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REVIEW: Monday Night Raw – January 1, 2007: Star Power!

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be? Monday Night Raw Date: January 1, 2007 Location: American Airlines Arena, Miami, Florida Attendance: 15,169 Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler It’s the first show of the year, along with being the go home show for New Year’s Revolution. That means things are going to pick up in a hurry, so we’ll start with….the Kevin Federline match. The best thing we can hope for here is that it is over in a hurry so we can move on to anything else, as the fifteen minutes have to be long past up. Let’s get to it. We open with ..

Another Former WWE Star Makes AEW Debut, Signs With Company

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Nice to meet you. There have been all kinds of WWE releases over the last year, with NXT taking the brunt of the punishment. The show has seen a bunch of wrestlers leave, many of which came out of nowhere. As a result, there have been all kinds of talented wrestlers flooding the market, and now one of them has found what seems to be a more permanent home. Former NXT and Impact Wrestling star Mercedes Martinez made her debut on AEW Dynamite. Martinez, under a hood, attacked Thunder Rosa during Rosa’s TBS Title tournament match against Jade Cargill, allowing Cargill to pick up the win. Following the match, Martinez unveiled herself and was chased off by Ruby Soho, who will be facing Cargill in the tournament finals. Martinez was released from WWE earlier this year and appeared briefly for Impact Wrestling. Welcome to @AEW, @RealMMartinez! Mercedes Martinez is #allelite#AEWDynamite pic.twitter.com/kDpXtnqyBv — Tony Khan (@TonyKhan) December 30, 2021 Martinez put in some work in WWE. ..

Healthy Days: More On Recent WWE Absences

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Did they get a doctor’s note? The wrestling world is currently being rocked by the Coronavirus pandemic and there is no reason to believe that it is going to be getting much better in the near future. There have been cases throughout WWE and there is no reason to believe that it is going to get any better anytime soon. It has already caused WWE to take some cautions, and now we know a bit more about what happened this week. Vince McMahon, Bruce Prichard, Michael Hayesand Kevin Dunn all missed this week’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, which took place after a Coronavirus outbreak hit the company. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, Prichard has been dealing with an ongoing but undisclosed health issue. The other three missed the show as a precautionary measure to make sure that all three were healthy and in attendance for this weekend’s WWE Day One pay per view. Those are some important people to have missing. Check out what the three of them can do when they are around: [This ..

VIDEO: Top Star Returns At AEW Dynamite, Teases New Feud

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Welcome home. Wrestlers leaving a promotion can be a problem at times but they have no choice but to go away for one reason or another. Some of these are not as serious as others, as a wrestler might need to take care of something outside of the ring. Even if that is the case, their return can still be pretty special, which seemed to be the case during a return this week. Chris Jericho made his return during this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite. Jericho ran in to clear out 2.0 and Daniel Garcia, who had defeated Eddie Kingston, Santana and Ortiz. After the match, Garcia hit Santana in the face with the ring bell, drawing out Jericho for the save. Kingston did not care for Jericho’s actions and the two had to be separated. Jericho had been missing since the December 1 Dynamite due to going on tour with his band Fozzy. Jericho is a big deal in AEW. Check out the return and what he has done in the company: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to pl..

Ring Of Honor TV Results – December 22, 2021

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Ring of Honor Date: December 22, 2021 Location: UMBC Event Center, Baltimore, Maryland Commentators: Ian Riccaboni, Caprice Coleman We continue the final shows of the original era of the promotion and that means we are in for a bunch of one off matches. Thankfully that is what Ring of Honor has a tendency to do time after time so it isn’t like this is going to be much different. I’m not sure what to expect here as usual and again, that’s kind of a nice feeling. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Quinn McKay gives us the welcome and opening rundown. This week even has a theme, in the form of the Top Prospect Special. Eric Martin vs. Adrian Soriano vs. Rayo vs. Joe Keys One fall to a finish, Martin has Will Ferrara with him and Soriano has the rest of Primal Fear with him. Keys gets kicked outside to start and it’s Soriano getting to clean house early on. Martin is sent outside as well but Keys is back in for some rolling German suplexes on Soriano. That’s broken up by Martin, who ch..

AEW Dynamite Live Coverage And Results – December 29, 2021

December 30, 2021 • Admin

Dynamite Date: December 29, 2021 Location: Daily’s Place, Jacksonville, Florida Commentators: Jim Ross, Excalibur, Tony Schiavone We’ll wrap up another year of Dynamite with this one, in the place that hosted the show for what felt like the better part of ever. Cody Rhodes it the new TNT Champion, which hopefully is not just for the Go Big Show or Rhodes To The Top. Other than that, we also have the welcome return of Jim Ross, who has announced that he is cancer free. Let’s get to it. Opening sequence. Jim Ross gets a big entrance for his return, which is a great thing to see. Jurassic Express/Christian Cage/Lucha Bros vs. FTR/Matt Hardy/Private Party Wheeler takes Christian into the corner for a clean break so we hit the double bicep pose. Christian works on the arm for a bit so it’s off to Harwood to trade chops with Jungle Boy in the corner. Harwood gets caught in the wrong corner and it’s Christian coming in for a kick to the face. The jump over the top into the uppercut has Ha..

Wrestling Legend Announces He Has Coronavirus

December 30, 2021 • Admin

That doesn’t sound good. The Coronavirus pandemic has shaken up the entire world and it seems that things are starting to get worse again. That is going to make things all the more complicated as we move forward, as you never know how bad things could get for someone. It seems that is the case with a certain wrestling legend, who has not had the best health in the first place. AEW’s Jake Roberts has announced that he has tested positive for the Coronavirus. Roberts says he believes he got it either from his family or when he was out shopping. This comes after Roberts has been missing from AEW television for three months, which he credits to AEW President Tony Khan allowing him to stay away due to being high risk. Roberts did not mention any symptoms from the virus. Yes after not going to do my AEW work for nearly 3 months. Tony Kahn knows I’m high risk and has gone above and beyond all expectations trying to keep everyone safe. Pretty sure I got it from family or when I was out shopp..

Excellent News On Jim Ross’ Health Status

December 30, 2021 • Admin

That’s some great news. There are a lot of people involved in the wrestling industry who never get in the ring. Just because they are not active wrestlers though, they still play a vital role in the product. That is the case with broadcasters, and now one of the most prominent of all time has announced some great news to the world regarding his recent health issues. AEW’s Jim Ross has announced that he is cancer free following a series of radiation treatments. Ross has been missing from AEW television since the middle of December due to twenty daily treatments, which have proven to be successful. Ross also announced that he will be returning to Dynamite this week. Taz had been filling in for Ross and mentioned that Ross would be returning during last week’s Dynamite. I’m CANCER FREE! We did it! See you tonight on #AEWDYNAMITE at 8 ET! ??? pic.twitter.com/4X9tmFtWTQ — Jim Ross (@JRsBBQ) December 29, 2021 This should be big. Check out what Ross has done in AEW so far: [This po..

BREAKING: WWE Releases Toni Storm

December 29, 2021 • Admin

The releases continue. According to Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful, WWE has released Toni Storm from her contract. This comes after she competed for the Smackdown Women’s Championship on last week’s show. According to the report, those within WWE believe Storm asked for her release from the company. The memo that went out did not list budget cuts as the reason. Those that I spoke to within WWE believe Toni Storm asked for her release from the company, though I'm also making an effort to reach out to those close to her. The memo that went out did not list budget cuts as the reason, as has been tradition of late. — Sean Ross Sapp of Fightful.com (@SeanRossSapp) December 29, 2021 Storm has had the opportunity to work with Charlotte Flair as of late. Check out their most recent match together: [This post contains video, click to play] Storm’s release is the latest of over 80 that have taken place in 2021 alone. We will continue to monitor this story and provide updates as they bec..

KB’s Review: Three Words To Make You Care

December 29, 2021 • Admin

One of the most important terms that you will hear in wrestling is storytelling, which can have a lot of different meanings. This time around, we are going to be looking at the broader definition, with the stories that propel the wrestling shows forward week to week and night to night. There are all kinds of ways to make a feud go forward, but today we are going to be looking at one of the most important aspects of wrestling storytelling that is hitting and missing today, depending on which promotion you might be watching at the moment. Last week on the Jim Cornette’s Drive-Thru podcast, Cornette spoke about a feud in Smoky Mountain Wrestling between former friends Tracy Smothers and Prime Time Brian Lee. Smothers was the reigning Smoky Mountain Wrestling Heavyweight Champion but lost the title to Lee, who turned heel under the influence of the debuting Tammy Fytch (better known as Sunny in her time in the WWF). Lee had been tempted by Fytch’s various attributes and turned on his frie..

Two Turns Took Place On Monday Night Raw (And One Person Wasn’t Even There)

December 29, 2021 • Admin

Switch them up. There are a few different ways to freshen up a wrestler every now and then, with some of them having been used for years. One of the most successful is to change them from good to evil or vice versa, some of which can be done at a moment’s notice. It seems that we saw two turns take place this week on Monday Night Raw, even though one person was not there. This week’s Monday Night Raw was scheduled to include a match between AJ Styles and Omos, but Omos did not appear. Instead, Styles defeated Apollo Crews in a replacement match. According to PWInsider.com, both Styles and Omos have been turned, with Styles now as the babyface and Omos now as the heel, despite how the feud began. There is no word on why the change was made. This could go a few ways. Check out how the feud has gone so far: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is something that probably works be..

WWE Stars Appearing On NXT New Year’s Evil

December 29, 2021 • Admin

Join the show. NXT has been shaken up in a huge way over the last several months, leaving the place almost unrecognizable. So many wrestlers and names have been let go that there are all kinds of spots available but not so many stars available to take them. Therefore, we are going to be seeing some special guest stars on the first major NXT event of the new year. A pair of guest stars have been announced for next week’s New Year’s Evil special, with both announcements taking place during this week’s edition of NXT. First up, Grayson Waller was insulting Monday Night Raw’s AJ Styles again, causing Styles himself to appear on the Titantron, saying that he would be around next week to meet Waller in person. Later in the show, MSK called out Imperium, which brought Walter and Riddle to the Titantron. Walter issued a challenge for a six man tag, which was confirmed later in the night. It was a busy night. Check out how things went down this week: [This post contains video, click to play]..

Scarlett Reveals Why She Never Debuted On WWE Main Roster (It’s A Unique One)

December 29, 2021 • Admin

That’s a unique one. There are all kinds of injuries that can take place to any wrestler at any time. Some of these are a lot more serious than others and it is awful to see anyone get hurt in any way. These things can happen to anyone at any time, but there are some others that are only going to be able to happen to certain wrestlers. One such situation caused a wrestler’s in-ring career to be put on hold. Scarlett Bordeaux appeared on a recent edition of Renee Paquette’s Oral Sessions podcast and discussed her time in WWE. Bordeaux had been participating in dark matches before Monday Night Raw and SmackDown when she realized that she had damaged one of her breast implants. As a result, she needed to undergo surgery to repair the issue but planned to manage. WWE told her that she would wrestle when she was cleared but she ultimately never appeared on the main roster. Bordeaux was ultimately released from WWE on November 4. Bordeaux was a valuable star in NXT. Check out what she did ..

Switch It Up: WWE Has Reversed One Of Its Biggest Policies

December 29, 2021 • Admin

Change it back. There are so many wrestlers on the WWE roster that they have been split into three groups, with Monday Night Raw, SmackDown and NXT. Every now and then you will see the rosters interact, but these matches and moments do not take place very often. NXT is the odd one out of the trio though, as it rarely interacts with the main rosters. That policy might be changing though. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, WWE has changed its policy on having NXT not interact with Monday Night Raw and SmackDown. This comes as Monday Night Raw’s AJ Styles and Riddle have both appeared on NXT television, while NXT’s Grayson Waller has appeared on Monday Night Raw. Last year, WWE made it a policy to keep the brands separate due to worries about the Coronavirus spreading. There is no word onw hat led to the new rules. This could go in a few different ways. Check out how the stars have done with their crossovers: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, cl..

WWE Has A New Plan To Keep Fans Watching Their Shows

December 29, 2021 • Admin

It’s a WWE idea. Monday Night Raw has been on the air for almost twenty nine years with nearly fifteen hundred episodes. That is the kind of thing that is unparalleled in the wrestling industry, at least on this level. The show has had its ups and downs over the years, but it is always trying to find a way to draw in new viewers. Now they have another idea, but it might not be the most logical. Over the last several months, WWE has changed the way they present matches on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown. A wrestler comes to the ring and then the show will go to a commercial. When the show comes back, vignettes, videos or something similar will air before the match, leaving the wrestler in the ring for several minutes before the match begins. According to Wrestling Observer Radio, the idea is that presenting the top star will cause fans to want to stick around through the other segments. There is no word on how successful the new presentation has gone. There are some top stars in WWE. Ch..

NXT Results – December 28, 2021

December 29, 2021 • Admin

NXT Date: December 28, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett It’s time for one of those things that you don’t get to see very often in WWE, as we’re getting a contract signing between Carmelo Hayes and Roderick Strong. Other than that, odds are we’ll be hearing a lot more from Grayson Waller, because he is on this show as much as a Steve Austin Raw in 1998. Let’s get to it. Here is Grayson Waller to get things going. Waller flips around a lot and talks about having a great Christmas. This included flying himself to Detroit to Monday Night Raw, where he met AJ Styles. We see a clip of their showdown last night, before Waller talks about how he is supposed to face Dexter Lumis tonight. That isn’t going to happen, so he insults Indi Hartwell too. Cue the returning Odyssey Jones and we have a replacement match. Odyssey Jones vs. Grayson Waller Jones throws him around to start and then steps on Waller’s back. A big side slam give..

The Big Round-Up: WWE Lists Its Top 25 Matches Of 2021

December 28, 2021 • Admin

Count them up. There are so many wrestling matches in the course of a year that it is almost impossible to keep track of all of them. That is the case with every promotion, but WWE has more content than it knows what to do with most of the time. Therefore, it can be interesting to look back at what you might forget during the course of the year, and that is what WWE is doing for you at the moment. WWE has released a list of the Top 25 Matches of 2021. The list includes a variety of matches from the main roster television shows, NXT and NXT UK, along with pay per views and specials. The matches took place over the course of the year, ranging from the beginning all the way to the end. It is not clear who picked the list or voted on the matches. Here is the list: 25. Bobby Lashley vs. Drew McIntyre – WWE Championship Hell in a Cell Match (WWE Hell in a Cell) 24. RK-Bro vs. The Usos – Champions vs. Champions Match (Survivor Series) 23. Goldberg vs. Bobby Lashley – No Holds Barred Match (..

WWE Has No Plans For Heavily Hyped Monday Night Raw Debut

December 28, 2021 • Admin

Run that by me again? There are all kinds of wrestlers on the WWE roster and it can be difficult to figure out something for all of them to do. Some of them are easier than others, but there are several wrestlers who seem to be standing around, waiting on some kind of story. That is the case with one Monday Night Raw star and he could be waiting for a long time to come. Over the last several weeks, WWE has aired vignettes advertising the debut of Veer Mahaan. However, according to Fightful Select, there are no current plans for Mahaan and WWE is aware of how long the vignettes have been airing with no progress. There was also no specific reason for splitting Mahaan from Jinder Mahal and Shanky, who went to SmackDown in the WWE Draft. You might not remember Mahaan at this point. Check out some of his time in WWE: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] Opinion: This is one of those things that..

WRESTLING RUMORS: Vince McMahon Nixed NXT Call Up After One Night

December 28, 2021 • Admin

The boss wasn’t a fan. Vince McMahon is a lot of things but ultimately he has the final say in what takes place in WWE. That makes him an amazingly powerful person and any decision that he makes can make or break a career. McMahon is also known for some rather fast paced changes, one of which seems to have altered a new star’s career before it got a chance to start. NXT’s Von Wagner appeared on the November 12 edition of SmackDown, standing next to Adam Pearce in his office. The appearance came after McMahon felt that Pearce needed a bodyguard, but Wagner did not appear again. According to Ringsidenews.com, the angle was dropped simply because McMahon did not like it. Wagner did not speak or do anything physical during the appearance, nor was he mentioned by name. He has since returned to NXT full time. Wagner could be a big deal on WWE TV. Check out his time in NXT: [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, click to play] [This post contains video, cl..

205 Live Results – December 24, 2021

December 28, 2021 • Admin

205 Live Date: December 24, 2021 Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida Commentators: Nigel McGuinness, Vic Joseph Just in case there are people watching the supplemental show for the minor league brand on Christmas Eve. Last week’s show was one of the rougher watches I’ve had around here and I can only hope that this one is a bit better. Having more people ready for a slightly bigger stage than the Performance Center would help. Let’s get to it. Ivy Nile vs. Fallon Henley Two weeks in a row for Henley and she gets a rather high energy entrance. Nile throws her down without much trouble to start but gets caught in an armbar. That’s broken up as well so some forearms annoy Nile a bit. A bulldog takes Nile down but she’s fine enough to power her way out of trouble. There’s a belly to back suplex and a running kick in the corner rocks Henley again. We hit the bearhug on Henley before Nile throws her down. The freedom is enough for Henley to grab a rollup for two and some ..