http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Thu, 14 May 2015 02:58:45 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.1

http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-5815/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-5815/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 21:11:31 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Destination America TNA TNA Impact wrestling WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11706 Welcome back one and all to another exciting edition of Total Nonstop Analysis available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and I’m breaking down this week’s episode of TNA Impact on Destination America. This very special “live” episode was actually filmed about two hours before the event began on television, but there […]

Welcome back one and all to another exciting edition of Total Nonstop Analysis available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and I’m breaking down this week’s episode of TNA Impact on Destination America. This very special “live” episode was actually filmed about two hours before the event began on television, but there were still an enormity of surprises and special guests to make this installment of Impact truly “must see TV.” The main event of the evening would be a TNA world heavyweight championship title bout wherein a returning former champion would serve as special referee. Who was that very special returning champion? Let’s find out.

I review almost every professional wrestling program available in the United States, and dare I say my weekly TNA column is among the most detailed. This week I am coming to you on a Sunday afternoon—almost 48 hours removed from the show—smack dab in the middle of two podcasts that I erroneously scheduled for the same day. So full disclaimer: If you’re looking forward to my 5000 word recaps, then this edition of Total Nonstop Analysis might come up a little short. I will be going into every aspect of the show, just without the usual assortment of direct quotes and dry wit. Not that any of you care for my sense of humor anyway, so I’ll spare you any further editorial.

The show begins with Eric Young, who demands to know who the special guest referee is going to be. He says that he’s been the number one contender to Kurt Angle’s world heavyweight title for the past five weeks, and he’s earned the right to know who the special guest is going to be. That’s when Eric got his answer, in the form of a TNA Hall of Famer—BULLY RAY! The last time mainstream American fans had the chance to see Bully on television, was at this years Royal Rumble when he entered at number three and proceeded to eliminate both R Truth and the former WWE Champion the Miz. Bully is wearing his trademark leather vest tonight, over a striped referee shirt. The audience didn’t seem to know whose music was playing, but once they got a glimpse of the record-setting tag team champion, the crowd went crazy.

The first match of the evening pits Mr. Ken Anderson against Ethan Carter III in a bout that was decided upon by the TNA fans. Ethan Carter has been “running for champion” since first announcing his bid two weeks ago on Destination America, to which Mr. Anderson has taken mild offense. The fans had the chance to vote for either a “Falls Count Anywhere” match or an arm wrestling competition. Carter of course preferring the latter, was mortified to discover his supporters voted for the former, and far more dangerous option. Mr. Anderson went after Tyrus first so as to even the odds, and proceeded to reign supreme over the kayfabe third generation Carter. Ethan was no slouch from bell to bell however, and provided his own share of unique offense both inside and out of the ring. Mr. Anderson, a former world champion himself, hit Ethan with his patented Green Bay Plunge across a pile of steel chairs, and delivered a second, square in the center of the ring. That’s when Tyrus returned; he hit Mr. Anderson with a T-Bone suplex that sent him from turnbuckle to turnbuckle. The monstrous body guard-turned-brawler followed up with an Asiatic Spike, giving Ethan Carter the 1-2-3 victory over his greatest adversary on his race to the top of TNA.

Kurt Angle and Bully Ray are chatting backstage about the main event match that Bully will be officiating. Kurt asks Bully if he is going to call the match down the middle, to which Bully responds: “Do you know who I am?” Next up is another backstage segment, this time featuring the TNA Knockouts. Gail Kim and Awesome Kong are set to get on the same page for the first time in history to take on Taryn Terrell and the Doll House. Gail asks Kong if she’s in, and receives but an ominous stare before the gargantuan Awesome Kong proceeded down the hallway.

The next portion of the show is perhaps one of the most controversial segments in TNA, since switching stations earlier this year. It didn’t involve any blood shed or overt sexuality, but a specific word that isn’t uttered all too often on wrestling TV shows, save for once by Booker T by accident, and then 10 years later by Vince McMahon on purpose. Of course I’m talking about the “N-Word.” There’s been talk that Billy Corgan wants to make TNA the “All in the Family” of professional wrestling, by incorporating real life situations involving “transgender issues” and “race relations.” As the first broadcast since Billy began working with TNA, it’s not outside the realm of possibilities that this could be the first step in that direction. Is it the right direction to go? I promised to leave my editorials at the door this week, so I’ve got nothing to say on the matter. MVP said that while people have been stealing championships in professional wrestling for years, when the BDC does it they are referred to as “thugs.” He says that the BDC takes what they want, similar to how the US government takes oil from foreign governments, and went on to assure the audience that “thug” is just another word for—well, you get it. An interesting direction to take the product without question.

The Rising shows up, as they prepare for Drew Galloway’s encounter with MVP. Galloway promises that the Rising had nothing to do with what happened to Homicide, and suggest MVP should check out his own team before he looks elsewhere. Galloway points the finger at Kenny King, but MVP is quick to defend the Beat Down Clan. I don’t understand how anyone can cheer the Rising after MVP went off on a very uncomfortable tirade about racism. This match is all Montel Vontavious Porter from the get-go, thanks to an all out gang war between members of the rising and the BDC. Galloway was walking tall towards the end of the non-sanctioned street fight, but come the opening bell was unprepared for MVP. The leader of the Beat Down Clan maintained a considerable edge throughout the entire match, with Galloway achieving little offense throughout. MVP is truly an immense talent that oftentimes goes overlooked, for whatever the reason may be. He possesses a unique combination of psychology and ring awareness which makes him a deadly force when booked in one-on-one action. The incredible one sided nature of this bout made it easy to predict an outcome; Drew Galloway got the pinfall over MVP with the “Future Shock” DDT. Following the bell however, Eric Young made a surprise appearance and attacked Drew Galloway with the steel chair. Kenny King and Low-Ki joined the fight, and MVP followed suit.

There’s a quick backstage segment featuring James Storm, looking kind of like Adam Rose, carrying a large gift covered in white and gold wrapping paper. After the commercial, the “Cowboy” is en route to the ring where he proceeds to explain what’s inside the box. He invites Mickey to the ring, and presents her with a custom black and purple guitar to celebrate Mickey’s music career. The fans in attendance seem to love the interaction between James Storm and Mickey James, which begs the question as to how many are aware of what’s going on with Mickey’s husband Nick, a.k.a. Magnus? In fact, the fans booed Magnus when he arrived in the arena, and Storm even told him not to “ruin the party.” Storm has a gift for Magnus as well; his old gladiator helmet that he wore when he first arrived in TNA. James Storm is hilarious: “It was a good gimmick, I liked it.” The fans began to chant “put it on” along with Storm, further establishing Mickey’s husband as the bad guy in this situation. That was until James Storm went one step too far. He presented a final gift for Mickey and Nick’s son Donovan, saying, “You can give it to him when he sleeps at night.” Nick shocked everyone in attendance returned the ring and smashed the custom guitar over James Storm’s skull.

MVP is backstage, asking Eric Young why he attacked the Rising on behalf of the Beat Down Clan. Eric Young is concerned about the numbers game with Bully Ray playing the part of special guest referee in his world title match. Young is hoping to rekindle his former alliance with the Beat Down Clan, and promises that his TNA world heavyweight title will be the BDC’s title when he wins it.

Next is without question the most uncomfortable segment of the night—and yes, I remember MVP saying the “N-Word.” This was worse. Worse as in bad. But I’ll bite my tongue and present the facts as they are: Gail Kim is married to celebrity chef Robert Irvine. For the first time since I can remember, TNA is acknowledging their relationship, by formulating a storyline involving both of Irvine’s daughters. Gail is at an event featuring her husband and is dismayed to see Taryn Terrell on hand, snapping photos with Gail’s step-daughters. This mind blowing altercation leads directly into their showdown tonight on Impact.

The match kicks off with Gail Kim versus Jade, with the first ever TNA Knockout Champion gaining a considerable advantage. Awesome Kong soon tags into the action, and appears to have problems working alongside Gail Kim. But their differences are soon squashed, as are their opponents. Taryn Terrell is the wildcard of her team, helping to keep her subordinate stable mates in the fight when their sloppy workmanship threatens to rip the Dollhouse apart. After a number of impressive maneuvers by both the rookie and veteran Knockouts, The Dollhouse walked away with the win. Gail Kim prepared to deliver “Eat Defeat” to Marti Bell, but was rolled up in a school girl by Taryn Terrell. This rivalry appears far from over, and the Dollhouse will undoubtedly remain in power until Taryn Terrell drops her championship.

Matt Hardy arrives in the Impact Zone, where he must relinquish the TNA tag team championship belts. Matt’s brother Jeff was involved in an unfortunate motocross accident just over two weeks ago, making the Hardy Boyz the second team in less than a month to drop the straps. Matt appears almost bitter, annoyed over the fact once again, the older brother is responsible for cleaning up the mess made by his younger sibling. This isn’t the first time a Jeff Hardy injury has hindered the Hardy’s, and V1 seems to know that. Matt vacates the ring, leaving it to Austin Aries and Bobby Roode, who claim their right to carry the tag team gold. Davey Richards—one half of the American Wolves—is next to appear, laying claim to that same right. It would seem that Davy Richards was without a partner in this handicap situation, but lo and behold Eddie Edwards arrived in the Impact Zone, ready to reengage in tag team combat. These two teams will go head to head over the course of several weeks in a “Best of Five” series to determine the new tag team champions.

We got a quick reunion between “Beautiful People” when Angelina Love came face-to-face with Velvet Sky for the first time since Velvet was released following “Feast or Fired.” It came as no shock to anyone when Velvet returned, being that her longtime boyfriend Bully Ray made his much anticipated return about an hour and a half earlier in the show. Velvet showed up dressed in a denim vest, much more befitting the Bully Rey character. After some words were had, Velvet Speared Angelina Love and started choking her with her own hair until the two women were ultimately separated.

For what seems to be the tenth time or more, Kurt Angle is headlining TNA Impact. I suppose if TNA’s intention is to be as different as the WWE as possible, then the Olympic gold-medal list is doing a fine job of being the Anti-Brock Lesnar.” The special guest referee Bully Ray was the first to be announced and was, at least to me, the most interesting part of this match. Kurt Angle has had a number of great matches with Eric Young in recent weeks, including a “Stretcher” match that far and away exceeded my own expectations. Other companies catch guff for booking the same main event every month, but TNA is booking the same main event every week! I thought that this was a fantastic show up until this point; we get a ton of BDC interference throughout and after the same back-and-forth we’ve become accustomed to, The Rising and Chris Melendez appear to fend off the Beat Down Clan. Eric Young has victory within his sites with a crippling piledriver, but Kurt Angle kicks out and hooks the evil EY in his patented Ankle Lock. Eric Young had no choice but to submit—your winner and STILL champion, Kurt Angle.

As previously stated, this show was fantastic until the final segment and subsequent match. I’m sick of the same people wrestling for the TNA world title, and the same interference from the same warring factions at the same time every week. And before anyone starts saying, “Well WWE is worse”—YOU’RE RIGHT! You’re 100% right, but WWE was the shitty wrestling company first. Since day one, TNA Wrestling has claimed to be DIFFERENT than the WWE. So different in fact, that they now open their show with monologues and close with fifty-fifty booking featuring flippant finishes. So different that they hire every developmental defect, including Camacho, with the added claim that they’re much better than they ever had the chance to do. WWE recently went on record and said they are not interested in any former TNA talent. Perhaps the best way for TNA to separate themselves from the competition, is to make the same decree and stick to their homegrown stars. They’ve been doing a fine job lately, but after an hour and forty minutes of fresh faces, I don’t want to watch 45-year old Kurt Angle. That’s like if NXT ended with a Triple H match every week. And I’ll leave you on that. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep checking out my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter vis @TapeTraderz; and listen to new episodes of my weekly podcasts available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:47:30 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews John Cena Professional Wrestling Smackdown Stephanie McMahon TNA TNA Impact Triple H Vince McMahon Wrestlemania Wrestlemania 31 WWE Wwe Smackdown WWE Wrestlemania http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11685 How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the […]

How's it going wrestling fans? IT DOESN'T MATTER HOW IT'S GOING! Just kidding of course. I haven't earned the right to berate my audience like Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has. Speaking of the Rock, it's Thursday, which means it's time for the 16-year old tradition named in his honor. Of course I'm talking about the show that began on UPN, can currently be seen on SyFy, and will appear on the USA Network in 2016—it's SMACKDOWN! My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and while you don't care who I am, you'll be happy to know that I'm with you each and every week for a quick take on the Thursday Night Delight. When you don't have time to tune in, you can count on me to tell you WHAT'S COOKIN' and WHAT DOESN'T MATTER!

The show began with Jerry "The King" Lawler standing inside the ring, awaiting the entrance of the newly crowned King of the Ring, Bad News Barrett. Once Barrett appeared, he immediately began to battle the King in a "War of Worlds." Barrett said that HE was the only King in the WWE, and that Jerry Lawler is nothing more than a "commoner." He even went so far as to say: "Forgive me if I'm wrong Jerry, but the trailer parks of Memphis don't have any castles, do they?" He insists that Jerry say the same four words, that all of the fans will be forced to say: "All Hail King Barrett." Dolph Ziggler shows up for his match against Bad News Barrett, and takes exception to the way he speaks to Hall of Famer Jerry "The King" Lawler. Their match is quickly underway, and features the same sort of WWE Big Guy vs. Little Guy spots; Dolph Ziggler goes up high, but Barrett cuts him off low, and so on until Bad News Barrett is in firm control. The contest continues until the "Celtic Warrior" Sheamus interjects, attacking Dolph Ziggler and costing Barrett the bout by disqualification. Sheamus is seeking retribution for the stitches he suffered at the hands of Ziggler at the King of the Ring last week. Bad News Barrett is less concerned with the loss—because why would any WWE Superstar give a shit about wins and losses—and proceeds to put the boots to Ziggler alongside Sheamus. Just then, the "Man That Gravity Forgot" showed up to even the odds against the imposing combination of current and former Kings of the Ring. Neville brought the fight to Barrett, dishing out the onslaught right into a commercial break. Was this COOKIN'? Find out in the NEXT segment.

When the action resumed, all four competitors were still around the ring, preparing for an impromptu tag team match up. Neville and Ziggler would seek to depose the diabolical duo of Bad News Barrett and Sheamus. This was a continuation of the first segment, but brought with it a whole new feel thanks to the aerial mechanics of Adrian Neville and the relentless brutality of the former WWE champion, Sheamus. Although the smaller-statured team had their share of difficulty battling back from the brink of defeat, it was the unlikely Irish and English allies that were ultimately slain thanks to the underdog forces of Ziggler and Neville. Neville's "Red Arrow" didn't come into play, but he certainly had his chance to soar through the clouds and onto his unsuspecting opponents on the outside, which gave Dolph Ziggler the leverage he needed to finalize things with the Zig Zag. Dolph earned the 1-2-3 for a hard-fought victory after two matches with Bad News Barrett. I really like it when Raw or Smackdown begin with a MATCH, and it never seems to happen anymore. The best we can ever hope for, is a short monologue about the opening match. And that's what we got here, and included therein were some hilarious bits from Barrett. Might we see a future feud between the King of the Ring and the King of the Announce Desk? Dare I say—at Wrestlemania 32 in Dallas, Texas? I expect a JAM-PACKED CARD, with all the bells and whistles. What better place to give Jerry Lawler his REAL Wrestlemania Moment? This segment and the preceding match were both highly enjoyable, they kicked Smackdown off in a positive way, and they were without a doubt COOKIN'!

The night begins to slow down with Lana in the ring who's receiving an insanely positive reaction. I'm not a fan of the Lana face turn, and I know most other critics aren't keen on it either. So who are these idiots in the crowd showering her with adulation when they should be feeding her heat? It's very strange. Tonight's show emanated from Ottawa, a city in Ontario just over the American border, that doesn't get as many live events as the New York or Chicago markets. The crowd was hot all night, which could have attributed to the overall positive feel of the program. Once Lana was at her peak of babyface support, Rusev made his arrival and ordered her to leave the ring, much the same as Marvelous Marc Mero back before the Attitude Era. Rusev then proceeded to deliver an impassioned speech about how he's stronger than John Cena, paying special attention not to mention America while wrestling in Canada. He spliced sentences together incorporating both English dialogue and what I perceived to be Russian, although Rusev is of course Bulgarian. At the end of the night, this segment really DOESN'T MATTER, because it was just Rusev talking and Lana walking, the latter was far more interesting than the former.

Fandango has become one of those performers who nobody ever expects to win, at least in my eyes. His music hits and while people still dance and do the "Fandango," there's never any question as to who's going to win. The answer is almost always: "Not Fandango." Which is a shame! This is the guy who beat Chris Jericho in his WWE debut, wrestling on the grandest stage of them all—WRESTLEMANIA—at Met Life Stadium in the shadow of New York City. And now his music hits and people think: "Well, no matter who he's wrestling—his opponent is going to win." Tonight was no different, when Fandango went up against one of the most peculiar entities in WWE in recent years, Luke Harper. Harper made quick work of Fandango within just a matter of moments. Do you know how I know this match was really short? I stepped onto my balcony to feed my house plants while Harper's entrance music was playing, and when I came back inside, his music was playing again. Following the match was a strange turn of events between former partners, when Erick Rowan appeared and seemed as though he had his sights set on Harper. He walked down to ringside with his sheep mask, and shocked the audience by attacking Fandango. Neither man said a word, and Erick Rowan returned from whence he came, leaving Harper alone in the ring, bewildered as he stared into the eyes of the plastic sheep mask.

The tag team championship hunt has fast become one of the most entertaining aspects of the WWE since Kidd and Cesaro captured the titles before Wrestlemania. Since then, the New Day have won the belts, and are still mixing it up with the former tag team champions. Tonight is a six-man tag team match, pitting all three members of the New Day against Kidd and Cesaro, as well as a mystery partner of their choosing. Smackdown is weird because there are never any surprises, unless you're inside the arena. But even then, you know nothing substantial is happening at a Tuesday night TV taping. I had no idea who Kidd and Cesaro would choose, though in hindsight their decision to pick RYBACK rather predictable. This wasn't in any way the classic confrontation that their earlier matches have been, partially due to the inclusion of Ryback, but also as all three members of the New Day are forced to work simultaneously, without Xavier on the outside as a manager. There were some insane spots in this match, including a number of aerial innovations, and a DDT from the barricade by Cesaro. When the end came, the New Day won it just as they have before—with Kofi Kingston grabbing a handful of tights for the one, two, three. It was COOKIN'!

Naomi and Tamina were next, and lead off with a searing promo aimed at whomever may have "Forgotten" various nuances of either woman's repertoire. This was a standard effort by Naomi against Emma. Naomi is an above average professional wrestler by WWE Diva standards, while Emma is still learning. I think it better serves Naomi to spend time with more seasoned Divas at this stage, so that when Emma is ready to sit at the learning tree, Naomi has knowledge to pass along. Naomi won the match, and following the bell, Tamina clocked Emma in the jaw with an absolutely beautiful Super Kick. It was interesting, was it entertaining? Eh—I didn't LOVE it. In the interest of never copping out and giving you one of two responses, I'm afraid I'd have to say this segment and match therein just DIDN'T MATTER!

I'll tell you right now that this match between the Lucha Dragons and Los Matadores didn't matter. At all. The Mexican Team wrestled the Puerto Rican team that pretends to be a Mexican team. This was a clash of styles that proceeded to make the Matadores look like a joke. Granted, they are a joke team that wanders around with a miniature bull, I'm just not keen on how the WWE feels the only way to build new Superstars is at the detriment of pre-established performers. The Lucha Dragons won and Los Matadores took out their frustrations on El Torito. It DOESN'T MATTER!

Tonight's main event was a contract signing, unlike any other we've seen before. First off, rather than the standard two men at a table, this was a four person set-up, featuring Kane presiding over the entire ordeal. Second, Seth Rollins refused to participate! Once the Lunatic Fringe, the Viper, and the uh—Roman Reigns, were seated inside the ring, Seth Rollins emerged from the backstage area with J&J Security in tow. He informed the audience that as champion, he reserves the right to have the Director of Operations sign his contracts for him. Kane says that might be true—in theory. Earlier in the evening, Seth Rollins called Kane "irrelevant," which the "Big Red Machine" brought to light when explaining to Seth why he WASN'T going to sign his contact for him. Seth eventually made his way to ringside, but did so with a plan; he used his close relationships with Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, and even Randy Orton to his advantage, in an attempt to turn the three against one another before he even entered the ring. The challengers didn't buy in to his trickery, and soon Seth was standing in the center of the squared circle, surrounding by the three number one contenders, and J&J Security. While tensions heat, Dean Ambrose slowly began to assemble a table in the corner of the ring. Nobody realized what he was doing as he sought to start the war right then and there. He grabbed the microphone and said, "Look, we all know how this is going to turn out. I call the table." With that, he tossed Joey Mercury toward the table, but it didn't break. All four Payback participants were engaged in battle inside the ring, along with Noble and Mercury, as well as the Operations Director Kane. This was an interesting way to end Smackdown; we've seen contract signings in the past, but this was different and well worth a watch if you've already made it this far into the show. I'm going to certify the main event as COOKIN'!

This was a fantastic week for World Wrestling Entertainment in terms of cable television programming. NXT is always on point, and the �Network shows offer something for everybody, but Monday Night Raw and Thursday Night Smackdown have a tendency to UNDER deliver. This week's episode of Raw received unanimous praise, minus some polarizing viewpoints on the Sami Zayn appearance, and Smackdown continued to produce quality in-ring entertainment. Until next time, keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players” ; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-5615/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-5615/#comments Tue, 12 May 2015 20:31:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Indy/Puro/Lucha Other Reviews Reviews AAA Alberto El Patron CMLL ECW Hernandez Hispanic International Wrestling Johnny Mundo Konnan Lucha Libre Lucha Underground Mexican Mexican Wrestling Mexico nWo Prince Puma Professional Wrestling Rey Mysterio ROH Si Si Si Spanish TNA WCW WWE WWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11678 What's happening everybody? Mark Adam Haggerty back again with some Lucha Libre action courtesy of AAA, Mark Burnett and the El Rey Network. May 5th is a holiday observed in Mexico the United States known as Cinco De Mayo, celebrating the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. […]

What's happening everybody? Mark Adam Haggerty back again with some Lucha Libre action courtesy of AAA, Mark Burnett and the El Rey Network. May 5th is a holiday observed in Mexico the United States known as Cinco De Mayo, celebrating the Mexican victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This week's episode of Lucha Underground took place one day removed from the annual festivities, and featured a number of subtle clues as to the future of the performers inside the Boyle Heights Temple. What were the most exciting moments of the night, and who walked out of TV with their hands held night? Let's kick things off with this, the 26th edition of "Viva La Lucha Libre."

This week's episode opens much the same as previous installments, inside the darkened office of Dario Cueto. Dario is at his desk, assembling what looks to be some kind of bracket for an upcoming event. In fact, Dario looks like he's putting together a ransom note, which given the vibe of Lucha Underground, isn't the craziest thing he could be doing. Dario is soon joined by two former WWE Superstars-turned-Temple Warriors—Johnny Mundo and the AAA Mega Heavyweight Champion Alberto El Patron. They argue over who is the rightful number one contender to Prince Puma's Lucha Underground Championship. Dario tells both men that they are probably the best in the business, and they will each get their opportunities in due time. Johnny Mundo says that they can all agree that both he and Patron are better suited to challenge for the LU title than "Fernandez." Dario Cueto corrects him: "Hernandez is the number one contender." Dario draws two slips of paper from his current project, one reading Johnny's name and the other con el nombre de Alberto. Dario says that Alberto El Patron will battle Johnny Mundo, and the winner will wrestle Hernandez in a NEW number one contender's match. The two tecnicos stared one another down, as Dario looked on with an evil smirk: "I'm really looking forward to finding out who's the best."

We are back inside the boisterous Lucha Underground Temple! Boyle Heights is a cool little neighborhood—one of hundreds that make up the overall metropolis that is Los Angeles. I use to live in Downtown LA, which is just a quick drive up the street from the Temple itself. Now I'm down in Long Beach, planning to move to Las Vegas so I can cover Global Force Wrestling full time. But you don't want to hear about me, you want to hear about Lucha Underground! Sergio Mendoza is the musical performer once more, or Sergio Mendoz y La Orkesta, to be exact. When this show debuted, I wasn't sure how to take Vampiro and his whole "Canadian Cholo" routine, but I have to say he has been a phenomenal addition to Lucha Underground. While there are certainly production meetings and scripts to follow, nobody is in Vamiro's ear when he's calling a match. And he doesn't pretend to be an expert; on more than one occasion, Vampiro has admittedly defaulted to Matt Striker for technical analysis when he was just overwhelmed by the action. He's the perfect multi-faceted bridge between a litany of different fans, including residents of the WWE Universe, Lucha Libre aficionados, and even Old Schools WCW fans.

The opening bout of tonight's card is already set to begin—a tag team match between members of the Trios Champions and the Crew—with all four participants in and around the ring. Ivelisse is sitting this one out, still on crutches from the events that would eventually lead her to the Trios Championship two weeks ago. Bael is also on the shelf this week, but in his team's corner, pacing behind Mr. Cisco and Castro Cortez. Son of Havoc starts things off against Castro, and quickly brings his partner Angelico into the action against Mr. Cisco. The Crew gains the advantage over their opponents, as Angelico and Son of Havoc are still anything but friends. Ivelisse screams from ringside, "Oh my god! Do I have to do everything around here?" Angelico turns things around with a series of spinning knees against both Castro and Cisco, and attempts his "Fall of the Angels" crucifix power bomb, but to no avail. The Crew was back in command, but Havoc and Angelico were resilient; Angelico flew over the top rope onto his opponents on the outside, while Ivelisse put the kicks to her adversaries behind the officials back. The crowd began to chant "We Want Havoc," as Angelico was on the receiving end of a gang beating by the Crew. Son of Havoc blind tagged his partner, essentially saving him from further torture, and set to work taking on the most dominant faction in Lucha Underground. However, the numbers would eventually prove to be too much for the masked superstar, especially with Angelico still reeling on the outside. Cortez Castro plucked Son of Havoc in the eye, temporarily blinding him, and putting him in the direct trajectory of the "Psycho Realm," a Codebreaker-Flapjack combination by the relentless Crew. Mr. Cisco and Cortez Castro get the win this week over the Trios Tag Team Champions.

Dario Cueto is enjoying a cool beverage in his office with an unknown free agent. He tells him that it "takes real huevos to come back to the Temple after being called out by a man like Texano." The man he's speaking to is none other than Shawn Daivari, formerly of TNA and WWE fame, who appears far more fascinated with his smart phone than he is with the owner of Lucha Underground. It's unclear what this character is all about. He spends countless seconds texting, completely ignoring Dario's comments, until the promotor is forced to be honest: "I'm surprised you want to compete in my temple. I know who you are, you're a very wealthy man. Your family owns half the real estate in Boyle Heights and half the neighborhoods in LA. Why put your body on the line?"Daivari finally looks up from his phone and tells Dario, "You like to watch violence—I like to inflict it."

The next scene is incredibly interesting, as I don't think anyone's been sure about what to think of Konnan since this show began. He claims to have Prince Puma's best interest at heart, but quite often plays the heel side of his character to a more prominent degree. But last week, Konnan held Drago's hand high after Puma defeated Drago in the main event. And this week, Konnan comes at his longtime friend Hernandez with some substantial accusations. "Hernandez," Konnan began, "I don't think it was cool the way you got involved in Puma's match last week." Hernandez was immediately defensive, "Oh you mean the way I saved his title?" Puma was ready to strike the moment he and Konnan came around the lockers, but the "Artist Formerly Known as K-Dawg" was trying to play peace-keeper as best he could. "Tranquilo," he told Puma, almost as if he was saying, "I know how you feel, but why are you going to fight someone in the locker room? Use your head." Konnan told him that they go back a long time, and from where he was sitting—it looked like Hernandez was trying to cost Puma the title. "I don't want to think—," Konnan began. Hernandez cut him off in an instant, "You don't want to think. Cause if I want that belt, I'll make damn sure it's him I beat for it." Konnan told Puma to relax once more, in the same tone, although this time with less restraint behind his left arm. "Now that is something I would like to see." From the shadows, emerged Dario Cueto, "Hernandez, there's been a slight change of plans. In order to be the number one contender, you'll have to beat the winner of Alberto El Patron and Johnny Mundo." Hernandez asked if the Lucha promotor was joking, to which he said no, and informed all three men that Hernandez and Puma would be involved in a tag team contest against King Cuerno and Cage. "If anyone can get you two on the same page," Dario said, turning to Konnan, "It's you."

Melissa Santos is in the squared-circle, under a spotlight when she informs the �Faithful' that the following Lucha is scheduled for one fall. "Currently in the ring, from Beverly Hills…" Huh? Who could this be? Shawn Daivari, otherwise known to the Boyle Heights fans as "Delavar Daivari." For those that might be curious as to where the new stage name comes from, it's interesting to note that there are a number of locales in modern day Iran with Delavar preceding the rest of the city name. I'm not going to go into more than that, because if I do, I won't finish watching Lucha Underground, I'll spend all day on Wikipedia learning about Iran. Big Ryck use to smoke cigars on the way to the ring, and Daivari appears to be sipping a cocktail. While I'm sure he's actually enjoying an iced tea, I wonder if Big Ryck's cigar was actually a vaporizer enclosed in tobacco leafs? Daivari is set to meet Texano Jr. For those that might not remember, Texano was part of a final team in the Trios Tournament, but was distracted and subsequently eliminated, after run-in with a gentleman seated in the front row. Well, that gentleman was the mouthpiece for the Great Khali, he managed Kurt Angle, and even held the TNA X-Division Championship. Texano doesn't wait for his introduction and runs from the backstage area into the ring where he meets Daivari head-on. Within moments, Texano is in possession of his trademark bullwhip and beating Daivari within an inch of his life. Delavar gets loose after smashing a microphone over the skull of Texano and escapes into the dressing room. The crowd went wild for Texano; it seems that this consummate rudo might be gaining a babyface following now that he's making a name for himself in the �States.

The next match is the tag team bout featuring yet another set of uneasy partners, in Hernandez and the Lucha Underground Champion Prince Puma. Their opponents are King Cuerno and Cage, who were partners with Texano during the aforementioned Trios tournament. The team of Puma and Hernandez arrive to the musical sounds of the champion's entrance theme, which appears to bother the incumbent number one contender. Konnan pleads with both men to get along, and within seconds, this match is underway with Hernandez against Cage. There are no real villains in Lucha Underground—save for the Crew, or Dario Cueto himself—and competitors like Cage and Cuerno are afforded the same respectful response from the Temple as the more heroic characters. The �Faithful' fans are not dissimilar to those found down at NXT, or PWG, or even the old ECW, in that they are there on a regular basis and appreciate the ingenuity of the performers they come to see.

The two power house members of either team went at each other with considerable momentum, with Hernandez coming out on top. He extended his hand in an always unwilling, and sarcastic manner to tag his "partner" Prince Puma. Puma took the fight to Cage, with a much more aerial-based offense than the 40+ year old Hernandez. King Cuerno turned things around for his team after a well-placed set of knees caught Puma's standing Shooting Star Press in the breadbasket. Props to Gorilla Monsoon for that colloquialism. Puma continued to be at the mercy of King Cuerno, and ultimately the monstrous Brian Cage. Cage surprised everybody when he hit the Lucha Underground champion with a 619, prompting Matt Striker to say: "Usually someone else answers from that area code." He followed suit with a delayed Jackhammer for a near pinfall over the champion. Cuerno tagged in, giving Puma the split second he needed to tag Hernandez. The veteran demolished King Cuerno and sent Cage flying out of the ring. Puma kicked Cage off the apron, and Hernandez threw Puma down and onto his tag team partner. The big man then hit the ropes and flew over the top, landing on his opponents on the outside. Puma attempted to continue the trend and hit a high-flying assault of his own, but was unable to do so when Hernandez was standing in the way, strutting his stuff. The duo continued to have trouble inside the ring, but their differences actually turned them into a formidable two-man fighting force. King Cuerno was able to get the upper hand on Puma once more and went for his signature suicide dive on Hernandez, but Hernandez pushed Puma in the way. After recovering, Puma questioned Hernandez, to which Hernandez responded with a boot to the face, followed by a crucifix power bomb against the crux of the apron. Konnan had seen enough, and chased Hernandez out of the arena with his wrought iron cane. Cage and Cuerno picked up the victory in a huge upset over the Lucha Underground champion and the number one contender.

The main event this evening is a qualifying match for the number one contender's match against Hernandez next week on Lucha Underground. Alberto El Patron is the first to arrive and receives an uproarious ovation from the Faithful inside the Lucha Underground Temple. He carries with him the AAA Mega Heavyweight Championship, which to me COMPLETELY overshadows the pointless Lucha Underground title, but whatever. His opponent is Johnny Mundo, who doesn't get the EXACT same fanfare, but is very well received, even prompting the fans to chant: "Mundo, Mundo, Mundo, Mundo Mundo."

We head into commercial and once we get back, senior official Marty Elias is calling for the bell and this bout is underway. Johnny and Alberto meet one another in the center of the ring with a classic tie-up, that then turns to a battle for early supremacy in this exceptionally important match. Alberto is the first to earn a considerable advantage over Johnny, hitting him with massive shots to the head and a mean streak that hasn't arisen thus far on the El Rey Network. Vampiro says that he "really likes that Alberto is fighting dirty," alluding to the stiff repartee between combatants. Johnny soon finds his way back to the top of the action with a springboard back kick to El Patron's jaw. He hooked the AAA champion in a sleeper hold, but the Faithful at ringside kept chanting: "El Patron." Alberto threw Johnny to the outside and followed behind with a suicide dive that shoved both competitors into the hard back wall of the Temple. They each struggled to return to the ring before a count out, and proceeded to trade shots, until the former WWE champion landed the former Intercontinental champion with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Johnny fought valiantly, hitting several twists and turns from the top rope, but it would all prove futile when the veteran Patron landed on Johnny following a Super Kick for the win. Following the contest, both men showed signs of mutual respect and admiration for the other, perhaps stemming from Johnny's earlier comments that "they both deserve to be champion more than Hernandez." Alberto El Patron will go on to wrestle Hernandez next week, and the winner will face Prince Puma for the Lucha Underground Championship thereafter.

Before this week's show comes to a close, we're transported to a blackened room with a coffin in the center. Catrina speaks cryptically, and tells somebody named "Pasqual Mendoza" to rise as Mil Muertes. The coffin door raises, the same coffin that Mil was buried in following Grave Consequences with Fenix, and Muertes' eyes open—revealing glistening whites and piercing black pupils.

We are just thirteen episodes away from the season finale, and with no deal in place to continue into 2016, it's currently unclear what lies ahead for the men and women of Lucha Underground. This was another spectacular show—well worth the $200K+ price tag—from the undecided leader in professional wrestling production and cinematics. Until next time, keep checking out Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News for all of my latest work; follow me through social media via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at “The B+ Players”; and be sure to catch my tri-weekly podcasts available exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/puroresu-perspective-njpw-hinokuni-42915/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/puroresu-perspective-njpw-hinokuni-42915/#comments Wed, 06 May 2015 21:45:31 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11602 Puroresu Perspective NJPW Hinokuni 4/29/15 written by Mark Adam Haggerty How’s it going pro wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back at you with a very special puroresu review featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hinokuni event. American audiences have embraced NJPW in recent months, thanks to the new series on AXS, as well as the English […]

Puroresu Perspective
NJPW Hinokuni 4/29/15
written by Mark Adam Haggerty

How’s it going pro wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back at you with a very special puroresu review featuring New Japan Pro Wrestling's Hinokuni event. American audiences have embraced NJPW in recent months, thanks to the new series on AXS, as well as the English broadcast of Wrestle Kingdom this past January. New Japan introduced a streaming service not unlike the WWE Network for around the same price called “New Japan World” earlier this year, making it easier than ever for American fans of Japanese wrestling to get their strong-style fix. April 29th was the Hinokuni show, featuring the stars of NJPW in some highly competitive contests. Let’s kick things off with the opening multi man match up.

Sho Tanaka, Yohei Komatsu & Jay White vs. Gedo & RappongiВ Vice
The first team to be introduced is the babyface trio comprised of White, Komatsu, and Tanaka, Who head into the arena to a mild ovation from the local audience. Their opponents make their entrance to Rappongi Vice’s hip hop theme, performed by Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta. The heroes push one another as they argue who is going to start this match against the dastardly junior heavyweight tag team champions and the current head booker for NJPW. Things begin with Trent Beretta one-on-one against Sho Tanaka, and it’s not long before Beretta is tossed back toward his corner. Rocky Romero enters the fight, and he too is unprepared to head into battle against Tanaka. Rocky scurries back to his corner where he seeks Gedo's help; Gedo tags into the match and the crowd goes wild. Gedo has more luck than his partners, and draws Komatsu into his teams’ corner where they proceed to triple team the 26-year old, 2-year rookie. The wrestling match degenerated into an exchange of rights and lefts between Gedo and Komatsu; the latter was finally able to reach his partners in the corner, and tagged Jay White. Gedo also left the ring, opting out in favor of introducing Trent Beretta. White and Beretta proceeded to keep the momentum up, with White gaining an early upper hand and earning the advantage for his team. All three members of the babyface trio—Tanaka, Komatsu, and White—had their opponents grounded with "tri-dentical" Boston Crabs, save for Rocky Romero who was the victim of a vicious half-crab. Things continued at a fast pace until the villainous Rappongi Vice could counteract the heroes' momentum with a great deal of double-team maneuvers. Jay White tried to take the fight to his opponents, but Rocky Romero and Trent Beretta proved to be too much, winning the match with a two-man Spike Koriyama Piledriver.
Winner: Gedo & Rappongi Vice
Rating: 3 Stars

Yujiro Takahashi & Cody Hall vs. Satoshi Kojima & Captain New Japan
The Bullet Club anthem echoed across the arena—Yujiro Takahashi and Cody Hall will be the first members of the Bullet Club to make their appearance tonight. Cody Hall looks amazing, and has already achieved a firm grasp on what it means to perform in Japan. Their opponents are the consummate "Enhancement" stars Satoshi Kojima and Captain New Japan. Things never look good for Captain New Japan, that is, unless he's up against Captain NOAH. I've always loved Kojima; perhaps its because I associate his name with Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima. Things begin with the wily Takahashi for the Bullet Club against the veteran Kojima. They begin by traded a number of stiff elbows to the face, and a slew of stunts to prove who is the stronger competitor. Kojima of course wins this test of strength, and tags Captain New Japan who uses his "Super Powers" to stop Takahashi. Cody Hall won't stand for that however, and interjects himself immediately, earning the advantage for the Bullet Club. Takahashi bludgeoned Captain New Japan to a variety of near falls, before finally tagging the big man, Cody Hall. After maintaining the edge for a few moments, Cody Hall lost control and Satoshi Kojima was back in the action, taking command of the New Japan newcomer. Cody Hall stands six-feet-eight-inches, but Kojima has no trouble going toe-to-toe with the super heavyweight. Hall hits an impressive discus lariat for another near fall. Kojima and Takahashi battle; Yujiro is a phenomenal athlete, but has been forced to play the comic relief to the more menacing Cody Hall. Captain New Japan hits Takahashi with an STO for a 2-and-three quarters count, and seeks to seal the deal with a flying head butt. Takahashi rolled out of the way and gouged the eyes of Satoshi Kojima. Yujiro landed an impressive brain buster on Captain New Japan followed by his signature "Tokyo Pimps" sit-out power slam for the win.
Winner: Takahashi & Hall
Rating: 3 Stars

KUSHIDA, Manabu Nakanishi & Ryusuke Taguchi vs. Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask & Yuji Nagata
We are on to the second-of-four trios matches this evening. The "Time Splitter" himself, KUSHIDA, leads the team of Manabu Nakanishi and "Funky Weapon" Ryusuke Taguchi to the ring. They're a somewhat mismatched threesome comprised of the fun-loving Funky, the cool and collected KUSHIDA, and the bad ass Nakanishi. Their opponents are a team of world-famous professional wrestlers in Mascara Dorada, Tiger Mask and Yuji Nagata. Tiger Mask kicks things off against KUSHIDA in a battle of two highly respected puroresu stars. Tiger Mask has the experience advantage, but KUSHIDA is perhaps a more mainstream attraction in 2015. Tiger tags Mascara Dorada, the Mexican Luchador who's made his home in the "Land of the Rising Sun." Funky Weapon is next to enter the match, and quickly falls prey to the dazzling dynamics of Dorada. They fight on the outside of the ring, but Mascara is quick to return his opponent to the squared-circle—the only place where victory might be achieved. He put Funky Weapon in a surfboard, and Tiger Mask and Nagata entered the ring so as to keep KUSHIDA and Nakanishi from breaking up the submission. Nagata is next to tag in, followed Manabu Nakanishi. Manabu slaughters Nagata with hard chops in the corner, but Nagata turns it around and returns with a set of right hands. The two Irish whip one another to opposing corners and back again, until Yuji Nagata's educated feet prove to be too much for Nakanishi. Nagata spends too much time showboating, and Nakanishi hits him with a Spear. Everyone looks great in this match, but I'd be hesitant to call anyone the MVP aside from Manabu Nakanishi. Not only does he dish out the most punishment to the opposing team, but he takes their offensive with utter fluidity. KUSHIDA was now on the receiving end of a three man attack; a sit-out powerbomb by Tiger Mask, followed by a Senton bomb by Mascara Dorada. All six men were now involved, and the match came down to KUSHIDA and Mascara Dorada. KUSHIDA came off the ropes and rolled his opponent up with a bridge, earning the 1-2-3 and victory for his team.
Winner: Kushida, Nakanishi & Taguchi
Rating: 3.5 Stars

NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship
Jushin Thunder Liger vs. Steve Anthony (c)
The first singles match of the evening is for the National Wrestling Alliance Junior Heavyweight Championship. Jushin Thunder Liger is the first to appear, followed by the always entertaining President of the NWA, Bruce Tharpe. Tharpe is wearing a glittery jacket of aqua marina and purple, with a set of bedazzled grape-colored sports spectacles to match. He berates the audience in Japanese and introduces Steve Anthony, the current reigning NWA Junior Heavyweight Champion. Bruce Tharpe carries with him a Liger mask on a mannequin head, stuck on the end of a stick—signifying his intention to end the legacy of Jushin Thunder Liger. By this point, Gedo and Satoshi Kojima are both on commentary, ready to watch this exciting event. The crowd is cheering the sound that signals the start of the bout and we are underway with a contest comprised of mat-wrestling and heavy on psychology. Right from the start, Liger is in command and stretching the young Anthony with a litany of rolling submission holds. He keeps the edge by never letting go of Anthony, a trick that's learned over years of experience and thousands of matches. This style of hold-based wrestling is becoming increasingly popular in the United States thanks to wrestlers like Drew Gulak and Timothy Thatcher, but it was Jushin Liger and others of his ilk that brought chain wrestling to a world-wide audience. Liger has the experience, and technical advantage, but Steve Anthony most certainly possesses an edge in terms of power. He taunts Liger, as if to say, "I'm young and strong, and you can't hurt me." Liger has no problem taking up the challenge, and proceeds to dictate the pace over the egotistical Anthony. Liger is 50-years old and still hits the roll off of the apron the way he did in 1984. Tharpe demands that the official disqualify Liger for jumping on Anthony on the outside, but the referee ignore the brash American manager in favor of allowing the competition to continue. Liger and Anthony are back in the ring and the former WCW star is moments away from winning the NWA Junior Heavyweight Championship. Just then, Bruce Tharpe drags him from the ring which gives Anthony the opening he needs to defeat Jushin Thunder Liger. He assaulted him on the outside by throwing him into the barricade and kicking him in the face, and continued the carnage in the ring, allowing for Bruce Tharpe to get his cheap shots in the process. The end came for Liger following a ref bump which presented Tharpe the opportunity to hand Anthony his title belt, and hit Liger with a low blow. Tharpe quickly vacated the ring and Steve Anthony clocked Jushin Thunder Liger square in the forehead with the belt. Anthony lifted Liger on his shoulders for a spinning neck breaker similar to Marc Mero's TKO or Brock Lesnar's F5. Anthony will take his junior heavyweight title back to America following a match that would have rated higher, had it not been for the interference.
Winner: Steve Anthony
Rating: 3.75 Stars

NWA World Championship
Big Daddy Yum Yum vs. Hiroyoshi Tenzan (c)
The next match is another National Wrestling Alliance title contest, this time for the world heavyweight championship. Bruce Tharpe is back—only moments later—now wearing a sequined American Flag jacket with light-up sunglasses. Side note: I imagine an all-American boy like Bruce Tharpe is in HEEL HEAVEN when shopping for a wardrobe in Japan. There is no shortage of clothing with an inordinate amount of technology sewn in. Tharpe is representing Big Daddy Yum Yum—a former developmental talent from Louisiana—who is challenging Hiroyoshi Tenzan, for the highly coveted NWA World Heavyweight Championship. This NWA title belt is the same belt worn by Ric Flair and Harley Race; the belt that represented TNA for a number of years; and the belt that Bruce Tharpe would very much like to bring back to America. Things are underway and Yum Yum is immediately having trouble contending with the far superior Tenzan. But takes him to the limit when the fight falls to the outside. Yum Yum is incredibly impressive for a virtual unknown with a stupid fucking name. Failing out of the WWE's developmental system has seemed to work for Ethan Carter III, and judging by the work he's doing in Japan, I'd suggest Yum Yum is having the same sort of success. He drops Tenzan down across the barricade, and uses the elements of the ringside area to his advantage. He works on the safer side of being disqualified, but doesn't hesitate to push Tenzan's pain threshold, by incorporating more of an "extreme" offense than previous bouts this evening. Tenzan is more successful back in the ring, but Big Daddy Yum Yum continues to manhandle the champion with relative ease. Yum Yum landed a picture-perfect springboard moonsault into a charismatic pin for the near fall and the crowd went wild. Tenzan fought back and climbed the ropes to finish the match and Bruce Tharpe became involved once more. Tenzan fought him off and hit Big Daddy Yum Yum with a flying head butt that was incredibly anticlimactic. I'd say he didn't hit him at all, but he no-sold the impact, so I'd assume he did. Hiroyoshi Tenzan was now in firm control of the Geijin challenger, and won the match via submission with an "Anaconda Max"—Anaconda Vice/Cobra Clutch combination.
Winner: Hiroyoshi Tenzan
Rating: 3.75 Stars

Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows & Kenny Omega vs. Tomoaki Honma, Tetsuya Naito & Alex Shelley
The third of four trios bouts this evening pits the main event members of the Bullet Club against three of the most decorated wrestlers in puroresu. The first participants introduced are Tomoaki Honma, Tetsuya Naito and one half of the Time Splitters, Alex Shelley. The Bullet Club is usually first to arrive, but tonight Karl Anderson, Doc Gallows, and the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Champion Kenny Omega make their opponents wait as they strut to the ring in the usual fashion. I love that Doc Gallows paints his face, and he gets into the same sort of verbal scraps with Karl Anderson on pay per view that he does on their weekly podcast, "Talkin' Shop." Gallows begins the match against Honma, and right away, the babyfaces are in control. Honma tags Naito and Gallows powers Naito into his team's corner where he tags his partner "The Machine Gun" Karl Anderson. Naito and Anderson have a good back and forth allowing for Naito to gain the upper hand and introduce Alex Shelley. Kenny Omega was next, and taunted the "Time Splitter" by mimicking his signature hand motions, and mocking the Japanese audience. Honma and Gallows battled on the outside with Omega and Anderson running roughshod over Shelley. The bout goes back and forth with both teams earning the advantage until the Bullet Club sought to finish things once and for all. They used their comradery to their advantage over their opponents—comprised primarily of singles competitors—and succeeded in winning the match when the numbers became too much for Tomoaki Honma. He was segregated in the corner and suffered a direct kick to the face courtesy of the "Machine Gun." Omega followed suit with a full body attack, and Big LG finished things with a big splash of his own. The Bullet Club hit Honma with a three-person combination, and Karl Anderson won the match after a number of power moves and pin attempts. The Bullet Club is 2-0 this evening, with one more match before a perfect streak can be declared.
Winner: Anderson, Gallows, & Omega
Rating: 3.5 Stars

Bad Luck Fale & Tama Tonga vs. Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi
Kazuchika Okada is one of my favorite wrestlers in New Japan Pro Wrestling—but Bad Luck Fale is probably my least favorite. Going into this tag team match I was consumed by reservations, but was pleased to discover a far better bout than I ever imagined. Tama Tonga and Bad Luck Fale are the first to arrive, to Fale's entrance theme rather than the Bullet Club anthem. I really love Tama Tonga, and I think his outward zaniness—for lack of a better word—adds deeper dimensions to the stoic Kiwi Geijin Bad Luck Fale. They are wrestling Yoshi-Hashi and the 2-time IWGP World Heavyweight Champion. Hashi begins against Tama Tonga and is early to gain a lead over the second-generation former member of the US Military. Tama's painted face and scraggly beard don't allow audiences to see the pain plastered across his face, but the actions of Hashi make it clear—Tama Tonga might be out of his league. He tags the superheavyweight Fale into the fray, and the crowd chants for Kazuchika Okada. He takes the battle to the big man with his signature pat on the chest as if to say, "Don't worry junior, I won't hurt you." Fale brushed him away—insulted by the tactic employed by Okada. He became the victim of a two-man attack by both the former champion and the seven-year pro Yoshi-Hashi. Fale was able to regain his composure when Tama Tonga dragged Okada out onto the outside, leaving Hashi vulnerable and without support. Fale kept up the offensive, even sitting across the back of a man nearly one hundred pounds his junior. Tonga was back in action; what an awesome look this guy has, if I do say so myself. I've been privy to Tama Tonga for the past few years, and only recently started to see the forest for the trees in terms of midcard Bullet Club members. He splashed Yoshi-Hashi, both in the corner and down on the mat, but Hashi was able to come back following a vertical suplex-turned-neck breaker reversal. Okada and Fale sought to finish this fight when they began exchanging heavy hands in the center of the ring. Okada couldn't possible contend with the rights and lefts from the 320-pound Fale, and instead opted to wrestle the big man instead. Fale came back—thanks to a distraction by Tama Tonga—and hit Okada with a big splash and an attempted chokeslam out of Kazuchika's "Rainmaker Lariat." Tonga joined Fale as the Bullet Club double teamed Okada, and would have won the match if it wasn't for the save by Yoshi-Hashi. Okada hit Tama Tonga with his high angle drop kick, followed by the big elbow drop, and signaled for the "Rainmaker." Fale attempted to make the save, but Hashi kept him stuck in the ropes long enough for Okada to hit Tama with his patented Lariat, for the final decision in favor of Kazuchika Okada and Yoshi-Hashi.
Winner: Kazuchika Okada & Yoshi-Hashi
Rating: 3.75 Stars

Kazushi Sakuraba, Toru Yano & Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Katsuyori Shibata, Hiroshi Tanahashi & Hirooki Goto
We are down to the fourth and final Trios match of the evening featuring six of the most celebrated members of the NJPW roster. All of the competitors make their own individual entrances, beginning with Katsuyori Shibata. His partners are the former IWGP World Heavyweight Champion Hiroshi Tanahashi and the soon-to-be IWGP Intercontinental Champion Hirooki Goto. Their opponents begin with the most decorated mixed martial artist in Japan, the world famous "Gracie Killer," Kazushi Sakuraba. His first partner is the exceptionally eccentric Toru Yano, who brings a steel chair to ringside. Finally is the man who is currently wearing the IWGP intercontinental championship title belt; he has been called the most charismatic wrestler in the world and is the self-professed "King of Strong Style," Shinsuke Nakamura. The crowd comes unglued for this super celebrity who has been featured in Japanese media and pop culture for years, including as part of the Japanese video for Pharrell's "Happy." Nakamura begins against his rival Goto, who he will wrestle in just for days for one of the most prized items in all of the sport—the IWGP Intercontinental Championship. They begin their engagement with a test of strength, and Nakamura wastes little time in proving what kind of competitor he is, with a cheap shot in the form of a kick to the face. Goto battles back, sick of the shenanigans employed by Nakamura and his faction of flunkies. The competitors tag out and allow for Sakuraba and Shibata to take the fight to the mat, where they battle for figure-four supremacy. Everybody in this match was extremely impressive, especially the record-setting 7-time IWGP champion, Hiroshi Tanahashi. He and Toru Yano have no issue in getting the audience into the act, as both men rally the live crowd for their cheers and jeers. Yano is an impeccable heel; he has a goofy look and dresses like an asshole, and never backs down from selling his character as psychotic. Suddenly the action broke out of the squared circle and all six men were featured at various places in the arena. Sakuraba and Shibata continued their storied rivalry on the outside of the ring, while Yano battled Tanahashi into the audience, and Nakamura fought Hirooki Goto in the front row. Tanahashi was the legal man and struggled to make the 20-count, but returned to the ring at 17. Sakuraba beats Tanahashi into a heap of a human in the corner of "Choas." Chaos is of course a seldom-referred to stable of strong-style performers, created by Shinsuke Nakamura and Toru Yano. Once Hirooki Goto is able to get back in the fight, it's near curtains for the intercontinental champion; Goto is brutal in the way he massacres Nakamura with discus lariats, spinning heel kicks, and sidewalk slams. Yano is back in the match, but prove to be no use against a determined number one contender to the IC championship. Tanahashi returns to the ring against his nemesis Yano, hoping to perhaps gets some semblance of revenge on the New Japan Cup Cheater. The fan favorites launch an assault against Yano, but Nakamura makes the save before the bell can ring. Yano tosses Tanahashi from the ring, and the former champion skins the cat to come back and hit Yano with a bridging German suplex. He gets a 2-count, and heads uptown looking to put things away. Yano protected himself with his knees, and following an exchange of slaps, forced Tanahashi to the ground, where he physically held the seven time world heavyweight champion for a pinfall against his will.
Winner: Sakuraba, Yano & Nakamura
Rating: 4 Stars

NEVER Openweight Championship
Togi Makabe vs. Tomohiro Ishii (c)
The main event of this New Japan Pro Wrestling card is for the NEVER Openweight Championship. The NEVER Openweight is a title that was introduced in 2012; NEVER stands for "New Blood," "Evolution," Valiantly," "Eternal," and "Radical." The current champion, Tomohiro Ishii is the record-setting three time NEVER champion, and will defend his prize against the oldest NEVER title recipient in history, Togi Makabe. Ishii Makabe vacated the title due to illness earlier this year, and sought to reclaim his prize after earning the record shortest reigning NEVER Openweight champion EVER. He appeared in the arena with a look upon his face that said: "I'm not leaving without that fucking belt." This match was another back and forth brawl consisting of elbow sashes, stiff knees to the face, and forward momentum lariats. They even tossed in a slew of top rope offensive maneuvers including high risk belly to back Suplexes. The brutality was unprecedented for a night comprised mainly of multi-man pro wrestling action. The story being told was the tale of two men unwilling to waiver in terms of power and overall energy. At the end of a twenty six minute match that this writer struggled to keep up with, Togi Makabe hit Tomohiro Ishii with the King Kong Knee from the top rope, and pinned the champion to reclaim his NEVER title.
Winner: Togi Makabe
Rating: 3.75 Stars

A fantastic show per usual from the leader in professional wrestling—NOT Sports Entertainment. I calculate my STAR RATINGS as such: 1-Awful, 2-Bad 3-Average, 4-Good, 5-Perfect, with varying decimals placed in between. Of a total 9 matches, the average STAR RATING was 3.5. Taking all other aspects of the event into consideration, I can genuinely award NJPW's Hinokuni Event a 3.75. Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to check out all of my work at Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook by LIKING "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly podcasts available every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-top-moments-from-raw/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/the-highlight-of-the-night-top-moments-from-raw/#comments Tue, 05 May 2015 03:35:14 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Monday Night RAW RAW WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11574 The Highlight of the Night Top Moments from Raw Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Blinded by the light—revved up like a Deuce, it’s the “Highlight of the Night.” That’s a tune by the a London-based rhythm and blues band Manfred Mann, titled “Blinded by the Light.” It always comes to mind when I say the […]

The Highlight of the Night
Top Moments from Raw
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Blinded by the light—revved up like a Deuce, it’s the “Highlight of the Night.” That’s a tune by the a London-based rhythm and blues band Manfred Mann, titled “Blinded by the Light.” It always comes to mind when I say the name of my weekly article, so it’s inevitably stuck in my head once a week. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty and I’m back here at Cheap-Heat.com to deliver another Top Five Moments from Raw. This week’s show went down in Montreal Quebec and featured some very exciting action and intriguing plot twists. I’ll save any further description or analysis for the countdown, so let’s kick things off with number five.

5. Tamina Returns to the WWE
It’s been rumored for weeks that Tamina would be returning to television, but we had no idea in what form she would arrive. Tonight, the Bella’s were set to meet Naomi when the former enforcer for AJ Lee appeared out of nowhere and helped Naomi decimate the unsuspecting set of twins. Naomi proceeded to berate the Bella’s on the mic by saying their reign of sibling dominance over the Divas division is over. She said that her and Tamina represent what family is all about, and walked off to Naomi’s new—and in my opinion, improved—theme music. Michael Cole went on to explain that Tamina and Naomi are cousins through marriage.

4. “New Day Rocks”
I really enjoyed the opening contest tonight between The New Day and the number one contenders to Seth Rollins’ WWE world heavyweight championship. Randy Orton and Roman Reigns coexisted peacefully for the bout, but failed to outsmart the reigning and “Freebird Ruling” tag team champions. The show started just like any other episode, with a set of main event monologues, but Roman and Randy were ultimately interrupted by Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E. I especially enjoyed the way in which the members of the New Day spoke with ease and fluidity, as if they weren’t just reading from a script. Big E was especially comical when he told Randy Orton: “Seth Rollins doesn’t just have your number, he’s got you on speed dial!” Xavier alerted Roman and Randy that Kane booked the three of them against the duel-heir apparent to the WWE title, and that match is up first. Everyone looked pretty good in this match, and The New Day scored the victory when Kofi Kingston got the pinfall. But Xavier Woods was without question the MVP of this match. Xavier understands the subtle nuances of heel behavior, as do his partners, but Xavier is already beginning to exhibit clear signs of turning. When the crowd chants “New Day Sucks,” Big E and Kofi ignore them and continue clapping. But Xavier becomes irate at the mere mention that he and his crew might be less than capable. Woods did a number on Roman during this match, and beckoned the crowd to respond when he asked, “THIS is Roman Reigns?!” An all-around fantastic tagteam contest between five highly talented performers.

3. “All Hail King Barrett!” В
I suppose congratulations are in order for the new King of the Ring, Bad News Barrett, who won the honor this past Tuesday night in the first KOTR tournament since 2010. Tonight the King is teaming with the last King of the Ring—the “Celtic Warrior” Sheamus—to go up against Dolph Ziggler and Neville. The WWE has a habit of combining storylines and rivalries to create nonsensical tag team bouts, but tonight’s ensemble of multi man matches have been rather intriguing and downright entertaining. This was poised to be my match of the night until a number of unannounced contests got in the way and distracted me from the overall awesome chemistry between this foursome of foes. Adrian Neville has been having the most successful first month out of anyone I can remember, save for someone like Santino Marella, who ended up being a joke in the end anyway. Neville was in the finals of the King of the Ring against Barrett, and has already wrestled the WWE champion and performed on pay per view. I asked the “B+ Players Podcast” audience if Neville was going to be a Bo Dallas or a Bray Wyatt, and I think it’s safe to say he’s already carved out a niche all his own. Kings Barrett and Sheamus were both impeccable in this match, as the irate Irishmen manhandled Dolph Zigler and bodyslammed him over the barricade into the timekeeper’s table. Barrett followed suit and hit Neville with the “Bull Hammer” for the win. Both Sheamus and Barrett stood on the ropes in opposing corners, playing to the crowd as the tried and true heels that they are.

2. Dean Ambrose is Going to Payback
Seth Rollins wrestled Dean Ambrose on SmackDown last week, but since the majority of the WWE Universe probably didn’t see it, they opted to do it again tonight on Raw. Tonight’s match wasn’t as good as the aforementioned battle on Smackdown, but there were much larger stakes at hand other than securing a victory on the Syfy. Kane said that if Dean Ambrose could defeat Seth Rollins, he would be entered into the main event at Payback, thus making it a Fatal Four-Way. Both men were highly impressive during this match, especially Dean Ambrose who’s been evolving into more than just a “Ketchup and Mustard Wrestler” since his ladder match at WrestleMania 31. The WWE world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins is always a pleasure to see, especially in his recent rekindled rivalry with Dean Ambrose. This was one of more than a hundred WWE matches that’s been hindered by commercial breaks planned for less than opportune occasions. This match did win itself a very audible “Holy Shit” chant from the boisterous French-Canadiens however. The final moments featured the champion in rare frustrated form, unable to beat Ambrose, and forced to resort to his most heinous of tactics. But Dean Ambrose persevered, and when the dust settled it was the “Lunatic Fringe” who walked away with his hands held high. WWE Payback will take place on May 17th and will now feature a Fatal Four-Way. And Dean Ambrose will be one of the four.

1. John Cena vs. Sami ZaynВ
I’ve really been enjoying John Cena’s US Open challenge since he won the title from Rusev at WrestleMania 31 in Santa Clara California. He’s had some phenomenal matches with an array of Superstars that might not otherwise be wrestling John Cena, or even competing for the US belt. Canada has no reason to care about the United States championship, and are booing John Cena more than any other city in recent memory. Even more than the Extreme Rules crowd in Chicago. The crowd chants “John Cena Sucks, “and “Go Back Home,” ordering him to return to America. But John Cena is still able to get the fans on their feet. When he puts the challenge on the table, we are pleasantly surprised to hear the theme song of the WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart. Bret comes out and says that he’s there to introduce a great wrestler, but before that wrestler might show up, we get Heath Slater. Heath slowly saunters on down to ringside and says that he’s tired of being attacked out of nowhere. Bret immediately clocks him across the jaw, and continues to introduce a “hometown boy from NXT,” the one and only Sami Zayn. This was an enormous mark-out moment for me, for my friends, and my Twitter followers. Which just goes to show what kind of an impact the NXT Superstars can have on the main roster. Sami Zayn is absolutely incredible in the ring and watching him one one one with “the champ,” is almost like watching Cena versus Kurt Angle over a decade ago. It seemed like John Cena didn’t know how to wrestle someone like Sami Zayn, and who’s to say that wasn’t a result of the “shoulder injury” that Sami suffered during the course of the match. The bit where the doctor came in to check on Sami’s shoulder was confusing, but added an element of realism to have a bout. Sami proved that he would continue the fight regardless of what obstacles may lay and his path, and even reversed Cena’s “You Can’t See Me” signature special. Sami caught Cena in a submission hold that Cena sought to reverse into an Attitude Adjustment, but Zayn turned that into a German Suplex. Cena once again tried for the AA, but Zayn landed on his feet, and proceeded to hit Cena with his patented turn post DDT. Cena hit Zayn with an Attitude Adjustment but Zayn kicked out. He kicked out of the finishing move WWE’s number one guy in his debut match. Zayn hit Cena with the Blue Thunder Bomb for a two and three quarters count until the Montreal crowd erupted with a raucous cry of “This is awesome.” John Cena finally defeated Sami Zayn to retain his United States Championship with a springboard stunner into an AA. After the match, Cena held Zayn’s hand high and cheered for him along with the live audience. Best moment of Raw in months.

This was a solid episode of Monday Night Raw wherein all major plot points were addressed and formerly absent Superstars were made relevant again for the first time in months. Even our ring announcer has been afforded a last name, as Eden Stile could be a sign of more meaningful programming to come each and every Monday Night.В Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep it here at Cheap-Heat for all the latest and greatest in professional wrestling.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-5215/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/honorable-mention-roh-tv-5215/#comments Mon, 04 May 2015 21:02:07 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Ring of Honor ROH http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11569 Honorable Mention ROH TV 5/2/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty I'm back! The clouds have lifted, the earth has shifted, you knew I'd be back so—that was the beginning of a Kid Rock song. Not sure which one or how the rest of it went, but whatever. How's it going wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty […]

Honorable Mention
ROH TV 5/2/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

I'm back! The clouds have lifted, the earth has shifted, you knew I'd be back so—that was the beginning of a Kid Rock song. Not sure which one or how the rest of it went, but whatever. How's it going wrestling fans? Mark Adam Haggerty back with another edition of "Honorable Mention," where I cover Ring of Honor TV for those of you who might not have the chance to check it out on the reg. Last week's episode was—dare I say—incredible? The tag team main event was a shoe-in for "Match of the Week," and the Knights of the Red Dawn reveal was pretty awesome. Especially considering so many of us figured the KRD was the Kingdom in disguise. Let's kick things off with Kevin Kelly and "King" Steve Corino, back inside the Shrine Auditorium.

The fans are electric as always—who wouldn't be at a LIVE Ring of Honor event? I've seen Ring of Honor in person twice, most recently in Las Vegas for the Thirteenth Anniversary Show. It's always a fun atmosphere with ROH, featuring fans that are happy for the comradery and not beat for the bullshit. This is another off-the-chain hour of wrestling from the premiere mat-based promotion in the United States. The opening bout is a tag team match between Ring of Honor's War Machine and The Killer Elite Squad—the current NWA and GHC tag team champions—representing Suzuki-gun of NJPW. If I just threw a whole lot of nonsensical terms at you, allow me to break it down:

War Machine, comprised of Hanson and Rowe, have had their beef with former ROH World Champion Michael Elgin in recent weeks. Elgin surprised War Machine, as well as the Ring of Honor fans, by bringing David Hart Smith and Lance Archer to even the odds. Smith and Archer are known in Japan and around the world as The Killer Elite Squad, and are members of Suzuki-gun with Minoru Suzuki, Shelton X Benjamin, Taka Michinoku, and others. Suzuki-gun recently invaded NOAH, and proceeded to capture all of their titles, including the GHC tag team titles, now held by KES. All caught up? Good, because this match was a barn-burner.

Michael Elgin leads the highly decorated tag team champions to the ring, as they prepare to take on one of the most fearsome teams in Ring of Honor since the Briscoe Brothers debuted a decade ago. These performers have a hard time starting things of in a traditional sense, and instead all four combatants battle-it-out until War Machine has the upper hand. Michael Elgin is already sweating bullets; he can't believe his �ringers' have already been manhandled, but it isn't long until KES shifts the momentum back in their favor. War Machine double teamed David Smith, and Hanson ascended ropes, giving Smith and Archer the opportunity to strike. The entire ring shook with every move, the result of a powerful corner-based offensive maneuver by War Machine. Every time any of the wrestlers hit the ropes, the turn posts would buckle and emit an unsavory sound that must have concerned the fans in the front row. The Killer Elite Squad maintained their edge over War Machine, and Smith tagged Archer into the bout. Archer laid into Hanson with thunderous chops across the chest and a forceful body slam in the center of the ring. Archer stayed poised in the corner while he waited for Hanson to return to his feet, and capitalized with a lethal lariat. He tagged his partner, David Hart Smith, into the action and Smith continued the dominance over War Machine with a slew of submission holds including a crippling camel clutch. He followed with swift side-kicks and big boots, and tagged Archer into the bout once again. The Killer Elite Squad are decimating one of the most dominant teams in ROH history, when we head into a commercial break.

As soon as we're back, Hanson is powering—or HULKING—up and returning Archer's fire with a number of stiff shots of his own. His comeback wouldn't last however and Hanson was soon on the business end of a double team attack. David Smith drew Hanson's arms behind his back and placed a knee square in the center of his spine, hoping to end this match via submission. Hanson began to power out, but Smith had the wherewithal to bring him to his corner before it was too late. Lance Archer beat Hanson down with brutal right hands to the back and shoulders, and maintained his edge over his opponent by knocking Ray Rowe off the apron, so that he couldn't tag Hanson. Davey Boy Jr. was now back in the match and went for a powerbomb on Hanson, but Hanson fought back and was finally able to tag his partner, Rowe. Ray and Lance went to war right out of the gate, as Kevin Kelly said: "Two men very familiar with the Texas wrestling scene." War Machine was now cooking with gas, and planted Lance Archer with a double chokeslam. War Machine prepared for their finishing maneuver, "Fall Out"—a sidewalk slam/leg drop combination from the top rope. War Machine was within a three count of upsetting the GHC and NWA world tag team champions, when Michael Elgin pulled the official from the ring. This gave the KES the opening they needed to get the upper hand; they hit Ray Rowe with a variation of the "Hart Attack," a double team maneuver performed by David's uncles Bret Hart and Jim Neidhart. The Killer Elite Squad were only able to get a two count, and this match continued and degenerated into all-out chaos. After well-over a minute of anarchy, featuring all four men in the match and Michael Elgin, referee Paul Turner had no choice but to call for the bell.

The next match is our main event, and unlike WWE Superstars or Main Event, that means we've got a 25-minute match ahead of us. Although this is a championship match, the television champion is the first to appear. Jay Lethal is accompanied by his long-time manager Truth Martini and the newest member of the House of Truth and 2015 Top Prospect winner, Donavan Dijak. Tommaso Ciampa could have the coolest entrance in all of Ring of Honor; his "Titan Tron" video features his trademark Mohawk-skull, and he walks to the ring dressed like Doctor Doom wearing a hoodie. Bobby Cruise is our ring announcer per usual and introduced the Sicilian Psychopath, as well as the Ring of Honor World Television Champion. The crowd is split in their support with the battle cries "Let's Go Ciampa" and "Let's Go Lethal" echoing throughout the arena. The champion and challenger engage in the "Code of Honor," the bell rings, and this match is ready to begin. The audience is relentless with their cheers, and the noise inevitably corrupts Lethal's objective thinking, forcing the champ outside the ring to take a lap. We head into commercial, and by the time the action resumes, Lethal is in control but only for a moment. Ciampa plays possum and scoops Lethal up with a school boy, but to no avail. He Irish whips Lethal into the corner and follows up with a hard full body attack, but the champion's resiliency allows for him to meet the challenge head-on. They trade off on the offensive edge for a matter of moments with Lethal living up to his name, and the Sicilian acting truly PSYCHOTIC.

Every time Tommaso gained any sort of upper hand, Jay jumped onto the outside where he was protected by his lackeys, Truth and Dijak. Ciampa finally got Lethal where he wanted him and bit his nose in the corner, along with a number of hard shots to the face. He Irish-whipped his opponent into the ropes, but Lethal reversed him and Truth Martini pulled down the opposing rope. The result was a tumble for Tommaso, over the top and down onto the outside. He was ready to take out his aggression on Martini, but Jay Lethal was ready with a few "Crash and Burn" suicide dives in rapid succession. Tommaso was launched over the barricade between he and the audience, and nearly kicked a young woman in the face. Tommaso Ciampa struggled to regain his composure while Donavan Dijak and Truth Martini mocked him from ringside. Senior Official Todd Sinclair was in the middle of counting to twenty, when Jay Lethal returned to keep the advantage in his favor, fearing Tommaso would most certainly make the count. He dragged Tommaso inside the squared-circle, because any champion of length such as Jay Lethal knows the only place to BEAT your opponent is between the ropes. He situated Ciampa's skull—complete with Mohawk—in a vice comprised of his forearm and bicep. The headlock kept the number one contender grounded for several moments before he landed a few well-placed elbows, to alleviate the pressure. Tommaso went for his signature clothesline, but Lethal ducked and missed the blow within an inch of his life.

Both men were reeling going into another commercial break. When we get back, Tommaso was in control and ready to plant Lethal on his back with a belly-to-back release suplex. Some might call it a German suplex, but as Sean "X-Pac" Waltman will tell you: "A German Suplex includes an arch and a pin." This sent Lethal spiraling outside of the ring where Tommaso was able to perform his signature running knee strike, from one corner of the ringside area to the other, and back again. The second attempt was so forceful that it sent Ciampa over the barricade, but he was on his feet only seconds later, smiling and taking selfies with a fan at ringside. I'm a sucker for that kind of stuff. I really like seeing independent stars reach out to the fans in this way, especially the die-hard loyalists seated at ringside. The entire Shrine Auditorium popped for Ciampa, and the two returned to the ring at the count of SIXTEEN. Jay Lethal took control of the match and Super-plexed Ciampa down and into the center of the ring. Steve Corino made a valid point when he told Kevin Kelly, "The amount of time that Tommaso Ciampa spent taking a selfie with a fan—that gave Jay Lethal the opportunity he needed!" The two traded shots back and forth with Lethal landing an elbow and Tommaso returning with a knee. Both men were down and the audience brought the �Auditorium to life with stomps and claps and screams and "Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole."

The chants returned: "Let's Go Lethal" was forced to once again contend with "Let's Go Ciampa." The ring was making the strange "broken" sounds again, as they both flew from side to side. Lethal climbed the ropes and jumped over a charging Tommaso, and doubled back for a "Lethal Combination." But Tommaso turned Lethal's signature spot into the "Sicilian Stretch." Lethal fought with all he had and reached the ropes where Martini was waiting. We head into the final commercial break of the hour, and Tommaso Ciampa is staring down Donavan Dijak on the outside of the ring. Lethal remained in the ring, as Ciampa refused to step down; he walked toward the towering Dijak, unafraid of his wrath and slapped him across the face, begging him to react. Lethal sprang into action and attempted another "Crash and Burn," but was instead caught by Ciampa—who gave him the belly-to-back piledriver on the outside. He sent Lethal into the ring and was in a pinning predicament within seconds. After earning but a two count, he hit him with another belly-to-back piledriver from the top rope. This time he was robbed of the victory when Truth Martini pulled Todd Sinclair from the ring; Donavan Dijak entered and hit Ciampa with a big boot in the style of Sheamus's "Brogue Kick."

Despite the obvious advantage, Lethal was unable to pick up the win and the crowd went wild with a rallied cry of: "THIS IS AWESOME!" Tommaso Ciampa flew to the outside to take out Dijak and returned to try his hand at securing the television title. Lethal opted to perform his "Lethal Injection," but was surprised when Ciampa mimicked the champ's actions by handspringing into the ropes alongside Lethal. Ciampa followed up with a discus lariat and a top rope variation of Lethal's elbow drop dubbed "Hail to the King." Sensing that the House of Truth might be in trouble, the gargantuan Donavan Dijak injected himself into the ordeal, only to be met with immediate expulsion from Tommaso. Todd Sinclair points at Donavan, and he points at Truth—and says: "You, you, GET OUT OF HERE!" He ordered Donavan Dijak and Truth Martini to return to the backstage area, and followed behind to make sure they did as they were told. The lack of an official gave Jay Lethal the opportunity to land a low-blow on his opponent. Jay followed up with a successful "Lethal Injection," and a 1-2-3 to retain his Ring of Honor World Television title.

There were only two matches on tonight's episode of Ring of Honor TV, but they were two of the best matches you'll probably see anywhere all week. The tag team opener featuring the Killer Elite Squad was a specific treat, and the 20+ minute main event was a thing of beauty. I don't generally give Ring of Honor TV a score, but on a scale of one-to-ten, I'd be inclined to give this a solid 8—maybe even an 8.5. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook at "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly series of podcasts available Friday, Saturday, and Sunday exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-tna-impact-5115/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/total-nonstop-analysis-tna-impact-5115/#comments Sat, 02 May 2015 21:56:24 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Hardcored Justice Impact TNA http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11483 Total Nonstop Analysis TNA Impact 5/1/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty How's it going Cheap-Heat loyalists, and welcome back to another weekly-once over where we cover the comings and goings of TNA Impact on Friday nights. Last week was the "Night of Knockouts," which opened and closed with male wrestlers fighting over the world heavyweight […]

Total Nonstop Analysis
TNA Impact 5/1/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

How's it going Cheap-Heat loyalists, and welcome back to another weekly-once over where we cover the comings and goings of TNA Impact on Friday nights. Last week was the "Night of Knockouts," which opened and closed with male wrestlers fighting over the world heavyweight title. This week was codenamed "Hardcore Justice," named for the pay-per-view by the same name. Extreme Rules was this past weekend in Chicago, and since then there's been a lot of talk as to whether or not "hardcore" or "extreme" wrestling has a place in today's society. Instead of hypothesizing over hypotheticals, let's jump right into the action with this week's edition of "Total Nonstop Analysis."

The show opens with a montage of recent events including Jeff Hardy's rivalry with James Storm, the Rising's continued war against the Beat Down Clan, and the championship title picture involving the incomparable Kurt Angle and the eccentric Eric Young. Tonight's show will feature: a LADDER MATCH for the X-Division championship; a "Pipe-on-a-Pole" match between Drew Galloway and Low-Ki; Eric Young will battle Kurt Angle in a "Stretcher Match" and—"much more." This already sounds better than "Extreme Rules."

We head into the Impact Zone where the Hardy Boyz and Davey Richards are already fighting the Revolution. The six men scratch and claw their way down the entry way and to the ringside area. The show hasn't been on for two minutes and already wrestlers are being walloped with trash can lids. This is a "weapon's match"—not officially—that's just what it is, for lack of a better term. A No Holds Barred Six-Man Street Fight. Josh Matthews is back on commentary, and for the first time in nearly a month has a broadcast partner, in the legendary Al Snow. The first wrestlers to make their way into the ring are the MVP's of either team, Davey Richards and Manik. They tear it up on the canvas while the stars of the early 2000s—and Khoya—set a perimeter of destruction around the ring. Khoya is getting better, but the problem with having a show taped so far in advance, is that the last two months of Khoya have been filmed over a two week period back in March. As opposed to a live program, where you can see improvement from week to week, Khoya goes from being downright terrible to all-together decent in a 7-day span. I really enjoy Al Snow's VOICE—if that makes any sense? He reminds me of the late Lee Marshall, both in his gruff delivery as well as his impassioned choice of verbiage. Davey Richards and Manik steal the show with an impressive back and forth as well as an incredibly delayed brain buster by Richards. Matt Hardy and Abyss are the only individuals who've not made it inside the six-sided ring, and continue trading chair shots and—PIPE shots? Okay, time out! Zack Morris time. TIME OUT! We've got a "Pipe on a Pole" match later in the night. A match where Drew Galloway and Low-Ki have to climb a pole to retrieve a pipe to win the match. But Abyss just HAS a pipe? Maybe that doesn't seem like such a big deal, but the steel pipe has become part of the Rising versus the Beat Down Clan angle. It just instantly took me out of the action. Eventually all six men find their way into the ring, and perform a "Tower of Power" with Davey Richards at the top, and Khoya and Abyss on the bottom with the power bombs. I'm never a fan of moves like this. Or those double, triple, or even QUADRUPLE submission holds. What sense does it make to include your partner in the overall catastrophic conclusion of the move, when you could very well double-axe handle the competition instead? The Revolution is in control and Abyss places a steel chair on Jeff Hardy and begins to run the ropes. Jeff counters the maneuver with the business end of the chair, and won the match for his team with a Swanton Bomb from the top rope. The match concluded, and James Storm sauntered onto the stage and down to ringside, where he proceeded to tell Abyss that he "failed one too many times."

Josh Matthews and Al Snow are in the Impact Studios in Nashville, Tennessee and Al Snow is looking CHOICE. The best dressed wrestling announcer I've ever seen; he isn't wearing a suit and tie, or a glittery gold t-shirt, or even a button down like his colleague Josh. No, no, no, no, no! Al Snow is wearing a brown sports coat with a really intricate design that looks like EITHER flowers or Siamese cats. I was really stoned when I watched this, so it's probably not cats. In addition, he's got his white shirt unbuttoned at the top and is rocking a phenomenal set of spectacles. He looks like—if Gary Oldman grew a pony-tail. Josh says that he has a lot to teach Al Snow, but Al says, "You have a lot to teach me, and I think I was the one who taught you. We've had a very long relationship." Of course Al is speaking of his time as the head trainer for WWE's Tough Enough, which is how Josh broke into the business! I didn't put that together until he said it and now I'm loving the Snow and Matthews duo even more.

One of the ballsy TNA camera men has a question for Mr. Anderson [Anderson] AKA Mr.Kennedy [Kennedy], and is wondering why he interrupted EC3's announcement last week on Impact. "Oh you mean this," Anderson is holding the "EC3 for Champion" sign. But he has a sign of his own, one that he orders the camera to steer clear of for the time being. Back in the arena, Josh announces that Billy Corgan—the front man of the Smashing Pumpkins, and former owner of Resistance Pro Wrestling—was joining the TNA Creative Team, where he would also serve as a senior producer.

Mr. Anderson is in the building, wearing a blue-checkered button-down shirt—sleeves rolled to the elbow and untucked at the waist—with a bright orange tie. Who is the VISIONARY responsible for outfitting these people? I'm not being sarcastic in any way! Between Al Snow's dapper duds and Mr. Anderson's hipster substitute teacher attire, I dare say TNA is the BEST DRESSED wrestling promotion under the sun. Mr. Anderson stands behind a podium in the ring, with a poster over his left shoulder, not yet visible to the audience. I've never been a HUGE Ken Anderson fan, but he's always had his moments, and tonight was a prime example of how entertaining Anderson can be. He says that EC3 came out last week and made a speech about how he's going to be the TNA World Heavyweight Champion in 2015. Anderson says that he doesn't care about campaign promises, he only cares about "seeing EC3 get his ass whooped." He says that there's one thing he'd REALLY like to see, and says that the audience has the opportunity to help him achieve it: "Well it just so happens that…" Before Anderson can uncover his own campaign poster, Carter's music hits and the "Championship Candidate" enters the Impact Zone, flanked by Tyrus holding the "EC3 2015" sign. Anderson holds the ropes for Carter to enter, and then dances like Teddy Long to the "Trouble" theme song. Carter says that it sucks to have someone come out and interrupt you when you're trying to make a point, of course referenceing the way Anderson showed up during Carter's announcement last week. Half the crowd chants "You Can't Wrestle," while the other fights back with "Yes He Can." Carter acknowledged his supporters on TV last week, which could mean an inevitable end to the mean streak and the emergence of one of the greatest character babyfaces of all time. Anderson only picks up on the negativity: "Hey Ethan, they're saying you can't wrestle." Ethan Carter says that he is the very first person to bring politics into wrestling, which is one hell of a BOB BACKLUND of a white lie.

Anderson is playing his part perfectly; Carter says that he's destined to be the champion, and rather than tell him he's wrong, Anderson says, "Then win it." It's a lot like the Hardcore Holly/Cody Rhodes dynamic but on a much larger scale. I could very well see Carter earn the adulation of the audience, do away with Tyrus, and seek the title under the tutelage of a former champion. "Anderson, lest I remind you exactly who I am—I am the man who leaves people bloodied, and beaten in their homelands…" He goes on to describe his impressive accolades, including his feat as an undefeated professional wrestler—having never been pinned or submitted since debuting in TNA. "So you think just because you're undefeated, that you should be the champion?" Carter tells Anderson that his undefeated streak is his most prized possession and that he will never lose it. Anderson smiled and yelled, "My point exactly!" He tore the black sheet away from the easel on which HIS campaign poster rested: "MR. ANDERSON – BEAT THE STREAK!" He displayed it for the entire Impact Zone to see, and the crowd went wild. While Ethan Carter has declared 2015 as the year he'll become champion, Mr. Ken Anderson has guaranteed he will beat EC3 on next week's episode of IMPACT. Carter's last words to Anderson were reminiscent of those Walter White spoke to his brother-in-law Hank, upon Hank's first learning who Walter was: "Anderson I implore you—tread LIGHTLY .

The next match is a four-way ladder match for the X-Division Championship. The first man in the arena is the winner of British Boot Camp Season 2, Mark Andrews AKA "Mandrews." Next up is Tigre Uno, who had the displeasure of being one of the men in the ring when Perro Aguayo Jr. passed away last month. Next we have the youngest, and perhaps most brash member of the Beat Down Clan, Kenny King. And finally is the X-Division Champion, Rockstar Spud. This match gets going on the outside of the ring, when the combatants are unable to wait for the bell. Tigre Uno flies through the air in a corkscrew configuration and took out Kenny King below. Mandrews follows up with a high-risk response, and sought to introduce the ladder to the match for the first time. I believe this is the first time Rockstar Spud and Mandrews have been placed on opposite sides of the competition, however they remain loyal to a fault when doing battle with someone as manipulative as Kenny King. Kenny and Mandrews are the stars of the match from the early going, but both guys get a wake-up call from Tigre Uno, when he jumps from the top rope onto the ladder, creating a see-saw-like "uppercut effect." It was similar to the move that broke Joey Mercury's nose and sent him down a downward spiral that he almost never returned from. Mandrews and Kenny took the move correctly though, and were thus able to continue without becoming addicted to OxyContin.

Tigre Uno is the closest to the title belt when Rockstar Spud tips the ladder over and dropped Tigre into the corner, where his head bounced off of the bottom turnbuckle. Mandrews and Kenny King perform an awesome assortment of reversals onto and off the ladder in the corner, ending with Mandrews applying a lightning quick DDT. As the bout winds down, Kenny King is in control with Rockstar Spud and Mandrews reeling. He sets the ladders up as offensive tools, but Mark Andrews attempts to use the ladder for its intended purpose. He's within a fingertip of the title, when Tigre Uno performs what Paul Burchill used to refer to as a "Flip Bottom," described by Al Snow as a "Moonsault STO." Andrews and Tigre Uno were out of the match, and Rockstar Spud was now going toe-to-toe with Kenny King, trading kicks and vicious shots. Kenny climbs the ladder and Tigre Uno springboards to meet him at the top. Kenny knocks Tigre off, but that's when Spud is ready to return to action. He climbs the ladder as fast as he can, and BITES Kenny's face until he falls. Rockstar Spud was holding HIS TNA X-Division championship, when Homicide hit the ring and threw Spud down onto a diagonally-placed ladder. Kenny ascended the steps, and retrieved the TNA X-Division title. Kenny King is now a TWO-time X-Division Champion.

Al Snow and Josh Matthews are backstage and announce an "Arm Wrestling Match" as one of the options for the upcoming bout between Ethan Carter III and Mr. Anderson. Josh asks Al what he thinks, and Al prepares to arm-wrestle Josh: "Come at me bro." Josh opts NOT to "come at" Al Snow, and Al insists that the fans be allowed to vote on what kind of match THEY have.

We're back to the live audience inside the Impact Zone, and Eric Young is wheeling a really sadistic-looking stretcher onto the stage. It's like—an "American Horror Story: Asylum" stretcher. Or if you've ever seen the "Martians versus Goblins" music video starring The Game and Tyler the Creator featuring Lil Wayne. "You people thought you knew me. Kurt Angle thought he knew me. He wanted to wrestle the �REAL ERIC YOUNG.' Kurt—," he continued, "—you said winning the title changed me and it did. It showed the entire world how good I really am." Eric Young says that he's going to end Kurt Angle's career tonight. "I see a man that's hurt. I see a man that's going to GET hurt even worse!" I don't know if I really believe Eric Young is going to end Kurt Angle's 16-year professional career on a taped-episode of TNA Impact, but we shall see.

The douchebag camera man is back, and asks Rockstar Spud how he feels about losing the TNA X-Division championship. He calls them a "pack of thugs" and compares it to having your house or car broken into. He says that he was robbed; "You know what that title meant? AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, Christopher Daniels, Austin Aries, Frankie Kazarian—I was on that list! I worked for fourteen years to be on that list!

The next match is for the TNA Knockouts Championship, and features Brooke challenging the current title holder—Taryn Terrell. Taryn enters the Impact Zone to the "Dollhouse" theme, alongside Marti Bell and Jade. I think this is a huge improvement over the generic female empowerment country crap that use to play her to the ring. Everybody knows I'm not a fan of Brooke, but I can't fault her for her very impressive ring presence. There's not one woman on the TNA roster that can't go between the ropes. We can't have the same conversation we do while dissecting Smackdown, because even at her most annoying, Brooke has turned into a world-class performer. That doesn't mean I have to like her. She starts this match by playing to the crowd in a very engaging way. Taryn is dominating Brooke in a very intriguing way that still allows for Brooke to maintain her babyface credibility. Taryn locks Brooke in a Camel Clutch, and Brooke cries toward the crowd, just the same as Hulk Hogan. Taryn shoves Brookes face into the canvas and Al Snow says, "That canvas feels like sandpaper." Josh Matthews takes exception to Al Snow's outward exaggeration. "It doesn't feel like sandpaper, it's a canvas!" Josh laughed and upon being question as to how he knows, exclaimed, "Because I've BEEN in the ring!"

Taryn takes Brooke to task in a meaningful way by employing a litany of psychological tactics that aren't often seen in mainstream American women's wrestling. Brooke hit Taryn with an X-Factor face buster from the top rope, and prepared to follow up in the corner. Taryn fled the ring, but Brooke followed closely behind when she cross-bodied the entire Dollhouse including the Knockout's champion. Brooke was moments away from winning the title, when Marti Bell and Jade became involved. They remind me of Bambi and Thumper from the James Bond classic "Diamonds are Forever." Taryn capitalized on the interference with a Diamond Cutter to retain her championship. After the match, Taryn shoved a jawbreaker down Brooke's throat and declared that no one can beat her. "Kong couldn't beat me! Brooke couldn't beat me!" Gail Kim took exception to Taryn's behavior and arrived in the Impact Zone with Awesome Kong on her side, ready to dismantle the Dollhouse.

Up next is the "Pipe on a Pole" match between the leader of the Rising, Drew Galloway, and the ex-X-Division Champion, and member of the Beat Down Clan, Low-Ki. I think pole matches are incredibly passé, and have never been entertaining. At all. That's not a knock on TNA, it's a knock on the wrestling industry. Whether it's been a "Night Stick" or Judy Bagwell, pole matches are almost always terrible. This one kicks off with Drew getting the early upper hand over the veteran Low-Ki. He takes the fight directly to the BDC member by dropping him out of the ring and onto the steel barricade. Low-Ki is the first to introduce a foreign object; he smashes a chair across the midsection of Drew Galloway and used the steel steps at ringside as an alternate route to achieve victory. He slammed Galloway into the stairs, but Galloway was quick to come back and landed Low-Ki with a suplex from the floor ono the lip of the apron. The action made its way back inside the ring where Drew was the first man to try and retrieve the Steel Pipe on the pole. Low-Ki hit Galloway with the Warrior's way for a near-three count which was uh—surprising. Because, I thought this was a pole match. Josh immediately responded with, "You win by pin and submission, by the way! You don't get the pipe to win." They fought to the top rope and supported themselves against the pole on which the pipe was positioned. Galloway fell from the top into a Tree of Woe; Low-Ki prepared for another Warrior's Way, but was thrown off the top and into an assembled folding chair. Galloway got the steel pipe first and jumped from the top rope onto Low-Ki, but Low-Ki countered with a swift kick to the midsection. Galloway fought back however, and finished his opponent with a "Future Shock DDT" for the final three-count. The Beat Down Clan hit the ring and attacked Galloway, and the Rising were soon to follow and even the odds. We head into a commercial and when we get back, there's no mention of how the brawl was resolved.

I don't even want to talk about the hidden camera action going on with Mickie James and James Storm. Magnus asked the TNA production team to follow his wife around, and earlier today they caught Mickie at a local grocery store with her baby boy Donavon. Just then, James Storm rolled up wearing some shorts with neon sneakers. He asks to hold the baby, and the three head off into the store where James Storm tells Donavon: "We're gonna get you some cool diapers." I know he's supposed to be a weirdo, but I really like James Storm. Especially when he's holding a baby and talking about diapers. Is that wrong?

Back inside the Impact Zone, Mickie's husband Nick, AKA Magnus, is in the ring and ready to drop some truth on the fans in attendance. Before he's able to speak, James Storm makes his appearance and heads down to ringside. He's not wearing the neon sneakers, for those of you wondering. And they aren't like—British Lights or anything—they're just brightly colored. Magnus tells James that he's "starting to piss [him] off just a little bit." He goes on to tell Storm that he appreciated his help when he saved Mickie from Bram, but now he's gone too far. He said that he used the Impact Zone audience to manipulate Mickie: "She's not one of your little Revolution members. All you're trying to do is drive a wedge between me and Mickie." James tells Magnus that he isn't trying to drive any wedges, and accuses Magnus of being insecure. "So maybe, you need to go ask her these damn questions." Storm dropped the microphone and left the ring, without ever taking his eyes off of Magnus.

It's time for the main event—a STRETCHER MATCH between the TNA World Heavyweight Champion Kurt Angle and the evil Eric Young. Josh Matthews explains that this Stretcher match is a little bit different than the WWE version, and quite frankly, I like TNA's rules a little bit more. "There is no line that you have to push your opponent across," Josh said. "Instead, you must put your opponent on the stretcher, and strap them on. Then and ONLY then, will this match be over." Kurt Angle goes at Eric Young with utter viscosity for the first several moments of the match until Young is able to battle back and create some carnage of his own. They exchange the lead as one is able to capitalize over the other, until EY is the first man who attempts to get the stretcher. Eric attempts to piledrive Kurt Angle on the outside, but the world champion sling-shot him into the steel post and followed through with an Olympic Slam. Both men were reeling and Kurt was now in possession of the stretcher as victory was well within the sights of the Olympic Gold Medalist. He placed Eric on the stretcher but was unable to finish his adversary once and for all. The match continued and Eric Young finally delivered a piledriver to Kurt Angle, square in the center of the six-sided ring. He followed up with another for good measure and dragged Angle out and onto the stretcher. Eric placed Angle on the stretcher and strapped him in with both sets of belts. Eric Young beat the TNA World Champion in the main event of Hardcore Justice 2015.

This was a really great night of wrestling, with lots to enjoy from the Knockouts championship to an AWESOME four-way ladder match. Any main event featuring Kurt Angle is going to come up short when it's following an hour and a half of international young stars, performing at a level that Kurt Angle is no longer able to reach. On a scale from zero to ten, I'd be willing to drop a big fat EIGHT on a night that did a great job of keeping the focus on the in-ring product. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty, reminding you to keep checking out my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter vis @TapeTraderz; and listen to new episodes of my weekly podcasts available every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter%e2%80%a8-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown%e2%80%a8-5/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/whats-cookin-what-doesnt-matter%e2%80%a8-your-weekly-smackdown-breakdown%e2%80%a8-5/#comments Sat, 02 May 2015 01:13:01 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Smackdown WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11467 What’s Cookin' & What Doesn’t Matter Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown Written by Mark Adam Haggerty And on the fifth day Vince McMahon said, “Let there be Smackdown!” With that, the creator of the Sports Entertainment heavens and earth introduced the WWE Universe to a solid two hours of in-ring action, comically referred to by this […]

What’s Cookin' & What Doesn’t Matter
Your Weekly Smackdown Breakdown
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

And on the fifth day Vince McMahon said, “Let there be Smackdown!” With that, the creator of the Sports Entertainment heavens and earth introduced the WWE Universe to a solid two hours of in-ring action, comically referred to by this professional wrestling pundit as “Blue Raw.” My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, back again for the Thursday Night Delight that is “What’s Cookin’ & What Doesn’t Matter.” Didn’t have enough time to watch this week's episode of Smackdown? Have no fear because Cheap-Heat is here. Smackdown opens up with a backstage segment featuring Seth Rollins speaking to Kane like he’s Han Solo and he just landed in Cloud City: “You got a lot of nerve coming here, after what you pulled.” Seth is livid, after Kane announced the triple threat world title match for Payback, this past Monday night on Raw. For the record—that's a quote from "The Empire Strikes Back," not Smackdown.

The action inside the arena kicks off with the "Super Samoan with the Superman Punch" Roman Reigns. He speaks slowly with inadvertent pauses placed precariously throughout. Wade Keller of the PW Torch said: "Roman Reigns sounds like he's talking to a 10-year old boy about how not to treat his sister." Roman says that he's had to scratch and claw his way to the top—a phrase I'm sick of hearing from the handpicked future of the former �Federation—and expresses regret in not defeating Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania. He blames Seth Rollins for taking his opportunity away, but soon comes face-to-face with the resident-Demon of the Authority, Kane. Kane is still technically the Director of Operations it would seem, although he gave his two week's notice just about two weeks ago. This is going to be an officially sanction contest between Roman and Kane. This match was pretty good, if I'm being honest and ignoring the fact that I don't care to see either of these individuals inside of a wrestling ring. Roman has been taking his licks in recent weeks, and that can only help him get over further with the fans. Tonight was no different as the Big Red Machine laid waste to the former number one contender with a series of attacks on the outside and a heinous chokeslam. But Roman wasn't going to give up, and fought back to the point where Kane had no choice but to retreat. Roman Reigns won this contest after Referee Charles Robinson counted Kane out at ten. Did it matter? Who knows—it was the opening contest and featured two key players in the company. This match was COOKIN'!

Damian Sandow's repetition gimmick is kicking into overdrive this week; Monday night he engaged Curtis Axel and mimicked every single word the "Axe Man" said. It was pretty awful, especially after a number of valid points provided by Sandow in what WOULD have been an all-time great promo. But no, Damian is still pretending to be other people and tonight he took it to the next level when he announced his own entrance alongside JoJo. If that's what he's going to stick to, then that's pretty cool. But I don't want to hear him copy his opponent's promos anymore. That's fucking dumb. The entrance shtick is far more entertaining and I could see it lasting for a long time without getting stale. Damian's opponent tonight is his newest adversary, Curtis Axel. After a short-yet-entertaining bout, Damian walked away with his hand held high. I'm going to say this was COOKIN' because I like Damian Sandow and Curtis Axel.

I wasn't interested in the Bray Wyatt/Ryback rivalry until it was finally revealed for what it was this past week on Raw. The rumors regarding Ryback as Bray's next target seemed almost comical, given the way in which Ryback has been presented since the Survivor Series. But using Bo Dallas as the transitional piece between throwaway encounter and long-lasting program might have been just the thing to make this story click. Bray attacked Ryback, after Ryback destroyed his real-life brother Bo. I've said that Bo Dallas would make an excellent addition to the newest incarnation of the Wyatt Family, especially if Ryback's next opponent on the way to Bray is Luke Harper. Tonight's match was everything it was promised to be and more, thanks to the incredible versatility of the man once known as Brodie Lee. Ryback would achieve victory over the former Intercontinental champion, but wouldn't be afforded any time to celebrate. The lights went out and Bray Wyatt appeared once more, attacking Ryback for the second time in as many days. The crowd was pretty hot, so I guess that means this match was COOKIN'! After the commercial break, it's time for the tag team championship rematch between the new title holders, The New Day, and the former champions Kidd and Cesaro. Holy shit did these guys put on a hell of a match. A hell of an UNEXPECTED match. A hell of an unexpected match just two days removed—they record on Tuesday—from ANOTHER incredible bout at Extreme Rules. There's no doubt that these teams stole the show on Sunday, after originally being penciled in for the PRESHOW. I was live-Tweeting Extreme Rules and said something to the effect of: "I guess the only way to grab the brass ring is if somebody else drops it," referring to Daniel Bryan's unfortunate situation. The match was moved to the main show and exceeded any and all expectations for what a WWE tag team match could be. The match tonight on Smackdown was more of the same, but pushed the envelope even farther to help establish The New Day as heels, and the former villains as character babyfaces. The Big Swing into the Drop Kick is one such signature double-team maneuver that's putting Kidd and Cesaro over in a big way, but it's such a small part of their arsenal. There was a spot wherein Cesaro was on the apron and Kidd was thrown into him; rather than colliding or crashing to the floor, Kidd leapt over Cesaro's back and rolling back into the ring. It was mesmerizing.

I can't take anything away from The New Day either though, because as much as I love Kidd and Cesaro—I love heels more. I love diabolical heels that don't even realize they're bad guys! That's what made Rocky Maivia so great, or the Honky Tonk Man. Or even the aforementioned Bo Dallas. The New Day really and truly feel as though they're a positive force, despite how the audience might react. This carries over into their ground game, as certain Superstars such as Kofi Kingston are beginning to make the transition to a bona fide bad guy. The New Day has been a team of �tweeners' in recent weeks, but after saving their titles tonight via DQ, it's safe to assume they're not long for the good graces of the WWE Universe. An incredible match that some might say ended abruptly due to Xavier making the save and causing the disqualification. But I disagree, in that it allowed for Cesaro and Kidd to remain protected, and gave Big E the opportunity to ride out of the arena on his partners' shoulders. If you can't see that this match is COOKIN', then you're wearing sunglasses at night. Don't be a Corey Hart—be a Bret Hart, just like the Sharpshooting Tyson Kidd. Awesome match, 3.75 to 4 stars depending on how we rate the finale.

I looked down at my phone just before the Diva's match began, and by the time I was done sending a message—it was over! So I had to rewind the whole thing, which didn't take long. Cameron is taking on Nikki Bella in a non-title match. It would seem as though the WWE is at a crossroads, and unsure as to what direction might benefit the company, and its female SUPERSTARS. I stress the word Superstars, because that's what they are. Why should Brie be a Diva when Bryan is a Superstar? To put that into context, let's head over to Dictionary.com, and compare the definitions—"Superstar: a person, as a performer or athlete, who enjoys wide recognition, is esteemed for exceptional talent, and is eagerly sought after for his or HER services." Her? So wait—according to Dictionary.com, a Superstar can be a female? Shocking. Let's continue. What's Diva mean? "Diva: a distinguished female singer; prima donna." Oh! Totally! Naomi and the Bellas and fucking CANDICE MICHELLE are such amazing musical talents that what ELSE could you call them other than Diva? Let's check out that "prima donna" definition, just for fun, shall we? "Prima Donna: a temperamental person who takes adulation and privileged treatment as a right and reacts with petulance or criticism or inconvenience."

To sum things up: the men of the WWE are highly talented sports entertainers, while the women are privileged and temperamental. If I didn't know any better, I'd say a 69-year old misogynist was coming up with these names. I think I made my point. Until they're SUPERSTARS, or at the very least—WOMEN—the WWE Divas are going to continue to be an afterthought. More on the Diva versus Superstar debate to come here at Cheap-Heat, I'm not done by a long-shot. This match DOESN'T MATTER!
The Prime Time Players are back behind the scenes in the strange all-black room that everybody cuts promos from nowadays. I really like the "Cricket Gimmick"; the �Players ask the audience about their competition, and receive nothing but silence save for a few crickets chirping. The Prime Time Players made two points this evening: they do not like The New Day, and the WWE Shopzone should start carrying their shirts. As far as the latter, I wholeheartedly agree. In fact, if the WWE Shopzone starts selling the Prime Time Players shirts, I will buy 2—one for me and one for a very lucky listener of the "B+ Players Podcast." That is a promise, whenever those "Primetime Player Shirts" finally hit shelves. As for their feud with The New Day—this seems VERY Ahmed Johnson versus Farooq or the Junkyard Dog versus Butch Reed. "Oh, we've got some black wrestlers. Let's just put them together." How about the time Vince called John Cena his "n—a" in front of Booker T and Sharmell? I digress. The Prime Time Players are very talented, but I can't think of any reason you should have to go back and watch this. IT DOESN'T MATTER!

Moments before the main event, the world heavyweight champion Seth Rollins happens upon Dean Ambrose in the locker room area. Seth asks Dean to back out of tonight’s match. He speaks in a calm and cordial manner, as if keeping Dean’s best interest in mind. He explained that when the Authority returns, Triple H is going to be irate, and will seek to punish anyone who disrespected the world champion. Despite a few misleading words on behalf of the “Lunatic Fringe,” there was no way Dean Ambrose was backing out of the main event. The bout between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose was decent enough with the same usual spots that either man tends to employ, with far too much interference from the “peanut gallery.” J&J Security became involved, as did the Demon Kane. Kane looks really peculiar when he’s stomping around in dark black dress pants with no shirt. He looks like a white-collar executive that lost his mind in the middle of the workday, and started attacking people around the office. There was a Michael Douglas movie about that. Kane can be kind of confusing as of late, and I suppose that’s the way his character is supposed to be. He didn’t make it clear whom he was targeting during the match, when he laid his hands on BOTH Dean Ambrose, as well as his ally-in-theory, Seth Rollins. But by the time the match ended, Kane made his allegiances clear—at least for the time being. Seth Rollins got the pin fall after a hard fought battle between two former brothers of The Shield. Following the match, Kane sought to solidify his loyalty, and lead the onslaught against the already-grounded Dean Ambrose. Suddenly the music that used to lead Dean and Seth down to ringside, echoed across the arena. Roman Reigns was in the building to make the save. Roman ran down to the ring like a man on fire in search of water; he collided with J&J Security as well as the world champion, before laying waste to the "Big Red Machine." A DOUBLE Spear to Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble, and Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose will live to fight another day. This might have been the first time since Summerslam—not counting Wrestlemania's main event—that I've really been excited by Roman Reigns, and hope that he can continue down THIS path, rather than succumbing to the slow speaking nursery rhyme dude. I was happy to see a singles match main event a WWE program, and Roman looked STRONG—this match was COOKIN'!

This week's episode of Smackdown was pretty decent, thanks in part to the grudge match between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose in the main event. But the match of the night would most certainly have to go to the tag team title bout between Kidd and Cesaro and The New Day. This whole "New Day Sucks" thing is sounding more and more like "Rocky Sucks" as the weeks go on. Nothing really groundbreaking to report however, except for the monumental way in which Roman Reigns erupted upon the arena during the final segment of the night. I'm still not sure about this guy, but the WWE Universe appears to be jumping on board. Until next time this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to keep checking out all my work here at Cheap-Heat and at Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook by LIKING "The B+ Players"; and listen to my podcasts every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-lucha-underground-42915/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/viva-la-lucha-libre-lucha-underground-42915/#comments Fri, 01 May 2015 02:33:53 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews Lucha Libre Lucha Underground http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11451 Viva La Lucha Libre Lucha Underground 4/29/15 Written by Mark Adam Haggerty What's going down Mexican wrestling aficionados? It's your boy Mark Adam Haggerty back again with a little bit of Luchador reading material to get you through your Thursday, and closer to that much-sought after weekend. Last night was another action-packed episode of Lucha […]

Viva La Lucha Libre
Lucha Underground 4/29/15
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

What's going down Mexican wrestling aficionados? It's your boy Mark Adam Haggerty back again with a little bit of Luchador reading material to get you through your Thursday, and closer to that much-sought after weekend. Last night was another action-packed episode of Lucha Underground on the El Rey Network, full of fast-paced professional wrestling and star-studded cinematics. It was recently revealed that this first season of Lucha Underground has cost roughly $20M to produce—meaning just one of the 39 episodes can cost as much as $500,000. So if you're ever saying to yourself, "Man, every episode of this show is REALLY good"—well, it kind of has to be. Let's start off by discussing the opening segments from this week's episode of Lucha Underground.

Lucha Underground begins per usual with a montage of recent events including the newly crowned Trios Champions and Drago's victory over Aerostar in their "Best of Five" series. Drago's "unique opportunity" is a chance at Prince Puma's Lucha Underground Championship. But if Drago fails to capture the gold, he will be banned from the Lucha Underground Temple—FOREVER!

"Boys, you know what a lay-up is," Dario asked the Crew? They shook their heads, indicating that they do NOT know what a lay-up is, which in Los Angeles is tantamount to blasphemy. "A lay-up is something that should be very easy. A lay-up is what I gave you last week when I handed you the Trios Title on a single platter. But you couldn't beat two losers and a girl on one leg!" The Crew's faces grew solemn as they looked toward the ground in defeat. He brought them into the darkened cell of Matanza—who Dario revealed as his BROTHER. The gargantuan shadow loomed over Mr. Cisco, Cortez Castro, and Bael, "You screw up again, you can answer in there—to him."

Matt Striker and Vampiro are on hand as always; Roddy Piper discussed Vampiro on his podcast this past Monday, putting him over as a class-act and a highly talented individual. It was news to Hot Rod, however, that Vampiro was the "VOICE" of Lucha Underground. The house band tonight is Sergio Mendoza y La Orkestra; I really like how Lucha Underground introduces gringos like me to multicultural tunes that I might not otherwise listen to. I especially appreciate the way they vary the performers from month to month as well, giving audiences a taste of several artists such as Amandititita and Sergio Arau.

Our first match of the evening pits the fiery Fenix against the insanely impressive Killshot in one-on-one competition. I dare say that Killshot is my favorite performer on the Lucha Underground roster at the moment, which I attribute greatly to his overall look. I said before and I spoke at length on "The Outsiders Edge Podcast," that Killshot may in fact be the first mainstream African American luchador I've ever seen. I've certainly witnessed my share of black dudes wearing masks, but Killshot fully embraces all aspects of wrestling a Mexican style. Both wrestlers engage in their own version of the "Code of Honor," choosing to shake hands before tying up. After a round of back and forth, Killshot earns the upper hand, but Fenix fights back until both men are kicking one another with all of their might. Killshot Irish-whips Fenix into the ropes, but Fenix reverses and Killshot hooks his arms around the top rope. Fenix charged, but Killshot ducked, and sent the Luchador sky high and down across his knees for a vicious Back Stabber. Fenix is able to hang on and catches Killshot square in the face with a big boot from the top rope. He followed through with a spinning back fist, only to lose momentum when Killshot Super kicked him in the jaw. Back and forth the action continued until Fenix hit Killshot with a Tombstone Spike Piledriver, the same move that broke "Stone Cold" Steve Austin's neck. Fenix walks away with the victory.

Dario Cueto approaches Drago in the grimy locker room area of the Lucha Underground Temple. "I knew I'd find you here. You know something Drago," Dario began "You never said �THANK YOU' to me. I've given you the opportunity of a lifetime. A chance to win the Lucha Underground Title." Dario says that he knows Drago is upset about the stipulation, but assures the demonic luchador that it's "tailor-made" for him. "Drago, you have survived time and time again, while your kind have gone extinct," does Dario Cueto think that Drago is ACTUALLY a Dragon? Uh— IS Drago a Dragon?

"You're having second thoughts about ending that man's career," Cueto was now in Puma's portion of the locker room. "Well, I'm here to tell you—sending Drago away is a small price to pay to keep that title. Warriors don't worry about the defeat of their foes. Warriors think of NOTHING but victory. And only a warrior deserves to be my champion." Prince Puma lifted the gold title belt and stared into its shiny face, perhaps wondering if being the champion really IS worth ending Drago's career. Hernandez appeared in the locker room: "We've got a problem." Hernandez wants to know why Dario is booking him in a three way against King Cuerno and Cage, and suggests that it's going to be a two-on-one handicap match. Dario says that he'll give them each a singular motivation, which will inhibit them from establishing any kind of lengthy alliance. Dario tells Hernandez that he is the only reason Puma is still champion—a comment that Puma can clearly hear just five feet away—and is making this a number one contender's match for Prince Puma's world championship. Hernandez says that he likes the way Dario thinks and leaves. Dario smiles after looking over at Puma. He knows what he's doing, and might be trying to light a fire under his CURRENT world champion.

The next match of the evening is a Four Way Dance between Famous B, Ricky Mandel, Vinnie Massaro, and Argenis. A few things before we get into the basics of what went down in this match: these guys have made MIRACULOUS recoveries since falling victim to Pentagon Jr. I suppose Pentagon is being portrayed as the most vicious of the "Home Grown Heels," in contrast to the AAA transplants like Texano, but more on him in a moment. Literally, just a moment. Pentagon was touted on this week's "Piper's Pit" as the most hated member of the Lucha Roster, by showrunner Eric Von Wagner. Also, who the hell is Vinnie Massaro? I missed ONE episode of Lucha Underground since it debuted, and I guess that was the Vinnie Massaro episode. Okay so about Texano—see I told you we'd be back in a moment! This match lasted maybe 15 seconds before Texano Jr. entered the match and laid waste to this Enhancement Talent Four-way with his bare hands. He threw all four participants out of the ring as well as the referee, and gave Famous B an Earth-shaking power bomb.

Texano asks for the mic: "I don't know who the hell that guy was who dared put his hands on me last week," he's speaking in Spanish and referring to Shawn Daivari who was seated at ringside during the finals of the Trios Tournament. "If you want to fight Texano, I invite you to come to the Temple!" He threw his bull rope to the ground and spoke in English for the first time since debuting: "And I will give you the beating of your life!" The Lucha Faithful inside the Temple erupted in favor of Texano Jr., a consummate villain that's earned the respect of the Boyle Heights community.

We're outside for the first time since I can remember, alongside the outer wall of the building. A mysterious bearded individual is standing propped against the graffiti-covered bricks of the sacred �Temple. Dario goes outside to take a cell phone call and the mysterious man comes out from the shadows: "Mr. Cueto! I've been camping out here for a week, just waiting to see you." Dario says that he doesn't have time for autographs, and that if he wants one, he has to request it online. The man wearing a shirt that reads "Aztec Pride" assures Dario that he doesn't want to watch the show—he wants to be part of it. He says that his name is Marty "The Moth" Martinez, and that he has Aztec blood running through his veins. Granted, he looks like a big burly white dude, so I can understand Dario's reservations. Dario asks about the "Moth" moniker, and Marty says that the Moth is his spirit animal, and that the Lucha Underground Temple is his destiny. "Look, this Temple is open to anybody," Dario said, "But if I let you compete, I think you'll just get squashed—like a moth."

We're gearing up for the three way number one contender's match featuring the "Hunter" King Cuero, the "Machine" Cage, and the "Texas Sandstorm" Hernandez. Unlike our opening contest, there will be no handshake between these competitors—instead King Cuero and Cage immediately team up to take on Hernandez. Cage is incredibly impressive, hitting Hernandez with a standing shooting star press—or a moonsault, it was hard to see on which side Cage was standing. Cage and Cuerno's alliance is quick to dissolve as soon as Hernandez leaves them alone to compete on their own. Cage and Cuerno are both very young professional wrestlers, going toe-to-toe with a 42-year old 20-year veteran in Hernandez. Hernandez made his professional debut in November of 1996, and still runs the ropes and splashes his opponents the way he did when he was twenty-three. Matt Striker says that he didn't like Cage when he debuted, but has to admire his dedication to his craft from week-to-week.

Cage and Cuerno seem to get on the same page once more, but Hernandez hits King Cuerno with an "Intestine-Buster"—Matt Striker gets the credit for that one—followed by a funny face that basically said: "Yeah, you just saw that shit." Hernandez really does look amazing, and I'd dare say he looks better now than he did while paired alongside Homicide in LAX. A lot of these big dudes get leaner as they get older, and the result is usually more defined. If titles were given to guys based on the composition of their arms, Hernandez would be a Grand Slam Champion. But just when Cage and Hernandez were ready to finish the fight, Marty "The Moth" Martinez made his unceremonious debut. He hit the ring wearing his bright yellow "Aztec Pride" shirt and let the world know: "MARTY THE MOTH IS HERE!" Cuerno stood and kicked Marty clear across the ring, because apparently he was the only wrestler "heel-enough" to attack a "fan." Marty completely no-sold the drop-kick and was thrown over the top rope by Cage. Marty ran off into the back, and Matt Striker asked that the producers get the cameras off of him and back on the match. Hernandez hit Cuero with his inverted sit-out side-powerslam to become the new number one contender.

Vampiro has a sit-down with the new Trios Champions—Son of Havoc, Ivelisse, and Angelico—who are still having trouble getting on the same side. They argue over who is the team captain, and Angelico says that he won the titles when he leapt across the crowd from the office and into the ring. Ivelisse says that he won't shut up about the leap, and says that it was just a crossbody—"the most basic move in wrestling." Angelico suggests that it was THE crossbody. Havoc says that he thought it was pretty cool, but Ivelisse says that nobody asked him. Vampiro points out that Ivelisse is wearing a cast, but she assures him that "when it comes time to fight, [she'll] fight."

It's time for the main event wherein Drago is challenging the first-and-only Lucha Underground Champion, Prince Puma. If Drago is unable to defeat Puma this evening, he will no longer be allowed to compete in the Lucha Underground Temple. Drago makes his appearance down the darkened staircase under a bright red light, ready to compete in what is perhaps the biggest match of his Lucha Underground career. Prince Puma arrives in the building wearing the Puma pelt over his head, with Konnan following closely behind. We head into a commercial just as Puma is presenting his championship to the �Faithful', and when we return, this match is underway. Senior referee Marty Elias calls for the bell, and Puma and Drago shake hands as a sign of mutual respect. Drago and Puma exchange rough shots and Drago competes like his career is on the line, not allowing the champion any opportunity to follow through on impactful maneuvers. Drago follows through with an array of ground-based quick attacks, much to the chagrin of Konnan, who would rather see Puma react with more viscosity than honor. Drago works the champion into the corner and continues kicking and chopping away, focusing on the wobbly legs of Puma, so as to inhibit his aerial offense. Puma powers back and planchas his opponent; Vampiro says that he's been waiting for the champion to wake this audience up. Back inside the ring, Puma goes for the quick cover and earns a short two-count.

Puma became angry when he was unable to pin the "Last Remaining Dragon," and instead opted to apply a submission hold, that transitioned into a big slam and a near fall. Puma attacks Drago in the corner, but Drago moves out of the way and reverses Puma's advance with a corkscrew attack from the top rope. Drago applies a submission hold that makes Matt Striker say, "We've seen this from Drago and—wait, no we haven't!" He wrapped his legs around Pumas head with added pressure placed on his arms, in sort of a—uh, double-underhook-head-scissor… ROLL ? Puma fought through the pain with Konnan screaming in his face from ringside, and was able to get to the rope with the tip of his foot. Back and forth with a standing shooting star press from Puma and nobody is willing to back down. Puma placed Drago on his shoulders and attempted a GTS-style kick, but Drago landed on his feet and with a wag of the finger said: "No, no, no." Drago attacked Puma and earned a 2 and 9/10ths count from the referee before the champion kicked out.

Vampiro says, "This is so serious man," and you really get the impression that he and Striker are enjoying this match as much as the fans at home. The champion punches Drago in the face, and follows up with a series of kicks and a spinning belly-to-back Orange Crush bomb. He gets a 2 count, and the Lucha Underground Faithful go crazy: "This is awesome, this is awesome…" and Striker wonders if this is the last time Drago will hear those chants. Puma lifts Drago again but inadvertently knocks out the referee; Drago capitalizes and hits Puma with the Canadian Destroyer—interesting, for a Mexican wrestler working in America. He covers Puma but Marty Elias is out. That's when the number one contender showed up; Hernandez sped toward Puma with a ferocious body block—shades of the "Alpha Male" Monty Brown—but missed the champion, and collided with Drago. Hernandez showed no remorse and left the ring, leaving Striker to question who Hernandez was aiming for. Prince Puma didn't want to win the match like that, but succumbed to the pressure from Konnan and the fans inside the Temple, and defeated Drago to retain his title.

After the match, Puma and Konnan both raised Drago's hands on either side of the now BANNED Luchador, as a sign of respect, while the �Faithful chanted: "Thank you Drago." I really liked the way Konnan played this. He told Puma that he can't show mercy during the match, and after it was over, assured his "client" that there wasn't any other option. But still—Konnan raised Drago's hand, proving just what kind of person Konnan is in contrast to the far more diabolical Dario Cueto.
Another thrilling hour of nonstop fun from the same dude that brought you From Dusk til Dawn and Spy Kids . Until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to check out all of my work at Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook by LIKING "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly podcasts available every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/main-event-micromanagement-darren-youngs-equality-trunks/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/main-event-micromanagement-darren-youngs-equality-trunks/#comments Thu, 30 Apr 2015 23:44:02 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Other Reviews Reviews WWE Network Reviews Hulu Main Event WWE WWE Network http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=11444 Main Event Micromanagement: Darren Young's Equality Trunks Written by Mark Adam Haggerty Welcome to the debut edition of "Main Event Micromanagement," the once-weekly column where I pick one aspect of an hour-long broadcast for intense over-analysis. I'm not talking about the "Match of the Night," or Most Valuable Player—those reviews are reserved for other days […]

Main Event Micromanagement:
Darren Young's Equality Trunks
Written by Mark Adam Haggerty

Welcome to the debut edition of "Main Event Micromanagement," the once-weekly column where I pick one aspect of an hour-long broadcast for intense over-analysis. I'm not talking about the "Match of the Night," or Most Valuable Player—those reviews are reserved for other days of the week. Instead we'll be covering one-liners provided by color commentators, notes on wardrobe, ridiculous fans at ringside, and other SEEMINGLY nonsensical nuances of what is perhaps the WWE's least visible show. Let's get into the very first installment of "Main Event Micromanagement," where our topic of the day is…

Darren Young's Equality Trunks

For the Record, I couldn't find a photo of his tights, but it's the same logo that he has on his t-shirt.

I've said before how much I admire Darren Young, for an enormity of reasons, but none more so than his willingness to be himself regardless of the circumstances. When Darren came out to the world as the first openly gay member of the WWE roster, he did so on his own terms and never turned away. Instead he faced forward and held his partner's hand as a proud display of true love in its purest form. And for the record—I'm not talking about his tag team partner Titus O'Neil—I'm referring to Nick, his boyfriend of four years.

When the WWE's tour of the United Arab Emirates and similar locales kept the openly homosexual Darren state-side, he didn't stew about it behind closed doors. He took to social media, where he pushed the WWE's message of "Anti-Bullying" a step further by Tweeting his heartfelt dissatisfaction with the WWE's decision to tour an area of the world that doesn't respect women or gays. Darren has become a vocal advocate for equality and—in my humble opinion—an asset to World Wrestling Entertainment. That brings us to the "Equality Trunks."

Superstars have long since adorned their tights with logos and phrases that add to their character, and help them stand out in a ring full of my wrestlers. When I was really young, I watched the first three Wrestlemania's on repeat, because that's all the wrestling I had. While most of the combatants—such as Hulk Hogan, Roddy Piper, and Billy Jack Hayes—wore solid-colored trunks, other wrestlers, like Mr. Wonderful, had text embroidered on the backside of their gear. As years would go on, wrestlers like "Ravishing" Rick Rude and Rob Van Dam took the art to an extreme by creating real works of art on their tights. Bret Hart had hearts—Shawn Michaels had BROKEN hearts, which seems sort of foreboding in retrospect. But few wrestlers have ever used their high-profile in-ring presence to open a dialogue about real issues facing this country, and nations around the world.

Darren Young's trunks feature two muscular arms—perhaps his own—printed one over the other, just like the EQUAL SIGN that represents equality among people, regardless of whom they choose to love. We've all seen that pink and red symbol from time to time, perhaps on Facebook or Twitter, and a lot of people never knew what it meant. I am a heterosexual 28-year old guy, but I live on Ocean Boulevard in Long Beach, California. For those of you who don't know, Long Beach has a considerable gay population, and Ocean Boulevard is the home of Gay Pride each year. Any of my neighbors will tell you that the equal sign is NOT meant to represent gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender individuals alone, but ALL human beings and their equal right to be happy.

Darren certainly takes a chance when he heads down to the ring wearing a symbol that's familiar to some as a "Gay Pride" logo, especially in some of the less progressive cities in this "Great" Nation of ours. I wonder if the WWE keeps him out of certain cities all together, the way promotors in the 70s and 80s would have to hold off on their African American talent. Regardless of how others might react, Darren takes the chance night after night and is greeted with a generally favorable response every time. I think it helps some of the less educated members of the WWE Universe to embrace a gay wrestler, when they see him pal around with Titus O'Neill doing—for lack of a better word—"guy stuff."

When you strip Darren Young of his unique personality and flashy persona, you've still got a solid professional wrestler, trained by the very talented Kevin Knight at the Independent Wrestling Federation. Darren hasn't seen much success in terms of singles wrestling since debuting with the WWE, but was part of the Nexus angle, which earned him a Slammy Award in 2010. I'm of the belief that Darren Young will have a job with the WWE for as long as he wants, provided he keeps his nose clean, and continues to work hard between the ropes. There's not a racist, or redneck, or bigot in the world that can say Darren Young doesn't deserve to be where he is, based on his athletic ability alone.

I think it would behoove the WWE to utilize Darren in a more prominent way as an ambassador for their brand. Today is April 30, 2015 and just hours ago, Cyndi Lauper—close friend to the WWE—appeared before the Senate to advocate on behalf of the teenage LGBT community that is currently homeless. She asked that parents not kick their kids out on the street, and rather than pray for their child to change, pray that they themselves might learn acceptance. It was powerful, to say the least. And I feel that the WWE has its own advocate for human rights in one half of the "Prime Time Players." Darren Young has had no reservations about speaking his mind, and judging by the trunks he wears to the ring—is ready to start a conversation.

Thank you for joining me and until next time, this has been Mark Adam Haggerty reminding you to check out all of my work at Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News; follow me on Twitter via @TapeTraderz and on Facebook by LIKING "The B+ Players"; and listen to my weekly podcasts available every single Friday, Saturday and Sunday—exclusively at Cheap-Heat.com.