Another vignette aired on Monday’s WWE Raw, hyping the impending arrival of the former Penta E Zero Miedo to WWE on the January 6 premiere of Raw on Netflix.
Monday’s vignette gave the clearest indication yet that the mystery “Zero” vignettes airing in recent weeks on WWE programming are for the former AEW Tag Team and Trios Champion, as the video featured the signature design of Penta’s mask:
Neither Penta nor his brother Rey Fenix has wrestled for AEW since July, with both believed to be on their way to WWE as soon as contractually able. Fenix has missed significant time due to injury during his AEW tenure and has reportedly had time added to his deal, delaying his arrival.
As The Lucha Bros, Penta and Fenix were part of the AEW roster since its 2019 launch.
It’s Monday and you know what that means: a seven-match AEW Dark: Elevation taped last Wednesday at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland, Ohio, with Tony Schiavone, Paul Wight and Mark Henry on the call.
Lance Archer (w/ Jake Roberts) defeated Chase Oliver
This was Oliver’s debut and it started with Archer dragging him to the ring. Archer (44-9) destroyed Oliver from beginning to end, beating him with the Blackout in a squash. This was another win for him ahead of his World title Texas Death Match with Hangman Page.
After the match, Archer cut a promo about coming back and wanting the World title and Hangman Page. Archer ended his promo with his iconic “Everybody dies” catchphrase.
Brandi Rhodes (w/ Arn Anderson) defeated KiLynn King
This was a homecoming match for Dark and Dark: Elevation regular King. She had the height advantage and used it to her advantage at the onset. Rhodes asked Anderson for advice on how to deal with King, but that didn’t work at all. Rhodes eventually targeted King’s legs to slow her down and change the flow of the match. Rhodes won with the Stretch Mark submission, upping her career record to 15-3.
Jay Lethal defeated Casey Carrington
This was the AEW debut for Carrington. Lethal started with a suicide dive, followed by the Ric Flair strut. Lethal dominated as Carrington was outmatched at every opportunity. A Macho Man elbow and the Lethal Injection got him his fourth AEW win of the year. He moves on to face FTW Champion Ricky Starks this Friday on Rampage.
Anna Jay defeated Nikki Victory
This was Victory’s AEW debut. Jay (24-11) won this short match by submission with the Queenslayer.
Dante Martin, Lee Moriarty & Matt Sydal defeated Aaron Solo, Nick Comoroto & QT Marshall (w/ Anthony Ogogo)
The Factory began by hitting Sydal, Moriarty and Martin from behind before the bell rang while their backs were to them. Sydal’s speed eventually forced Solo to tag Comoroto which once again changed the flow in favor of The Factory. Comoroto also showcased his strength by lifting Martin only using one arm.
Ogogo interfered in favor of The Factory until the ref kicked him out. The Factory then isolated Sydal from Moriarty and Martin and took turns beating him up. Sydal used an impressive tijeras to finally escape and tag Martin who cleaned house.
The Factory used a triple combo to almost win the match, but Martin was able to kick out and the crowd went nuts. Martin hit the Nosedive on Solo to pick up the win.
This marked the debuts for Navarro and Meyers while this was Soho and Rosa’s second straight outing as a team and that experience working together helped them dominate here. Meyers took both a Future Kick and a fire thunder driver as Rosa and Soho won the match.
After the match, Mercedes Martinez came out to stare down Rosa ahead of their Rampage match this Friday.
Penta El Zero Miedo (w/ Alex Abrahantes) defeated Serpentico
Penta got the best reaction of the episode as the crowd went bonkers when he came out. On a side note, when Penta did his first “zero miedo,” he cursed in Spanish so fans that speak Spanish will really pop for that. Serpentico also talked in Spanish and said “maldita sea” meaning “damn it.”
This match was a great showcase for the argument that Penta (and Fenix as well) could be great players in AEW as singles stars. Penta picked up the win after hitting the Fear Factor won the match, increasing his overall record to 58-28.
Final Thoughts:
This was an enjoyable episode of Elevation. The best match of the night was Moriarty, Sydal and Martin vs. The Factory, but Serpentico vs. Penta was also fun and another match to check out.
The Big News: Death Triangle ran in after the main event to lay a beating on five babyfaces. It took three more, in the form of Best Friends and Orange Cassidy, to run them off.
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When looking up this episode on YouTube I couldn’t help but notice the large number of episodes (including this one) where the thumbnail is of the Jurassic Express.
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Jurassic Express (with Marko Stunt) defeated Kip Sabian & Peter Avalon (with Penelope Ford & Leva Bates)
Speaking of the Jurassic Express, they are here to kick off Dark this week. Avalon, who comes into this match at 0-10, took forever to start his promo. He got as far as saying we were in Denver before the Express’ music began. This doesn’t seem right, but the graphic indicates this is only the second time Jungle Boy and Luchasaurus are teaming together in a two-on-two tag match.
Jungle Boy ran wild on both heels and was going for some sort of slingshot maneuver, but Penelope tripped him up and Sabian took over. Sabian and Avalon worked well together. Avalon missed a beautiful moonsault, giving Jungle Boy room to crawl for a tag. However. Ford grabbed one of Leva’s books and threw it into the ring to distract the referee, so the heels kept control.
Unfortunately for Sabian and Avalon, their ladies could not get along. Bates and Ford began arguing with one another, which distracted the team long enough for Luchasaurus to get the tag. He had it almost had it won with a moonsault to Avalon, but Sabian bum-rushed into the pile, breaking up the cover. Luchasaurus gave Sabian the tail whip, allowing Jungle Boy to pin Avalon following an assisted cutter.
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Tony Schiavone and Dasha Gonzalez previewed the rest of the show. Dasha wanted to know why Tony was wearing a Nightmare Family shirt. Turns out 20% of the proceeds of that shirt up until March 14 will be donated to Planned Pethood.
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Jimmy Havoc defeated Severino Corrente
I believe “Severino Corrente” loosely translates to “lamb being led to slaughter.”
Corrente had his fingers yanked back. Most people would be like “I’m done”. Instead Corrente punched Havoc to no avail. Jimmy used a discus elbow to the face and went for some sort of fireman’s carry, but Corrente raked the eyes.
Corrente started to build momentum, but then he ran chest-first into Jimmy’s feet. He did duck an Acid Rainmaker and used a German suplex into the corner turnbuckles. He tried to fishhook Havoc, but instead Jimmy bit his fingers. A series of impact moves followed, including a leg hook DDT and finished off Corrente with an Acid Rainmaker for the pin.
Havoc beckoned to the back, daring Luther and Mel to come out. Unfortunately, you get what you ask for, as Luther flew down the ramp and attacked Havoc from behind, eventually laying out Havoc with a DDT on the ramp.
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Hikaru Shida defeated Abadon
Abadon is one of the most unique looking wrestlers on the roster. She has done her face paint to look like blood is seeping from her forehead into her eye and down her cheek. She is certainly a sight to behold. By comparison, Hikaru Shida does not look like she has blood coming out of her eye.
Some of the crowd chanted for Abadon to “eat her soul” despite being the heel and Shida being very well liked. Abadon tried to eat Shida’s hand, which threw off the number one ranked contender. Abadon looked really good here and I really hope she’s not one and done. Abadon had her tied in the ropes and licked Shida’s face. Shida was not happy about this, possibly for more than one reason.
Abadon didn’t sell for much, but she definitely felt it when Shida used a running knee in the corner and a missile dropkick. Shida nailed a knee to the back of the head, but Abadon almost won with the Edge-a-matic. Shida finally managed to hit a Shining Wizard for the win.
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Backstage, Dasha asked Jimmy Havoc for an update on his injuries. Havoc thanked Luther for doing it, so being the nice guy Luther is, he attacked Havoc again and had to be dragged away.
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The Librarians were telling us about the newest book of the month, which is Written In The Stars. They came upon Colt Cabana, who was listening to a podcast instead of reading a book. Avalon kept recommending authors, so Colt recommended podcasts. This led to a challenge for a match.
Leva went back and told Colt she loves his podcast.
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Private Party defeated Sonny Kiss & Brandon Cutler
A few weeks ago, Cutler almost beat Private Party by himself when his partner, Shawn Spears walked out. So how will things be when he has a loyal partner? Either way, Cutler is dueling it out with Peter Avalon for the worst record in AEW at 0-9.
Cutler did a great job countering Isiah Kassidy and Marq Quen, much like he did the last time they met. This time Sonny got involved and it ended up in a standoff. Excalibur wondered if Quen and Sonny got their hair done at the same place, which led Taz to say he thinks they go to the same “Dye-ist”. While this conversation was going on, Kiss went down to a combo Rude Awakening/Double Foot Stomp, giving Private Party the advantage.
Private Party mimicked Kiss while getting the heat on him. Cutler got the hot tag and used a beautiful springboard double clothesline. Cutler looked good, laying a beating on both men. We did have a contrived spot where Kassidy was laying on the middle rope and had to stay hanging there while Cutler did moves to Quen first.
Get out the hammer and nails, because this team of Cutler and Kiss are BUILDING MOMENTUM! Kiss went for a boot on Quen, but Marq moved and Kiss ended up in the splits. Quen went for what turned into a Moonsault with double knees. Cutler got in and started doing moves without getting a tag. The referee kept telling him he’s not legal, but Cutler ignored him and hit the TPK on both members of Private Party. Kiss went to the middle rope, but Kassidy prevented him from leaping off. Quen tagged in as Private Party nailed Kiss with the Gin and Juice for the win.
Suddenly, from out of nowhere (or just off the camera), Death Triangle ran in to attack Private Party! PAC, Pentagon and Fenix ended up laying out not only them, but also Cutler and Kiss, who tried to make the save.
PAC took the mic and told all of AEW that if they continue to disrespect athletes of their caliber, they’ll get exactly what they asked for. Joey Janela tried to run in for the save, but was also laid out. Best Friends and Orange Cassidy then hit the ring to send the Death Triangle reeling as the show closed
Thursday’s show came to us from the Rahway Recreation Center in Rahway, NJ, with Josh Mathews and Don Callis on commentary. The story for the event is wrestlers from Impact Wrestling, AAA, MLW, Lucha Underground, and WreslePro all in action.
The venue looked packed, and the ring they used looked really small, especially when the Ultimate X structure was installed.
The show opened with RVD arriving at the venue into the same intro video we have seen the last month with kids dressed as superheroes.
Johnny Impact defeated Jake Crist, Dante Fox, Pat Buck, and Ace Austin in an Ultimate X Match to win a future X-Division title shot
Kotto Brazil couldn’t make it to the show tonight. Jack Evans was also missing, but Ace Austin replaced him.
Most of the match consisted of one wrestler going for the X, being stopped by someone else, and so on. The highlights of the match were Crist hitting a superplex on Johnny, the Tower of Doom spot, followed by Johnny hitting a Swinging Razor’s Edge on Austin, and Fox taking out everyone with his Springboard Imploding 450 on the outside.
Austin then climbed all the way to the top of the pillars where the ropes were set and dove from the top on the rest of the men. Crist went for the X, but Buck hit a spear from the top rope to stop him. Johnny hit a Spanish Fly on the second rope on Fox. Ace went for the X, but Crist hit a cutter from the corner bringing Austin down. The finish saw Johnny climb the ropes to reach the X, bringing it down and earn an X-Division title shot.
The match was a lot of highspots. With two men missing, and Austin being a last minute replacement, parts of the match felt called on the spot.
– Backstage, Moose and Eddie Edwards met. Moose told Edwards that this is his team and to not get in his way. Brian Cage walked in and told them that they need to work together because they’re already outnumbered. Cage said he knows the Lucha Underground guys more than anyone. Edwards said that he’ll find a fourth partner.
We got a video package of last year’s Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground show to build up tonight’s Impact vs LU match.
Team Lucha Underground (Drago, Aerostar, Marty “The Moth” Martinez, & Daga) defeated Team Impact (Brian Cage, Moose, Eddie Edwards, & Tommy Dreamer)
All the Lucha Underground guys came out together with Marty The Moth replacing the originally announced King Cuerno. Impact wrestlers came out individually, but commentary sold it as LU’s solidarity. Moose came out with a great Ric Flair robe. The fourth man ended up being Tommy Dreamer, who got a good reaction from the crowd.
Edwards and Aerostar started the match with a series of reversals and lucha armdrags. Marty and Dreamer went at it next with Dreamer hitting some jabs which made Marty tag out quickly. Drago hit some ranas before Cage and Daga made it in. They had a great quick exchange with fast paced action, ending with Cage getting the advantage with a backbreaker. Moose tagged himself in, but got taken out by Daga and the combined dropkicks of Aerostar and Drago. Daga took out Moose with a dive.
Inside the ring, Cage went against both Aerostar and Drago, who worked together to take out Cage. Aerostar hit a dive on everyone outside. Cage then suplexed Aerostar on top of everyone outside. Dreamer teased diving, but just walked down to floor and jabbed everyone. Dreamer and Edwards exchanged water mouth to mouth to the disgust of yours truly.
Back in the ring, Edwards was trapped as Team LU worked on him with quick tags and double team moves. As mentioned, the ring was really small, so some of the spots looked liked he could had just extended his hand and tagged out. Cage came in after the hot tag and went after Daga. At this point, the match broke down and all men got in the match except Moose. Everyone started exchanging finishers ending with Cage going for the Drill Claw on Daga, but Moose turned on him and hit a Spear.
Dreamer took out Moose with the kendo stick, followed by a dive from Edwards, leaving Dreamer open in the ring for “The Moth” to pick up the win on Dreamer following a butterfly DDT.
There were too many men in a small ring and for a short time for this to be any good. There were some good spots, but overall, it felt rushed.
– Taya Valkyrie cut a promo backstage talking trash on New Jersey and complain that she has to defend her title against three women tonight, but just like Johnny won tonight, she will beat the odds and walk out champion.
All challengers got in Taya’s face, but then they all attacked Rosemary. Taya, Grace, and Forbes went for a three-way test of strength, but they quickly changed that and went for quick roll-ups on each other. Forbes and Taya teamed up against Grace, taking her out, leaving Taya vs. Forbes in the ring.
Taya dominated Forbes with several strikes, a running hip attack, and the running knees, but when Taya went to play to the crowd, Rosemary came back into the mix. Rosemary tossed Taya around a bit until Taya found an opening to escape. Jordynne and Rosemary fought with the former hitting her running corner combo and the Vader Bomb for a two count. Jordynne hit an airplane spin, but she only did a few rotations before hitting a Samoan Drop. Forbes returned hitting a scissors kick and a punt kick on Grace for a pin attempt.
Taya returned, hitting a German on Forbes. Taya and Jordynne then took out Rosemary and Forbes before taking each other out with lariats. Rosemary locked in the Upside Down on Grace while Forbes started squatting with Taya on a fireman’s carry. She went to add Rosemary, but the weight was too much for her. All women started exchanging strikes in the middle of the ring, ending with Taya chasing Road to Valhalla on Rosemary, but Rosemary dodged and hit a spear on Taya.
Suddenly, Su Yung came out to the ramp. Rosemary abandoned the match and brawled with Yung into the back. Back in the ring, Grace took out Forbes with the Grace Driver, but Taya broke the pin up and stole it.
The match was decent, especially everything between Grace and Taya, but the finish feelt empty. Forbes got a good showing here.
– Tessa Blanchard cut a promo backstage saying that she’d be the one defending the title tonight if not for Gail Kim. She then cut a promo on Joey Ryan.
No Salina de la Renta with Promociones Dorado, unfortunately. There was a great reaction for LAX.
After a long time of Santana and Low Ki talking trash to each other, these two started the match. They went for a few strikes before locking up, exchanging control with Low Ki usually coming on top, at one point locking in a great looking armbar on the ropes. Santana and Low Ki got so heated that their respective partners just tagged themselves in. Ortiz and Martinez did a series of reversals and counters with fast paced action.
Ortiz got a two count with something that looked like a Tiger Northern Lights Suplex. Santana tagged in as they kept working over Martinez, but Low Ki did a blind tag that allowed him to sneak up on Santana and successfully cut him off from his corner.
Promociones Dorado worked over Santana for a while with quick tags, strikes, and a few submission attempts. Santana tagged out at the first opening he had. Ortiz came in with a good hot tag, but Low Ki quickly turned it around and went for the foot stomp, but was thrown off the ropes by Santana. LAX hit a hanging cutter for a two count when Low Ki broke the pin with a senton.
Low Ki hit a springboard kick into Ortiz, who was in an electric chair position, but it only got them a two count. Santana took out Low Ki outside the ring, leaving Ortiz in the ring with Martinez for the finish with a Death Valley Driver. Outside the awkward start, this was really good once it got going. Santana seemed hurt in the midsection as he walked to the back.
– Sami Callihan cut a promo on Jimmy Havoc saying that he was feeling violent and tonight, he and his brother from across the pond were going to see who was the most violent player.
Tessa Blanchard defeated Joey Ryan
Ryan did his shtick during his entrance with the baby oil and lollipop, but the look on Blanchard’s face was all worth it. Ryan immediately told Tessa to touch his penis to which Blanchard replied by flipping him off which woke up the crowd.
We started with Tessa locking up, but Joey forced Tessa’s hand on his penis. He did this on several occassions to chants of the fans telling her to “touch his d*ck”. Tessa instead suplexed Joey by his chest hair. Tessa hit a couple of forearms and then hit a great Magnum on the corner. Joey retaliated by tossing Tessa right into the ringpost.
Joey started working over Tessa’s left arm, working it against the guardrail and the apron. Tessa fought back with one arm, but Joey quickly cut her off, always going for the arm. Joey’s offense was nice and vicious. Tessa eventually hit a desperation huricanrana and a dive to turn things around. She hit a top rope cannonball for a two count. Joey hit a huge Pumphandle Suplex, but he was getting too cocky for his own good, giving Tessa time to recover. Joey hit a spinebuster for a two count and transitioned into another armbar. Tessa got out and hit a couple of Tornado DDTs for another near fall.
Joey hit the Boobplex, which commentary had trouble calling, and finally got Tessa’s hand on his penis for the YouPornPlex. Joey got a second lollipop on Tessa and a superkick for another two count. Joey went for the Mustache Ride, but Tessa countered and hit the top rope Magnum for the pin.
Even with Ryan’s shtick, this was a good match. Tessa was a great babyface and Joey was a great heel.
X-Division Champion Rich Swann defeated Flamita to retain
Flamita replacied his fellow Dragon Gate roster member Yamato, but was announced as part of AAA regardless.
They started the match with a fast paced exchange of reversals and flips ending with Swann hitting a dive on Flamita to gain control of the match. Swann slowed down the match and locked in an abdominal stretch on Flamita who made it to the ropes. After a couple of chops, Flamita hit Swann with a superkick, a 619 on the corner, and a Tope con Giro.
Back in the ring, Swann and Flamita exchanged kicks before the latter got a two count with a backbreaker. Swann hit a striking combo for a two count himself. Swann went for the Phoenix Splash, but Flamita dodged and hit a Spanish Fly. Flamita hit a Tiger Driver and splash for a near fall. Both men got into a strong style striking battle that ended with Swann dodging Flamita and hitting a Lethal Injection for a two count. Swann hit a Standing Frankensteiner and the Phoenix Splash to retain the championship to end a good match.
– Sabu and RVD cut a promo backstage putting over the Lucha Bros, but he said that when it came to a fight, he wouldn’t want anyone else by his side than Sabu. This was a total RVD and Sabu promo if you’ve ever seen one.
Sami Callihan defeated Jimmy Havoc in a Monster’s Ball match
Havoc came out without music, but he had his trusty staple gun and chain with him. Callihan came out with a trash can and the bat that made him famous.
Havoc got an initlal quick cheap shot and after swerving Callihan with a dive, he got the first staple shot on Callihan. Havoc chased Sami around the ring stapling him, one to his private parts. Callihan threw a desperation chair to Havoc’s head, busting him open. They kept brawling outside using the weapons that were surrounding the ring. They fought up to the apron where Havoc went for a piledriver, but Callihan reversed and hit one himself.
Back in the ring, Callihan brought out another stapler. Havoc went for a sunset flip which Sami blocked by stapling some dirty newspapers on Havoc. Callihan low blowed Havoc and went to hit him with a frying pan several times. Callihan then produced lemons which he squeezed all over Havoc’s cuts. Sami placed Havoc inside a trash can and swung a chair into him, but Jimmy made a comeback with the trash can on him, and turned the match around.
Jimmy started cutting Sami with paper, going for his hand, mouth, and the space between his toes. Havoc hit a Death Valley Driver into the trash can for a two count. Jimmy brought out jumbo sized Legos, which actually hurt less than the normal ones. Callihan hit a piledriver on them for a one count. Callihan finally went for the bat strike, but instead of pinning Havoc, he set up two chairs for another piledriver and pin to win a fun hardcore match.
Both men bumped fists afterward.
Impact Tag Team Champions Lucha Brothers (Pentagon Jr. & Fenix) defeated Rob Van Dam & Sabu in a non-title extreme dream match
From the start, we got dueling chants of “RVD”, “Cero Miedo”, and “Sa F’n Bu”. They exchanged taunts with each other which got “This is awesome” chants. Eventually, Sabu got tired and went after Pentagon. They hit each other with kicks before ending with a standoff.
Sabu and RVD isolated Fenix first, but Pentagon came in and took a Rolling Thunder by RVD. Sabu got a near fall on Fenix after an RVD monkey flip. Pentagon chopped both Sabu and RVD, setting up the former for a double superkick. Lucha Bros hit a couple of double team moves, but Sabu was there to break up the pin.
Sabu and RVD brought out a table, but the Lucha Bros cut them off before they could set it up. Eventually, both Lucha Bros ended on the table with Sabu and RVD hitting stereo leg drops for a two count. RVD went for the frog splash, but Pentagon tossed a chair, taking him out. Pentagon hit the Spike Fear Factor on Sabu for the win.
The match was somewhat rushed and some spots seemed out of position, but the action between RVD vs. Pentagon or Fenix was good. The finish felt slightly underwhelming since we didn’t get the 5-Star Frog Splash in RVD’s big return.
Lucha Bros offered handshakes to their opponents, and they all celebrated together in the ring to close the show.
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The show wasn’t exactly good, but I wouldn’t call it bad either. There were a lot of production hiccups when it came to audio, timing, and the competence of the camera crew that really hurt the show.
The Young Bucks are the new AAA Tag Team champions following tonight’s AAA Rey de Reyes event.
After the Lucha Bros. defeated Rey Escorpion and El Texano Jr. to win the titles in the main event, Konnan came out and confronted the new champions. At that moment, the lights went out. When they came back on, The Young Bucks were in the ring and an impromptu match for the tag team titles started.
It was a short bout, with the Bucks winning the titles after hitting the Meltzer Driver on Pentagon Jr., while previously laying out Fenix on the floor with an indytaker. The two then exited the ring and celebrated with Konnan as the show ended.
Cody also appeared earlier in the show, mentioning to Hugo Savinovich that he would like to bring in names to AAA such as Kenny Omega and Chris Jericho. Konnan, Taurus, Rey Escorpion and El Texano Jr. came out to confront him and it ended up turning into a brawl with several other wrestlers coming out for the save.
Impact Wrestling closed their set of tapings with night two at Fronton Mexico in Mexico City on Saturday. Here’s what happened on night one if you missed it.
X-Division Champion Rich Swann defeated El Hijo del Vikingo in a non-title match
This was a great, must-see match and a great showing for Hijo del Vikingo, who got a big reaction from the crowd. Swann pinned Vikingo after a 450 Splash.
After the match, oVe came out to confront Swann. Sami Callihan talked about the history between he and Swann, saying that he was always there for him, more than his family, and so Swann owed everything he had achieved to him. Callihan offered Swann to join oVe, but he rejected the invitation.
There was no clear interference from either Grace or Yung, but the finish saw Grace take out Yung, distracting Allie who left her guard down for Hogan to roll her up for the win.
Trey Miguel (w/The Rascalz) defeated Rohit Raju (w/Raj Singh and Gama Singh)
This was an action packed match that got a good amount of time. Miguel got a better reception from the fans and won with a top rope meterora.
Knockouts Champion Taya Valkyrie defeated Tessa Blanchard in a street fight to retain
These two women went out there looking to give it their all. The spots in the match were not particularly violent in nature, but looked brutal live. There was a big board in the ring that they were not able to break even after a second spear against it. The finish saw Valkyrie hit a double foot stomp from the top rope onto Blanchard, who laid on a table. The crowd reacted well to the weapon spots and were behind the champ.
Willie Mack defeated Ethan Page
In a short match, Mack pinned Page after a stunner.
Impact Champion Johnny Impact defeated Moose, Killer Kross, and Brian Cage in a four-way match to retain
This was another great must-see match with four big dudes going all out. The fnish saw Impact hit Starship Pain on Moose while Cage hit the Drill Claw on Kross, but Impact covered Moose a second earlier so he won the match. Cage and Impact faced off afterward.
Psycho Clown defeated Fallah Bahh
Like on Friday, the reaction to Psycho Clown wasn’t favorable. He won with La Magistral.
Sami Callihan defeated Puma King
King had a great reaction from the fans, while Callihan was a heat machine. Callihan pinned Puma King after a piledriver in a great match with a lot of time.
Eli Drake and Eddie Edwards defeated The Rascalz (Dezmond Xavier and Zachary Wentz)
The finish saw Drake hit the Gravy Train on Xavier after hitting him with Edwards’ kendo stick behind the referee’s back. After the match, Edwards complained to Drake about using the stick to win. Edwards brought out the stick to begin with, so I’m guessing he was just jealous someone else used it.
Lucha Brothers (Pentagon and Fenix) defeated LAX (w/Konnan) to become the new Impact World Tag Team Champions
The Lucha Bros got a big match entrance with Chinese dragon dancers. This was about as good as the Homecoming match, if not slightly better. The crowd was hot for the Lucha Bros, and when some fans started an ‘Impact Wrestling’ chant, the Cero Miedo chant would overtake it. The finish saw Pentagon pin Santana with the spike Fear Factor, while Fenix hit a Tope con Giro on Ortiz on the outside.
After the match, all four men embraced.
The show ended with all the babyfaces coming out to celebrate with the Lucha Brothers. They got an ‘Impact Wrestling’ chant going, and stayed for a while taking pictures with the fans and high-fiving all around.
Xplosion Tapings —
Fallah Bahh defeated Raj Singh (w/Gama Singh)
Bahh was really over with the crowd and pinned Raj after a Banzai Drop.
Jordynne Grace defeated Su Yung
Grace pinned Yung after a Pumphandle Half Nelson Driver.
Though the show is still over five months away, the list of people who will be appearing at All In continues to grow.
Penta El Zero M and his brother Rey Fenix became the most recent names announced for the show last night. Whether they’ll be teaming together as the Lucha Brothers or not has yet to be revealed.
They join Cody Rhodes, The Young Bucks, Kenny Omega, Marty Scurll, Hangman Page, “Arrow” star Stephen Amell, and Tessa Blanchard as people who have been confirmed for All In.
The show is being self-financed by Cody and Matt & Nick Jackson and will take place at the Sears Centre Arena in the Chicago area on September 1st. Cody tweeted earlier this week that he expects May is the earliest that tickets will go on sale.
MLW also announced Penta El Zero M vs. Fenix for their show in Orlando on April 12th today. It’s a rematch from when they first faced off for MLW in January.
A tag team match will headline the Impact Wrestling vs. Lucha Underground show over WrestleMania weekend.
But instead of a team from impact facing a team from LU, it will be Austin Aries & Fenix vs. Alberto El Patron & Pentagon Jr. The match was announced by Josh Mathews on Facebook Live today.
Aries and El Patron have been involved in a feud on Impact, with El Patron set to challenge for Aries’ World Championship in the main event of the company’s Redemption pay-per-view on April 22nd.
The other matches that have been confirmed for Impact vs. Lucha Underground are: Eddie Edwards vs. Sami Callihan (as Jeremiah Crane) in an I Quit match, Impact Tag Team Champions LAX (Santana & Ortiz) defending against Killshot (Shane Strickland) & The Mack (Willie Mack), and Andrew Everett, Dezmond Xavier & DJZ vs. King Cuerno, Aerostar & Drago.
The show will take place at The Sugar Mill as part of WrestleCon’s weekend of events in New Orleans on Friday, April 6th and will air live on Impact’s Twitch channel at 9 p.m. Central time.
Arolucha, a new promotion run by Aroluxe, the former part-owners of Impact, working with Konnan as booker, announced its debut event at the same arena where TNA ran in its early days.
It’s been known they were doing a December 10th show in Nashville, but it was announced for the Fairgrounds, the former “Asylum” in the TNA days and weekly stop in the heyday of Jarrett Promotions and even dating back to the Nick Gulas era.
The idea is to attempt to do a Lucha Libre television show based around high flyers. The first show will be a pilot to attempt to sell the series and has a lineup of mostly wrestlers that work for The Crash promotion in Mexico.
The first show lists:
Rey Mysterio & Pentagon (using that name) vs. Rush & John Morrison
Jack Evans, Hurricane Helms & Maximo vs. Garza Jr., La Mascara & Daga
MVP vs Sammy Guevara
Keira & Lacey Lane vs. Vanilla Vargas & Taya
Demus 3:16 vs. Mascarita Dorada (who was El Torito in WWE)
Submitted by Juan Portocarrero from Lima, Peru | Image: Rodolfo Contreras Quintanilla
The show ended up being six hours long.
– Mansilla def. Kaiser, Fear, and Atemista in a four-way qualifier for the IMPERIO World title match
– Ariki Toa def. Rafael from Salamanca, Caoz, and Kassius Ortiz in a four-way qualifier for the IMPERIO World title match
– Hugo Savinovich appeared to say hello to the crowd in the “Dibos Colisseum” and send his prayers for the climate victims in PerĂş in last two weeks.
– South American Tournament First Round: Zack Sabre Jr. submitted Ricky Marvin
– South American Tournament First Round: Vicente Viloni def. Max Miller
– Apolo def. TVK in a squash
– The Broken Hardys interrupted Al Cold and Axl, coming out to standing ovation. They cut their classic promos with the “They’ll fade away and classified themselves as obsolete (¡OBSOLETE!)” and the ¡DELETE! chants from everybody.
– South American Tournament First Round: Reptil def. Jhoan Stambuk
Hardys won after the Twist of Fate and then the Swanton Bomb over Al-Cold. After the match, Hardys cut a promo saying they “have traveled all over the world and The Lucha Brothers are the best”. Then, they invited Al Cold and Axl to the ring but Cold received a double superkick from Lucha Brothers and Axl received two Twist of Fates from Jeff and Matt (After ¡DELETE! chants).
– South American Tournament First Round: Matt Sydal def. Taylor Wolf
– South American Tournament First Round: Chavo Guerrero def. Ian Muhlig
After the match, Chavo grabbed a crowd sign that says “Viva la Raza!” and showed to the colisseum leading to “Eddie!” chants.
– South American Tournament First Round: Kacarmo def. Hades
Match was just two minutes. Hades was injured trying to do a plancha from the corner to the ringside which was later diagnosed as a fractured ankle.
– South American Tournament Second Round: Zack Sabre Jr. def. Vicente Viloni in a distraction finish
– South American Tournament Second Round: Reptil def. Chavo Guerrero
– Caoz & Kaiser def. Hellspawn and Gladiator Angel
– South American Tournament Second Round: Matt Sydal def. Karcama
– Apocalipsis & Coyote/Rey del Aire def. Albuquerque, Fear & Ajayu
– Reptil won the IMPERIO South American title in a three way over Zack Sabre Jr. and Matt Sydal after hitting both with the Coupe de Grace
– Kassius Ortiz def. Piero Da Vinci
– WWE’s Paige was shown in the crowd at ringside. She said hello and waved to the crowd.
– Zumbi def. Alejandro “XL” Sáez and Bad Boy Jr. in a three-way
– Carlito won the IMPERIO World title in a no-DQ fatal four-way over Alberto El Patron, Mansilla, and Ariki Toa
Photos from Rodolfo Contreras Quintanilla – LIBERO, you can download them from this link: https://we.tl/MC2z0RJDZR
We get a recap of the Black Lotus and Dragon Azteca Jr. drama before Dario Cueto’s announcement of the Black Lotus Tribe vs. Pentagon Dark match. Vampiro meets with Pentagon and tells him that everyone has to pay for their sins and even if he makes it out of here alive, he’ll still have hell to pay.
Pentagon gives him the zero fear hand gesture and leaves. Matt Striker talks about Pentagon Dark’s attack at the hands of the Black Lotus Tribe and says that it was Black Lotus’ revenge for Pentagon breaking her arm. Vampiro stares at him like he is a moron for verbalizing this before Striker names the Triad — Doku, Yurei, and Hidokiri.
Pentagon Dark defeated Doku
Doku comes out first and Vampiro talks about how a samurai asked a monk about heaven and hell and was told that staring into his eyes was hell. Doku lands a series of slaps, palm strikes, and chops before landing a back fist and a diving forearm in the corner. Pentagon kicks the daylights out of her before hitting the windup overhand chop.
He tosses her out while the fans chant “Cero Miedo” and he then kicks her into the guardrail. He press slams her into a snake eyes on the ring apron! Jesus! Doku spears him and hits a gorgeous flying elbow, instantly getting her over before a second elbow is met with the arm snapper. Doku got over more in one match than most of the roster has in three seasons.
Backstage, Jeremiah Crane talks to Catrina, who says it’s a shame that Ivie got hurt. She says that Crane brought her here and now she can see him in the flesh. Great, so is he a 200 year old Wiccan or something?
He’s apparently wearing a stone of hers around his neck, and she’s in love with someone else. Now he’s either got Ivie coming to kill him, Mil Muertes, or the 200 year old witch who can bring people back from the dead — he’s screwed either way.
Pentagon says the numbers don’t matter because he will break Black Lotus’ arm again.
Pentagon Dark defeated Yurei
Pentagon stretches in the corner to prepare for the match. A tumbling exchange leads to armdrags and then a flying victory roll into an armdrag by Yurei. She sends him outside and hits a standing High Fly Flow to the floor.
She tosses him into the guardrail and kicks away at the ribs before sending him head-first into the chairs. She sends him into the announce table before hitting him with the ring bell a couple of times.
She fights him up the bleachers while Striker teases a possible DQ. Really now. Pentagon saves himself briefly, but he eats a shining wizard mid-ring. A second shining wizard leads to him catching the leg and locking on a half crab before snapping back. She gets to the ropes and Pentagon keeps the attack going on the leg. A pitching chop takes Yurei down and she lands a high kick and rana off the top.
A slick double stomp hits for two. She lands a tornado DDT and goes up top for a flipping senton, but Pentagon uses that to move into the package piledriver. An arm snapper ends it.
Vampiro hypes up Hidokiri as the biggest challenge yet for Pentagon. Matanza is shown destroying things in his cell before Dario tells Matanza that he’ll get a title shot next week. Matanza roars in dissatisfaction. He wants Rey Mysterio instead and we see a question mark painted in blood on the wall.
Hidokiri defeated Pentagon Dark
Hidokiri hits a missile dropkick and then flies to the floor. She lands another suicide dive before just barely moving to avoid the railing. She grabs a chair, revs it up, and runs at Pentagon with a shot to the face. A minute in and she’s already the biggest female badass on the roster.
She undoes the mats around the ring and kicks him in the groin before cockily kicking his face and back. He wants more and she obliges. She kicks him, goes for a handspring kick, but eats a basement dropkick in the face. Pentagon lands a sick basement kick to her back. The pitching chop lands once again. He sets her up for a punt and just demolishes her face with it. He tosses her over a sea of chairs while the fans chant “holy sh*t.”
Pentagon grabs some camera cable and drags her around over his shoulder with it by the neck. He traps her against the ring post and chokes her out. He grabs a chair and hits her with it. He punts her ribs and tosses her into another sea of chairs. He lands an AA on the concrete. She tosses Pentagon into a chair before she goes up top and climbs the Temple. She hits a crossbody off the top of Dario’s office onto Pentagon, who thankfully catches her.
Striker talks about her being the first female to dive off the office. She avoids the package piledriver and beats him with the Canadian Destroyer. Black Lotus comes down for her match with Pentagon Dark.
Black Lotus defeated Pentagon Dark
The fans chant “break his arm” before Black Lotus attacks the ref and the Triad surrounds him. She tries to do the arm snapper to Pentagon and succeeds! Vampiro is overjoyed and then Dragon Azteca Jr. returns. He stares at Lotus and the Triad leaves. Azteca stomps on the now-broken arm and does the arm snapper to the non-broken arm!
Striker says that both Black Lotus and Azteca got revenge on Pentagon for breaking their arms. We get shots of candles and Vampiro with slices on his throat and face before Puma shows brief signs of life. This was an outstanding show and easily the best of the season.
Submitted by Miles Schneiderman from the Arizona State Fair
Show one —
– Son of Havoc defeated Jack Evans
The top rope broke early in the match, but they worked around it admirably. Havoc won with a standing shooting star press.
– While the crew fixed the ring, Vampiro talked to the crowd about wrestling beginning at local fairs like this one. Melissa Santos played some games with a few kids in the crowd and gave them masks. She asked who the kids’ favorite wrestlers were. Most of them said Pentagon.
– Ivelisse defeated Taya and Mariposa in a triple threat match
They seemed to find the three-way format awkward at first, but things got better as it went along. Ivelisse tapped out Taya while Mariposa was on the outside.
– Johnny Mundo defeated Cage in a falls count anywhere match
Mundo came out first and teased giving a kid his shades, but pulled them back at the last minute. He cut an entertaining heel promo, which brought out Cage. Brutal match. Great main event. Mundo won by pinfall after Taya came out and they both hit Cage in the head with kendo sticks. Mundo and Taya posed in the ring, but Cage returned, speared Taya, and gave Mundo the Weapon X. He posed for the crowd to end the show.
Show two —
– Drago defeated Australian Suicide, Aerostar, and Hector Garza Jr. in a four-way match
Really great match that got a lot of time. The standout was probably Australian Suicide, who came out to almost no reaction and became a crowd favorite by the end. Garza was also excellent, doing the cocky babyface thing. Lots of incredible spots in this one. Drago got the pin on Suicide with the flipping DDT he’s been using lately. Him winning was a crowd pleaser, but they gave the other three a standing ovation at the end.
– Kevin Kross defeated Ricky Mandel
Definitely the quietest match of the day in terms of the crowd. Mandel was introduced as being from “Sexy Beach” and was supposed to be the face, but neither got a huge reaction. Kross has a great look. He got the win with what looked like a Saito suplex.
– Pentagon Dark defeated Mil Muertes in a no DQ match
Vampiro was supposed to be the guest enforcer, but he said Pentagon was going to beat Muertes without his help. Muertes came out alone. The crowd was really into Pentagon. He got the biggest reaction of the day and it wasn’t close.
The match was phenomenal, with spots involving chairs, ladders, nunchuks, and fire extinguishers. Main event caliber. Pentagon won with a lungblower into a pin that trapped Muertes’ arm. Kind of a strange finish, but a great match. The crowd loved Pentagon winning. Pentagon cut a very brief promo on Muertes in Spanish after the match.
Tonight, The Mack battles Marty The Moth while Marty’s sister makes her debut. Famous B returns with more advice on how to be famous, and a new partnership is formed inside the Temple as rivals of Drago come together. Cage battles Taya, while Mil Muertes, Pentagon Jr., and Prince Puma battle in the main event for the Lucha Underground Title.
Show Recap:
The show begins with a recap of the Moth vs. Sexy Star feud and Cage and Johnny Mundo’s issues, including the debut of Taya. The Jack Evans vs. Drago rivalry is run down, as are Pentagon Jr. and Cuerno’s issues with Catrina. Backstage, Sexy Star is in the back being sad, while The Mack comes in and attempts to act. He says it’s time to squash the bug and make Sexy the Sexy he knows. God bless The Mack, but acting is not his thing.
In the ring, Marty the Moth stands over Melissa Santos and sniffs her hair creepily. The crowd chants “no means no!” and The Mack runs down to attack.
Marty The Moth vs. The Mack
Striker says that it’s time for a garden of empowerment to grow. Mack runs Marty down with big punches and lariats. Mack gets backdropped to the apron and he eats a big kick. Marty hits a dive and Striker says the Math had to fly. Marty plays the bongos on the apron before chopping Mack’s chest and getting 1. Marty goes for a bulldog into the buckle for some reason, and gets crotched.
Marty elbows Mack down, but he misses a diving splash and eats a big German and T-Bone suplex. Mack goes up, but the lights go out and Marty’s sister comes down to distract while Marty gets a big slam off the top and a stomp to win. Mariposa is his sister and Sexy freaks out on the floor. She tells Sexy to get up and knocks her back down.
Fenix walks around Mexico in a suit, in his mask saying he grew up with nothing to call his own. He had fantasy though, and heard about Lucha Underground and was told he wouldn’t survive. He proved them wrong doing that and even became champion. They think he won’t become LU Champion – but he will, and it’s no fantasy. Backstage, Jack Evans pees, but is attacked by Drago afterwards.
He wants Evans to prove he’s the Dragon Slayer, but PJ Black attacks with nunchucks. Then everyone gets a set and spins them around before Drago hits them with a shot, but eats several more. They threaten him, but Aerostar the Time-Traveling Spaceman returns from the future to save his rival. This was hilarious. Cage is mid-ring for his match with Mundo. Taya comes down with Johnny’s slow-mo fan intro and says it’s time for her to kick his ass since Johnny already did.
Cage vs. Taya Valkyrie – No Disqualification
Striker says she was trained by Lance Storm while Vampiro says she’s been adopted by lucha fans. Tays starts by slapping the shit out of him and he responds by shoving her down. Cage does lifts in a backbreaker position before putting her in a gorilla press and then powerslamming her down . Taya punches him in the balls before landing a kneeling dropkick. Shotgun knees in the corner hit the chest hard and get 2. Striker says that Lance is one of the greatest wrestlers in the world, while Vamp says Lance had nothing to do with her success.
Cage powerbombs her on the railing, then on the post before saying “WHO’S THE F***ING MACHINE”, which went unbleeped. Big powerbomb in the ring leads to a buckle bomb before he sets up two tables on the floor. He gets the deadlift superplex from the apron to the floor on her through the tables. Mundo has seen JUST ABOUT ENOUGH and hits Cage with the pipe to get a 2 count. Mundo brings in another cinder block and beers.
Striker was okay with the man on woman stuff, but THIS is too much. Cage avoids a powerbomb onto this stuff, but he Alabama slams him and goes for a curb stomp. Taya saves Johnny, and he hits Cage with two beer bottles – but he gets his ass kicked and Taya eats Weapon X on the broken glass leading to a pinfall.
Famous B says he’s famous, and a retired underground fighter. He also has a wizard hat and meets Brenda, who has no job and car – she’s tore up from the floor up, but Famous B’s magic touch makes her beautiful. They flash some cash around and do the classic local ad bit of holding the camera on folks way too long.
Ivelisse comes out of Catrina’s office and says she got them a trios title shot, but they have to leave LU if they lose. The guys argue and she tells them to argue and man up. Angelico has a new grey and black Lucha Underground shirt on while Striker hypes up Aztec Warfare. Main event time.
Prince Puma vs. Mil Muertes vs. Pentagon Jr – Lucha Underground Title
Striker says each man brings something special, and Vamp says yes – and one guy is dressed like a Puma. Pentagon and Puma attack Muertes in the corner. Puma and Pentagon stare at one another, but resuming beating Mil in the corner. Mil recovers and powerbombs Puma to death. Tilt a whirl backbreaker to Pentagon. Corner lariats to Pentagon lead to Puma intervening and being thrown into the corner to eat them too! Pentagon gets tossed to the floor, but he lands on the floor perfectly and Vamp says that’s an old Jerry Estrada move.
Puma high kicks Mil, but punched out on the apron. Mil hits a dead man dive over the top to the floor! They fight in the crowd and Puma hits a flying lariat off the steps. Mil goes to toss him in the ring, but Puma does some ninja stuff and runs up the apron before Pentagon superkicks Mil. Mil tosses Pentagon into the post and powerbombs him in the ring for 2. Mil spikes him with a DDT for 2.
Pentagon lands 2 Slingblades sending Mil to the floor, where he eats a flip dive. Puma responds with a more beautiful flip dive of his own, then a second, and a third! Puma and Pentagon fight on the railing area with some punches amongst the fan. Pentagon lifts him up and hits an FU on the platform before diving onto Mil. Mil runs his spine into the apron five times and he tackles him into the chairs.
Pentagon stops short of a barricade toss and Puma hits an SSP off the barricade onto the pile! That gets a “holy sh*t!” chant, which Vamp says in Spanish is still “holy sh*t!”.
Pentagon goes down and Puma hits the 630, but Mil makes the save! Puma lands a chain of uppercuts, but eats a powerslam for 2. Mil sets up a Flatliner, but Pentagon superkicks him before they each land a ton of superkicks leading to Striker saying it’s time to RSVP for the superkick party.
Pumphandle powerbomb gets 2 for Pentagon! Package piledriver to Puma leads to an arm snapper, but Mil spears Pentagon to end that and hopefully take Pentagon out. Mil double flatliners both for the win! This ruled!
Catrina gives both Puma and Pentagon the lick of death before Fenix stands atop the temple. He tells them to celebrate now, because he’s handing in the Gift of the Gods Title to get his LU Title shot. Fenix was so passionate here that it made up for his iffy English, and when combined with the prior video package, made Fenix seem like a big star.
To see all of the screens taken for the show, just click here.
