Backlash vs. Clash of Champions, then No Mercy vs. Hell In a Cell

These are the Head to Head battles of the Exclusive PPVs of the New Era!
First, my thoughts on the September PPVs.

My Original Predictions

Corbin over Crews
Nikki Bella wins the Smackdown Championships
Usos beat Hype Bros
Miz def. Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship
Slater and Rhyno over The Usos for the Tag Team Championships
Wyatt over Orton
Styles over Ambrose for the World Heavyweight Championship

(Smackdown)Backlash Results:

Corbin def. Crews in a great opener.

BECKY WINS! YAY! NEW WOMEN's CHAMPION!

Usos beat Hype Bros: I liked the Heel Turn

Miz def. Ziggler: Match of the Night

Slater and Rhyno over The Usos to become the Tag Team Champions: SLATER IS OVER!

Wyatt "injures" Orton. Wyatt vs. Kane. Kane wins due to interference by Orton. Worst part of the Night.

Styles is the top guy of the company and is the first person to win the NWA, TNA, IWGP, and WWE World Championships. Wait....2nd guy. I think Kurt Angle was the first.

Overall: Fantastic PPV. 8 out of 10

Original predictions for Clash of Champions

Jax over Fox
Good Brothers over New Day for the Tag Team Championships
Perkins over Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship
Cesaro over Sheamus
Zayn over Jericho
Charlotte over Bayley and Sasha for the Women's Championship
Reigns over Rusev for the United States Championship
Owens over Rollins for the Universal Championship

(Raw)Clash of Champions Results:

Nia Jax def. Alicia Fox in a good match for storyline and character development. Fox was especially good.

New Day def. Anderson and Gallows.  This may be my NJPW bias, but the titles should have switched here (I blame the Old Day Segment. That was Crap).

TJ Perkins def. Brian Kendrick to retain the WWE Cruiserweight Championship. Solid, even great match. But the crowd was dead.

Cesaro and Sheamus had a fantastic match.....and a cop-out for an ending.

Jericho over Zayn didn't make sense at the time of the PPV. Plus I'm a Zayniac, therefore any direct loss that Sami Zayn suffers....sucks.

Charlotte def. Bayley and Sasha was the correct call....just not with the Big Boot as a finish.

Roman Reigns def. Rusev to become the US Champion. They just won't give up. Rusev once again...was screwed.

Owens def. Rollins due to interference from Chris Jericho. Good match, sad that Rollins got injured. Great Storytelling.

Overall: 6 out of 10

Advantage: Smackdown.

Now here are the October PPVs.

Original Predictions:
American Alpha and the Hype Bros over the Ascension and The Vaudevillians
Corbin over Swagger
Hawkins wins in his debut
Carmella def. Nikki Bella
Orton over Wyatt
Miz over Ziggler for the Intercontinental Championship
Usos over Slater/Rhyno for the Tag Team Championship
Lynch over Alexa Bliss for the Women's Championship
AJ over Cena and Ambrose for the World Heavyweight Championship

No Mercy results

American Alpha and the Hype Bros def. The Ascension and The Vaudevillians

Good match, but I'm admittedly waiting for the various heel teams that aren't the Usos to finally gain a little momentum. This is extremely important considering that the current champions are faces.

Jack Swagger lost Baron Corbin

This one made it on the main card. Good match, but it was very slow.

Curt Hawkins makes his in ring re-debut

He Did It! He got in the ring and TROLLED EVERYONE! HA! I want this to continue!

Nikki Bella def.  Carmella
Good in between match. The women are utilizing the unwanted spot of the card very well. Even though the deathspot was the bathroom break, the matches have been too good to miss.

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt
The surprise main event finally gave us a Bray Wyatt Victory! AND LUKE HARPER RETURNED!
I'm more than satisfied just for  those two points alone. Admittedly, it will probably mean that the Wyatt Family will be massacred/sacrificed in some way at the next PPV...(The Joint-Branded Survivor Series) but for the quick thrill, it was nice to see Bray get a PPV win for the first time since the Brand Split occurred. (The last time he won a PPV singles match was last year against Roman Reigns at Battleground, and then the last PPV match he was apart of where he won was Battleground against the New Day). Randy didn't need the win and honestly, he could lose at Survivor Series and still come out on top. So win/win and a Main Event Win for Wyatt.

The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler in a Title vs. Career match for the Intercontinental Championship
-I'm actually torn on this one. I was ecstatic that Ziggler won the way he did, but admittedly I'm actually disappointed that the Miz's run had to end. Compared to the other titles in WWE, the IC titleholder can't seem to break 200 days, let alone come close to the Honky Tonk Man's record (which really does need to break much more than Demolition's Tag Team Championship record). That being said, fantastic match!

Heath Slater and Rhyno vs. The Usos for the Tag Team Championships
-A much better match than anticipated. The Usos are so good as heels now and Slater is insanely over. Plus, using Rhyno the way they do is perfect for his role. Important, protected veteran.

Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss for the Women's Championship

Becky was injured (SAD FACE) so Naomi took over (meh face). The match was meh (Meh face again) and therefore was honestly the one place I could call a bathroom break. (This should be the final message for Naomi and the WWE Writers. If you want to take her seriously, ALTER the rear end/Rear View/Whatever it's called. Asuka does it right as an attack rather than a spot that makes the opponent look stupid.)

AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena for the WWE World Championship
Fantastic Opener (WTF). Good false finish with AJ cleverly tapping out while both Ambrose and Cena had a submission on him. He knew that in a Triple Threat that the match would restart due to no conclusive SINGULAR winner. Even though he tapped out, since it wasn't a decisive singular submission and the match wasn't an elimination match, he had all the right to resume just as much as Ambrose and Cena. Ambrose really needs to be a full fledged heel very soon. The performances and possibilities are ENDLESS. Almost to the point that Cena could be legitimately cheered by the MAJORITY of the crowd.

7.5 out of 10

Hell in a Cell

Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship in a Hell in a Cell Match.

Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship in a Hell in a Cell Match.

Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte for the Women's Championship in a Hell in a Cell Match.

Cesaro and Sheamus vs. The New Day (Big E and Kofi Kingston)w/ Xavier Woods for the WWE Tag Team Championships

TJ Perkins vs. The Brian Kendrick for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship

Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson

Bayley vs. Dana Brooke

Pre-Show Match: Lince Dorado, Sin Cara, and Cedric Alexander vs. Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, and Tony Nese

My predictions
Pre Show: Dorado, Cara, and Alexander over Gulak, Daivari, and Nese
New Day over Cesaro/Sheamus for the Tag Team Championships
Kendrick over Perkins for the Cruiserweight Championship
Gallows and Anderson over Amore and Cass
Bayley over Dana Brooke
Reigns over Rusev for the United States Championship
Owens over Rollins for the Universal Championship
Banks over Flair for the Women's Championship

Hell in a Cell Results

(Key: Unsatisfied: 4 out of 10 or less, Satisfied: 5-6 out of 10, Quite Satisfied:7-8, Thoroughly satisfied:9 out of 10.)

Lince Dorado, Sin Cara, and Cedric Alexander def. Drew Gulak, Ariya Daivari, and Tony Nese. Alexander hit a modified Lumbar Check that Gulak sold extra on. Good opening match to the event, with everyone (except Daivari) getting some good spots in. Sin Cara is rejuvenated.

Roman Reigns def. Rusev for the US Championship in Hell in a Cell
-The main positive of this is that Rusev was a little more relatable and proved to be more dangerous, especially with the Accolade with the Chain. That being said, the way this match progressed wasn't great. Can't really say good either. 1 spear did the job after all of that? NO! Kendo stick to a padded vest? NO! Escape from the ropes that held down both Hogan and Andre the Giant in the past? NO!
Just bad logic in terms of the various Reigns spots. I get that both guys are powerhouses and the pace should be slow and methodical....but not plodding and lethargic. Wasn't impressed....could have honestly been the same match (and better) if not in the Cell and advertised as a Steel Steps Street fight instead. Unsatisfied

Bayley def. Dana Brooke
-Brooke was a little....(KEYWORD a little) better than her previous performances. Bayley highlighted not only her keen ability to be the underdog babyface, but her estute attention to detail by selling the injury she had in almost every aspect. I think trying to use her other arm and essentially mirror some of her moves would have been a little more logical in match, but it's a small thing to argue about. It was the cooldown(dare I say first bathroom break) match that did what needed be done. Satisfied

The Club (Gallows and Anderson) def. Enzo Amore and Big Cass
-I like Enzo and Cass. Their pandering was stretching at times, but the Big Papi reference was well timed. Cass is more confident on the mic...but sounds like he's memorizing his schtick. "Andy...and The Big Gal"......no thanks.
The Club needed the victory, and got it in a decent match. Not a great match, but good in the spot it was. Satisfied.

Kevin Owens def. Seth Rollins for the Universal Championship in Hell in a Cell
-This Should have been the Main Event. Best match of the night Hands down. Great Storytelling with Rollins and his back....along with Jericho getting into the cell AFTER Owens "Accidentally" sprayed the ref in the eyes with the fire extinguisher. Great spots and even better in ring vocal psychology. Rollins still being obnoxious in the ring, only for Owens to counter back banter. Thoroughly enjoyed this entire thing (though when do I get Triple H back in this situation?). Great foreshadowing at the end with both Jericho attacking Rollins, and Owens with a slight jealous scowl. Survivor Series with these two heading the Raw Team (hopefully, if Foley and Stephanie aren't...."STUPID IDIOTS") should be interesting. Now, before you continue reading, watch this match again. You won't regret........................................................................................................................................................................................................................

"it."(Thoroughly Satisfied)

Brian Kendrick def. TJ Perkins for the Cruiserweight Championship
-I felt bad for this match, because it was a borderline great match with fantastic storytelling. But because of who they followed....it was bathroom break no. 2. And that really sucks, because Perkins and Kendrick found a way to switch the titles with Kendrick actually earning it the hard and devious way, but also giving Perkins a way to lose without making him look too stupid. He was the face (and a Filipino at that) so it was obvious that he would still have some compassion left for his friend and mentor....only to get the headbutt and Captain's Hook to end the night. Quite satisfied.

Cesaro and Sheamus def. The New Day (Xavier Woods and Big E) w/Kofi Kingston via DQ
-This match kept me invested throughout and showed off how good both sides were. Sheamus and Cesaro are actually a fantastic team (kind of like the Kings of Wrestling in Ring of Honor). Both big guys compared to their opponents with devastating strikes. (Also, I'm waiting for the moment when Cesaro gets to do a bicycle kick to try and show up Sheamus's Brogue kick. Heck it could lead to a double Brogue/Bicycle Kick finisher...if they don't try KRS1). The New Day schtick has really grown old on me (even though I still do need them Booty Os cereal and updated New Day Socks). It's probably still due mostly to how The Club's series of matches ended, but it went from annoying....to entertaining....to stagnant. I'm honestly hoping for some sort of dissension next month so after they break the record a legitimate team can finally end the reign of booty. That being said, the match itself was fantastic and the ending served its purpose. Satisfied.

Main Event: Charlotte Flair def. Sasha Banks in Hell in a Cell to win the Women's Championship.
-This is where any chance of me getting notoriety/popularity goes down the drain.

I wasn't a fan of this match Main Eventing, or even being in Hell in a Cell to begin with.
The buildup to this match wasn't on the match...but more so on the overemphasized significance of "Women being in the Main Event and doing what the guys can do in Hell in a Cell".  Mick Foley's Promo on the Go Home Edition of Raw was exactly why I was actually afraid of watching this match.  Hell in a Cell is an entertaining match, but it comes at a price regardless if it's the good ones in the late 90s and early 2000s or the watered down ones of the current times. Asking these two to put that much risk is gimmicked up in my opinion.
(As a quick aside, WWE needs to realize this: a MAIN EVENT is ONE MATCH. The main event is who goes on last. Rock vs. Hogan was the best match of Wrestlemania 18 but Triple H vs. Chris Jericho was the MAIN EVENT. HBK vs. Taker at WM25 was the BEST match of the night, but HHH vs. Randy Orton was the MAIN EVENT. CM PUNK vs. The Undertaker was the Best match of WM29....but CENA ROCK was the MAIN EVENT. SCREW YOU AND YOUR 2-3 Main events and The Main event goes first! The main event of last PPV was Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton. Rant done)

As for the match and the storytelling itself, it did an amazing job of creating pathos for Sasha after she was Powerbombed through the Announce table, only to regather the strength once Charlotte was about to win by forfeit. Charlotte in turn had a beyond heat filled night. From the entrances to Sasha's back giving out near the end had drama left and right. That being said...similar to Summerslam there were also some pretty bad spots. They didn't need that long of an injury situation at the begining, there were botched spots both on the outside and inside of the cell by Charlotte, and a nasty knee by Sasha off of what otherwise was a pretty cool use of the cell.

The ending moments are what sum up my feelings about the match. Personally, I understand the decision....and to an extent I get the reasoning. Natural Selection (which is still a stupid name for the flipping face buster that used to be known as Bow Down to the Queen) is strengthened as a finisher similar to how 1 spear ended Rusev's night in the opening contest of the PPV. But as a heel, you want an ENDLESS chorus of boos if you win....or at least applause for both performance. And for what they did, they deserved applause. But, needless to say, this match could have been just as good without it being Hell in a Cell. Heck....here's a storyline building question.....why wasn't a Steel Cage enough? I think they could have done alot more if it was a Steel Cage Match or a Women's Street Fight.  So it's one of those where I can argue both Unsatisfied due to the ending, but Thoroughly Satisfied due to the in match storyline and admittedly to the legacy it will leave for the (here comes the bomb) Overemphasized, showponied, even borderline patronized Women's wrestling Revolution.

6.95 out of 10

Overall, in comparing the two Raw PPVs (Clash of Champions and Hell in a Cell) versus Smackdown's PPVs (Backlash and No Mercy), I can say with confidence that Smackdown has the momentum going into the first official Dual Brand PPV duel, Survivor Series.  Raw has gotten more time, and has the fresher talent being showcased currently (highlighting Sasha, Charlotte, Owens, and Rollins). However, Raw really gets hurt by not only lazy storyline writing/lack thereof, but also dragging a few storylines through the checkpoints with cop out booking. I'm not saying EVERY match has to end clean, but there is a lack of creative that is showing and hurting. Plus, Raw has a plethora of talent (Sami Zayn, Neville, Strowman, Rich Swann, etc.) that is either not being utilized or being severely under utilized. That's not to say that Smackdown is perfect in that retrospect (Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Natalya) but I think with the crop of talent that both sides have, Smackdown utilizes a higher percentage of it.

Now, Smackdown' biggest hurdle is something that is also one of it's greatest strengths. Giving satisfying endings to PPVs makes it a little more difficult to motivate a viewer to check what's next, because endings seem pretty conclusive. That being said, great matches are great matches but without a storyline and a good narrative, they're just PWG matches. And even PWG has a story here and there.

Smackdown's storylines and character building has been top notch. From the draft to now, we as fans have finally been given reasons to care about Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, The Usos, and Heath Slater. John Cena has less boos coming to him nowadays. AJ STYLES IS THE WORLD CHAMPION and Dean Ambrose is more than just lunatic lunacy. There's rhyme and reason for Rhyno, The Headbangers, Naomi, Alexa Bliss, and so many more. BECKY LYNCH IS A CHAMPION. Hell, the brand split even made me entertained by Eva Marie....who I still think should have been gone for awhile!

Between the two sets of PPVs, Smackdown has made more people care about their brand. And if the results and feedback of the two PPVs are any indicator of which brand will be superior at Survivor Series, I would currently put whatever is left of my money on Smackdown Live right now. Better writing, better storyline transition and Payoff and all of that without the patronizing of certain subjects and without the sacrifice of match quality. The only things left for Smackdown live to get right....is Curt Hawkins and utilizing the heel teams outside of the Usos better.

September and October Round Up

This is the INDY roundup from August 28 to mid October. With the job starting up, I'm not going to be as updated. Therefore, when you see results, it will be synopses covering a few months in either storyline or at least results.
Roundup

United States
ROH


TNA
DJ Z is the NEW X Division Champion
Maria is the Women's Knockout Champion (Gail Kim No. 1 contender)
Lashley is the TNA World Champion
Finals for the Grand Championship is Aron Rex vs. Drew Galloway

Bound for Glory
DJZ def. Trevor Lee
Eli Drake wins Bound for Gold Battle Royal
Moose def. Mike Bennett
Aron Rex def. Eddie Edwards to win the IMPACT Grand Championship
Brother Nero and Broken Matt Hardy def. Decay to win the TNA World Tag Team Championships
Gail Kim def. Maria to win the TNA Women's Knockout Championship
Lashley def. EC3 to retain the TNA World Heavyweight Championship

Cody Rhodes debuted and then defeated Mike Bennett in his debut match
All Champions retained the following episode with the exception of the main event.
Eddie Edwards def. Lashley to win the TNA World Heavyweight Championship
Oh....AND THE FINAL DELETION PART 2

Future Spoilers (feel free to skip)
TNA World Title No.1 Contender tournament
Bennett over moose, EC3 over Abyss, Trevor Lee over DJZ/Spud, Lashley def. Grado/Robbie E)
EC3 def. Lashley, Bennett, Lee
The Death Crew Council is formed (Bram, Eddie Kingston, and James Storm)
Team X Gold (6 man tag) elimination match:
Braxton Sutter, DJZ, and Mandrews def. Decay and Spud, and The Helms Dynasty (Trevor lee, Andrew Everett, and Marshe Rockett
Rosemary def. Jade to win the TNA Knockout's Championship
Moose def. Aron Rex to win the TNA Grand Championship

LUCHA UNDERGROUND:
Season 3

Current Champion: The Monster Matanza Cueto
Current Trios Champions: Drago, Fenix, Aerostar

Ep.1
Matanza Cueto def. Son of Havoc to retain the Lucha Underground Championship

Sexy Star def. Taya to retain the Gift of the Gods Championship

Rey Mysterio def. Pentagon Dark

Ep.2

Dr. Wagner Jr. def. Mascara Sagrada

Mil Muertes def. Argents

Killshot def. Marty "the Moth" Martinez in a Weapons of Mass Destruction Match

Ep. 3
Matanza def. The Mack
Cage def. Texano
AeroStar, Drago, Fenix def. Evans, Black, and Taya

Ep. 4
Prince Puma def. El Siniestro de la Muerte
Pentagon Dark def. Cortez Castro
Evans, Mundo, Black, and Taya def. Aerostar, Sexy Star, Drago, and Fenix
Dragon Azteca Jr. def. Chavo Guerrero Jr. (Rey Mysterio Jr. the referee)

Ep.5 
Ivelisse def. Mariposa
Cage def. Texano
Matanza def. Prince Puma

Ep. 6
Dr. Wagner Jr. and Famous B def. Mascara Sagrada and Son of Havoc
Sexy Star def. Jack Evans
Pentagon Dark def. Chavo Guerrero and Rey Mysterio

Ep. 7 
Matanza Cueto def. Killshot
Drago def. Aerostar and Fenix to become #20 in Aztec Warfare
Prince Puma def. Mil Muertes

Ep. 8
Marty Martinez def. Ivelisse
Texano de. Cage
Johnny Mundo def. Sexy Star to win the Gift of the Gods Championship

Various Spoilers (Don't need to read)
Mil Muertes def. Prince Puma in a casket Match
PJ Black, Jeremiah Gray(Sami Callahan), The Mack and Cage advance to the Battle of the Bulls Final
Sexy Star wins Aztec Warfare to win the Lucha Underground Championship
Johnny Mundo def. Sexy Star to win the Lucha Underground Championship
Killshot def. Dante Fox(AR Fox)
Mack wins Battle of the Bulls
King Mal, Kobra Moon, and Luchasaurus def. AeroStar, Drago, and Fenix to win the Trios Championships
Prince Puma wins the Cueto Cup
Pentagon Dark def. Son of Havoc win the Gift of the Gods Championship
Fenix def. Marty Martinez in a Mask vs. Hair Luchas de Apuestas match
Kill Shot def. Dante Fox in a Hell of War match
Dante Fox, Killshot, and the Mack def. Drago, King Mal, and Luchasaurus to win the Trios Championship
Prince Puma def. Johnny Mundo in a Title vs. Career match to win the Lucha Underground Championship
Pentagon Dark def. Prince Puma in a Loser Leaves Town match to win the Lucha Underground Championship

EVOLVE
WWE CWC Various Results via Representation:Drew Gulak (Eliminated in Round 2 by Zack Sabre Jr.), Zack Sabre Jr. (Eliminated in Semi-Finals by Gran Metalik), Tony Nese (Eliminated in Round 2 by Brian Kendrick), Kota Ibushi (Eliminated in Semi-Finals by TJ Perkins), Cedric Alexander (eliminated in Round 2 by Kota Ibushi), Rich Swann (eliminated in Quarterfinals by TJ Perkins), Tomasso Ciampa (Eliminated in Round 1 by Johnny Gargano), Johnny Gargano (eliminated in Round 2 by TJ Perkins), Lince Dorado (Eliminated in Round 2 by Rich Swann), TJ Perkins (Winner, defeated Da Mack of Germany, Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann of the United States, Kota Ibushi of Japan, and Gran Metalik of Mexico)

66
TJP over Alexander
Jigsaw/Kaasa over Yehi/Williams
Page over Dustin
Gulak over Nese
Thatcher over Riddle to retain Evolve Championship
Rhodes over Sabre Jr.

67
Page over Durst
Nese over Kaasa
Riddle over End
Sabre Jr. Over Alexander
Hero over Rhodes
Thatcher over Gulak to retain Evolve Championship
Galloway/Dustin/EC3 over Yehi/TJP/Page

68
Yehi over Jigsaw
Page over Dan Barry
TJP over Darby Allin
Williams over Dustin (twice)
Nese over Riddle and Ricochet
Galloway over Gulak
Sabre Jr. Over Gargano

69
Allin over Nese
Yeah over Travis Gordon
Williams over Chuck O'Neill
Dustin over Gulak
Ethan Page over David Starr
Matt Riddle over TJP
Ricochet over Zack Sabre Jr.
Cody Rhodes and Johnny Gargano def. Chris Hero and Drew Galloway

70
Allin over Anthony Henry
Nathan Cruz def. Jason Kincaid
Fred Yehi def. Dustin
The Gatekeepers (Devastation Corporation) (Blaster McMassive and Flex Rumblecrunch) def. CT Brown and Rex Baccus
Tim Thatcher def. Ethan Page to retain the EVOLVE Championship
Zack Sabre Jr. def Tracy Williams
Chris Hero def. Drew Gulak
Matt Riddle def. AR Fox

71
Drew Gulak def. Tim Thatcher
Tracy Williams def. Kincaid
Ethan Page def. Sami Callahan
DUSTIN def. Darby Allin
Zack Sabre Jr. def. Fred Yehi
Chris Hero def. Matt Riddle
PWG
(See BOLA Article)

Beyond Wrestling
8/28
Drew Gulak over Dave Cole
Ortiz, Draztik, Sanchez, and Jaka over Romero, Greene, Bell, and Mastone
Milonas def. JT Dunn
David Starr def. Eddie Edwards
Da Hoodz (Cash, Pyro, Stone) def. Da Hit Squad (Maff, Mack, Fury)
Keith Lee def. AR Fox
Jonathan Gresham def. Tracy Williams
Matt Riddle def. Chris Dickinson
Donovan Dijak def. Tommy End

10/2 (Part 1)
Dijak/Webb def. Lovelace/Lee
Fury def. Cole

10/2 Midas Touch
Chris Dickinson def. Tracy Williams
Pazuzu def. Graves, Ryan, and VSK
Matt Riddle def. Jaka
Tessa Blanchard def. Ricochet (WHAT!)
Joey Janela def. Jon Gresham
War Machine def. Da Hit Squad
John Silver def. Michael Elgin

CZW
Homicide and Monsta Mack def. BLK Jeez and Pepper Parks
Shane Strickland def. Desmond Xavier
IWA MS def. The Nation Of Intoxication
Rickey Shane Page def. Sami Calilhan
Joey Janela def. Lio Rush to win the CZW Wired Championship
Jonathan Gresham def. Greg Excellent, Joe Gacy, and Matt Tremont in a Four Way Boards of Nails Carpet Stripes Pains of Glass Death Match to become the NEW CZW World Heavyweight Champion


CHIKARA

Current Point Totals:

Grand Championship: Hallowicked 
Golden Opportunity: Jervis Cottonbelly
Three Points: Icarus (Wani, Calhoun, Missile, Silver), Mr. Touchdown (Juan, Missile, Cannon, Fire), Ophidian (Hermit Crab (x2), Juan Francisco de Coronado)
Two Points:Blind Rage (Fitchett, Ultramantis Black), Chuck Taylor (Lee, Argus), Hermit Crab (Amasis, Barksdale), Jigsaw (Oleg, Missile), Lucas Calhoun (Wani, Taylor TM), Max Smashmaster (Shynron, Jojo Bravo), Soldier Ant (Taylor Tm, Calhoun)
One Point: The Big Deal (Taylor Tm), Deonna Purazzo (Dobson), Eddie Kingston (Hammermeier), Estonian Thunderfrog (Mr. Touchdown), Flex Rumblecrunch (Billy Bodyslam), Jaka (Kingston), Juan Francisco de Coronado (Donald Kluger), Oleg the Usurper (Barksdale), Prakash Sabar (FarmerFrog), Princess Kimberlee (Lobster), Race Jaxon (Boar), Shynron (Mr. Touchdown), Wani (Barksdale), Worker Ant (Pence)

Young Lion's Cup Holder: Estonian Thunderfrog

Campeonatos De Parejas: Mustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven)
Three Points: BDK(Nokken and Pinkie. Wrecking Crew, Batiri, Battleborn)
Two Points: Juan and Wani (Nazmaldun, Ants), Sonny Defarge and Cornelius Crumbles (Dez Poloton, Crab and Lobster)
One Point: Condron and Calhoun (Icarus and Lovelace), Condron/MAM (Amasis/FireAnt), DX (Bloc Party), Taylor and Gulak (Jaka/Oleg), Icarus/Frightmare (Kingston/Ophidian), Icarus/Touchdown (Fire/Silver), Los Ice Creams (Big Deal), Frightmare/Blind Rage (ice creams), NRG (Carl and Beele), Cottonbelly/Fontaine (Ice Creams), Portal (Batiri), Kimberlee/Kingston (Wicked/Icarus), Kimberlee/Oleg (Blaster/Flex), Ophidian/Shynron (Calhoun/MAM), Sea Stars (Cassidy/Swamp Monster)

Kings/Queens of Trios:Team Sendai Girls (Cassandra Miyagi, Dash Chisako, and Meiko Satomura(def. JWP)
Rey de Voladores: Aero Star(def. Tony Nese, who replaced Frightmare)
Tag World Grand Prix: The Devastation Corporation (Blaster McMassive and Flex Rumblecrunch) (def The Colony)
Torneo Cibernetico: Juan Francisco de Coronado(def. Mr. Touchdown)

Black Goodbye
Icarus and Mark Angelosetti def. Silver and Fire Ant

The Batiri def. Oleg, Heidi, and Ophidian

Hallowicked def. Drew Gulak to retain the CHIKARA Grand Championship

Judgement Day
Hallowicked def. Heidi Lovelace

FIP

Fred Yehi def. Martin Stone and Caleb Konley to retain the FIP World Heavyweight Championship and win the FIP Florida Heritage Championship
The Hooligans def. Flying Solow to retain the FIP Tag Team Championships

MCW

Women's Champion: Brittany Blake
Tag Team Champions:Dirty Money and Eric Chapel
Heavyweight Champion:Drolix
Shane Shamrock Memorial Cup Winner: Lio Rush
Rage Television Championship:Ken Dixon

Drolix def. Ryan McBride on 9/30 to win the MCW Heavyweight Championship

NWA

Jazz is the new NWA Women's Champion
Tim Storm def. Jax Dane to win the NWA World Heavyweight Championship
Rob Conway and Matt Riviera are the current NWA World Tag Team Champions

Pro Wrestling Syndicate(PWS)
Tag Team Champions: The Handicapped Heroes (Iron and Gowen)
Suicidal Six Way Championship: Andy Harner
Heavyweight Champion: Matt Macintosh
Bombshells:Missy Sampson
TV: Brian Myers


Absolute Intense Wrestling (AIW)
Intense Title Holder:Alex Daniels
Absolute:Josh Prohibition
Women's Title:Shayna Baszler

AAW

Heritage Championship:AR Fox

Tag Team Championship: Davy Vega and Mat Fitchett

Heavyweight Championship: Pentagon Jr

7/23

Pentagon Jr. def Sami Callahan

9/1 Pentagon Jr. def Tomasso Ciampa

Jim Lynam Memorial

Round 1

Chuck Taylor def. Davey Vega, Mat Fitchett def. Silas Young, ACH def. Brian Cage, Zack Sabre Jr. def Colt Cabana, Mustafa Ali def. Ethan Page, Jeff Cobb def. Drew Gulak, Fenix def. AR Fox, Chris Hero def. Kongo Kong
Pentagon Jr. def. Sami Callahan in a Mexican Death match

Night 2
Hero def. Fitchett, Ali def. Fenix, Sabre Jr. def Cobb, ACH def. Taylor
AR Fox def. Brian Cage and Drew Gulak to retain the AAW Heritage Title
Hero def. Ali and Sabre Jr. def ACH
In a Title vs. Career vs. Hair. vs Mask. match, Jake Crist (career) and Sami Callahan (Hair) def. Fenix (Mask) and Pentagon Jr. (Title) to win the AAW Heavyweight Championship
Chris Hero def. Zack Sabre Jr. to win the Jim Lynam Memorial Tournament

Shimmer

Heart of Shimmer: Nicole Savoy
Shimmer Champion: Mercedes Martinez
Shimmer Tag Team Championship: Evie and Heidi Lovelace

Shine

SHINE Championship: Ivellise

SHINE Tag Team Championship: Jayme Jameson and Marti Belle

UK Scene

WWE CWC

Jack Gallagher was eliminated by Akira Tozawa in the Round of 16, Noam Dar was eliminated in the Quarterfinals by Zack Sabre Jr., and Zack Sabre Jr. was eliminated in the Semi Finals by Runner Up Gran Metalik. 

Progress

CH 36
Rampage Brown def. Joe Coffey to win the Atlas Title
Windsor, Black, and Jinny def. Di Matteo, Pollyanna, and Newell
Sebastian vs. William Eaver went to a no Contest
Pete Dunne and Trent Seven def. The London Riots to win the Progress Tag Team Championship
Zack Sabre Jr def. Tomasso Ciampa in a Best two out of three falls
Mastiff, Ligero, Cruz, and Gibson def. Moser, Dennis, Andrews, and Gallagher
Mark Haskins def. Marty Scurll and Tommy End to win the Progress World Championship

CH 37
Kay Lee Ray def. Kimber Lee
James Drake def. Fabian Aichner
Marty Scurll def. Joe Coffey, Pete Dunne, and Trent Seven to become No. 1 Contender for the Progress World Title
TK Cooper and Travis Banks def. Dennis and Andrews AND Mastif and Ligero
Rampage Brown def. Mikey Whiplash to retain the Atlas World Title
Mark Haskins def. Zack Gibson to retain the Progress World Title. 

CH 38
The Hunters def The New Nation
Jinny def Pollyanna
South Pacific Power Trip def. Sexsmith and Johnson
Paul Robinson def William Eaver
Matt Cross def. Mark Andrews
Rampage Brown def. Badd Bones to retain the Progress Atlas Championship
Mark Haskins def. Jimmy Havoc and Marty Scurll to retain the Progress World Championship
However, due to injury issues, Haskins has to relinquish the Progress World Championship at this time. 

Revolution pro
8-26

Jay White def. Mark Haskins

Marty Scurll def. Moose
Will Ospreay def. Pete Dunne to retain the RevPro British Cruiserweight Championship

RevPro vs. New japan
Night 1
BUSHI vs. Ospreay
Hero vs. Ishii
(EVIL, SANADA, and Naito) vs. Moustache Mountain and Mark Haskins
Dunne vs. Nagata
Lyger vs. Scurll
Sabre Jr. vs. Shibata

Night 2
Lyger vs. Ospreay
Dunne vs. Ishii
Charlie Garrett and Joel Redman vs. BUSHI and EVIL
Galloway vs. Honma
Seven vs. Nagata
Hero vs. Shibata
Scurll and Sabre Jr. vs. SANADA and Naito

ICW
9/11
Joe Coffey def. Tim Thatcher
Jackie Polo and Mark Coffey def. Davey Boy and Joe Hendry to win the ICW Tag Team Championships

10/29
Lewis Garvin def. Lionheart for the ICW Zero-G Championship

Smaller Promotion current champions

Attack pro:Ryan Smile

Fight Club Pro: Pete Dunne def Sami Callahan to win the FCP Title

Preston City: Iestyn Rees (PCW Title), Joey Hayes and Martin Kirby (Tag Team)

New Generation Wrestling:Nathan Cruz

All Star Wrestling: Rampage Brown

What Culture

STACKED

Moose over Joe Coffey
El Ligero over EC3 and Pete Dunne
Drew Galloway def. Doug Wiliams
Will Ospreay def. Marty Scurll
Martin Kirby and Travis Banks def. Gabriel Kidd and Liam Slater

Nixon Newell def. Bea Priestly via Punt Kick for the WCPW Women's Championship

Primate def. Grado

Joseph Connors pinned Joe Hendry to win a Four Way Match featuring Big Damo and Rampage Brown to Win The WCPW World Championship

Eric Bischoff as Guest GM

Conners def. El Ligero
Joe Hendry wins (Moose wasn't eliminated!) the Kurt Angle Invitational Rumble match to win a shot against Kurt Angle
Order of Elimination: Travis Banks, Martin Kirby, Prince Ameen, Drew Galloway, Marty Scurll, Pete Dunne, (Moose wasn't eliminated!) Rampage, El Ligero, Liam Slater, Joe Coffey, Primate, Doug Williams, Ethan Carter III

Kirby def. Scurll, Dunne, Ospreay, and Banks
Drew Galloway def. Moose
Alex Windsor and Be a Priestly def. Little Miss Roxy and Nixon Newell
Rampage def. Big Damo (Piledriver Legal)

Joe Coffey def. Prince Ameen
Martin Kirby def. Pete Dunne
Travis Banks def. El Ligero
Alberto El Patron def. Big Damo, where if Damo Lost he would lose his WCPW career

Nixon Newell def. Alex Windsor and Katarina Leigh (Katie Lea/Winter) to retain the WCPW Women's Championship
Los Perspectiva (Prospect) (El Hijo de Gracie/Alex Gracie) and Lucha Archer (Lucas Archer) def. Johnny Moss and Liam Slater and Mustache Mountain (Trent Seven/Tyler Bate)
Joe Hendry def. Primate
Joseph Conners def. Drew Galloway to retain the WCPW World Championship

Los Perspectiva (Prospect) (El Hijo de Gracie/Alex Gracie) and Lucha Archer (Lucas Archer) def. Johnny Moss and Liam Slater and Gabriel Kidd and Prince Ameen
Primate def. Conner, Biggs, Mercer, and Kellett

REFUSE TO LOSE
Minoru Suzuki (w/El Desperado) def. Joe Coffey
El Ligero def Alberto El Patron and Travis Banks to win the WCPW Internet Championship
Cody Rhodes def. Doug Williams
Rampage def. Adam Blampied (w/ Alex Gracie, Big Damo, Drake, James R. Kennedy, and Lucas Archer) where if Blampied loses, he loses his job in WCPW.
Nixon Newell def. Kimber Lee to retain the WCPW Women's Championship
Joseph Conners def. Martin Kirby to retain the WCPW World Championship
Kurt Angle def. Joe Hendry

Joe Coffey def. Big Damo
Tyler Bate def. Liam Slater
Prospect def. Los Prospectiva
Johnny Moss def. Trent Seven
Joe Hendry def. Pete Dunne

Kimber Lee def. Little Miss Roxy
Martin Kirby def. Travis Banks
Primate vs. Rampage no Contest
El Desperado and El Ligero def. Gabriel Kidd and Prince Ameen
Jospeh Conners def. Cody Rhodes to retain the WCPW World Championship


(WCPW TRUE Legacy Future Spoilers-DO NOT READ UNTIL 11/5!)
Johnny Moss and Liam Slater def. Moustache Mountain (Trent Seven and Tyler Bate)
Nixon Newell def. Kimber Lee
Minoru Suzuki def. Joe Coffey
Primate and Prospect def. El Desperado, Gabriel Kidd, Prince Ameen, and Rampage Brown
Martin Kirby def. Big Damo
El Ligero def. Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne and Travis Banks def. Alberto El Patron and El Ligero
Joseph Conners def. Joe Hendry
Kurt Angle def. Cody Rhodes

GERMANY

WXW

8/27 Title vs. Title

Mack vs. Simmons No Contest
Tyler Bate def. Pete Dunne who def. Da Mack to win the wXw Shotgun Championship

10/2
JML (Starr and Strickland) def. Scurll and Sabre Jr. to win the WXW World Tag Team Championships

10/22
A4 (Absolute Andy and Marius Al And) def. David Starr and Lio Rush to win the WXW World Tag Team Championships

MEXICO

WWE CWC

CMLL's Mascara Dorada/Gran Metalik finished as the Runner Up to the former Puma, TJ Perkins, while Raul Mendoza was eliminated in Round 1 by Brian Kendrick

CMLL
Rey Bucanero def. Super Crazy in a Hair vs. Hair match
Dragon Lee def. La Mascara in a Mask vs. Mask Match

AAA
TripleMania
AeroStar and Drago def. Angelico and Jack Evans.....And El Hijo de Fantasma and Garza Jr......AND Matt Cross and Paul London to win the AAA World Tag Team Championship

Johnny Mundo def. Pentagon Jr to win the AAA Latin America Championship

El Texano Jr. def. Brian Cage and Dr. Wagner to Retain the AAA World Heavyweight Championship

JAPAN
WWE CWC

Yoshihiro Tajiri finished in the Round of 16,  Akira Tozawa finished in the Quarterfinals, and Kota Ibushi finished in the Semi Finals.

NJPW (Separate Post)
Fuego and Taguchi def. Lyger Mask
Roppongi Vice def. Angel de Oro and Titan

David Finlay and Ricochet def. Gedo and Will Ospreay
ACH and Taiji Ishimori def. The Young Bucks

Ropongi Vice def. Fuego and Taguchi
ACH and Taiji Ishimori def. David Finlay and Ricochet

Upcoming PPV: POWER STRUGGLE
ACH and Taiji Ishimori vs. Roppongi Vice (Rocky Romero and Trent Berretta) for the Super Jr Tag Tournament

Bullet Club/Guerrillas of Destiny (Tanga Loa and Tama Tonga) vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI HASHI) for the IWGP Tag Team Championships

BUSHI vs. KUSHIDA for the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship

Katsuyori Shibata vs. EVIL for the NEVER Openweight Championship

Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA

Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin for the IWGP Intercontinental Championship

Pro Wrestling NoAH

Atsushi Kotoge def. Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Championship
World Class Tag Team (Gedo and Jado) def. Moms No Seishun Tag (Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada) to win the GHC Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Katsuhiko Nakajima def. Takashi Sugiura to Win the GHC Heavyweight Championship

Dragon Gate

9/4 Genki Horiguchi, Jimmy Kanda, and Ryo Saito def. Akira Tozawa, Masato Yoshino, and T-Hawk to win the Open the Triangle Gate Championships

9/10 Dragon Kid and Eita def. Haruki Doi and YASSHI to win the Summer Tag League

Akira Tozawa finished in the Quarterfinals, losing to runner up Gran Metalik. 

Osaka pro

Shiro Kuma def Kuishinbo Kamen who had def. Ebessan to win the Owarai Title
HUB def. Tadasuke to win the Osaka Pro Championship

Wrestle-1

Kat Hayashi and Kotaro Suzuki def. Shoji Kondo and YASSHI to win the Wrestle-1 Tag Team Championship

AJPW

Yohei Nakajima def. Big Billy Kid for the GAORA TV Title

Suwama won the Royal Road Tournament

Cruiserweight Classic Quarter/Semi/FINALS Results and Analysis

Hello Smarks!

This will be the results page of the final three rounds so by the time this comes out, all the results will have finished.


Current Predictions
Ibushi over Kendrick
Swann over Perkins
Sabre Jr. over Dar
Metalik over Tozawa

Then the Semi Finals
Ibushi/kendrick vs. Swann/Perkins (Prediction is Ibushi)
Dar/Sabre Jr. vs. Metalik/Tozawa (Prediction is Sabre Jr.)

Finals= Ibushi over Sabre Jr.

Quarterfinal Matchups

Gran Metalik vs. Akira Tozawa
The opening contest of the Quarterfinals was one of the best matches of the tournament. I had been waiting for a quality shining performance from Tozawa and I finally got it this round! Metalik/Mascara Dorada has been sensation since his first round matchup against Alejandro Saez and I can't wait to see what happens next. Honestly, (while I didn't think about it at first) with the two biggest favorites reportedly not signing to WWE right away (Kota Ibushi and Zack Sabre Jr.), that rumor automatically makes Metalik the realistic favorite (kayfabe?) to win the entire tournament and even potentially become the rumored Cruiserweight Champion.

Metalik via Dorada Screwdriver


Kota Ibushi vs. Brian Kendrick (I had Ibushi in this match)
The Main Event of Night 1 of the Quarterfinals was theatrically fantastic. The desperation of Kendrick shone through as he took every shortcut to beat the heavily favored Ibushi. The commentary during this match was even more phenominal than the rest of the tournament. In terms of storytelling, you could say that this match was equal to the Ciampa/Gargano first round matchup. Ibushi going over was the right choice and the emotion that Kendrick showed (especially when longtime friend Daniel Bryan came into the ring to embrace him) was exactly what this tournament was about. Also, I am stoked that Kendrick gets a final chance on the main roster in the new Raw Cruiserweight Division.

Result: Ibushi via World Star Powerbomb .

Dar vs. Sabre jr.
Sabre Jr. over Dar via Ode to Breaks without arms

Such a great purist match! Absolutely loved it! Plus Dar gets to join Raw!

Swann vs. Perkins
Perkins over Swann via Kneebar

Great story told, Perkins was the heel but was great. Such a great match. Can't wait to see BOTH of these guys on the main roster.

Semi-Finals
Metalik over Sabre Jr.

Perkins over Ibushi

Both could have been surprises and technically they were because I got both wrong. However, with Ibushi and Sabre Jr. not officially signing on to be exclusive, the finals were easier to predict.

Tag Team Specialty Match: Gargano and Ciampa def. Alexander and Dar

SPOTFEST AND AWESOME!

FINALS
TJ Perkins Def. Gran Metalik to Win The Cruiserweight Classic and become the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion

While I was temporarily sad for about a second when I found out I was wrong about the finals, it all changed when Triple H came out and announced that the winner would become the NEW WWE Cruiserweight Champion representing the CWC roster on Raw.
Immediately I stopped caring and just started cheering on the Filipino Representative. And Boy was I stoked when Perkins Won. Originally following him in TNA as Puma during the 2006 World X Cup before finding out about PWG, Perkins stood out for that cool Spider Man stop in the ropes. To see him now being the flag bearer for not only the CWC and the Cruiserweight, but essentially the Independent Wrestling Scene's Pure representative was wonderful to watch and to absorb. I can't wait for what happens after that.

The following Wrestlers from the Cruiserweight Classic have all been announced to be in Raw's Cruiserweight Division:
Rich Swann (USA/BALTIMORE!)
Noam Dar(Scotland/Israel)
Brian Kendrick (USA/Washington State)
TJ Perkins (Philippines/Los Angeles)
Tomasso Ciampa (USA/Italy/Milwaukee)
Cedric Alexander (USA/Charlotte)
Johnny Gargano (USA/Cleveland)
Gran Metalik (Mexico)
Akira Tozawa (Japan)
Jack Gallagher (England)

Finally, here are the final rankings based off of 3 factors:
Where they were eliminated
Their performance
Crowd Interaction

1. TJ Perkins
It's a no-brainer that the top guy in this tournament would be the winner. Perkins was fantastic in Round 1 against Da Mack, then followed it up with two well told stories against Johnny Gargano and Rich Swann, then had a finals-like miracle upsetting my pick Kota Ibushi, and finally squaring it all with a phenomenal victory over Gran Metalik. Truly deserving of the Cruiserweight Championship, the fact that it was a Filipino winning it made it even sweeter! Grade: A++++++++++

2. Gran Metalik
Metalik did not have a single bad match. Alejandro Saez, Yoshihiro Tajiri, Akira Tozawa, Zack Sabre Jr. and TJ Perkins all had phenominal matches against the former Mascara Dorada. Metalik probably had his two best performances against Tozawa and Perkins. The final match could have gone either way and he impressed in his first Raw appearance as well. I look forward to more out of this dude. Grade:A++

3. Kota Ibushi
Ibushi was my pick to win the entire thing and he was 1 round and two wins short. A grand favorite that had been advertised since NxT Takeover Dallas, Ibushi had stellar victories over Brian Kendrick, Sean Maluta, and a round stealing thriller against Cedric Alexander. He topped that with his performance against eventual winner TJ Perkins in what was an instant classic. While in most circumstances, the results would label Ibushi as a choker or bust, I believe he deserves this grade for not only how great he was, but how strong he made his opponents. Grade: A+

4. Zack Sabre Jr.
Sabre Jr. was one of the top guys and probably was the 2nd favorite behind Kota Ibushi. Sabre had won some of the biggest international tournaments in independent wrestling, including wXw's 16-Carat and PWG's Battle of Los Angeles. He had technical masterpieces against Noam Dar and Drew Gulak that a wrestling purist would salivate for. He also had a solid matchup in the opening round against Tyson Dux. Finally, he had a fantastic back and forth fest against Gran Metalik. Unlike Ibushi though, Sabre didn't have a Spectacular lineup of matches that improved his opponents' standings. Therefore, out of the four semi-finalists, he's the only one that (as much as this hurts me) doesn't get a solid A or higher. Grade: A--

5. Brian Kendrick
Kendrick was the tournament's one solid heel character that got out of the first rounds, and his desparation shined through the storytelling of all of his matches, whether it was Raul Mendoza, Kota Ibushi, or Tony Nese. Kendrick is the highest non-semi finalist because he had the most compelling matches of the tournament (in terms of the quarterfinalists). Also, since the tournament ended, he became the no. 1 contender against TJ Perkins for the WWE Cruiserweight Championship and has done a fantastic job with the storytelling since. Grade: A

6. Akira Tozawa
It took a few rounds for Tozawa to get going, but man......his match against Gran Metalik as well as both of his finishes against Jack Gallagher and Kenneth Johnson were so frenetic in pace and so devastating in sight. I know he used the delayed deadlift German, but honestly he could end matches just with that counter snap German suplex. That is SO much more deadly. Grade: B+ (Can't wait for his debut in November!)

7. Rich Swann
Swann had the more balanced of performances between himself and fellow quarterfinalist Noam Dar. He had solid matches against Jason Lee and Lince Dorado. He's also had some good match perfomances on Raw since the classic ended so that pretty much determined the spot. His match against TJ Perkins was one of the underrated matches of the Quarterfinals. Grade: A

8. Noam Dar
This is going to sound mean, but Noam Dar's run in the CWC was essentially a lower level version of Akira Tozawa's: underwhelming first round, questionable second round, fantastic elimination match. Dar had the worst of the runs in terms of match quality, but was able to get over with the crowd by the second round. He also held his own in the Tag match between himself and Cedric Alexander versus DIY. He is in the top 8 due to the fact that he got to the quarterfinals. Looking forward to his Raw debut soon. Grade: B

9. Cedric Alexander
Honestly, he was the best story after the first two rounds, with the match of his life against Kota Ibushi essentially leading him to be signed to NxT and the Raw Cruiserweight Division. The highest spot he could get was 9 since he didn't get out of round 2, but if rounds weren't a factor, he would have been much higher. Plus he's been fantastic in his Raw appearances. Grade: A

10. Johnny Gargano
Gargano had the best match of Round 1 against Tomasso Ciampa. Then he had a fantastic match against TJ Perkins. Plus himself and Ciampa not only beat Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar, but they are now positioned as both future competitors of the Cruiserweight Division, AND could become the next NxT Tag Team Champions considering their current rivalry with the current champions, Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder of the Revival. Grade: A

11. Jack Gallagher

12. Lince Dorado
-Dorado was better if you take both performances against Swann and Mustafa Ali and compare it to the balance of work from the people lower on this list. The only pitfall that could come out of this considering he's on the Cruiserweight roster is the lack of mic skills. Grade: B

13. Drew Gulak
-Gulak had a lackluster first round match, but his second match with Zack Sabre Jr. was a technical masterpiece in terms of the rugged catch as catch can style wrestling. Gulak could have taken it just as suddenly as Zack Sabre Jr. did. He's been semi-jobber fodder since though on Raw, so that's a small concern. But in terms of the tournament, he was better than recent tag partner Tony Nese.
Grade: B+

14. Yoshihiro Tajiri
-Tajiri had a good first round match and a better second round match. He edges Tony Nese by the slightest of margins and loses out to Drew Gulak by similar margins. Solid first round win against Damian Slater, but his match with Gran Metalik could have stolen other shows around the world.
Grade: B

15. Tony Nese
-The grades are based off of the tournament results more so than results+recent Raw production. If the Raw production was included, Tony Nese would be much higher. He lost to current No. 1 Contender Brian Kendrick in the Second Round but had a good match. With how he's progressing on Raw and NxT now, I can't wait to see more of his work under the WWE banner. Grade: B+

16. Ho Ho Lun
- Out of the winners of Round 1, Lun seemed to be the most gimmicked. He was by no means the worst wrestler of the tournament, with a solid first round victory other Ariya Daivari and an equally solid 2nd round loss to Noam Dar. That being said, he was the wrestler with the least polish, understandable considering he was the main representative of Hong Kong. Lun and fellow HK rep Jason Lee could use more seasoning, but he was good for what he produced. Grade: B

17. Tomasso Ciampa
-Out of the losers of Round 1, there was no one better in their match than Tomasso Ciampa. Gargano and Ciampa had the best match of Round 1 bar none. Stiff strikes, fantastic story told, and continuity with the NxT storylines that literally no other competitor had. Every other match was slightly competitive, but predictable. DIY's match was the one that was up in the air, thus had the most drama, and thus had the most to gain. Ciampa losing while being so dominant made him a stronger competitor, and also made you think "if it wasn't Gargano as his opponent, he would have been in Round 2". His tag match with Gargano against Cedric Alexander and Noam Dar was a well played spotfest. Grade: B++

18. Raul Mendoza
-I was very unsure who to rank above or below between Mendoza and Aichner but I chose Mendoza. He was the lesser known and less heralded Mexican in the tournament (Jinzo!) but made an amazing splash in his match against Brian Kendrick. He is such a fantastically smooth wrestler and I thought out of the men that haven't either appeared for WWE since/ haven't been officially signed and didn't win their first round matchup, he was the best. As stated, he needs to come back for another go around with WWE. Mendoza against Kalisto would be so cool! Grade: B++

19. Fabian Aichner
-Personally, he was in my favorite match in the first round against Jack Gallagher and he wasn't overshadowed. Loved his performance and was extremely impressed with his double springboard quebrada (moonsault). I want to see more of his work in the near future, preferable either in the States or at least in Revolution Pro/Progress. Grade:B+

20. Mustafa Ali
-The only real marks against Ali was the risk not being worth the injuries that he suffered during the matches. Considering that Ali was technically the 33rd guy in the tournament (he replaced Brazilian fighter

21. Sean Maluta
-Maluta was fantastic in his match against Kota Ibushi, even turning a Tope Con Hilo Botch into a satisfactory somersault plancha off the apron. His performance has been rewarded so far with a few appearances in NxT, and deservedly so. Grade: B

22. Ariya Daivari
- Out of all the first round losers, Ariya Daivari was the only one who seemed like he was robbed of a spot. In my opinion, he definitely outperformed and outclassed Ho Ho Lun. The five above him had better performances and matches, but the younger brother of Khrosrow/Shawn Daivari earned a spot in NxT in my opinion. Grade: B

23. Da Mack
-Fantastic match with TJ Perkins in the first round. He is currently gaining steam in WXW in Germany and I expect to see him in the near future in NxT or WWE. The gimmick could be a liability later on, but I expect good things. Grade: C+

24. Alejandro Saez
-He had a barnburner of an opening match with Gran Metalik. If he wasn't facing Metalik, he could have gone at least 1 or 2 rounds further. The Shooting Star off the Apron was cool and I would like to see him successfully hit the Spiral Tap. Only criticism is that he came off cartoon-like when selling the facial expressions. Grade C++

25. Tyson Dux
-Dux had a fantastic backstory and a good match versus Zack Sabre Jr. The match showed off the strengths of Dux and his ability to scrap and claw. I had seen some of Dux in TNA but this was his best performance of my memory of him. Grade: C+

26. Clement Petiot
-In the midst of Cedric Alexander's run so far in WWE's Cruiserweight Division as well as the Cruiserweight Classic, his first round match with Clement Petiot seems to be lost in the shuffle. Petiot had a good performance in the match and compared to the wrestlers below him, had the best performance. I would like to see more of this guy in WWE or even NxT. Grade: C+

27. Kenneth Johnson
-Johnson was admittedly helped by two major factors: Great Storytelling and commentary. I would say he put an equal performance to both Damian Slater and Clement Petiot, but had a better match with Tozawa versus Slater's match against Tajiri. Grade: C

28. Damian Slater
-Slater had a cool moveset, and held his own against Yoshihiro Tajiri. He was one of the more unknown competitors coming in, and there are a few Aussies that are having success. I look forward to seeing more of this kid later on. Grade: C

29. Jason Lee
-Lee was very good in his match but had a match that wasn't as dynamic in comparison to the other competitors. He made Rich Swann look good and honestly was a better performer than fellow Hong Kong brethren Ho Ho Lun, but he did lose and others were just better. You could say Lee in this case was the best of the bottom 4...that's not saying much though. He needs more seasoning but is going to be someone. Grade: C-

30. Harv Sihra
-Harv had some good offense in his match against Drew Gulak, but he was pretty overwhelmed by Gulak. He had a better showing than his brother, but it was his non-tournament tag team match with his brother where he impressed the most. The Bollywood Boyz should stay as a team more so than go for singles careers. Grade C--

31. Gurv Sihra
-From all the participants, he had the worst match. However, he isn't last because he had a decent showing compared to No. 32. The crowd couldn't connect with Gurv and Noam Dar in their match and it hurt the momentum for the match and for Noam Dar in his first round victory. Better as part of the Bollywood Boyz Tag Team anyway. Hopefully the Sihra boys will be a NxT Tag Team soon.
Grade:C--
32. Anthony Bennett
-Out of all the matches, Bennett was the most overwhelmed by his opponent (Tony Nese). Plus compared to the others, I believe he had the worst showing. He's young, so he'll be fantastic in the future, but he was the only one that I scoffed about. And by the way....SHUTTER SHADES ON HAIR IS BAD. Grade: D-

NxT Takeover and Summerslam Review

NxT Takeover Results
Austin Aries def. No Way Jose via Last Chancery Submission

A fantastic opener that did a great job not only showcasing Aries, but showing that Jose is more than just your average comedy character. Plus, Jose did the deal/did the deed. Therefore, he is legit.
Afterwards, Hideo Itami returned and hit Austin Aries with the GTS (Go To Sleep), to which I cried and screamed in happiness because I've been waiting for that since Itami signed two years ago.

Ember Moon def. Billie Kay via Diving Corkscrew Sitting Ace Crusher
Good match that didn't bore the crowd. Billie Kay was solid in her first big opportunity on NxT, and did a good job with Moon. I thought Moon was very athletic and solid....until that finisher happened. That move was FANTASTIC!

Bobby Roode def. Andrade Cien Almas via Glorious Bomb (Pumphandle Drop)
In a character sense, everything made sense on one side of the coin. Roode's entrance was GLORIOUS. The crowd's reaction was GLORIOUS. Heck, technically the fans reaction to Roode's finisher was perfect for all the hype. The heat that Roode will get for using of all things...Road Dogg's  Pumphandle Drop, was GLORIOUS (how the hell he convinced creative/how creative convinced him to use this move). Also...WHY THE PUMPHANDLE DROP?!

Almas was fantastic in this match, in the midst of what he had to deal with. The athletic Luchadore who was supposed to be the good guy, to get apathy at the beginning for a reaction and to fight through that and still not only have a great match, but shine was GLORIOUS.

The Revival (Scott Dawson and Dash Wilder) def. DIY (Johnny Gargano and Tomasso Ciampa) to retain the NxT Tag Team Championships

Dawson submitted Gargano via Nagata Lock I/Reverse Figure Four Leglock

BEST Match of Takeover. The tag division for a long time was the red-headed stepchild amongst the 3 division in NxT. With all the emphasis on the Women's Revolution, it was fantastic to witness this. Especially since I love Gargano's wrestling and Ciampa's striking. The Revival made me care about the logistics and the details of Tag wrestling. While it's difficult to vary the different types of psychology in Tag Team Wrestling, the match that these four shared was phenomenal to watch.

Asuka def. Bayley to retain the NxT Women's Championship via Buzzsaw Kicks
I loved this match (after I finally got to watch it in it's entirety...separate from the Tag match). So well planned and well thought out for both sides. Only downside is that this was the third best match on the card. It was hard for this one to stand out but still such a great match.

Shinsuke Nakamura def. Samoa Joe to become the New NxT Champion via running Kinshasa.
Dear god this was a wonderful match. Could have been match of the night any other night. Would have been match of the night on Summerslam....as the previous two matches could have been as well.

Summerslam Results
Kickoff Show
The Usos (Jimmy and Jey), The Hype Bros (Mojo Rawley and Zack Ryder), and American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable) def. The Vaudevillians (Aiden English and Simon Gotch), The Ascension(Konnor and Viktor), and Breezango (Tyler Breeze and Fandango)
Jey Uso def. Simon Gotch after a Superfly Splash

Fantastic opener to the Pre-Show. Having all of the dissension not only amongst the two 6 man teams, but also the tag teams within the teams. The Usos and American Alpha arguing was great. The heels all performed well. Mojo was even pretty good. Ryder is still a step or 3 down from winning the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania, but the team with Mojo is actually not bad. Quite satisfied with this.


Neville and Sami Zayn def. The Dudley Boyz
Neville Pinned Bubba Ray Dudley after a Red Arrow

For the most part, it was a basic match that showcased Neville and Zayn as a potential tag team threat...AND as well as a showcase for both men as potential singles competitors. The Dudleys did a great job teasing further dissension and also make Neville and Zayn look even better.

Best of Seven Opening Match
Sheamus (1) def. Cesaro (0) after a Brogue Kick

If the matches are of this quality for the remaining series matches, then I will be willing for this series to go at least 6 matches. Having Sheamus go over, regardless of the quality of matches, will be the only real mistake booking wise. Cesaro would be considered "new era" and if Sheamus wins....well I can quote King Ross from WhatCulture: "*cough* NEW ERA SAME OLD SHIT*
That being said, great 1st match in the series and a good win for Sheamus.

Main Show
Grudge Tag Match
Jeri-KO (Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens) def. Enzo Amore and Big Cass
Chris Jericho pinned Enzo Amore after an assisted Codebreaker

Entertaining match for what it was worth. Having the heels go over the Hometown boys is Vince at his finest booking wise. Liked the idea of the finish.

WWE Women's Championship
Charlotte Def. Sasha Banks to win the WWE Women's Championship after countering the Banks Statement into a Back Lateral press

The women were really dangerous. If the risks had been worth the rewards, this would have been match of the night. Spent most of this one cringing....and the title switch was questionable.

WWE Intercontinental Championship
The Miz (C) w/ Maryse def.  Apollo Crews to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship
Pinfall after a Skull Crushing Finale

Underwhelming considering what both men were capable of. Correct to keep it on the Miz but it could have been more of a dirty finish with a little more length.

Grudge Match
AJ Styles def. John Cena after a Phenominal Forearm

MATCH OF THE NIGHT. That being said, it was essentially a big spot fest. The storytelling was simplistic enough and Styles going over clean was fantastic!

WWE Tag Team Championships
The Club (Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson) def. The New Day (Kofi Kingston and Xavier Woods) w/Jon Stewart via Disqualification when Big E came out and attacked Karl Anderson.
New Day retains the Championship since you can't lose the championships via Disqualification.

STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID STUPID

WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Dean Ambrose (C) def.  Dolph Ziggler via Dirty Deeds to retain the WWE World Championship

Greatly affected by both the amount of matches that had happened, and how crappy the end of the previous match was. Could have had more time but it wasn't horrible. Really exposed Ambrose though.

Six Woman Trios Match
Natalya, Alexa Bliss, and Nikki Bella* def. Carmella, Becky Lynch, and Naomi

*Originally, Eva Marie was in the match, but wasn't allowed to go due to wellness policy violation. Nikki Bella returned and took her place.

Nikki pinned Carmella after a TKO

I approve of the move and of the match....but this match was basically the bathroom match. Which is insulting considering that all six performed well.

WWE Universal Championship
"The Demon King" Finn Balor def. Seth Rollins via Coup de Grace to become the 1st WWE Universal Champion

Just under expectations but partially due to the crowd absolutely hating the new championship. Sad that Balor was injured after the match. I still agree with the decision though.

WWE United States Championship
Rusev w/Lana vs. Roman Reigns went to a No-Contest (0 out of 10)

They booked this backwards. Having a no-match for the US title is 1 thing, having this match AFTER the TWO Top Titles IS UNACCEPTABLE. EVEN WHEN REIGNS IS IN TROUBLE HE STILL GETS A HIGHER POSITION THAN THE TITLES. NOT COOL.

The only positive of this is that you're technically making Rusev more relatable, because it makes Roman look like a complete bully and harasser to Rusev and Lana (even if they're trying to be foreign, pompous heels).

The Beast Vs. The Viper
Brock Lesnar def. Randy Orton via TKO (Strikes) (6.5 out of 10)

Now that a few weeks have passed since this had happened, the result makes some sense. Having Lesnar be a world beater and dismantle Orton (with more viciousness and realisticness) had the entire wrestling world talking. Was it scripted? Was that a shoot? Did Chris Jericho really try to fight Lesnar in the back due to the wrestlers not being informed? The "Reality" era is really kicking in, masterfully blending storyline and reality to make smarks like myself confused like crazy at first glance. I'll have more of that with a side of Bacon please!

Overall:It was barely better than WrestleMania, but better nonetheless. 6.75 out of 10

In order for the main Roster (NxT matches in parenthesis):
Styles/Cena
(The Revival vs. DIY)
(Joe vs. Nakamura)
(Asuka vs. Bayley)
Balor/Rollins
Sheamus/Cesaro
Charlotte/Banks
(Aries vs. No Way Jose)
Jeri-KO/Enzo and Cass
Usos/HypeBros/Alpha vs. Vaudevillians/Breezango/Ascension
Neville/Zayn vs. Dudley Boyz
(Roode vs. Almas)
Nikki/Natalya/Bliss vs. Carmella/Lynch/Naomi
Ambrose/Ziggler
(Ember Moon vs. Billie Kay)
Lesnar/Orton
Miz/Crews
The New Day/The Club
Reigns/Rusev


Raw had the better night due to better payoff of their storylines. Smackdown had better buildup going in. However, with the exception of Styles and Cena, the other matches underwhelmed. Raw rushed most of their stories but had better results and higher quality matches.

That being said, Takeover Brooklyn 2 was WAY better than Summerslam.

NJPW September and October

G1 Climax 26:Kenny Omega def. Hirooki Goto to win the G1 Climax 2016
KUSHIDA def. Yoshinobu Kanemaru to win the Super J Cup 2016

Young Lions Project 3

Biggest match:
Tenzan, Kojima, Shibata, Nakanishi, and Nagata def. Nakajima, Kitamiya, Taniguchi, Kiyomiya, and Shiozaki

Destruction in Tokyo (9/17)
Roppongi Vice def. Finlay and Henare
Nakanishi and Nagata def. Tatsu and Captain New Japan
Makabe and Honma and Tiger Mask def. Tenzan, Kojima,  and Liger
CHAOS (Gedo, Goto, Ishii) def. Bullet Club (Tonga, Loa, and Chase Owens)
Kyle O'Reilly def. Juice Robinson
Okada, Ospreay, and HASHI def. Fale, Omega, and Yujiro
EVIL, SANADA, and Naito def. Tanahashi, Elgin, and Taguchi
Shibata retains the NEVER Openweight Championship over Bobby Fish
BUSHI def. KUSHIDA to win the IWGP Junior Heavyweight Championship

Destruction in Hiroshima (9/22)
TenKoji (Hiroyoshi Tenzan and Satoshi Kojima) and Ricochet def. Captain New Japan, Togi Makabe, and Yoshi Tatsu

ReDRagon (Bobby Fish and Kyle O'Reilly), David Finlay, and Ryusuke Taguchi def. Manabu Nakanishi, Tiger Mask, Tomoaki Honma, and Yuji Nagata

Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) def. Roppongi Vice (Berretta and Rocky Romero)

Hiroshi Tanahashi, Juice Robinson, KUSHIDA, and Michael Elgin def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA, and Tetsuya Naito)

The Briscoe Brothers def. The Young Bucks to retain the IWGP Heavyweight Tag Team Championships

Adam Cole def. Will Ospreay to retain the ROH World Championship

Kazuchika Okada def. Bad Luck Fale

Kenny Omega def. YOSHI-HASHI to retain his Wrestle Kingdom Briefcase

Destruction in Kobe (9/25)
Chase Owens and Yujiro Takahashi def. Captain New Japan and Yoshi Tatsu (New Japan joins Bullet Club)

David Finlay, Ricochet, And Satoshi Kojima def. Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Matt Jackson, and Nick Jackson) to win the Vacant NEVER Openweight Six Man Tag Team Championships

Bullet Club (Fale, Omega, Tonga, and Loa) def. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark) and Chaos (Tomohiro Ishii and Hirooki Goto)

CHAOS (Gedo, Jado, Okada, and HASHI) def. Noah (Atsushi Kotoge, Daisuke Harada, Naomichi Marufuji, and Toru Yano)

IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito def. Michael Elgin to become the NEW IWGP IC Champion

10/8 Gambare!
Bullet Club (Fale, Omega, Tonga, Loa) def. CHAOS (Goto, Ishii) and The Briscoes (Jay and Mark)
Finlay, Ricochet, and Kojima def. Beretta, Romero and Ospreay
Tanahashi, Lethal, KUSHIDA, and Elgin def. Los Ingobernables de Japon (Naito, BUSHI, EVIL, SANADA)

NJPW King of Pro Wrestling (10/10)
CHAOS (Ishii, Ospreay, and HASHI) def. Bullet Club (Adam Cole, Fale, and Yujiro)
GBH (Makabe and Honma), Fish, and Taguchi def. CHAOS (Beretta, Gedo, Jado, and Romero)
(NoAH)Go Shiozaki, Katsuhiko Nakajima, Masa Kitamiya and Maybach Taniguchi def.  (NJPW)Hiroyoshi Tenzan, Satoshi Kojima, Yuji Nagata, and Manabu Nakanishi
Young Bucks def. Ricochet and David Finlay to retain the IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Tag Team Championships
Guerrillas of Destiny (Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) def. The Briscoes (Jay and Mark) to become the NEW IWGP Tag Team Championships
Tanahashi, KUSHIDA, Elgin, and Lethal def. Los Ingobernables (Naito, SANADA, EVIL, BUSHI)
Shibata def. O'Reilly to retain the NEVER Openweight Championship
Omega retained his No. 1 Contendership over Hirooki Goto
Kazuchika Okada def. Naomichi Marufuji for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship

10/15
TenKoji and Nagata def. Honma, Kanemitsu, and Kawato
Super Jr. tag Tournament
Roppongi Vice def. Tita and Angel de Oro
Fuego and Taguchi def. Lyger and Mask
ACH and Ishimori def. The Young Bucks

Upcoming Event: NJPW Power Struggle

Super Jr. Tag Tournament Final
Guerrillas of Destiny(Tama Tonga and Tanga Loa) vs. CHAOS (Tomohiro Ishii and YOSHI HASHI) for the IWGP Tag Team Championship
IWGP Jr. Heavyweight Championship (BUSHI vs. KUSHIDA)
NEVER Openweight Championship
Katsuyori Shibata vs. EVIL
Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. SANADA
IWGP Intercontinental Championship
Tetsuya Naito vs. Michael Elgin

Also: Confirmed Main Event for Wrestle Kingdom 11: Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega for the IWGP Heavyweight Championship.

Pro Wrestling Guerrilla BATTLE OF LOS ANGELES preview!

My favorite Singles Tournament of the Year! Pro Wrestling Guerrilla's Battle Of Los Angeles is a 24 man tournament to where the winner is awarded a green trophy and guarantees a shot at the PWG World Championship (Unless you're the champion, then lucky you eh Sabre?)
9/2-9/4

Participants
Trevor Lee (TNA)
Tommy End (After this, he becomes WWE)
Sami Callahan (CZW/Evolve/Future LU/Former WWE)
Ricochet/Prince Puma (NJPW/LU)
Pete Dunne (Revolution Pro/Progress/Attack)
Matt Riddle (Evolve/Beyond)
Matt Sydal (ROH/NJPW/Former WWE)
Marty Scrull (Progress/Revolution Pro/Evolve)
Mark Haskins (Progress)
Mark Andrews (Progress/Revolution Pro/TNA)
Kyle O'Reilly (ROH/NJPW)
Kamaitachi (ROH/NJPW)
Johnny Mundo/John Morrison/John Hennigan (LU/AAA)
Jeff Cobb/Matanza Cueto (LU)
Jack Gallagher (Progress/WWE)
Fenix (AAA/LU)
Dalton Castle (ROH)
Chris Hero (Evolve/Former WWE/Former ROH)
Adam Cole (BAY BAY!)(ROH/NJPW)(Not Part of Tournament Anymore)
Cedric Alexander (EVOLVE/WWE)
Cody Rhodes (Formerly of WWE/Future ROH)
Zack Sabre Jr. (Revolution Pro/Progress/WWE/Evolve/Former ProWrestlingNoAH)
Will Ospreay (NJPW/Revolution Pro/Progress/potentially Evolve)
Jyushin Lyger (NJPW/Sporatic ROH/one-off WWE)
Pentagon Jr. (AAA/LU)

Update: Cole will only be tagging with the Bucks.....not sure why the lackadaisical reasoning on twitter but he has a good replacement!

Cedric Alexander.

Night 1

Marty Scurll def. Pentagon Jr via CHICKEN WING

Ricochet Def. Jeff Cobb via Small Package

John Hennigan def. Matt Sydal via Starship Pain/End of the World

Will Ospreay def. Fenix via OsCutter

Zack Sabre Jr def. Tommy End via Submission

Chris Hero def. Jushin Liger via multiple Elbow Strikes

Adam Cole and The Young Bucks def. Dalton Castle and The "Boys" (ReDragon....Kyle O'Reilly and Bobby Fish)

Night 2

Dalton Castle def. Tomasso Ciampa (Who replaced Jack Gallagher) via Bangarang

Mark Andrews def. Pete Dunne via Shooting Star Press

Cody Rhodes def. Sami Callihan via Cross Rhodes

Trevor Lee def. Kamaitachi via Small Package Driver

Mark Haskins def. Cedric Alexander via Bridging Fujiwara Armbar

Kyle O'Reilly over Matt Riddle via reversal of the Bromission

Fenix and Pentagon Jr def. Heroes.Eventually.Die (Tommy End and Chris Hero) via 450 Splash

Matt Sydal, Ricochet, and Will Ospreay def. Adam Cole and the Young Bucks via Triple Simultaneous Shooting Star presses

NIGHT 3

Trevor Lee def. Dalton Castle via Small Package

Ricochet def.  John Hennigan via 630 Senton

Marty Scurll def.  Cody Rhodes via Rollup following a Low Blow

Mark Andrews def. Chris Hero via Rollup

Mark Haskins def.  Kyle O'Reilly via Sharpshooter

Will Ospreay def. Zack Sabre Jr. via pinfall reversal

Young Bucks def. Fenix and Pentagon Jr via 16 consecutive SuperKicks

Trevor Lee def. Mark Andrews via Small Package Driver

Marty Scurll def. Mark Haskins via Crossface CHICKEN WING

Will Ospreay def. Ricochet via Oscutter

Cedric Alexander, Chuck Taylor (DUSTIN), Jeff Cobb, Jushin Liger, and Tommy End def. Brian Kendrick, Matt Riddle, Sami Callihan, Pete Dunne, and Tomasso Ciampa via Liger Brainbuster on Dunne.

Marty Scurll defeated Trevor Lee and Will Ospreay to win the 2016 Battle of Los Angeles

Will Ospreay Eliminated via Chickenwing by Scurll, aided by kicks from Lee

Lee eliminated via Crossface CHICKENWING

Future Title Match:

2016 BOLA Winner "The Villian" Marty Scurll vs. Pro Wrestling Guerrilla World Champion "The Technical Wizard" Zack Sabre Jr.

CHIKARA King of Trios Nights 1 through 3

Finally,the 16 trios have been announced for September's King of trios:

1)Sendai Girls: Meiko Satomura, DASH Chisako, Cassandra Miyagi (2nd appearance for the tournament)

2)SHIMMER:Madison Eagles, Candice LeRae, Crazy Mary Dobson (1st appearance)

3)Original Divas Revolution: Victoria/Tara, Mickie James, Jazz (1st appearance as Trio, Mickie James debuted earlier in February)

4)JWP:Hanako Nakamori, Manami Katsu, Command Bolshoi(2nd appearance for Promotion)

5)Heidi Lovelace and N.R.G. (Hype Rockwell and Race Jaxon) (First Appearance as a trio)

6)Colony: Silver Ant, Soldier Ant, Fire Ant (2011 King of Trios Winners)

7)CHIKARA Royalty: Oleg The Usurper, Princess Kimberlee, and Young Lions Cup Holder Estonian Thunderfrog (1st together as a Trio, all have participated in at least 1)

8)WWE Cruiserweight Classic: Drew Gulak, Cedric Alexander, Johnny Gargano! (GARGANO RETURNS TO CHIKARA!) (Gulak's second appearance in the tournament, Cedric's 1st, and Gargano was part of the 2011 Runner Ups and 2012 Semi-Finalist versions of F.I.S.T along with TAFKA Chuck Taylor/DUSTIN and Icarus)

9)United Nations:Prakash Sabar, Proletariat Boar of Moldova, Juan Francisco de Coronado (2nd or 3rd appearance)

10)The Friendly Police:Bill Carr, Officer Warren Barksdale, Supercop Dick Justice (1st appearance)

11)The Batiri:Obaryion, Kodama, Kobald (5th appearance)

12)Major League Mustache: Dasher Hatfield and Campeones de Parejas Mustache Mountain (Tyler Bate and Trent Seven) (Dasher's 3rd or 4th, finishing as Runner ups in 2014 w/Mark Angelosetti and Icarus)
13)The Big Deal, Sloan Caprice, and Rick Roland (1st Appearance)
14)The Snake Pit: The Osirian Portal (Amasis and Ophidian) and Argus (1st as a trio for Argus, but 4th or 5th for Amasis and Ophidian)
15)Worker Ant, Arctic Rescue Ant, and Missile Assault Ant/Man (2nd or 3rd overall depending on which member you're talking about, but 1st as a collective unit)
16)Hallowicked, ?, ? (I'm guessing Mark Angelosetti and Icarus) (if I'm correct, then Mark Angelosetti was 2014 Runner Up with Icarus and Dasher Hatfield, Icarus was a member of the 2009 Champions F.I.S.T. with TAFKA Chuck Taylor/DUSTIN and Gran Akuma, and Hallowicked was a member of the 2012 KOT Champions The Spectral Envoy w/Frightmare and Ultramantis Black).


First Round Matchups:

CWC (Gulak, Alexander, and Gargano) vs. Royals (Thunderfrog, Kimberlee, Oleg)

Shimmer (Eagles, Dobson, and LeRae) vs. ODR (Jazz, James, Victoria)

Colony (Silver, Fire, Soldier) vs. TBD (Deal, Caprice, and Roland)

Sendai (Satomura, Chisako, Miyagi) vs. NRG (Lovelace, Jaxon, Rockwell)

Police (Carr, Barksdale, Justice) vs. UN (Coronado, Boar, Sabar)

SP (Argus, Amasis, Ophidian) vs. JWP (Bolshoi, Nakamori, Katsu)

Batiri (Obaryion, Kodama, Kobald) vs. MM (Bate, Seven, Hatfield)

C2(Worker, Arctic, Missile) vs. Nazmaldun (Hallowicked, ?(Icarus), ?(Mr. Touchdown))

Night 1 Results:

Mustache Mountain def. The Batiri via THE DEED

The United Nations def. The Police Squad via Coronado Clutch

The Colony def. The Submission Squad (Pierre Abernathy, Gary the Barn Owl, and Davey Vega), who replaced Team Big Deal.

The HeXed Men (Icarus, Hallowicked, and Jigsaw) def. Ant Team 2

Team JWP def. The Snake Pit

Warriors 3 def. CWC

Original Divas def. Shimmer

Sendai Girls def. Lovelace/NRG

Thoughts: Mustache=YES. UN over the Squad....ok. Colony advances! JIGSAW! Darn it. I like the Snake Pit. DARN IT I LIKE CWC. I would have preferred Team Shimmer winning. and I'm ok with the Sendai Girls.


Night 2: Hexed beat Moustache (YES!)
JWP def. UN (YES!)
Warriors 3 def. Original Divas (No)
Sendai def. Colony (NO!)


Night 3: JWP def. HeXed (NO)
Sendai def. Warriors 3 (eh)

So There was a Joshi final for the Queen of Trios. While I get being progressive, I feel like the KOT/QOT should almost, if not always go to an act that is going to stay more than a few one off appearances, unless Quack got himself into a bad negotiating situation.

Sendai def. JWP to become the Queens of Trios

Non Tournament Action:
Night 2
Deonna Purazzo def. Crazy Mary Dobson
Mark Angelosetti def. Missile Assault Man

Rey de Voladores
Frightmare def. Space Monkey, Candice LeRae and Tony Nese
Nese eliminated Monkey, LeRae and Nese eliminated by Frightmare

Aero Star def. Amasis, Johnny Gargano, and Wani
Amasis was attacked from behind
Gargano eliminated by Wani
Wani eliminated by Aero Star

Night 3
Mark Angelosetti def. Arik Cannon
Tag Team Gauntlet:
Dev Corp eliminated by Team NRG
Big Deal eliminated NRG
Cassidy and Gulak def. Big Deal, and Team Sea Stars
Crummels and DeFarge eliminated Gulak and Cassidy, Los Ice Creams
Dez Poloton eliminate Defarge and Crumels, Hermit Crab and Rock Lobster
Prakash Sabar and Boar of Moldova eliminate Dez Poloton
X-Pac and Billy Gunn eliminate Sabar and Boar

Lucas Calhoun def. Chuck Taylor Tm (Stokely Hathaway)

Aero Star def. Tony Nese (Frightmare wasn't cleared) to win the Rey de Voladores

Super J Cup Final Preview

QUARTER FINAL MATCHUPS

Taichi def. Jushin Liger

KUSHIDA def Kenou

Yoshinobu Kanemaru def. Ryusuke Taguchi

Matt Sydal def. Will Ospreay

Undercard Non Tournament Matchups

International World Grand Prix Jr. Tag Team Championship

The Young Bucks (Matt and Nick Jackson) (Bullet Club)(c) def. The Motor City Machine Guns (Alex Shelley and Chris Sabin) to retain the IWGP Jr. Tag Team Championships

Global Honored Crown Jr. Tag Team Championship

Momo no Seishun Tag (Atsushi Kotoge and Daisuke Harada) (c) def. ACH and Taiji Ishimori to retain the GHC Jr. Tag Team Championships

CMLL Showcase

Titan, Caristico (The Original Sin Cara/Mysteziz/Mistico) and Volador Jr. def.  Gran Guerrero, Ultimore Guerrero, and Euforia

Super Juniors Trios Match

Eita(Dragon Gate), Aoyagi Yuma(AJPW), and David Finlay(New Japan) vs. Gurukun Mask(Ryukyu Dragon), Kaji Tomato(K-Dojo), and BUSHI(Los Ingovernables de Japon)

BUSHI, Kaji Tomato, and Gurukun Mask def. EITA, Aoyagi Yuma, and David Finlay

Semi Final Matchups
Kanemaru def. Sydal
KUSHIDA def. Taichi

SUPER J CUP FINAL
KUSHIDA def. Yoshinobu Kanemaru to Win the 2016 Super J Cup

Overall, the matches were pretty good I guess, but as the tournament progressed, it became much more predictable (and annoying).

Tights' win over Lyger was dumb. Sydal vs. Ospreay was my favorite QF match.
Fantastic Tag Team Championship Match between the Bucks and the Guns and similar could be said about Kotoge and Harada vs. ACH and Ishimori.

Loved seeing Volador Jr.....but not so much Caristico. The Tomato dude won a match....I don't know how to react.

I like Kushida but he got the 2008-2010 John Cena treatment in this tournament. The saving grace was Alex Shelley coming out to congratulate his Time Splitter partner even though he was with the MCMG that night.