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January 29th
On this day in history in...
1963 - Bob Holly is born.
1981 - Junkyard Dog & Killer Karl Kox defeat Ernie Ladd & Leroy Brown in Biloxi, Mississippi to win the Mid-South Wrestling Tag Team Title.
1983 - Pierre Martel defeats Mad Dog Lafaib in San Juan, Puerto Rico to win the WWC North American Heavyweight Title for the third time.
1989 - Lioness Asuka defeats Chigusa Nagayo to win the World Women's Wrestling Association World Title iN Tokyo, Japan. Asuka actually won the belt from Nagayo on August 25, 1988 in Kawasaki, Japan, but refused to accept the title, since Nagayo was wrestling injured. The belt was declared vacant until this rematch took place.
1993 - The Bad Breed (Axl & Ian Rotten) defeat John Hawk (now known as JBL) & Bobby Duncum Jr. in Dallas, Texas to win the Global Wrestling Tag Team Title.
1996 - Konnan defeated the One Man Gang for the WCW U.S. Heavyweight title.
1998 - Steve Corino defeated Joey Matthews for the SCW Light Heavyweight title.
1999 - Baldo (later known as Albert/A-Train) defeats Jerry Lawler in a tournament final in Memphis, Tennessee to become the first Memphis Power Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion.
1999 - Trent Acid & Billy Reil defeated The Nation of Immigration for the Jersey All Pro Tag Team titles.
2000 - Jake Lawless defeated Mike Modest for the XPW Heavyweight title, but sold it to Damien Steele for cash.
2005 - The first ever WrestleReunion weekend was held in Tampa, Florida. Mike Johnson penned the following:
The debut outing for Rob Russen and Sal Corrente's Wrestlereunion convention was nothing but a resounding success from a fan point of view. With over 80 stars advertised for the first time event, a strong amount of cynicism had to be expected going in and it was certainly there. It was seemingly impossible to believe there wouldn't be no-shows, problems, or even a cancellation of the event at the last second based on the shady world of independent professional wrestling. However, the fans that made the trip found themselves with a weekend of memories worth far, far more than the price tag they coughed up.
The entire weekend had a very relaxed atmosphere for the most part as 99% of wrestlers booked seemed touched by the amount of attention they received from the fans. It was very much a homecoming for a number of the older workers as they exchanged hugs and stories with each other. For all the talk of politics and rivalries in the business, there were no grudges held, no incidents or arguments. Without sounding campy, "love fest" is the only terminology I can think of to describe the weekend from a performer's viewpoint. It was very much a gathering of those who understand and respect this unique subculture we call professional wrestling that only those who were there would understand.
The weekend opened on Friday with the first signing session. Elite VIPs were entered first and sent down a long row of tables to pick up free photos that were given to them. The photos were then removed from the tables and the guests began to sit down, two at a table with everyone lining up again to go down the procession and getting their items signed. The center of the room featured a wrestling ring, so the tables circled that, creating a "private area" where the convention's staff and guests could chat with each other without being approached by fans.
There was a very relaxed feeling for all the signings as the wrestlers signed everything they were asked to sign, personalized and were cordial and friendly with everyone. There were a number of performers who appeared for more autograph sessions than they were advertised for. Wrestlers who weren't scheduled for Friday including Diamond Dallas Page, Steve Williams and Ted DiBiase were wandering around mingling with the fans and wrestlers scheduled, signing and posing for photos with everyone who asked. Out of all of the names advertised as appearing, the only four who did not appear for at least one signing session were Jeff Jarrett, Rocky Johnson, Malia Hosaka, and AJ Styles, which is am amazing percentage. Styles didn't make it to Florida due to travel issues stemming from the ice storm in Georgia on Saturday and was replaced by Pat Tanaka against Christopher Daniels at the live event. Jarrett and Hosaka wrestled Saturday but never appeared at the signing sessions. Johnson did not appear as he never returned his contract to the promoters. The only changes I would have made would have been announcing the Styles and Johnson situations before the live card on Saturday evening (Styles was announced 10 seconds before his replacement, Pat Tanaka, came to the ring; Johnson was never mentioned until a fan questioned promoter Rob Russen Sunday morning.)
There was very little security for the weekend. It just wasn't needed, with lines being kept together by something of an honor system with fans respecting each other. In the case of fans needing to jump in and get an item signed really quick, I saw tons of instances of fans letting others jump in and out. Everyone was there to have fun and respected each other. It was one of those weekends where you remember why you first liked this business, as opposed to being overshadowed by the silliness and stupidity that often pervades it. I find it hard to believe that there was one person who was at the sessions that was unable to get every item they wanted signed autographed. It was easy to go through the lines more than once if needed and everyone was willing to sign multiple items.
A number of vendors were at the convention including Mark Nulty's WrestlingClassics.com, Highspots, UCW Wrestling from Georgia (who had Lex Luger and Johnny Swinger at their booth and for a cool $5, were selling photocopies of pictures to be autographed in a move out of old school Southern indies), ECW Press, NWA Florida, and Gordon Solie's daughter and son-in-law, who were selling copies of their new book which collects writings and photos that the legendary announcer left behind upon his passing. The hardcover book looks top notch.
After the Friday session, the room was cleared and Elite VIPs were allowed in again for a Q & A Session with Ricky Steamboat and Ted DiBiase, hosted by Bill Apter. DiBiase told stories about Junkyard Dog, not getting the WWF championship at Wrestlemania IV, the decision to create the Million Dollar belt, and more. Steamboat discussed wrestling Ric Flair, his new role as an agent for WWE, Jay Youngblood, and more. That was followed by a second Q & A with Diamond Dallas Page and Jake Roberts. Roberts mocked himself as an addict and an alcoholic, noting that he makes no excuses for what he is. Page told lots of stories about breaking into the business, although he also seemed to laugh at his own jokes. I could easily see why Page is trying to break into motivational speaking as he drops feel good stories about his career at the drop of a hat. There was a funny story about Roberts staying with the Pages, only to have his cobra escape and hide under a bathroom vanity while Jake went MIA for several days.
Page credited Jake as his mentor, saying that Roberts taught him the psychology of how and when to do things in the ring and one of the greatest moments of his life was when Jake called him and praised him for "reinventing the DDT" with his Diamond Cutter. Roberts said that in a perfect world, he would get a chance to script and work for WWE again and create stories that would help the business get back on its feet. Page was sure to plug his upcoming "Yoga for Real Guys" book a number of times and show off how flexible he was able to become doing it. A young fan, about 9-10 years old, who said he wanted to become a wrestler, asked for advice and was told to envision his dreams and work on how to get there. They brought him on stage where Page taught him how to do a collar and elbow tie-up. Roberts referred to the wrestling ring as his one true love and the "only wife I was ever faithful to." Kimberly Page was sitting in the front row, filming the Q & A with a camcorder.
The one downer of the Friday Q & A was Roberts discussing Beyond the Mat, saying he was hoping it would be used as a way to stop any potential wrestlers from not acting the way he does because "Jake did it." He claimed to be the only person not to be paid by director Barry Blaustein, said he would never forgive Blaustein for using his family, and that he was lied to about how the footage would be released and used. Roberts happy nature turned into a hateful promo with a second's notice, and the fans could easily see it. In the only instance of anyone turning down signing material that I saw all weekend, Roberts politely refused to autograph a "Beyond the Mat" DVD during his signing session.
Saturday opened with another signing session, followed by Q & As with Bruno Sammartino. Sammartino said the biggest difference between father and son McMahons was that Vince Sr. Would have never tried to offend his audience while Jr. would. Sammartino said he found that personally disgusting but it was McMahon's choice. Sammartino, sporting a shaved head, looked to be in tremendous condition. Sammartino recounted the story of being backstage at Raw in Pittsburgh several months ago and how Ric Flair snubbed him. Sammartino was awarded a "Legends" plaque by Wrestlereunion at the end of the session.
The quartet of Terry Funk, Mick Foley, Kevin Von Erich, and Dusty Rhodes were up next for a two hour Q & A. In one of the highlights of the weekend, Foley said that his favorite moment of the weekend was seeing Steve Williams. The audience gave Williams a standing ovation as he joined everyone on stage. Foley said that he hoped to be part of Williams' return match, whether it is as an opponent, partner or referee. Williams thanked everyone for their prayers and support and asked them to keep them coming.
Foley discussed making Randy Orton, saying that he wanted to do something special and he just threw his hands up when he saw Evolution turn on him the day after Summerslam. When asked about wrestling on the ECW PPV, Foley evaded the idea but said he thought he'd make the best "ECW Commissioner" for the show. Foley noted that he had suggested to Ring of Honor the idea of doing a six man with Terry Funk and Abdullah the Butcher and said that when he wrestles at this point, he'd like it to be for fun. When asked why he became Mankind in the WWF, Foley replied, "Vince thought I looked sleazy."
Ric Flair's book was a big topic during the Q & A as well. Von Erich said that he was happy his brother Kerry wasn't around to see what was written about him as Kerry always thought he and Flair were close. Von Erich said that Kerry wasn't an addict, he just loved using drugs and the way Kerry is portrayed isn't fair to his memory. Dusty said that his book would set the record on his relationship with Flair through the years, noting that he holds no ill will towards him. Foley noted that when he and Flair got into their altercation during Raw, it was partially his fault as once he refused to shake Flair's hand in front of the boys, he left Flair with no options. He said that when he asked Flair to sign his book, had Flair done it, he would have looked like a moron before the other wrestlers. Foley said he expected Flair to verbally go after him, but never expected him to throw a punch.
Funk was his colorful self during the entire Q & A as well. He said that he loves the wrestling ring more than anything but he doesn't want to die there. He joked that if it looked like he was going to breathe his last breath in the ring, that he wanted someone to "drag his ass out" of it. Funk and Foley joked about how horrible the famous Empty Arena match Funk had against Jerry Lawler in Memphis was. Foley told a story about asking The Rock to watch it while preparing for their Empty Arena match, with The Rock coming back and saying that he didn't want to offend Foley, but the match sucked. Funk later admitted to Foley that he thought it sucked too and that legend had created this great, romantic memory of something out of nothing. When asked about Chainsaw Charlie, Funk said that it was one of his dumbest ideas and something he suggested, not Vince McMahon. Foley said that he thought the whole idea was Funk would remove the mask and they could do a whole shocking "It's Terry Funk" moment, but it never happened. Foley said that when Vince McMahon retires, we could be sure of seeing a few more Triple H title reigns.
When the topic of favorite matches came up, Funk said that he couldn't pick his favorite matches out of respect to everyone he worked with. Von Erich made similar claims, but put over everyone on the panel. Foley picked the Randy Orton Backlash match, saying it was a personal accomplishment after he was unhappy with his Wrestlemania XX comeback. He also praised his Beach Blast '92 Falls Count Anywhere bout with Sting, saying it was a test for him as he was getting over whopping cough. Rhodes noted his favorite matches included the "Last Tango in Tampa" against Harley Race, an I Quit match with Terry Funk (joking that Funk quit) and the bout where Santa Claus attacked him while wrestling Kevin Sullivan.
The one sad moment of the Q & A saw them discussing Bruiser Brody's murder in Puerto Rico. Rhodes said that it soured him on Puerto Rico and he would never, ever return there. Funk noted that Brody had a reputation for pushing people around and did it to Jose Gonzales, but there was no call for Gonzales stabbing him. Foley tried to lighten up the mood by recounting his "favorite memory" of the Island, being doused with urine by fans while walking to the ring for an appearance for the IWA promotion as Mankind.
Other highlight saw Von Erich saying that he didn't want anyone to feel sorry for him as he's considered the last of his brothers, saying he had a full life and loved his time with them. He said he hoped to release all of his footage on DVD, and didn't see him ever bringing back World Class as a company. When asked about the demise of Jim Crockett Promotions, Rhodes said that it was a case of bills piling up and the company becoming bigger than it was able to handle. Rhodes said he loves Ric Flair but will get his turn to have his say when his book is released later in the year.
This was followed by a second autograph session, featuring far too many stars at once in hindsight. The Saturday afternoon session, featuring the most amount of talent in one place for any of the sessions, was the longest waiting period (at least two hours for some). There was at least one fan that loudly (and rightfully) griped about it to promoter Rob Russen. The promoters extended it another hour in order to make good with the fans.
Saturday evening featured a really fun live card, which I will recount later today on PWInsider.com.
Sunday was more of the same, with two signing sessions and a Q & A featuring Bill Watts, Jim Cornette, and all three members of the Midnight Express. When discussing the Gangstas gimmick in Smoky Mountain Wrestling, Cornette said he wasn't being racist but was letting things that were already in motion within the fan base's mind play. Watts stopped him and said that was racist in his opinion. Watts discussed African-American athletes. He also said that he and son Erik haven't spoken in some time due to Bill "confronting him about his substance abuse problem." A truly hysterical moment during the Sunday session was my friend Carlos Herrera handing Kevin Nash a copy of the "Death of WCW" book to sign. Nash spent several minutes reading it while letting his line grow, pointed out what he claimed were mistakes, then signed the book. It was a true "You had to be there moment."
The complete list of stars appearing over the weekend signing were Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard, Harley Race, Mick Foley, Bob Orton Jr., Virgil, Tom Prichard, Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, The Grappler, Terry Funk, Ricky Steamboat, Jimmy Valiant, Steve Williams, The Missing Link, Jenny Taylor, Wendi Richter, Sir Oliver Humperdink, Jimmy Valiant, Dory Junk, Jr., Kevin Von Erich, Shane Douglas, Kevin Sullivan, B Brian Blair, Adrian Street, Linda, Outlaw Ron Bass, Kimberly Page, Spice, Jimmy Garvin & Precious, Sabu, Greg Valentine, Bill Alfonso, Baby Doll, Bugsy McGraw, Diamond Dallas Page, Bruno Sammartino, Jake Roberts, Mike Graham, JJ Dillon, Bill Watts, The Midnight Express, Jim Cornette, Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Abdullah the Butcher, The Fantastics, Kamala, Lanny Poffo, Bob Orton Jr., Col. DeBeers, Playboy Buddy Rose, Sherri Martel, Dustin Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Virgil, The Rock n' Roll Express, Ronnie Garvin, Norman Smiley, Magnum TA, Steve Williams, Larry Zbyszko, Team Blondage, Bob & Brad & Scott Armstrong, Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo, Marty Janetty, Masked Superstar, The Missing Link, The Warlord, The Wild Samoans, Samu, CM Punk, Kevin Nash, Bobby Heenan, Joey Styles, Jack Brisco, Buddy Colt, Paul Jones, Sherri Martel, Ron Bass, and The Thunderfoots. If I hadn't seen the collection of talent myself, I probably never would have believed they were all there, but it happened. Jimmy Hart appeared for the Saturday evening card and signed anything that fans wanted.
The weaknesses of the convention were far, far overshadowed by the sheer amount of talent appearing and the fun atmosphere of the weekend. The process of picking up Elite VIP tickets was a long and grueling one as there were only two laptops set up to track down the receipt of payment. There was a little disorganization the first evening as to how and where to line up for autographs, but once everyone realized the process, it seemed to go smoothly. Saturday morning there was an issue where Elite VIPs were asked to sit in rows of chairs and line up one by one, while others who had paid for day passes were already on line, but it was quickly resolved. Russen and Bill Apter, who worked as one of the faces of the convention with Page, did a quick Q & A Sunday morning with the Elites looking for suggestions as to how to improve the convention and also address questions.
Wrestlereunion Notes: The convention drew in the area of 350-400 fans for the weekend, with the majority being those from out of town who purchased Elite VIP tickets for $249-$299. Those tickets entitled the fans to first admission, first chance for lining up to each autograph session, Saturday's live event, the four Q & A Sessions, and 8x10 photos of everyone appearing....When asked about Clear Channel's involvement with the event by a fan, Rob Russen told the crowd that they had "signed a 15 year deal" with the entertainment company and they were "involved with every aspect of the convention."....Russen openly noted there were Internet reports of the convention being a bomb, saying that there were several different revenue streams and even if it appeared they had lost money, they hadn't....There are plans to run Atlanta, Georgia in June with New York City and Seattle, Washington also planned for the future.........Bill Alfonso and Baby Doll were unadvertised extras for the convention....Pat Patterson, Chavo Guerrero Sr., Hector Guerrero, and Danny Spivey were both at the hotel during the course of the weekend visiting but were not booked on the convention, with the exception of Chavo who worked the convention card. All were personable to everyone who approached for autographs and photos....Scott Hudson, Joey Styles, and Bill Apter conducted shoot interviews over the weekend with a number of those booked for the convention including Bruno Sammartino, Kevin Nash, Tully Blanchard, the duo of Jimmy Valiant & Paul Jones, Kimberly Page & Spice, Wendi Richter, the duo of Buddy Rose & Col. DeBeers, the trio of Bobby Heenan & Harley Race & Nick Bockwinkel, and Diamond Dallas Page....I had a great laugh watching Jeff Jarrett putting his cell phone to his ear every time he exited the hotel bar Saturday evening, so fans wouldn't stop him. The phone returned to his pocket the second he returned through the bar doors. What a worker....A unique item being sold was official Wrestlereunion cigars.
For more information on Wrestlereunion, visit www.WrestleReunion.com.
If anyone else attended the convention this weekend and would like to share their memories and experiences, please email them to Mike@PWInsider.com.
Mike Johnson's Personal Notes: I had an awesome time this weekend and thank those of you who I met, especially the Elite members. My traveling crew flew for the first time on Delta Song, which has a gimmick even better gimmick than my old favorite Jet Blue. Song has an interactive deal where not only can you watch The Dish Network, but also listen to CDs and play trivia against others on the plane. Fantastic idea. The hotel was nice place but seemed overwhelmed by the sheer amount of those in the building. It was hysterical watching security try to get the wrestlers to leave the bar at closing time. For the first time in all my years of traveling, I actually had to open my mouth and complain to a hotel manager as the cleaning crew left the door to my hotel room wide open for 6-8 hours. Thankfully nothing was stolen but I lucked out into having two days removed from my bill after getting the manager to discuss the situation.
It was great catching up with Les Thatcher, Bill Apter and Joey Styles. I'd like to thank Joey for his warm comments on 1Wrestling earlier this weekend about this site as well. A personal highlight was getting to meet Lance Russell, the voice of Memphis wrestling. I am never a big fan of taking pictures with wrestlers when I run into them, but like Bob Caudle last year, Russel to me is one of the greatest ever and I was lucky to get a photo to frame next to the one I have on my wall with Gordon Solie from 1994.
I had a great time Sunday evening watching the Royal Rumble at Barnacles in Brandon, Florida and want to deeply thank Richard Trionfo for his hospitality and help. I'll write more about it later but the Rumble was awesome. Barnacles had one of these "pick and grab" machines that you would usually try to get stuffed animals out of, but instead was filled with water and live lobsters. For $2 a play, if you grabbed one, they cooked it for you for free. What a crazy gimmick.
I'd like to thank my friends for yet another unbelievably, funny weekend. It was an especially great time for me as I got to see my old friend Jeremiah Evans for the first time in four years, which was as important to me as the entire weekend. A great time overall and a weekend that reinvigorated my love for the sport and art of professional wrestling.
2005 - IWA held a live card as part of the first ever WrestleReunion. Mike Johnson penned the following review:
What would a wrestling convention be without some actual live wrestling? Well, it would still be a wrestling convention because very rarely do conventions actually incorporate live shows. Two weeks ago, however, I attended the first-ever Wrestlereunion convention in Tampa, Florida. The event, promoted by Sal Corrente and Rob Russen, collected well over 80 stars in one place at the same time for Q & A Sessions, autograph signings, and a live event.
I previously covered most of the weekend's events in a column when I returned from Florida but wanted to cover the live event as a separate entity due to the unique nature of the show. Before we jump into the report, I am going to note here that there will be times where I go into background and history of different personalities during the report, both as a way to try and convey my own personal insight into the event and give some information to those of you who may not know who, for example' sake, Oliver Humperdink is).
Before I get into the wrestling event, it should be noted that the show should be judged on the merits of a universe upon itself. It's unfair to those who wrestled to try and grade them on the same scale as your typical independent show. With that said, the live event, held exclusively for Elite VIP ticketholders, was an awesome evening for old school wrestling fans. I can honestly say that I walked out of the show having enjoyed myself more than I have at many recent independent wrestling events, and I have no problem admitting that. That' not to say the Internet should be stampeding to track down a tape and analyze the matches the way they love to do for Ring of Honor and other independent promotions. Wrestlereunion wasn't a show where you expected tremendous professional wrestling going in. There weren't going to be any five star classics that would be legendary among the Internet fans the next morning. What you expected instead was some good pure fun, some old stars getting the chance to be heroes and villains again before an audience that loved and respected them in their prime, and a chance for everyone involved to enjoy themselves. When it comes to enjoyment, Wrestlereunion made their mark.
Held in the ballroom of the Tampa Doubletree, the Wrestlereunion IWA event on Saturday 1/29 looked to have drawn in the area of 250-300 fans total, all of which were Elite VIP ticketholders. The show was filmed with three cameras, including a hard cam that was sitting atop a ladder above one of the ring posts, which will likely be similar to the camera view that ECW used in the old New York City Elks Lodge. There was a professional lighting rig wired into the ceiling of the ballroom to light the ring and as I joked to a few friends, it was a better setup than ECW's second PPV (which was notorious for poor production).
The show's commentary was done live as the show happened with Lance Russell and Jimmy Hart doing the entire show, joined early by Diamond Dallas Page and later in the show by Joey Styles. The second I found out Russell was at the convention, the weekend was made for me personally. Bill Apter worked as timekeeper. Styles was originally booked as ring announcer, but was trapped on the runway for five hours due to an ice storm in Atlanta. Mark Nulty of WrestlingClassics.com (who commentates ROH with Gabe Sapolsky) was tapped to announce instead and looked to be beaming as he came to the ring....only to be enthusiastically booed by his home state.
The show opened with Bill Apter and Diamond Dallas Page, who were working as the faces of the convention, coming to the ring to film an opening segment and thank everyone for coming. They announced that they had several legends awards to give out and presented plaques to the daughter and son-in-law of the late Gordon Solie, Pam and Bob Allyn and one to Mike Graham, who accepted on behalf of his father the late Eddie Graham. Eddie was considered one of the greatest bookers who ever lived, grooming Dusty Rhodes and Bill Watts, among others during his time while Solie was the man when it came to announcing. Page gave a long tribute to Solie, crediting him for teaching Page how to commentate when they worked together for the Florida Championship Wrestling revival in the late 1980s. They also gave a plaque to Jimmy Valiant, who was advertised as retiring tonight. It was a nice classy moment to open the evening.
Roddy Piper came to the ring, where he awarded a plaque to Bill Apter, which I believe was something Apter didn't see coming based on his reaction as he didn't ham up the way Apter traditionally does when he's "on" camera. Apter and Piper joked back and forth with each other, which the crowd enjoyed. Piper went to leave the ring, but Apter reminded him that they had advertised that Piper would be appearing on an interview segment. Apter brought out Jimmy Snuka, playing off the famous coconut angle, saying that in all the years he covered the business, he never saw Piper apologize. Roddy teased that he would but didn't do it.
Just as Piper was about to apologize, out came Col. DeBeers, Bob Orton, and Buddy Rose, managed by Sherri Martel, who confronted Piper and Snuka, then attacked them. Jimmy Valiant hit the ring for the save, sparking the opening match.
Roddy Piper & Jimmy Valiant & Jimmy Snuka defeated Col. DeBeers & Bob Orton & Buddy Rose (with Sherri Martel) when Piper pinned Orton. Rocky Johnson was advertised as the partner here but never returned his contract to the promoters, so Snuka was tapped as the replacement. Piper looked to be in better shape than he had been in recent years. Snuka looked the same as he has in recent years while Valiant looked very thin and like he had lost even more weight from the last time I saw him a year previous. Of the heels, Orton was in the best shape, working in a singlet. This was likely the first match for Rose and DeBeers in years. From the moment this started, everyone in there was trying their best to have a good time with all kinds of brawling and back and forth stuff. Rose actually took an insane bump through the ropes to the floor that I think shocked everyone in the building. As someone who grew up watching Piper and Orton as a duo, it was wild to see them going at it. It was odd that in a match billed as his farewell, they didn' have Valiant score the pin. Orton's partners turned on him after the match, leading to Piper making the save and reuniting with his "Ace" for the first time since 1987. Piper kissed Sherri Martel for good measure.
Lanny Poffo pinned Adam Windsor. Poffo, aka The Genius during his main event heel run in 1990 for the WWF recited a poem before the match about friends that got a huge round of applause. Windsor is the top student/trainer for the nearby Dory Funk Jr. BANG! School in Ocala, Florida and Funk accompanied him to ringside. Windsor was trying to work heel and get Funk to help him but Dory wanted no part of it. The ref took a bump (in the second match?) and Funk held Poffo but was stuck by Windsor. Funk laid him out with a clothesline. Poffo came off the ropes with a moonsault flip (or as high as he was going to get at his age) for the pin.
The Missing Link pinned George South. South still looks good for his age and Link looks to be in better shape now than he did 20 years ago. I was a little bummed as I expected South to do the bit he does working Southern independents, taking forever to remove his ring jacket. South was a longtime enhancement talent in the Jim Crockett territory and was always well liked for making the stars look great. Link came to the ring hitting himself in the head with a chair. If this was any other show, the crowd today would have booed the chair shots but because the fans respected the guys who were they were, they simply cheered it, which I thought was super cool. South tried to use the chair on Link, who no sold them due to how "hard" his head was and scored the pin with a clothesline. This was like being at the old Techwood Drive TBS Studios.
Wendi Richter & Bambi & Malia Hosaka & Jenny Taylor defeated Sherri Martel & Peggy Lee Leather & Team Blondage- Krissy Vaine & Amber O'Neal (with Joyce Grable) in an eight woman tag. This was billed as the first time Richter and Martel had ever gotten in the ring with each other, but there wasn't much interaction between the two. Bambi and Leather, who have worked together excessively over the last decade, chopped the crap out of each other and brawled outside the ring. Martel was actually in the best shape of all the older ladies, which makes sense as she still does indies all the time. Taylor is a southern babyface who works indies. Team Blondage have a great look and worked their tails off. Krissy Vaine is made for a WWE developmental deal. She and O'Neal worked really well as a team. This was a really fun match with everyone working hard. Richter scored the pin after a powerbomb on O'Neal. I actually expected this to go a little longer but it was fine for what took place. Grable was awesome trying to get heat at ringside.
Hacksaw Duggan pinned Kamala. This was billed as a rematch from the old Watts territory days of Mid-South Wrestling, but was more of a reprisal of 1994 WWF. Duggan tried to rally the crowd by chanting "USA" but the hardcore fans turned it around on him, chanting "Uganda" instead with Kamala pumping his fists before jumping back into character. Duggan scored the pin with the old football stance into a clothesline.
Mike Rotunda and Barry Windham defeated Ron Bass and Larry Zbyszko. It was wild to see Windham and Bass in a ring together in Florida, but it's not 1985 anymore for Windham. Still, it was cool to see one of my all time favorites one more time. Zybszko got a great line in at the onset of the match, telling Windham that he was still the Western States Heritage champion. Rotunda and Zbyszko still looked to be in the best shape. Bass looked really heavy and his trademark handlebar mustache is long gone. Windham and Bass went back and forth and Windham told him that Bass hadn't been in the ring for 15 years because "I could tell." All four ended up brawling outside the ring at one point. This was a match where it was nostalgia all the way.
Jimmy Hart introduced Sabu and asked the fans to give him a round of applause, then introduced Joey Styles. Styles apologized for not arriving sooner and hit his trademark "Oh my God" over the mic. He looked to be beaming about getting the chance to be in front of a live crowd again.
The Masked Superstar defeated The Grappler in a Mask vs. Mask match. This match was a funny inside joke to my friends and I as the Grappler was nowhere to be found during his scheduled signing on Friday so the running joke was that he had to be walking past everyone all weekend and no one would know, so he'd never sign. At one point, Superstar ripped Grappler's boot off, which fell apart under the stress as he ripped the heel off. Superstar ripped off Grappler' mask for the pin.
NWA Tag Team champions America Most Wanted defeated Terry and Dory Funk Jr. via disqualification. Funk was questionable going into the match as the word going around was that he had suffered a heart attack in late December and had surgery to remove blockage in an artery. He probably shouldn't have been in the ring, but God bless that crazy man, there he was. I wasn't expecting the amazing Terry Funk doing moonsaults and tearing down the house as he so often has before, but it was still one hell of an effort and anyone who walked away let down by this match needed to get their priorities in line as the Funks went well beyond the call of duty. Dory Funk looked awesome in the ring. It was like a light switch clicked the second the bell rang as he moved with more fluidity than most indy workers, hitting uppercut after uppercut. AMW played heels, which was smart since no one was going to boo the Funks. Funk cut an awesome promo saying he was pissed because he found out AMW was getting more money than he was. Hell, it may have been the truth. At one point, Terry and Chris Harris brawled through the ballroom and threw each other into the door of the room. Terry hit both members of AMW with the NWA Tag title to get disqualified, so he took out the referee for good measure. Dory made the cover and Terry counted to three, giving the Funks the moral victory. One of the prime reasons I flew down was to get the chance to see the Funks together in the ring one last time. Terry is the epitome of all that is good and fun about this business and I wish him nothing but good health for the next 50 years since he spent the last 50 giving it away for love of wrestling. A really fun match.
Mark Nulty noted some of the luminaries in attendance, then introduced Steve Williams to the crowd. Williams got in the ring and told the fans to please keep their prayers coming. He said that he was proof that everyone can do anything they put their minds to and swore that he would return to the ring. The day he does, I hope tp be there to see it. God bless the guy (and John Tenta as well) as they continue to fight the good fight.
Marty Janetty pinned Gary Royal. Royal, who worked a lot of territories in the 1980s and under a hood as Cruel Connection I for Crockett, wore the craziest outfit ever, this golden glittery creation. He also bumped like he was trying out for a WWE deal. Janetty looks like he hasn't aged a day since 1994, with blonde streaks in his hair and still a really tight physique. This was better than anyone would have expected going in and was one of the nice surprises of the weekend.
Greg Valentine won a Battle Royal to become the IWA champion by eliminating Bugsy McGraw. Bugsy McGraw was the last guy out?! Others working the battle royal were Brad Armstrong, Ronnie Garvin, Adrian Street, Virgil, The Thunderfoots, Chavo Guerrero Sr., Bob Armstrong (as the Bullet), Shane Douglas, Jake Roberts, The Warlord, Hack Meyers, and Scott Armstrong. It was great to see some of these guys in the ring, especially Garvin and the Armstrongs, but I won't mince words. As a "match" This sucked. Roberts got a huge pop coming out as he got over with the fans during his Friday night Q & A. Brad Armstrong, who was always one of the truly great unsung performers in the business, looked awesome and if there was any justice, he'd have a chance to do one last great match before he hangs it up. I got a big kick out of seeing The Bullet live as well.
In the best match of the evening, The Rock N' Roll Express and The Fantastics (with Bobby Heenan) defeated Jim Cornette and the Midnight Express Stan Lane & Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey all teaming together for the first time ever in a No DQ, No Countout, No Time Limit Bout. I hope that the DVD of the match allows for those watching at home to experience even a glimmer of how much fun this match was for those of us sitting ringside watching. The Midnights all had matching outfits. Of the heels, Lane looked to be in the best shape which was ironic considering he got out of the ring after a motorcycle accident. Of the babyfaces, Tommy Rogers looked the best but everyone was working their tail off. The Midnights were doing all of their trademark cheap heat heel tactics. At one point, Cornette cracked Bobby Fulton in the eye with a stiff potato shot and it swelled up immediately. Fulton tried several times to get his hands on Cornette in retaliation. Cornette was dressed the same way he used to wrestle in those old 1980s Bunkhouse matches and hit a bodyslam and elbowdrop on Fulton, just like the old days. It ended up with everyone piling on Cornette for the pinfall. There was so much that was great and fun about this match and unlike everyone today hitting more spots than 101 Dalmations, this was a case of less meaning more because they gave you a reason to care about everything and enjoy yourself. This match was worth the price of the weekend itself.
Christopher Daniels pinned Pat Tanaka with a sitdown powerbomb. AJ Styles was booked here but was unable to make it in due to the Georgia ice storm. I think Wrestlereunion missed a chance here to put Brad Armstrong in with Daniels and have a really fun match, but for all I know, Armstrong might not have been physically up for that type of match. Daniels got a lot of offense in on Tanaka, then scored the pin. What happened is they were given the sign to go home early so none of what was planned actually had a chance to take place in the ring so Daniels ended up squashing Tanaka. The funniest thing about the bout was one woman sitting in the third row cheering on Tanaka like it was her first born, screaming at Daniels not to give up his day job because he sucked after he won. That was especially funny since Daniels is one of the best overall performers working today.
NWA champion Jeff Jarrett pinned Tully Blanchard (with JJ Dillon) with Kevin Von Erich as the special guest referee. Ricky Steamboat was supposed to be the referee here but told promoters that he had just gotten an MRI done on his knee and was worried about looking bad in the ring getting up and down for the pinfalls. They asked Von Erich, who was happy to substitute, even coming out barefoot the way he did when he wrestled. Von Erich was a nice surprise as s probably been over a decade since he was even inside the ring. Jeff Jarrett brought out Baby Doll as a surprise to shock Tully which wouldn't have worked anywhere but this show, but was a nice idea. Tully looked to be in awesome shape as he worked out for several months and had told me during an interview that he'd be ready to go 60 minutes if needed. He actually proposed winning the belt and then dropping it at TNA's TV but it wasn't to be. The match was a slight disapointment in that between the awesome promo Tully cut on the Wrestlereunion website, his training, flying in his father to witness the match, etc. one truly expected a great glorious long wrestling match in the vein of the old school NWA matches. Instead we got an OK eight minute match that would have been fine otherwise, but given the hype was probably the only letdown of the weekend for me personally. Blanchard got a foreign object from JJ (what? No shoe?) but Baby Doll got involved. He struck Jarrett with it for the pin but Von Erich pulled off Tully. They had words and Kevin locked on the iron claw for a pop. Jarrett hit a back suplex for the pin. I knew it was the finish when it happened but until the three count was made, I was hoping for a kickout and another 10 minutes of back and forth wrestling. Maybe next time.
Mike Graham & Dusty Rhodes & mystery partner Dustin Rhodes defeated Kevin Sullivan & CM Punk & mystery partner Abdullah the Butcher (with Harley Race, Honest John, and Oliver Humperdink) with Cactus Jack as the special referee when Dusty pinned Punk with the bionic elbow. This was supposed to be a Cage match and at one point, Jack Brisco was booked to be in the babyfaces' but Brisco was nowhere to be found. They announced that due to the logistics of the building, they couldn't fit a cage so they were adding mystery partners. Punk & Abby & Sullivan may have been the most unique six man combination since Junkyard Dog & Tommy Rich & Ricky Morton. Graham got no pop, which shocked me given they had just given his father a plaque several hours earlier and it was billed as his homecoming. Punk's role was to bump for the faces and make everyone look good, and he earned his money. At one point, he did the Terry Funk seesaw in the ropes, then fell backwards, caught his foot on the ropes and bumped backwards to the floor. Abby broke a beer bottle on the ringpost and carved Dustin's forehead with the youngest Rhodes bleeding a gusher. It ended up with Foley giving Punk Mr. Socko (I actually wish they hadn't billed it as Cactus Jack here as to me Cactus is about mayhem and great promos, not Triple H jokes and socko, but that's just me as an old school Foley fan). Punk went down and was hit with the elbow for the pin. Sullivan turned on Punk, ramming him into the ringpost after the match.
Overall, one hell of a fun night to be a wrestling fan, and isnt that what it's all about?
2009 - The Associated Press reported the following:
Doctor to late wrestler pleads guilty in drug case
NEWNAN, Ga. (AP) — The personal doctor to a professional wrestler who killed himself, his wife and their 7-year-old son in 2007 pleaded guilty Thursday to illegally distributing prescription drugs to patients, one of whom died.
Dr. Phil Astin, 54, pleaded guilty to a 175-count federal indictment charging him with illegally distributing prescription drugs and conspiring to distribute prescription drugs.
Astin also admitted that prescriptions he issued resulted in the overdose death of a female patient in 2007, though attorneys did not specifically name any patient or link the physician to World Wrestling Entertainment's Chris Benoit.
More than 50 of the counts carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine. The others carry a lesser sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, said Patrick Crosby, spokesman for U.S. Attorney David Nahmias.
Astin did not comment Thursday after the hearing. His sentencing is scheduled for May 12.
In June, Astin pleaded not guilty to the charges. Thursday's change was part of a 12-page plea bargain negotiated by defense attorney Natasha Perdew Silas, who acknowledged her own investigation's findings in the case matched those of federal prosecutors.
She told U.S. District Court Judge Jack T. Camp that Astin wasn't guilty of prescribing medicine in exchange for personal gain, but rather was a "country doctor" who treated many patients suffering from chronic pain.
"In chronic pain cases, Dr. Astin, more often than not, would simply accede to the patient's request that they needed strong or stronger medicine to handle their pain," Silas said in a written statement. "As the years went by, Dr. Astin became more and more willing to bend the rules."
The indictment against Astin involves hundreds of prescriptions written for 19 patients between May 2002 and July 2007.
A federal investigation found Astin wrote prescriptions without conducting physical exams and sometimes gave patients as many as four simultaneous prescriptions for "cocktails" of drugs like Percocet, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Adderall.
Investigators cited one case in which an unidentified female patient began receiving a combination of drugs that included Xanax from Astin in 2002. She died in June 2007, the same month authorities discovered the bodies of Benoit, his wife and son in their suburban Atlanta home.
Benoit strangled his wife and son, then hanged himself in their home in June 2007. A medical examiner couldn't say whether the steroids Astin prescribed for Benoit played a role in the deaths.
Silas would not confirm that Astin played any role in Benoit killing his family and then himself.
In court Thursday, Astin told the judge he suffered from depression and anxiety since his arrest in 2007. Silas described a man who inherited many patients from his father's medical practice after the elder Astin committed suicide in 2005 as a result of depression over his own chronic pain.
In a written statement, Silas described Astin as "sorry for the cases in which he did not provide appropriate care," but added they were a fraction of his overall practice.
"A larger portion of Dr. Astin's patients were treated commendably," she said.
2011 - Roddy Piper battling Terry Funk during a Battle Royal and Jake Roberts' official retirement match highlighted a PWG event held as part of WrestleReunion in Los Angeles, CA. Mike Johnson filed the following live report of the show, which is available via DVD from Highspots.com:
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla started with WrestleReunion promoter Sal Corrente announcing that Ken Patera and Jim Neidhart would not be working the Legends Battle Royal and would instead be replaced by Chavo and Mando Guerrero, who are legitimate legends in the Los Angeles area.
PWG owner Excalibur came to the ring and joked with the crowd that he just arrived from throwing rocks at the military. He noted that the show is starting a little late and "you should be so lucky that we start on time." He thanked everyone for coming and asked everyone to enjoy the show.
Cedric Alexander, Brandon Gatson, Candice LeRae, & Willie Mack vs. Peter Avalon, Caleb Konley, “The Manscout” Jake Manning, & ODB in an eight person tag.
ODB replaced Christina Von Eerie.
Manning and Alexander started with Manning eating several dropkicks Gatson tagged in but Manning faked him out and tagged out to Konley. Peter Avalon and Willie Mack each tagged in, which the crowd loved. Mack killed him with a big shoulderblock and slam. He dropped a series of knees on him but Avalon retreated to his corner and tagged in ODB.
ODB challenged Mack but he instead tagged in LaRae. LaRae pushed ODB but got punched down and then slapped across the chest. ODB tagged in Avalon, who went to piledrive her but LaRae backdropped him and worked him over with stomps and kicks in the corner, She dropkicked him low, then nailed a drop toehold on Manning, who crashed atop of Avalon.
Alexander tagged in but missed a charge in the corner and was clotheslined by Manning from the apron. Manning began dropping bombs on him but Alexander mounted a comeback. Manning cut him off and whipped him into an Avalon hiptoss into the corner. Avalon nailed a big leaping kneedrop for a two count. ODB tagged in and chopped Alexander in the corner. Avalon tagged back in and rubbed his face in the ropes.
Manning tagged back in and continued the beating on Alexander. Alexander went for a hiptoss but Manning stopped him and nailed a nice butterfly suplex. ODB tagged in but missed an Avalanche in the corner. The crowd rallied Alexander and he made the hot tag to Gatson. Gatson whipped Manning in the corner then Avalon atop of him. He whipped Mack into a splash in the corner, then hit a Stinger Splash on the whole pile.
Mack grabbed Avalon and threw him out of the ring atop the other members of his team. Alecander hit a running dive over the top to the floor. LaRae prepared to do one but ODB tripped her. Gatson hit a space flying tiger drop over the ropes onto everyone. Willie Mack went to the top rope but was cut off by Avalon, who went for a superplex. LaRae came from behind and slammed him off the ropes. Mack hit a BIG frog splash off the top.
Team Mack all worked over Avalon until Gatson forced him to tap out with an armbreaker.
Your winners, Cedric Alexander, Brandon Gatson, Candice LeRae, & Willie Mack!
Rey Bucanero vs. Mr. Aguila
Aguila is best known to American fans from his stint in the WWF as Essa Rios. Fans chanted "Lucha Libre" at the bell. Bucanero did several takedowns but couldn't get a pin on Rios. Essa nailed a spinkick, sending Rey to the floor. He went to do a dive but the referee stopped him. So, Rios hit a flip dive out of the ring to the floor.
Back in the ring, Rios drilled Rey with a clothesline for a two count. He kicked Rey several times. Rey sent him into the ropes and caught him with a Backcracker. Rios went to the floor, where Bucanero hit a dive. They battled around ringside. Rios was crotched on the railing and chopped away by Bucanero.
As they returned to the ring, Rios caught Rey with a kick to the chest. Bucanero threw him out of the ring and hit a beautiful running dive over the corner and the ringpost to the floor on Aguila. Fans loved that. They fought in the crowd but I couldn' see from my vantage point. Bucanero put Aguila in a chair and did a running dive over the railing to him.
Back in the ring, they each missed a clothesline attempt and went for a high cross body at the same time, crashing into the other. As the referee counted them down, the fans chanted in Espanol. Bucanero locked on a variation of the Lion Tamer. Aguila fought back and nailed a springboard off the ropes into an armdrag, slammed Bucanero, then hit a moonsault for the pin.
Your winner, Mr. Aguila!
Really fun Lucha match.
Joey Ryan vs. Shane Helms (with Amber O'Neal)
Ryan came out to EMF's "Unbelievable", so he's over with me forever. Ryan took the mic and said that tonight, his opponent is Shane Helms. The place booed Helms. He said that he knows everything about Helms - his sweet dance moves from Three Count, his superpowers as the Hurricane and his ability to "talk sh**" on the Internet. The crowd chanted "HBK." Ryan said he was on a quest to prove he was the greatest wrestler to ever "lace up Nikes." He told Helms that not only has to deal with someone with movie star charisma and good looks, but a Hollywood submission machine. He told Helms that he's got a lot of sweet dance moves but all he needs to know tonight is a tap dance, because he's going to tap out.
Helms came out wearing a t-shirt that said "PG Sux." So does spelling. There was a huge "HBK" chant. Helms took the mic and said that we had a rowdy little crowd. The fans chanted for Helms to "shut the f*** up." He said he needed to comment on a few things Ryan had to say. He said that he's had 12 years of TV time and no one that's anyone in the business "knows who the f***" Ryan is. He said, "Starrcade, Wrestlemania" as he pointed to himself, then pointed to Ryan and said, "Backyard." He then intimated Ryan was gay and that's why he liked Shawn Michaels. He then told the crowd that they could say anything they wanted but none of them would do anything about it in the ring. He was announced as Shane "Supernatural" Helms. Good mic work by both men.
They locked up and Ryan slapped Helms when he trapped him in the corner during a tieup. Ryan shoulderblocked Helms down but stopped when Helms went for a chokeslam. Ryan retreated to the floor. Helms tossed Ryan out of the ring and nailed a plancha.
Back in the ring, Helms grabbed for Ryan but was nailed with a jawbreaker. He tuned up the band, HBK style and nailed Sweet Chin Music, but Helms no sold it and slapped Ryan in the face. Helms locked on a figure four leglock. Helms went to the top but was nailed on the way down by Ryan shot to the gut. Ryan worked over Helms.
Helms started to mount a comeback but Ryan nailed a sunset flip. Helms rolled through, grabbed Ryan's legs and locked him into a Sharpshooter. Ryan escaped and nailed a hammerlock slam. Ryan grabbed the mic and told everyone to pay attention. He said that he was putting on a technical masterpiece and if they didn't have ADD, they would respect him and what he is doing. The fans chanted, "This is awesome."
They battled around the ring with Ryan and Helms exchanging chops. Back in the ring, Helms went for a neckbreaker but Ryan turned it into a one-armed DDT. Ryan locked an armbar. Helms broke free and they battled back and forth. Helms hit an inverted DDT for a two count. Ryan cut him off on the top rope, where they battled. Ryan got knocked off and Helms nailed a flying bodypress for a two count.
Helms went for the chokeslam but couldn't Ryan. Ryan caught him with an exploder suplex. He charged the corner but Helms cut him off. Helms missed a kick and was caught in a slam for a two count. Ryan went for the armbar but Helms slipped out and nailed a neckbreaker for a two count.
Helms went for an inverted DDT but Ryan scissored him in a standing position for a submission attempt until Helms got to the ropes. Ryan rebounded off the ropes and was caught with a chokeslam for a two count. Ryan caught Helms in a submission and Helms, trapped, was forced to submit.
Your winner, Joey Ryan!
An entertaining match. I thought Helms and Ryan were both gold on the mic and their work was good as well.
The fans chanted "Don't come back" at Helms. Helms took the mic and said he got into wrestling when he was 13 years old and worked his ass off to get where he was. He said that he wasn't someone who got into the business and then became a d**k. He then said he knows what it's like to be on the other side of the rail, but the bottom line is "I've made millions and you ain't made sh**."
Low Ki vs. Davey Richards
They did some great mat and counter wrestling early.
Ki came out to his old theme music and got a monster pop. Fans chanted "Welcome back" when he entered the ring. They had a long staredown as fans did the dueling chants. They locked up and Low Ki ended up taking Richards to the ropes. Clean break. Ki began beating Richards with chops and kicks.
Richards tried to take Ki down but couldn't get him and they ran into the corner. Ki hit a Mule Kick out of the corner. Richards knocked Ki out of the ring and went for a dive but Ki caught him with a kick as he dove out. Ki worked over Richards on the floor and controlled him on the mat when they returned to the ring. Ki used elbow strikes in the corner but Richards took out his leg.
Richards stalked Ki and beat him down with a back suplex. He cinched in a cravate but Ki began fighting back. Richards elevated him into an inverted atomic drop and tried to muscle him over into a Boston Crab, finally turning him.
Ki made it to the ropes and nailed several chops but were cut off with a backbreaker. Richards nailed Ki with a hard spinkick. He mounted Ki and began beating him with punches and strikes. Richards locked in a side chinlock. Ki mounted a comeback with a series of hard chops. He drilled the hell out of Richards with chops and nailed a running kick in the corner.
Ki destroyed Richards with a series of kicks to the chest. He drilled Richards with a double stomp. KI was caught in the corner with a running forearm and a back suplex for a two count. This match is awesome and there's no way I could keep up with it.
Richards tried to grab Ki's ankle after working on it but Ki chopped him away. Ki hit a leaping double stomp to the leg and then a rolling kick in the corner for a two count. Richards locked in a anklelock but Ki escaped and locked in a Dragon Sleeper. Richards slipped out and nailed a belly to back suplex then a kick to the head for a two count.
Ki went for a rolling kick but Richards avoided it and clotheslined Ki for a two count. Richards pulled Ki up for a superplex but Ki fought him off and hung him off the ropes. He went for the Warrior's Way but Richards tossed him off. Richards went for a shooting star press but Ki moved and nailed the Warrior's Way for the pin.
Your winner, Low Ki!
A hell of a return to the independents for Low Ki. Really, really, really awesome. They beat the hell out of each other.
Richards flipped off Ki after the match. Fans chanted "PWG" after the match and gave Ki a huge ovation, chanting for him to return.
Jake Roberts vs. Sinn Bodhi (with Stacy Carter)
Obviously, this is booked as Robert's retirement match. Roberts received a huge standing ovation. Fans chanted, "Thank you Jake" after the ring introductions, then chanted for the DDT.
They went to hug but Bodhi immediately attacked Roberts with punches. Jake retaliated with a series of jabs and a knee lift. Bodhi rolled out to the floor. When he returned, they locked up and ended up in the corner, so Bodhi broke clean to mess with Jake's head.
They locked up again with Jake working over Bodhi's arm. Jake nailed him with a punch and went for the DDT but Bodhi slipped out of the ring again. They locked up again when he returned and Roberts nailed him with a series of elbows in the corner and whipped Bodhi to the opposite side. Bodhi cut him off and nailed a running legdrop.
Fans are now chanting "Hall of Famer" at Roberts.
Bodhi covered Roberts for a two count. Bodhi continued stalking him as fans chanted for Jake. JJake mounted a comeback, blocking punches and nailing his own. He tried up Bodhi in an armwringer into a short clothesline, then nailed the DDT for the pin.
Your winner, Jake Roberts!
Roberts put the snake on the former Kizarny. Fans chanted for a speech but Roberts simply waved and walked out.
A nice moment for Roberts. '
We are now at intermission. Back with the Battle Royal soon!
Legends Wrestle Royal
Bill Apter came to the ring and introduced Gene Okerlund. He explained the rules. Okerlund introduced Paul Orndorff, who came to the ring. Okerlund then introduced Harley Race and the Iron Sheik. All three received monster pops. Okerlund then introduced Mr. Saito, who got a nice pop. The fans chanted Saito's name. Number one was Danny Davis. He wore his old WWF outfit. Mike Graham was number two. They locked up and Graham shoulderblocked Davis down. Davis cut him off and kicked and stomped away at Graham in the corner.
Number three was Jimmy Hart, who was announced as demanding he was included. Hart nailed Graham with the Megaphone as he was working over Davis. Hart and Davis choked out Graham with wrist tape. Fans chanted for Hart.
Number four was Tito Santana. Tito nailed Hart as Graham unloaded on Davis, who then staggered into a Tito right hand. Graham and Santana worked over Davis and Hart with turnbuckle smashes at the same time.
Number five was Barry O (Orton). Orton slipped leaping over the top rope into the ring. He wore street clothes. Graham immediately began working over him. Hart attacked Graham. Orton saw Tito and begged off, then attacked him. Tito whipped Orton into the ropes and nailed him. Davis and Hart tried to toss Graham out.
Number six was The Barbarian. He wore the old facepaint. No antlers worn to the ring. Barbarian locked up with Tito. Fans chanted, "Lets go old school." Barbarian tried to toss Graham over the top but couldn't get him over. He finally clotheslined Graham over the top to the floor.
Number seven was Los Angeles territory vet Rock Riddle. He was the first name not to get a big pop. Orton and Barbarian worked over Tito. Riddle wandered around the ring, not getting in. Barbarian and Santana whipped Davis into the other's clotheslines. Orton and Hart were in the corners watching. Riddle spent the entire time on the outside of the ring. He finally entered the ring, where Barbarian and Santana worked on him.
Number eight was Shane Douglas. Davis and Barbarian tried to toss Riddle. Douglas got a monster "ECW" chant when he hit the ring. He and Davis went at it. Barbarian muscled Riddle into the corner. Barbarian lifted Orton's shirt and tried to chop him but Douglas nailed him from behind. Everyone continued to fight.
Number nine was The Warlord. Douglas and The Barbarian teamed to toss Santana over the top, followed by Barry Orton. Warlord went after Hart, who jumped over the top rope to the floor to escape certain death. Warlord then ran Davis into the turnbucklle. Douglas tossed the Barbarian out, so we don't get to see the Powers of Pain working together. Douglas and Davis battled while Warlord beat down Rock Riddle. Warlord kicked Douglas low.
Number ten was Chavo "Classic" Guerrero. Rock Riddle tossed over Davis, who landed on the apron and was then shoved off by Riddle. The fans all chanted for Chavo. Chavo unloaded on Douglas.
Number eleven was Shane Helms, back out as the Hurricane. Chavo chopped away on Riddle. Douglas beat the hell out of Helms in the corner and yelled, "I'm not Shawn, b****." The crowd popped for that.
Number twelve was Bob Orton. Chavo and Riddle battled on the ropes. Orton attacked them with the cast. Warlord battled Douglas.
Number thirteen was Cruel Connection (Gary Royal). People were confused until they saw the outfit and then those who remembered the team on TBS popped and chanted. Connection did jumping backs in the ring and was attacked by Royal. Some fans chanted "Super Dragon." Ouch!
Number fourteen was Mando Guerrero. Mando went right after Douglas and Connection. Orton popped Chavo with a right and then laughed at him.
Number fifteen was Terry Funk coming out to Desperado. Douglas and Funk went at it as people chanted for ECW.
Number sixteen was Savio Vega. Funk peppered Helms with punches and tossed him to the floor to a huge pop. Cruel Connection was also eliminated. Mando chopped away at Riddle.
Number eighteen was Roddy Piper who received a monster pop. Piper and Funk went face to face but others attacked them. Piper poked Orton in the eyes. Vampiro, Sean Morley and Tatanka were out to end the entrances.
Everyone battled. Fans chanted "This is awesome." Riddle and Guerrero were tossed. Vega and Vampiro went at it but Vamp nailed a spinkick and tossed Vega out. Orton and Funk battled in the corner. Funk tossed Orton over.
Piper worked over Val and tried to force him over the top. Vampiro and Douglas worked on Chavo, who tried to call for time out. Douglas attacked Funk and beat him down in the corner. Morley went after Piper but got it in the eyes. Vampiro clotheslined Morley over the ropes.
Douglas working over Funk busted him open. Chavo sat on the corner so Piper punched hgim and he took a bump to the floor. It came down to Funk, Douglas, Vampiro and Piper. Douglas continued working on Funk who started mouthing off and making a comeback. Douglas kept working him over and Funk went nuts slapping and windmill punching Douglas. Douglas cut him off with a punch.
Vampiro joined in the assault and splashed Piper in the corner. He tried to whip Douglas into Terry in the corner but Funk moved. Funk took down Vampiro with a series of punches but Douglas lowblowed him. Tatanka finally hit the ring and chopped away at Vampiro and Douglas. He clotheslined both men and did a war dance. He charged Vampiro and Douglas but they ducked and he went over the ropes.
Vamp and Douglas went at it so Piper and Funk tossed them out. It's down to Piper vs. Funk! I am so glad I am in LA! Fans chanted "This is awesome."
They faced off. Terry took the mic. He said that he wanted to thank everyone who was in heaven for everything they did for the business and he wanted to thank everyone for coming out. He said that he wanted to say a prayer asking that everyone would be safe on the way home. He asked Piper to bow his head for the prayer. Piper bowed his head and Terry said, "Lord, please let me...win" and nailed Piper with the mic. CLASSIC. Funk screamed "Amen" over and over and then forced the mic in Piper's face, demanding Roddy admit Terry is the better man.
They battled out of the ring and into the crowd. Funk berated Piper as he beat him with the mic and said, "This is real ECW, you pig." He dragged Piper back in the ring and tossed him over the top but Piper landed on the apron and returned. They battled back and forth with punches. Piper got Terry over the ropes but Funk grabbed the ropes and held on for Dear life. Piper finally punched and punched until Funk landed on the apron and then forced him out to the floor.
Your winner, Roddy Piper!
Funk tried to get back in the ring but was held back by the referees. He tossed a chair, which Piper grabbed. Funk raised his arms to the crowd then gave Piper the finger. Piper led the fans in a chant for Funk. Everyone gave the Funker a nice ovation on the way out.
A hell of a fun match and My God, Piper vs. Funk. So much fun, even at their advanced age. I loved the hell out of all of this. Such FUN.
Kevin Steen vs. Chris Hero
Steen took the mic and asked, "Are you ready to see a f***ng PWG show." They went back and forth early. Hero went for a shoulderblock but couldn't budge Steen. Hero rolled him up for a two count. Hero began working on Steen's arm but Steen reversed it. Hero returned the favor.
They went back and forth until Hero drilled Steen with a roaring forearm smash. Steen went to the floor and dared Hero to follow him. Steen grabbed a weapon from a fan but Hero nailed him from behind and began chopping away. Steen whipped Hero into the railing but Hero leapt it and landed in the crowd. Steen followed and they brawled around the building. Steen climbed a lighting tower and dove off on Hero. in
Back in the ring, Steen worked over Hero and nailed a moonsault for a two count. Steen peppered him with punches. Steen covered Hero but Hero kept kicking out. He unloaded with a series of forearms and chops. Hero started to make a comeback as Steen chopped away at him and nailed a leaping leg lariat.
Both men were down as the referee was counting them down. Fans began singing El Generico's theme and Steen yelled at them to shut the hell up. Hero mounted his comeback but was nailed with a double sledgehammer. Hero kicked Steen out of the ring then dove through the middle and bottom ropes with a kick that looked awesome. He followed up with another then tossed Steen back in the ring.
Hero nailed several right hands but was whipped into the corner. Hero nailed him with a knee to cut him off and then hit Diamondust out of the corner for a two count. The fans clapped and chanted for Hero. Hero chopped away at Steen but Steen caught him in the ropes and nailed a hanging DDT. Steen charged and nailed a cannonball splash in the corner.
Steen went for an exploder but Hero avoided it. Hero went for a pump kick but was caught with a TKO for a two count. Fans began the dueling chants. Steen went for a suplex but Hero halted it and nailed a nasty looking exploder. He hit an explosive charging dive into the corner but was caught and powerbombed by Steen, then locked in a Sharpshooter.
Hero fought his way to the ropes. Steen placed him on the ropes and went for a belly to back superplex. Hero fought him off with elbows and kicked him to the mat. Hero went for a moonsault but Steen moved. Hero landed on his feet but was hit with a lungblower. Steen went for a moonsault but Hero moved and they went back and forth in a great sequence. They started beating the hell out of each other and Steen began dropping Hero on his head with a sleeper suplex.
Hero kicked out and Steen charged, only to be nailed with Hero's roaring forearm smash and pinned.
Off the charts awesome match.
The Cutler Brothers (Brandon & Dustin Cutler) vs. The Fightin’ Taylor Boys (Brian Cage-Taylor & Ryan Taylor) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma) vs. The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson aka TNA's Generation Me) for the first spot in the DT Tournament
Before this even starts, I am going to say that there is absolutely no way I am going to be able to keep up with this one, so I'm just going to give you highlights and the finish.
A hell of a match with all four doing some great high flying spots. At one point, all eight men were using a submission hold at the same time, creating some insane human centipede of submission. There was a hesitation superplex. The Young Bucks were heeling it up bigtime. The finishing sequences were just insane. Just get the DVD.
In the end, The RockNES Monsters did an insane move where one hit the Death Valley Driver on the other onto their opponents.
Your winners, The RockNES Monsters.
Kevin Steen hit the ring and destroyed the Monsters. Steen took the mic and said that he warned everyone that there were going to be two killer matches and he was right because he just killed them. He named himself as the second entrant in the DT Tournament, saying he didn't care who his partner was or if he even had one. He promised that at the Tournament, "Everybody dies!" Killer Promo.
PWG champion Claudio Castagnoli vs. PWG Tag Team champion El Generico
Generico received a hero's welcome. Castagnoli's theme music is awesome. They did some good back and forth wrestling early. Generico failed to shoulderblock down Claudio several times, so he chipped him and went for another but was taken down. Generico caught Claudio in an armdrag takedown.
Claudio regained control and cinched in a chinlock, then stomped Generico down. Claudio missed a charge in the corner and Generico worked him over with punches on the turnbuckle. Claudio went for a powerbomb but Generico landed on his feet and turned it into a spinning head scissors takedown.
Generico went to the top but was cut off by Claudio wth a series of European uppercuts. Generico fought him off and came off the top with a leaping rana. Generico nailed a sliding kick outside of the ring. He went for a plancha but was caught and slammed on the apron oiutside. Claudio slammed his leg into the ringpost and once they were back in the ring, continued the beating, kicking and stomping away.
Claudio continued the assault and attempted a Boston Crab. He ran Generico headfirst into the turnbuckles, then pressed and dropped him into Snake Eyes on the turnbuckles. Claudio teased tearing off Generico's mask and cinched in a side chinlock.
Generico fought back but was caught with a powerslam for a two count. Claudio began focusing on Generico's legs. Generico tried to kick him off and went to the corner but Claudio yanked him down, sending him crashing hard to the mat. Claudio continued the beating as the fans sang "Ole Ole" and Generico fired himelf up, Tommy Rich style.
Generico got some offense in but missed a dropkick and was chokeslammed hard for a two count. Claudio suplexed him for a two count. Generico fought back and nailed an elevated dropkick, Claudio charged but Generico ducked down and Claudio went to the floor. Generico hit an awesome flip dive off the top rope to the floor.
Back in the ring, Generico worked over Claudio until he was kicked off. Claudio mounted a comeback with a pump kick for a two count, then cinched in the Boston Crab. Generico fought his way to the ropes but Claudio pulled him back to the center. Claudio pounded Generico with rights and forearms, screaming at him to stay down.
He just massacred Generico and killed him with a running kick in the corner. Generico charged him but was caught with an elevated forearm smash for a two count. Generico drilled Claudio with a Code Red for a two count.
Claudio was caught with a kick while on the ropes and Generico went for the brainbuster. Claudio beat him down and tried for the Ricola Bomb off the ropes but Generico fought back. Claudio wore him down and went for the powerbomb but it was turned into a rana. Generico nailed a brainbuster for a two count.
The crowd chanted, "This is awesome" and they are right.
Claudio nailed an awesome airplane spin while holding Generico in the Torture Rack position. Two count. Ricola Bomb. Two count. He nailed a one legged spin into a Boston Crab, then turned Generico into another leg submission and got the tap out.
Your winner and still PWG champion, Claudio Castagnoli!
An awesome match.
Joey Ryan attacked Claudio but Chris Hero hit the ring from the crowd to make the save. They went back and forth on the mic to close things out. Ryan ripped on them and said he was going to get his title back and make them tap. Claudio dared him to get back in the ring and kick his ass all over the place. He was hilarious ripping on Joey, saying Pepe Le Pew wanted his haircut. Castagnoli said that he just had a great title defense and lead everyone to go "Hey" for El Generico, Chris Hero and WrestleReunion. He said it was one of the best weekends ever and thanked the crowd for being one of the best crowds he's performed in front of in a long, long time.
Claudio also noted Hero would be his partner in the DT Tournament. PWG did a nice job of setting the stage for their next big event.
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME SHOW.
2012 - Pro Wrestling Guerrilla presented Kurt Russellmania 3 in Los Angeles, CA. Mike Johnson filed the following live report
Welcome to PWInsider.com's live, ongoing coverage of Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Kurt Russell Reunion, which will close out the WrestleReunion festivities here in Los Angeles!
Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Kurt Russell Reunion 3 opened with WrestleReunion promoter Sal Corrente welcoming everyone to the show and thanking PWG for having such a major role in why they have continued to run in Los Angeles.
Xcalibur, the liason to the PWG Board of Directors, came to the ring. He welcomed everyone to California and said that the place is a change from their usual home in Resesa in that the staff is actually nice and helpful and they have a high ceiling. He said that had a few bits of business to take care. He announced that Harry Smith would be replacing Eddie Edwards in the tag match against The Young Bucks today due to Edwards' travel issues.
Chris Cadilac & Famous B vs. The Fighting Taylor Boys (Ryan Taylor & Brian Cage-Taylor)
Ryan and Cadilac went back and forth before tagging out to their partners. Brian shoulderblocked B down. They went back and forth until B ran Taylor out o the ring. Ryan tried to attack B but he was dropkicked out of the ring by Cadilac, who then hit a dive. B then did a running backflip to the floor out of the ring onto The Boys.
Back in the ring, Brian and B went back and forth until Brian caught B with a hiptoss, sending B across his knee. Ryan tagged in and nailed B with a kick. Brian returned and elevated B, dropping him across Ryan's knees. Ryan controlled B and slammed him for a two count. The Taylors cut the ring out from B, tagging in and out. Brian nailed a long standing vertical suplex on B, then locked in a Camel Clutch.
Taylor was caught in a jawbreaker to free B. B rebounded off the ropes with a bodypress but was caught by Brian and slammed down across his knee. Ryan tagged in and drilled B with a series of chops in rhe corner. B came back with a bodypress to set up the hot tag. Cadilac hit the ring with a series oif kicks and drilled Ryan with a back suplex for a two count.
B and Cadilac worked over Brian in the corner and Cadilac did a running shooting star press into a cannoball in the corner. The Tayors fought back but B was caught with a leaping leg lariat. The Taylors came back with a move that saw Cadilac on Brian's shoulder standing on the apron and Ryan hit a dive into a flying clothesline to take him out.
Ryan finally nailed a Canadian piledriver to score the pin.
Your winners, The Taylor Boys!
Decent match. They were trying to do a lot and some of it didn't work but the effort was there. The Taylors are a nice team and I loved the diving clothesline but beyond that, it wasn't fluid.
BxB Hulk vs. Jimmy Susumu
They did some nice mat wrestling early. Jimmy took control and scored several two counts. Jimmy sent Hulk into the ropes but Hulk stopped short and kicked him in the back of the head. Hulk worked over Jimmy with dropkicks and a cravate. Hulk began focusing on Jimmy's back, locking him in a half crab while kicking away at him with the other leg. He tried to force the submission but Jimmy made it to the ropes.
Hulk unloaded on Jimmy in the corner with a chop then tried to whip him out, but Jimmy held on. Jimmy then reversed a whip. He missed a clothesline but caught Hulk leaping into the ring with a springboard move and caught him with a big suplex. Hulk broke the momentum with a big kick but was caught and suplexed into the buckles. Hulk tagged him with a kick to the chest and a standing twisting splash for a two count.
Jimmy fired back with palm thrusts but was cut off with a kick by Hulk. Hulk went to the top but Jimmy cut him off...and spanked him? They battled on the top and Jimmy set him up and nailed a big overhead superplex for a two count. They went back and forth with a series of near falls, including a Hulk move that looked to be a three count that got the crowd going. Hulk worked over Jimmy, who came back with a pair of lariats for a two count.
Jimmy finally hit a Jay-Driller and scored the pin.
Davey Richards came out and talked about Eddie Edwards missing tonight due to travel issues. He said that the American Wolves were inspired by another team, The British Bulldogs and last night, he wrestled the son of a Bulldog and they stole the show. Richards said that he'd like everyone to welcome Harry Smith for his PWG debut.
The Young Bucks vs. Harry Smith & Davey Richards
Richards and Nick Jackson started out. They locked up and ended up in the ropes. Clean break. They locked up again and this time Jackson slapped Richards when they brole. Richards looked bemused. The crowd chanted, "Davey's gonna kill you." Richards worked him over and tagged Smith, who overpowered Nick, throwing him around and slamming him. Richards tagged back in and came off the top with a double axehandle, then used a running boot to kick Matt off the apron
Smith held up Nick Jackson for a 37 second delayed vertical suplex as Richards dispatched Matt again. The crowd loved that, chanting for Smith. Richards tagged back in but was overwhelmed by the Bucks. Matt slammed him down but it hurt his back to do the slam. Matt worked him over with a series of rights but Matt came back with a leaping kick.
Nick tagged in and stomped all over Richards. Nick used a slingshot splash for a two count. He continued working over Richards, focusing on his arm, then took him to the mat trying to force a submission. The Bucks hit stereo backflips into dropkicks for a two count. The Bucks controlled Davey in the corner, stomping and choking him. Richards drilled a series of kicks and an enziguri to break free and finally tagged Smith.
Smith hit the ring with a series of clotheslines and an awesome over the head belly to belly suplex. Smith then drilled the Bucks with superkicks for a two count on Nick. Nick tried to come back with a bodyslam but was caught and nailed with an over the shouder powerslam. Davey exploded with an insane series of offense, kicking the Bucks in the face each, then killing Nick with a double stomp for a near fall.
Richards grabbed an ankelock on Nick but Matt locked him in a sleeper. Harry broke it up but was sent to the outside. The Bucks drilled Richards with a double superkick for a two count. Richards and Nick exchanged nasty kicks toi the head. The Bucks dispatched Smith, then nailed More Bang For Your Buck and scored the win.
Your winners, The Young Bucks!
No way I could have kept up with all this. It was AWESOME.
Willie Mack vs. Narui Doi
Mack just got off a plane from Canada about two hours ago. They had some great back and forth sequences early. Mack nailed a big sitdown slam and went to the top but Doi attacked him and crotched him. Doi went for a superplex but Mack fought him off. Mack was still caught and superplexed in.
Doi went to the top and hit a massive flying elbowdrop. He drilled another off the top, but only received a two count. Doi fired with a series of chops but Mack went nuts on offense and drilled Doi with a big standing powerbomb for the pin.
Your winner, Willie Mack!
Joey Ryan & DEMUS 316 & Peter Avalon & Ray Rosas vs.Mascarita Dorada & B-Boy & Cedric Alexander & Candice LeRae
Rosas and Alexander started with a good back and forth sequence. Avalon tagged in and charged, shoving B Boy to the floor. Boy tossed a chair into the ring. Boy tagged in and trashed Avalon, who Rosas had to drag back into the ring, DEMUS and Dorada tagged in., Dorada ailed a top rope leaping rana. DEMUS began trashing the HELL out of Dorado, flinging him across the ring and tossing him inside out in the process.
DEMUS backdropped Dorada over the top but Dorada pulled himself up to the top rope and leapt into the ring onto DEMUS' shoulders, doing his dizzying series of spins and sending him to the floor. LaRae and Ryan tagged in and they locked up. He backed her into the corner and tried to force a kiss. She fought back and hit a rana off the ropes. They went back and forth and he grabbed her by the boobs from behind then back suplexed her.
Rosas tagged in and locked on a side chinlock. LaRae fought back but was snapped down to the mat. Avalon tagged in and dropped and kneedrop on her for a two. DEMUS tagged in and locked up LaRae in the ropes, biting her on the belly. Ryan tagged in and acted like he was going to mount her from behind, then did, screaming at her that she had nowhere to go. LaRaw fought back and used an Octopus, then pulled Ryan's tights down.
She tagged in Alexander, who placed Ryan on the top. Avalon charged but was sent into Ryan's ass face first. Rosas was then tripped up and Ryan fell off the ropes in a 69 position. It broke apart and settled down into Dorada vs. DEMUS. They did more of their magic. It went into a crazy sequence of back and forth stuff. B-Boy and Rosas battled back and forth with chops and headbutts. Boy missed a clothesline and was hit with a back suplex with a bridge for a two cout.
DEMUS and Dorada went back and forth with a crazy series of near falls. Dorada sent DEMUS flying to the floor with an insane series of spinning moves. Dorada nailed a back senton splash to the floor.
Back in the ring, Ryan laid out B-Boy but LaRae came up from behind with an Electric Chair. Ryan overpowered her and went for a top belly to back suplex. LaRae pulled herself onto his shoulders and hit a reverse frankensteiner. BBoy nailed a shining wizard on Ryan and LaRae nailed a moonsault for the pin.
Your winners, Mascarita Dorada & B-Boy & Cedric Alexander & Candice LeRae!
Great eight man with equal parts comedy, character stuff (Ryan and Avalon were awesome here) and some great spots and exchanges.
Blood Warriors (CIMA & Ricochet) vs. RockNES Monsters (Johnny Goodtime & Johnny Yuma)
The Monsters attacked the Warriors during the ring introductions. They double teamed Ricochet and worked him over on the mat. CIMA tagged in and he and Ricochet took turns working over Yuma. Ricochet drilled him with a right hand but he was cut off. Goodtime tagged in and dropped a big kneedrop for a two count. Ricochet mounted a comeback. He and CIMA nailed a double dropkick for a near fall.
CIMA tied up Yuma on the mat with a leglock. Goodtime got into the ring and tried to fight with CIMA. He dropkicked him, which of course hurt his own partner as CIMA had his legs grapevined. Ricochet tagged in and locked Yuma in a backbreaker combination, then pulled him over to the corner, where he slammed Yuma's face into the turnbuckles.
CIMA and Ricochet continued working them over. CIMA tried to force Yuma to submit to a leglock. Yuma tried to fight his way to a tag but he was pulled away to the Warriors' corner. They continued the assault with a series of chops. Yuma mounted a comeback and drilled Ricochet with a spike DDT. He made the hot tag to Goodtime and they nailed a series of double clotheslines before Goodtime used Yuma as a battering ram on the Warriors.
CIMA missed a charge in the corner and was sent to the floor. Goodtime drilled Ricochet in the opposite corner and hit a flip dive to the floor on CIMA. Ricochet evened the odds with a leaping Ace Crusher and then a standing twisting splash for a two count on Goodtime. CIMA and Yuma battled back and forth and Yuma ate a double stomp. CIMA killed him again with another off the ropes.
Yuma caught CIMA with a faceplant for a two count. The Blood Warriors came back with an insane series of offensive maneuvers. They nailed a CIMA driver followed by a double moonsault for a two count. This led to a crazy series of innovative back and forth sequences that I never would be able to keep up with, so I am tapping out.
It finally ended with Goodtime giving his own partner Death Valley Driver off the top onto Ricochet for the pin.
Your winners, the RockNES Monsters!
I was give or take on this one. The Monsters have some really great and unique offense but there was no real flow here as it was more of a back and forth exhibition of moves. The crowd liked it and that's what matters but I felt like this was just OK.
Roderick Strong vs. Masaaki Mochizuki
They locked up and ended up in the ropes, but they broke clean. They locked up again and again broke clean. Mochizuki threw a kick but Strong ducked and chopped him. Mochizuki nailed a series of kicks but was caught with a tilowhirl backbreaker. Strong stomped away on him in the corner and locked in a rear chinlock.
Mochizuki made a comeback and swept Strong's legs out from under him on the apron and then kicked him off to the floor. He followed to the floor, where he worked over Strong. He slammed Strong's knees on the apron of the ring. Mochizuki unloaded with the offense, kicking the hell out of Strong with a series of ki
He picke up Strong and drilled him over the knees, then chopblocked him. Strong took a backwards bump. Mochizuki cinched in a leglock. He kept kicking and working over Strong's leg while daring him to show how hard he can chop. Strong fired back but was kicked again in the leg. Strong was tied up in an anklelock but fought to the ropes. Strong tried to pulled himself to his feet.
Strong elbowed himas Mochizuki charged into the corner, then unloaded with some hard chops and strikes. Strong nailed a big belly to belly overhead suplex, then a fallaway slam for a two count. They went back and forth with some stiff strikes. The battled on the top. Strong used a backbreaker on the top rope for score a two count.
Mochizuki stalked Strong and drilled him with kick after kick, then a sitdown powerbomb for a two count. Mochizuki continued to beat Strong like he owned him. They went back and forth until Mochizuki finally got the pin.
Insanely stiff contest. These guys are going to feel it tomorrow.
Pac & Maato Yoshino & PWG champion El Generico vs. Super Dragon & Akira Tozawa & Kevin Steen
Generico and Dragon started out going back and forth. Generico grabbed a front chauncery but Dragon pushed him into the corner. Dragon chopped away at Generico. Generico came back with a series of armdrags. Tozawa and Pac tagged in. Pac nailed a springboard missile dropkick. Team Pac all took turns working over Tozawa's arm. Steen was killing the crowd with zingers left and right.
Pac chopped aty Tozawa in the corner. He whipped Tozawa into the ropes but Tozawa avoided him and nailed a basement dropkick. He was sent to the floor, where Tozawa nailed a series of dives. Generico kicked Tozawa off the apron with a big boot. It ended up with all six brawling around ringside. Steen powerbomed Generico on the apron.
They continued working on Generico's ribs when they returned to the ring, with Tozawa biting and stomping on them. Generico tried to go for a tag but was pulled to the center. Steen tagged in and bit Generico on the ribs and kicked and stomped away. Super Dragon tagged in and tried to unmask Generico. Team Steen continued beating down Generico. Tozawa used the rapid fire chops in the corner.
They continued beating on poor Generico. The crowd chanted for Generico and he finally made the hot tag to Yoshino. He went wild with offense on Tozawa but was then unable to get Steen up for a brainbuster. Pac and Yoshino were able to make it happen. They all battled to the outside, where Pac hit a crazy springboard moonsault.
Pac and Yoshino did a series of crazy tag moves. Steen missed a swanton on Pac when Pac pulled his knees up. Generico laid waste to Dragon. Team Pac each took turns charging and clotheslining Dragon. Team Steen came back with a series of cannonballs in the corner and a Doomsday Device on Tozawa that looked scary as hell.
Dragon nailed a spinning sit down powerbomb off the ropes. It turned into super psycho six man with all sorts of insane spots that popped the crowd huge and led them to chant "PWG" after everyone was out and spent from the moves. It came down to Steen and Genericho beating the hell out of each other. He nailed the Package Piledriver on Steen but Pac broke up the pin. He nailed an enziguiri on Dragon. Generico nailed a brainbuster and Pac hit a crazy flip dive off the top onto Dragon and scored the pin.
Incredible six man tag.
Your winners, Pac & Maato Yoshino & PWG champion El Generico!
2012 - WWE presented The Royal Rumble. Stu Carapola filed the following PPV report:
Welcome to PWInsider.com's live coverage of the 2012 Royal Rumble PPV! We'll be presenting live, segment by segment updates throughtout the show, as well as periodic updates during the Rumble match itself.
World Title Match in Steel Cage: Daniel Bryan vs Mark Henry vs Big Show
Daniel Bryan headsfor the hills and tries to climb out as soon as the bell rings, but hegets dragged back down before Show and Henry go at it. Show takes Henry down with a shoulder tackle and then splashes him between the ropes and the cage. Bryan tries to go over the cage again, but Show grabs his ankle and slams him back into the ring. Show with a big chop in the corner, Bryan again tries to climb out but gets dragged back down and smashed with another chop. Bryan tries to fight back, but his offense is completely ineffective and Show goes for the big right hand, but Bryan moves and Show hits the cage. Bryan tries to go after him again, but Show manages to shrug him off until Bryan dropkicks his legs out from under him, then does the same to Henry. Bryan with hard kicks to both men and he heads for the door,but Henry grabs him and drags him back in, unloading with big right hands and grinding his face into the cage. Henry continues unloading on Bryan but turns around right into a superkick from Big Show. Show repeatedly runs Bryan into the cage, and Bryan tries to fight back, but Show viciously destroys him with forearms and a big slam. Mark Henry recovers and goes back after Big Show and lays him out with a big clothesline, then stands on Bryan's chest before ramming him into the cage. Bryan dodges a chargeand Henry crashes into the cage, then Big Show spears Henry and Bryan covers Henry for 2. Show with a series of clotheslines to Bryan and then rams him over and over into the cage before dropping him with a kneelift. Show goozles Bryan, but Bryan manages to kick his way out of the move and hits a tornado DDT on Big Show. Bryan cover for 2 but then goes right into the LeBell Lock on Show. Henry breaks it up before Show has a chance to tap out and then rams Bryan into the cage. Show knocks Henry out with the big right hand and covers, but Bryan breaks it up at 2 and then goes to climb out of the cage. Show goes up after him and holds him by the head to keep him from dropping down, Bryan tries to drop but Big show grabs him and starts pulling him back up with one hand, but Bryan fights him off and manages to drop to the floor to win the match.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
We go to a video package hyping John Cena vs the Rock, and we see a montage of interviews with fans who alternately talk about what a phony loser he is and what an awesome role model and leader he is. We see him posing a lot with soldiers and children and talking about how he doesn't pander for approval but still stands up for what he believes in ever though some people get bored with his act, and also that Wrestlemania means everything to him.
Beht Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart & the Bella Twins vs Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Tamina & Eve Torres
Natalya and Tamina start off and Natalya takes her over with a side headlock, but Tamina shoots her off into the ropes and a shoulderblock results in nobody moving. Tamina takes her down with another one and tags in Eve for a standing moonsault that apparently now has a stupid name. Beth tags in and Eve takes her down with a running clothesline and goes for a rolling senton, but Beth gets the knees up and then punts Eve in the ribs. Beth with a series of elbows to the ribs and another cover for 2, then tags in one of the Bellas, we'll just call her Nikki. Nikki chokes her on the ropes and then boots her in the face and covers for 2. Nikki with a rear chinlock, but Eve snapmares out and tags out to Alicia Fox, who nails a series of dropkicks and the puts the boots to Nikki in the corner. Nikki chokes Alicia on the ropes and snaps her down to the mat by the arm before tying her up in a seated abdominal stretch. alicia fights her way out and tagsin Kelly,and she gets a big flying headscissors on Nikki anda handspring elbow into the corner followed by a bulldog for 2. All heck breaks loose as all the girls wind up fighting on the floor except for Kelly, who comes off the top rope with a crossbody the wipes out her opponents, as well as her partners while she's at it. She rolls Nikki back in and Beth tags herself in and hits the Glam Slam for the win.
Winners: Beth Phoneix, Natalya & the Bella Twins
Zack Ryder shows up backstage, and he's met by an enthusiastic John Laurinaitis, who has set Zack up with his own dressing room and everything. Eve shows up and tells Laurinaitis to get lost because he's going to get fired after tonight, then wheels Ryder into the locker room after Zack says "Woo woo woo, you know it!"
John Cena vs Kane
Cena goes right after Kane as soon as the bells rings, but Kane quickly turns the tide andbeats Cena down. Cena fights back with a series of right hands and clotheslines Kane to the floor, but Kane drags Cena under the bottom rope and lays him out with a chop to the throat. Cena reverses a whip and sends Kane crashing into the steps, then they head back into the ring where Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment, but collapses and Kane lands on top of him. Kane continues dishing out right hands in the corner and hits a running boot off the ropes for 2. Kane with a rear chinlock, but Cena fights his way out and they go toe to toe but Kane comes out on top and covers Cena for 2. Kane with a vertical suplex for 2 and then he goes back to the chinlock, but Cena fights out and gets laid out again with another right hand. Kane whips Cena into the corner and follows in with a runningclothesline, but another charge sees Kane take a drop toehold into the second turnbuckle. Cena goes for a bulldog but Kane shoves him off and Cena rolls out to the ring apron. Cena snaps Kane down on the top rope, but rolls into the ring and gets laid out with a clothesline. Kane goes for the smother hold, but Cena blocks it. Cena fights, but Kane finally gets it and Cena goes down to his knees. Cena suddenly slides out and catches Kane in the STF, but Kane simply powers out of the hold and hits a side suplex. Kane goes to the top rope and comes off with a flying clothesline, then sets up for the chokeslam. Cena ducks and hits Kane with a pair of shoulderblocks and a Blue Thunder Driver, then sets up for the Five Knuckle Shuffle as he gets booed out of the building. Kane catches him with a choke before he can hit the move and hits a big boot for 2, then continues unloading on him in the corner. Kane puts Cena on the top rope and goes for a superplex, but Cena fights him off. The crowd boos him as he goes to the top rope and does you can't see me before coming off the top rope with a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment but Kane fights his way out, so Cena baseball slides his knees out from under him. Kane kicks Cena out to the floor and goes out after him, ramming him into the ring apron, then continues beating him up into the aisle until they both get counted out.
DOUBLE COUNTOUT
As soon as the bell rings, Cena suddenly gets his second wind and starts fighting back, and the two of them battle backstage where, conveniently, there happens to be a cameraman right where they wind up fighting. Cena fights back and rams Kane into a bunch of garbage pails, but Kane gets a chair and rams it into Cena's ribs, then smashes him over the back with it. Kane with another chairshot and a final one right over the head. Kane stands over the motionless Cena and realizes he's right outside Zack Ryder's dressing room and smashes the door in. Ryder tries to fight him off, but Kane smothers him unconscious, then wheels Ryder out of the dressing room, through the backstage area, and back into the arena where he dumps Ryder out of the wheelchair and then rolls him into the ring. Kane goes after him but Eve Torres runs in and begs for mercy. Kane considers it, then picks Ryder up and hits the Tombstone. Eve iscrying as Kane stands up and goes after her, but Cena runs in and goes after him, trying to hit the Attitude Adjustment but KAne blocks and lays him out with a chokeslam. Kane leaves the ring and heads to the back as Eve sits there crying because her boyfriend got beat up.
Ryder is put onto a stretcher and carried out as Eve and Torres look on sadly.
We go to a video package of the Rock that covers him talking about growing up in the business, being a superstar, and not leaving the business quietly but instead becoming this huge movie star. Basically, the whole thing turns into a big commercial for Journey 2 while hyping the Rock to build to Wrestlemania.
Drew McIntyre vs Brodus Clay
Brodusshakes his ass as the matche starts, but Drew in unperturbed and goes right after him, unloading with right hands and boots to the midsection, but Brodus no-sells everything and Clays up. Brodus with a headbutt to the chest that flattens Drew, then he hits a t-bone suplex and a splash in the corner, followed by a running crossbody off the ropes for 3.
Winner: Brodus Clay
John Laurinaitis comes out and says that he's not going to be inside the ring refereeing this, he'll be on the outside as an enforcer referee.
WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs Dolph Ziggler with special referee John Laurinaitis
Vickie Guerrero gets kicked out of ringside before the bell rings, and we're off. They both go for their finishers early, but Punk gets the advantage early with a series of kicks to the leg. Ziggler dodges a kick to the face and struts Ric Flair style. Ziggler goes for Punk's legs but Punk leaps over him into a sunset flip for 2 and goes for the Anaconda Vice but Ziggler quickly goes to the ropes. Punk catches Ziggler in an abdominal stretch and rams elbows into the ribs opver and over before letting him go and picking him up for a suplex before just dumping him on the top rope. Ziggler tumbles out to the floor, but Punk follows him out with a dive through the ropes. Punk dumps Ziggler back inside and goes up top, but Ziggler pulls his ankle and Punk lands back first on the top rope. Ziggler gets a 2 count off a cover and follows up with a neckbreaker and a series of elbowdrops for 2. Punk with a back suplex and then they go toe to toe in the middle of the ring but Ziggler ducks a clothesline and gets a sleeper. Punk slips out and goes for the Anaconda Vice, but Ziggler reverses back to the sleeper. Punk slips out again but gets caught square in the face with a dropkick from Ziggler for 2. Ziggler goes for a Frankensteiner but Punk counters to a sitout powerbomb for 2. Punk unloads on him with hard strikes and a leg lariat, followed by a neckbreaker. Punk with the running knee in the corner and the running bulldog, then signals for the Go To Sleep. Punk goes for it but Ziggler fights his way out and catapults Punk into the corner, but Punk catches himself and comes out of the corner with a crossbody, Ziggler rolls through and holds the tights but only gets 2. Punk with a high kick to the head and covers for 2. Crowd chants for Punk as he slams Ziggler and heads to the top, stopping long enough to stare down at Laurinaitis at ringside, and he hits the Macho Man elbow for 2. Crowd chants for Randy Savage as Punk picks Ziggler back up and goes for Go To Sleep again, but Ziggler slips out and shoves Punk into the referee, who bumps out to the floor. Ziggler goes for a whip, but Punk counters into a judo throw and goes right into the Anaconda Vice. Ziggler starts tapping, but Laurinaitis is checking on the referee so Punk drops the hold and goes to have a shouting match with Laurinaitis. Ziggler gets an O'Connor roll and Punk reverses for about a 45 count, but Laurinaitis is again checking on the referee and does nothing. Laurinaitis rolls the referee into the ring and again gets into a shouting match with the referee, but Ziggler charges and Punk picks him up in a fireman's carry. He swingsd around and accidentally knocks Ziggler's legs into Laurinaitis, knocking him to the floor, and hits Go To Sleep. He gets in another shouting match with Laurinaitis since the referee still hasn't recovered, then goes for another Go To Sleep and Ziggler counters to the Fameasser for a close 2. Ziggler pounds away with right hands and stomps to Punk and repeatednyl rams elbow into Punk's skull, then goes for another Fameasser, but Punk ducks, hits a catapult into the corner, and hits Go To Sleep. The referee starts to count, and Laurinaitis quickly slides in and counts 3 with the referee.
Winner: CM Punk
Laurinaitis takes the WWE Title belt and hands it to the referee so he can hand it to Punk, then heads up the ramp looking very satisfied with his performance tonight.
We go a video package detailing the history of the Royal Rumble match and some of the records that have been set over the years, and then it's time to Rumble!
Royal Rumble 2012
The Miz comes in at #1 as a result of his loss to R-Truth on Raw, and cuts a prematch promo saying that everybody thinks he's intimidated by drawing #1, but they're the same people who thought he'd never main event Wrestlemania or win the WWE Title. He's proved everyone wrong, and tonight will be no different because h'es the Miz and he's awesome. #2 is Miz's former protege Alex Riley, and they stare at the Wrestlemania banner before going toe to toe. Riley gets the advantage and takes out Miz with a clothesline. He tries to dump Miz, but Miz elbows his way out of Riley's clutches and hits a running boot to the face. Miz tries to dump Miz, but Miz stops himself on the apron and pulls down the top rope to send a charging Riley to the floor. Miz takes a bow with the Wrestlemania banner in the background as we count down to #3, who just happens to be R-Truth. Truth takes Miz down and unloads with right hands, does the split to duck a clothesline and hits a leg lariat. Truth with Miz in a fireman's carryt and dumps him out to the apron, but Miz shoulderblocks Truth's ribs and slips back in. They both block each other's finishers, but Truth with a boot to the gut and went for a vertical suplex, seemed to lose him, and turned it into a slam. Miz is back on the apron as #4 omes in and it's Cody Rhodes. Rhodes comes in and hits the Beautiful Disaster on Truth,followed by a gourdbuster, then holds Truth so Miz can hit him. Miz enjoys it so much, he holds Truth so Rhodes can takes some free shots. Rhodes hangs Truth on the ropes and kicks him low, but gets dumped to the apron. Truth tries to go back and forth attacking both men but Miz hits a neckbreaker as Justin Gabriel comes in at #5.
Gabriel goes at it with Rhodes as Mizand Truth fight in the opposite corner, and then Primo comes in at #6. He goes after Rhodes and sweeps his legs and hits a standing moonsault, then whips Gabriel to the ropes and hits a headstand Frankensteiner out of the corner as Truth hits a rolling forearm out of the corner on Miz. Miz quickly recovers and dumps Truth over the top rope to eliminate him, but Truth drags him under the bottom rope and hits a Flatliner on the floor. Mick Foley comes in at #7 and he's looking like he's seen better days. He unloads with right hands on Primo and backdrops him to the floor, but Rhodes goes after him and they duke it out in the corner with Foley coming out on top and beating him down. Foley with a running knee to Rhodes and he hits the Cactus DDT, then tells Gabriel to help him dump Rhodes. We count down to #8 and it's last year's winner, Alberto Del Rio. Actually, it's not, it's Ricardo Rodriguez, and he drives into the arena in a beat up old car with the back window duct taped on. The crowd actually chants for this guy as he makes buddies with Foley and Gabriel before going to work on Rhodes. Gabriel dropkicks him and Rodriguez starts firing back, and he and Foley dump Gabriel, then Rodriguez runs around the ring celebrating before Santino Marella comes in at #9. Rodriguez tells Foley he'll take him, but gets backdropped, then Santino hits an atomic drop, an inverted atomic drop, and leapfrogs him across the ring into the second turnbuckle. Santino gives Ricardo a wedgie and then eliminates him. It's down to Santino and Foley and the crowd chants for Socko, so Foley takes him out and puts him on as Marella puts on the Cobra sock. They circle until the clock counts down to #10 as Epico makes his entrance.
Epico doesn't last long as Foley gets the Mandible Claw and eliminates him, then Santino and Foley lock socks until Miz and Rhodes finally get back in and eliminate both Santino and Foley. Mizand Rhodes stare each other down, but the clock counts down and Kofi Kingston comes in at #11. He dives through the ropes and takes both men out, hitting the pendulum kick on Mizand an enziguiri to Rhodes, then wiping both men out with a double dropkick. He does his stupid Boom Drop, then dumps Miz out to the apron. He keeps trying to dump him but Rhodes comes from behind with a dropkick. We count down to #12, and Jerry Lawler's music starts playing. He gets up from the announce table and comes into the ring where he takes out both Rhodes and Miz with right hands and dropkicks. Lawler goes to the second rope, pulls the strap down, and hits a fistdrop before Rhodes eliminates him. Rhodes goes back after Kofi as Ezekiel Jackson comes in at #13 and grabs Rhodes by the throat, sending him to the throat and rolling over him witha shoulderblock. He takes both Rhodes and Mizout with multiple clotheslines and then puts the boots to Miz in the corner. Zeke's looking like he's gotten a bit jiggly in recent months, but hits a side suplex nonetheless on Kofi before beating Rhodes down in the corner. Jinder Mahal comes in at #14 and slowly makes his way down to ringside before coming in and hitting a high knee on Kofi. Mahal with a neckbreaker to Zeke and goes back after Kofi as #15 already comes in and it's our old buddy the Great Khali!
Khali goes after Mahal and destroys everyone else, then dumps Mahal, clotheslines Zeke out of the match, and chokes Miz in the corner with his boot as Kofi dumps Rhodes out to the apron. Hunico comes in at #16 on a gold plated bicycle, then takes out Kofi, Miz,and finally Rhodes with anAngle slam. Khali flattens Hunico with a chop and then goes after Kofi and Miz in the far corner. Booker's music hits at #17 and now he gets ujp from the announce table, and he goes right after Cody Rhodes, then lays out everyone else before going face to face with Khali. Khali headbutts Booker and puts the boots to him in the corner as the crowd goes nuts for Booker. Khali turns his attention to Rhodes with a big chop to the chest, and Miz dumps Kofi to the floor, and he braces himself with his hands, and Miz tried tossing his hands off but Kofi did a handstand and walked backward on his hands until he could land on the steps and come back in. Okay, that was a bit ridiculous. Dolph Ziggler comes in at #18 as Hunico barely saves himself from being dumped by Khali, but winds up taking a Harlem side kick from Booker. Khali lays Ziggler out with a headbutt as we count down to #19 and it's HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN! He lays everyone in the ring out with right hands and goes HOOOOOOOOOO!!! before leading the crowd in a USA chant. Duggan misses a charge in the corner however, and Rhodes dumps him from behind. Khali tries to dump Booker, but Rhodes sneaks up from behind and dumps them both out as Michael Cole becomes the entrant at #20, singlet and all.
Cole comes in wearing his headgeat and singlet and dances around while pointing at the Wrestlemania banner, but doesn't make contact with anyone until #21 counts down and it's Kharma! She comes in and takes Cole right out with a clothesline, and Cole hops over the top rope to the apron to try and reason with Kharma, and Lawler and Booker jump up from the announcer booth and pull him down to the floor to eliminate him. Kharma follows up by laying Ziggler out and then dumping Hunico, but Ziggler sneaks in from behind and eliminates her as Sheamus comes in at #22. He lays out everyone in the ring with clotheslines and hits a series of windmill slams on everyone. Kofi goes for a spinning kick, but Sheamus catches him and dumps him to the floor to eliminate him, then ties Rhodes in the ropesfor the rapid fire forearms to the chest and then does it again to Miz. Ziggler goes for the Zig Zag on Sheamus but Sheamus blocks as the Road Doggcomes in at #23. He unloads with right hands on Rhodes, dances, and then lays out both Rhodes and Miz befopre hitting the shaky legs kneedrop on Rhodes. Road Dogg with a pump handle slam on Miz and then goes back after Rhodes as Jey Uso comes in at #24. Uso with a spinning forearm to Road Dogg and a superkick to Miz, followed by the running ass splash to Road Dogg in the corner. Sheamus, Ziggler, and Rhodes are all going at it in the corner as Miz and Uso fight it out across the ring, and we count down to #25 as Jack Swagger makes his entrance.
Swagger comes in and goes after Uso as Rhodes hits a gourdbuster on Ziggler. Wade Barrett comes in at #26 and he goes after everybody in the match and eliminates the Road Dogg. Barrett and Sheamus go at it in the corner as Ziggler hits Uso with a Fameasser, and David Otunga comes in at #27. He goes after Barrett next and lays in shoulderblocks in the corner then winds up fighting it out with Rhodes as Randy Orton comes out at #28 to a thunderous ovation in his hometown. He goes right after Barrett and destroys him with punches before hitting a big snap powerslam. He goes for the RKO but Rhodes nails him from behind, so he dumps Rhodes and Ziggler out to the apron and hits a double hanging DDT. Orton tosses Uso, then hits the RKO on Barrett and dumps him. The lights go out for #29, and here comes Chris Jericho as he physically competes for the first time in nearly two years. He immediately dumps Otunga, then goes after Ziggler as Sheamus chokes Swagger with his boot and Rhodes and Miz double team Orton in the corner. We count down to this year's lucky #30 entrant, and it's the Big Show, he pulls Swagger out from the floor before even getting in, then knocks him out with a right hand. Show gets in the ring and goes at it with Sheamus before dumping both Miz and Rhodes, then quickly afterward dumps Ziggler.
We're down to Sheamus, Jericho, Orton, and Big Show in the final four. Everyone goes after Big Show, but he fights them all off and hits Jericho with a running clothesline in the corner and a chokeslam. Orton catches Show with an RKO out of nowhere, then Orton and Sheamus pick Show up and try to dump him, Show fights Sheamus off but Orton dumps show and then Jericho dumps Orton. We're down to Jericho and Sheamus, and they do the obligatory pointing at the Wrestlemania banner party, then Sheamus takes it to Jericho with right hands. Jericho goes for the bulldog but Sheamus shoves him off into the corner and Jericho nearly goes over the ropes and Sheamus goes right after him, but Jericho fights his way out and hits a dropkick off the second rope. Jericho puts the boots to Sheamus, but comes off the ropes and runs right into the Irish Curse. Sheamus goes for the Celtic Cross but Jericho slips out and clotheslines Sheamus to the apron. Jericho comes off the second rope with another dropkick and tries to kick Sheamus out to the floor, but Sheamus fights Jericho off and picks himself back up and slingshots over the top rope with a shoulderblock. Sheamus picks Jericho up and tries to dump him, Jericho slips out the back, but runs into an elbow from Sheamus. Jericho ducks the Bro Kickand gets the Walls of Jericho. Sheamus goes to the ropes, but it doesn't force a break in this match. Jericho holds his fist high and charges Sheamus, but gets backdropped over the top rope and he barely holds on and makes it back to the apron. He and Sheamus go to the top rope and Jericho tries to suplex Sheamus to the floor, Sheamus fights him off, and they both tumble to the ring apron. They both roll back in under the bottom rope and Jericho hits the Codebreaker and goes for a cover for a second, but quickly realizes he can't go for a pinfall and instead kicks Sheamus square in the chest. Jericho shoves Sheamus backward over the top rope and again tries to dump him, but Sheamus saves himself so Jericho just smacks him repeatedly in the face until Sheamus snaps and grabs him by the throat. Jericho goes for a Codebreaker, but Sheamus holds himself up and dumps Jericho to the apron. Jericho holds on, so Sheamus hits the Bro Kick and Jericho hits the floor.
Winner: Sheamus
Sheamus celebrates as fireworks go off and the winner of the Royal Rumble admires the Wrestlemania banner as the show comes to a close.
2014 - PWInsider.com reported the following:
"Former WWE and World champion CM Punk has been pulled from all advertising of WWE live events going forward after a meeting with WWE management yesterday at the Raw taping in Cleveland, Ohio.
We have been working on details for the last 24 hours (as Dave Scherer and I noted on our respective Elite audios earlier today), but the belief among those who are willing to talk about the situation is that Punk is no longer factored into company plans. Punk is under contract to WWE through July.
Punk was slated to face Triple H at Wrestlemania 30. This past Monday's Raw instead began teasing Daniel Bryan vs. HHH down the line, possibly for Wrestlemania.
We have heard from several sources that the original script for yesterday's Raw called for Punk to wrestle Antonio Cesaro and lose after Kane interfered, allowing Cesaro to qualify for the Elimination Chamber. It should be noted that another source has denied that and claimed that Punk was never booked to wrestle last night and was only booked to do a promo that would follow up on Kane causing Punk's elimination from the Rumble. But, in any event, Punk was originally slated to be on Raw and those segments were yanked. He was not backstage during the taping and was not backstage at Smackdown.
It is believed that when Vince McMahon had the writers re-write Raw late yesterday (6 PM for a taping that was scheduled to start at 7:45 PM), it was because Punk had informed the company he was going home and wouldn't be back.
While we cannot 100% confirm why, the belief among wrestlers backstage is that Punk leaving was not an injury issue. It was described to us as more likely a case of burnout and extreme unhappiness with the overall direction of the company.
In his interview with Ariel Helwani last week, Punk talked about the crazy schedule he's held up working for the company over the last decade. Punk said that he's been doing it ten years and doesn't know anyone else who can say that. He said that he's only taken time off for injuries and that when he took two months off in 2013, it may not have been long enough.
Punk, who worked about 50 minutes in the Royal Rumble match was described as "pissy" after the PPV, although that wouldn't be an unusual description of Punk's demeanor backstage.
One source believed that since Punk's last goal was to work a Wrestlemania main event, it may also be a situation where Punk realized it wasn't going to happen this year and with his WWE deal expiring in July, that may have weighed down upon him because he was so goal driven and this was one he couldn't accomplish because of elements that were outside of his control.
In the interview with Helwani, Punk was asked about WWE killing his momentum at times and why such things happen. Punk responded that he'd like to think they don't make those decisions on purpose and it's more they wanted to go in another direction. He claimed it's a different era and different time and it can't be looked at the same way he did when he was a kid.
Yesterday, Punk wrote on Twitter, "Thanks for all the support. Keep being you guys, it's pretty cool."
Depending on how you read the statement, it could be taken as a cryptic farewell.
We'll obviously update more as we confirm additional details."
2014 - WWE broadcast Main Event. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are in Toledo, Ohio and your announcers are Tom ‘Klinger’ Phillips and Alex ‘When you can’t get the Miz, I am available’ Riley.
Match Number One: R Truth versus Alberto Del Rio
Truth dances around but Del Rio with a kick and punch. Del Rio with a side head lock and shoulder tackle. Del Rio wants to know what’s up and Truth with a hip toss to Del Rio. Truth with a punch but Del Rio with a kick. Truth sends Del Rio over the top rope to the floor. Truth does a split in the ring before hitting a pescado.
Truth sends Del Rio back into the ring and Del Rio with a drop kick to the head when Truth gets back into the ring. Del Rio chokes Truth. Del Rio chokes Truth in the ropes. Del Rio misses a charge into the corner and Truth with punches in the corner. Truth with a clothesline and he gets a near fall. Del Rio wants Truth to stop and Truth punches Del Rio.
Truth with more punches to Del Rio. Del Rio with an Irish whip and an enzuigiri to the ribs. Del Rio punches Truth in the head. Del Rio chokes Truth in the corner. Del Rio climbs the turnbuckles and he hits an elbow and gets a near fall. Del Rio with a reverse chin lock.
Truth with elbows and he gets a near fall with a sunset flip. Del Rio with a clothesline and he gets a near fall. Del Rio goes for a splash in the ropes but Truth moves and Del Rio goes through the ropes to the floor.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Truth with an Irish whip but Truth misses a splash when Del Rio moves. Del Rio drops Truth on the top rope and then he kicks Truth and Truth falls to the mat. Del Rio gets a near fall. Del Rio with a reverse chin lock. Truth with punches but Del Rio with head butts. Del Rio sends Truth into the corner and he runs into boots from Truth.
Truth with a clothesline and he gets a near fall. Del Rio with a single arm breaker for a near fall. Del Rio chokes Truth in the corner until the referee warns him. Del Rio puts Truth on the turnbuckles and then he puts him in the tree of woe. Del Rio with a kick and punches to Truth while hanging from the turnbuckles.
Del Rio sets for a shoulder but Truth pulls himself up and Del Rio hits the ring post with his shoulder. Truth with a missile drop kick and both men are down. Del Rio misses a clothesline but Truth does not. Truth with a drop kick followed by a sit out gourdbuster for a near fall.
Truth goes for a suplex into a stunner but Del Rio lands on his feet and he hits a lungblower for a near fall. Del Rio pulls down the knee pad but he misses a super kick. Truth with a punch and DDT for a near fall. Del Rio with an Irish whip but Truth with an elbow.
Del Rio with a step up enzuigiri to knock Truth off the turnbuckles, but Truth kicks out at two. Del Rio points to the Wrestlemania sign and he sets for the float over but he takes too long. Truth with a scissors kick for a near fall. Truth puts Del Rio on the turnbuckles and he punches Del Rio. Truth goes for a superplex but Del Rio with punches and then he gets Truth hanging from the turnbuckles and Del Rio with the double stomp for the three count.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Alicia Fox and Aksana are trying to talk to Tamina but The Bellas and Natalya stop by and Nikki points out that they are looking at the losers who were giving Brie a tough time last week about Daniel. Brie says last week was such an easy victory that she forgot they had a match.
Aksana tells them that their time is coming.
Natalya tells the Bellas they don’t have to lower themselves to their level. She wishes Tamina luck in their match. Alicia interrupts and she calls Natalya a senior citizen.
Tamina asks Natalya if she ever saw Old Yeller.
Natalya reminds Tamina that she is older.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Natalya versus Tamina Snuka (with AJ Lee)
Tamina throws her vest at Natalya and then connects with shoulders in the corner. Tamina with kicks to Natalya. Tamina with a catapult but Natalya lands on her feet. Natalya with a clothesline and Tamina goes to the floor. Tamina trips Natalya and slams her leg into the apron. Tamina sends Natalya’s leg into the apron.
Tamina gets a near fall. Tamina kicks Natalya in the hamstring and then she tries to hyper-extend the leg. Tamina with an elbow drop to the leg. Tamina punches Natalya in the knee. Natalya kicks Tamina in the face while she struggles to get back to her feet.
Tamina kicks Natalya and she snap mares Natalya and her leg hits the ropes to add more damage. Tamina with a Samoan drop and she picks Natalya up by the leg and Natalya misses an enzuigiri.
Natalya with a rollup for the three count.
Winner: Natalya
After the match, AJ attacks Natalya at ringside and then she rolls Natalya back into the ring and Tamina hits Natalya with a super kick. Cameron and Naomi come to the ring and they attack Tamina because AJ got out of the ring before they could do anything. Tamina falls victim to a double suplex and the Rear View from Naomi. Naomi says something to AJ.
It is time for the (almost) weekly interview with Triple H. This week, Michael Cole asks him about Brock Lesnar’s actions. He asks Hunter about the tag title match and what Brock did to Goldust and Cody Rhodes. Will they get another rematch? Hunter says that Goldust and Cody Rhodes will get their rematch on Raw and it will be inside a steel cage.
We go to commercial.
We are back and it is time to take a look back at what happened at the end of Raw in the main event.
Match Number Three: Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Big E Langston versus Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal, and Drew McIntyre
Slater and Jey start things off. They lock up and Slater with a waist lock. Jey with a wrist lock but Slater rolls through and reverses the wrist lock. Jey with a waist lock of his own. Slater with a boot to the foot and a side head lock. Slater with a shoulder tackle and he plays air guitar. Jey trips Slater and he punches Heath. Jey with a flying shoulder tackle for a near fall. Jimmy tags in and they hit a double back elbow followed by a double elbow drop for a near fall.
Slater with a forearm and he sends Jimmy into the turnbuckles. Mahal tags in and he connects with shoulders in the corner. Jimmy with a crucifix cover for a near fall and he follows with an uppercut. Jimmy with a chop and back elbow. Jimmy with a shoulder in the corner and Langston tags in.
Langston with a back breaker combination to Mahal. Langston gets a near fall. Langston with a shoulder in the corner and then he sends Mahal into the corner for another shoulder. Jey tags in and hits a splash in the corner followed by a snap mare and clothesline. Jey with a top wrist lock and Jimmy tags in and he connects with a double sledge to the arm.
Langston and Drew tag in. Drew with a front face lock but Langston with an arm drag and back body drop. Drew with a back elbow and he kicks and chops Langston in the corner. Langston sends Drew into the corner and he connects with punches and shoulders. Drew with a kick and punches.
Langston with a body block and Drew goes to the floor. Slater and Mahal are sent over the rope to the floor. The Usos with planchas while Langston spears Slater to the floor. We go to commercial.
We are back and Jey with a double sledge to Drew. Jey with a punch to Drew and he mocks Slater with some air guitar. Drew with an Irish whip and Jey tries to float over but Drew waits for him and kicks Jey in the midsection and gets a near fall. Slater tags in and he kicks Jey. Slater with some air guitar.
Slater kicks Jey and he tags in Mahal. Mahal kicks Jey. Mahal with a neck breaker for a near fall. Mahal with a reverse chin lock. Jey runs Jinder into the turnbuckles and Jey drops Mahal on the turnbuckles. Jimmy tags in and he hits a Bubba Bomb followed by a seated splash and diving head butt for a near fall.
Mahal with a side head lock and Drew makes the blind tag but Jimmy fights off Drew and Jinder. Slater drops Jimmy on the middle rope and he makes a tag and gets the near fall. Slater with a clothesline and forearms to the chest. Slater with a reverse chin lock. Jimmy with punches but Slater with a neck breaker for a near fall. Drew tags in and they hit a double slingshot suplex for a near fall.
Drew punches Jimmy and then he stomps on Jimmy’s head. Drew draws Jey in but Jimmy sends Drew to the apron. Jimmy with a dragon whip and Drew falls to the floor. Slater brings Drew back in and Jinder tags in and he keeps Jimmy from making the tag. Mahal gets a near fall. Mahal with knees to Jimmy and Drew tags back in.
They send Jimmy into the corner but Jimmy with a corkscrew senton and everyone is down. Langston and Slater tag in and Langston with clotheslines. Langston with a splash to Drew and then Slater misses a charge. Langston with a shoulder to Slater and then he hits a belly-to-belly suplex followed by the Ultimate Warrior Splash. The Usos take care of McIntyre and Mahal with super kicks. The Usos with superfly splashes onto McIntyre and Mahal while Langston hits the Big Ending on Slater for simultaneous pins.
Winners: Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, and Big E Langston
We go to credits.
2015 - New Japan Pro Wrestling announced their streaming service, NJPWWorld.com had broken 20,000 subscribers.
2015 - Papercutz, which published a WWE comic book, quietly informed retailers the book was ending with issue #12.
2015 - It became publicly known that New Japan Pro Wrestling had quietly purchased Pro Wrestling NOAH, which it continued to run as a separate entity.
2015 - WWE broadcast Smackdown. Richard Trionfo filed the following TV report:
We are in Hartford, Connecticut and your announcers are Michael Cole, Byron Saxton, and Jerry Lawler.
Triple H makes his way to the ring and he has something to say.
Hunter welcomes us to Monday Night Raw, but then he says it has been a crazy week. We were supposed to be here on Monday, but there was this wacky, epic, historic snow storm so they told us we had to postpone Raw. Hunter says there is one thing they don’t like to do, is be told what to do.
For the first time he can remember, they did Raw from WWE headquarters.
They told us we could not hit one million subscribers to the WWE Network, but this week, we hit that number. To all of you who have subscribed, he has two words. . . Thank you.
Then they told us we couldn’t do a show in Hartford. That is why he is here to tell the people of Hartford, welcome to Thursday Night Smackdown.
It has been a controversial week coming out of the Royal Rumble on Sunday. The WWE is not the only one with controversy. The Super Bowl is Sunday and there is controversy surrounding the whole thing. The NFL and Roger Goddell has a problem with their balls. Some guys like their balls soft while some like them hard. Tom Brady says that some guys like old balls.
Hunter says the WWE has never had a problem with ‘balls’. Unlike Roger Goddell, who has controversy and does nothing, Hunter says he takes action. On February 22nd, live on the WWE Network, he will deal with a current problem. Hunter says he has a problem with a man called Sting.
Hunter promises at Fastlane he will stand face to face with his problem and he will resolve it.
There is other controversy out of the Royal Rumble. Not with the event, because it was spectacular. That Triple Threat match is one of the greatest matches he ever saw. It is a match where Seth Rollins proved to the world that he is the future of this industry. It was a match where John Cena proved to the world that he is the past. It is a match where Brock Lesnar proved that he is the beast and is still the WWE Champion. That match was not the problem.
The problem was with the Royal Rumble match itself. When that match was over and all was said and done, the building was rumbling and he felt nothing like it in his life. People were going crazy from the back row to the front row. It was electric. The next day it got worse. Everyone was talking about it. It was all over the news.
We see what happened at the end of the Royal Rumble match.
Monday on Raw, he will put an end to the controversy. On Monday night, he will make an announcement that will likely shake the WWE Universe to its core.
Roman Reigns’ music plays and he makes his way through the crowd and into the ring to go face to face with Triple H.
Roman says Hunter talks about controversy but there was no controversy. He won the Royal Rumble match. That means he is going to Wrestlemania.
Hunter says Roman did indeed win that match. Hunter asks Roman if he will win this one.
Big Show makes his way to the ring for the first match of the show.
We go to commercial.
Match Number One: Big Show versus Roman Reigns
They lock up and Reigns punches Show but Show pushes him back. Show backs Reigns into the corner and he punches Reigns and then he Irish whips Reigns but misses a splash into the corner. Reigns tries for a suplex but Show blocks it and he suplexes Reigns. Show with a slam and he punches Reigns in the corner. Show with a hard Irish whip. Reigns punches Show and then Show connects with a shoulder tackle.
Show with a head butt to Reigns. Show with a second head butt. Show with a biel to Reigns. Reigns hits Show in the back of the leg and he punches Show in the corner. Reigns kicks Show. Show punches Reigns in the corner but Reigns clotheslines Show over the top rope to the floor and we go to commercial.
We are back and Reigns is down on the mat holding his knee. Show with a knee bar and we see footage from the commercial break of Reigns clotheslining Show over the top rope again, but Show hit a spear on Reigns.
We return to live action and Show continues to work on Reigns’ leg. Show with an elevated knee bar and ankle lock. Reigns gets to the ropes and then he sends Show over the top rope with a head scissors like move. Reigns with the Juggernaut Broad Jump Drop Kick. Show sends Reigns into the ring and Reigns with a clothesline but Show stays on his feet.
Reigns with another clothesline and Show stays on his feet. Reigns with a third clothesline and Show goes down. Reigns with a Samoan drop. Reigns comes off the apron and hits a cross body onto Show and both men are down. Reigns tries for the Superman punch but Show blocks it and he hits a choke slam but Reigns kicks out at two.
Show goes up top but he takes too long and Reigns hits a Superman punch but Show stays on the ropes. Reigns with a second one and Show stays on the ropes. Reigns with a press slam and he sets for the spear and he hits it and gets the three count.
Winner: Roman Reigns
Michael Cole sends it to Vince McMahon who has breaking news about the WWE Network. Vince says that they are in the Fastlane on the Road to Wrestlemania. There are currently more than one million subscribers, but why aren’t you if you haven’t already registered. If you are a new subscriber, it is free for you in February.
We see the casket.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we are reminded that Randy Savage will be joined by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the 2015 WWE Hall of Fame.
Seth Rollins comes out and he has something to say as he is accompanied by Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble. Seth says he told everyone and at the Royal Rumble he proved once again how good he really is. He was one second away from pinning John Cena and becoming the new WWE World Champion.
You what is more impressive than that? He stuck a dagger into the heart of the beast incarnate, he broke Brock Lesnar's rib. John Cena and Undertaker cannot say that. While he does not have the title leaving Philly, he has the future firm in his reach.
Seth says he is here to make an open challenge to anybody in this entire building who has the guts to think they are half the man that he is. He wants them to come out and test him. No one has the guts . . .
Ryback comes out.
Joey and Jamie go after Ryback but Ryback pushes him away and then Rollins with a drop kick and it is a three on one attack.
Erick Rowan comes out and he takes care of Mercury and Noble, but Rollins kicks Rowan off the apron. Rollins continues the attack on Ryback.
Dolph Ziggler comes to the ring but Rollins sends Ziggler into the announce table. Ryback gets Rollins up for the musclebuster but Rollins escapes. Rowan stops Mercury and Noble from escaping but Rollins helps Mercury and Noble escape.
Kane is with the casket and he says he writes the final chapter of the Daniel Bryan story tonight. Do you even know what happens in a casket match? First, he will beat you far beyond the normal capacity for pain. He will put Daniel in the casket and then secure the lid. The only thing you will see is beautiful black darkness. Your life will be taken from you. You will hear the sound of your heart wanting to escape from your chest. You will wonder how many beats will you have left. Then you will scratch and claw like an animal.
There is no escape, but don't be alarmed. Then you will reach your final destination along the River Styx on your way to eternal hell fire. Ashes to ashes and dust to dust. May God have mercy on your soul because the Devil's Favorite Demon will not.
We go to commercial.
Match Number Two: Jey Uso (with Jimmy Uso and Naomi) versus Tyson Kidd (with Cesaro and Natalya)
Kidd with a kick but Jey slides into the corner and he connects with an uppercut. Jey with an Irish whip but Kidd knocks Jey off the tunbuckles and he puts Jey's leg in the ring skirt and he stomps on the leg. Kidd with a step over knee drop to the injured leg. Kidd with an elbow drop to the leg. Jey kicks Tyson through the ropes and to the floor.
Jey punches Kidd and knocks him back to the floor. Jey sets for a suicide dive but Kidd with a kick on the apron and Jey goes down. Kidd sets for the springboard elbow drop but he sees Jey move so he lands on his feet. Jey with a Samoan drop. Cesaro distracts Jey and Jimmy hits Cesaro on the floor.
Kidd with a drop kick to the injured knee and then Kidd with the swinging fisherman’s neck breaker for the three count.
Winner: Tyson Kidd
After the match, Kidd celebrates with his better half, while Natalya watches Tyson and Cesaro.
Kane is looking at the open casket as if it was a monitor in the back and we go to commercial.
We are back and Rusev is in the ring.
Rusev paces and then he remembers that he should probably be talking into the mic. He says everyone saw what happened at the end of Royal Rumble pay per view match. Rusev says he should have been declared winner.
Lana takes the mic and she speaks in Russian and then she gives the mic back to Rusev.
Rusev says he should be facing Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania, and we see the sign. Rusev says he is the most dominant superstar, the only undefeated superstar and your United States Champion.
Rusev says they give him a man who has no titles, a man who is no challenge. A man from the past . . . John Cena. John Cena has no hunger or desire. He is not the superstar that he is. John Cena is a loser.
John Cena does not belong in the ring with . . .
John Cena's music plays and he makes his way to the ring.
John tells Rusev that the WWE Universe and him don't always see eye to eye, but everyone will agree with him when he tells Rusev to shut his mouth or he will shut it for him. Rusev needs a cold, hard lesson in the meaning of respect.
You are the United States Champion and you have crushed everything in his path. You just made the biggest mistake of your life. To say that he is a loser. John reminds Rusev who he is. He is a fifteen time World Champion, two time Royal Rumble winner, and the face who runs the place. He was holding onto that championship before you had pubes (pointing at Rusev) and you had boobs (pointing at Lana).
He tells Rusev if he wants to fight they can dance right now. He says Hosie O’Donnell can go back to Tinder while him and Rusev fight now.
Lana tells Rusev don't waste your time on this . . . and she walks out of the ring.
Rusev says something to Cena but he holds the ropes for Lana to leave the ring and Rusev follows.
Cena says Rusev is undefeated. He is 69 and ho. This is not a waste of time. This fights Rusev at Fastlane. This beats Rusev at Fastlane. Cena reminds us the Champ is Here.
Paige will face Nikki Bella for the Divas Title at Fastlane.
Renee Young is in the interview area with Paige. Paige is congratulated on her title match at Fastlane, but Nikki and Brie enter before Paige can say anything. Nikki asks Paige if she is okay because she looks so pale. Brie says the blizzard brought Smackdown its own snow angel. Nikki says Paige looks like a blood sucking vampire. Paige laughs at the joke and then she hits Brie, but Nikki takes care of Paige and hits her with her Lex Luger forearm while Brie holds her and we go to commercial.
The Ascension were in the Goldman Box and Viktor says they beat the New Age Outlaws. Tonight, they send Olddust and his freak brother back into space.
Match Number Three: Goldust and Stardust versus Konnor and Viktor
Stardust wants to start the match but Goldust argues with him. Stardust says he has it while Viktor waits for someone to start. Viktor picks up Stardust but Stardust with a sunset flip. Viktor with a forearm but Stardust with a hip toss. Viktor with a waist lock but Stardust with an elbow. Viktor with a full nelson and Stardust hits Konnor on the apron. Viktor hits Stardust from behind.
Konnor tags in and he kicks Stardust. Konnor chokes Stardust and he tags in Viktor. Viktor punches Stardust and slams him. Viktor with a fist drop for a near fall. Viktor with a rear chin lock. Stardust with elbows but Viktor with a forearm. Konnor tags back in and he kicks Stardust. Konnor lets Stardust crawl halfway across the ring but Konnor goes for a belly-to-back suplex but Konnor lands on his feet and he kicks Konnor.
Goldust tags in and he clotheslines Viktor a few times. Goldust with a drop down uppercut followed by a reverse atomic drop and a boot to the head. Goldust with punches in the corner. Viktor with an Irish whip but Goldust with a power slam. Goldust with a drop down uppercut to Konnor.
Stardust makes the blind tag and he kicks Viktor and tries for the double jump drop kick but Konnor pushes him off the ropes. Goldust is knocked off the apron and Konnor and Viktor hit the Fall of Man for the three count.
Winners: Konnor and Viktor
Kane continues to stare at the casket and then he slams the lid of the casket.
We go to commercial.
We are back and we see one of the magicians on Wizard Wars with Zack Ryder, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae, and R Truth. Miz enters and he says he knows how the trick was done.
The magician says he always wanted to do magic with an A Lister, but he is not talking to Miz.
Miz doubts the egg is real and he wants the magician to prove it and he smashes it on Miz’ forehead.
Bray Wyatt is in the bowels of the building and he says what makes you smile? Is it spending time with loved ones? It is money? Power? Perhaps it is a memory you hold dear? A memory from your childhood. He finds enjoyment with the things your mommy and daddy have shielded you from your entire life. He is different.
Bray says he fears nothing, living or dead. What makes you smile? After what transpires next, he guarantees it will be hard to ever smile again.
Match Number Four: Kane versus Daniel Bryan in a Casket Match
Bryan with a kick to the thigh. Bryan with a kick to the leg and he avoids a punch. Bryan with a kick but Kane blocks a second one and Kane with a punch. Kane with a slam and drop kick. Kane rolls Bryan to the apron and the casket is opened but Bryan fights off Kane. Kane with a kick and he tries for a belly-to-back suplex but Bryan goes for the back of the leg.
Bryan with kicks to the leg. Bryan sends Kane to the mat and he wants the casket opened but Kane holds on to the ropes. Kane with a punch and he jogs into the corner and gets sent into the turnbuckles with a drop toe hold. Bryan with a kick and he climbs the turnbuckles to punch Kane. Kane pushes Bryan off but Bryan returns to the turnbuckles for more punches.
Kane pushes Bryan off and then he grabs Bryan by the throat but Bryan with a kick. Kane with a kick and he wants the casket opened and he tries to press slam Bryan into the casket but Bryan gets to his feet and he drop kicks Kane to the apron and Kane moves out of the way when Bryan sets to send Kane into the casket.
We go to commercial.
We are back and Kane punches Bryan while the ring skirt is over his head. We see footage of Kane moving when Bryan tried for the running drop kick into the corner during the commercial break. Kane puts Bryan on the apron and then he punches Bryan but Bryan avoids going into the casket. Kane pushes Bryan into the casket but Bryan kicks Kane away. Bryan gets back into the ring and he runs into a boot from Kane.
Kane with an Irish whip and clothesline into the corner followed by a side slam. Kane tries to send Bryan into the reopened casket. Kane tries to send Bryan over the top rope into the casket but Bryan holds on to the ropes and he sends Kane onto the casket with a head scissors. Kane goes to the floor and Bryan with a baseball slide.
Bryan goes up top and he hits a cross body onto Kane. Bryan punches Kane. Bryan goes to the apron and he goes for a cross body but Kane catches Bryan and runs him into the ring post. Kane with a boot and Bryan falls into the casket but he gets out of the casket before the lid closes. Bryan uses his feet to keep the casket open while Kane tries to close it.
Bryan kicks Kane in the head and then he comes off the side of the casket and is met with an uppercut from Kane and we go to commercial.
We are back and Bryan with a reverse chin lock and then he kicks Kane but Kane kicks back. Kane with a DDT. The casket is opened again and Kane tries to kick Bryan into the casket but Bryan gets back into the ring. Kane kicks Bryan and Kane with a head butt. Kane with an uppercut. Kane with a short arm clothesline. Kane with an Irish whip but Bryan flips out of the corner and he hits a flying clothesline.
Bryan kicks Kane in the chest and he misses the round kick but Kane goes over the top rope to the floor when Bryan ducks. Bryan with a suicide dive onto Kane. Bryan kicks Kane in the leg. Bryan with a running drop kick to Kane against the ringside barrier but Bryan holds his neck. Bryan with more kicks to the leg followed by punches. Kane sends Bryan over the ringside barrier into Yeatonville.
Kane sends Bryan into the announce table and he goes over. Bryan is rolled off the announce table and Kane grabs a chair. Kane hits Bryan in the back with the steel chair. Kane hits Bryan again. Kane sends Bryan into the lid of the casket and Bryan goes down. They get on the apron and the lid is opened again. Kane sets for a tombstone onto the casket but Bryan gets to his feet and he drops Kane on the top rope. Bryan with a drop kick but Kane holds on to the ropes. Bryan with a second one and he still holds onto the ropes. Kane with a choke slam to Bryan.
Bryan is rolled into the casket but he kicks Kane and then he applies the Yes Lock and then he tries to close the casket but Kane stops him. Bryan with kicks to Kane's chest. Kane blocks a kick and he punches Bryan. Kane with a clothesline. Bryan escapes a Tombstone attempt. Bryan misses a Yes Lock set up. Bryan kicks Kane on the apron and then he hits a running drop kick and the casket is closed.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
We go to credits.
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