GSR

The Kliq are in the dressing room where Spanky says how they’ve had a lot of problems recently so he’s calling a meeting in the ring right now. David Jett introduces the remaining members of the Kliq, Jason Sensation nowhere to be seen having “gone missing”. I hope that is code for he’s been canned. Spanky reiterates that they’ve been having a lot of problems within the group, however when he talks about a bigger problem in their manager being gone, neither Shooter Schultz nor the American Dragon are too bothered by the fact. Shooter thinks that they’re better off without him while Dragon is more concerned about his upcoming match with William Regal. That irks Schultz, who is fed up of hearing about it, and he and Dragon come to blows while Spanky desperately fails to separate the pair. A ref shows up leading to an impromptu atch, it looking like the Kliq has well and truly fallen apart. Shooter and Dragon chop the hell out of each other with stiff shots. Dragon fires back after the Butterfly suplex with forearms before jamming his foot into Shooter’s throat. Hard kicks to the lower back. On the first cover of the match, Dragon rubs his wrist tape into Schultz’s face as he makes it. Spanky has joined Jett at the commentary desk and despite Jett’s questioning is clinging to the belief that this isn’t the end of the Kliq. Shooter boots Dragon in the bread basket as he takes over. Backbreaker followed by a snap suplex. Dragon responds with forearms, a backflip and then a running forearm smash. Spanky returns to ringside, clearly not as confident as he may claim about things not being over for the group. More strikes out of Dragon, this time some Martial Arts style kicks and Muay Thai knees. Shooter snatches and T-Bones him and then heads to the outside to collect a metal chair. He’s about to make use of it when Spanky climbs up to the apron to prevent him from doing so. As the two argue, Dragon nails Shooter from behind with the roaring elbow, Shooter and Spanky’s heads both crashing into that chair they were arguing over, and he makes the cover for the win, Spanky’s interference yet again costing Shooter. A snug, stiff little match for Memphis TV. I have to believe this is the end of the Kliq, although with how they’ve been booked struggle to see where the three of them go from here. Dragon at least has the William Regal match coming up but I can’t see any of them being a threat to the Heavyweight title, unless Dragon somehow pulls off a shock win that night. Mid-card beckons I feel. I’m probably even happier than Shooter Schultz to see the back of Jason Sensation.

As in WWF Spanish announcer Hugo Savinovich! Hugo, who is wearing a WWF Attitude T-shirt, introduces Kane to a huge ovation. Video quality is fine for the close up camera work, but is pretty rough when we switch to the hard cam at the back of the building as the wrestlers blur into the fans. Kane stalks Chicky and Victor around ringside and into the ring where Hugo is able to get in a few shots before they take over. The heels get the heat on him with Kane making occasional forays into the ring to stop the attack and help his partner out. Hugo pulling out a surfboard after one such occasion is one of the more surreal things of the year. He can never maintain the advantage though and the match always returns to Chicky and Victor controlling. As it looks like Hugo is about to make the tag, Victor is in, causing a distraction so that the ref misses it. With the official trying to get Kane back onto the apron, seeing his partner being double teamed, he just brushes him aside to help out. The crowd react to everything Kane does, every punch he throws, it’s something seeing them react like this. Double clothesline. He grabs Chicky for a chokeslam when their valet slides into the ring and low blows him from behind. Kane must have iron balls as he totally no sells it. Chokeslam for the valet and Chicky is in bits. A chokeslam for Chicky and Hugo with a running splash for the win. For some reason Kane chokeslams Hugo after the match and he ends up being bloodied up by the opposition, Glamour Boy Shane eventually running them off.

What a bizarre show, on the same card that featured Gillberg vs Bob Backlund we get Balls Mahoney vs The Sandman in a Stairway to Hell match. There’s something pretty sad about Balls doing his crowd participation stuff when there are more empty chairs than there are people in attendance. The Sandman’s entrance goes four and a half minutes and that doesn’t even include a very noticeable jump on the video. We then get another minute and a half of unclear mic work from him before he and Balls have a pre-match hug. Some barbed wire is hung from the ceiling, which they either have to retrieve to win or can retrieve to you use against their opponent. One Singapore cane shot and Sandman throws Balls through the ropes to the outside where they start brawling. We’re not even sixty seconds in and he pulls out a table from under the ring which he bridges against the safety railing and whips Balls through. He quickly finds himself a second table which he slides into the ring. Balls begins to fight back, encouraging the fans to shower the ring with their rubbish for some reason. As a result all kinds of trash, empty drinks containers etc. end up in there. This is like a poor man’s version of when the fans threw their chairs into the ring at the ECW Arena that one time. Sandman with a clothesline, he then collects that ladder which he tosses inside. Bulldog onto the ladder. Balls gets in a low blow before positioning that second table next to the now opened out ladder. With the referee holding it firm he begins climbing...slowly. So slow that you know full well he’s getting slammed off the ladder through the table. Which is exactly what happens. Sandman retrieves the barbed wire before grating it across Balls’ forehead. I did wonder whether he thought it worth his while to even bother blading but he does do. As the Sandman sets up a third table Balls kills him with a “holy shit!” chair shot. He lays him on the table, places the barbed wire on his chest and splashes him through it, off the top, for the win. A big time ‘ECW tribute’ feel to this. The opening brawling outside the ring wasn’t bad but there really wasn’t a lot of meat to the match. All the fans seemed interested in were tables, ladders, barbed wire and blood, which they got. Why Balls decided to get them to pelt the ring with garbage I’ll never know.

Y2J is limbering up in the back when he’s approached by Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley who wishes him “good luck” for his upcoming I-C title defense. She says that may surprise him after he interfered and ruined her match with Trish Stratus on Monday, but claims she’s not petty and is going to let her husband deal with him, take the Intercontinental title and beat him within an inch of his life. Jericho warns her that if she even thinks of interfering he’ll make her scream louder than her husband ever has. Stephanie’s sneer is quality. Jericho turns his back on Triple H on the apron as he makes his entrance, ‘the Game’ clubbing him from behind and then launching him at the ring steps. He drops him throat first across the barricade before throwing him into the ring to get the match officially underway. After losing to the Undertaker at Wrestlemania, Michael Cole says that HHH has something to prove here tonight. Y2J charges out the corner and unloads with punches from the mount. He backdrops ‘the Game’ over the top rope to the outside and then nails him with a springboard dropkick. Big plancha off the top turnbuckle to the floor. Jericho misses a missile dropkick and it looks like he hurt his knee when he came crashing down. Triple H chokes him over the rope, Stephanie then slapping the champion across the face as the official admonishes Hunter for doing so. Given his pre-match words to her, that one isn’t going to go down well! DDT by HHH. Sleeper hold, the fans getting behind Y2J. He fires off some elbows to escape and starts to fight back, only for Triple H to cut him off with an eye rake. Jericho ducks the clothesline and connects on the flying forearm. The attempted backdrop is telegraphed and ‘the Game’ with a facebuster. He delays on the Pedigree, Jericho countering it with the Walls, although he can’t fully step over so slingshots him over the turnbuckle into the ringpost instead. Bulldog, Lionsault and now Stephanie is up on the apron. Y2J grabs her, making out he’s going to clock her when Triple H tries to blindside him. That fails and he gets put in the Walls again, this time Jericho having it fully locked in. ‘The Game’ taps but it’s missed by the referee, Stephanie still on the apron distracting him. Commissioner Regal runs out from the back with a chair, Jericho let’s go of the Walls to boot him and then nails him with the chair after he’d dropped it. Stephanie ends up in the Walls and she starts tapping. A hard unprotected chair shot by HHH saves her and a great near fall as Y2J kicks out of the cover. Triple H doesn’t seem too bothered by that, just smirking. He waits for Jericho to get to his feet, gives him the Pedigree and we have a new Intercontinental champion.

Jeff is accompanied by both his brother and Lita in what is “punishment” for the Hardyz having been spotted talking to Shane McMahon on last week’s show. He slides into the ring through the Big Show’s legs but is caught and pressed high, being dropped chest first to the mat. Michael Cole and Tazz are already writing off his chances, even more so with him supposedly not at 100% after TLC II. Matt gets nailed when he climbs up onto the apron, Show then stepping to the outside to drop him across the barricade. He stalks after Lita but she manages to evade him, at least for the time being. Referee Jimmy Korderas is shoved down as he tries to get Show’s mind back on the match in hand. Lita off the top jumps into an almighty paw, however Jeff clobbers Show from behind as he lifts her up for the chokeslam. Show bodyslams Jeff and then signals he’s going upstairs. Christ, I wouldn’t want to be the rigger who set up the ring knowing that Show was going to be coming off the top turnbuckle tonight! He misses the big elbow, Lita with a moonsault, Matt with a top rope legdrop, Swanton by Jeff and the three of them pile on for the cover. Not only does Korderas count, he fast counts too, still disgruntled that Show put his hands on him earlier in the match. All four of them flee to the dressing room with Show on their trail. We return from a commercial to see Show still looking for the Hardy Boyz. He makes the mistake of hammering on the wrong locker room, getting attacked by the Brothers of Destruction, Kane & the Undertaker who beat him down in the hallway.

We get a recap of Regal & Angle’s previous handicap match against Chris Jericho, where things were going the way they wanted until Chris Benoit decided to involve himself. Tazz repeats how they’re uncertain as to whether he did what he did to help Jericho or whether he just wanted to get his hands on Kurt Angle again. Unlike on Raw, where Regal & Angle would have to tag in and out, tonight they’re in the ring at the same time. ‘The Crippler’ low blows his way out of the German and goes for the crossface on Regal only it’s a bit too early. He lands six straight German suplexes, three for each, alternating between the Regal and Angle. The crowd loved that. After throwing Kurt through the turnbuckles into the ring post and out to the floor, he hits a release Dragon suplex on Regal. Another crossface on Regal, Angle is back for the save, however Benoit sees him coming, let’s go of Regal and hooks Kurt with it instead. That was an awesomely executed spot. He’s seconds away from tapping, his hand hovering, when Regal stomps on ‘the Crippler’ to break it up. Regal uppercuts Benoit into an Angle release German. They give him a taste of his own medicine, following that up with a Regal butterfly suplex and an Angle belly to back. Benoit ducks the double clothesline but is caught an Angle overhead belly to belly. Combination Regal stretch/ankle lock and ‘the Crippler’ taps. Kurt refuses to let go of the hold, even ignoring Regal’s half-hearted request for him to do so. It’s only when Chris Jericho runs out that he does let go, Y2J paying back that favour from Monday. I have no idea how long this went, and it wasn’t long at all, but this was a great short match.

Jim Ross is at a loss as to why Steve Austin “sold his soul to Satan himself” and thinks that he has some questions to answer. Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley heads down to the ring to open up Raw, still annoyed with Trish Stratus slapping her father last night at Wrestlemania. She says that payback is a bitch and not only is she going to kick her ass, but whip it too, having already requested and been granted a whipping match for later in the show. She continues that tonight is not about her though, it’s about someone of importance, the most important man in Sports Entertainment, Vince McMahon. Steph hugs her father before leaving him too it, going back to prepare for her upcoming match. Vince is chuffed that tonight he gets to present the World title to ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin the moment he arrives at the buildlng. He reminds everyone that he promised them something shocking at Wrestlemania, and there it was, Vince McMahon united with Steve Austin standing above the Rock. McMahon gets in the face of JR, saying how he’s listened back to his play by play, but surprisingly doesn’t attack him. As he stomps on a Cowboy hat, that he claims was a present from the fans hear in Texas, he’s interrupted by the Rock, Vince giving it the big gulp as Rock paces back and forth in front of the Titantron. Rock’s not mincing his words, straight to the point and demanding a return match. McMahon tells him that’s not going to happen and that Austin isn’t even here yet. When he doesn’t get the answer he wants, Rock says that he’ll have to find some way to change his mind and marches towards the ring. Vince tries reasoning with him and warns him about putting his hands on him, but he doesn’t get the chance, Rock decking him mid-sentence. He puts him in the Sharpshooter, Vince tapping while screaming that he’s got the match. Having got what he wanted he lets him free, however just as he’s about to step through the curtain Vince makes it a Cage match, the smirk indicating that Rock is alright with that. Kevin Kelly tries to get a word with Debra, she’s claiming that she was just as surprised as everyone else over what happened last night. When he asks her outright whether she knew, she walks off saying that she can’t talk about it at the moment. A very proud Mr McMahon is carrying the Heavyweight title to the ring, shining the belt up ready to present to Steve Austin. He introduces ‘Stone Cold’ while Heyman niggles at JR, telling him to stop being a crybaby and be happy for his friend. McMahon hands the strap over, saying how this gives him both personal and professional pride. After the history these two have this is so odd. Austin teases that he’s going to turn on McMahon now that he’s got what he wants but that was just a swerve on the fans. He tells them that he doesn’t owe them an explanation and doesn’t owe them a damn thing and that after they drop that cage later on in the night, don’t figure on him being a 24 hour champion. HHH confronts Mr McMahon backstage, livid that he wasn’t kept informed of his plans, especially after how he spent all of last year kicking Austin’s ass for both of them. McMahon pretty much blows him off which doesn’t sit well with ‘the Game’. Prior to the match we hear from the Rock who says that Steve Austin doesn’t want to give a reason he did what he did because deep down he knows that he can’t beat the Rock one-on-one and that eats him up. He saw the desperation last night in ‘Stone Cold’s’ eyes as he kicked out after every chair shot, after every stunner, and then saw relief in those same eyes when Vince McMahon came down the aisle. While Steve Austin says he doesn’t owe the people anything, the Rock owes the people something, whipping ‘Stone Cold’s’ candy ass all over the Lone Star State! Austin, out second, slams the cage door into Rock’s head as he comes over to greet him, the action kicking off with a brawl around ringside. Rock clocks him with the title belt, Austin getting busted open early. He grinds his forehead across the fencing before shoving the bloodied champion into the ring through the door. ‘Stone Cold’ catches him with a knee to the gut and then slingshots Rock into the top turnbuckle. Spinebuster for a two. He tells Vince McMahon, who had stayed cageside after doing Austin’s introduction, to pass him a chair, which he repeatedly jabs into the Rock’s ribs. As he lifts if over his head, Rock with a double leg takedown into the Sharpshooter. McMahon is trying to get into the ring to interfere, but as referee Tim White prevents him from doing so he doesn’t see Austin tapping. Spinebuster followed by the People’s elbow. Mr McMahon drags White out of there to break up that cover and then saves the title a second time after a Rock Bottom. Austin is looking real weak here. The Rock has had enough and flings McMahon into the cage. He shuts the door and starts beating on him until an Austin low blow stops him in his tracks. Now it’s two-on-one in their favour. Here comes ‘the Game’, sledgehammer in hand. Jim Ross talks about him being irate that he wasn’t involved in any of this and how things are going to explode. Austin and Triple H stare a hole through each other and as it looks like things just might explode, he blasts Rock with the sledgehammer and then drives it into the Rock’s ribs. Was HHH in on it all along? Guess we may have to wait until Smackdown. The three of them beat on Rock leaving him laying. Austin and McMahon together was weird enough after all their history, now adding Triple H to the mix? Yeah, this is a tough one to buy.

During the Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley vs Trish Stratus whipping match earlier in the show, Y2J came out to save Trish after William Regal had interfered to help Stephanie. Backstage Steph had some strong words for the Commissioner, how he has to do something about Chris Jericho, and his answer was to put him in this handicap match against himself and Kurt Angle. Regal has already got some welt on his chest. JR says it is from the match at Wrestlemania; it’s either that or he’s been having some fun backstage getting someone to chop him as a warm up. Paul Heyman doesn’t think Jericho can survive here against both of these men. Angle tries to cheap shot Y2J and although he senses him coming and floors him, the distraction works allowing Regal to get the first shots in. The Commissioner runs into a back elbow and Jericho off the middle with a missile dropkick. Y2J is doing his best to try and keep some distance between his opponents. He applies the Walls to Angle, however Regal with a kick to the face to break that up. European uppercut as they go about working him over. Jericho catches Regal with a spinning heel kick. Bulldog followed by the Lionsault and Angle is in for the save. Y2J kicks him off the apron and then slams him into the ring steps, trying to take him out of the match so that Regal is all alone. As he heads upstairs, Kurt recovers to swipe an ankle. Butterfly suplex off the top by Regal. Kurt with the Olympic slam, he doesn’t go for the cover though, opting to let the Commissioner take the glory. Jericho kicks out of the pin attempt, Angle annoyed that Regal wasted too much time before making it. He cracks Y2J in the back with a chair when he hits the ropes and the Hangman’s Noose neckbreaker gives them the win. They’re not finished, continuing to put the boots in post-match, Chris Benoit saving Jericho as Angle has him trapped in the ankle lock. Heyman says how he didn’t come out here to save Y2J, he came out because he hates Kurt Angle, although stresses that after saving him, Chris Jericho now owes him one.

Crash has been looking for more competition outside of the Light Heavyweight division so made an open challenge, one that has been accepted by Rhyno. We’re informed that everyone involved in the previous evening’s TLC II match has the night off to recover. Nice headscissors take down by Crash. Rhyno is such a great base for these aerial moves, he showed it in ECW and has done so far in the WWF. He reverses the whip to the corner but Crash avoids his charge as he goes crashing in to the turnbuckles. Missile dropkick off the top. That’s no sold and Rhyno with a gore for the win. As he celebrates, he turns around into a Molly-Go-Round, which is very un-Molly like to do something like that after the match! Rhyno no sells that too and then gores her, it being noted first Lita, now her. Your gentle reminder that that was your WWF Light Heavyweight champion jobbing clean in about sixty seconds.

Eddy Guerrero is the new European champion after defeating Test Wrestlemania, getting plenty of help from his Radical buddies in the process. This crowd are hot! They were pumped for the opening segment but even Test is getting a rapturous response. JR says that this is a six-man tag match, although he doesn’t know who Test’s partners are. Eddy makes light of Test no longer being the champion and also that he hasn’t got any friends to back him up. Someone spoke to soon, out stride the APA who’ve got his back. Guerrero immediately high tails it out of the ring, leaving Saturn and Malenko to face the brunt of the opening attack. Bradshaw telegraphs the backdrop and gets floored by a Saturn swinging neckbreaker. Tag to Malenko but its like running into a brick wall when he tries to shoulder barge him. Fallaway slam. Eddy’s off the top with a crossbody, however he gets caught and tossed too. Saturn from behind with a pumphandle suplex as the Radicalz go about double teaming Bradshaw, the official busy dealing with the opposition. They stomp him down, seemingly having singled him out as the man to target. Leg lariat by Malenko. Bradshaw charges out the corner with a big shoulderblock to Saturn and the fight back is on. Saturn tags to Eddy while at the same time Bradshaw hot tags to Test who can finally get his hands on the man who dethroned him last night. Eddy offers his hand, trying to apologise, but that just gets brushed aside. Huge military press dropping Eddy across the top turnbuckle. Gut wrench powerbomb, Malenko in for the save. Tilt-a-whirl slam on Malenko. Saturn with a belly to back followed by his spinning cradle suplex finisher. Faarooq breaks that up as the match breaks down. Test with a full nelson slam on Saturn for a near fall. Terri, who is on the apron, gets dragged into the ring, but while Saturn comes to her rescue, he then walks into an almighty big boot that gives Team Test the victory. Test was great as the hot tag and seeing him in something like this you do feel he could’ve been so much more than what he was. The way he throws that big boot especially looks devastating, although admittedly a fair percentage of the plaudits for that go to the guys selling it. Eddy continues to be a treat and he really doesn’t need to be aligned/saddled with Malenko and Saturn any more. They’ve already got Benoit away from them, sooner rather than later now for Eddy please.

Vince McMahon is in his dressing room along with Stephanie, Linda and Trish Stratus, Vince wanting to make sure Linda is fully medicated as he doesn’t want her to become over-excited with it being Wrestlemania. He’s interrupted by Michael Cole who is after some thoughts on the “shocking development” of his son Shane buying WCW. McMahon tells him that if he wants shocking, tonight he’ll get it. Even going as far as to guarantee it. We get a recap of the McMahon family troubles; Vince telling Linda that he wants a divorce, him grossly making out with Trish right in front of her, Shane attacking his father before challenging him to a match at Wrestlemania and finally Shane buying WCW from under Vince’s nose. Shane gives a special shout-out to some of his new friends, some of the” young stars of WCW.” It looks like they got the worst seats in the house, right at the back of the arena, the camera unable to find them amongst the masses! Belatedly it does and they all appear to be bored rotten. I see Johnny Ace, Hugh Morrus, Stacey Keibler, Shawn Stasiak, Mark Jindrak, Mike Sanders and possibly Lance Storm and Chavo Guerrero Jr. At least Stacey waves when she realises the camera is on them. Mick Foley, the special guest referee, is introduced by Shane. Vince slaps his son hard before unloading with some awful looking punches. Shane explodes out the corner with a spear, his punches every bit as bad as his dad’s. Stephanie is in the ring between them and when her words to Shane have no effect, she slaps him. The new boss of WCW has already got some swelling under his right eye so someone laid something in on him. Baseball slide dropkick as the action spills to the outside. Flying lariat off the barricade, Steph practically in tears at what she’s witnessing. Shane collects a Kendo stick from under the ring. The obvious question being what is a Kendo stick doing under there? He does his Muhammad Ali impression which doesn’t look as ridiculous then as it does now. After blasting Vince in the head with a monitor he falls onto the Spanish announcer’s table. Shane climbs to the top turnbuckles and Steph is begging him not to jump. When he does, she pulls her father out the way and Shane crashes through it. With Shane down, Trish pushes a sedated Linda to ringside, following Vince’s earlier orders to wait until Shane looks completely done for. Trish goes over to check on Vince to make sure he’s okay, only to slap him, payback for everything he has done to her in the previous weeks. Steph slaps Trish, who in return charges Steph into the apron. The women end up going at it in the ring, Mick Foley happy to stand back and let them do so. As soon as Steph looks to be getting the better of things, then he steps in to separate them. She doesn’t appreciate his interference so slaps him. Has anyone not been slapped yet? Foley stalks after Steph who takes flight to the dressing room, Trish in hot pursuit. Vince notices that Linda is now at ringside and goes to say something to her when he’s stopped in his tracks by Foley, warning him “don’t even think about it.” Mick tries to wheel her out of harms way when he’s blasted over the back and head with a steel chair. Vince rolls Linda into the ring and then sits her in a chair so she can witness what he’s about to do to their son. He throws Shane inside followed by multiple garbage cans. After wearing two of them out on him he lifts a third over his head, at which point Linda gets up from the chair and the place erupts. An absolutely outrageous pop for her. She kicks Vince in the family jewels and Mick Foley has recovered to dish out some punishment for the attack on him, beating Vince down into the corner. Shane wedges a garbage can in front of his father and hits a coast to coast dropkick, blasting that thing into his face. He makes the cover, hooking the leg and this one’s over. The WCW guys are shown applauding the victory, only slightly more enthusiastically than when we saw them earlier! When you see these two throwing punches you can only imagine how bad it would’ve been had they tried to do a straight up wrestling match. A pure soap driven story, entertaining fare, but all smoke and mirrors. The pop Linda got for just getting to her feet was unbelievable.

So let’s see if Dalip Singh/Great Khali has managed to develop at all since I watched him last year. He’s in there with one of the better, if drabbest, APW workers at least. The opening moments sees Singh pretty much no-sell whatever Morgan tries. The Giant does like to show off his physique that’s for sure. Huge, and I mean huge, press slam. Singh drops the leg but Morgan manages to kick out of the cover. Morgan escapes the chokeslam by stomping on his foot, the clotheslines having no effect before a running bodypress takes him off his feet for the first time. As well as showing off his muscles, Singh also like to “raise the roof”, either that or he’s signalling for another press slam. Crazily Morgan tries a crucifix, transitioning it into a sunset flip for a two count. Bubba bomb by Singh, this time though they’re too close to the ropes. Morgan escapes the tilt-a-whirl and goes for an O’Connor Roll; which like most things tonight doesn’t work either. Belatedly he dropkicks him in the knee, finally thinking that his best port of call here will be to try and take one of the Giant’s wheels out. A dropkick sends Singh falling into the ropes where he entangles himself, the old Andre the Giant spot that he would do in most matches. He clotheslines him over the top rope to the floor and then connects on a plancha from the top turnbuckle. Two guys are shown at the entrance way watching on, the blonde haired chap looks very much like the wrestler in the APW section of Beyond the Mat who had to be held back from attacking a fan after they had spat at him. Back inside the ref ends up getting bumped when Morgan is thrown into him. Blondie is on the apron but Morgan nails him and picks up the chair he was holding, placing it in the middle of the ring. Singh counters the monkey flip (I know. Why?) with a chokebomb. After Blondie involves himself again, the official comes around to see Singh holding the chair and he disqualifies the Giant. I can give a few positives, despite being ponderous at time Singh does have some sort of athleticism, he also has a freakishly good physique. Still, he was controlling the vast majority of this match, which maybe he had to, but it was longer than it honestly needed to be. Super cheap lame ending too. Not recommended (which you probably expected anyway!).

DDP has recovered from Monday night and has the World champion, ‘Big Poppa Pump’, in his sites. Steiner hops out to the floor to try and slow the initial Page onslaught but is caught by a pescado. Senior Official Nick Patrick getting a special shout out, making his in ring return here after working behind the scenes for a bit. Page off the top with a flying clothesline. Rhodes drops a fist to the face of Jarrett which he follows with the Flip, Flop and Fly. Another top rope clothesline by Page. Steiner clubs him in the back as he hits the ropes, that has minimal effect but is enough of a distraction to allow ‘Double J’ to get the upper hand on him. There are lots of empty seats visible right in front of camera. They go about getting the heat on Page, Tony Schiavone saying how Rick Steiner knows how to torture opponents. Viewers too! DDP fights his way out of the opposition’ corner with an infatuated sounding Schiavone calling him “amazing!” Steiner catches a kick and spins Page around who then connects with a Discus lariat. Tag to Dustin and unlike minutes earlier, it’s seen by the referee. He’s about to give Jarrett the Dust Buster (the new, terrible, name for Shattered Dreams) when ‘the DFG’ runs at him with a Steinerline. That’s ducked and Steiner accidentally takes out Patrick. Belly to belly on Dustin. Ric Flair rushes down to the ring to count the pin however DDP breaks it up before he can reach three. Page slugs Flair. Swinging neckbreaker on Steiner. He goes for the Diamond Cutter but ‘the DFG’ shoots him off into the ropes, Flair pulling down the top one as he goes sailing out over it to the outside. Jarrett breaks a guitar over Dustin’s back and then gives him the Stroke, Patrick turning over to count the fall. Totally Buff, Chuck Palumbo & Sean O’Haire, Team Canada and finally Konnan & Hugh Morrus all show up post-match to heighten the PPV, the faces running the Magnificent Seven and friends out of there.

It completely passed me by until reading it in the Observer, but Zoltan Boscik passed away just a few days ago too (7/25 to be precise).

I believe this is the first time we’ll have seen one of the Briscoe brothers in singles action in the project. Eric Gargiulo says that Jay isn’t in attendance tonight so a big test for Mark here. Berk starts out fast, wanting revenge for what happened in Smyrna. He holds onto the ropes and as Mark charges, backdrops him over the top rope out onto the Dew. Running flip dive off a chair onto both. Jay is here! He was hid under the ring and pulls a switcheroo with his brother. Despite the overwhelming and blatant evidence that that just happened, John House saw nothing and doesn’t know what his broadcast partner is talking about. Berk lands on his feet from the monkey flip and runs through Jay with a couple of clothesline. He slides to the floor and, as the Dew causes a distraction, the Briscoes swap places again. Mark with a rolling Northern Lights suplex into a brainbuster, which Gargiulo calls a Modest Driver, but they’re too close to the ropes. Berk avoids what I can best describe as a moonsault senton and we get another switcheroo. The Dew hooks Berk’s ankle and pulls him to the outside where he holds him in position for a Jay corkscrew tope suicida. Back in the ring Berk ducks a clothesline, snatches an arm and hits a release Dragon suplex. As the brothers look to change places again, despite Berk’s best efforts to let blind Brian Logan know what’s going on, he’s not seeing a thing. Berk Driver. The Dew is on the apron and as Berk goes over to get him Mark pulls Jay from the ring and switches places with him, lying on the mat as if he’s the one who’s just been on the receiving end of it. Mark rolls out the way of the frog splash and then lands a moonsault for the win. As the Briscoe’s leave they’re jumped by Ruckus, Dewey Donovan fleeing from the scene before they’re able to get their hands on him. After the opening bit of hesitancy between Mark and Berk this turned into a pretty good match and I liked the story they told.

Ruckus is nailed from behind by a chair swinging Mark Briscoe as he makes his entrance. That appears to have been a plan orchestrated by The Dew so that Blade will be all alone against the future H8 Club. I don’t think he bargained on someone coming to Ruckus’ aid, we get literally a fleeting shot as action is going on in the ring at the same time, but I’m pretty sure it was Nick Berk who does so. Blade takes out Hatred with a spin kick and another for Gage, those missing by a country mile. As they regroup on the floor, a recovered Ruckus hits an Orihara moonsault onto them. If you’ve never seen him, Ruckus is a short, chubby little guy who can do some amazing acrobatics that defy his physique. Blade goes for a flip dive although the H8 Club pretty much block it, cushioning the blow. They then press him overhead and launch him into the chairs as if he was a dart. That looked nasty. After the opening excitement things settle down with Hatred, who still gets continual abuse from the CZW fans, working over Ruckus. The Razzle Dazzle! Gage is in but he gets taken out by a Blade corkscrew bodyblock. Stereo standing moonsaults. Gage snatches Ruckus around the throat and chokeslams him onto his knee. Double shoulder charge. Ruckus with a tip up over the incoming Gage, he then runs to the opposite corner and comes off the top with some twisting move that allows him to hot tag Blade. A handspring kick to the face and a kick for Hatred on the apron, the two ending up on the concrete. Ruckus grabs and holds them in position for what was supposed to be a Blade springboard Shooting Star but it ended up more like a springboard senton. That was awful, even for him! I think he cracked his head too on someone as it looks like he’s hurt himself...for a change! Blade throws Hatred back inside and proceeds to botch a huracanrana and then slips on the quebrada. Gargiulo covers for him saying with the way he’s holding his head he may have given himself a concussion on the Shooting Star. Not one to give up he hits a springboard 450 splash that started with him in the ring and switching position on the top rope. He elaborately sets up a bunch of chairs on the outside and while things don’t quite go as planned, Hatred ends up being slammed from the top turnbuckle into the construction. Gage is lay in wait and when Blade returns to the ring he flattens him with a roaring elbow. Blade blocks the powerbomb off the top but then Gage slips and crotches himself. You work with Blade you catch his botchiness! They reset the spot up, under firmer footing, and Blade barely counters the powerbomb with a huracanrana (the Kid Kash/E.Z. Money spot). Blade superkicks Gage into a Ruckus German suplex, the idiot then flies over hooking the legs but in doing so ends up in the ropes and the ref has to stop the count. Hatred stuffs a Blade springboard with a clothesline. He sets up some chairs and Blade takes an outrageous flip bump off a killer clothesline into them. The H8 Club slide a table into the ring although that’s got a broken leg. It’s like a metaphor for this match. Ruckus saves Blade from being suicideplexed through the table but ends up being put through it himself after a Gage frog splash, that one ending this not a moment too soon. How new to CZW is Ruckus because the crowd seemed in awe of his acrobatics. This wasn’t bad at first and I liked the H8 Club’s working over of Ruckus, but it turned into a disaster from the moment Blade blew that springboard Shooting Star. By the time he slipped on the quebrada I was just laughing to myself and then it just went on and on from there.

Prior to the match we get a run down of the IPW “Top Ten” which includes George ‘the Animal’ Steele, Jerry Lawler, Julio Denaro (sic), The Patriot and the current champion, King Kong Bundy! This appears to be a different IPW to the Florida group with the same initials. Guido’s entrance music has been silenced, presumably for copyright issues, although he’s having some fun shadow boxing against this one fan in the front row. The Chairman (I assume?) of IPW is out and says that they have a problem as Guido’s scheduled opponent didn’t show up. Guido thinks it’s understandable someone wouldn’t show if they know they’re wrestling him, so suggests they raise his hand and he can get out of this hick town. The Chairman says it’s not that easy in the IPW and that this is an important match because the winner also gets a Buick car from their sponsors. He just happens to have an opponent for him, someone from his past, Mikey Whipwreck. Guido takes some time out early as Mikey gets the better of the opening wrestling exchanges. Nice transition from the bodyscissors into the Fujiwara armbar, Mikey rolling through to alleviate the pressure. He pulls Guido to the outside dumping him across the guard rail before lying him across the timekeeper’s table where he places the ring bell over his groin which he rings. Back inside Guido reverses the Irish whip keeping hold of the arm and hits a Sicilian Slice. He tosses Mikey to the concrete however he steps out the way of the pescado, seeing it coming a mile away. They head up to the stage area, Mikey blasting Guido in the head with a plant pot. Bodyslam on the wooden stage. On returning to the ring the two trade chops in the middle. Spinning DDT by Mikey. He unloads with punches in the corner, Guido lifts him up as if for a powerslam but Mikey counters with a huracanrana for a near fall. Guido blocks the tornado DDT, there are all sorts of reversals and then Mikey catches him with the Whippersnapper for the win and the car from the sponsors. Reminded me of an ECW house show match and an easy way to pass ten minutes or so. Actually, considering how many of the old ECW crew have been half-assing it or going through the motions, this is probably towards the upper end of matches in the post-ECW climate from the former regulars.

No audio at the start of this, the onscreen graphic saying the ring music has been removed due to copyright. Hamrick is accompanied by a rather busty valet. This looks a pretty decent set up for a local federation, there’s even a second ring next to the one they’re wrestling in for some reason. The referee gets between them to break the initial lock up, as he does so Hamrick claps his hands together and falls to the mat, acting as if York cheapshotted him. When he gets to his feet he’s wanting the official to raise his hand and award him the match by DQ. The same happens a second time, Hamrick saying “that’s twice” now. York with a couple of atomic drops so Hamrick can comically sell those, he then ends up accidentally posting himself when trying to slide out the ring backwards. Things don’t get any better for him, being ridden like a horse following a drop toe hold and also taking his trademark bump through the ropes to the outside. He’s had enough for the night, setting off to the dressing room after first giving everyone in the building the finger. Of course he has a change of heart, York slingshotting him back inside from the apron. Hamrick gets backdropped over the top rope into the second ring and York with a super sunset flip before they run through some Guerrero/Malenko stuff. York ties Hamrick in the Tree of Woe and stands on his groin. The busty valet hooks York’s ankle allowing Hamrick to catch him with a suplex dropped into a stunner. They return to ring number one where he teases a springboard leg drop, only to land on his feet and just cover York instead. He telegraphs the backdrop and York with a DDT, however only moments later he telegraphs one of his own and gets spiked with a piledriver. Springboard legdrop a good two thirds of the way across the ring for a near fall. And into ring two again. York counters the top rope rana with an inverted atomic drop, he makes the cover but the valet is distracting the referee. The distraction also allows her man to get back into this. Face first suplex dropping York across his own knee. As he comes off the top though York nails him in the bread basket and then hits what is like an inverted Ki Krusher for the win. The valet gets her comeuppance post-match, being put over York’s knee and spanked after she had slapped him. Christian York didn’t bring much to the table here but a highly entertaining performance from Chris Hamrick. The opening was all shtick and he was great at it and if it wasn’t for flicking everyone the bird I would’ve been certain they were working it for the kids in attendance. I thought they made good use of the second ring too, although York really could’ve been anybody in there.

Judging by the onscreen graphic Jim Neidhart was on a UK tour and this match took place on one of the shows, the venue being some local leisure centre that you will find in most towns in the UK. There’s a big time World of Sport feel to the opening of this with the pace they’re working and how they’re working a hold, then all of a sudden Ryan will try a flying armbar out of nowhere or Moss will look for a cross armbar submission, so adding a modern take to things. Lots of crowd interaction and getting them involved too. Maybe they got them too involved as when they end up on the outside after things have heated up security have to intervene to stop one fan hitting Ryan with his inflatable hammer! On returning to the ring the pace does pick up slightly. Ryan reverses the Irish whip, holding onto the arm and hammerlocking it behind Moss’ back resulting in an inverted Judo throw. He starts choking Moss which leads to the ref having to physically pull him off by the hair. The kids loved that spot! Moss gets whipped to the corner but leaps to the middle turnbuckle and backflips over Ryan. Head & Arm suplex followed by this great looking German that folds him up. Ryan avoids the diving headbutt, which was the full length of the ring, and hits a Michinoku Driver. He spends too long posing and admiring his work as when he goes for it a second time Moss floats over and rolls him up for the three. The crowd may not be big in number but they respond big to Moss getting the win. I’ve been watching a fair bit of CZW and JAPW in the project recently so something like this is such a welcome change. I thought Moss was really good and could easily have followed say a Doug Williams to the U.S. if he had so desired.

The camera is either inside the cage or shooting through a small gap in the corner, either way we’re right on top of things. Mr Business has a mullet that puts the Rock & Rolls’ to shame. Robert is looking very old and very out of shape, it’s amazing seeing him here to think that practically twenty years later he’s still wrestling. The match itself is fought more like a fight, with all four men in the ring, so there is always something going on. Mr Business gets thrown into the cage and is not too subtle about drawing the blade across his forehead. The Main Attraction gets a bit of heat on Ricky until he hits a DDT. As he has a sleeper on Mr Business, the Attraction’s manager throws a chain into the cage. That is either intercepted by Robert or Robert grabs it away from Mr Pleasure, you don’t get the clearest view of what actually happened. Robert wraps it around his fist and starts blasting the opposition when the referee catches him with it and disqualifies the Rock & Rolls. They tease attacking him post-match but he gets out of dodge. Ricky has some words and although the audio isn’t the clearest it sounds like he challenges them to a street fight somewhere down the line. Finish was appalling, a DQ in a cage match? You don’t even have to have someone being pinned here if that’s the problem, just have the finish being someone exiting over the top of the cage. On first impression of the Main Attraction the match went better than I expected, up until the finish that is. I don’t think Robert took a single bump all match though, the closest we got was him dropping to one knee after being punched.

This is clipped and we see around seven minutes of highlights from a fifteen minute match. I’m getting an amateur wrestling vibe from Yuasa, especially with the tape over his ears, like Rugby players do to try and reduce the cauliflowering. Hamada has a stiff looking clothesline that he drops Yuasa with, Yuasa also kicking out of a Mask tombstone piledriver. Sasuke with an Asai moonsault to the floor on Hamada. A quality round the world headscissors by Nishida that sends Togo to the outside. Shotgun dropkick off the top by Yuasa. He catches a Mask kick and takes him down with a great looking Dragon screw, transitioning to a Figure Four. Hamada is forced to make the save, bypassing Sasuke who was keeping guard and trying to prevent anyone from doing so. We get a brief bit of Togo and Hamada working together which is good. Togo gets caught when he goes upstairs for the senton and Hamada lands a top rope Frankensteiner. Sasuke with a Swanton to the apron on Nishida. Mask nails Yuasa with a missile dropkick, sits him up top for a butterfly suplex and then locks in a seated crossface chicken wing for the submission.

The opening to this is like some U.S. indie match. Apache does have a lovely armdrag and after a second Hamada rolls to the outside. Faby teases the suicide dive but thinks better of it when Hamada steps backwards out of range. Hamada escapes a rear naked choke and then an attempted armbar, locking in a submission of her own. The reversals are pretty crisp here. A cool combination camel clutch/sleeper by Faby, Hamada managing to grab her foot which causes her to lose balance and release the hold. She kicks away at the left hamstring and it looks like that might be her focus. Apache crawls to the ropes in order to break the Boston crab but Hamada drags her back to the centre where she ties her up again in an Indian Deathlock. The whip to the corner is reversed and Hamada backdrops the incoming Faby out onto the apron. She lands on her feet though and leaps to the top turnbuckle, coming off with a flying armdrag takedown. Flying headscissors and Hamada takes her second trip to the floor of the match. Corkscrew plancha! Hamada avoids the Lionsault and then counters the huracanrana with a single leg crab. She’s really cranking back on that. After another rope break Hamada tries a Bow & Arrow hold although hasn’t really got it fully applied. When Hamada goes upstairs she’s met by Faby who armdrags her back to the mat. Fujiwara armbar, and in a reversal of how things have gone so far, it’s Hamada who is now looking to get to the ropes, which she eventually does. Hamada avoids the shotgun dropkick but gets caught with a sit-out powerbomb for a near fall. It looks like she’s got nothing left as Apache struggles to pull her to her feet only to connect on a desperation enzuigiri. Baseball slide dropkick sends Faby to the outside. Top rope quebrada! Hamada drags her back into the ring, sits her on the top turnbuckle and hits an Ace Crusher for the win. The wrestling was of a good standard, certainly better than plenty of men’s stuff I’ve watched this year already, but there didn’t seem to be any story or flow to this for me. Maybe Hamada’s targeting of Apache’s hamstring but it didn’t feel that was a constant thing she seemed to be focusing on. Not a bad watch, although pretty forgettable overall I’d say.

Joined in progress, Yoshida treating Fujita with utter disdain, as if she’s nothing. Double underhook facebuster, she then picks Fujita up at two so she can continue to punish her. Hamada is in, having seen enough, which in turn brings in AKINO and we get a double sleeper spot. Yoshida ties Fujita up, Ai rolling and scrambling as she looks to reach the ropes, eventually doing so, for the break. AKINO accidentally hits her own partner on the flying crossbody when Fujita moves out the way, any momentum she may gain being short lived as she gets planted with a powerbomb. Yoshida is back to showing her contempt so Hamada nails her from behind with a missile dropkick. Great springboard dropkick by AKINO to Hamada. Again Hamada tries to save her partner, this time though Yoshida ducks out the way and she gets caught with an AKINO flying armbar. That takes her out the equation, Yoshida then gives Fujita three Air Raid Crashes before choking her out for the win. Hamada and Yoshida exchange words post-match, although my eyes are drawn to what looks like a globule of spit in Yoshida’s hair!

Both joined in progress and also clipped. Bionic J is the powerhouse of the four, she’s got a much thicker body than everyone else. After Mita avoids the shoulder charge in the corner J goes flying through the ropes to the floor, the match spilling to the outside. J gets piledriven on a chair on the stage, busting her open. The ref stops Mita from using a chair in the ring while some women in a dress is covering J to shield her. Shimoda digs her fingers into the cut on J’s forehead as she tries to open it up more. Omukai gets hold of a stick, going to town on the opposition with it. Combination Razor’s Edge/middle rope legdrop gets them a two count. Shimoda with a Tiger suplex on Omukai. J uses that stick to save Omukai from the Death Valley bomb. Shimoda accidentally cracks Mita over the head with a chair and J hits a sit-out Fireman’s carry slam for a great near fall. After looking for it several times throughout the match already, Mita eventually is able to land the Death Valley bomb on J to put her down for the three. Mita & Shimoda look to have won or retained some belts, they also have a pair of trophies. Post-match everyone hugs and embraces along with the smartly dressed woman who was trying to protect Bionic J earlier.

Reckless addresses the fans but the audio’s not too clear as to what he says. I don’t think it was anything too complimentary as you hear Hat Guy shout “No wonder you didn’t win the Super 8 Tournament you prick!” Rob Feinstein is still trying to play the comedian on commentary. At one point early Doug Gentry cuts to him and Eric Gargiulo up in the Eagle’s Nest and you see him laughing at his own “jokes”. Title bout for the “coveted” Jersey All Pro Light Heavyweight title. So far this is more like a dance than a wrestling match. Reckless locks on an Octopus submission and rolls backwards as he stretches Blade out. Slingshot senton. Handspring kick by Blade. Reckless rolls to the outside and Blade with a corkscrew Orihara moonsault. Feinstein couldn’t tell from their vantage point if Blade landed on his head from that. It’s Ric Blade, automatically assume he did. Christ, just like in the CZW tag last week, Blade slips when he goes for that springboard 450, crotching himself on the top rope. He was holding his head and taking his time prior so he very well may have knocked himself out again, Gargiulo noting he did exactly that the last time he wrestled at the ECW Arena. Draping DDT by Reckless. He sits on a Dragon sleeper looking to give Blade a bit of time to try and recover. Bombs Away kneedrop for a two count. Japanese wrestling expert Rob Feinstein thinks Reckless has been studying his Hakushi video tapes when he pulls out one move, saying how Hakushi uses it in both New Japan and Toryumon. I though Hakushi was a Michinoku Pro guy? Reckless works over the leg while Blade pretty much just lies there, still trying to get his bearings. He misses a middle rope legdrop and I mean misses, Blade didn’t even move he deliberately missed him. Blade is fucked, although he does catch Reckless with a neckbreaker. Samoan drop/nip up/standing moonsault sequence. Spinning release cradle suplex. Flying elbow, Blade almost losing his balance on the top turnbuckle. As he climbs them again Reckless gets underneath and powerbombs him to the mat. Brainbuster for a near fall. Reckless gets caught when he goes upstairs but manages to fight off the superplex and land an awesome looking tornado DDT. That sends Blade to the floor, where he’s joined by Reckless who drags him towards the back of the building. Ric Blade crazy ass dive coming in! A table has been conveniently placed right behind the curtain so Blade doesn’t have to go far looking for one. Reckless avoids the Swanton from high above the entrance way and Blade goes crashing through the table himself. RF branching out into instant replays to show that one again, a spot Feinstein compares to Jimmy Snuka and Bob Backlund. I wouldn’t have had Insane Dragon do a dive from there earlier in the show if Blade was also going to do one. They return to the ring Blade rolling out the way of the 2 Cold Scorpio tumbleweed. Shooting Star headbutt by Blade and he’s hurt himself again. Of course that should’ve been a Shooting Star press but he botched it. Considering his batting average when it comes to Shooting Stars and how poorly they always end up he was foolish to attempt that. 450 splash and what Gargiulo calls a “classic” is over. The two hug it out post-match, Reckless straps the belt around Blade’s waist while a highly optimistic Feinstein believes that we’ll be seeing Ric Blade in the World Wrestling Federation one day. The same comments that apply to the vast majority of Ric Blade’s matches apply here. It was all too co-operative at first and really did feel like a dance, then he KO’d himself for at least the third time this year already. Good stuff by Reckless in covering and trying to slow things down to give him a chance to recover. I always enjoy Reckless’ innovation and he did it again here with that tornado DDT, while I can’t remember ever seeing him do the tumbleweed previously. The obligatory nuts Blade dive in there, although he needs to retire that springboard 450, twice in a row he’s crotched himself when attempting it.