NEWS

Welcome to KB’s Old School (and New School) Reviews. I’ve been reviewing wrestling shows for over twelve years now and have reviewed over 6,000 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?
NXT
Date: October 28, 2020
Location: Capitol Wrestling Center, Orlando, Florida
Commentators: Vic Joseph, Wade Barrett, Beth Phoenix
It’s time to rekindle an awesome tradition (assuming that still counts twenty years later) with Halloween Havoc. For the life of me I don’t know why it took WWE this long to bring the idea back but here we are, with a pair of Spin The Wheel Make The Deal matches for a title each. Let’s get to it.
The opening video looks at tonight’s card, while also showing the awesome WCW Halloween..

I’d call that a loss. NXT has undergone a lot of changes in the last few months and those changes may be continuing in the future. That can make for some rather interesting situations in the promotion, as it is not clear who is going to be sticking around and who will be on their way out the door. One longtime NXT star has suggested that they might not be sticking around.
NXT’s Johnny Gargano has updated his Twitter profile, removing all references from NXT whatsoever. Now, rather than a mention to NXT, there is a link to Gargano’s website. There is still however a link to his WWE.com profile. This comes after news of Gargano’s WWE contract expiring on December 3 broke in recent weeks. Gargano’s most recent tweet is a photo of his NXT championships and a question of “what’s next?”. There is no word on if Gargano will be called up to the main roster or if he has come to a new deal with WWE. Gargano did not appear on this week’s NXT.
What's next? ? pic.twitter.com/5AAAiwP2nL
— Jo..

It’s a homecoming. There are certain wrestlers in each company who just resonate with fans. Some do it almost immediately while others are able to build up the relationship over time. You know a successful one when you see it though and it can make for some amazing moments. That was the case again this week, as a surprise return blew the roof off of an arena.
The main event of this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite featured the return of the Casino Ladder Match. As usual, the final entrant was a surprise Joker, with Hangman Page returning and going on to win the match. With the win, Page is next in line for a shot at the AEW World Title. This was Page’s first match since the July 28 edition of Dynamite as Page took time off to be with his wife, who is expecting the couple’s first child.
It was a special moment. Check out the return, plus what else Page can do:
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What could have been. There have been all kinds of stables over the years in wrestling and some of them have been rather popular in their days. Above all else, a stable can do well when there is a common theme between the members. Some of them are better than others, and the good ones are rarely rehashes of previous editions. WWE avoided making a similar mistake.
During a recent Highspots interview, former WWE star Mojo Rawley revealed that WWE was considering a reformation of the League of Nations. The idea would have seen Rawley teaming with Shinsuke Nakamura and Cesaro while serving as the group’s mouthpiece. This concept never came to pass though and Rawley was paired with Rob Gronkowski for WrestleMania 36 instead. Around the same time, Cesaro and Nakamura were teamed with Sami Zayn as the Artist Collective. Rawley was released from WWE earlier this year.
This could have been something. Check out the original team plus the potential members of the new version:
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I don’t think I’m breaking any new ground when I say that WWE is not exactly on fire at the moment. WWE television has all kinds of problems with almost nothing positive going on a lot of the time. There are always going to be a couple of things that work out, and there is a reason for that: the wrestlers themselves. That is what we are going to be looking at today, because it is something that is forgotten far too often.
There are all kinds of problems with WWE these days, but the vast majority of them come down to the company’s creative decisions. You will see stories taking place in WWE that Steve Austin and the Rock could not make work at the height of their powers. Do you think Trish Stratus and Lita could get a story over a doll with evil powers over? What about Dusty Rhodes having to say the most ridiculous words ever uttered on wrestling television every week? Those people are talented, but their abilities do have a limit, which they have hit on a regular basis.
One thing tha..

Better than a title. There are all kinds of accomplishments to be won in wrestling and some of them have quite the prestige. Wrestling is a bit of a unique industry though in that titles can be won and lost on any given night. You do not see many accomplishments that stand the tests of time but one wrestling legend will be receiving one of the biggest honors available.
WWE Hall of Famer Bret Hart has announced, via an Instagram post, that he will be the first professional wrestler ever inducted into Canada’s Walk Of Fame in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Hart is part of the class of 2021, also involving other athletes as well as scientists and others. Hart is a former five time WWE Champion and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2006.
Hart has one of the greatest careers of all time. Check out some of his greatest moments:
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Opinion: This is one of those..

Welcome back. There are a lot of people involved in the wrestling industry every day but not everyone is going to stick around. Every now and then you see someone who has a strong career but then walks away from wrestling. That can leave a lot of people wondering what happened to them or if we will ever see them again. Now we will be seeing another former star again, albeit in a different role.
Wednesday night, WOW Women of Wrestling announced their return, which will take place in December with a new television show airing in syndication. According to the press release, by way of 411mania.com, former WWE Divas Champion AJ Mendez, formerly known as AJ Lee, will be an executive producer of the series, as well as providing color commentary on the weekly television show. There is nothing to suggest that Mendez will be wrestling again. This will be Mendez’s first involvement in the industry since leaving WWE in 2015.
Mendez was a heck of a star in WWE. Check out her time in the ring:
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Pen to paper. AEW has done a lot of good things since its inception less than three years ago. Possibly the most important thing, at least in the eyes of wrestlers, is offer a new place for talent to go. It has been missing for a long time now and AEW has filled a role. That is on display again, as another former WWE star has been signed to a contract with AEW.
Following this week’s edition of AEW Dynamite, AEW has announced that Bobby Fish has signed with the company. This comes after Fish made his debut with the company, unsuccessfully challenging Sammy Guevara for the TNT Title. Fish’s signing was rumored since the match was announced, but nothing was ever officially confirmed until after this week’s show.
Welcome to the team…@TheBobbyFish is #AllElite pic.twitter.com/7CI57sYakw
— All Elite Wrestling (@AEW) October 7, 2021
You’ll get to know him. Check out some of Fish’s time in the ring elsewhere:
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He knows things. Wrestling is a unique business as you never know when someone will wrestle their last match. Unlike the more mainstream sports, a wrestler can pop back in for a quick appearance and then head back into retirement. It can be interesting to see what a wrestler does after their time in the ring is officially done though, and now we know what another one will be doing.
According to PWInsider.com, former WWE star Ken Doane has been been hired as a coach at the WWE Performance Center. Doane, who was also known as Kenny and Kenny Dykstra during his time in WWE, is a former Tag Team Champion who wrestled for WWE from 2006-2008, with a return in 2016. Doane, 35, announced his retirement from in-ring competition in April of this year.
You might not remember him. Check out his time in WWE:
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Opinion: This is one of those things that you do not see h..

Those things matter. Titles are one of the most important things you will see in wrestling as they let the fans know who are the best wrestlers in a promotion. Promotions have had titles for a good chunk of wrestling history and it means a lot when a new title is introduced. That was the case again this week and now we are in for one of the most tried and true ideas in wrestling.
AEW introduced a new title during this week’s edition of Dynamite with the TBS Title. The title is named after the TBS Network, where Dynamite will be moving on January 5, 2022. The new championship will be part of the women’s division and was rumored over the last few weeks. A tournament has been announced for the title but no brackets have been released so far.
This could be interesting. Check out some of the potential winners:
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Opinion: This is one of those ideas that is goin..

Dynamite
Date: October 6, 2021
Location: Liacouras Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Commentators: Jim Ross, Tony Schiavone, Excalibur
Believe it or not, there is a big match this week as it’s time for the return of the Casino Ladder Match. That means another Joker entry, which could be a nice surprise. Other than that, we slowly continue on the way to Full Gear, which is going to need some match announcements. Let’s get to it.
Opening sequence.
Super Elite vs. Christian Cage/Jungle Boy/Luchasaurus/Bryan Danielson That would be Kenny Omega/Adam Cole/Young Bucks. Jungle springboard armdrags Nick into a dropkick to start and then hands it off to Cage. Some right hands in the corner have Cole in trouble and it’s back to Jungle for a sliding kick to the face. Cole takes over on Jungle though and hands it back to Omega for a springboard elbow to the back. Jungle manages to crotch Nick on top and holds onto Matt’s arm while bouncing on the top to crotch Nick even more.
Danielson comes i..

Nice to meet you? There have been a lot of changes made to NXT in recent months and there is a chance that they will continue moving forward. That can make for some interesting situations in NXT, as you never know who you might see show up next. That was the case this week, as a newcomer made his awaited debut, albeit under a bit of a different moniker.
This week on NXT, Joe Gacy defeated Ikemen Jiro in a singles match. After the match was over, Gacy started to walk back to the entrance but stopped to stare at at a man in the stands, who stared back at him. Gacy smiled before walking backstage. The man was named Harland and is better known as Parker Boudreaux, a former college football player who signed with NXT earlier this year. Boudreaux made a cameo appearance as a security guard in August but this was his first time receiving a focus.
? #WWENXT pic.twitter.com/mlN3QA7wr2
— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) October 6, 2021
It was an interesting situation. Check out the showdown, plus a look at..