REVIEW: Tribute To The Troops 2006: Merry Christmas

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over ten years now and have reviewed over 5,000 shows. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, I’ll be posting a new review here on Wrestlingrumors.net. It could be anything from modern WWE to old school to indies to anything in between. Note that I rate using letters instead of stars and I don’t rate matches under three minutes as really, how good or bad can something that short be?
Tribute To The Troops 2006
Date: December 25, 2006
Location: Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler
It’s time for a pretty cool tradition as this is the annual Tribute To The Troops show. This time around they are over in Iraq for a show where the wrestling does not mean a thing and we get to see a bunch of wrestlers and celebrities talk about how great the military is. This may or may not be your cup of beverage but let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at the history of the USO and oth..

Main Event Set For WWE Hell In A Cell

There is your main event. We are less than a month away from WWE Hell In A Cell and that means the card needs to start coming together. This is one of the trickier cards to put together, as WWE needs matches which make sense inside the show’s title structure. However, a feud like that needs to be put together well in advance, which might be the case here.
This week on Monday Night Raw, Drew McIntyre became the new #1 contender for Bobby Lashley’s WWE Title, setting up a match at Hell In A Cell. It is not clear if the match will take place inside the Cell itself. McIntyre defeated Kofi Kingston to earn the shot. This was a rematch from the previous week, when Lashley and MVP interfered to cause a double disqualification in a previous #1 contenders match.
McIntyre has been feuding with Lashley and MVP for over three months now, including losing to Lashley in a WWE Title match at WrestleMania 37. Lashley attacked McIntyre at Elimination Chamber in February, allowing the Miz to cash in h..

Tag Out: Tag Team Splits Up On Monday Night Raw

Another one bites the dust. Tag teams do not have the best history in WWE. There have been periods where the division has thrived due to the amount of talent involved, but more often than not, there are only a few teams here and there. Unfortunately that is the case today as well, and now the ranks of the division have been thinned out even more, thanks to what seems like a split.
This week on Monday Night Raw, Elias walked out on a Raw Tag Team Title match, leaving partner Jaxson Ryker to be defeated by champions AJ Styles and Omos. During the match, Ryker was ready to tag Elias, who dropped to the floor instead. Later in the night, Elias said he could not imagine the idea of riding with Ryker when WWE returns to touring in July. The two have been paired together since December 2020.
What could have been. Check out the split and some happier times between the two:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video, clic..

VIDEO: Mustafa Ali Returns To Monday Night Raw With New Story

It’s something to do. There are times where WWE will leave a wrestler with nothing to do and it does not make the most sense. Maybe the company gets tired of them or cannot think of something new, but for one reason or another, a wrestler is left on the sidelines for weeks if not months at a time. That was the case for a Monday Night Raw star, though now it might be changing a bit.
Mustafa Ali returned to Monday Night Raw this week in a backstage segment involving Mansoor. The Viking Raiders had given Mansoor, who signed with the show earlier in the month, some advice, but Ali came up to Mansoor to say he shouldn’t trust anyone. Mansoor asked if that included Ali, who said Mansoor was getting it. Ali has not wrestled a match on Monday Night Raw or SmackDown since April 1, though he and Ricochet have been feuding on Main Event in recent weeks.
This has potential. Check out the meeting and each of them in the ring:
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains video,..

PHOTO: Former WWE Star At AEW Double Or Nothing

Call it a scouting trip? The wrestling world has changed a lot in recent years and a lot of that has been for the best. There are now more places for wrestlers to go and apply their skills, meaning you can see more of them in bigger roles. Some of these spots are of course more high profile than others and it can be interesting to see someone moving around. One former WWE star popped up at another show this week, though you might have missed her.
Cassie Lee, formerly known as Peyton Royce in WWE, was in the audience for AEW Double Or Nothing. A fan took a picture of Lee, showing her in the crowd during the event. Lee responded to the photo, saying that the fan could have just asked for a photo. There is nothing to suggest that Lee has signed with AEW. Her husband, Shawn Spears, wrestled in the show’s main event.
Lee was released from WWE on April 15, meaning that her 90 day no compete clause has not yet expired, meaning that she is not able to appear for another promotion at the mome..

Main Event Results – May 27, 2021

Main Event
Date: May 27, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton
It still isn’t quite the top show on the ladder but Main Event has become a lot more fun than it was…well almost ever actually. I’m not sure what to expect here, though this week’s Raw was pretty good so hopefully the highlights work. I’m almost curious to see what is next and that is a weird feeling. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
We actually open on commentary, who throw us to our first highlight.
From Raw.
Women’s Tag Team Titles: Nia Jax/Shayna Baszler vs. Tamina/Natalya Tamina and Natalya are defending. Baszler and Tamina start, with Baszler shoving Natalya on the apron. That means it’s Natalya coming in instead, with Baszler grabbing the arm. They go into a pinfall reversal sequence with Baszler putting on a keylock to slow things back down. Baszler grabs a quickly broken Sharpshooter so she loads up the arm strong but freaking Reginald comes out, allowing N..

Monday Night Raw Live Coverage And Results – May 31, 2021

Monday Night Raw
Date: May 31, 2021
Location: Yuengling Center, Tampa, Florida
Commentators: Jimmy Smith, Corey Graves, Byron Saxton
It’s Memorial Day, meaning we might be in for a huge show or it might be one that has absolutely nothing because no one is going to be watching. The main event is Drew McIntyre vs. Kofi Kingston to crown a new #1 contender to Bobby Lashley, though that was the case last week as well. Let’s get to it.
We get the annual Memorial Day video.
Jimmy Smith is introduced as the newest member of the broadcast team and we run down the card.
It’s time for MizTV, featuring the return of the un-undead Miz. After the usual intro, Miz talks about how he was hurt in THAT match….but he isn’t sure why John Morrison has garlic around his neck. Morrison says he isn’t going to take any chances with Miz, so he also has his Drip Stick, which is a hand held liquid spraying cannon. Miz: “I love you.” Anyway, Miz knows that it is time to start giving back to superstars, like h..

Here’s What Happened After AEW Double Or Nothing

We aren’t done yet. This weekend saw one of the biggest non-WWE pay per views of the year with AEW’s Double Or Nothing. The show featured nine matches, capped off by the huge Stadium Stampede main event. The match saw the Inner Circle survive over the Pinnacle, but it turns out that the night was not over yet. Something else happened later and it was quite nice.
According to PWInsider.com, after Double Or Nothing went off the air, Chris Jericho thanked the fans for their “AEW” chants and for everyone who helped make Stadium Stampede a success two years in a row. Jericho also thanked the city of Jacksonville, which prompted a “DUVAL” chant, after the county Jacksonville is located in. Sammy Guevara and Jericho thanked the fans for selling out the event to end the night.
The main event was a heck of a battle. Check out how the whole thing went:
[This post contains video, click to play]

Opinion: I can’t say I blame Jericho and company for being excited about what happened at the show..

Wrestling Fans Begin Movement To Bring WWE Star Back To Television

Let the people speak. Wrestling can be a complicated industry but ultimately it comes down to one thing: giving the fans something that they want to see. This sounds easier than it really is, but sometimes the fans can give you one heck of a hint. It can make things a lot better, though the promotion has to listen. That seems to be the case again, as some fans have made something clear.
According to Wrestlinginc.com, a movement on Twitter to bring Mia Yim back to WWE television has begun in recent days. Using the hashtag “WeWantMiaYim”, fans have started asking WWE to allow Yim back on television. Yim, also known as Reckoning during her time in Retribution, has not wrestled on WWE television since the December 31 edition of Main Event. There is no word on why she has not appeared or when she might return.
100% behind the #WeWantMiaYim movement, the HBIC‘s talent and voice is sorely needed! @MiaYim was one of the best women in #WWENXT, dynamic, strong and fierce as hell. She deserves ..

WATCH: Surprise Cameos Take Place During AEW Stadium Stampede

I remember you. Every now and then, you see a wrestling match which is not quite like the others. There is some kind of big twist or change that makes it feel like nothing else you have seen in a long time. That may or may not be the best move, but it certainly makes things memorable. Such a match took place this weekend and it included a few guest appearances.
This weekend, All Elite Wrestling presented its second annual Stadium Stampede match, featuring two teams fighting throughout TIAA Bank Field. The match went all over the stadium and featured a handful of cameos. First, Maxwell Jacob Friedman and Chris Jericho brawled into an office where Jacksonville Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer and assistant coach Charlie Strong were working on plays. Strong tossed Jericho some footballs to throw at Friedman and Meyer was taken aback by Jericho throwing Friedman over a flight of stairs.
Later, Santana and Ortiz and FTR brawled in a bad inside the stadium. As they fought, the DJ played some..

How WWE Wrestlers Like Their WrestleMania

Double up? WrestleMania has been the biggest wrestling event in the world for a very long time now and there is little reason to believe that it is going to change. Above all else, the show has been the most important night of the wrestling year since 1985. However, the last two editions have been split over two different nights. So how did the wrestlers feel about that idea?
According to Fightful Select, several WWE wrestlers prefer the two night format for WrestleMania as opposed to the one night version. One of the biggest reasons was the lack of the crowd being burned out, which was the case at the end of WrestleMania 35 at the end of its seven and a half hour run time. WWE’s current plan is to run next year’s WrestleMania 38 over one night instead of two, though the plan could still change.
WrestleMania 36 and WrestleMania 37 were held over two nights, with the former in the empty Performance Center and the latter being in the reduced capacity Raymond James Stadium. WrestleMania..

VIDEO: WWE Hall Of Famer Makes AEW Debut

Nice to see you again. Like several other mainstream sports, some retired wrestlers find something else to do in the industry after their active days are over. Some might work behind the scenes and some might go into coaching, but others become broadcasters to try and bridge the gap between wrestlers and fans. Now another legend is doing just that in a new company.
During this weekend’s All Elite Wrestling Double Or Nothing, Tony Schiavone introduced WWE Hall of Famer Mark Henry as the company’s newest analyst. Henry was announced as the new analyst for the upcoming Rampage series, which premieres in August. While Henry did not speak on this show, he will be speaking on this week’s edition of Dynamite. Henry last appeared for WWE on the January 4, 2021 Monday Night Raw after nearly twenty five years with the company.
Henry has quite the history. Check out what is coming to AEW:
[This post contains video, click to play]
[This post contains video, click to play]

[This post contains..