprising when they went back down to the mat. Seconds later Guida managed to take Danzig’s back again, and worked well as he took him down into the guard and then took his back over and over again, constantly looking for an advantageous position. The only thing of note that Danzig could do as the fight entered it’s last thirty seconds was going for a weak looking guillotine, but the round ended with Guida in Danzig’s guard, unleashing with the ground and pound. The unanimous decision went in favour of Guida, which was well justified giving this impressive performance.

Main event time, again in the lightweight division, with Nate Diaz facing Josh Neer. Another fight with no feeling out process, it wasn’t long before Neer scored with an impressive looking take down, immediately going for a couple of chokes, before taking Diaz’s back and taking him down again. Diaz managed to get back to his feet, but Neer managed to keep hold of his back. The battle for positioning continued for the next few moments, before they began to exchange a few blows, with Diaz gaining the upper hand in one exchange. There wasn’t a quiet moment in this one, and as the round entered it’s last minute Diaz scored with a judo throw, taking control of Neer on the mat, and the Diaz’s transitions came thick and fast as the round came to an end.

Round two, and the fast pace continued. Neer was the first to get the take down, but Diaz was soon back on his feet, and getting a take down on his own, going for a knee bar, and using this to pass the guard. To say it was fast and furious down on the mat would be an understatement as the takedowns continued, with Neer getting the next take down and going for the rear naked choke. But Diaz was able to escape, only to find himself facing Neer in his guard. Neer remained in control on the ground, but Diaz came back with a couple of good punches as they got back to their feet.

Round three, and after a brief exchange of blows, it was back up against a cage with a clinch. Diaz worked hard for the take down, but all it succeeded in doing was giving his back to Neer. But he soon worked his way free and took Neer down. More quick transitions followed, although the pace had slowed down somewhat. More clinches up against the cage followed when they were back on their feet, before Diaz managed to take Neer’s back, before transitioning into his guard. Neer went for a couple of alma plata attempts, but Diaz was manage to escape from these with ease. Neer went for another submission attempt, Diaz stepped out, and Neer ended up taking Diaz’s back. It certainly was interesting to watch, a back and forth match as both fighters jockeyed for position, and the fight ended with a Diaz flurry. The judge’s decision - a split decision for Diaz. This was another fight I couldn’t pick a winner from, it was that close.

In conclusion - I’ve been disappointed with previous Ultimate Fight Night shows, but not this one. We had four very good fights here, an explosive first round finish followed by three fights that went the distance, with two of them being so close that it was almost impossible to tell who won. This show may have lacked the star power, but it showed that the undercard UFC talent are more than capable of putting on a good show. Definitely one I’ll watch again.
]]> 1221949259 Sat, 20 Sep 2008 18:20:59 -0400 http://www.prowrestlingheadlines.com/news.php?subaction=showfull&id=1221867751&archive= E-mail: julian@twoshedsreview.com
Website: www.twoshedsreview.com

Despite suffering from my annual bout of tonsillitis, your favourite British writer has decided to carry on and give you his opinions on TNA’s latest pay-per-view offering, No Surrender, shown on a three day delay here in Britain on Bravo 2. It’s the usual hosts for the evening, Mike Tenay and Don West, and can someone tell the professor that his normal tie/dinner suit combination just doesn’t go!

After Sting cuts an in-ring promo, talking about respect in the wrestling business, and after the announcers tell us that Booker T is a no-show because of Hurricane Ike, it’s on to the first match, a six-person tag match featuring the Rock and Rave Infection taking on the Prince Justice Brotherhood. So just when I thought we’d finally got rid of Eric Young, he’s back on pay-per-view, and he’s dragged Curry Man and Shark Boy down with him. Okay, so the action in this one was good, and the exchanges between Christy Hemme and Curry Man were quite funny, but that still doesn’t stop Super Eric being annoying as hell. I’ve never been a fan of the guy, no matter what gimmick he uses. Thankfully, he didn’t get the pin, Curry Man did, pinning Christy after she’d been taken out by Shark Boy’s stunner. The Japanese star then made sure she was okay.

The first woman’s match of the night follows, a falls count anywhere match with Awesome Kong taking on ODB. This was one of those matches that looked good on paper, one that I was really looking forward to. This didn’t disappoint. Great brawling from beginning to end, with the obligatory fight through the crowd (well it wouldn’t be a TNA PPV if we didn’t have one), and Raisha Saeed getting her licks in throughout the match as well. Only one slight bodge for this one though, when the table that ODB power bombed Kong onto didn’t break properly. A second table did break though, when Kong barged ODB through one which was perched into the corner to get the win. Apart from the slight mishap with the first table, I really can’t fault this match at all.

Tag-team action follows, with Team 3-D facing the monster Abyss, and America’s answer to Nick “Oblivion” Aldis, Matt Morgan. (For those who don’t know, Aldis/Oblivion is on the British version of Gladiators, and, like Morgan, is also a professional wrestler. I also know him quite well, but as my mother used to say, if you can’t say anything nice….). A small part of me has actually missed seeing Abyss in a TNA ring, and I’m not talking about when he’s been doing his knight in shining armour bit. As a match, it was okay, nothing really special happened that set this writer’s pulse racing, although I must say that Morgan did look impressive at times, showing that he was perhaps brought through a bit too soon during his WWE stint. Of course, we got a brief appearance from Ray and Devon’s mate Johnny Devine, but not even his interference was enough to put the big men away. As with the previous match, there was one dodgy moment when Ray tried to lift Abyss onto his shoulders so Devon could execute a top rope clothesline. They managed to pull off the move, but only just, and it was as ugly as hell. The ending of the match saw Morgan punch a steel chair into Devon’s face, followed by Abyss taking him out with the black hole slam. We then got the extra curricular activity which saw Ray clobber Morgan and Abyss with a chair, and then giving the chair to the monster, so the blueprint thought that his partner had hit him. Not pretty, and not the best tag-team match I’ve seen, and one I won’t remember in the next few years.

Then it’s on to the first title match of the evening, a three-way affair in which Petey Williams defends the X Division title against Consequences Creed and Sheik Abdul Bashir. Why they just couldn’t keep calling this guy Daivari I’ll never know. Nice to see TNA using the anti-American gimmick, something that’s never been seen before (and in case you didn’t realise, I’m being sarcastic.) Some nice spots in this one, but there were quite a few moments when things seemed very messy and very disjointed. Apart from that, it’s the usual X Division fare here, and to be honest with you this division is now starting to get quite repetitive. It just doesn’t seem that fresh anymore. A new champion was crowned here, with the impressive Bashir picking up the win, which saw Williams take Creed out with his Canadian Destroyer, and Bashir pulling him out of the pin attempt to get the pin for himself. I don’t really need to say anymore about this match, do I?

The second title match of the evening follows immediately, with Taylor Wilde defending her Knockouts title against Angelina Love. So can someone please tell me why Kip James now seems to be a fashion consultant? Just another gimmick for Monty to add to his ever growing list. Before the match begins, Taylor evens the sides up by bringing Rhino out as her corner man. This just wasn’t a patch on the Kong/ODB match. Like many other matches on this show, it was okay, and technically it can’t be faulted, but it failed to get me emotionally involved in any way, to a point where I just didn’t care who won. Rhino and Kip got involved, of course, and Taylor got the pin with a bridging suplex. Another one that probably won’t be remembered this time next year.

Sonjay Dutt and Jay Lethal renew their rivalry next with a Ladder of Love match, with SoCal Val’s engagement ring hanging high above the ring. It’s basically a ladder match. Now, I’ve been quiet about this for months now, but it has to be said. What is so good about SoCal Val? She’s not ugly, but she has to be one of the most unattractive women I’ve ever seen, and I certainly wouldn’t fight anyone for her hand in marriage. Now, if it was Christy Hemme….but back to the matter at hand. As ladder matches go, this one was quite good. Despite the fact that this rivalry is getting a bit overlong and boring, Dutt and Lethal are made for each other, and it’s a shame that they’re not in the X Division mix at the moment. Some very interesting spots involving the ladders saw Val turn on Lethal, delivering a low blow as he climbed up the ladder to stop Dutt getting the ring, this after she’d apparently sided with Black Machismo when he got his leg caught in one of the ladders. This interference gave Dutt the chance to grab the engagement ring. Something tells me that this won’t be the last we’ll see of this feud.

The re-matches continue next with Beer Money Inc defending the Tag-Team titles against former champions LAX. It was announced during the last match that Jacqueline had attacked Salinas backstage and that she was on her way to hospital. Translation: Shelley Martinez has now quit TNA. The second good match in a row. Roode and Storm are really starting to grow as a team, and you should know just how I feel about LAX, and Hernandez in particular. I was a little surprised though that it was Hernandez who took the obligatory double-teaming before the hot tag, and not Homicide, but then again I suppose it’s good to go against type every now and then. So a good match was ended with the old powder in the eye trick. As Homicide was about to take Roode out, Jacqueline came into the ring, threw powder into Homicide’s eyes, allowing Roode to get the pin with a bridging fisherman’s suplex. Thankfully, Michael Barrett wasn’t around to take the blame (and only certain WAW types will get that joke). Good stuff here.

A departure for TNA next, with the shoot fighting stylings of Frank Trigg taking on A.J. Styles in an MMA-style match. Given the match concept, this one could have turned out to be a real stinker. Thankfully it wasn’t. In fact, it was actually quite good. Styles seemed to take to the MMA concept extremely well, and it made for a very enjoyable contest, with this being the only time that I’ll disagree with the crowd and their “fire Russo” chants. But then again, Canadian fans can be a law unto themselves most of the time, can’t they? Sadly, this one was ruled a no-contest when Styles caught Trigg with an accidental low blow just a minute or so into the second round. But this wasn’t enough for Styles, as he grabbed a kendo stick from under the ring and took his frustrations out on his opponent. Hey, I don’t care what those Canadians think, I enjoyed this one!

Main event time, the Fours Ways to Glory, or rather Three Ways to Glory match for the TNA World title, with Samoa Joe defending the gold against former champions Kurt Angle and Christian Cage. Before we even got to the ring introductions we had a confrontation, as Sting made another appearance, this time to confront Joe. The champion ended up slugging the Stinger, which led to a impromptu brawl that was quickly broken up by security and A.J. Styles. So with all of that out of the way, it was on to the match itself. The absence of Booker T didn’t detract from this match at all, because as three ways go, it wasn’t that bad, with some good one-on-one encounters added to some good three-way spots, most notably when Angle applied the ankle lock to Joe and Cage at the same time. We even had the drama of Angle pulling referee Earl Hebner out of the ring as he was counting a Cage pin on Joe. He then rammed Hebner into the ringside barriers, which earned a ton of cheers from the Canadian fans. With the referee out of the way, chair shots came into play, as did Jeff Jarrett, who clobbered Angle over the head with his trademark guitar, with Joe finishing him off with the muscle buster to get the winning pin, earning an appointment with Sting at Bound for Glory.

In conclusion - well, No Surrender certainly had it’s good moments, and it certainly had it’s somewhat dodgy moments, but overall I suppose it was okay. The Prince Justice Brotherhood gimmick has been done before, and the Dutt/Lethal/Val triangle is in danger of being done to death, while the X Division is in danger of becoming stale and boring, desperately in need of a fresh injection of talent, and the Knockouts division is really going to miss Gail Kim. But then again, and I know that some people will disagree with me on this one, but the return of Jeff Jarrett is very welcome, and I’m looking forward to seeing him get back into the ring, and his rivalry with Kurt Angle.

So, if I’ve got a few spare hours, will I watch this show again? Probably not, and for me that’s how I know when I’ve seen a good pay-per-view.
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