July 2000

Smooth Billy D comes out looking like a member of the Jackson 5 with a great afro, white flares and silver sparkly shirt. Turns out the afro is a wig sadly. D makes the most of his size and power advantage, just lifting Reyes off his feet and dumping him to the mat after he grabs a side headlock. When the same happens again, Reyes slides to the floor, grabs his title belt and heads back towards the dressing room. There’s plenty of time left on the counter so no fear of an early finish here! Still, he returns only just in time to beat the count, tripping D whilst still on the outside. Slingshot senton followed by a baseball slide dropkick. Crossbody for a two. D re…

This felt like a waste of Ki overall. Billy Reil comes out and cuts a promo. He also gets into it with a fan and has the crowd chanting for him. That is all well and good telling the fans to show some respect in an unironic manner but aren't you supposed to be the heel? His "cousin" Mark Reil jumps Ki and they have essentially a squash match as Reil is really green and looks timid and botchy on most of what he tries. Ki dispatches of him and Berk attacks. A good 5-6 minute match here between him and Ki but it should have just been that match proper for 12-15 and presented as Berk being the hired gun for Reil or whatever. Ki is able to move past Berk as well. ** for the wh…

The So-Cal guys definitely bring a different flavor to the stuff we have seen in 2000. This was an all action six man that didn’t take much time to breathe. As a result, the match wasn’t really “great” but it was fun to watch and probably pretty mindblowing in a 2000 context. Rising Son looked good here and I have always had a soft spot for Disco Machine’s gimmick. Super Dragon took more of a beating here than in the Taro match and ends up eating the pin which surprised me. ***1/4 (6.4)

These four women really give the vibe of not caring for each other at all. The work isn't always the smoothest but the intensity and viciousness is there. This has LCO really dominating the young pairing and taking the fight to them with a big crowd brawl to start. They isolate on Watanabe throughout the match and she is in danger for most of the match. Maekawa is able to come in and sweep back the advantage with her vicious kicks. I thought Maekawa and Shimoda in particular had some excellent strike exchanges against each other that were hate filled. Eventually, Watanbe is able to grow confidence throughout the match and at the end is actually the stronger of the two mem…

Scoot is a pretty damn good wrestler. This didn't have near the action of the Rev Pro tag I watched before but it did have its own set of charm mainly in when Scoot was being the FIP. He does a great job of creating sympathy and then powering through to hit his high spots in the late stages of the match. Jaguar/Sullivan's valet was pretty generic and overall didn't add much. This was a good tag match almost exclusively on the shoulders of Scoot. *** (5.8)

Good tv match. Reckless shows some cocky moves and Dragon is able to use his wrestling to gain an advantage and frustrate Youth. Dragon is able to baffle Kevin Kelly with a submission attempt but misses a charge into the corner jamming up his knee. After a nice tornado DDT, Youth hits the stun gun and gets the pin with his feet on the ropes. Both of these guys looked like strong prospects here. **

Onryo has such a unique enigma to him that the matches slightly suffer. I can't knock it though due to his dedication to the character. Sasuke and Onryo work the mat a good bit in the early going and the back half had some good back and forth and nearfalls that are believable but not ridiculous. Sasuke ends up putting him away with the big powerbomb. This was certainly worked with a house show style match but was good for a twelve minute affair. *** (5.8)

This was more of a spotfest too like the Backseat Boyz tag I just watched but I liked it a bit more for how tight it was and Apache punching the shit out of Sevilla right in the face. Everything about this felt part foreign and also part comfortable with the rudos really heeling it up and putting a beat down All of the faces also were able to take a beat down at points and then dish it out at others. You had the young up and comers in Sevilla, Fleisch showing some flash and Horiguchi still rocking the surfer gimmick. TM is a bit more established and he acts appropriately. Overall, a really fun and unique tag. **** (7.8)

Still feeling the pressure from MCW, Power Pro has another full action 3 way. There is so much more wrestling on Memphis now compared to even a few years before. Even 5-6 minutes of a match like we see here feels like an eternity compared to the amount of in ring action we get during some years. Memphis isn't immune to weak finishes as we get a ref bump here and some misdirection. Khan has the oriental spike locked in when the referee recovers and Blade is out. *1/2

Meh. I really just don't see much upside in Conway or Dinsmore. Both are fine wrestlers but have no character traits that grab me. This is worked as a sprint with big bombs and nearfalls. Cornette assured us early on that this would be 1 on 1 which of course means Flash comes out at the end allowing Conway to win. We also get claims of a quick count. So more bullshit in ovw. Yippee. *1/4

There is certainly a structure to these LCO tags and I understand they can get long winded given how long and established the team was overall. However, much like Brock Lesnar in current day where the business side and ramfications can be examined in a negative light, the aesthetic of just what I am watching on my screen make me still really love the way they attack each match and make it feel like a full fledged war. This was their best performance so far this year as they are just vicious vs Takahashi and Nakanishi and give them no respect throughout the entire match. Momoe is a bloody mess and the match has a simple but visceral story of the true underdogs trying to ov…

D'aaawww look it's the little cubs fighting for their first big win! And this was actually really, really good! You could tell this was their „young workers trying their ideas for an epic“ match. Except... their ideas worked? This was closer to a lucharesu match than anything and it had to have been the best singles match in that style since... since... Sasuke/Tokyo from the previous year? Oh whatever. The matwork was real good, the lucharesu exchanges looked great and most importantly, fresh. Ayako had great instincts – just little things like doing a kneedrop while working for a submission add so much. They also played up the fact that Hamada was pretty dominant in the …

This was the first clipped up match that looked real good. There was a bit of selling and neat transitions going on elevating this above your standard move exhibition. Instead you had Akino being all spunky underdog, pulling off all kinds of wonky complicated spaceman headscissor type moves and turnbuckle climbing dives. And well, Apache when on offense is just blasting her opponent and they kept things interesting with nifty spots. The best move was Mary countering a weird Akino rollup in mid-air by stopping her, pulling her back up and just splatting her with a fat powerbomb. Akino's a tiny girl but still looked like a freakish spot.

New Jack, who is on crutches, suffered a broken leg on a balcony dive and is on his way down to the ring to speak to the fans when he’s jumped from behind by Da Baldies. Angel uses a staple gun to the forehead and it’s a two on one mugging until Nova and Chris Chetti run out for the save. They’re certainly not the people I would’ve expected to come to New Jack’s rescue! Chetti with a springboard plancha deep into the aisle followed by Nova tope. Double flapjack by Da Baldies. They get the heat on Nova for barely a minute before he makes the hot tag. Belly to back suplex on Angel however he rolls out the way of a Nova ‘Swanton’. DeVito misses a moonsault and Nova wi…

Really fun energetic opener where everyone hit everything cleanly. Kid Kash in particular looks like a freaking star especially with his dive to the outside from off of Roadkill's back. Roadkill also gets a huge pop when he does a dive onto everyone. The heels were functioning well enough to have a decent to good FIP sequence to string the story line of the match along as they work over Doring. Swinger is never someone that excites me and he looks really wooden most of the time with execution but he was a strong base here and did his double team DDT spots with Diamond well. ECW was debuting in LA and the electric crowd breathed new life into what was clearly a fledgling p…

I have added a thread here almost solely based on the XPW incident before the match. Who knows if it was a work or shoot but it was fun to watch. Dreamer brings out Gorgeous George along with Jazz as his secret weapons. The match here showed that Credible just doesn't have the chops to be the top guy. As intense as Rhino and Sandman was, Dreamer & Co. were bumbling around and walk fighting to the back. The bump Dreamer took from the set of bleachers was also ugy. The stitpulation here is really pasted on and the match reaches a nadir when George turns on Jazz and aligns up with Francine. Francine gets her top pulled off and is wearing pasties. Dreamer is able to kick …

After the wrestlers are introduced, Mikey Whipwreck and the Sinister Minister make their way out. At first it looks like they’re just here to watch Tajiri, but no, Mikey somersaults into the ring and this three-way is now a four-way. In a sense this is our third ‘impromptu’ match on the PPV already; ECW don’t half overdo that trope. Nice huracanrana on Guido and a ‘Whippersnapper’ for Tajiri. Tony Mamaluke sprints out, however Mikey plants him with a flapjack. Pescado onto Sal E., who I doubt sprints anywhere, but the big man catches and then runs him into the ring post. He rolls him into the ring, guillotine leg drop by Psicosis and Guido steals the pin as Mikey is…

After some nonsense at the start of the PPV involving Cyrus and Joel Gertner that saw security and a bunch of referees required to separate them, Sal E. Graziano and Tony Mamaluke are out. Sal throws his considerable weight around, shoving the referees down before giving an obvious planted ref (the guy looks reminiscent of former WWF jobber Mike Bell) an impressive looking sidewalk slam, rag dolling the plant around. That brings out Balls Mahoney who quickly takes care of Mamaluke. Sal beckons Balls to swing that chair at him and when he turns to the crowd for approval, Sal jumps him. Balls ducks the clothesline and peppers him with jabs although is unable to drop the…

This was shockingly good. Rhino has been built up the best of the young talent in ECW looking to take the next step and Sandman tells a simple but realistic story of him going for revenge on his wife Lori and the attack given to her. The match didn't overstay its welcome and the use of the guard rail was effective in allowing both men to do some pretty brutal looking spots without it looking like a contrived stunt show full of set ups. Sandman also didn't do any crowd brawling because he was out for revenge. Another schmozz finish but again one I enjoyed especially the gutsy Spike Dudley run in and him getting 3D'd. *** (6.1)

This was a real good ECW style match. Corino is able to hit a gusher off of a tornado DDT on the floor and that creates the narrative of the match. I find it really strong and effective how much Corino can bleed while not coming across as sympathetic. Having Victory out there to constantly run interference helps that narrative. He grounded Lynn here and we didn't get some of the spotty and stand off spots that can plague Lynn matches. Lynn also ups the intensity by writing DIE from Corino's blood. The finish has a lot going on with a ref bump and what not but it was effective in the false finish and leading to Lynn winning off of the Cradle Piledriver and gaining some goo…

Good spotfest type match. I enjoy seeing Pimpenla as she always has entertaining spots that add to the match along with some big highspots. Damian 666 is also someone from the WCW C reel that it was good to see again. A match that didn’t have much going on storyline wise but was an all action midcard crowd pleaser that was successful. *** (6.1)

The match is joined in progress with Pierrothito in control. Octagoncito dupes him in and busts out a variety of different arm drags. As he tries to rally the crowd Pierrothito stuns him with a dropkick. Press slam dropping Octagoncito face first across the top turnbuckle. After being whipped into the corner, he avoids the charge and Pierrothito sails through the ropes into the ring post and crashes to the floor. Octagoncito with a big plancha, although that takes more out of him than it does his opponent. Back elbow off the middle for a two. Pierrothito dumps Octagoncito over the top, however he lands on the apron, climbs the turnbuckles and lands a leaping rana. …

Not much of a match but Angle running from Taker continues to be pretty humorous and kind of par the course for how he has been presented up to this point. With him main eventing SummerSlam, I look forward to him having a bit more of an edge leading up to that event. The real juice of the match comes with the run in from Jericho and a great reaction with him pounding on HHH and hitting a huge dive to the outside. The fact that these two weren’t best buds backstage really adds to the hate that is being portrayed on the screen. Bring on Fully Loaded. *1/4

The Hardyz sprint to the ring and this one gets underway before Lillian Garcia has finished making her ring introductions. Bubba tries to throw Jeff to the outside, but he doesn’t go through the ropes cleanly, hitting the bottom one and getting kind of whiplashed. Leg drop off the middle by Matt to D-Von, followed by ‘Poetry in Motion’ for a two. Irish whip is reversed and D-Von with a flying back elbow before tagging in his brother. Bubba tears off Jeff’s t-shirt then stiffly slaps him in the chest. ‘Doomsday Device’ to Jeff and the ‘wassup’ headbutt to the groin of Matt. The Dudleys collect a couple of tables and Bubba sets his up on the outside. As he goes to he…

Really cool opening promo to start Raw with Foley that segueways through a bunch of programs for the present and the future. Having Foley as a face authority role just feels so refreshing after the two plus years of the heels running the show in a prominent manner. Foley announces that Jericho vs HHH is a LMS match. Taker/Kane come out and Foley sets up the main event of them teaming together to face HHH/Angle. HHH/Angle are on the Titan tron and HHH calls Angle a twerp whereas Angle says that he doesn’t think Steph thinks he is a twerp either. After that ends, here comes The Rock and he wants Benoit tonight. Shane McMahon’s faction comes out and Benoit does a good promo …