Monday, January 11, 2021

Ruthless Aggression Era Project: WWE Monday Night Raw Review - December 16th, 2002

WWE Monday Night Raw 

December 16th, 2002

Orlando, FL

Commentary - Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler

1) Victoria & Steven Richards vs. Trish Stratus & Test (w/ Stacy Keibler) 

Sunday, January 10, 2021

WWE: 205 Live Review - January 8th, 2021

WWE: 205 Live
January 8th, 2021

Commentary - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph

1) Ashante Adonis vs. Ariya Davari

Simple little match here. Davari is the veteran heel. He works the leg of Adonis and Adonis sells it well all match. Davari gets a good false finish out of a figure four, but Adonis reverses it and ends up hitting his super kick style finisher "long kiss goodnight" for the win.

Match rating - **1/4

William Regal appears onscreen to announce that 205 Live is included in the NXT Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic Tournament and matches start next week!

2) Curt Stallion & August Grey vs. The Bollywood Boys 

Decent little match to get both teams more established heading into the tag team tourney. Stallion & Grey looked great together and hit some wild stuff near the end of this match, I'm excited to see what they do in the tournament. And subsequently, they get the victory here!

Match rating - **1/2

WWE: 205 Live Review - January 1st, 2021

WWE: 205 Live
January 1st, 2021

Commentators - Nigel McGuinness & Vic Joseph


WHOA, hello! Here's my every 4 months or so 205 Live Review. It all began just because the six man tag main event peaked my interest so let's just review the whole thing it's only two friggin matches. 

Mansoor competes to open the show, but first! Cameras followed him back to Saudia Arabia on his trip home for the holidays. 

1) Jake Atlas vs. Mansoor

I love Jake Atlas. This was a super well worked match. Atlas targeted the neck of Mansoor and Mansoor targeted the leg/knee of Atlas. They kept focus on both of those things all match and kept me into it from bell to bell so I'd say that's a win. Atlas hits a big brainbuster for a two count and goes to the second rope only to eat a dragon screw from Mansoor followed by a pinning combo with the leg wrapped up for the three count. 

Match rating - **3/4

2) Curt Stallion & Ever-rise vs. Ariya Davari & The Bollywood Boys

This was a fuckin hoot! I just saw a six man tag and figured it'd be worth a look and it sure was. Everrise is the former 3.0, a Canadian team that I used to watch on the Indies years ago so seeing them again was a blast, as was this match as a whole. These guys showed they deserve some opportunities on NXT for sure. With Everrise and The Bollywood Boys being in the upcoming Dusty Cup, it also built some excitement for that. Stallion & Everrise win a super fun trios contest. Nothing to write home about, but for something on this show to actually feel like it has some life to it is a feat in itself.

Match rating - ***

Friday, January 8, 2021

WWE: NXT UK Review - January 7th, 2020

WWE: NXT UK 
January 7th, 2021 

Commentators - Nigel McGuinness & Andy Shepherd 

1) Piper Niven vs. Jinni - #1 Contenders Match 

The winner of this gets a shot at Kay Lee Ray’s NXT UK Women’s Championship. Niven is the fan favorite and Jinni is the heel. They do a good job of establishing that even to a relatively new viewer. This honestly was a pretty good little match. Joseph Connors comes out and helps Jinni score the cheap victory. Poor Piper :( 

Match rating - **1/4 

Aoife Valkyrie video package airs 

Video package for Tyler Bate. He talks about dealing with his loss in the Heritage Cup and what he’s learned. Grad well is seen watching the video and isn’t impressed, they will face off next week. 

They do this sit down interview segment to introduce Ben Carter to the roster. Apparently it’s called SUPERNOVA SESSIONS and Noam Dar is the host. Dear lord. I’m new to watching actual whole episodes of NXT UK so don’t hate. Ben Carter sent shockwaves through wrestling with his appearance and match on AEW Dark and before AEW could even jump to sign him, WWE struck first and brought Ben to NXT UK. Here, Dar pronounces his name wrong and does a bunch of jokey shit. Carter says he’s here to face the best the wrestling world has to offer. Cruserweight champion Jordan Devlin shows up and Ben Carter somehow gets himself into a title match TONIGHT! Let’s go!!

2) Dave Mastiff vs. Saxon Huxley 

NJPW: New Year’s Dash 2021 Review - January 6th, 2021

NJPW: New Years Dash 
January 6th, 2021
Tokyo City Hall 

Time to see what’s next for New Japan in 2021! 

1) Yuji Nagata vs. Gabriel Kidd

Thursday, January 7, 2021

WWE: NXT New Years Evil Review - January 6th, 2021

NXT New Year’s Evil 
January 6th, 2021 


Dexter Lumis opens the show in an empty dark arena. He finds the power and cuts it on and the arena lights up and we get into our opening music and introduction stuff. He's the host for tonight.

1) Damian Priest vs. Karrion Kross (w/ Scarlett) 

Wednesday, January 6, 2021

AEW Dynamite - New Years Smash Night One Review - January 6th, 2021

AEW Dynamite
New Years Smash Night One
January 6th, 2021 

Commentators - Excalibur, Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, & Chris Jericho 


1) The Young Bucks, Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian vs. Jack Evans, Angelico, & The Acclaimed

Perrrrrfect way to kick off 2021 and this show. The Acclaimed does a rap and it’s actually funny, The Bucks are riled up and so is the crowd. The action here almost never slows down and it shouldn’t have. Just super fast paced stuff with a crazy spot or two down the stretch. Daniels ends up with a slightly scraped/bloody nose, but he, Kazarian & The Bucks come out on top. 

Match rating - ***

Post match, Daniels & Kazarian confirm the rumors that if they lose another tag match they will stop teaming together, however, they want The Bucks one on one so they can not only become champs, but also beat the best tag team in the world. Bucks & SCU shake hands so I guess that’s happening sometime soon down the line? I’m up for it! Bucks/Daniels & Kazarian is always a good match and with these high stakes? I think they’ll deliver something great.

UP NEXT: Jon Moxley returns! 

Awesome Moxley promo aaaaaas usual. It is very weird seeing him without the World Title. He says he isn’t gonna bitch & moan and he isn’t gonna attack Kenny tonight because he has a championship match with Fenix, someone who has been fighting for this chance for over a decade. He says he will get even with Kenny and then some, and Kenny will realize he screwed over the wrong guy.

Backstage it’s CHUCK AND ORANGE. Trent is out for 4-5 months with a torn pec :( Miro interrupts and offers for Chuck to be his young boy basically. Chuck responds with a counter offer of “How about I beat your big goofy ass in the center of the ring next week?” And I DIEEEEEDD LMAO. So that match is set for next week and I’m stoked.  

2) Wardlow vs. Jake Hager 

Our Lord and Savior Wardlow has done it again. He pulled a banger out of Jake Hager in a match that has been somewhat anticipated since MJF & Wardlow joined Inner Circle and Wardlow & Hager kept staring at each other. Wardlow showed here yet again that he has potential to be a successful singles star with his power and agility setting this match apart from being a plodding big man match. Just great shit. And he hit Hager with the F-10 for a clean pin????? Nuts!

Match rating - ***1/4

Private Party is backstage and Snoop Dogg walks up. Matt Hardy joins and presents them with their contracts to I guess be managed or whatever by him. 

TNT Title Match Weigh In

Team Taz looks sick as always. Ricky Starks is such a legend. Darby is out next. Taz makes a big deal about Cage having to weigh in first. Cage weighs in at 270 and Darby at 170. A 100 pound difference. Darby gets the mic and cuts a rare promo in ring. He says this match has been building 27 years because he’s been dealing with shit from people like them all his life. Darby says we all know how this ends so let’s get to the fun part and gets his skateboard ready for an assault. Before the numbers can take control, lights go out and Sting shows up. Sting saves Darby once again. As they all stand in the snow and Team Taz flees to the stage. Taz drives the build for next week home in saying he’s tired of Sting and he’s tired of Darby and next week, Cage is taking the TNT title from him “you rotten son of a bitch.” Darby feels so.... larger than life right now. Sting by his side also helps big time. I’m just ready to see what this relationship is and maybe see something from Sting besides these walk out appearances he’s been doing each week. 

Replays of Dark last night, where Marko and Brodie Lee Jr. had a confrontation. Jurassic Express is up for an interview and FTR interrupts to make fun of them and Stunt in particular. This leads to FTR vs. Marko/Jungle Boy being made for next week!

3) Cody Rhodes (w/ Snoop Dogg) vs. Matt Sydal 

Happy to see Matt getting a big TV match here against Cody. It isn’t bad once they shook the cobwebs out in the early going. Sydal hit a nice shooting star press and Cody had to hit two cross rhodes to put him away. 

Match rating - **1/2

Post match, Luther & Serpentico attack Cody and Sydal. I guess cause Cody threw Sydal onto them at ringside during the match. They fight back and set Serpentico up for a shooting star, but Snoop Dogg stops them and HITS A SPLASH OFF THE TOP ROPE DEAR LORD LMAO. 

4) Hikaru Shida (c) vs. Abadon - AEW Women’s World Title Match 

This was so weird and sorta bad. Abadon is a character I’ve been neutral on, but them doing a bit where she crawls under the ring and bites Shida’s neck... man. This didn’t feel like some AEW shit at all. I’m disappointed because if you discount that, the match wasn’t too bad, still though, there could be so much more done with the women’s division than this. Shida retains. 

Match rating - **

Next week, Tay Conti challenges Serena Deeb for the NWA Women’s Title. Conti cuts a promo with Anna Jay, John Silver, & Alex Reynolds and says they will be at ringside with her. 
 
Also next week: Chuck Taylor faces Miro, PAC faces Eddie Kingston (!!!!!), and The Inner Circle announces their New Year Resolutions. 

5) Kenny Omega (c) vs. Rey Fenix - AEW World Championship Match 

Omega and Fenix really had to go out and set the bar insanely fucking high for 2021 didn’t they? What a fucking match. This is my favorite match of the year so far even if I rated two matches from Wrestle Kingdom slightly higher. Fenix should be at the top of the card all the time and Omega did what he does best and delivered another epic match. Just crazy and brutal from bell to bell. Omega retains with a one winged angel after 20 minutes of insanity. 

Match rating - ****1/2 

After the match, we get yet another moment that I doubt can be topped this year as Omega & Callis show Fenix that Eddie Kingston & Butcher & Blade are assaulting PAC & Penta backstage. Omega says he’s gonna end Fenix’s career when JON MOXLEY HITS THE RING WITH A BARBED WIRE BAT. He nails Omega BUT HERE COME KARL ANDERSON AMD LUKE GALLOWS. THE IMPACT WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS IN AEW. WhATTTYS. They destroy Moxley. The roster tries to fight back and jump the rails but they fight them all off in badass fashion aND GALLOWS POWERBOMBS A MOTHERFUCKER THROUGH A TABLE! This is insanity. And if it isn’t great enough... here comes The Young Bucks. They try to calm down Anderson, Gallows & Omega until Pillman Jr and someone else from ringside grab Omega and SUPERKICKKKKLKK FUCKKKKKK. Omega, Anderson, & Gallows too sweet each other and wait and THE BUCKS JOIN IN. WHAT A MOMENT TO CLOSE THIS SHOW HOLY HELLLL. 

So much to unpack here. So many people involved. AEW NAILED their first show of the year and there is so many different ways they could go from here, I can't wait to see how it all unfolds!