TV Recap (21st July-27th July 2014)

Here's all the TV and PPV results for the week commencing 21st July 2014. 

Monday

NJPW G1 Climax 24 - Day 1

Hokkaido Sports Centre
Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan
TV Asahi

1. G1 Climax Block A Match
Bad Luck Fale defeated Tomohiro Ishii (9:39)

2. G1 Climax Block A Match
Shelton Benjamin defeated Doc Gallows (8:54)

3. G1 Climax Block B Match
Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Karl Anderson (10:11)

4. G1 Climax Block A Match
Satoshi Kojima defeated Yuji Nagata (11:27)

5. G1 Climax Block B Match
Toru Yano defeated Minoru Suzuki (2:15)

6. G1 Climax Block B Match
Yujiro Takahashi defeated Tetsuya Naito (13:54)

7. G1 Climax Block B Match
Hirooki Goto defeated Togi Makabe (11:37)

8. G1 Climax Block A Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Tomoaki Honma (10:01)

9. G1 Climax Block A Match
Katsuyori Shibata defeated Shinsuke Nakamura (15:27)

10. G1 Climax Block B Match
Kazuchika Okada defeated AJ Styles (18:03)

WWE Monday Night Raw #1104

American Airlines Arena
Miami, Florida, USA 
USA Network

1. Two on One Handicap Match
Roman Reigns defeated Kane & Randy Orton (12:22)

2. Four on One Handicap Match
Alicia Fox, Cameron, Eva Marie & Rosa Mendes defeated Nikki Bella (1:05)

3. Singles Match
Bo Dallas defeated Damien Sandow (2:33)

4. Singles Match
Dolph Ziggler defeated The Miz (13:58)

5. Tag Team Match
AJ Lee & Paige defeated Emma & Natalya (2:30)

6. Singles Match
Zack Ryder defeated Fandango (1:45)

7. Tag Team Match
RybAxel defeated Big E & Kofi Kingston (3:21)

8. Singles Match
Rusev defeated The Great Khali (2:25)

9. Singles Match
Cesaro defeated Dean Ambrose by DQ (12:30)

Tuesday

ZERO1 Fire Festival - Day 1

Korakuen Hall
Tokyo, Japan
Samurai! TV

1. Eight Man Tag Team Match
Ikuto Hidaka, Jason Lee, Mineo Fujita & Tama Williams defeated Daemon-gun (KAMIKAZE & Takuya Sugawara) (15:31)

2. Fire Festival Block B Match
Kazuki Hashimoto vs Yoshikazu Yokoyama ended in Double KO (9:23)

3. Fire Festival Block A Match
Yusaku Obatu defeated Ryouji Sai (15:57)

4. Fire Festival Block A Match
Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Hideki Suzuki (17:02)

5. Fire Festival Block B Match
Daemon Ueda defeated Kohei Sato (8:52)

6. Fire Festival Block B Match 
Masato Tanaka defeated Shinjiro Otani (21:53)

WWE Main Event #95

Amway Center
Orlando, Florida, USA.
WWE Network

1. Singles Match
Seth Rollins defeated Fandango (3:15)

2. Singles Match
Ryback defeated Jey Uso (4:45)

3. Tag Team Match
Big E & Kofi Kingston defeated Heath Slater & Titus O'Neil (3:25)

4. Singles Match
Jack Swagger defeated Rusev by DQ (8:35)

Wednesday

NJPW G1 Climax 24 - Day 2

Aomori Prefecture Budokan
Aomori, Japan.
Samurai! TV

1. G1 Climax Block A Match
Tomohiro Ishii defeated Satoshi Kojima (12:27)

2. G1 Climax Block A Match
Shelton Benjamin defeated Bad Luck Fale (5:55)

3. G1 Climax Block B Match
Hirooki Goto defeated Yujiro Takahashi (10:31)

4. G1 Climax Block B Match
Tetsuya Naito defeated Lance Archer (8:39)

5. G1 Climax Block A Match
Yuji Nagata defeated Tomoaki Honma (11:15)

6. G1 Climax Block A Match
Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Davey Boy Smith, Jr (13:37)

7. G1 Climax Block B Match
AJ Styles defeated Toru Yano (9:53)

8. G1 Climax Block B Match
Kazuchika Okada defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan (12:51)

9. G1 Climax Block B Match
Togi Makabe defeats Karl Anderson (8:44)

10. G1 Climax Block A Match
Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Doc Gallows (11:14)

Thursday

WWE NXT #108

Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida, USA.
WWE Network

1. Tag Team Match
The Ascension defeated Aaron Solo & Johnny Vandal (2:30)

2. Singles Match
Tyler Breeze defeated Mojo Rawley (0:30)

3. WWE NXT Women's Title Match
Charlotte (C) defeated Summer Rae (8:15)

4. Tag Team Match
Kalisto & Sin Cara defeated The Vaudevillains (6:00)

5. Singles Match
Adrian Neville defeated Rusev by DQ (4:00)

TNA Impact Wrestling #524

Manhattan Center
New York City, New York, USA.
Spike TV

1. Falls Count Anywhere Match
Bobby Roode defeated MVP (8:00)

2. Singles Match
Low Ki defeated DJ Z (2:28)

3. Tag Team Match
Bram & Magnus defeated Gunner & Mr. Anderson (2:42)

4. TNA Women's Knockout Title Match
Gail Kim (C) vs Taryn Terrel - No Contest (4:04)

5. Singles Match
The Great Muta defeated Robbie E (0:50)

6. Six Man Tag Team New York City Street Fight
Ethan Carter III, Rockstar Spud & Rhino defeated Team 3D & Tommy Dreamer (11:35)

NOAH Ark YAMASAKA

Hakata Star Lane
Fukuoka, Japan
Nippon TV

1. Singles Match

Kenou defeated Hitoshi Kumano (7:02)

2. Singles Match

Junji Tanaka defeated Mitsuhiro Kitamiya (8:47)

3. Tag Team Match

TMDK defeated Cho Kibou-Gun (Hajime Ohara & Maybach Taniguchi) by DQ (9:14)

4. Six Man Tag Team Match

Akitoshi Saito, Daisuke Ikeda & Mohammed Yone defeat No Mercy (Daisuke Harada & Takashi Sugiura) & Quiet Storm (14:47)

5. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League 2014 Block A Match

Yoshinari Ogawa & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Genba Hirayanagi & Kikutaro (15:53)

6. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League 2014 Block B Match

BRAVE (Atsushi Kotoge & Taiji Ishimori) defeated Jinzo & Rocky Lobo (13:44)

7. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League 2014 Block A Match

Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask defeat Matt Striker & Super Crazy (10:29)

8. GHC Heavyweight Title Match

Naomichi Marufuji (c) defeats Katsuhiko Nakajima (25:31)

WWE Superstars #276

AmericanAirlines Arena

Miami, Florida, USA

WWE Network

1. Singles Match

Adam Rose defeated Heath Slater 

2. Singles Match

Alberto Del Rio defeated R-Truth

Friday

NJPW G1 Climax 24 - Day 3

Yamagata City Sports Center

Yamagata, Japan

Samurai! TV

1. G1 Climax Block A Match

Doc Gallows defeated Tomoaki Honma (7:37)

2. G1 Climax Block B Match

Lance Archer defeated Karl Anderson (7:35)

3. G1 Climax Block B Match

Hiroyoshi Tenzan defeated Yujiro Takahashi (11:16)

4. G1 Climax Block A Match

Shelton Benjamin defeated Tomohiro Ishii (8:11)

5. G1 Climax Block B Match

Tetsuya Naito defeated Toru Yano (9:11)

6. G1 Climax Block A Match

Davey Boy Smith Jr. defeated Katsuyori Shibata (9:42)

7. G1 Climax Block A Match

Bad Luck Fale defeated Yuji Nagata (10:57)

8. G1 Climax Block B Match

Hirooki Goto defeated Minoru Suzuki (7:03)

9. G1 Climax Block A Match

Hiroshi Tanahashi defeated Satoshi Kojima (13:01)

10. G1 Climax Block B Match

Kazuchika Okada defeated Togi Makabe (14:49)

WWE Friday Night Smackdown  #779

Amway Center

Orlando, Florida, USA.

SyFy

1. Tag Team Match

The Usos defeated RybAxel (9:58)

2. Singles Match

Bo Dallas defeated Dolph Ziggler (3:15)

3. No Disqualification Match

Dean Ambrose defeated Cesaro (14:05)

4. Singles Match

Paige defeated Naomi (0:35)

5. Singles Match

Bray Wyatt defeated R-Truth (2:05)

6. Singles Match

Roman Reigns defeated Alberto Del Rio (12:27)

Saturday 

 

NJPW G1 Climax 24 - Day 4

Akita Prefectural Gymnasium

Akita, Japan.

TV Asahi

1. G1 Climax Block A Match

Satoshi Kojima defeated Bad Luck Fale (8:25)

2. G1 Climax Block A Match

Shelton Benjamin defeated Davey Boy Smith Jr. (8:44)

3. G1 Climax Block B Match

Minoru Suzuki defeated Hiroyoshi Tenzan (11:04)

4. G1 Climax Block B Match

Toru Yano defeated Hirooki Goto (1:21)

5. G1 Climax Block A Match

Tomohiro Ishii defeated Tomoaki Honma (12:06) 

6. G1 Climax Block B Match

Togi Makabe defeated Lance Archer (10:35)

7. G1 Climax Block A Match

Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Yuji Nagata (16:11)

8. G1 Climax Block B Match

Tetsuya Naito defeated AJ Styles (15:55)

9. G1 Climax Block B Match

Karl Anderson defeated Kazuchika Okada (12:34)

10. G1 Climax Block A Match

Katsuyori Shibata defeated Hiroshi Tanahashi (16:16)

AAA Sin Limite - Ring & Rock StAAArs 2

Hard Rock Hotel de Vallarta
Nuevo Vallarta, Nayarit, Mexico.

1. Mixed Eight Man Tag Team Match
Mamba, Mini Abismo Negro, Sexy Star & Taya Valkyrie defeated Jennifer Blake, La Jarochita, Mascarita Sagrada & Pimpinela Escarlata

2.Six Man Tag Team Match
Angelico, Australian Suicide & Fenix defeated Gran Apache, Pentagon Jr. & Super Fly

3. Six Man Tag Team Match
The Psycho Circus defeated El Consejo (El Hijo del Fantasma, El Texano Jr. & Silver Cain)

4. Six Man Tag Team Match

Cibernetico & Myzteziz defeat La Nueva Sociedad (Averno & Chessman)

OVW TV #779

Davis Arena

Kentucky, Louisiana, USA.

ion Television

1. OVW Television Title Match

Adam Revolver (c) defeated Leon Shelly

2. Singles Match

Raul LaMotta defeated Dapper Dan

3. Singles Match

Rump Thump defeated Roberto De Luna

4. Singles Match

Ryan Howe defeated Jack Rebel

5. Singles Match

Marcus Anthony defeated Flash Flanagan

BJW Ikkitousen Strong Climb

Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan

1. Ikkitousen Strong Climb Semi Final Match

Daisuke Sekimoto defeated Yuko Miyamoto (13:36)

2. Ikkitousen Strong Climb Semi Final Match

Shuji Ishikawa defeated Manabu Soya (11:21)

3. Six Man Tag Team Match

Atsushi Maruyama, Shinobu & Takumi Tsukamoto defeated Brahman Kei, Brahman Shu & Takayuki Ueki (10:05)

4. UWA World Tag Team Title Match

Hiroshi Fukuda & MEN's Teioh (c) defeated Speed Of Sounds (16:53)

5. Fluorescent Light Tubes & Weapon Carry Death Match

B Faultless Junky's (Jaki Numazawa & Masashi Takeda) & Ryuji Ito defeated Isami Kodaka, Kankuro Hoshino & Masaya Takahashi (13:25)

6. Six Man Tag Team Match

Kazuki Hashimoto, Masato Inaba & Ryuichi Kawakami defeated Hideyoshi Kamitani, Shinya Ishikawa & Shiori Asahi (14:38)

7. Ikkitousen Strong Climb Final Match

Shuji Ishikawa defeated Daisuke Sekimoto (13:11)

CMLL Guerreros Del Ring

Arena Coliseo de Guadalajara
Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico
52MX

1. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Arkangel de la Muerte, Bobby Zavala & Olimpico defeated Omar Brunetti, Sky Kid & Smaker [2:1]

Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Brazo de Plata, Marco Corleone & Mascara Dorada defeated Damian El Terrible, Ephesto & Rey Bucanero [2:1]

3. Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Shocker defeated La Mascara [2:1]

CMLL on CadenaTres

Arena Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico.
CadenaTres

1. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Demus 316, Pequeno Olimpico & Pierrothito defeated Angelito, Astral & Electrico [2:1]

2. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Los Cancerberos del Infierno (Cancerbero, Raziel & Virus) defeated Cachorro, Stigma & Triton [2:1]

3. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Fuego, Rey Cometa & Stuka Jr. defeated Ephesto, Hechicero & Misterioso II [2:1]

4. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Damian El Terrible, El Barbaro Cavernario & Rey Bucanero defeated Marco Corleone, Mascara Dorada & Titan [2:1]

5. Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Euforia defeats Valiente [2:1]

CMLL on Fox Sports

Arena Mexico
Mexico City, Mexico.
Fox Sports

1. Six Man Tag Team Two Out Of Three Falls Match
Atlantis, Dragon Rojo Jr. & Stuka Jr. defeated Polvora, Rey Escorpion & Ultimo Guerrero [2:1]

2. CMLL World Tag Team Title Two Out Of Three Falls Match

Negro Casas & Shocker (c) defeated Los Indeseables (La Sombra & Rush) [2:1] 

ROH on SBG #149

Dearborn, Michigan, USA.

1. ROH World Tag Team Title Match
reDRagon (c) defeated Monster Mafia

2. Singles Match
Moose defeated Hakim Zane

3. ROH World Tag Team Championship #1 Contendership Four Way Match

Christopher Daniels & Frankie Kazarian defeat War Machine and The Briscoes and The Decade (Jimmy Jacobs & Roderick Strong)

ROW Summer of Champions

Humble Civic Center
Humble, Texas, USA.
RealityOfWrestling.com

1. Singles Match
Brother Devon defeated Abel Andrew Jackson

2. Singles Match
Evan Snow defeated Rockstar Robbie

3. ROW Diamonds Championship 10 Man Battle Royal (vacant)
Winner: Cinema - TITLE CHANGE !!!

4. ROW Tag Team Title Match
The Brothers Lockhart (c) defeat The Heavenly Bodies

5. No Disqualification Match
Ryan Davidson defeats The Pride

6. Singles Match
Raj Singh defeats Jasper Davis

7. Tag Team Match
Ayden Cristiano & Sergei Volkov defeat Bryan Keith & Jonathan Gresham

8. ROW Heavyweight Title Championship Cage Match

The Mysterious Q defeats The Samoan Beast (c) - TITLE CHANGE !!!

Sunday

NOAH NTV G+ up Jr. Heavyweight Tag League - Day 2

Korakuen Hall

Tokyo, Japan

1. Three Way Match

Mohammed Yone defeated Maybach Taniguchi and Shane Haste (5:48)

2. Singles Match

Takashi Sugiura defeated Mikey Nicholls (10:55)

3. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League Block B Match

Hitoshi Kumano & Mitsuhiro Kitamiya defeated Jinzo & Rocky Lobo (9:23)

4. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League Block A Match

Jushin Thunder Liger & Tiger Mask defeated Genba Hirayanagi & Kikutaro (10:01)

5. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League Block B Match

Hiro Tonai & Shiori Asahi defeated Daisuke Harada & Quiet Storm (13:05)

6. NTV G Cup Junior Heavyweight Tag League Block A Match

Yoshinari Ogawa & Zack Sabre Jr. defeated Cho Kibou-Gun (Hajime Ohara & Kenou) (19:03)

7. Six Man Tag Team Match

Katsuhiko Nakajima, Matt Striker & Super Crazy defeated BRAVE (Atsushi Kotoge, Naomichi Marufuji & Taiji Ishimori) (22:49)

Live Review: Dragon Gate UK X

Baby Jesus and the orphans, this was a good show! 

This was my first Dragon Gate UK show, I'd heard rumours that their shows were kind of alright, but I don't think I was ready for just how good this show would be. The only guy on the card I'd seen live previously was Uhaa Nation (and Wild Boar, if you include the pre-show), and whilst I'd heard a lot about everyone on the show, there was only a handful that I'd seen footage of also. It was a very strange feeling going into a show, really not knowing what to expect. 

So, that's enough wittering, let's take a look at the show.

Pre-Show Match - Masato Yoshino (Monster Express) defeats "Wild Boar" Mike Hitchman (Team UK)

We actually ended up missing the start of this match, which seemed to start very early. Even taking into consideration what we missed (which couldn't have been much longer than two minutes), this was a short match. It did, however, do it's job very well, setting up the kind of hard-hitting and crisp action that would be on the menu for the rest of the evening. This one was all Yoshino, with Hitchman's only real offence being a tasty T-Bone suplex and a running senton. The finish saw Hitchman kick out of Yoshino's Lightning Spiral, before another Spiral got the win for Yoshino. 

I can't help thinking that this match was supposed to involve someone other than Yoshino, I'd imagine another UK wrestlers to face off against Hitchman, as it did seem strange that 'Yoshino would be working double duty. I expect we could have seen a very different match if this was the case.

Match 1 -  Akira Tozawa (Monster Express) defeated Will Osprey (Team UK) 

After a short break, the show proper started with a bang, in the shape of this good, crisp and clean encounter between Akira Tozawa and Will Osprey. With both wrestlers gaining favourable reactions from the crowd (Tozawa was clearly the majorities favourite however), this was a back and forth encounter, with some clever spots, such as a chop battle between the two, leading into a feigned chop by Tozawa, who prompty punched Ospreay in the face. 

Ospreay looked comfortable in the ring with the much more experienced Tozawa, impressing with his agility and speed, with a stunning moonsault plancha kicking off the night's high flying action perfectly. My only complaint about Ospreay was it didn't feel like he was fully commited to his "turn", in the middle of the match, as he called Tozawa a "pussyole", generating a modicum of heat. I would have like to have seen Ospreay really go for it at this point, as it was clear Tozawa was the favourite amongst most of the crowd. 

The finish was based around Tozawa's Bridging Delayed German Suplex finishing maneuvre, with the two trading holds as Tozawa attempted to hit move, whilst Ospreay attempted to evade it. Eventually Tozawa hit not one but two Germans to pull out the victory. I would have liked to have seen this match go at little longer, maybe another five minutes, as I think Ospreay and Tozawa had only scratched the surface of what they could do together within the squared circle, however with Tozawa also pulling double duty on the show, it's no real surprise. 

Match 2 - Uhaa Nation (Monster Express) defeated The Lion Kid

I think Uhaa Nation could be entertaining against pretty much anyone. Despite this being his Dragon Gate UK debut, the crowd certainly knew who he was, from his previous forays on the British Wrestling scene and bought the songs along with them. Nation seemed to lap up the attention, wrestling with a big smile on his face as the crowd sang classics like "Uhaa Just A Little Bit" and "Knowing Me, Knowing You...Uhaaaa" 

The match felt like it designed to show Nation off to anyone who hadn't seen him before, with Lion Kid spending a lot of the match bumping around for his bigger opponent. This was absolutely fine with me, as the majority of Kid's offence was sloppy and awkward looking. For a guy, who is supposed to be a highflyer, he looked very uncomfortable with a lot of the highflying moves, including a dangerous looking springboard to the outside. Maybe it was just an off night for Lion Kid?

Uhaa looked like a star throughout however, with an impressive array of moves demonstrating both his power and agility as he his Uhaa Combination to pick up the quick victory. A man his size should not be able to pull out such a beautiful standing shooting star press like that, should he? 

Match 3 - Susumu Yokozuka (Jimmys) & CIMA (Team Veteran) defeated Naruki Doi (Mad Blankey) & Masato Yoshino (Monster Express)

 

 

If the other two matches had been appetisers, the first half main event was a very satisfying main course. 

Following on from some solid chain wrestling from Yoshino and CIMA early on, this match escalated quickly into a series of incredible maneuvres and breath-taking near falls that had the crowd eating out of the hands of all four guys in the match. The pace of this one was incredible as it headed towards the finish, so quick in fact, that I stopped even trying to write notes as I didn't want to miss another move! 

By the finish I'm not sure there was person in the building who wasn't oohing and ahhing with each move and reacting to each near fall as it seemed to be over on a number of occasions. There was a time when someone near by said something to the effect of "This match is never going to end!" with a joyous vivre. By the time the finish came with CIMA hitting his Meteora (Diving Double Knee Drop) finishing move on Yoshino to pick up the victory for his team, the crowd was completely wrapped up in the match, as if nothing else in the world existed. Top, top quality. 

What stops this match ending up as Match of the Night for me, was the early attempts at psychology that were quickly dropped. Such as Doi & Yoshino working Yokozuka's arm, and Yokozuka and CIMA systematically picking apart Yoshino with a series of submission holds, which made a lot of sense as Yoshino had already wrestled one match in the evening. I think if these things hadn't been included early on, I wouldn't have been too bothered about the lack of any psycology later on, as it hadn't really been what I was expecting anyway, but I think using it early on, to not use it later on in the match felt like a bit of a waste. Either way this was still a superb way to close out the first half. 

Match 4 - BxB Hulk defeated YAMATO (Mad Blankey)

The single best match I've seen live. A pretty much perfect wrestling match, that ticked off all the boxes that I look for when watching a pro wrestling match.

It was a simple enough story being told, as Hulk worked YAMATO's arm, whilst Yamato took control of one of Hulk's legs. This made for a very happy reviewer, it helped how precise and crisp both men's offence and selling was as well. I was completely engrossed in this one as soon as YAMATO hit impressive Double Ropehung Dragon Screw Legwhip, before attempting to Irish whip Hulk into the corner, only for Hulk to fall to the ground clutching his leg before making it to the turnbuckle. 

As the match progressed, the pair became more aggressive, with the pair unleashing a series of stick kicks (YAMATO) and forearms (Hulk) that played nicely into the developing storyline and really got over what this match meant to the characters. The pace certainly picked up at this point, with a lot of fast-paced offence on either side, it did for a time seem like the previous psychology had been forgetten about, but luckily Hulk and YAMATO managed to add the subtlities in their selling that kept those previous injuries in the back of my mind. 

It all payed off with a tremendous submission sequence, as Hulk locked in an arm bar that made Alberto Del Rio look like Drew Carey. With astounding smoothness, YAMATO transitioned into an Ankle Lock, before Hulk regained momentum as YAMATO attempted to drag him back to the centre of the ring, locking in a Crossface/Armbar combination. As soon as YAMATO had made it to the ropes, both men were up and selling their respective body parts. I'd entered some kind of dreamland, by this point I think, as I neglected to write any more notes!


The pair did however launch into a blistering series of stiff strikes and near falls with a Canadian Destroyer thrown in there somewhere for good measure. By the time BxB Hulk hit his First Flash Superkick to pick up the victory, there had been thunderous and well deserved "This is Awesome" chants ringing out around the Broxborne Civic Centre. Just a top, top draw match. 

There are two things that could have made this match better...1. Have it as a rematch for Hulk's Open the Dream Gate Title 2. Have it as the main event of the show. There isn't much more the competitors themselves could've done for me here.  

Main Event - Monster Express (Ricochet & Akira Tozawa) defeated Team UK ("Party" Marty Scurll & "The Star Attraction" Mark Haskins)

 

 As you may be able to tell by the picture above, this match was not originally scheduled to contain Akira Tozawa. However, after Rich Swann's flight from Canada was cancelled Tozawa stepped in, recieving a tremendous pop from the audience when he walked out as Ricochet's partner for the evening. 

After the psychology heavy bout before, this was a spot fest, certainly all about the big moves with not much in the way of story telling, minus Haskins working Ricochet's arm for a short period. Luckily, those big moves were fairly impressive and came thick and fast. There were plenty of chances for those at ringside to get landed on, as the four took a number of dives to the outside, including a pair of stereo suicide dives to either side by Team UK and Tozawa's trademark multiple suicide dives, with a superb corkscrew plancha from Ricochet thrown into the mix as well. 

Marty Scurll seemed to enjoy the quite violent reaction that the crowd had towards him at time (He was probably the only wrestler on the show to garner heat for a sustained time), really playing up to the chants and basking in the attention he was receiving. Despite the heat, Scurll, alongside partner Haskins, was crisp throughout, with a Tornado DDT from Scurll into a Superkick from Haskins on Ricochet being a particular highlight. Not forgetting a silly Double Tombstone Piledriver! 

I thought the match was building rather nicely, with both teams having chances to win the match and both looking very comfortable working each other. Therefore, and I know this sounds a little strange, I was a little disapointed when Ricochet picked up the win with a Shooting Star Press. Of course, a Shooting Star Press is a terrific move, that many wrestlers could only dream of being able to use, but I was just expecting more, I think. It was one of the only near falls in the match, where I hadn't thought it was the actual finish, which left it feeling a little flat. Maybe an extra five minutes and a 630 Senton and I would've felt this match justified it's main event spot ahead of BxB Hulk vs YAMATO...

Finally...

This was, most definitely, the best show I have attended live. There wasn't a bad match on the card, with BxB Hulk and YAMATO taking Match of the Night with a near perfect match, that should've main event, a terrific All-Star Tag Match and the main event all delivering far and above my expectations. 

I would urge any British Wrestling fan who hasn't attended a Dragon Gate UK show to grab yourself some DVDs and book your tickets for next year, as this was a truly World-Class show on British soil.

WWE Battleground 2014 Review (Cena vs Kane vs Orton vs Reigns)

My expectations for Battleground were actually pretty high (Check out the preview here - http://www.acrossthepondwrestling.co.uk/2014/07/wwe-battleground-2014-preview-and.html) I was looking forward to pretty much every match on the card for a number of different reasons. Were those expectations met? Let's find out shall we. 

John Cena defeats Kane and Randy Orton and Roman Reigns in a Fatal Fourway Match to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

Before we got to our main event of the evening, there was a horrendous backstage segment, where Randy Orton attempted to track down his Authority stable-mate Kane. Orton standing backstage with red lighting behind him shouting "Kane....Kane...Where are you Kane?" was so poorly acted it made the upcoming The Marine 4 (starring The Miz) look good. There really was no point to this segment as Kane reminding Orton that it was every man for himself was nothing that we hadn't heard on the last week of WWE television. 

I thought the match itself was a solid main event fourway, with plenty of dramatic near falls, which is exactly what I expect from a match like this from WWE. Not only that but there was also an effective story told with the four men in the ring, with Orton and Kane's uneasy partnership being used effectively in the early part of the match, it was strange seeing Kane work as Orton's heavy, but as soon as Kane went for a pin off a DDT to Reigns, the partnership disintergrated. A confrontation between Cena and Reigns was also teased a number of times, firstly broken up by Orton and Kane, before Kane broke up a second showdown with his classic sit up spot. When Reigns and Cena finally went at it, it didn't quite get the reaction that it should have, after being built to rather well throughout the match.

Hands up who had called for a Tower of Doom in this match? I certainly hadn't! A rather well worked Powerbomb from Reigns and Cena on Kane, whilst Kane superplexed Orton across the ring was a good addition to the match, as was Reigns and Cena trapping Orton in a Half Boston Crab and Crossface combination. The near falls had the crowd popping with each man looking like he could have the match won on te number of occassions. A particular favourite for me was Reigns cutting off Cena's Five Knuckle Shuffle attempt with a Superman Punch, in what felt like a reference to the finish of Cena's WrestleMania 28 bout with The Rock.

The undoubted star of this match was Roman Reigns. Similiar to Survivor Series and Royal Rumble, this match was ALL about Roman Reigns. He needed to look like he belonged in this main event and he certainly did here. Hitting his Running Dropkick to Cena and Kane who were hung up in the ropes and one to Orton who was on the announce table was the moment that Reigns announced himself onto the main event scene for me. 
 
The finish was the expect finisher fest, with Reigns hitting a Spear on Kane, followed by Orton hitting Reigns with an RKO, before Cena hit Orton with an Attitude Adjustment onto Kane to pick up the victory and retain the title. I have absolute no problem with Cena holding onto the title for two reasons 1. He only won it last month 2. He's the only bankable star to main event the second biggest PPV of the year next month. Cena's moveset was shown up a little here though as he ended up hitting four or five Attitude Adjustments, I'm not sure why he didn't pull out a few of his other moves, the Diving Leg Drop bulldog perhaps?

Moving forward, there's no doubt about it Cena will be facing Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam in what is a huge main event and if it's anything like their Extreme Rules 2012 bout will be excellent. Reigns and Orton could potentially face off agaisnt each other at SummerSlam, but I'd be much more interested in a Reigns vs Triple H bout. Who knows what's next for Kane?! 

Match Rating - ***

Seth Rollins defeats Dean Ambrose by Forfeit

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

This was the match that never happened, and rightly so. More on that later, let's have a look at how it went down. 

Following a superb video package for the match, it appeared that Rollins vs Ambrose would be the second match on the show. Cut to a decent Seth Rollins promo, describing Ambrose as cochroach that he would squash and superbly recalling Ambrose saying "Is that all you guys got?" during his beat down by The Authority last Monday, saying "No, that's not all I got". Ambrose had had enough and attacked Rollins and the two brawled in the backstage area. The brawl was quickly broken up and Authority leader Triple H had Ambrose ejected from the building by security. The brawling between Rollins and Ambrose looked so good and I was fully invested into the fact that these guys hate each other guts. 

Later in the night, Rollins came out to the ring and asked the referee to award him the Forfeit victory, which he duly got. Rollins has really settled into this new role and I'm enjoying seeing him perform recently. Of course, it wouldn't be wrestling if Ambrose didn't make a miraculous return to jump his enemy, I guess Ambrose used his knowledge of the building after entering through the crowd with The Shield for over a year, a shame that the commentary couldn't come up with an explanation like that. This brawl topped the last one as Ambrose and Rollins really went at it, with multiple pull apart from referees and security and even Triple H. It really got home how these two feel about each other. 

But that wasn't it! As Rollins was ushered out of the building by Triple H (I'm not quite sure why), Ambrose popped out of the boot of a car, in superb visual, before unleashing another vicious attack on Rollins. BRAWLIN' HELL! The two battled over a car, before Rollins made his escape in that same car, leaving his luggage behind! Rollins making his escape means this isn't the last we've seen of the feud between the former Shield partners. 

This was the single best outcome for this match, yes Ambrose and Rollins could have had a fantastic match on this show, but where did they go after that? These segments added to the anticipation to a future match between the two, with people now chomping at the bit to see them collide in an actual match. SummerSlam is the perfect place for that match to take place, so holding off on a match this month, will make next month's match even bigger than it would have been. I fully expect an electric atmosphere in Los Angeles! 

Chris Jericho defeats Bray Wyatt

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

In the surprise result of the night, Chris Jericho upset Bray Wyatt in a decent outing for the pair. 

The early story of the bout involved Wyatt's cohorts Erick Rowan and Luke Harper getting involved on numerous occassions, including distracting Jericho as he attempted to lock in the Walls of Jericho and taking a leaping splash from Jericho on the outside. They were quickly ejected from the arena by the referee, meaning we got to see Wyatt and Jericho go at it one on one for the majority of the match up. 

As the story going into this one was fairly weak, that theme continued in this match. There was no real story being told, once Harper and Rowan were ejected, just a number of interconnected moments. Some of those moments worked very well, like Jericho being pushed off the apron into a cameraman or a lovely rope hung Jawbreaker from Wyatt, and some of them not so much, such as the Indy repeat spot after Wyatt slipt whilst attempting a Gutbuster and rubbish DDT onto the apron from Jericho. 

The finish seemed to come out of the proverbial nowhere, as Jericho pulled out a Codebreaker to get the win. It wasn't perhaps the result that everyone had wanted, but I can see why WWE went in this direction. This was Jericho's return match on PPV, and fans had gotten used to him looking at the lights on his last run, it just pushes his credibility up a little for him to go back to his usual ways over the next few months. It also gives Bray Wyatt a reason to be unhappy with Jericho now, which was missing from their rivalry before, meaning a SummerSlam rematch should be a much better outing. 

Match Rating - ** 1/4

Rusev defeats Jack Swagger via Countout

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

Oh dear, oh dear. Yes, I'm still shaking my head at Lana referencing the MH17 plane incident incident in Russia. I'm all for bringing current events into storylines, but when people have lost lives then that is step over the line. To clarify, I'm not angry at Lana, I realise I'm supposed to dislike the things that she's saying (apart from this line I had no interest in the rest of the promo), I'm pissed at WWE for over stepping the mark surrounding a very sensitive issue.WWE deserve all the backlash that they get for allowing this promo to air on television just four days after 298 people died. 

After forcing myself to put the promo out of my mind, I actually quite enjoyed this heavyweight clash. Some solid storytelling involving Swagger attempting to get the Patriot Lock on Rusev numerous time (unfortunately the commentary team didn't reference that the move could be more effective because Rusev is bare foot), with Rusev quickly escaping on numerous occassions. The live crowd were really into it and I was surprised by how comfortable Jack Swagger looked as a babyface, maybe he's been in the wrong role ever since his debut? 

The finish was another clever one, as Swagger locked on the Ankle Lock on the outside, with Rusev managing to escape, rolling through and sending Swagger clashing into the ring post. This allowed Rusev to get the victory via Countout. Swagger's selling of the ringpost was stellar. Clearly another set up for a rematch at SummerSlam, especially with Rusev continuing to beat Swagger after the match, locking in The Accolade. 

Match Rating -  ** 

AJ Lee defeats Paige to retain the Diva's Championship

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

Here was WWE's chance to salvage Paige's last four months on the main roster, so the commentary team shilling the WWE Network as the match begun was not the best start. 

However, this turned into a rather enjoyable tussle between two of WWE's most capable female competitors, Yes some moves perhaps weren't polished as they should of been, Paige's Sunset Bomb for example, but the storytelling more than made up for it. Paige was going for pins after almost every move she hit, and the desperation showed in her face everytime that she couldn't get the victory! Throw into the mix a pleasing moment that saw Paige break out of the Black Widow submission hold to hit a Paige Turner, only for a AJ to kick out at two and there's not much more the two girls could have done with their alotted time.

Match Rating * 3/4

The Usos defeat The Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) in a Best Two Out Of Three Falls Match to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

Put simply, this was the match of the night. An absolute belter of a tag team contest, that grew as it went along and built into a sweltering final segment, that had the live crowd and myself not knowing which way it was going to go. 

The first two falls were so intelligently done, as they both came off of supposed hot tags for the Usos, with Harper hitting a Big boot on Jimmy to give his team the lead before Jey equalled the score with an awkward school boy roll up. Having the falls come before the hot tag could really get going, meant that it was saved up until latter in the match, and what a hot tag it was! After the Wyatt's had worked over Jey for sometime, Jimmy exploded out of the blocks, hitting plancha's on both Harper and Rowan, before getting a near fall off a Diving Crossbody. "Jimmy's everywhere" was probably Michael Cole's best bit of commentary all night. 

The false finishes here were something else, and came thick and fast as the four men kept a terrific pace. There were numerous occassions when the crowd was convinced that the match was over, including a superkick to Luke Harper as he attempted a sucide dive, a terrific sitout powerbomb from Harper (which was nicely built up to), a Superfly splash, a double superplex from Erick Rowan. But my personal favourite was Luke Harper's no-sell of Jey's Superkick, before delivering a Discus Clothesline, as I just didn't see it coming and I was fully convinced that the match was over. 

The actual finish saw both Usos deliver multiple superkicks to both Rowan and Harper, before hitting a Double Superfly splash on Harper to hold onto their tag team titles. The splash was a little awkward looking, and perhaps, just like Cena's over-use of the Attitude Adjustment in the main event, there were a few too many superkicks, but that didn't take too much away from this exciting slice of tag team action.

Match Rating - ****

The Miz wins a Nineteen Man Over-The-Top Rope Battle Royal to win the Intercontinental Championship

 

Photo credit - wwe.com

 

WWE must have been stuck for time here, as every single entrant got an entrance for this match, which really slowed down the pace of the PPV. Luckily, former Intercontinental Champion, the injured, Bad News Barrett was out to cut a very good promo reminding whoever won the battle royal that it was still Barrett's title and he'd be coming for it once he recovered from his shoulder injury. Barrett looked pretty emotional cutting this promo, and we hope he make a speedy recovery. 

As battle royals go, this wasn't bad. I wouldn't say it was as good as the Andre the Giant Battle Royal earlier in the year, but it was passable with a few entertaining moments. After some of the filler (Great Khali, Xavier Woods, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, R-Truth, Curtis Axel, Damien Sandow and Diego) were tossed over the top rope this match really got going, with a showdown between Sheamus and Ryback. Sheamus would come out on top eliminating Ryback with a Brogue Kick. There was also some interesting sequences involving Kofi Kingston staying in the match, and whilst landing on the eliminated Big E's shoulders might not be his best, it was still a decent spot. 

It seemed the final two were Sheamus and Dolph Ziggler, who engaged in a botch laden few minutes of action, including Ziggler slipping up on Fameasser attempt and Sheamus doing the same with a Powerbomb), which was a real shame as what they had planned out would have looked very good if pulled off. Luckily, the pair did manage to recover, with some nice near eliminations before Ziggler managed to send Sheamus packing with a(nother) superkick. However, that wasn't the final two as The Miz snook his way back into the match and tossed Ziggler over the top rope to become the new Intercontinental Champion. Miz had been in and out of the ring, attempting sneak attacks on a number of occassions, which was a nice twist on a tired pro wrestling trope. 

I'm interested to see where Miz goes with the Intercontinental title, after his previous reigns fell flat. However with his new conceited Hollywood star gimmick, I have a lot more hope for this reign than I did for his last. A feud with Ziggler could elevate both guys and the championship at the same time, as both are capable of getting the desired reaction out of an audience and putting on decent bouts.

Match Rating - N/A

Bits and Bobs

There was a marvellously bizarre promo from Stardust and Goldust. I have absolutely no idea what Stardust was saying (something about a Cosmic key?) but I was completely capitvated by it. They got genuine laughter from, as it was just so strange to watch, which doesn't happen often with WWE. Whilst I am enjoying Cody's run as Stardust, I do hope that this isn't a permanent thing, and is more of a set up for a Cody and Goldust feud, as I think this gimmick could get stale pretty quick.

The Pre-Show panel were on hand for two occasions and anyone who watched the Pre-Show got to here Renee Young, Booker T, Christian and Alex Riley say exactly the same things they had said earlier in the night!

Finally....

So that was my review of WWE's Battleground PPV. Overall, I enjoyed this show a lot, with The Usos vs The Wyatt Family and the main event coming across as the two strongest matches. With only a few weeks until SummerSlam, I had expected this PPV to be used to move the right wrestlers into the right spots, and to up the ante for the Biggest Show of the Summer, with a number of feud (Rollins/Ambrose, Swagger/Rusev etc.) being intensified to create bigger matches for the bigger PPV to come. Beyond Lana's promo, I had no major complaints either, which is always good.

What did you think of Battleground? Let us know on www.facebook.com/acrossthepondwrestling and on Twitter @ATPWrestling!