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Rey Mysterio Turns Down WWE Return, UK Fans Upset With WWE

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Source: Wrestling Observer Newsletter

– WWE official actually called Rey Mysterio a few weeks back before the Mexico tour began. WWE wants Rey back and wanted him on the tour because the advance ticket sales were well below usual. Rey made it clear that he didn’t want to go back. There’s still no word yet on how things went at RAW this past Monday.

– WWE officials are concerned with crowd reactions in the UK this week due to the WWE Network launch being delayed at the last minute. We noted earlier that fans booed Vince McMahon’s video apology at the live event in London today.

– Regarding fans who attended the August 16th WWE live event in San Jose finally getting their chance to get WrestleMania 31 tickets on pre-sale, an e-mail will be sent to them this week on how to get tickets on November 14th. As noted, tickets go on sale to the public on November 15th at 9am.

TNA Impact Wrestling Results 11/5/14

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Credit: Mark Bessler

Tonight’s big show opens with a thorough recap of Bobby Roode’s quest to wrest the title from Bobby Lashley. When the lights come up in the venue, Kurt Angle calls new champ Bobby Roode out to the ring. Roode says he’s proud to carry the title and ready to move forward as a fighting champ. Cue the music for MVP and his posse. MVP verbally tears down Roode and says he deserves the next title shot because he was hurt back when he had a shot at the strap. Angle says he likes where it’s going and asks Roode if he’ll put the title on the line against MVP tonight and Roode readily accepts. Lashley looks pretty torqued but this match is booked on the spot.

A recap of the tag team tournament follows and we’re reminded that very soon we’ll see Samoa Joe and Low Ki versus the Hardy’s for a shot at the tag titles. Joe and Low Ki cut a promo backstage saying that it’s about to go down… Commercial sign.

Number One Contender’s Match: The Hardys vs. Samoa Joe and Low Ki

Low Ki and Jeff start things out. There’s a good deal of back and forth before Jeff slows things down with a headlock. They break and come back together and Jeff keeps the advantage, tagging in Matt. Matt and Low Ki grapple and Low Ki finally starts to turn it around. He tags in Joe who pummels Matt. Low Ki tags back in and they double-team Matt and then Low Ki gets a two-count. Matt finally pushes Low Ki into his corner and Jeff comes in on a blind tag. Jeff puts Low Ki on the mat and holds him with a headlock. He then moves over to the corner, tags in Matt and Matt hits Low Ki from the ropes and gets another near fall. Jeff comes back in, gets another near fall and Joe breaks the count. Low Ki tries to come back against Jeff but he can’t mount any sort of lasting offense. He eventually tags in Joe who brings Jeff into check. After some chops and a kick, Joe covers for a near fall and then it’s commercial time.

Back from the break, Jeff has made some progress in resisting Joe but they both end up on the mat, crawling for their respective corners and Jeff gets the tag first. Matt and Low Ki meet in the center of the ring and Matt hits a side effect. Low Ki barrels back and he double-teams Matt with Joe. Matt hangs on and heads for the ropes but Low Ki thwarts his aerial attack and hits the Warrior’s Way. Jeff has to break up the ensuing pinfall attempt. Low Ki gets another near fall on Matt as Jeff tangles with Joe. The action becomes fast and furious as bodies fly everywhere. Joe gets the choke on Matt and Jeff breaks it up with a swanton. When the dust settles, Low Ki and Jeff are the legal guys and after a flurry of action, Jeff cleans Low Ki’s clock with a huge kick. The Hardy’s double-team, Matt hits a moonsault on low Ki and covers for the win.

Result: The Hardys defeat Low Ki and Samoa Joe by pinfall and advance to a title match against The Wolves.

Outside, we see James Storm is still trying to win over Davey Richards. Backstage, Bobby Roode says he’s going to repeat MVP for suspending him a while back and defeat him in grand fashion later tonight.

Off the break, we get a recap of the Gunner/Samuel Shaw feud and then we find Samuel Shaw and his main squeeze Brittany in the ring. Shaw talks about the demise of his friendship with Gunner and then Brittany licks Shaw’s face for a long time. No, really. Then they lay down in the ring to get it on and Gunner comes out to put the kibosh on their love fest. Gunner says they’re both creepy and then he throws down with Shaw. He tries to strangle Shaw with Shaw’s shirt and Brittany jumps on Gunner’s back. Shaw gets up and hits Gunner in the yam bags. While he’s down, Shaw puts on his gloves and then slaps his chokehold on Gunner and puts him out. A totally weird segment from top to bottom.

Commercials roll and then we come back to TNAland for a promo package about Indian grappler Mahabali Shera. Looks like he’ll be a force to reckon with once he’s on the roster full time. Then MVP gripes to Kurt Angle backstage about how things are going in TNA and Kurt gives it right back to him. Back to ringside…

Tommy Dreamer and Devon vs. Bram and Magnus

Everybody throws down before they all make it to the ring. Tommy and Devon end up in the ring with Magnus work him over and then they end up outside again with Bram. Dreamer and Magnus duel in one area of ringside as Devon and Bram get back in the ring. Magnus joins the fray and Bram gets the upper hand on Devon, choking him in the corner. Tommy jumps back into it and plasters Magnus with a tray and then goes outside to retrieve a chair and trashcan. Magnus slows Dreamer down and puts him into an open chair. Bram and Magnus work Dreamer over while Devon is out of action. Bram is the most aggressive in the ring and he does a number on Dreamer before putting him down for a near fall. Devon makes it back into the fight and cracks Bram good with a trashcan lid and then puts the garbage can on Bram’s crotch before hitting it with a chair. Magnus and Dreamer fight on the ropes and Bram gets involved to try a double superplex but Devon sneaks in and takes them all out. Devon is first up after that spot and he goes outside for a table. Taz reminds us that it’s all legal. The table is set up outside as Magnus gets a kendo stick and does some damage. Dreamer catches dire, checking Magnus into a garbage can, kicking him in the jewels and then cracking him with a kendo stick. He follows with a DDT and a cover and it’s all over.

Result: Tommy Dreamer and Devon defeat Bram and Magnus via pinfall.

Backstage, Gail Kim says she’s going after Havok’s title tonight.

Following some paid advertisements, Rockstar Spud emerges to talk with Jeremy Borash. Spud says he enjoyed working with the Carters but adds that EC3 became a “wanker.” The crowd agrees. Spud says he won’t change for anybody and dubs himself “Mr. 99%.” Borash gives Spud some strokes and then EC3 hits the ramp with Tyrus. Instead of the usual “You can’t wrestle” chants, he’s greeted with “He’s a wanker!” chants. Ethan says EC3 owes everything to him and gives Spud the chance to apologize for his statements. Spud declines and Tyrus holds his arms as Carter gets closer. Spud still defies Carter and Tyrus but before the beatdown can commence, Jeremy Borash interferes. EC3 turns on Borash and slaps him, prompting Spud to fly at Carter. Eric Young comes out with a chair to even things out and Carter and Tyrus retreat to round this one out.

TNA Knockout title match: Gail Kim vs. Havok

Gail Kim heads at Havok before the bell to attack her on the ramp but it totally backfires. Havok overpowers Gail for the most part and although Kim comes back with a few shots, Havok stays in control of their brawl. She puts Gail into the ring post headfirst and although Gail does get back up, Havok just continues the assault, dragging Kim up the ramp by the hair. Kim fights back when they reach the stage but Havok tosses her off the ramp and down to the floor below. Refs and officials come out and this one never gets off the ground.

After the commercial, TNA officials try to call this one a no contest but Gail Kim insists on continuing. She throws herself at Havok in the ring, they battle outside again and Havok puts Kim into the steps. The ref counts to nine and then Havok goes back outside to continue the punishment. She tosses Gail inside the ring and goes for the slam but Gail catches her in a submission move. Havok counters with a side slam. She tries to finish Kim but Gail fights back some more. She ends up with a near fall off a cross body block but in the next series, Havok catches her with a hammerlock slam. Gail kicks out at two and hits “eat the feet” on Havok, earning another near fall. She goes up top and Havok catches her off the ropes with a choke slam. She covers Kim to retain the title.

Result: Havok defeats Gail Kim to retain the title.

We see some interesting footage of Manik trying to cozy up with TNA newbie Mahabali Shera in the cafeteria and then backstage, we get a glimpse of a tiff between MVP and Lashley. Lashley is apparently miffed because MVP gets the first shot at Roode’s title. Commercials roll and the main event is on deck.

World Heavyweight Title Match: MVP vs. Bobby Roode

MVP is pretty aggressive to start and he grapples with Roode but the champ drops him with an elbow to slow things down. They battle back and forth until MVP tips the scales again, putting Roode down and forcing him outside. MVP kicks Roode outside and then uses the guardrail to do some damage. He then tosses Roode into the steel steps and puts him back in the ring. MVP looks for a cover but comes up short. Roode comes back with some shots to the gut and a few chops. MVP drops Roode again and follows with an elbow and a bridge suplex into a pin for a two count. The challenger works Roode into a choke on the mat as the ref looks for a submission. Although Roode gets back up, MVP continues the assault, preventing the champ from putting together any consistent offense. Roode somehow works MVP into position for a superplex and follows through but MVP kicks out of the ensuing pin. Roode fires up the crowd and looks for the Roode-bomb but MVP counters. MVP works Roode over on the mat and gets another near fall but he can’t put the champ away. Roode comes out of once more and ultimately lands a Roode-bomb and gets the pin to keep the title.

Result: Bobby Roode defeats MVP and remains champion.

After the match, Lashley sneaks in and lands a surprise spear on Bobby Roode. MVP tries to high-five Lashley but the former champ blows him off and keeps walking.

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Lucha Underground Results 11/5/14

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– The show starts with a recap of last week’s debut episode.

– The crew that Dario Cueto hired are in the ring and identify themselves as Cortez Castro, Cisco and Big Ryk (Ezekiel Jackson), Johnny Mundo hits the ring and attacks all three. Big Ryk watches along as the ring is cleared, and Prince Puma comes to Mundo’s rescue.

Dario Cueto comes out and channels his inner Teddy Long, as he says “TAG TEAM MATCH, JUGADOR!”…that’s Spanish for player, and he didn’t really say it. Well, he did make a tag match at least.

Cisco and Cortez Castro vs. Prince Puma & Johnny Mundo
Puma and Castro start off as Puma gets the advantage. He and Mundo land a double enziguri but Cortez hits a dropkick and tags out. Mundo goes on the offensive and hits his signature kick and legdrop but only gets two. Cisco manages to cut Mundo off, and he and Cortez make several quick tags and work Mundo over. They focus on his neck and back as Puma tries to get the crowd on amped up. Mundo uses his parkour skills to avoid the double team offense and makes the hot tag to Puma. Puma clears house and lands an awesome handicapped move where he makes Cisco DDT Cortez. He only gets a two count, and Mundo hits the ring and lands a big kick but misses a giant tope to the outside. Puma manages a sunset flip that only gets two, but hits a cutter as Johnny Mundo lands Moonlight Drive for a two count. Puma knocks Cortez off the apron and goes over the top with a huge flip on to Cortez. Back in the ring both Mundo and Puma hit 450 splashes on the opponents for the win. Really good match.
Winners: Prince Puma & Johnny Mundo

– Konnan is backstage talking to Prince Puma and tells Puma to stay away from Johnny Mundo. Konnan says he’s the only friend Puma has in this business.

– A promo for Mil Muertes (translated to “a thousand deaths”) is shown. Dario Cueto brought him in to go after Blue Demon Jr. Muertes competed previously as Ricky Banderas and Judas Mesias.

Son of Havoc & Ivelisse vs. Chavo Guerrero & Sexy Star
A bit of a Tough Enough reunion in the team of Havoc and Ivelisse. Havoc and Chavo lock up and Chavo gets the best of the encounter until Havoc hits a series of chops and a big knee. Havoc tags in Ivelisse gets tagged in and puts the boots to Chavo. She quickly tags out to Havoc, who Vampiro says “technically isn’t Havoc, it’s Havoc’s son.” Chavo tags out to Star and she hits the ring and flattens Havoc with a big superkick, but then runs right into a back elbow. Havoc tags to Ivelisse, who slams Star’s head into the mat repeatedly. Havoc is tagged in and disrespects Star, goes for a standing moonsault but eats knees. Star tags Chavo who connects with a rolling Liger kick. Star and Ivelisse go at it as Star comes off the apron with a seated senton. Chavo comes off the top rope with a frog splash on Havoc, but instead of pinning him he tags to Star. She rolls up Havoc for the pin.
Winners: Chavo Guerrero & Sexy Star

– Blue Demon Jr is shown backstage preparing for his upcoming match as Muertes’ valet Catrina comes in and licks his face. A vignette for Prince Puma putting over his future is also shown.

Mil Muertes vs. Blue Demon Jr.
Mil Muertes is aggressive from the jump and and attacks Demon with chops, kicks and punches. The two are outside the ring shortly, and Muertes slams Demon’s head into the announce desk. Demon finally stops the onslaught with an arm drag and a drop kick, and lands some strike of his own. Muertes’ valet Catrina distracts Demon and Muertes drops Demon with a forearm. A backstabber gets only two for Muertes. Demon with a quick pin attempt that only gets two, and the foes trade chops shortly until Muertes hits a big right hand and spears Demon out of his boots (not literally). Muertes gets the win after his finish.
Winner: Mil Muertes

Muertes continues the attack after the match until Chavo Guerrero makes the save. Instead, Chavo wallops Demon over the head with a chair and attacks several officials. Others try to come break up the mayhem and meet the same fate. Sexy Star comes to the ring and pleads with Chavo but he cracks her over the head with a chair too!

The crowd really lets Chavo have it, chanting expletives at him as he sits in the ring. Blue Demon is put on a stretcher and then Chavo attacks Demon some more to close the show.

Fighting Spirit Review: WRESTLE-1 / TNA Bound for Glory 2014

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Date: October 12th, 2014
Location: Tokyo Korakuen Hall
Announced Attendance: 1,500

I’m not positive who thought this was a good idea in 2014. In TNA’s heyday a co-promotional PPV would have been awesome. Imagine Sting, Styles, Angle, Flair, Hogan, Foley, and Hardy mixing it up with Japanese wrestlers, it would have been awesome. Unfortunately all of those wrestlers/characters are gone so instead we get Tommy Dreamer and Manik. That doesn’t necessarily mean the matches will be bad, it just means that for once TNA has what to me would be a good idea, but has it two years too late. This event was also shown in the good ‘ol USA since it is TNA’s (last?) big PPV, but since it was co-promoted I still get to review it anyway. Here is the full card:

– Manik vs. Minoru Tanaka
– Ethan Carter III vs. Ryota Hama
– KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. MVP
TNA X-Division Championship: Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki
– Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera vs. Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama
– Abyss and Tommy Dreamer vs. Team 3D
TNA Women’s Knockout Championship: Havok vs. Velvet Sky
– James Storm and Great Sanada vs. TAJIRI and Great Muta

And away we go.

Manik vs. Minoru Tanaka
Waistlock by Tanaka to start the match, reversed by Manik and Manik applies a front facelock, but Tanaka reverses it into a wristlock. Manik flips out of the hold and reverses it, Tanaka rolls around and delivers a dropkick. Tanaka picks up Manik and hits a jumping back kick. Irish whip by Tanaka but Manik avoids Tanaka’s charge and Tanaka falls out of the ring. Manik goes for a pescado but Tanaka avoids it by sliding back into the ring. Manik goes under the ring and appears on the other side, he slides in and hit a neckbreaker from behind. Stomp by Manik and he hits a series of mounted punches. Manik picks up Tanaka and throws him into the corner, uppercut by Manik and he hits a snapmare. Kick to the back of the head by Manik, cover, but it gets a two count. Manik applies a modified chinlock and then rakes Tanaka in the face. Manik picks up Tanaka and hits a rolling vertical suplex followed by a backdrop suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Manik picks up Tanaka, Irish whip from the corner but Tanaka kicks Manik when he charges in. Manik avoids Tanaka’s missile dropkick and then delivers a dropkick of his own. Manik picks up Tanaka and hits a strike combination, he goes off the ropes and avoids Tanaka’s dropkick attempt. Manik goes off the ropes again but this time Tanaka is able to hit the dropkick. Tanaka headbutts Manik into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, Tanaka kicks Manik back and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanaka picks up Manik and hits a snap suplex. Knee drop by Tanaka, cover, but it gets two. Back up, Tanaka goes off the ropes but Manik hits a dropkick. Tanaka falls out of the ring, Manik goes off the ropes but Tanaka kicks him in the head as he goes to do a dive. Manik falls out of the ring, Tanaka goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a moonsault down to the floor. Tanaka picks up Manik and slides him into the ring, he returns as well and chops Manik in the chest. Tanaka goes off the ropes but Manik goes to the apron and hits a swandive missile dropkick. Detonation Kick by Manik, cover, but Tanaka gets a shoulder up. Manik picks up Tanaka, scoop slam, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Tanaka gets his knees up when he goes for the frog splash. Tanaka dropkicks Manik into the corner, Tanaka picks up Manik and puts him onto the top turnbuckle. Tanaka joins him and hits a suplex. Cover, but it gets a two count. Tanaka waits for Manik to get up and hits a back kick, Tanaka goes for a victory roll but Manik blocks it for a two count. Tanaka goes for a backslide but Manik gets out of it and hits a brainbuster. Cover, but it gets a two. Manik picks up Tanaka and nails a double chickenwing into a double knee gutbuster, cover, but Tanaka kicks out. Manik picks up Tanaka, elbows by Manik and he goes off the ropes, but Tanaka deliver a high kick. Minoru Special by Tanaka, and Manik has to tap out. Your winner: Minoru Tanaka

Match Thoughts: A pretty decent opener, they worked together well. Neither wrestler was phoning it in here as both were hitting whatever big moves they have, and they kept the action going from start to finish. This is really what an opener should be, a fast paced and entertaining match to get the crowd into the event, having a veteran like Tanaka in the match no doubt helped but Manik more than held his own. Unfortunately it didn’t really have any emotion or feeling of major importance since these two aren’t feuding, but as far as just the action goes it was very solid. Score: 6.5

Ethan Carter III vs. Ryota Hama
Tie-up to start, Hama pushes Carter into the corner and he gives a clean break.  Shove by Hama, and Carter rolls out of the ring to the floor.  He returns after a moment, tie-up, side headlock by Carter, Hama Irish whips out of it and hits a shoulderblock, but Carter doesn’t go down.  Carter tries to knock down Hama but fails, he tries again but still has no success.  Shoulderblock by Hama, and Carter goes to the mat before rolling out of the ring again.  Carter gets back in and gets into a sumo stance, he charges Hama but Hama picks him up and tosses Carter to the mat.  Hama stands on Carter’s chest against the ropes, Carter rolls to the apron but Hama suplexes him back into the ring.  Hama goes off the ropes and hits a rolling senton, cover, but it gets a two count.  Hama goes for a body press but Carter rolls out of the way, clubs to the back by Carter, he picks up Hama and slams him into the mat.  Lariat by Hama and he hits an elbow drop, cover, but it gets two.  Irish whip by Hama from the corner and he hits a body avalanche.  Running butt smash by Hama, cover, but it gets a two count.  Carter rakes Hama in the eyes and goes for a sunset flip, Hama tries to sit on him but Carter moves out of the way.  Carter goes for a body slam but Hama falls on Carter for a two count.  Stinkface by Hama in the corner but Carter kicks Hama low before hitting the One Percenter.  Cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winner:  Ethan Carter III

Match Thoughts:  You can’t have a W-1 event without a Hama match.  This one didn’t serve much of a purpose, Hama got in his usual comedy spots before quickly losing, although I will give Carter credit for playing along with it.  I guess you could say it’s a unique match that is very unlikely to ever be duplicated, but ‘unique’ doesn’t always equal ‘good’.  Score:  3.5

KAZMA SAKAMOTO vs. MVP
Side headlock takedown by MVP to start, SAKAMOTO gets back up and Irish whips out of it but MVP shoulderblocks him down.  Tie-up, MVP pushes SAKAMOTO into the ropes, SAKAMOTO switches positions with him and he gives a clean break as he scampers away from MVP.  MVP chases after him but the referee pushes him back, side headlock by SAKAMOTO, MVP Irish whips out of it as SAKAMOTO goes for a shoulderblock but MVP doesn’t go down.  He tries again with the same result, MVP grabs SAKAMOTO by the hair and punches him to the mat.  More punches by MVP and he hits a scoop slam near the ropes.  MVP goes off the ropes but SAKAMOTO rolls out of the ring, MVP then goes over to the ropes and hits a pescado down onto SAKAMOTO.  MVP throws SAKAMOTO into the guard rail and delivers a big boot, sending SAKAMOTO over the railing.  MVP picks up SAKAMOTO and slides him back into the ring, cover but it gets a two count.  MVP picks up SAKAMOTO but SAKAMOTO punches him back, hitting MVP into the corner.  SAKAMOTO picks up MVP and kicks him in the back of the leg.  Another kick by SAKAMOTO, cover, but it gets a two.  SAKAMOTO applies a reverse chinlock, MVP returns to his feet and punches out of the hold, he throws SAKAMOTO into the corner but SAKAMOTO avoids the big boot attempt.  Face crusher by SAKAMOTO, he goes off the ropes and goes for an elbow drop, but MVP gets his knees up.  SAKAMOTO charges MVP in the corner but MVP moves and hits a back bodydrop.  Punches by MVP, he picks up SAKAMOTO and throws him into the corner.  Lariat by MVP and he hits a few more in the corner before hitting a vertical suplex.  MVP drives SAKAMOTO into his knee, he goes off the ropes and hits the Ballin’ Elbow.  MVP picks up SAKAMOTO and hits a Fisherman Suplex Hold for a two count.  Irish whip by MVP to the corner but SAKAMOTO avoids the boot and knees MVP in the head.  Kick by SAKAMOTO, cover, but it gets two.  SAKAMOTO goes off the ropes and goes for a knee but MVP ducks it and rolls up SAKAMOTO for a two count.  MVP dropkicks SAKAMOTO in the knee, he waits for SAKAMOTO to get up and he nails the Drive By.  Cover, and he picks up the three count.  Your winner:  MVP

Match Thoughts:   I fear a lack of storyline-reasons for these matches is going to hurt the card.  As far as action goes this was perfectly fine.  There weren’t any real miscues even though some of the transitions were lacking, and they seemed to work reasonably well together, but it lacked emotion and purpose.  It was just two trained wrestlers going through the normal motions to put on a ten minute match.  Nothing memorable or special at all, and nothing pre or post match to make it matter.  Not bad but skippable.  Score:  5.0

(c) Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki
This match is for the TNA X-Division Championship.  Samoa Joe kicks at Low Ki to start the match, Low Ki kicks Hayashi and Samoa Joe chops Low Ki.  Low Ki and Samoa Joe trade chops, Irish whip by Samoa Joe to the corner but Low Ki kicks Samoa Joe back.  Hayashi runs in and hits a heel kick on Low Ki, then Samoa Joe kicks both Hayashi and Low Ki.  Samoa Joe picks up Low Ki and headbutts him.  Punches by Samoa Joe to Hayashi, snapmare, and Samoa Joe chops Hayashi in the back.  Knee drop by Samoa Joe, cover, but Hayashi kicks out.  Side headlock by Hayashi to Samoa Joe and he elbows him.  Elbows by Hayashi, he goes off the ropes but Samoa Joe hits a back elbow.  Hayashi dumps Samoa Joe out of the ring, Low Ki approaches Hayashi from behind and chops him.  Uppercut by Low Ki and he headbutts Hayashi.  Irish whip by Low Ki, reversed, and Low Ki dropkicks Samoa Joe who was still out on the floor.  Hayashi connects with a heel kick to Low Ki.  Samoa Joe gets on the apron, Hayashi grabs him from the ring and tries to suplex him, but Samoa Joe brings Hayashi back out on the apron.  Kicks by Hayashi but Samoa Joe chops him down to the mat.  Samoa Joe gets back in the ring with Low Ki, he goes off the ropes and Low Ki hits a springboard kick.  Cover by Low Ki to Samoa Joe but it gets a two count.  Low Ki picks up Samoa Joe and dumps him out of the ring and goes out after him, and Low Ki trades chops with Hayashi.  Samoa Joe runs over and lariats both of them, and Samoa Joe slides Hayashi back into the ring.  Samoa Joe picks up Hayashi and hits an atomic drop followed by a big boot.  Senton by Samoa Joe, cover, but Low Ki breaks it up.  Low Ki uppercuts Samoa Joe into the corner, Irish whip by Low Ki and he lariats Samoa Joe in the corner.  Low Ki mounts Samoa Joe in the corner and hits a series of punches, but Samoa Joe powerbombs him for a two count.  Camel Clutch by Samoa Joe and he applies an STF.  Hayashi gets back in the ring and applies a crossface to Samoa Joe but Samoa Joe elbows him off.  Samoa Joe and Hayashi trade slaps, kick by Hayashi to the head and he goes off the ropes, kicking Samoa Joe.  Reverse Final Cut by Hayashi, cover, but Samoa Joe gets a shoulder up.  Hayashi picks up Samoa Joe and tries to put him on his shoulders, but Low Ki runs over and kicks Samoa Joe.  Kick by Hayashi to Low Ki, he puts Low Ki on his shoulders but Low Ki slides back off.  Monkey flip by Hayashi to the corner but Low Ki lands on the second turnbuckle and jumps back with a double stomp.  Cover by Low Ki but it gets a two count.  Samoa Joe pulls Low Ki out of the ring, Hayashi gets a running start in the ring but Samoa Joe slides back in as Hayashi drives out.  Samoa Joe then dives out of the ring onto Low Ki with an elbow suicida on both his opponents.  Chops by Samoa Joe and he slides Hayashi into the ring.  Samoa Joe throws Hayashi into the corner, reversed, but Samoa Joe hits an uranage.  Samoa Joe puts Hayashi onto the top turnbuckle but Low Ki runs in and hits the Tidal Crush on Hayashi.  Samoa Joe and Low Ki trade elbows and chops, Low Ki slaps Samoa Joe into the corner and puts Samoa Joe up on the top turnbuckle.  Low Ki gets Samoa Joe onto his shoulders but Samoa Joe slides off and applies the Coquina Clutch.  Hayashi is not around to save him, and Low Ki is forced to submit.  Your winner and still champion:  Samoa Joe

Match Thoughts:   This was fun but it was more of a series of spots than anything else.  It was almost like a toned down spotfest, none of these guys are young anymore so they weren’t being suicidal, but rather pacing out their spots.  Normally this is a good thing and they made it work fine, but for the length of the match it wouldn’t have hurt to have one young guy in here that would do something more spectacular.  But they kept it moving and entertaining, the match was just missing that special something to put it to the next level.  Score:  7.0

Andy Wu and El Hijo del Pantera vs. Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama
Kuroshio and Wu start things off.  Wu and Kuroshio circle each other, kick attempt by Wu but Kuroshio catches it, Irish whip by Kuroshio but Wu shoulderblocks him down.  Wu goes off the ropes and he hits a shoulderblock.  Wu goes off the ropes again, back kick by Kuroshio but Wu hits an armdrag.  Sweep kick by Wu and both wrestlers tag out.  Kodama and Pantera circle each other, tie-up, Irish whip by Pantera and they flip around each other before Pantera hits a headscissors.  Kick by Kodama to the stomach, Irish whip by Kodama but Pantera flips out onto the ramp.  Swandive armdrag by Pantera, and Kodama falls out of the ring.  Pantera gets a running start but the referee stops Pantera from doing a dive.  The referee goes to count Kodama, and Pantera jumps over the referee down onto Kodama.  Pantera slides Kodama back into the ring, cover, but it gets a two count.  Irish whip by Pantera but Kodama moves out of the way and hits a flapjack.  Cover by Kodama, but it gets a two count.  Kodama tags in Kuroshio, Kuroshio picks up Pantera and he hits a scoop slam.  Cover by Kuroshio, but it gets a two count.  Kuroshio covers Pantera again but Wu breaks it up.  Dropkick to the back of the head by Kuroshio, he picks up Pantera and elbows him in the back of the head.  Snapmare by Kuroshio and he hits a corkscrew moonsault.  Cover, but Pantera kicks out.  Kuroshio tags in Kodama, scoop slam by Kuroshio and Kodama hits a slingshot senton.  Cover by Kodama but it gets a two count.  Reverse chinlock by Kodama, Pantera gets out of it but Kodama hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.  Cover, but it gets another two.  Kodama picks up Pantera, Irish whip to the corner and he hits a jumping elbow.  Another Irish whip but this time Pantera moves and kicks Kodama to the mat.  Pantera tags in Wu, and Wu hits a diving body press.  Armdrag by Wu and he hits another armdrag.  Dropkick by Wu, cover, but it gets a two count.  Wu kicks Kodama into the corner, back kick by Kodama, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and Wu hits a headscissors.  Wu tags in Pantera, and Pantera knocks Kuroshio off the apron.  Wu picks up Kodama, Irish whip, Wu drops Kodama into the ropes and Pantera hits a tiger feint kick.  Dropkick by Wu and Pantera hits a senton, cover, but Kuroshio barely breaks it up in time.  Wu dropkicks Kuroshio out of the ring and then hits a body press off the ropes down  onto the floor.  In the ring, Pantera slams Kodama and he goes up to the top turnbuckle, he goes for a 450 Splash but Kodama moves out of the way.  Pantera rolls back up but Kodama kicks Pantera.  Another kick, cover, but Wu breaks it up.  Kuroshio comes back in and throws Wu out of the ring, he then goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving senton down onto Wu.  In the ring, Kodama goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a corkscrew moonsault onto Pantera.  Cover, and Kodama gets the three count.  Your winners:  Jiro Kuroshio and Yusuke Kodama

Match Thoughts:  The only match on the card with no TNA wrestlers, so while the match was fluid it still wasn’t anything special.  They worked together really well and had nice spots, and both teams worked well as a unit instead of it just being four individuals.  None of these guys at this stage of their careers are barn burners but they fly around which for a mid-card match is perfectly acceptable.  A fun match, I just wish it had more substance.  Score:  6.5

Abyss and Tommy Dreamer vs. Team 3D
Devon and Dreamer start things off.  Tie-up, waistlock by Dreamer, reversed by Devon and he takes Dreamer to the mat.  They trade failed elbow drop attempts and return to their feet to face off again.  Dreamer tags in Abyss, and Devon tags in Bully Ray.  Abyss and Bully Ray trade punches, Abyss goes off the ropes but Bully Ray catches him with a side slam.  Abyss gets back up and hits a chokeslam, but Bully Ray returns to his feet.  They both go off the ropes and both wrestlers hit lariats.  They get back up, tie-up, scoop slam by Abyss, he goes off the ropes but Bully Ray avoids the body press.  Bully Ray tags in Devon, double Irish whip to Abyss but Abyss throws Bully Ray and Devon into each other.  Abyss goes off the ropes but he is hit by a double shoulderblock.  Devon dumps Abyss out of the ring, Dreamer comes in the ring and they hit a double neckbreaker.  Abyss gets back in the ring, punches by Devon as Bully Ray hits a scoop slam on Dreamer.  Abyss is thrown out of the ring while Devon goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving headbutt onto Dreamer’s groin.  Bully Ray tells Devon to get a table, and Devon obliges as he slides one into the ring.  Bully Ray sets it up near the ropes but Abyss hits a lariat onto both Bully Ray and Devon.  Outside the ring Dreamer spits water at Devon, while Abyss hits Bully Ray with the ring bell.  Dreamer and Devon fight up into the crowd while Bully Ray regains the advantage on Abyss.  Devon comes over and punches Abyss while Bully Ray throws some more weapons into the ring.  Everyone gets back into the ring, with Devon and Abyss getting a steel chair while Dreamer and Bully Ray grab kendo sticks.  Bully Ray and Devon get the better of their respective duels but Abyss hits a chokeslam on Devon while Dreamer hits a DDT onto Bully Ray.  Double cover, but they both get a two count.  Dreamer gets a trash can and sets it up in the corner, Irish whip by Dreamer to Bully Ray but Bully Ray reverses it and Dreamer goes into the trash can.  Abyss catches Bully Ray with the Black Hole Slam, cover, but Bully Ray barely gets a shoulder up.  Devon gets a chair but Abyss punches the chair into his face.  Abyss puts the chair onto Devon, Abyss goes off the ropes and sits down on Devon, but Devon sets the chair upwards so that it crotches Abyss.  Spinebuster by Devon, cover, but it gets a two count.  Devon puts the table near the cover, Devon puts Abyss on the table and gets up on the top turnbuckle, but Dreamer runs in the ring and punches Devon.  Dreamer pulls Abyss off the corner, he the goes up to the top turnbuckle but Bully Ray comes in the ring and grabs Dreamer from behind.  Bully Ray powerbombs Dreamer through the table, but Abyss is up and elbows Bully Ray.  Abyss gets a bag of thumb tacks and dumps them in the middle of the ring.  Abyss grabs Devon and Abyss and tries to give them a double chokeslam, but they block it and drop Abyss chest-first into the thumbtacks.  Abyss spazzes out a bit as Dreamer comes in the ring with a kendo stick, hitting both Bully Ray and Devon.  Dreamer charges Devon but Devon catches him and with Bully Ray they hit the 3D.  Cover, and Devon picks up the three count.  Your winners:  Team 3D

Match Thoughts:  I hadn’t seen Dreamer in years, dude got huge.  I don’t know why I had to watch this, it felt like an Extreme Rising nostalgic match.  They were smart to use blunder as these guys aren’t going to put on a wrestling clinic, and aside from a few horrendous transitions the match worked ok as a hardcore brawl from yesteryear.   It’s a bit depressing that four wrestlers over the age of 40 and well past their primes are putting on half-hearted hardcore matches halfway across the globe, but this is wrestling in a nutshell.   These types of matches lost their luster to me many years ago but it wasn’t unwatchable.  Score:  4.0

(c) Havok vs. Velvet Sky
This match is for the TNA Women’s Knockout Championship.  Havok charges Sky as the match starts, but Sky moves out of the way.  She does it again with the same result, elbows by Sky and she goes off the ropes, hitting a lariat.  Havok doesn’t go down, kicks by Sky and she hits another lariat.  Havok is still up, elbows by Sky and she kicks Havok.  Double axe handle by Sky and she hits a second one, but Havok still doesn’t go down.  A third one still doesn’t do the trick, nor the fourth.  Sky goes off the ropes and goes for a crossbody, but Havok catches her and hits a backbreaker.  Havok picks up Sky and clubs her in the back.  Kick to the back by Havok, he picks up Sky and Havok slams Sky into the corner.  Shoulderblocks by Havok, she picks up Sky and hits a backbreaker.  Another backbreaker by Havok and she hits an elbow.  Bearhug by Havok but Sky gets out of it, Havok grabs Sky by the hair and hits a scoop slam.  Havok picks up Sky, stomps by Havok and she goes up to the second turnbuckle, but Sky avoids the leg drop.  Elbow by Sky and she hits a second one, lariat by Sky and she goes off the ropes, hitting another one.  Elbows by Sky, she goes off the ropes but Havok elbows her back.  Irish whip by Havok but Sky hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors.  Diving crossbody by Sky, cover, but it gets a two count.  Sky jumps off the top turnbuckle but Havok catches her and puts her in a bearhug.  Havok squeezes Sky for a bit and she is forced to submit.  Your winner and still champion:  Havok

Match Thoughts:   Is a bearhug a finisher again?  Who taps out to a bearhug?  This wasn’t really good, so much of the match was Havok on offense and Sky failing desperately on trying to knock down Havok.  Honestly the match was going fine until the really sudden ending, it could have used a few more minutes and at least one more hope spot for Sky before getting defeated.  Just a short not special match.  Score:  3.5

James Storm and Great Sanada vs. TAJIRI and Great Muta
Muta and Sanada start things off.  Muta goes for a waistlock but Sanada applies an armbar.  Leglock by Muta on the mat but Sanada gets into the ropes.  Waistlock by Muta and he applies a wristlock, Sanada rolls out of it and applies a side headlock as he takes Muta to the mat, but Muta quickly gets out of it.  Muta tags in TAJIRI while Sanada tags in Storm.  Storm and TAJIRI circle each other, and Storm throws TAJIRI to the mat.  Irish whip by Storm but TAJIRI dropkicks Storm in the knee.  Irish whip by Storm but TAJIRI grabs him by the beard, Storm pushes him off and then hits a lariat.  Storm picks up TAJIRI and tags in Sanada.  Axe handle by Sanada off the top and he bites TAJIRI in the head.  Sanada goes off the ropes but TAJIRI holds the ropes down and Sanada falls out of the ring.  Sanada gets on the apron but TAJIRI knocks him back to the floor with a handstand kick.  TAJIRI goes out of the ring after Sanada, Sanada crawls under the ring and TAJIRI goes after him.  They emerge with Sanada choking TAJIRI, and TAJIRI is covered in mist.  Storm applies a reverse chinlock to TAJIRI and he wraps TAJIRI’s leg around the bottom rope.  Sanada chokes TAJIRI against the second rope, he picks up TAJIRI and hits a snap vertical suplex.  Sanada tags in Storm, Storm and Sanada pick up TAJIRI and they hit a double lariat.  Knee drop by Storm and Sanada goes for a standing moonsault, TAJIRI moves but Sanada hits a dropkick instead.  Cover, but it gets a two count.  Sanada applies a nerve hold to TAJIRI, TAJIRI elbows out of it but Storm attacks TAJIRI from behind.  Sanada hits TAJIRI in the head with a rod of some sort, cover, but it gets two.  Punches by Sanada, Irish whip, but TAJIRI hits a handstand elbow strike.  TAJIRI tags in Muta, dropkick to the knee by Muta and a second one.  Dragon screw leg whip by Muta and he throws Sanada out of the ring.  Muta attacks Sanada with the rod and throws Sanada into the guardrail.  Muta gets a chair and hits Sanada with it before choking Sanada with the mic cord.  Muta slides Sanada back into the ring, he picks up Sanada and hits a snapmare.  Flashing Elbow by Muta, cover, but it gets a two count.  Storm comes in and hits a jawbreaker on Muta, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow drop.  Moonsault by Sanada, cover, but TAJIRI breaks it up.  TAJIRI throws Sanada out of the ring, Storm grabs TAJIRI but TAJIRI gets away and back bodydrops him onto the ramp.  Sanada comes back in the TAJIRI drops him with a back kick.  TAJIRI goes for the Buzzsaw Kick but Sanada ducks it, Irish whip by TAJIRI to the corner, Sanada goes out to the apron and goes for a swandive move, but both TAJIRI and Muta spray mist in his face.  Buzzsaw Kick by TAJIRI to Sanada, and Muta follows with a Shining Wizard.  Cover by Muta, but it gets a three count.  Your winners:  TAJIRI and Great Muta

Match Thoughts:  This was actually not a bad match.  Muta took it up a notch in this match which surprised me, when he got on offense there was no downtime whatsoever, he really took it to Sanada as if he hated the kid.  Storm didn’t do a lot here as he was definitely the least important storyline-wise, but he wasn’t bad.  The ending was obvious, with Muta and TAJIRI working together to win, but the crowd went home happy.  It wasn’t a work-rate fest and the match started pretty slow, but it turned out to be pretty solid overall.  Score:  6.0

Final Thoughts:

Best Match:  Samoa Joe vs. Kaz Hayashi vs. Low Ki. While I wouldn’t consider any of the matches on the card “great” or “must see”, this was still a really fun match.  All these of these guys can work but they are veterans, so there wasn’t really any wasted motion or big spots just for the sake of having big spots.  All the spots led to something or had a purpose, which is a nice change of pace for an X Division match.  All three got a chance to shine a bit and no one came out of the match looking weak.  It was too short to be a classic but was still entertaining to watch.

MVP:   Yusuke Kodama.  It was hard on this event for anyone to really stand out, all the matches were short and the title matches didn’t have a wrestler that seemed better than the rest.  Kodama had a really good showing in his match, and generally it is the young wrestlers that tend to stick in my mind.   Kodama has shown a lot of potential and managed to leave an impression on this event.

Overall:   As an overall event, this one was pretty disappointing.  To be fair, on paper it didn’t look very good either.  W-1 and TNA currently don’t have the rosters to put on great full events, and pairing random mid-card wrestlers against each other wasn’t going to do anything to change that.  Some of the matches were good and others were better than expected, but the bulk of them were just average or below average matches.  Two years ago this could have been an interesting card, but in late 2014 it is just pointless.  Only diehard fans of either promotion need to watch this show.

Grade:  D+

Spike TV Replacing Impact Wrestling With A Movie, TNA’s Future With Spike

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Source: F4WOnline

Regarding Spike TV scheduling a movie in the TNA Impact Wrestling time slot on November 26th, it’s being reported that this is only a one-night deal and that Spike will continue airing Impact in December.

Spike has also said they haven’t decided if Impact will air on December 24th or December 31st, which would be Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve. A Spike TV official said the November 26th change was made because it’s the night before Thanksgiving, which is usually a weak night for TV.

Regardless of Spike airing Impact or not, the final show that they have taped is November 19th. They have no new events scheduled yet for there are un-announced plans for future tapings but those tapings haven’t been confirmed.

Vince McMahon Issues Apology, Then Removes It, More On McMahon Storyline

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Vince McMahon issued a video message Wednesday to fans in the United Kingdom apologizing for the last minute decision to not launch the WWE Network in the country last Monday.

After promoting the launch all weekend, WWE announced it was being delayed shortly before it was set to go live.

McMahon revealed the reason for the delay: “We appreciate your patience as we work through the details of the roll-out and potential partnerships.”

He then said, “On behalf of WWE, I want to personally apologize for the delayed launch of WWE Network here in the United Kingdom. There’s no one more important than each and every one of you in the WWE Universe, especially here in the United Kingdom where we shared so many great memories together.

“I assure you that we are working day and night to launch WWE Network as quickly as possible and I promise that WWE Network will be well worth your wait. Again, thank you for your understanding.”

– Also in the current storyline, while there’s speculation that Vince McMahon may be returning to WWE TV for a WrestleMania 31 storyline, as we reported this morning, F4Wonline.com notes that Vince does not want to be on TV a lot – WrestleMania storyline or not.

WWE Bringing Back Nixed Storyline For Vince McMahon And The Authority At WrestleMania?

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There’s speculation from multiple sources that Vince McMahon’s return to WWE TV this week could indicate that WWE is going forward with a major WrestleMania storyline that they had planned for this time last year.

You may remember that WWE had Vince McMahon advertised for some RAW events around this time but he was later pulled and did not appear. The plan was for Vince to return and build a power struggle feud with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for WrestleMania XXX. At one point, WWE wanted to do Steve Austin vs. Triple H. That feud obviously never happened as the idea was dropped.

With the recent reports of Triple H vs. The Rock being a possibility for WrestleMania 31, the speculation is that maybe they’re bringing the power struggle storyline back with The Rock replacing Austin on Vince’s side.

Randy Orton Storyline Update, Xavier Woods’ New Gimmick Speculation, More

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– To go with what Michael Cole said on Main Event, WWE updated their storyline injury report on Randy Orton this morning and noted that he has been diagnosed with a concussion by WWE physician Dr. Stephen Daquino.

Daquino told WWE’s website:

“Randy exhibited symptoms of a concussion after the Curb Stomp on the announcer’s desk. He also had some facial contusions. Currently he is not cleared to compete and his return timetable is undetermined.”

– There’s at least some speculation within WWE that Kofi Kingston and Big E will be involved in the “A New Day” gimmick with Xavier Woods. Big E and Kofi have not been featured in the new Woods vignettes that have aired.

– There was no dark main event after last night’s WWE SmackDown tapings in Albany.

– Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch vs. Bayley and NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte has been announced for this week’s NXT episode. Sami Zayn vs. Tyler Breeze in a #1 contender’s match will also take place.

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