Chairshot Classics

Chairshot Classics: WWE UK Championship Tournament Day Two (1/15/17)

Published

4 years ago

October 20, 2018

With WWE’s Crown Jewel upcoming which will feature the World Cup Tournament, today we continue our look back at another WWE tournament in a foreign country with day two of the inaugural United Kingdom Championship Tournament! To check out day one, go here.

Open: Yesterday, the WWE United Kingdom Championship Tournament kicked off to crown the first-ever champion. Highlights of the first round are shown, a packed house at the Empress Ballroom boisterous and excited for every match. Today, one of these eight quarterfinalists will make history, etching their names in the record books as the man that set the tone for the United Kingdom.

Match #1 – Quarterfinals: Pete Dunne vs. Sam Gradwell
Dunne charges in at the bell and runs into a big forearm shot, Gradwell unloads with heavy fists, The Bruiserweight picks the leg to try and escape, but Sam continues to hammer away. He goes to a wristlock, Dunne attempts to escape, pushes him away to the ropes and scores with a clothesline. Gradwell pops right back up with a clothesline of his own, The Bruiserweight rolls to the outside to try and regroup, Gradwell builds a head of steam, flies through the ropes with a suicide dive, Dunne tries to roll into the ring, but gets dragged back out.

The Bruiserweight rips at the nose, sets for a suplex on the ramp, Sam blocks it, plants him with a double underhook suplex on the entrance, then sends him back inside. He climbs to the top turnbuckle and connects with a dropkick, hurts his back in the process, Dunne realizes it, sneaks in a kick, then avoids him rushing in and hits a german suplex. Both guys are up quick, The Bruiserweight rushes in now, Gradwell plants him with a Michinoku driver for a near fall, ascends the corner once more, but Dunne rolls out of the ring.

Sam turns his attention outside and takes him out with a crossbody to the floor, hurls Dunne back into the squared circle, The Bruiserweight catches him sliding in, powers him to the top rope and pushes him back down to the floor. Dunne sits back and allows the official to count, Gradwell just barely makes it in at 9, Dunne meets him with a body slam into the turnbuckles, hooks the leg and advances.
Winner: Pete Dunne (Turnbuckle Body Slam)

After The Bell: Dunne sneak attacks Gradwell as he rises to his feet, leaves him laying and Charly Caruso catches him for comment on the stage. The Bruiserweight wonders if people think what he’s been doing is really controversial, claiming he didn’t see the big deal in it and neither did Triple H. Dunne says it’s two down and two to go.

Match #2 – Quarterfinals: Mark Andrews vs. Joseph Conners
Andrews rushes in at the bell and gets caught on Conners’ shoulder, slips down into a sunset flip for a quick 2, pops back up with a schoolboy for another 2 count, then surprises him with multiple arm drags before one is blocked. Conners cracks him with a back elbow, hammers Andrews with shots in the corner, Andrews rolls under one, walks into a boot, Conners fires out for a sunset flip, but Andrews backflips into a basement dropkick for a count of 2. He picks Conners up and takes a knee to the abdomen, Conners looks to toss him outside, Andrews counters with a 619 to the ribs, flips back in from the apron and dumps Conners over the top.

Andrews hops out to the apron for a moonsault, Conners sees it coming, side-steps it and clocks him with a right hand. He looks to sends Andrews into the steel steps, Andrews turns the tables on him, double reversal and Conners with a drop toe hold into the steps. He drapes Andrews over the apron, pummels him from the floor, rolls back inside and covers, but too close to the ropes. Andrews tries to fight back to his feet and gets clubbed back down, he tosses Andrews throat-first into the 2nd rope, plants him with a release back suplex and hooks the leg for a near fall. He keeps control and puts the boots to Andrews, flattens him with a short-arm clothesline for another 2 count, tosses him back into the 2nd rope and looks for another release back suplex.

Andrews flips through it, walks into a back elbow, Conners hits the ropes and runs into an enzuigiri, spilling to the outside. Andrews reaches out to get him and gets dragged to the floor, Conners sets him against the steel steps and talks some trash, charges in for a big boot, Andrews rolls out of harm’s way, then catches him walking in with a boot of his own. He climbs on top of the barricade and hits a somersault senton, pushes Conners into the ring, pulls himself to the apron and springboards in with a crossbody that almost puts it away. Conners pulls himself to his feet in the corner, Andrews rushes in with double knees, hits a northern lights suplex, rolls through for a standing moonsault, but Conners gets his knees up and uses a small package for a near fall.

Conners continues to talk trash and Andrews fires up with big forearms, gets pushed away to the ropes and hangs on, Conners runs in, gets sent over the top, lands on his feet on the apron and hangs Andrews with a reverse hot shot. He steps back to the apron, slingshots in with a reverse STO, Andrews just barely kicking out before a 3 count. He tries to pick Andrews up and gets surprised by a kick, Conners staggers to the corner, Andrews rushes in and meets a boot to the jaw, Conners hops to the 2nd rope, but gets drilled by an enzuigiri.

Andrews climbs up and hits a super hurricanrana, ascends back to the top rope, Conners is there to meet him, but gets knocked back to the canvas. Andrews hops up-and-over him, turns to run back in, Conners delivers the back elbow into a backbreaker, calls for a suplex, but Andrews counters into a stunner. He ascends the corner again, connects with the Shooting Star Press and that’s all she wrote.
Winner: Mark Andrews (Shooting Star Press)

Match #3 – Quarterfinals: Trent Seven vs. Wolfgang
Some jawing back-and-forth at the bell, they lock-up and Trent backs Wolfgang to the ropes, breaks clean, they tie-up again and this time Wolfgang backs Seven to the ropes. They break clean, it starts getting chippy and they trade shots, Wolfgang plants Trent with a back suplex, Seven rolls to the outside and Wolfgang’s in pursuit. Irish whip into the barricade if reversed, Wolfgang puts on the brakes to avoid it, catches Seven walking in with a back elbow, climbs on top of the barricade and delivers a moonsault to the floor.

He grabs at his knee, staggers to his feet to send Trent back inside, poses for the fans and turns around into a suicide dive. Trent deposits Wolfgang into the squared circle, heads to the high rent district, takes too much time and gets rocked by a right hand. Wolfgang climbs up for a superplex, Seven fights it off, tries to suplex Wolfgang out to the floor, but it’s reversed and Wolfgang finally delivers a superplex into the ring. Both guys struggle to their feet, they exchange right hands and chops, Seven hits the ropes for the Seven Stars Lariat, runs into a big boot, then gets dumped into the mat with a fireman’s carry front slam. He springs off the 2nd rope for a moonsault, Trent gets the knees up, looks to follow with the Seven Stars Lariat, Wolfgang ducks it, grabs him for a german suplex, but Seven fights it off.

Standing switch from Trent and he turns him inside-out with a dragon suplex for a near fall, hauls him up for the Seven Stars Lariat, again Wolfgang avoids it, then goes for another fireman’s carry front slam. Trent slips out, clobbers him with a spinning back fist, scores with the Seven Stars Lariat, but somehow Wolfgang kicks out at 2. Seven looks stunned as Wolfgang rolls to the apron, Trent climbs to the 2nd rope, pulls him up for a super piledriver, Wolfgang blocks it and drops him to the canvas with a headbutt. He stands on the top rope, connects with a senton bomb and picks up the win.
Winner: Wolfgang (Senton Bomb)

Match #4 – Quarterfinals: Tyler Bate vs. Jordan Devlin
Bate doesn’t take the handshake before the bell, Devlin doesn’t appreciate it and ambushes him from behind, the bell rings and we’re underway. He tosses Tyler into the corner and puts the boots to him, looks to send Bate over the top, Tyler turns the tables and Devlin flies out to the floor. Bate gets a running start and leaps through the ropes with a suicide dive, rolls Jordan back into the ring, steps inside and goes after Devlin in the corner. The referee tries to separate them, Devlin sneaks in a thumb to the eye, arm whips him to the mat and starts to work over the left shoulder.

He unloads with clubbing forearm blows, hooks in a double knuckle lock to try and pin, only gets counts of 2, uses all of his weight to keep Bate down, but Tyler pops up into a monkey flip to escape. He pulls himself up in the corner, tries to surprise Jordan with a boot, it’s blocked, Bate breaks free and delivers a knee lift instead. He climbs to the 2nd rope and scores with an uppercut, calls for the airplane spin, Devlin battles out of it, springs off the 2nd rope for a crossbody, but gets caught and put into the airplane spin.

Tyler drops him and they both stumble around, Jordan spills out to the apron, slings the top rope into Bate’s face, delivers an enzuigiri and goes up top for a moonsault. Tyler rolls out of harm’s way, Devlin lands on his feet, walks into an uppercut, comes right back with a big knee to the chin and covers for a 2 count. Jordan wants to go back up top for a moonsault, misses the mark, Bate sets for the Tyler Driver, Devlin counters into a hurricanarana and almost steals it. Both guys pop-up quick, Jordan decks Tyler with an enzuigiri, he tells the official to check the back of Bate’s head, there’s no blood and Devlin charges in for a knee. Tyler blocks it, cracks him with a left hand, delivers the Tyler Driver 97 and takes the victory.
Winner: Tyler Bate (Tyler Driver 97)

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Related Topics:Featured Featured Big NXTUK WWE WWEUK

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Classic SummerSlam

Attitude Of Aggression #277- The Big Four Project Chapter 4: Summer Slam ’88 & Survivor Series ’88

Published

3 weeks ago

March 2, 2023

David Ungar

Attitude Of Aggression #277- The Big Four Project Chapter 4: Summer Slam ’88 & Survivor Series ’88

The Attitude Of Aggression returns for Chapter 4 of The Big Four Project, a chronological analysis, review, and discussion about WWE’s Big Four PPVs/ Premium Live Events. On this Episode, Dave is again joined by the one and only PC Tunney to discuss two more huge events in pro wrestling history, the inaugural Summer Slam and Survivor Series’88. However, the guys are also joined by the debuting DJ of The Mindless Wrestling Podcast to join in the festivities. Summer Slam ’88 was a key event in the story of the rise, and eventual fall, of The Mega Powers. But it also saw a different kind of explosion as The Ultimate Warrior burst upon the scene like few had before him with an iconic dethroning of The Honky Tonk Man. The fellas look at how the events of that night in MSG nearly 35 years ago redefined an industry. From there, Dave & DJ recap the second Survivor Series. While not as unique or good as the first Survivor Series, there were still many key moments that took place that night. The Mega Powers would be the sole survivors of their match that night,,,,but they would not survive as a united force for much longer. What changed that night in Richfield, Ohio so long ago? We have the whole story for you here on Chapter 4 of The Big Four Project!

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Chairshot Classics

Chairshot Classics: What I Watched #16 – ECW Guilty As Charged 1999

Breaking up the 2018 time travel with a much deeper dive! Harry goes back to some prime ECW with Guilty As Charged 1999!

Published

7 months ago

September 2, 2022

Harry Broadhurst

Greetings, salutations and welcome back. Harry here once again with another edition of ‘What I Watched’. As the calendar year turns to 1999 on my watch-through of all things ‘big three’ wrestling, I covered Starrcade 1998 in an earlier edition of WIW. I figured since this is probably the last year where all three major companies are relevant (at least at the start), it could be fun to compare and contrast how I feel about the respective PPVs when compared to some of the independent wrestling I’ve been covering recently. Or even going back to the PROGRESS or Impact Wrestling shows that I’ve covered before. I am fully aware there are going to be some bad shows in 1999. But there is also a lot to talk about in a drastically changing industry. Let’s do this, shall we?

ECW is in flux as talent losses haven’t yet gotten to what they would become but names like Sandman, Mikey Whipwreck, Bam Bam Bigelow and others are no longer with the company. To make matters worse, the ECW-FMW relationship is falling apart now as well as a Chris Candido and Sunny (sorry, Tammy Lynn Sytch) no-show of a scheduled FMW appearance. Paul Heyman himself is the first person we see telling us the card is going to change…how much does it change? The WayBack Machine takes us to January 10th, 1999 in Kissimmee, FL as it’s time for ECW to be Guilty as Charged!

What I Watched #16

ECW Guilty as Charged 1999

1/10/1999

Millenium Theatre in Kissimmee, FL

Runtime: 2:40:30 (Peacock)

Commentary By: Joey Styles (PBP)

THE RESULTS

Match 1: Axl Rotten/Ballz Mahoney win 3 team tag elimination match, eliminating Little Guido/Tracy Smothers @ 10:44 (Danny Doring/Roadkill eliminated @ 8:15)
Match 2: Yoshihiro Tajiri pins Super Crazy, dragon suplex @ 11:37
Match 3: Psycho Sid Vicious pins John Kronus, powerbomb @ 1:31
Match 4: Bubba Ray and D’Von Dudley def. New Jack/Spike Dudley, both Dudleyz pin Spike @ 10:05
Match 5: ECW TV Title- Rob Van Dam pins Lance Storm, bridged German suplex @ 17:46
Match 6: Justin Credible pins Tommy Dreamer, That’s Incredible on ladder @ 18:44
Match 7: ECW Heavyweight Title- Taz defeats Shane Douglas © by KO, Tazmission @ 22:15

THE BREAKDOWN

Three Team Tag Elimination Match
Started as a straight up 2 vs. 2, but within the first two minutes, Ballz and Axl (Axl making his return to the company after the passing of his grandmother) join the frey and it becomes your traditional ECW three team brawl. Nothing really stands out here but the overall work is good enough for what the match is supposed to be. The elimination of Doring and Roadkill is well done, as a FBI double-team fishermanbuster looks really cool and gets a decisive win for what was to be the original match. They do give the win to Axl and Ballz here, which I get given the fact they are a popular act, but I personally think that Guido and Tracy were a better team during the time frame. (**½)

Super Crazy vs. Tajiri

Yes, it’s the feud that never ends. But this is where it begins. Both men were relative newcomers to the American wrestling scene with both having had limited exposure on WWF TV (both were in the Light Heavyweight title tournament). This is a good match but not a great match and honestly, I think timing is the issue here. Eleven minutes may seem like a lot but knowing what these two would be capable of down the road once there is more of a fan and time investment into their matches, it ends up being a good starting point but probably not the blow away match that ECW was expecting to deliver here. (***)

John Kronus vs. Mystery Opponent

So, ECW fans are notorious for their belief that the “big oaf” style of the WWF and WCW wouldn’t work in ECW. Obviously, they are wrong. Guys like Big Dick Dudley and 911 became massive fan favorites due to their look, not anything they could do in a wrestling ring. You can add another name to that list, as Psycho Sid makes his ECW debut here (following an introduction by the ‘Judge’ Jeff Jones) and absolutely kicks Kronus’ ass in less than two minutes. Sid was never anything special in the ring but he is one of the more charismatic big men in wrestling history so the cult-like following is easy to understand. Too short to rate, but fun for what it was. (X)

Dudleyz vs. New Jack/Spike Dudley

Sixteen year old Harry getting into ECW was a huge Joel Gertner fan. Thirty seven year old Harry going back and watching these shows is an even bigger fan of Joel Gertner. Granted, his shtick is incredibly juvenile but sometimes, you just want to laugh…

The match is your standard ECW garbage brawl. Most New Jack matches definitely have a similarity to them that does not hold up well for re-watching. I will openly admit to being a Spike Dudley mark and he does well taking an ass whooping from Bubba Ray. The Dudleyz definitely have their moments in ECW (the best is still to come in my opinion) but this isn’t one of their best performances. I will give props to New Jack for taking 3D on the ramp, even if it doesn’t come across the cleanest. About what you’d expect, but nothing more. (**)

Rob Van Dam vs. Masato Tanaka was the originally scheduled match and I think it could have been fun. However, Tanaka apparently has visa issues which prevent him from being able to get into the US for the show and thus ECW has to pivot quickly. I do have to give credit to Lance Storm for his pre-match promo here. For someone who is not known as one of the better talkers in wrestling history, he does a really good job explaining the situation with the 3 way that was supposed to happen (Storm vs. Spike vs. Jerry Lynn (cracked pelvis)) and then calling out Rob Van Dam since his opponent wasn’t there either. Storm has a really good closing line for the promo too: “I’m not the ‘Whole F’n Show’, but I am the best damn part of it’. That is one of the lines that sticks with you and you remember it.

The match itself is very good but not great. It is better than anything else on the show, so perhaps I’m rating it on a slight curve for that. Van Dam’s selling is sporadic but to be fair, Van Dam’s selling is always sporadic. The biggest thing for me is that despite that, they still keep an impressive pace and the match is by and large clean. There is a super weak chair shot by Storm (which the crowd gives him a good ration of shit over), but they do manage to turn that crowd around for the finishing sequence. A little surprised by the choice of finish, but I imagine that has something to do with telling the idea that Storm got caught and wasn’t soundly defeated like most of Van Dam’s prior opponents had been. (***½)

Stairway to Hell- Justin Credible vs. Tommy Dreamer

The problem for Credible in ECW is that Paul wanted you to believe that Justin was this huge deal but truthfully, the booking never actually treated him as such. Yeah, he won…A LOT…but more often than not, it was almost treated as an afterthought. He very rarely won the big matches on his own and while I get that as a heel, you want to give him that sense of dickishness, as a wrestling fan eventually you have to make it look like the dude could stand up on his own. Dreamer has long been a favorite of mine, even if he has overstayed his welcome in the ring on occasion. You know going in that win or lose, Tommy will bust his ass to give you as good a match as he is capable of.

As for this match, it never reaches that next level that you expect a gimmicked semi main event of a PPV to reach. It’s not actively bad or anything (in fact, probably up there for Credible’s best match in ECW to date) but with the stipulation and the gaga around it, it feels like there was so much more it could have been. The finish comes off really flat as well as it renders the whole point of the stipulation useless and only serves to put more heat on Credible by way of Funk. (**½)

So, I’ll be a little nicer to this match then some other reviewers I’ve seen for a couple reasons. It completely accomplishes the goal that Heyman set out for it. Taz comes out of the match looking like a world beater. Douglas comes out of the match as the face of the company who “went out on his shield” as the old phrase goes. Sabu looks like a lunatic and a viable threat to take the title at any time he damn well pleases. Candido comes off as a huge dick and sticks the final knife in Douglas’ back for the end scene. So the story telling is magnificent.

The match itself? At least a good five to seven minutes too long for that story. I get wanting that epic storytelling to fold out but when you guys are down and low on ideas, it might not be the worst idea to take it home. The other issue is that by trying to serve so many masters, Heyman causes the main event to end up being epically overbooked. Granted, that is an ECW trademark but for what was to be the crowning moment for Taz, I don’t think the 73rd Airborne needed to be a part of it. Sabu could have just as easily returned post match to set up a run with Taz. Or Candido could have turned on Douglas post match to give him a direction going forward since Taz would be occupied with Sabu. I’m not saying it completely takes away the moment but it does make it mean less than it could or should have in the overall scheme of things. (**)

THE FINAL REACTION

Best Match/Moment: Rob Van Dam vs. Lance Storm, although I do think their match at the first ECW PPV ‘Barely Legal’ (which I imagine I’ll eventually do) is better
Worst Match/Moment: The main event. What could have been an awesome moment for the ‘Human Suplex Machine’ and the biggest ass kicker in the company is ruined with a boring crowd brawl (to the home viewer) and a couple of run-ins that either end up actively taking away from it.
Overall Show Score: 5.5/10
MVP: Joey Styles is the best thing about this show with his one man performance. There is a reason he was such a major influence on what I did as an announcer.

THE SIGNOFF

It’s not a bad show. It’s just not a particulary good one either. And while ECW would put out worse, it only barely outdoes Starrcade 98 to avoid the worst show of the return thus far.

So, where do we go from here? January of 1999 had no chill. The very next Sunday would see the first WCW outing of 1999, called Souled Out. The Sunday after that would be the 1999 edition of the Royal Rumble. I’m going to hit both of those but as a fair warning, I’ll probably try to mix an Independent show from 2018 in the middle of them. Hope to see you guys at Souled Out. And feel free to check out my archives by clicking on my name at the top of this review. Thanks for reading, everyone.

Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!