NXT/ECWCW TakeOver: Dallas, Year 3

Match 1. Apollo Crews vs. Austin Aries
Aries hit a back suplex and discus elbow. He then countered a slam and hit a brain buster. Crews landed three consecutive powerbombs, but got a near fall. Aries connected with a huge 450 splash and won.

That was a fun opening match.

Match 2. Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Emma vs. Becky Lynch - NXT Women's Championship

Becky pulled out a bat and hit Emma. All four women were fighting on the outside. Becky dodged a dive and locked Emma in an armbar. Alexa hit Asuka with a missile dropkick. Alexa and Emma were back on the outside as Becky hit Asuka with a t-bone suplex and won.

Wow. I wasn't expecting Asuka to get pinned. Good for Becky, though.

Match 3. Wyatt Family vs. Gargano and Ciampa - NXT Tag Team Championsip
Even though they're on Raw, the Wyatts still have the tag titles. Ciampa came out firing. Harper caught Gargano with a sit-out slam. Rowan came in and worked over Ciampa. Gargano was getting tossed around, too. Ciampa then hit a powerbomb to back stabber, but got a near fall. Harper and Ciampa fought on the outside as Gargano pinned Rowan with a Samoan driver.

Excellent tag match. Ciampa and Gargano used their quickness to take down the big men.

Match 4. Rob Van Dam vs. Rey Mysterio - ECW Television Championship
This should be a high-flying match. Van Dam landed a super kick and a rolling heel kick. RVD got a near fall after a package slam and Rolling Thunder. Rey dropkicked RVD to the side of the head. RVD hit a super German suplex, but got another two count. Rey won after a sit-out bulldog.

I wish weapons were introduced, but they pulled out some big impact moves.

Match 5. Hall, Nash and Wight vs. Harlem Heat and Dallas Page
An interesting pairing to say the least. Booker hit Hall with an ax kick and snap slam. Hall tagged in The Giant and hit a sidewalk slam. Wight and Nash worked over Page. Stevie Ray adn Wight fought on the outside. Hall and Nash hit Booker with a diving elbow/back breaker combo. Page hit Hall with a superplex and got the win.

Page gets the pin and I think Harlem Heat get another tag title shot.

Match 6. Samoa Joe vs. Hideo Itami - NXT Championship
Itami landed a clothesline and kicked Joe in the side of the head. He then landed a Falcon Arrow and double foot stomp. I haven't seen Joe take a beating like this in a while. Itami continued with a double underhook suplex and German suplex. Joe began his comeback and got a couple of near falls on Itami. He then hit a super German suplex. Itami kicked out and won with the GTS.

Hideo Itami takes down the beast and wins the NXT title. That was a little one-sided.

Main Event. Sting vs. Ric Flair - WCW Championship
Sting left and pulled out a table. Flair brought in a table of his own. Flair set up a table in the corner, but Sting speared him against it. Flair powerbombed Sting right in front of the table. Flair went to drive Sting through the table, but Sting moved. Both men hit multiple signatures and finishers, but couldn't put the other through a table. After a lot of back and forth, Flair elbow dropped Sting through a table.

Now that was a main event. Neither man wanted to lose. That was a MOTY.

Recap: Great first even for NXT and ECWCW. There were some surprising title changes, too.

May Week 1, Year 3

This is the first full month. All the shows will have a PPV throughout the month.

Raw

Match 1. Rusev vs. Batista

Match 2. Charlotte vs. Naomi

Match 3. Dean Ambrose vs. Ryback
This is the first step in the Dean Ambrose singles run. Dean kept Ryback grounded. Ryback hit a big splash. Ambrose locked in the Regal Stretch and a DDT on the apron. Back in the ring, he hit a powerbomb with a bridge and won.

That's a big win for Ambrose. Let's see what Roman can do next week.

Match 4. Neville vs. Braun Strowman

Main Event. John Cena vs. JBL
JBL gets a big win over the champ.

SmackDown

Match 1. Sami Zayn vs. Tyson Kidd
Kidd countered a slam and hit his own back suplex. He then planted Zayn with an STO. Zayn connected with the Blue Thunder Bomb, but got a near fall. Kidd locked in the Hart Lock. He then landed a dive to the outside. After a Koji Clutch attempt, Zayn won with a second BTB.

After the match, Dolph Ziggler came out and stared down Kidd as he got up.

Kidd is the current IC champ and now Ziggler is targeting him.

Match 2. Summer Rae vs. Brie Bella

Match 3. Prime Time Players vs. The Dudleyz

Match 4. Natalya vs. Nikki Bella

Main Event. Eddie Guerrero vs. Kevin Owens
The match quickly spilled to the outside. Owens hit a back suplex on the ramp. Eddie landed a dropkick and diving leg drop. Eddie then hit the Three Amigos. Owens hit a suplex of his own and hit a package power slam. Eddie hit a tornado DDT through the turnpost. Owens kicked out of a superplex and won with a pop-up powerbomb.

A great match. Owens defeated one of the best ever. Watch out Orton.

NXT

Match 1. Rich Swann vs. No Way Jose vs. Andrade 'Cien' Almas vs. Johnny Gargano

Match 2. Adam Rose vs. Elias Samson

Match 3. Tye Dillinger vs. Bo Dallas

Match 4. Samoa Joe vs. Hideo Itami

Main Event. Bobby Roode vs. Apollo Crews vs. Austin Aries
Roode and Aries were double teaming Crews. It didn't last long as Aries threw Crews into Roode. Someone brought in a bat, but it was never used. Crews hit Aries with three powerbombs. Aries hit Roode with a brain buster. Roode took out both men with a sledgehammer. Aries landed a German on Roode and pinned Crews after a discus forearm.

That was a great main event. All three can stake a claim for the NXT title.

ECWCW

Match 1. Bret Hart vs. Cactus Jack

Match 2. Rick Rude vs. Finlay

Match 3. Vader vs. Lex Luger

Match 4. The Outsiders vs. Harlem Heat

Main Event. Ric Flair vs. Sting
Legends. Flair hit a back suplex and snap suplex. He countered a press slam into a DDT. Sting tossed Flair out of the ring. Flair grabbed the nether regions of Sting right in front of the ref. Where's the DQ? After a butterfly suplex, he locked in the Figure Four. Out of nowhere, Sting hit a back breaker and Scorpion Death Drop, but Flair kicked out. Flair hit a superplex and knee smash to win.

The damage to the back wa too much for Sting to shake off. Flair wins this round.

TNA

Match 1. Bobby Lashley vs. Damien Sandow

Match 2. Ken Shamrock vs. R-Truth vs. Raven

Match 3. Christian vs. Matt Morgan

Match 4. Jeff Hardy vs. Drew Galloway
Jeff hit a suplex and snap DDT. During the match, Drew decided to leave the ring and walk up the ramp. Jeff looked frustrated as the ref counted to 10.

That's an interesting strategy for Galloway. I guess he didn't want to face Hardy tonight.

Main Event. Kurt Angle vs. Alberto Del Rio


ROH

Match 1. Tyler Reks vs. Mil Muertes

Match 2. Shelton Benjamin vs. Zack Sabre Jr.

Match 3. Pentagon Jr. vs. Matt Sydal vs. Drago

Match 4. Adam Cole vs. Jay Lethal
Jay slapped Cole across the face. Cole returned the favor. He locked in an Indian Death Lock. Lethal kept Cole grounded with neck breakers and a gut buster. Cole then DDT'd Jay on the apron. Lethal dodged a superkick and hit a cutter. Moments later, he landed a backspring cutter, but Cole kicked out. Wow! Cole then won with a kneeling brain buster.

After the match, Cole went for a handshake, but Lethal walked away.

That was an amazing match. The title match will be awesome.

Main Event. CM Punk vs. King Cuerno
Cuerno kicked Punk in the back. Punk locked in a dragon sleeper. Cuerno landed a package suplex. Punk hit his running knee and bulldog combo. He then hit a tornado DDT through the turnpost. Cuerno went for a dive, but Punk countered it. He went for a dive from the top, but Punk caught him in mid-air and won with the GTS.

That was a great match. Punk and Cuerno can fight forever.

Recap: NXT and ECWCW have their first pay-per-view this week. There will be a lot of MOTY candidates each and every week.

Raw/SmackDown BACKLASH, Year 3

Raw and SmackDown end the first month with their joint show. All the titles are on the line.

Match 1. The Miz vs. Baron Corbin vs. Tyson Kidd - Intercontinental Championship
This should be a good opening match. Kidd grabbed a kendo stick and hit both Miz and Corbin. Corbin hit Kidd with a front suplex and sent Miz to the outside. They all went to the outside. Corbin powerbombed Kidd. The ref was accidentally taken out. Corbin brought in a table and speared Kidd through it. Miz took out Corbin, which allowed Kidd to hit Miz with a pump handle gut buster to win.

I was right. That was a good opening match. Exciting and hardcore.

Match 2. The Usos vs. The Dudleyz - SmackDown Tag Team Championship
Jey had the upperhand on D-Von with a back suplex. He then hit Bubba with a Samoan drop. The Dudleyz took Jey to their environment, outside the ring. Bubba pulled out a dropkick and took control. D-Von then pinned Jey after a reverse fall away slam and flapjack.

Not the most exciting tag match.

Match 3. Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks - Raw Women's Championship
Sasha rolled Charlotte up for a quick near fall. Charlotte then overpowered Sasha. Sasha sent Charlotte to the outside, but it didn't last long. Sasha hit a DDT and back stabber for a two count. Charlotte locked in a Figure Four and had her in a torture rack. Sasha got a near fall after a roundhouse kick. Charlotte came back and won with a spear.

These two are going to be feuding forever. A great women's match.

Match 4. The Shield vs. The New Day - Raw Tag Team Championship
Kofi landed a huge leg drop on Roman. Roman hit Big E with a German suplex and back body drop before tagging in Dean. E hit Dean with a body splash. Dean planted Kofi with a DDT. Kofi got a near fall after a diving elbow and Boom Drop. Dean ended up bleeding somehow. New Day hit a Bigger Ending, but got another near fall. Big E took out Roman as Kofi pinned Dean to win the titles.

After the match, Dean and Roman looked at each other. Dean patted Roman on the head and walked away.

Dean and Reigns did not look like they were on the same page. Was this the last of them?

Match 5. Cesaro vs. Rusev - United States Championship
Cesaro left to get a chair, but Rusev took it away. Cesaro swung Rusev into the barricade. He then brought the fight up the ramp. Rusev pulled out a ladder. Cesaro hit three gutwrench slams. Rusev hit a super Samoan drop and a spine buster later. He continued with a German suplex and bicycle kick. Cesaro got a near fall after a Neutralizer and uppercut. Rusev won with another spine buster.

Match 6. Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton - WWE Championship

Orton clotheslined Seth to the outside. Back in the ring, Orton hit a Lou Thesz Press and leg sweep. He then connected with the RKO and won.

Wow. Rollins did not put up a fight at all. Disappointing.

Main Event. John Cena vs. Finn Balor - Universal Championship
The present vs. future. Balor hit a falling gut buster and brain buster. Cena hit the 5 Knuckle Shuffle and AA, but Balor kicked out. Cena landed a superplex. Cena kept the pressure going with a second Shuffle and AA to win the title.

Balor looked like he was overmatched against Cena. He got some offense in early, but not much later.

Recap: The undercard was much better than the two main championship matches. That won't be the case every time.

April Week 4, Year 3

This is the go-home week for Raw and SmackDown's Backlash.

Raw

Match 1. Braun Strowman vs. Lucha Dragons

Match 2. Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. Gallows and Anderson
Anderson hit a senton splash and sit-out piledriver on Enzo. Gallows came in and landed snake eyes and a flapjack. After a scuffle with Cass, he planted Enzo with a two-handed slam. They hit the Magic Killer, but Cass broke it up. The Club won after Anderson hit Cass with a spinning cutter.

That's a big win for The Club. Maybe a title shot in the future...?

Match 3. Reigns and Ambrose vs. The Ascension

Match 4. Sheamus vs. Brock Lesnar

Main Event. John Cena vs. JBL

SmackDown

Match 1. Jack Swagger vs. The Miz

Match 2. Summer Rae vs. Paige

Match 3. Prime Time Players vs. The Usos

Match 4. Natalya vs. Brie Bella vs. Nikki Bella

Main Event. Seth Rollins vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Kevn Owens vs. Kane
Four of the top guys on SmackDown. Moments into the match, all four men were on the outside. Owens hit Bryan in the back with the steel steps. Bryan hit Owens with a superplex. Kane powerbombed Rollins on the ramp. Owens hit a package powerbomb, but Bryan made his comeback with a running bulldog and kicks. Rollins countered the chokeslam. He then hit Bryan with two Pedigrees to win.

A great 4-way match. All four men looked good in the process. Rollins continues his success.

NXT

Match 1. Tye Dillinger vs. Bo Dallas

Match 2. Asuka vs. Alexa Bliss

Match 3. Andrade "Cien" Almas vs. No Way Jose

Match 4. DIY vs. Blake and Murphy
DIY consists of Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. A win would shoot them up the ranks. Ciampa locked in a rolling camel clutch on the outside. Murphy threw Gargano into the steps. Ciampa hit Murphy when a super back suplex. DIY hit a buckle bomb/back kick combo. Murphy landed a double knee smash from the top. Ciampa pinned Blake with a German suplex bridge.

That was a good tag match. DIY worked well in their first match and impressed.

Main Event. Bobby Roode vs. Hideo Itami

ECWCW

Match 1. Tazz vs. Tommy Dreamer vs. Lance Storm

Match 2. Dallas Page vs. Rick Rude

Match 3. Vader vs. Lex Luger

Match 4. Kevin Nash and Scott Hall vs. Harlem Heat
Booker T recruiting his brother to take out Hall and Nash. Booker caught Nash with a super kick and wheel kick. This is our first look at Stevie Ray. Nash hit Ray with a huge boot. Nash and Hall hit a back breaker/elbow drop combo. After snake eyes, Hall hit the Outsiders Edge. Booker pinned Nash after a spine buster.

Big win for the Harlem Heat. Can they get a title shot at the first ECWCW event?

Main Event. Rob Van Dam vs. Ric Flair
A huge contrast of styles here. Flair was wrestling circles around Van Dam early. RVD hit a hurricanrana and enziguiri. He then took the match to the outside before hitting a super reverse suplex. Flair locked in the Figure Four. There was a lot of back-and-forth action before RVD won with a reverse 450 splash.

Wow. Rob Van Dam defeated the 16-time world champ.

TNA

Match 1. R-Truth vs. Raven vs. James Storm

Match 2. American Wolves vs. X-Pac and Billy Gunn

Match 3. Jeff Hardy vs. Eric Young
Galloway attacked Jeff before the match.

Match 4. Ken Shamrock vs. Ethan Carter III
That's an upset win.

Main Event. Kurt Angle vs. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Damien Sandow
Del Rio pulled out a chair, but Angle countered it. Christian hit Angle with a second-rope uppercut. Angle came back with three German suplexes. All four men went to the outside. Sandow hit the SCF on Angle for a near fall. Christian hit Angle with the Killswitch just as Del Rio pinned Sandow with the back stabber.

Great 4-way match. All four of these men can eventually be world champ.

ROH

Match 1. King Cuerno vs. Chris Hero

Match 2. Tyler Reks vs. Mil Muertes

Match 3. Shelton Benjamin vs. Cedric Alexander vs. Roderick Strong

Match 4. Adam Cole vs. Pentagon Jr
Jay Lethal walked out, which got Cole's attention. Cole connected with a super kick. Pentagon then landed a twisting dive to the outside. As Cole threw Pentagon into the corner, he went after Lethal. Pentagon attacked him from behind. Pentagon hit a brain buster and double foot stomp. Cole kicked out and won with a flipping piledriver.

I wonder why Lethal was at ringside. Cole was able to pull out a big win.

Main Event. CM Punk vs. Matt Sydal
Sydal hit a front suplex. Punk placed Matt on the top and landed a super Falcon Arrow. He then hit the running knee/bulldog combo for a near fall. Punk landed a dive to the outside. Sydal hit a huge moonsault, but Punk kicked out. Punk got a near fall after a diving elbow, but won with the GTS.

Great match from both men. This is why ROH is different from the other shows. Pure wrestling.

Recap: Well, the first month is in the books. Some of the stars are aligning.