– Bray Wyatt posted the following this afternoon, leaving fans to wonder if he was referring to Sting:
“it exists in us all
we are the ants
destroy the scorpion
Be Heard”
– Bray Wyatt vs. Mark Henry is advertised for WWE live events on their overseas tour in November, so that appears to be Wyatt’s next feud.
Source: PWInsider
After months of speculation, Jeff Jarrett’s Global Force Wrestling is set for a pay-per-view event.
According to PWInsider, they have confirmed that a GFW PPV is set for January 4, 2015. This is also the date of New Japan’s Annual Tokyo Dome event. The two promotions have already announced a working relationship.
It is said that Jarrett may have found a way to promote New Japan’s giant New Year’s show in America. According to PWInsider, the show would be branded as a GFW show in the States, as opposed to a NJPW show.
Earlier this year, Jeff Jarrett applied for promoter’s licenses in several states in the U.S., and also mentioned that country music star Toby Keith would be involved. Since then, details surrounding the company have been quiet. Jarrett retains a minority share in TNA Wrestling.
Jeff Jarrett joined the Bullet Club stable in New Japan earlier this summer, after appearing in NJPW. He has also worked in Mexico, where he also has working relationship with Lucha Libre USA for GFW.
Source: PWInsider
According to PWInsider, both Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart have flown in to Chicago and will be on tonight’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw.
Mike Johnson also mentioned that he thought Hogan’s appearance would be related to WWE’s involvement with Susan G. Komen and the ongoing fight against breast cancer. WWE has yet to confirm Hogan’s appearance.
TV 1996-10-01 (Matches taped When Worlds Collide II 1996-09-14 ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA)
Champions
World: Raven
TV: Shane Douglas
Tag Team: Gangstas
Taz (w/ Bill Alfonso & Team Taz) vs. Johnny Smith, ref Paul Richards
Side headlock takeover by Taz, Smith reverses into a head scissor and Taz kicks out. They do the same but switch places. Taz with a hammerlock and takes down Smith for a 1 count. Again same just switched places. Top wrist lock from Smith. Taz bridges and the pushes out of it. Taz slaps Smith and Smith gives one back. Taz punches away on Smith but Smith fires back. Taz charges but Smith with a drop toe hold and then into a side headlock. Smith pushed off but hits a shoulder tackle, hip toss and drop kick. Taz goes to the floor. Taz spends some time on the floor and when he gets back in the ring he hits a shoulder tackle on Smith and a big German suplex that puts Smith on his head and shoulder. Northern lights with a bridge for 2. Taz goes to work on the shoulder of Smith. Smith reverses a waistlock but Taz rolls him over to keep control of the arm and shoulder. Smith goes for a clothesline but again Taz counters and goes to work on the arm. Smith reverses an Irish whip and hits a powerslam for 2. Smith with an ace crusher but Taz gets his foot on the rope. Smith with a German with a bridge for 2. Apparently the 3 minutes that Taz was working over the shoulder did nothing. Smith with a missile drop kick. Smith goes for a clothesline but Taz catches him in a T-bone. Taz locks in the Tazmission and Smith goes out in 9.11. After the match Taz gets the mic and tells Smith that he respects him. They shake hands and Taz turns his attention to Sabu. Taz again calls out Sabu and says he doesn’t respect him. Alfonso wants to know “Who can stop the path of rage?”
We go to Joey and he tells us that Smith was injured in that match and missed a tour with All Japan because of it. Smith wants revenge and will take on Taz in a Submission Match at Ultimate Jeopardy 1996 this Saturday. Joey says Taz is not part of Team Extreme but is trying to spread is own message of Team Taz. Joey talks about how ECW invaded the WWF In Your House PPV. We get “Fan Cam” footage from the PPV, which is footage from the WWF cameras. Making it look totally planned. Sandman, Paul E. Dangerously and Tommy Dreamer were at the PPV. Sandman spit beer in the face of Savio Vega. The next night at Raw Taz jumped the guardrail with a Sabu fears Taz sign.
Back to When Worlds Collide New Jack dumped a bucket of slop onto Patricia and she packed her things up and left ECW. This made Blue Meanie and Stevie Richards so mad that they confronted Jack a few nights ago in Allentown. We see clips of that match and then go to Meanie and Richards cutting a promo as the Public Enemy. They make fun of the fake Razor Ramon and Diesel. Joey Styles makes fun of Vince McMahon. Richards and Meanie make fun of the fake Sting on Nitro. Richards and Meanie say that at Ultimate Jeopardy they are going to bring back someone from the Gangstas past.
Tommy Dreamer, Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy & “Dr. Death” Steve Williams (w/ Beulah) vs. “Primetime” Brian Lee & The Eliminators, ref Jim Molineaux
Gordy and Williams hug in the ring as this is the first time they have teamed in three years. This match is clipped. They all go nose to nose and a fight breaks out. We clip ahead to Gordy hitting a clothesline on Saturn and Williams follows it up with a powerslam. Williams gets the other two to jump in the ring and knocks them down. Dreamer tags in and he and Williams hit a double shoulder block on Saturn. Tommy goes up top but gets knocked down. Saturn snap mares Dreamer of the turnbuckle to the mat and tags in Lee. Powerslam by Lee. Dreamer blocks a hip toss and hits a super kick. We jump ahead again and Kronus hits a cartwheel moonsault for 2. Falcons arrow by Saturn followed by a lionsault but Williams breaks up the pin. Double spin kick by the Eliminators. Williams press slams Saturn followed by a flap jack. Kronus with a handspring back elbow in the corner. Cutter by Dreamer on Saturn for 2. Lee breaks up the pin and then chokeslams Dreamer. Gordy now goes after Lee and puts on the Asiatic spike. The Eliminators break it up by hitting total elimination and Saturn pins Gordy. 4.26 is shown and the match is announced as 20.14.
Gordy and Williams join Styles and Gordy says they want to put the Eliminators down. Joey looks to Williams for some words but he just stares into the camera.
With Lance Wright gone to the WWF, Hype Central is now hosted by Joel Gertner. Brian Lee and Raven are with Joey. Lee discusses the stipulations to the Ultimate Jeopardy Match. Pitbull #1 says Shane Douglas is going to pay when they kick is ass. Buh Buh Ray Dudley goes one on one with D-Von Dudley and Buh Buh says it’s time to finish this once and for all.
Shane Douglas is in the locker room of the Pitbull’s gym. Douglas has been there waiting for them to show up all day. Douglas says he’s coming back everyday until he finds them.
“Misirlou” time. Joey hypes Ultimate Jeopardy a bit. This Saturday night Gordy and Williams have signed to take on the Eliminators. We go to Saturn and Kronus. Saturn talks about all the teams they have beaten to prove that they are the best team in the world. They tell Doc and Gordy to bring it on. Back to Joey and he runs down some more of the Ultimate Jeopardy card. We see Spike Dudley’s debut from When Worlds Collide. Buh Buh threw Spike off the Eagle’s Nest onto the stage below into D-Von and Axl Rotten. Back to Joey and he runs down the card for Ultimate Jeopardy one last time.
My thoughts on the show…
Decent opening match but the six-man was clipped like crazy. Not much story advancement, other than the opening match this week you can skip it.
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TV 1996-10-08 (Matches taped Ultimate Jeopardy 1996-10-05 ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA)
Champions
World: Raven
TV: Shane Douglas
Tag Team: Gangstas
Stevie Richards and Blue Meanie come out to Public Enemy’s old theme song. They do their PE impression and say that they promised a surprise but the surprise is not there. Richards says they can’t be the PE because Meanie is nowhere near as fat as Johnny Grunge. Richards says they will become tag team champions today and call out Tag Team Champions The Gangstas.
Tag Team Champions The Gangstas vs. Stevie Richards & Blue Meanie, ref Paul Richards
About a minute into the match the Eliminators show up and hit Mustafa, referee Richards, and Meanie with Total Elimination. New Jack tries to fight them off but he gets hit with the finisher also. So I guess no contest?
Opening video.
Joey opens the show and tells us there is some very bad news coming for Stevie Richards. Joey goes over the history of Raven, Tommy Dreamer and Sandman. Joey tells us that Tod Gordon and Paul E. Dangerously were notified that Raven was taking a leave of absence for personal reasons. Tonight Richards takes the place of Raven and defends the title for him.
Hype video package for the upcoming Eliminators versus “Dr. Death” Steve Williams and Terry “Bamm Bamm” Gordy.
JT Smith (w/Sal Bellomo, Little Guido, Devon Storm & Bad Crew) vs. Mikey Whipwreck, ref John “Pee Wee” Moore
Everyone jumps on Mikey. Smith tells everyone to leave so he can finish things off. Smith goes for a suplex but Mikey flips out and hits an arm drop followed by a drop kick and into another arm drag. Mikey holds on and turns it into an arm bar. Smith whips Mikey into the ropes but Mikey counters with another arm drag/arm bar. Smith with a knee and Irish whip. Guido trips Mikey and he and Storm celebrate. Mikey dives onto them. Guido and Storm argue as Smith goes for a baseball slide. Mikey moves and Smith kicks his guys. They all argue and Mikey climbs to the top rope and dives onto everybody. Smith punches Mikey back in the ring to take control. Smith hits the Sicilian splash which is his handspring bounce off the ropes splash. He cut out the handspring part and just kind of flipped into the ropes which made it look less lame. Smith goes out side and gets a chair but turns around and Mikey baseball slides it into his face. Mikey slingshots himself onto Smith’s shoulders and hits a rana. Back in the ring Mikey runs off of Smith’s back and dives onto the Bad Crew. Everyone else runs over and they beat him down. Smith tries to get the pin but only uses his finger and Mikey kicks out. Smith charges Mikey in the corner but he gets a boot up and hits a tornado DDT off the second rope. Bad Crew come in and beat on Mikey. Smith goes up top and the Crew whip Mikey in. Mikey ducks a clothesline hits the opposite ropes causing Smith to crotch himself. Mikey crossbody blocks both members of Bad Crew. Guido comes in and Mikey backdrops him. Mikey superkicks Storm and he falls into the ropes knocking Smith down again. Mikey hits a super rana and gets the pin in 7.48. Smith takes a must see bump on this move going face first into the mat. I watched it four times and will most likely give this show thumbs up just for that.
Ultimate Jeopardy Match: Stevie Richards (defending the World Title for Raven) & “Primetime” Brian Lee (w/ Blue Meanie, Super Nova & Lori Fullington) vs. Sandman & Tommy Dreamer (w/ Beulah), ref John Finnegan
Ok so the rules are whoever takes the fall loses something. Richards would lose Raven’s World Title, Lee his hair, Dreamer means Beulah is gone from ECW and the Sandman would get caned ten times. Beulah is looking extra good tonight. Lee and Dreamer start and Lee hits a back body drop. Lee hits the ropes and Beulah grabs his foot. Dreamer charges and hits a clothesline that sends them both to the floor. Richards joins in and Sandman throws himself over the top rope onto Richards. We have a big brawl. Richards gets suplexed through a table. Sandman brings Stevie into the ring and hits a clothesline in the corner. He whips Stevie in again and goes for another clothesline but Stevie moves. Meanie jumps in the ring and hits an avalanche as soon as Sandman hits the buckle. Richards with a steviekick for 2. Lee with a running powerslam on Dreamer. Sandman and Stevie has taken their fight to the floor. Lee leg drops a chair on Dreamer’s face and gets 2. Beulah again grabs Lee’s leg. Primetime grabs her by the hair and headbutts her in the face! Tommy blocks the chokeslam by going low and hits a DDT. Dreamer goes for the cover but Lori jumps in the ring. Lee attacks Dreamer from behind and gets a 2 count. Everyone now to the floor. Dreamer gets thrown off the bleachers through a table. Sandman reverses a piledriver with a back body drop. Lee and Dreamer go to the bathroom. Dreamer is busted open. Tommy hits lee with a chair in the bathroom. Lee is no bloodied. Tommy gets his head slammed through a wall. Sandman hits a somersault leg drop from the apron to the inside of the ring for 2. Dreamer and Lee make their way up to the nest. Meanie and Nova and stacking tables up. Dreamer gets chokeslammed through 4 tables all the way to the floor!!!! Stevie with a school boy for 2. Sandman rips off Lori’s clothes and gets Stevie-kicked from behind. Stevie gets 2. Lori canes Sandman and he grabs her. Stevie with another kick for 2. Stevie gets the can swings it but misses. Sandman hits a DDT and wins the World Title in 14.25! The crowd goes nuts and breaks out into a loud “Sandman” chant. Sandman raises the title above his end as we fade to black.
My thoughts on the show…
Even though I’m not a big Sandman fan, this show gets a thumbs up. After months of chasing, the Sandman finally gets the belt back. Who knows for how long though as I’m sure Raven will question the manner of his victory when he returns. The Dreamer bump was insane also. Definitely check this episode out!
– Stephanie McMahon appeared on WGN Morning News this morning to promote tonight’s Raw at the Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois and discuss WWE and Susan G. Komen partnering together for their third annual breast cancer awareness campaign. During the interview, Stephanie was asked whether Chicago native and former Superstar CM Punk would ever return to WWE and she simply responded, “Never say never.”
Date: June 8th, 2014
Location: Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan
Announced Attendance: 1,368
Michinoku Pro it seems didn’t tape anything for the first five months of the year, but fret not Michinoku Pro fans, finally an event of the promotion has been released! This is a pretty big show for them, as their main two titles are both on the line. We have all the major players of Michinoku Pro on the card, including the legends Jinsei Shinzaki and The Great Sasuke. Here is the full card:
– Ayumu Gunji vs. Daichi Sasaki
– Eagles Mask, Macho Pump, and Vancouver Cat vs. Yapper Man 1, Yapper Man 2, and Yapper Man 3
– Kinya Oyanagi and Hiugaji vs. Manuel Majoli and Ultimo Dragon
– Ken45, Manjimaru, and Takeshi Minamino vs. Kenbai, Rasse, and Taro Nohashi
– Michinoku Pro Tohoku Tag Team Championship: Shinzaki and Numajiro vs. Brahman Kei and Great Sasuke
– Michinoku Pro Tohoku Junior Heavyweight Championship: Brahman Shu vs. Fujita “Jr” Hayato
Looks like some of the undercard is clipped but the main matches are shown in full.
Joined in progress with an Irish whip by Gunji, and Gunji hits a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Gunji picks up Sasaki but Sasaki hits him off, knees by Gunji, snapmare, and he applies a reverse chinlock. Sasaki gets into the ropes to force a break, Gunji picks up Sasaki and goes for a vertical suplex but Sasaki blocks it. Punches by Gunji but Sasaki lands on his feet when he goes for a suplex and then hits Gunji in the chest. Sasaki throws Gunji into the corner but Gunji kicks Sasaki when he charges in. Gunji goes off the ropes but Sasaki gets him onto his shoulders and hits a Samoan drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Northern Lights Suplex by Sasaki, but that gets a two count as well. Sasaki applies a camel clutch but Gunji gets into the ropes to force a break. Sasaki picks up Gunji and applies a waistlock, Gunji elbows him off and hits a bulldog. Gunji goes off the ropes but Sasaki rolls him up, Sasaki goes for a kick but Gunji swats him away and dropkicks Sasaki out of the ring. Gunji then goes to the ropes and sails out onto Sasaki with a pescado. Gunji rolls Sasaki back into the ring, he goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Gunji picks up Sasaki but Sasaki slaps him and they trade slaps. Gunji goes off the ropes but Sasaki hits a superkick, cover, but Gunji kicks out. Sasaki picks up Gunji and hits the German suplex hold, and he picks up the three count. Your winner: Daichi Sasaki
Match Thoughts: A pretty basic opener and a bit clipped up so we missed the exciting beginning of the match. At least they did some moves beyond just strikes and crab holds, which I appreciate, and it was a pretty fluid and crisp match. Not a bad way to open the show but nothing exciting. Score: 4.0
Yapper Man #1 and Vancouver Cat start things off. They circle each other to start before locking knuckles, but Yapper Man #1 breaks the hold. Tie-up, armdrag by Vancouver Cat and she hits a second one, but Yapper Man #1 rolls her up for a two count. Waistlock by Yapper Man #1, reversed by Vancouver Cat, and Vancouver Cat applies a leglock. Yapper Man #1 rolls out of it, he goes off the ropes but Vancouver Cat hits an armdrag. Yapper Man #1 rolls out of the ring and Vancouver Cat does as well. Macho Pump and Yapper Man #3 get into the ring (Yapper Man #3 is actually a woman, which does come into play in this match), Yapper Man #3 clubs Macho Pump in the chest and goes off the ropes, but Macho Pump pokes her in the eyes. Macho Pump goes for a scoop slam but he puts Yapper Man #3 back down. Now Yapper Man #3 goes for a scoop slam but Macho Pump traps her arm between his legs. Kick by Yapper Man #3 and she kicks Macho Pump in the head before flinging him to the mat. She throws Macho Pump down again, Macho Pump rolls out of the ring as Yapper Man #3 goes up to the top turnbuckle, but Macho Pump walks away before she can dive out. Macho Pump tags in Vancouver Cat while Yapper Man #3 tags in Yapper Man #2. Yapper Man #2 punches Vancouver Cat in the head, Irish whip to the corner, reversed, and Vancouver Cat hits a cartwheel elbow strike. Vancouver Cat goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits an armdrag. Jumping knee in the corner by Vancouver Cat and she hits a drop toehold. Back scratch by Vancouver Cat and she dumps Yapper Man #2 out of the ring. Yapper Man #1 comes in and kicks Vancouver Cat from behind, Yapper Man #3 comes in as well and they all pose on Vancouver Cat. Eagles Mask comes in the ring but Yapper Man #1 throws him in the corner, Yapper Man #1 and Yapper Man #2 try to throw Vancouver Cat and Eagles Mask into each other, but they reverse it. Eagles Mask and Vancouver Cat apply leg locks to Yapper Man #2 and Yapper Man #1, Macho Pump walks in the middle of the ring and he poses. Yapper Man #3 comes in the ring to break it up, and then the Yapper Man team dives out onto their opponents. Eagles Mask chops Yapper Man #1 in the corner back in the ring and he hits a dropkick. Eagles Mask picks up Yapper Man #1 but Yapper Man #1 moves when he charges in and hits an elbow drop. Eagles Mask is thrown out of the ring, Macho Pump comes in the ring and he hits a double lariat onto Yapper Man #1 and Yapper Man #2. Macho Pump is along in the ring with Yapper Man #3 and he chases her around, and Macho Pump kisses Yapper Man #3. Macho Pump sets up Yapper Man #3 in the ropes and grabs her chest, but Vancouver Cat comes in the ring and slaps him. Vancouver Cat kicks Macho Pump, enzigieri by Yapper Man #1 to Macho Pump and Yapper Man #2 hits a super kick. Seated senton by Yapper Man #3 to Macho Pump but he holds her there as the referee counts to three. Your winners: Yapper Man #1, Yapper Man #2 and Yapper Man #3
Match Thoughts: Apparently Macho Pump is a creeper, only in Japan would this type of wrestler interaction be acceptable. That was the main theme of the match, up to that point it was a very basic tag team match with not a lot going on. Even though it was a bit perverted it was fun to see Macho Pump’s own teammate turn on him for his behavior. This might make some people cringe but I’ve watched enough DDT so I’ve seen worse. Score: 5.5
Hiugaji and Majoli start things off. Waistlock by Majoli, reversed by Hiugaji but Majoli reverses it back. Side headlock takedown by Majoli, but Hiugaji reverses it with a headscissors. Majoli gets out of it and applies the side headlock, but Hiugaji gets on the headscissors again. Majoli gets the side headlock back on and gets Hiugaji to his feet, Hiugaji applies his own side headlock but Majoli applies a wristlock. Hammerlock by Majoli and he hits a scoop slam. Majoli picks up Hiugaji and he hits a second scoop slam. Standing shooting star press by Majoli, cover, but it gets a two count. Majoli applies a leg submission hold, he picks up Hiugaji, Irish whip, chops by Hiugaji, Irish whip by Hiugaji and he hits a back elbow. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hiugaji picks up Majoli and throws Majoli into the corner, tagging in Oyanagi. Oyanagi uppercuts Majoli, snapmare by Oyanagi and he applies a surfboard. Majoli quickly gets out of it, and Oyanagi tags Hiugaji back in. Chops by Hiugaji and he hits a scoop slam. Hiugaji hits another scoop slam, he picks up Majoli and he hits a second one. A third scoop slam by Hiugaji, cover, but it gets a two count. Hiugaji goes off the ropes but Majoli ducks the lariat, and Majoli hits a double underhook suplex. Cover by Majoli but it gets a two count. Chops by Majoli and he tags in Ultimo Dragon. Kicks to the leg by Ultimo Dragon, Irish whip, and Ultimo Dragon delivers a dropkick. Waistlock by Oyanagi but Ultimo Dragon gets away and dropkicks both Oyanagi and Hiugaji
Ultimo Dragon tags in Majoli, and Majoli chops Hiugaji against the ropes. Irish whip by Majoli and he hits a lariat. German suplex hold by Majoli, but it gets a two count. Majoli applies a submission hold to Hiugaji, he picks up Hiugaji but Hiugaji hits a backdrop suplex. Hiugaji tags in Oyanagi while Ultimo Dragon is also tagged in, Irish whip by Oyanagi but Ultimo Dragon lands on his feet when he goes for a back bodydrop and hits a back kick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Back kick by Ultimo Dragon but Oyanagi sneaks in a backslide for a two count. Dragon screw leg whip by Ultimo Dragon and he applies an ankle hold. Ultimo Dragon kicks Oyanagi and goes for an Asai DDT, but Oyanagi gets out of it and hits an enzigieri. Ultimo Dragon applies the cobra twist, and Hiugaji comes in and applies a rocking horse to Majoli. Ultimo Dragon finally gets out of his hold and then kicks Hiugaji Irish whip by Ultimo Dragon, reversed, kick by Ultimo Dragon to Hiugaji and he tosses Oyanagi out of the ring. Ultimo Dragon then goes out to the apron but Oyanagi pulls him down to the floor. Back in the ring, Majoli throws Hiugaji into the corner, reversed, and Hiugaji hits a battering ram. Vertical suplex by Hiugaji, he waits for Majoli to get up and hits a spear. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hiugaji picks up Majoli and hits an Alabama Slam, Hiugaji puts Majoli in the crab hold and Majoli submits. Your winners: Ultimo Dragon and Manuel Majoli
Match Thoughts: Besides the random standing shooting star press, this was a pretty simple match. Dragon was mostly coasting here, he wouldn’t even give the crowd the Asai Moonsault which I’ve noticed he teases a whole lot more than he actually does these days. The other wrestlers all seem perfectly competent but none had much of a ‘wow’ factor even if they were fundamentally sound. So not a bad match but nothing memorable. Score: 5.0
Nohashi and Manjimaru start things off and they trade elbows, Manjimaru goes off the ropes but Nohashi hits a headscissors. Nohashi tags in Kenbai, Kenbai goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving elbow onto Manjimaru. Minamino comes in the ring, Kenbai avoids his charge and hits a top turnbuckle hurricanrana. Ken45 comes in the ring and knocks Kenbai out of it, but Rasse comes in and dropkicks Ken45 out of the ring. Kenbai, Rasse, and Nohashi go off the ropes and all three dive out of the ring onto their opponents. Rasse slides Ken45 back in the ring and hits a missile dropkick. Cover, but it gets a two count. Rasse kicks Ken45 and hits an enzigieri, he goes for a Fisherman suplex but Ken45 blocks it. Boot by Ken45 and he hits a powerbomb for a two count. Ken45 goes off the ropes but Rasse drop toeholds Ken45 into the second rope and Kenbai hits a Tiger Feint Kick. Kenbai goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving double stomp, then Nohashi goes up top and delivers a diving headbutt. Cover, but the pin attempt is broken up. Nohashi picks up Ken45, he goes off the ropes but he is cut off. Minamino comes in the ring and punches Kenbai, he goes off the ropes but is tossed to the mat by Rasse. Ken45 hits a lariat onto Rasse, Manjimaru is back, double Irish whip to Rasse, and he gets his with a jawbreaker/kick combination. Cover, but it gets a two count. Rasse is picked up and thrown into the corner, and all three hit a running strike in the corner. Cover by Ken45 but Nohashi breaks it up. Minamino picks up Rasse, he puts Rasse on his shoulders but Rasse gets away. Inside cradle by Rasse, but it gets a two count. Rasse charges Minamino, but he catches him and hits a death valley bomb. Cover, but it gets a two. Minamino puts Rasse in the Shikahama Dynamite, and Rasse has to submit. Your winners: Takeshi Minamino, Manjimaru, and Ken45°
Match Thoughts: This was too clipped to really give an honest assessment but what we saw was perfectly fine. Kenbai is a Yoshitsune clone, including doing a lot of the same moves. The action was very fast paced, as you would imagine, and there was literally no down time in the match. Entertaining but not enough was really shown. Score: 5.5
This match is for the Tohoku Tag Team Championship. Kei and Numajiro start things off. Kei asks for a handshake but Numajiro doesn’t bite. He tries again and this time Numajiro shakes his hand. Tie-up, Kei gets Numajiro into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up, Kei pushes Numajiro in the ropes, Numajiro switches positions with him and Numajiro also gives a clean break. Kick by Kei and he applies a side headlock, takedown by Kei but Numajiro reverses it into a headscissors. Kei gets out of it and goes back to the side headlock, Numajiro struggles to his feet and he applies a hammerlock. Elbows by Kei to get out of it and he reverses the hold. Kei drives Numajiro into the corner and Kei tags in Great Sasuke. Great Sasuke crawls around and does a headstand in the corner, but Numajiro pulls him back down. Great Sasuke sits down in the middle of the ring, and Numajiro stomps him. Another stomp by Numajiro and he tags in Shinzaki. Great Sasuke does… something for a bit while Shinzaki watches him, and Kei spits water on Shinzaki from the apron. Kei throws Shinzaki out of the ring while Great Sasuke takes Numajiro outside the ring as well. Great Sasuke and Kei brawl with their opponents at ringside, with Great Sasuke and Numajiro going up in the crowd. Kei slides Numajiro back into the ring, Kei picks up Numajiro and he chokes Numajiro as he takes him to the mat. Kei puts some luggage in the ring, he sets it between Numajiro’s legs in the corner and he gets the bowling ball. Kei rolls the ball into Numajiro, sending the luggage into his midsection. Snapmare by Kei, cover, and it gets a two count.
Kei punches Numajiro into the corner, Irish whip, reversed, Numajiro avoids Kei’s charge and he kicks Kei to the mat. Numajiro tags in Shinzaki, and Shinzaki hits a swandive chop to the head. Shinzaki goes up to the top turnbuckle and hits a diving shoulderblock to Kei. Cover, but it gets a two count. Shinzaki picks up Kei and throws him into the corner, Numajiro puts the luggage between Kei’s legs as Shinzaki gets the bowling ball and rolls it into Kei. Numajiro picks up Kei, Irish whip, and Numajiro hits a hip attack. Numajiro puts Kei up on the top turnbuckle and goes for a muscle buster, but Kei gets out of it. Numajiro tackles Kei, he goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a diving leg drop. Cover, but it gets a two count. Kei grabs Numajiro in the groin and kicks him in the chest, but Numajiro catches one and hits a dragon screw leg whip followed by the Shining Wizard. Numajiro puts Kei on the top turnbuckle and hits the muscle buster, cover, but Great Sasuke breaks it up. Shinzaki comes in and kicks Great Sasuke, he goes off the ropes but Great Sasuke punches Shinzaki. Snapmare by Great Sasuke, he goes up to the top turnbuckle but Shinzaki rolls out of the way of the diving body press. Shinzaki applies the Gokuraku-Gatame but a mini wrestler emerges from a white box in the ring and stares at Shinzaki. Shinzaki gets up, the mini charges Shinzaki but Shinzaki grabs him by the head, Irish whip, and the mini wrestler hits a spinning headscissors. Shinzaki calls out of the ring and the mini hits a diving crossbody from the apron. Great Sasuke then gets up on the top turnbuckle and hits a senton atomico down onto the crowd. In the ring, scoop slam by Numajiro to Kei and he goes for an avalanche leg drop, but Kei rolls out of the way. A big hooded wrestler gets in the ring and hits a lariat onto Numajiro. Great Sasuke is back in the ring, as Kei kicks Numajiro in the chest. Kei and the hooded wrestler pick up Shinzaki and they hit the Messiah Advent. Great Sasuke remains seated on Numajiro, and he picks up the three count. Your winners and new champions: Great Sasuke and Brahman Kei
Match Thoughts: I wish I knew someone that watches Michinoku Pro so I knew what was going on here. Clearly I understand Sasuke is the head in a heel stable, who are crazy people, but that’s as far as I got as Sasuke was acting incredibly strange during this match. It was also odd that Kei started out acting normal while Sasuke was the one acting wonky. This was more of a theater match than a real wrestling match as it was constantly interrupted by the heel team’s antics. When it was straight wrestling it was a good match, Shinzaki and Great Sasuke still move around fine, it was just an odd match that was more about Muno Taiyo doing their thing than about the titles. Score: 6.0
This match is for the Tohoku Jr. Heavyweight Championship. Shu and Hayato circle each other to start, Hayato gets Shu into the ropes and he gives a clean break. Tie-up, headlock by Shu and he goes for Hayato’s arm before re-applying the headlock. Hammerlock by Hayato but Shu hits a drop toehold. Ankle hold by Shu, Hayato applies a side headlock, Shu takes him down and both wrestlers return to their feet. Kick to the arm by Hayato and they traded elbows. Boot by Hayato but Shu returns the favor and they trade shots. Shu goes off the ropes but Hayato kicks him in the chest. Shu rolls out of the ring but Hayato goes out after him, Shu gains the advantage outside of the ring and slams him into a row of chairs. Shu gets a bucket of water but Hayato blocks him from dumping it. They battle up into the crowd, Shu attacks Hayato with a bag but Hayato regains the advantage and kicks Shu in the back. Shu takes Hayato back towards ringside and twists his arm around the ring post. Shu kicks Hayato in the ribs and he hits Hayato in the arm with a chair. Shu picks up Hayato and rolls him back into the ring. Shu takes off the turnbuckle pad and he kicks Hayato in the arm. Shu hits Hayato with the turnbuckle pad and then twists his arm around the exposed corner. Shu snaps Hayato’s arm over the top rope, he picks up Hayato and he applies a hammerlock. Shu pushes Hayato down in the corner while Kei gets the luggage box for Shu. The box is placed against Hayato’s head and then Shu uses the bowling bowl to send the luggage into Hayato. Hayato falls out of the ring but is thrown back in, Shu puts on a mask and goes off the ropes but Hayato boots him in the face. They trade kicks, Irish whip by Shu but Hayato dropkicks him in the knee and then in the head. Hayato kicks Kei and Shu from the apron before sliding Shu back into the ring.
Hayato gets back in but Shu kicks him in the stomach, he gets a bucket of water but Hayato takes it from him and splashes both Kei and Shu with the water. Hayato puts Shu in the Tree of Woe, he puts the luggage against Hayato’s head and rolls a bowling ball into it. Hayato kicks Shu in the chest, he goes off the ropes and hits a jumping knee. Enzigieri by Hayato, he goes off the ropes and hits the PK. Cover, but Shu gets a shoulder up. Hayato picks up Shu but Shu throws Hayato shoulder-first into the exposed corner. Shu yanks on Hayato’s arm, big boot by Hayato but Shu moves when Hayato charges him in the corner. Armbreaker by Shu, he goes off the ropes and hits La Mistica. Shu keeps the armbar applied but Hayato gets a hand on the ropes. Shu gets his black liquid and drinks some, but Hayato kicks Shu. Hayato gets the black liquid and drinks some, but both block the other from spitting it. Kei grabs Hayato from the apron but he ducks when Shu goes to spit the liquid, and he hits Kei by accident. Hayato spits his own black liquid at Shu and Hayato kicks Shu in the side of the head. Cover, but it gets a two count. Hayato picks up Shu and boots him, cover, but again Shu kicks out at two. Hayato picks up Shu and applies the KID, but Shu gets to the ropes to force a break. Hayato picks up Shu and hits a release German suplex. Shu lands in the corner and Hayato hits a pair of running knees. He goes for a third but Kei spits black mist on him from the apron. Shu picks up Hayato and hits the Zombie King. Cover, but it gets a two count. Shu applies an arm submission but Hayato gets out of it, kicks by Hayato and a cover, but it only gets two. Hayato hits the Helm, cover, but Shu gets a shoulder up. Hayato picks up Shu but Kei comes in the ring and hits Hayato in the arm with a kendo stick. High kick by Hayato and he goes for the Kid, but Shu gets out of it and applies the Caterpillar for the three count. Your winner and still champion: Brahman Shu
Match Thoughts: This match wasn’t bad, even though I have trouble seeing Shu as a champion caliber wrestler. Apparently DQ is officially off the table in Michinoku Pro, as Shu would not have won if Kei wasn’t constantly getting involved in the end of the match. I always felt a promotion’s biggest title shouldn’t be brought down by constant interference and things like that, although MPro is clearly all-in with the Sasuke stable. Hayato looked fine here, it was just a disjointed match and some of the transitions were non-existent. After all the arm work on Hayato, it was a bit disappointing that it didn’t really come into play at the end, a backslide isn’t the most exciting ending for the main event title match. Some good and some bad here, the action itself was perfectly acceptable, it just didn’t come across as an important title match like it should have. Score: 5.5
Best Match: Jinsei Shinzaki and Kesen Numajiro vs. Great Sasuke and Brahman Kei. There were not any great matches on this event, but this was the best one of the bunch. It had its goofy parts for sure, but Shinzaki and Sasuke can still bring it and the heel team’s methods kept the match interesting. Nothing too memorable but an entertaining match.
MVP: Fujita “Jr.” Hayato. Even though he lost, he pulled an above average match out of Brahman Shu. He also played along with Shu’s ridiculousness which is admirable as well. Really no one came out of this event elevated to me but Hayato looked good here.
Overall: This event was just extremely average. I don’t know if I’ve ever reviewed an event where almost every match hovered right at that ‘5 out of 10’ line but this event pulled it off. It was just ‘there’, the matches weren’t bad but nothing on this card would I recommend in particular as needing to be watched. If you enjoy the Brahmans than this event is probably a must, otherwise you can safely skip it and be confident that you aren’t missing anything.
Wrestling legend and current WWE writer Michael “PS” Hayes has released a new song on iTunes called, “Why Can’t the Children Pray in School?”
The song goes for 4 minutes and 59 seconds and is available for $0.99. The copyright is held by Michael Seitz and Darwin Conort, who did some WCW themes years ago. Hayes has another single coming out soon. He tweeted the following about the “Pray In School” single:
“If the kids want pray why stop them? This is America right? Let’ get to acting like it again!”
“I was told NOT To release the “Why Can’t the Children Pray in School” song,Until THEY told me to!!!…AVAILABLE!!!!! U want a better one? Record company said what R U doing? I said, what I want!!”
Below is the artwork for the single:
The Roman Show recently caught up with Rob Van Dam in Florida. Despite making several appearances for autograph signings and fan fests, RVD noted that he likely won’t actually be wrestling before going back to WWE.
“I doubt I’ll wrestle before I go back to WWE,” he said. “If it does happen, maybe if it’s a good business deal or more likely doing a favor for a friend or something. But I’ll most likely wait until I’m back in the WWE. Right now I have the privilege of coming and going as I please… I come to them when I’m ready, [we talk about] how long the contract will be and there’s no pattern to it.”
Van Dam was part of the fan fest at the debut Ronnin Pro Wrestling event in Miami, where he had an opportunity to meet-and-greet fans. RVD talked about part-time wrestling contracts in the WWE and credits Chris Jericho for coming up with the concept. He also spoke about who he likes to wrestle when he gets inside the ring.
“Put me in there with whoever is making the most money,” he said. “I am going to have a decent match with no matter who I’m with. Sometimes I’ll have a great match if I am in there with someone great, but I don’t have a drive to get in there with anybody. It’s business, put me in there with the main eventer.”
Van Dam also spoke about ECW memories in South Florida, how he came about with the “RVD” chant and more. You can check out the full interview by clicking here.
