Survivor Series 1995 Review

Sunday, November 19th, 1995 
USAir Arena
Landover, Maryland

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Right off the bat, Howard Finkle introduces Mr. Perfect and then we go into the hype video for Bret Hart vs. Diesel. When we come back, Mr. Perfect is with Jim Ross and Vince McMahon as part of the announce team. 

The Underdogs (Marty Jannetty, Barry Horowitz, Hakushi & Bob Holly) vs. The Body Donnas (Skip, Rad Radford, Tom Prichard & 1-2-3 Kid)

They treat Marty Jannetty as the captain of the team, despite the name coming from Barry Horowitz's gimmick. Bob Holly has replaced Avatar. Sunny introduces their 4th partner, the 1-2-3 Kid. He replaces Jean Pierre Lafitte. The Prichard inclusion is such an odd one, especially since he will eventually be Zip. Razor Ramon is out during the Kid's entrance and has to be held back. We get a nice little segment with Holly and Skip before a tag into Prichard. The crowd is chanting for "Barry". Prichard misses with a moonsault and Holly hits a top rope crossbody and eliminates Prichard. Skip comes in and rolls up Holly and he's eliminated. Hakushi comes in and hits a reverse kick to the jaw. He goes for the splash in the corner, but Skip gets his knees up. It's about time that Skip gets some shine. Skip hits a top rope hurricanrana, but for some reason he sells an injury to and falls face-first. Vince says he landed on his head. He clearly did not. The Kid gets tagged in and takes it to Hakushi. Hakushi doesn't want any of it and hits a top rope shoulder tackle. I know this is the opening match, but the crowd is really into this. They show Razor watching backstage with the Darkside. Kid gets a kick to the back of the head of Hakushi and Radford holds the tights to eliminate him. Barry is finally in and runs into a double elbow of Radford and Kid. Radford dominates but is being cocky by pulling Barry up before the ref can count to 3. Radford starts doing some pushups and that leads to Horowitz rolling him up and eliminating Radford. Skip is upset and Barry is right behind him. He takes out some aggression, but we get a blind tag to Kid and he hits a dropkick to the back. He follows up with a leg drop and eliminates Barry. We're down to a 2 on 1. Skip goes for a powerbomb, but Marty rolls over for a sunset flip and gets a 2 count. Marty hits the Rocker Dropper and climbs to the top. Sunny shakes the ropes and Marty loses his balance. Skip climbs up to meet him, but Marty hits a top rope powerbomb and eliminates Skip. That was a great move, but I'm not sure Marty is the guy I'd let do that to me. Kid comes in and hits a spin kick right off the bat. Kid goes up top and hits a leg drop, but Marty kicks out at 2. Kid hits a running dropkick in the corner and DiBiase likes what he sees. Marty battles back and then out comes Sid. Marty hits a reverse elbow, but Marty is distracted. Marty hits a Rocker Dropper but Kid gets his foot on the bottom rope. DiBiase is on the apron to distract the ref and Sid snaps Marty on the top rope. Kid rolls over and covers him for the victory. That was a really enjoyable opening match that was boosted by the crowd being really into the story being told despite it being the lower mid-card. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

After the match, they show Razor throwing things around in the back. 

We go to Todd Pettengill with Jim Cornette, Mr. Fuji, Yokozuna, Dean Douglas and Owen Hart. They get on Razor for not being focused. 

Bertha Faye, Aja Kong, Tomoko Watanabe & Lioness Asuka vs. Alundra Blayze, Sakie Hasegawa, Kyoko Inoue & Chapparita Asari

This will be a tough one to call. At least we have JR here to help out. Asari hits a great corkscrew off the top rope, but tags in Alundra and she hits a German suplex into a bridge to get rid of Asuka. Watanabe is in right away but misses with a moonsault. Alundra then dives off the top rope to the floor. Hasegawa hits a series of double arm suplexes. Aja Kong is tagged in and she surprisingly gets dropped on her head with a suplex by Hasegawa. Kong comes back with a kick to the midsection and hits a suplex of her own to eliminate Hasegawa. Asari is back in and tries a crossbody but gets swatted away. Kong hits a second rope splash and Asari is gone unfortunately. Inoue gets tagged in for the first time and she hits a clothesline on Kong. Inoue goes for a sunset flip, but Kong sits on her and gets a controversial cover. It looked like her shoulder was up, but the referee sticks with it. We're down to 3 on 1 here for Alundra. Alundra hits a suplex on Watanabe and we get another possible miscommunication with Watanabe kicking out. Alundra struggles to get her up for a piledriver but does and that time she pins her. Bertha is finally in and squashes her in the corner. Kong runs in and Bertha accidentally runs into her. Alundra hits the German suplex into the bridge and she's gone. We get an awkward pause in the corner and Kong hits a superplex for a 2 count. I should note that Vince and Perfect are giving us the typical announcing you'd expect from this era. At least Perfect is playing a heel, I guess? Alundra hits a standing moonsault, but Kong kicks out at 2. Kong catches Alundra with a spinning back punch and that's all. Aja gets the Orient Express music for her victory. This wasn't as good as I remembered it being. There were a lot of miscommunications, and it felt rushed. 

Match Rating: **

We get an interview with "Bill Clinton" during Bam Bam Bigelow's entrance. When his pyro goes off, he goes down and his secret service is all over it. Yep.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Goldust

This is basically it for Bam Bam before he would go onto being a top guy in ECW. The action spills outside and Bam Bam ducks a clothesline and he hits his arm on the post. They are back in the ring and this time Goldust clotheslines Bam Bam to the floor. Goldust has pretty much been dominating this match. Bam Bam gets a quick burst of offense but misses with a splash in the corner. Goldust hits a bulldog and that's all. That was a more convincing win than most of his matches so far. It also continues the trend of his matches being pretty dull for the most part. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We go back to "Bill Clinton" who is with Bob Backlund now. Backlund calls him out, but Bill likes Bob. Why is this on the show? 

The Royals (King Mabel, Jerry Lawler, Hunter Hearst Helmsley & Isaac Yankem) vs. The Darkside (Undertaker, Henry Godwinn, Savio Vega & Fatu)

Fatu and Helmsley start things off, but it all leads to Godwinn being tagged in and Helmsley quickly tagging out. Things start off pretty slowly, so I blame Yankem. He sucks. Still does. It all just leads to Undertaker finally getting tagged in. Lawler is in there when he does, and no one wants to tag in. He hits the Tombstone and Lawler is gone. It's Yankem's turn now and gets his Tombstone and is gone. Helmsley decides to give it a try but then rolls out of the ring. He tries to leave, but Godwinn is there with the bucket. Undertaker pulls him into the ring and gives him a nice chokeslam for his elimination. Mabel comes from behind and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. He follows up with a leg drop and starts dancing. Taker naturally sits up and Mabel rolls out of the ring. Mo comes in the ring to distract him and Mabel is off to the back. Mo eats a chokeslam and the Darkside wins 4-0 for the first face victory of the night. This was just to re-establish the Undertaker's character and nothing else. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We get pre-recorded interviews from Bret Hart and Diesel where they talk about their match tonight and also about the match with British Bulldog. 

We go to Todd with British Bulldog, Sid, Ted DiBiase and Jim Cornette. Ted isn't buying Cornette sticking with Bulldog and not with Owen and Yoko. Shawn and Ahmed join the party. 

Owen Hart, Yokozuna, Dean Douglas & Razor Ramon vs. British Bulldog, Sid, Ahmed Johnson & Shawn Michaels

Shawn gets the start, which is a wise move in 1995. He hits a moonsault on Douglas, but Owen pulls him off during the pin attempt. Ahmed gets tagged in and is cleaning house. He goes to slam Yokozuna, but it doesn't work out this time and Yoko goes to work. Ahmed and Shawn work together to get back in it and then a Razor distraction causes Douglas to get rolled up by Shawn and eliminated. Now it's time for Bulldog and Owen. Bulldog hits a monkey flip on Owen and then Owen hits a spin kick on Bulldog. Now we have Shawn tagged in and Razor tagged in. Razor gets Shawn up for the Razor's Edge and hits it. Ahmed runs in and makes the save before the count of 3. We get a collision and that leads to Sid being tagged in. Sid works on his back for a bit until they hit a double clothesline. Sid hits a chokeslam on Razor and tags in Shawn. He holds Razor up, but Razor ducks and Shawn accidentally hits Sid with Sweet Chin Music. Razor covers him and Bulldog runs in and hits Sid, but I think he was wanting to hit Razor? Razor sort of sells it and then covers him again to eliminate Sid. Sid then gives Michaels a powerbomb out of frustration. Owen and Yoko work on Shawn until Owen misses with a top rope headbutt. Ahmed gets tagged in and hits the Pearl River Plunge to eliminate Owen. Razor is in and hits a bulldog on Ahmed. Ahmed comes back with a spinebuster. Ahmed celebrates and that allows Razor to hit the Razor's Edge. Bulldog is in though and he gets caught in the air for a fall away slam. DiBiase, Sid and Kid are now out at ringside. Kid gets up on the apron and Razor hits him with a right hand. Bulldog then hits him with the running powerslam and he's out of here. Yoko is the last man standing for his team. Michaels is able to avoid a Banzai Drop and tags in Ahmed. He hits a body slam and Bulldog inexplicably breaks up the pin attempt. Shawn and Ahmed hit him with right hands and a double clothesline. Shawn hits Yoko with Sweet Chin Music and Ahmed jumps on him for the victory. This was pretty good and better executed than any of the BattleBowl's I have seen. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

If you were hoping for more fake Bill Clinton, you're in luck. Now we get innuendo with Sunny sitting on his lap. 

This leads to a Bret/Diesel hype video. It's such a fun throwback to hear Gorilla Monsoon calling their King Of The Ring 1994 match. 

No Disqualification Match For The WWF Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Diesel

I gave their KOTR match ***1/2 and their Royal Rumble match ***3/4. They both take turnbuckle covers off as soon as the bell rings. They establish quickly that this is a no DQ match and also don't fall into the trap of Diesel getting a fast start. Instead, he is working a more methodical pace, as this one is going to be lengthy. Diesel goes for the Jackknife, but Bret is able to block it and bites him to get out of it. Bret is able to get the Figure Four on and JR reminds us that Bret used this multiple times back in January. Bret slams Diesel's leg into the ring post and then takes a microphone cable and ties Diesel's leg around the post. Bret tries to use a chair, but Diesel is able to kick him in the face with the foot that isn't tied to the post. Bret still is able to take advantage and uses the chair on Diesel's leg. Bret climbs up top, but Diesel launches him off and then unties the cord. Even though Vince is being his usual annoying 1995 self, the announcers are doing a good job of playing up the fight aspect of this match. As Bret is trying to get back into the ring, Diesel pushes him off using the ropes and through the table. This is the most iconic spot of this match and was very rare for this company at this time. Diesel pulls him back into the ring and goes for the Jackknife. Bret collapses before Diesel can lift him up. He goes for it again, but this time Bret uses a small package and steals the victory and the WWF Championship. After the match, Diesel shoves the referee away and hits a Jackknife on Bret. He then attacks the officials that run into the ring and then hits a second Jackknife. He lifts up his arm and says that "I'm back" to the crowd. This was a really good main event and a great finish. The Diesel character has needed this for months and they finally pulled the trigger. 

Match Rating: ****1/4

We get a highlight package to wrap up the show. The announce team sells the carnage that just occurred as the officials check in on an injured Bret. 

I'm sure some of it is nostalgia, but I really like this show. Not everything is great, but it felt like it all had a purpose. The main event had that big fight feel and both competitors came out of the match better than when they entered. The opening match is an underrated match that fans of this time period will enjoy and the wild card match is a good novelty in an era that didn't do heel/face teams often. Thumbs up from me. 

Overall Rating: 83%

Superstars 11-18-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, November 18th, 1995
Agridome
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get the hype video full of Goldust and then showing the clips of 1-2-3 Kid turning on Razor Ramon. 

British Bulldog vs. Roy Raymond

Bulldog hits a delayed vertical suplex and we get a pre-recorded interview with Jim Cornette and Bulldog. He says that he wants Bret to win the title, so he can get his revenge. Vince makes fun of Raymond's forearm to the chest. Bulldog recovers and gets Raymond up for the running powerslam and the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a bunch of Superstars picking who they think will win the Diesel vs. Bret Hart. Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Fatu, Mo, Mabel, Jerry Lawler, Dean Douglas and Isaac Yankem all weigh in. 

We get a hype video for Diesel/Bret and then the sit down interview with the two competitors.

Hakushi vs. Brian Wash

Wash attacks Hakushi from behind, but it only works for a moment until Hakushi hits a superkick. So even as of one day before the show, they still were hyping Avatar as being a partner to Hakushi at Survivor Series. Hakushi hits the cartwheel elbow in the corner and then the top rope shoulder tackle. He hits a hurricanrana into a pin and picks up the big win into the Survivor Series. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to go to Dok Hendrix for the Survivor Series Slam Jam. He hypes up the card again and they actually show some footage of the Japanese competitors that will be squaring off tomorrow. 

Dean Douglas vs. Tim McNeany

Douglas is just so dead in the water here and the crowd is sitting on their hands here. It will be interesting here, as we will begin to lose quite a few mid-card stars here soon. He hits the imperfect plex for the victory. He doesn't even get a recap of his match they just fade to a commercial when he raises his hands.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the clips of 1-2-3 Kid turning on Razor and JR is disgusted. The Royals are next. 

Oh, good. It's the Bill Clinton impersonator again. 

They show a recap of Hunter Hearst Helmsley and Henry Godwinn before we get the entire team of the Royals in the ring. Lawler jokes that the Dark Side would make a good sitcom pilot for CBS. This is pointless. 

Goldust vs. Bob Holly

We get a seesaw opener and a pre-recorded Bam Bam Bigelow promo. We get stuck listening to the announce team say movie quotes while there is little to no action going on. Holly makes a comeback and hits an inverted atomic drop and then a standard atomic drop. Holly's all fired up and hits a dropkick. Goldust hits a fist to the face and then hits the Curtain Call for the victory. Yikes, this wasn't very good. He was still figuring out the character and it just wasn't translating to good matches yet. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Next week it will be Skip and Rad Radford against the Smoking Gunns. Mark your calendars. 

We get a Shawn Michaels video on the story of his last few months. 

Ahmed Johnson vs. Scott D'Amore

We get the old handshake, sneak attack from D'Amore. Ahmed hits a scissor kick to the back of the head and I'm not sure why this match is still going on. D'Amore gets a few seconds of offense before getting hit with an elbow and an awkward fade to commercial. We come back and Ahmed hits the Pearl River Plunge for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We're going back to the Survivor Series Slam Jam for one last push. We hear from Sid and Ted DiBiase and they laugh a lot. 

The announcers give us one more sell and then we go to Paul Bearer and Undertaker, which is a fitting ending for this crap episode. He sits up in a cemetery and delivers his usual cheesy promo. 

This episode was extremely poor headlined by the flop of a Goldust match. There just wasn't really anything good here outside of the hype for Bret/Diesel. 

Overall Rating: 29%

Monday Night Raw 11-13-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, November 13th, 1995
Keystone Centre
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

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We get a Vince McMahon narrated intro this time and he announces that the Sid/Razor Ramon match is no longer for the Intercontinental Championship. 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Henry Godwinn

Godwinn pulls off some trickery, as he dumps the slop bucket on himself. It doesn't end up working out because Helmsley bolts to the back. He slips a few times on the way out, but we get no match here. 

Match Rating: No Match

We go to Dok Hendrix for the Survivor Series Slam Jam. They show Ted DiBiase warning Jim Cornette not to cross them. 

We get a Shawn Michaels video. 

Ahmed Johnson vs. Jake Steele

We get a Shawn interview here saying that he was happy to see a friendly face on his team after watching him slam Yokozuna. Next week Shawn will take on Owen Hart. Johnson hits a huge spinebuster and I was definitely all in on Ahmed as a youngster. He hits the Pearl River Plunge for the victory. It's too bad Ahmed never worked out because he had something special, especially during this era. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After a commercial, we get a post-match interview and I'm pretty positive that I didn't catch one word that he said. 

Don't forget to buy your 1996 WWF calendar featuring Diesel on the cover. Diesel will definitely not leave the company this year. You also get the Diesel gloves and sunglasses if you buy the calendar. Again, I promise you he is not leaving next year. 

We now are going to our Diesel/Bret Hart sit down interview. They are in two different locations for the interview. Bret brings up that Diesel never beat him and that he was his toughest opponent. He never got a rematch. Diesel says that he never asked for one and that Shawn Michaels was just as tough. They both make a case for why they will win the match. This was pretty lengthy, but it was well executed. This was probably a better environment for both guys, as it gave it some realism to their story. 

We get Vince vs. Jerry in Karate Fighters, with Jerry cheating. This is the closest to heel Vince I think I have ever seen. 

King Mabel vs. Roy Raymond

We hear from Undertaker in a spooky scene. Whatever. Mabel squashes Roy, literally. This was your typical Mabel match with lots of hype for Undertaker's return and Vince giving Lawler a hard time. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Sid vs. Razor Ramon

They show footage of the rematch on Superstars between the Gunns and Razor and the Kid that I 100% definitely have seen. There's no chance that I'm watching all of these Raw episodes first ahead of the Netflix switch. Razor knocks Sid out of the ring with a right hand. Back in the ring, Sid shows off his athleticism and then gives Razor a chokeslam. DiBiase gets in a right hand behind the Kid's back. Razor tries to go for the Razor's Edge, but Sid flips him up and over the top rope. DiBiase is again getting in cheap shots. Out comes Dean Douglas as we go to commercial break. Sid hits a big leg drop, but Razor is able to kick out at 3. Lawler and Dok have both loved making the counting to 3, it's in your name joke for Kid. Razor shows off his strength and hits an electric chair. Razor hits a leaping bulldog off the second rope and we get another close call. These two are putting on a nice match here. Razor goes for the Razor's Edge, but the Kid pulls Sid's leg down and he hits the Powerbomb and gets the fast count for the victory. Sid holds Kid's arm up and DiBiase stuffs a $5 bill in Razor's mouth. Kid isn't really selling the heel turn that much, but he did take the money out of Razor's mouth. I liked this match way more than I was expecting. Sid looked really sharp here and Razor gave us his usual great stuff. 

Match Rating: ***

Vince and Jerry recap what happened and then we go to Jim Cornette, Dean Douglas, Yokozuna and Owen Hart. Before they can really start talking, Razor comes after Douglas and we go off the air. 

This was another pretty good episode, with a nice main event and a fun sit down interview to hype the main event at Survivor Series. I'm looking forward to watching that show and WWF has definitely stepped up their game since Nitro has come along. 

Overall Rating: 53%

Monday Nitro 11-13-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, November 13th, 1995 
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael and Bobby Heenan talk about the announcement that a new champion will be crowned at World War 3 before going to Hulk Hogan dressed in black with a mask and holding a sword. It just gets worse every week. He talks about not knowing what's going on with Sting. It should be noted that this is the first ever taped edition of Nitro. 

Meng vs. Randy Savage

Savage comes from out of nowhere and attacks Meng. Sullivan tries to sneak attack Savage, but he sees it and gets to him first. This distraction allows Meng to take advantage, and he throws him into the ring post. Meng dominates until he misses off the top rope. Savage throws Meng into Jimmy Hart and then hits the top rope elbow drop for the victory. I never understood why they always had Meng job so much. Immediately after the match, the Shark is out and helps attack Savage. Lex Luger is now out and starts slamming Savage's arm into the ring post. This was decent for what it was, but it was more about the attack after. 

Match Rating: *

Kensuke Sasaki vs. Chris Benoit

This one feels rushed right off the bat. Sasaki gets in a little bit of offense and then basically out of nowhere, Benoit hits three German suplexes. The third one is with a bridge and that's enough to pick up the win. I'm not really sure what the point of this was. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

WCW Television Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero vs. Johnny B. Badd

They are just stacking up the matches here tonight. Eddie goes for a superplex early on, but Badd is able to drop him face-first and then hits a top rope sunset flip. Badd ducks Eddie and he goes to the floor and then Badd hits a somersault over the top rope. Badd misses a splash back into the ring and Eddie gets a 2 count. We get a little bit of a brawl after Badd hits a few jabs to Eddie's jaw. Eddie goes for a Tombstone style piledriver, but Badd rotates to counter and hits one of his own for a 2 count. We start to get the countdown and we aren't even close to a finish here. They start brawling and the referee tries to get in the middle of it. They end up shaking hands after the match and Mongo sticks up for him being a good loser. Weird finish, but the match itself was pretty good. 

Match Rating: **1/4

The announce team lets us know that Hulk Hogan wants to wrestle Sting next week on Nitro. We then go to Jimmy Hart, Kevin Sullivan and Giant in the ring. Hulkamania this. Hulkamania that. No one cares.

Dean Malenko vs. Sting

Mongo tells us that Malenko has no chance because Sting is too strong. Shoutout to the fan in all the purple WCW gear in the front row. They cram a decent amount of action in here, but like most of the other matches tonight, it's over before you know it. Sting gave Dean some offense, but the match was never in doubt. Malenko goes for the Texas Cloverleaf and Sting counters it into a small package for the win. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Mean Gene is now in the ring with Sting. Sting says he has nothing against Hogan, but he doesn't like that Hogan referred to him as a little dog on his porch. He's a big dog, brother. Sting says he'll see Hogan here next week. 

This was a mostly enjoyable episode, but at the same time, not much happened here either. I'm okay with that for the most part, but it seems like they should be hyping up the undercard for World War 3 a little more, as there has been no mention of it. Them giving us Sting vs. Hogan next week is definitely a big deal though, even with Hogan as lame as he is. 

Overall Rating: 52%

Superstars 11-11-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, November 11th, 1995
Agridome
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a recap of the 1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon saga and they get their shot again with the Smoking Gunns here today. 

Owen Hart vs. Angel de Guerra

Jerry Lawler suggests that de Guerra is going to get sued for stealing the Angels logo on his tights. Owen dominates and gets some cheers from the Canadian crowd. He hits a beautiful missile dropkick before slapping on the Sharpshooter for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Dok Hendrix for the Survivor Series Slam Jam. Dok is rolling over the couch thinking about the Diesel/Bret Hart match. We hear from both competitors and they cut their B level quality promos. Don't forget about Undertaker's awesome team against King Mabel's team. 

Rad Radford vs. Barry Horowitz

We get some good action to start off and then out come the Body Donnas. They try to get Radford rejuvenated, but it distracts him and Horowitz hits him with a headbutt before bringing him in the ring the hard way. Radford misses in the corner and Horowitz gets a series of right hands in. Radford hits an ugly looking drop on Horowitz to get out of the corner and we go to commercial. JR drops a bombshell about Waylon Mercy retiring from WWF. Radford hits a suplex for a 2 count. These guys are surprisingly getting a lot of time. Horowitz makes his comeback, but the crowd isn't really into it. Barry gets a pin attempt, but Skip distracts the referee. Skip then throws the water in Barry's eyes and Radford rolls him up for the victory. This was perfectly acceptable wrestling for Superstars in 1995.

Match Rating: *3/4

Isaac Yankem vs. Dave Dalton

It doesn't get much worse than this. I'm sorry, I didn't even really watch this one. I'm sure it was really good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get in the ring with JR who is with Sid, Ted DiBiase, Jim Cornette and British Bulldog. It's always fun to hear Sid do a little bit of yelling. It's too bad DiBiase has to stink up the joint. Cornette has a fun line about taking Ted to lunch and he would have paid if there wasn't a credit card issue. They're just teasing the tension that the wild card match is creating. 

We get the Karate Fighters commercial with the Smoking Gunns. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid vs. Smoking Gunns

They hype up the Razor/Sid match that features Kid as the referee. I bet nothing eventful happens there. I keep getting more and more upset that I am no longer am going to be watching this timeline pretty soon here. 1996 was the year that I was looking forward to the most and I will only get up to the Royal Rumble barring a miracle. These teams actually have pretty good chemistry, which really isn't surprising now that I've re-watched this era. They do the thing they love to do on Superstars and just have the match end for a stupid reason just as it is getting good. Razor and Billy start slugging away at each other and the referee disqualifies both teams. You know, because that never happens. They couldn't have just given them a couple more minutes? After the match, Kid is so sad and Razor tries to talk to him, but he walks to the back like Charlie Brown. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Dok runs through the entire card before giving us a Goldust promo. 

When we come back, we see Razor and Kid backstage. They try to interview them, but Kid is still pouting. He slams the door on the camera. Don't forget, Razor takes on Sid on Raw this Monday. I 100% have not watched that already. Next week on Superstars, we will have Savio Vega in action and a special interview with the entire team of the Royals. Bob Holly will take on Goldust in his first Superstars match. 

This was actually a pretty enjoyable episode even if the crowd seemed to be sitting on their hands. They must have used all they had on Bret's match last week. But this one went by at a good pace and had some good action minus the Isaac Yankem match. (Yes, I know I gave the Yankem match the same rating as the Owen match, but it's a squash and there's not much you can really give it other than that.)

Overall Rating: 50%

Monday Nitro 11-6-95 Review

Monday, November 6th, 1995 
Jacksonville Memorial Coliseum
Jacksonville, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

We are welcomed by Eric Bischoff, Steve McMichael and Bobby Heenan. Bischoff tells us that we can call and vote to pick who we want to see wrestle in the main event tonight. 

Cobra vs. Giant

Giant hits a chokeslam and that is all. A legit sub 20 second match here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene and Tony Schiavone are in the two different locker rooms that you can pick your main event from. Only 99 cents per minute. 

We go to Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage in Venice Beach from earlier today. They are with some homeless guy who keeps speaking gibberish and some crappy street performer playing guitar. Hogan continues to find new ways to make the absolute worst crap ever made. 

Kevin Sullivan vs. Renegade

Does anyone care that the Renegade even exists anymore? Renegade hits a cartwheel elbow in the corner. He then misses in the corner and ends up hung upside down. Sullivan hits a tree of woe run into the corner and hits a double stomp for the win. This was awful despite only being about 3 minutes long. After the match, Jimmy Hart yells in Renegade's face. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Mean Gene and it's always fun with him being stuck with the heels. 

Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero

I guess we are finally going to get an actual match tonight. They show a group of Japanese people at a table enjoying food and drinks that includes Sonny Onoo. Meanwhile, Guerrero hits a top rope dive to the floor over the corner. It's kind of fun to see how different these matches were compared to the other crap they often put on TV with the hindsight of knowing how much the style would be shifting. They start battling with Eddie on the apron. Benoit goes for a suplex, but Eddie shifts his weight and falls on top for the victory despite Benoit's feet being under the ropes. Heenan is livid about it and the others just say they don't have any time to even look at the replay. Weird. 

Match Rating: *1/2

We go back to Schiavone and Sting wanting Flair. Sting's promos were really lame during this era. 

You'll never guess what the fans picked for the main event. They only let Ric Flair and Sting talk and they both talked about hating each other. I didn't see it coming. 

Sting vs. Ric Flair

Sting jumps Flair upon his entrance, and we are underway. The crowd is 100% into this one, that's for sure. I'm not sure how much time they are giving this match, but there is still 20 minutes left in the show. We go to commercial break and when we come back, they let us know that Flair hit a kick to the crotch. He slaps on the Figure Four and uses the ropes for leverage. Sting reverses it and McMichael claims he has never seen anyone do that before. It should be noted that both Arn Anderson and Brian Pillman are not at ringside with Flair. Sting hits a superplex and slaps on the Scorpion Death Lock and Flair submits. Sting won't let go and all the good guys come out to finally pull him off. Sting puts it back on and now Lex Luger is out. Luger says something to Sting and he lets go and walks back with Luger. The other wrestlers are in shock. The match was entertaining and I'm surprised they put Sting over so cleanly on TV. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Mean Gene is in the ring with Kevin Sullivan, Jimmy Hart and the Giant. Jimmy takes a cheap shot of Hogan's movies going straight to video. Hart says that while Hogan was doing movies and charity, Jimmy took care of business and he signed the contract because he had power of attorney. Hogan didn't realize that there was a stipulation that if there was a disqualification, Hogan lost his title and that means Giant is the champion. Okerlund brings in an attorney and says that Jimmy is partially correct. He then says that Giant is not the champion and then says that Nick Bockwinkle issued a statement that due to the dubious nature of the disqualification, the championship is vacant and will be awarded to the winner of the World War 3 battle royal. Sullivan is livid, but says that no one can beat the Giant in the battle royal. 

The announce team talks about what just occurred. Next week it's Randy Savage vs. Meng, Sting vs. Dean Malenko and Johnny B. Badd vs. Eddie Guerrero. 

This episode started off horribly, but once we hit the Guerrero match, it was a good time. They had to do something to make the battle royal mean something, so the title storyline makes sense there. The Hogan segment though is one of the worst things to happen in this year and we are talking about 1995, so think about that. 

Overall Rating: 56%

Off The Grid, Volume 55: Saturday Night's Main Event XX Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, March 11th, 1989
Hersheypark Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Off The Grid, Volume 55:

Miss Elizabeth must choose between Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan tonight. Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura are the hosts, as per usual. 

We go to Mean Gene, who is with Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan. Even Bobby seems bored by the fact that he has to take on Beefcake tonight. 

Mean Gene is now with Beefcake and he compares Heenan to a hair dryer, he's full of hot air. Cuttin' and struttin'. 

Rick Rude vs. Brutus Beefcake

There really is a pretty big difference visually between 1989 WWF and 1990 WWF. It's all Beefcake at the beginning and he even gets the sleeper hold on briefly. And with this being so close to WrestleMania, we get shenanigans. Andre the Giant is out and he attacks Beefcake. So that brings out Jake Roberts. It leads to Rude and Andre destroying Jake. Beefcake makes the save and knocking Rude out of the ring. His attack on Andre has no impact and Andre starts choking Beefcake. Now Big John Studd is out and then Jake throws Damien in the ring and Andre scurries. This was pointless. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Hulk Hogan tells us that Bad News Brown will be yesterday's news. 

Jesse interviews Bad News and he says that Elizabeth is a problem. He says that no woman would ever get in his way. 

Now Mean Gene is with Hogan and Elizabeth. I don't understand how anyone could even side with Hogan during any of this? Or ever.

Bad News Brown vs. Hulk Hogan

In case you were wondering, this was exactly like every Hogan match ever. Hogan hits the big boot very early on, but doesn't follow up with the leg drop. They start brawling outside a little bit and then for some reason Bad News has a shovel and is holding it up while Hogan is in the ring and we go to commercial break. Bad News gets his offense in and then gets on the mic to taunt Hogan. Shockingly, that backfires and now it's time for the Hulk up. He hits a high knee and then a leg drop and gets the win. Whatever.

Match Rating: *

They show Randy Savage backstage before going to Mean Gene with Ted DiBiase and Virgil. He shows off the Million Dollar Championship. 

Blue Blazer even gets an interview and tells DiBiase he's going down.

Ted DiBiase vs. Blue Blazer

DiBiase clotheslines Blazer after his flip that he does as part of his entrance. Blazer sneaks in a few quick pin attempts, but DiBiase kicks out and is frustrated. Blazer is able to dropkick DiBiase to the floor and follows it up with a dive through the ropes. He hits a crossbody off the top rope and gets a 2 count while Jesse wonders if Blazer will get the Million Dollar title if he wins. Blazer hits a couple of dropkicks but catches Blazer and hits a powerslam for a victory. Kind of a lame finish, as they were putting in a good match until then. 

Match Rating: **

They show Savage pacing outside Elizabeth's dressing room and we get a Burger King sponsorship. 

Mean Gene is in the arena now and brings out Miss Elizabeth. Gene cuts right to the chase and asks whose corner she would be in. Elizabeth says that she hoped that it would never come down to this. So Gene just asks her if she will be in Hogan's corner at WrestleMania and she says no. That brings out Savage and he is celebrating his victory here. He answers for her when Gene asks, but Gene demands to hear it from Elizabeth. She says no and that angers Savage, which brings out Hogan. Things get heated and Hogan says he will be champion again. 

Mean Gene is now with the Brain Busters and Bobby Heenan. They are sick of hearing about the Rockers. 

This of course leads us to Mean Gene with the Rockers. Shawn Michaels is basically a different human at this point. 

Brain Busters vs. Rockers

We get a quickly paced opener that features all four men at the same time. Both of these teams are just really good. I know that is a real controversial statement. Heenan pulls down the top rope and it sends Michaels to the floor. The referee catches wind of it and throws Heenan out of the match. That of course leads to our commercial break. We get some pin attempts by both teams, but no victory out of them. Arn comes in and hits the big spinebuster. Arn goes for the Vader Bomb, but Marty gets the knees up. Both teams get the tag and Shawn wins that battle. Shawn goes for a suplex, but Arn knocks him into a pin attempt, but then Marty breaks that up. They start brawling outside and you know where we're going here. They love doing this finish during this era. So we get no winner, but we do get more Rockers dropkicks after the bell. This was good as we all would expect, but that finish just sucks. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get a recap of Brooklyn Brawler attacking Red Rooster and then go to Jesse Ventura with Brawler and Heenan. Heenan says Brawler is a bigger and better nobody than Rooster is. 

Mean Gene is with Red Rooster and he says that he is a somebody. I still can't believe this gimmick didn't get over.

Brooklyn Brawler vs. Red Rooster

They fight for like 30 seconds and Rooster gets a small package for the victory. This was as stupid as you would expect it to be. Heenan teases getting into the ring and that distracts him to allow a Brawler attack. They double team Rooster until he is able to kick Brawler out of the ring. Heenan retreats and that's all. Why were they even wasting Heenan's body on this crap? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mean Gene is in the locker room with Randy Savage and he's out of control and throwing things around because of Elizabeth's decision, even though he says he doesn't need her. This leads to another commercial. 

I will always be the one guy who doesn't love this particular time period. Hogan was so obnoxious and there should be absolutely no sympathy for him at all. That whole story just took me out of the beginning of the show. I did enjoy the DiBiase/Blazer and Rockers/Busters matches, but then it ends on such a sour note with a terrible storyline. The sound on here sucked too, which just made it more annoying. 

Overall Rating: 48%

Monday Night Raw 11-6-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, November 6th, 1995
Keystone Centre
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

We get a quick Todd Pettengill hype video and then it's straight to business.

British Bulldog vs. Marty Jannetty    

Dok Hendrix is with Vince now because of Jerry Lawler wrestling tonight. How many times did this poor crowd have to hear Jannetty's music at this taping? They work a nice pace to start things off, which once again is why Marty is so valuable. He brings out the best in his opponents. Bulldog then press slams Marty onto the top rope. We hear from Clarence Mason and he says that Bulldog will face the winner of Bret Hart/Diesel at In Your House on December 17th. Bulldog continues his dominance into a commercial break. Cornette gets in some cheap shots behind the referee's back. Bulldog gets Marty in the tree of woe and he gets in a few stomps and then slows things down. Jannetty gets some momentum, but then he runs into the ring post. Bulldog immediately scoops him up for the running powerslam and picks up the win in a nice opening match. 

Match Rating: **3/4

We go to a pre-recorded video from Washington D.C. with a cheesy Bill Clinton impersonator. 

Dok then interviews Bulldog and Cornette. Bulldog is going to win the WWF Championship like he should have before. He then tells Shawn Michaels that if he double crosses Bulldog, he's going to make Syracuse look like a walk in the park. 

They show the interview from Superstars with Goldust. Bam Bam Bigelow interrupted and challenged Goldust to a match. 

Henry Godwinn vs. Terry Richards

Richards is Rhyno in I believe is his WWF debut. Don't quote me on that. Godwinn looks a little more motivated here and getting back to his better squash ways. He hits the Slop Drop and that's all. After the match, Helmsley attacks Godwinn and hits the Pedigree outside the ring. He then puts on some gloves and then dumps the slop on Godwinn. We are finally getting some character development here with Helmsley.

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the Survivor Series Slam Jam, this time with Todd. They announce that Undertaker will captain a team with Fatu, Savio Vega and Henry Godwinn against King Mabel's team that includes Hunter Hearst Helmsley, Isaac Yankem and Jerry Lawler. We hear from Paul Bearer and then Diesel. 

Kama vs. Tony Roy

You can buy 1,000 Mad Caps for only $21! Are you kidding me? Just in case you weren't sure that no one cared about Kama, we get a Shawn Michaels phone interview here. Kama wins. Nothing important happens. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week on Raw, it will be Sid vs. Razor Ramon with 1-2-3 Kid as the referee. 

We get a Smoking Gunns Karate Fighters promo. 

Jerry Lawler & Isaac Yankem vs. Bret Hart & Hakushi

You have to love wrestling logic when Bret and Hakushi are able to team up now. Hakushi hits the cartwheel reverse elbow, but the second time around Yankem knocks him silly from behind. Hakushi goes for a dive outside the ring, but Yankem catches him and rams him into the ring post. Lawler hits a piledriver on Hakushi, but he doesn't go for the cover. He hits a second piledriver instead. We get a commercial break and now Yankem has Hakushi in a Boston crab. Bret breaks it up and it leads to him getting the hot tag. He hits a double noggin knocker and a side Russian leg sweep. He goes for the Sharpshooter and locks it in. Hakushi blocks Lawler's attempt, but Hakushi distracts the ref when Yankem is submitting. Lawler tries to hit Bret with a chair, but Barry Horowitz makes the save. The ref sees Horowitz with the chair and calls for the bell. That's a lame finish. Yankem sucks.

Match Rating: *3/4

Next week, Helmsley will face Godwinn and Ahmed Johnson will debut. They show clips of the Raw, proving that the show is taped. Interesting strategy.

This was a good Raw overall, thanks to a better than expected Jannetty/Bulldog match. They seem to be sprinkling in a little bit more of storyline development now. 

Overall Rating: 51%

Superstars 11-4-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, November 4th, 1995
Agridome
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

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Jerry Lawler is going to interview Goldust today, plus Bret Hart will take on Sid with Bret having the Saskatchewan Roughriders in his corner. 

Hunter Hearst Helmsley vs. Mike Legacy

Helmsley hits a high knee to the face of Legacy. Helmsley hits a neckbreaker and then the Pedigree for the easy victory. At least they have something for Helmsley to do now. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show clips from Raw, which just reminds me of how mad I am that Netflix hasn't added a single Raw episode since day 1.

Henry Godwinn's music hits and he teases slopping Helmsley, who still isn't to the back and we go to commercial. 

Henry Godwinn vs. Otis Apollo

Godwinn nails Apollo with a big clothesline and calls for the hogs. He hits the Slop Drop and we're moving quickly here today through the squashes. Jim Ross interviews Godwinn after the match. He says he's going to beat Helmsley and slop him. Can't get much more clear cut than that. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to the Survivor Series Slam Jam with Dok Hendrix. We hear from Razor Ramon about his wild card match. He says he can't trust his teammates, but they can't trust him. We then hear from his three partners, but only Cornette and Owen do the talking. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Scott D'Amore

We are on the last legs of Bam Bam in WWF here. We then get an awkward pause in the commentary and go to commercial. Was something edited out there? Bam Bam hits a sling shot dive from the apron for the win? He must have known he was done. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show The Body Donnas doing sit ups on the concrete floor. They find M&Ms in his shirt and spill them out, but he still eats them. 

Jerry Lawler interviews Goldust in the ring. Bam Bam comes out to join them. I should note that the lights are down with his gold lighting in the ring. Bam Bam doesn't even know what Goldust is. He challenges him to a match anywhere, any place. This was kind of an odd interview segment and not probably in the way they were aiming for. 

King Mabel vs. Tim McNeany

We hear from Paul Bearer as Mabel enters the ring. Mabel swats away a dropkick and hits his signature kick to the back of the head. Mabel hits a splash in the corner and a belly-to-belly suplex for the win. This show is flying by, but there are still about 20 minutes left. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Razor Ramon and 1-2-3 Kid will get a rematch against the Smoking Gunns next week on Superstars. 

Sid vs. Bret Hart

Sid is accompanied by the Million Dollar Corporation, which somehow still exists. Glen Kulka is one of the players who are out with Bret, who would briefly be with the WWF. This is treated like a lumberjack match, but JR flat out says it isn't after Bret clotheslines Sid and they throw him back in the ring. I just realized that Skip is out with Sid. DiBiase trips up Bret and Sid hits a leg drop. So apparently when it was the Ottawa team, it was the Rough Riders and when it was Saskatchewan, they were the Roughriders. Kulka then gets a spot where he hits a shoulder tackle on Skip. This all leads to Kulka distracting Sid and Bret rolling up Sid for the victory. The crowd absolutely loved that finish. The match was pretty good and the crowd was into every second of it. 

Match Rating: **

We go back to Dok Hendrix. I was reading another review on this show and reading about all the backstage drama going on around this time, with the company really struggling. It's kind of interesting since they were able to sell 14,500 tickets (I'm sure some were giveaways), but still. Dok announces an 8 woman Survivor Series match. We then hear from Diesel and he says that he saw fear in Bret's eyes for the first time. Dok then announces the Underdogs taking on the Body Donnas. They announce Avatar as being on the Underdogs and Jean Pierre Lafitte as being on the Body Donnas. They would eventually be replaced. 

They interview Bret Hart backstage. He says that Diesel is wearing a belt that should be his and he's better than he is. He tells Big D that he's going to hit the truck stop right here. 

This was a typical episode of Superstars for the most part with the exception of getting a legit main event in terms of star power. I am looking forward to watching Survivor Series again, but so far the build outside of Diesel/Bret has just been decent. 

Overall Rating: 44%

Off The Grid, Volume 54: The Main Event III Review

Friday, February 23rd, 1990
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

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Off The Grid, Volume 54:

We get a quick promo from both Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage, while also seeing Buster Douglas fresh off beating Mike Tyson, who was supposed to be the referee tonight. We then go to Vince McMahon and Jesse Ventura in the arena and they talk about Tyson being pulled out from the event. This was about 6 months before I became a fan or else I probably would have begged to go to this show. 

We come back to commercial and now we are down to Mean Gene with Macho King and Sherri. He's happy that it's not Tyson tonight because someone in his family was a Hulkamaniac. They say that it won't be Hogan taking on Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania. 

We now go to Mean Gene with Hulk and he says that he has a lot in common with Buster. He cuts his same old trash interview that I wish I never had to hear again.

Mean Gene is now with Buster Douglas and he has absolutely zero charisma. He says he won it for his mom and Gene does most of the heavy lifting here. His little hand gesture at the end of it was great though. 

WWF Championship Match
Randy Savage vs. Hulk Hogan

They quickly do two spots where it shows that Douglas is not a biased enforcer. Although, him blocking Savage from leaping off the top rope, is the worse of the two. Sherri gets on the apron and Hogan grabs her. Savage tries to knee him from behind, but he moves, and Savage knocks her to the floor. We get some boring offense until Sherri grabs his leg and this time the distraction works. Douglas chases Sherri to the back as we go to a commercial break. Savage goes up top and this time Douglas lets him leap and hit the double ax handle to the floor. He then hits one in the ring and gets a 2 count. Savage ends up trying it again and this time Douglas stops him. Back in the ring, Savage hits the top rope elbow drop and naturally Hogan kicks out. He hulks up and hits the big boot. Hogan hits Savage with a right hand that also knocks down the referee. Hogan hits the leg drop and Douglas comes in and counts to 3. Savage is livid and realizes that it was Douglas who counted. Savage eggs Douglas on and then eventually slaps him in the face. Hogan shoves Savage into Douglas and he knocks him out with a right hand. None of this was very good. Considering they spent over half the run time on this match, this was just a huge disappointment. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We now go to the Ultimate Warrior talking about the solar system. I'm not a huge fan of the face paint this time. 

Jesse is now with Dino Bravo, Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. "It doesn't just take brawn to win the Intercontinental title, it takes brain". That pretty much sums up why he never won the title. Jimmy says that Warrior doesn't have earthquake insurance. 

We hear from Warrior again, this time with Mean Gene. He says he doesn't need earthquake insurance or life insurance. I'm not sure what vibe he is going for tonight, but it's not working at all. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Dino Bravo vs. Ultimate Warrior

I always loved when Fink would drop the mic and run out of the ring for Warrior. Warrior hits a quick body slam and wants to go up top, but Earthquake grabs his foot. Again, Quake grabs his foot and Bravo clotheslines him over the top. Warrior goes under the ring and crawls across and drags Jimmy Hart under the ring. When he comes out, he has no pants on. Warrior picks him up and throws him at Earthquake. Jimmy scampers to the back and Earthquake hits a body slam on Warrior. Bravo hits the side suplex, but Warrior kicks out. Warrior starts shaking the ropes and no selling the blows to the back. Warrior comes back with a headbutt and a clothesline. He hits the flying shoulder tackle and a splash for the victory. As soon as the bell rings, Earthquake attacks Warrior. Warrior is able to throw Bravo out of the ring, but Earthquake hits a couple of big elbow drops. He gets up on the second rope and out comes Hogan to make the save. He hits him with a right hand and he goes out of the ring. Hogan and Warrior get into it and start shoving officials out of the way. This match was a more compact version of the first match. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We go to the locker room with Vince and they show Hogan and Warrior in the Royal Rumble. We then see them winning at Saturday Night's Main Event as a tag team over Mr. Perfect and Genius. Hogan now joins Vince and I'm forced to suffer through another one of these. Hogan says that he's going to watch Warrior's back because he wants to beat him at his best. 

Gene is back with Warrior now and he talks about Hoke Hogan. Warrior rambles on and on and says he is the chosen one. 

We go back to Vince and Jesse in the arena, who then throw it back to Gene with Buster Douglas. He says that Hogan is his kind of guy. He says that he and Hogan are going out drinking, to which Gene is shocked. He then makes a lame milk joke. 

This show suuuuuucked. Talk about dropping the ball. Obviously losing Tyson just two weeks before was a big blow, but I'm sure they didn't change any plans as far as the show went and that's where this suffered. The interviews were lame, the matches were dull and it felt like a 15 minute show stretched into 48 minutes. I'm bummed because I was looking forward to seeing this one for the first time. This will likely be the last time. 

Overall Rating: 31%

To The Max: AEW Fyter Fest 2019 Review

Saturday, June 29th, 2019
Ocean Center
Daytona Beach, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We get a Double Or Nothing highlight package to kick off the show. 

Christopher Daniels vs. Cima

Since I was so critical of the announcing team at Double Or Nothing, I can already say that they are off to a much better start here so far. Both guys get a couple of minutes of offense to start. Daniels hits the Arabian moonsault and then starts wrenching back on the neck of Cima. Cima comes back and hits a Backstabber. Daniels comes back and hits Angels Wing, but Cima is able to kick out. I don't know how common that is for people to kick out of that move, but this match doesn't seem like it is worth having someone kick out of it. Cima hits a running powerbomb and a package powerbomb for a 2 count. Cima goes up top and hits a Meteora for the victory. This was pretty basic match for this era. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Riho vs. Nyla Rose vs. Yuka Sakazaki

Nyla plays the monster role, taking on both opponents. She hits a double suplex and then puts on a double Camel Clutch. Yuka hits a headscissors on Rose, sending her outside. She then hits a shaky looking springboard dive on both opponents. She hits Riho with a missile dropkick back in the ring and gets a 2 count. Riho starts getting some offense and hits a 619 on Rose. Rose now gets her turn again and hits a delayed vertical suplex on Yuka. She hangs Riho on the ropes and hits a top rope knee to the head, which wakes up the crowd. Rose doesn't go for a cover and instead climbs the turnbuckles. She misses with a senton and Riho goes for a top rope crossbody, but Rose catches her. Yuka tries too and Nyla catches her too. We get a pin attempt out of it, but no victory. We almost get victories from Yuka and Rose, but Riho is able to use some knees to break up both. Rose hits a Death Valley Driver for a nearfall. Riho is able to pull off a cradle and picks up the surprise victory over Rose. This one started off a little bit sloppy, but the last few minutes were solid. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Kip Sabian joins the announce team, as he will be taking on the winner of the match. 

MJF vs. Jungle Boy vs. Jimmy Havoc vs. Adam Page

MJF cuts a promo before the match just making fun of the crowd. Jungle Boy is such a dorky gimmick. Especially since they advertise that he is Luke Perry's son. Speaking of dorky gimmicks, Jimmy Havoc has one too. Page and Jungle Boy get most of the shine in the early going. MJF fakes a dive and lets the crowd have it. Jungle Boy hits a scary looking back somersault but seems to be okay. We get the obligatory tower of doom spot, but it ends up with MJF getting hit by his opponent. Jungle Boy hits a reverse rana on Havoc and then Page levels Jungle Boy with a lariat. It finally gets to MJF and Page, who are clearly the main attractions here. MJF goes for a Sharpshooter and mocks Bret. Page pushes out of it before he can turn it over and puts the Sharpshooter on MJF. he quickly gets to the ropes. Havoc hits an Attitude Adjustment on Jungle Boy, throwing him into Luchasaurus. Page gets MJF out of the ring and hits Deadeye on Havoc for the win. Havoc felt like he didn't belong here, so he felt like the obvious choice to take the pin. This was fine. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Darby Allin vs. Cody Rhodes

From the little I have seen of Allin, I haven't been a fan, so we'll see if anything changes here. He shows off some solid wrestling skills and that frustrates Cody, so he slaps him. Cody sends him through the top two ropes and he goes spilling to the floor with a Mick Foley type bump. We get a mostly slow-paced match here, which I know Cody likes to have. The pace quickens after my "I'm too cheap to pay for Max without commercials" commercial break. Cody hits a suicide dive and then we get an announcement that there are only 5 minutes remaining, telegraphing where we are going here. Cody hits a reverse superplex from the top rope. Allin has Rhodes on the hardest part of the ring and goes for a Coffin Drop, but Cody moves and Allin goes splat. Cody then puts Allin in a body bag and hits him with a Disaster Kick. He rips him out of the bag and pins him for a 2 count. We are down to a minute remaining, so Cody starts hitting him with a belt. He goes for a Cross Rhodes and Allin counters out. He gets him back and hits it but runs out of time. After the match, Shawn Spears comes down and hits Cody with a steel chair to the head, which was very controversial and still is. Just a terrible decision by all involved in 2019. Rhodes is bleeding like crazy here. This was a pretty dull match overall and the finish just put a black cloud over it.

Match Rating: *3/4

Laredo Kid & Lucha Brothers vs. Kenny Omega & Young Bucks

We get a dorky Street Fighter entrance that is definitely not for me. I apologize in advance that I won't know the names of probably 15 moves in this match. Excalibur seemingly takes over the play by play here, so I guess JR is in the same boat as I am. We get a way too early 3-man dive spot with the Elite being kind enough to just stand there while the luchadores ham it up. It kind of feels like they are moving in slow motion here so far. To be fair, their slow motion is more than most average speed. JR doesn't like Omega's haircut, for what it's worth. These guys are hitting some big moves, but it kind of feels like they are going through the motions here early on. There just isn't really much to mention here. As soon as I say that, one of the Lucha Brothers gets launched over the top and to the floor onto Omega. Everyone hits a superkick and then we get more dorky Street Fighter stuff. The Elite hit a triple powerbomb and none of them are able to win with it. Nick Jackson hits a 450 splash on two opponents draped on the middle rope. Omega hits a V Trigger that may have been the best looking move of the match so far. We get an extremely telegraphed move that leads to a Spanish Fly to the outside on Jackson. Omega hits a Tiger Driver, but it's not enough. Omega then hits a One-Winged Angel and picks up the victory for his team. This was really disappointing to me. There was no drama in this one for me at all. Kudos to Omega for meeting with all of the front row fans after the match. 

Match Rating: **3/4

The announce team tries to hype us up for the main event, but it sounds like they are ready for bed. To be fair, so am I and it's only 8:00 as I watch this replay. 

Unsanctioned Match
Joey Janela vs. Jon Moxley

They quickly move out into the crowd and then back to the outside of the ring. Janela sets up a table and uses a prosthetic leg from the crowd. Moxley is already bleeding around his eye. Janela misses with a senton and goes through a chair. Moxley pulls out a chair wrapped in barbed wire. He sets it on Janella and stomps on it. Janela comes back and hits a top rope hurricanrana slightly onto the chair. Janela hits him in the back with the chair for good measure. Janela pulls out a second table and puts this one in the ring. Janela grabs Moxley and they both go through the table on the outside from the apron. Back in the ring, Moxley drives Janela through the table in the corner. We get the barbed wire board and Janela gets Moxley into that one. Out comes the ladder and Janela dives and hits Moxley through the table. We eventually get a back body drop over the top rope and through the barbed wire board by Moxley onto Janela. Now we have thumbtacks and Janela gets tossed into those. The thing that made Mick Foley so special was that when he did this type of chaos, there was typically a story being told. This is just moves. Moxley hits the Paradigm Shift into the tacks and that's it. This was a SportsCenter type match. When you watch the highlights, it looks like a great one, but there wasn't much in between those highlights. I mean really the entire point of this was to remind us that Moxley is crazy and not that "PG Dean Ambrose". 

Match Rating: **

After the match, Omega attacks Moxley. They brawl up to the stage area and into some drums that are set up. Moxley gets helped up the ramp until he shoves the refs to the side. Out comes Omega and attacks him with a trash can. Omega hits a Paradigm Shift onto the trash can. We go off the air with Moxley in pain. 

This was a really dull show for me. Nothing was terrible, but it just felt flat for me. I was really disappointed in the 6 man tag, but I'm sure most probably loved it. The Cody match was also really slow and plodding. I really want to enjoy this, but so far, I would say they are 0 for 2. 

Overall Rating: 43%

WCW Monday Nitro 10-30-95 Review

Monday, October 30th, 1995 
Hara Arena
Dayton, Ohio

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

Eric Bischoff promises us footage of Halloween Havoc "as soon as it arrives". Bobby Heenan and Steve McMichael try to tell us how good that turd of a show was. Bischoff tells us that Randy Savage was supposed to be here, but due to injuries sustained last night, it will be Eddie Guerrero taking on Sgt. Craig Pittman instead. 

Sgt. Craig Pittman vs. Eddie Guerrero

They let us know that World War 3 is coming up on November 26th. Pittman is just not someone I want to watch wrestle. Pittman works on the arm of Guerrero and hits a suplex. Bischoff lets us know the footage is on its way. This is all just so exciting. Guerrero hits a springboard reverse crossbody for a 2 count. Pittman comes back with a gutwrench powerbomb, but then Guerrero is able to hit him with a pin out of nowhere and pick up the win. I love Eddie, but he couldn't even drag a good match out of Pittman here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show the background of Shark and Scott Norton that lead us to this match tonight.

Shark vs. Scott Norton

They go right at it and Shark gets the best of it, hitting an elbow drop. Norton goes up top and hits a shoulder block. Norton hits a body slam to wake up the crowd. They hit a double clothesline and they show Heenan with Sonny Onoo at a table with a candle and food. These two are up and start brawling outside and I think you know what's going to happen here. They both get counted out as they keep brawling up the stage. They take turns throwing each other into the solid steel WCW sign. They immediately go to Heenan and Onoo again. This match was nothing.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Tony Schiavone in the ring and we get still photos of the Sting/Ric Flair vs. Arn Anderson/Brian Pillman match. Schiavone then brings out Flair, Anderson and Pillman. They hype up the Horsemen being back and that there will soon be a fourth member. 

Sabu vs. Disco Inferno

Sabu catches Disco with a right hand off the bat. He hits a springboard dropkick for a 2 count. We do get a "Sabu" chant from the Dayton crowd. He hits a somersault leg drop over the top and he picks up the victory. We're not getting much in the way of wrestling this week. After the match he dumps Disco out of the ring and he hits a dive and it almost looks like Disco powerbombed him, but that's not the case. Sabu then runs and throws a table at him. Sabu sets him up and goes for a somersault dive, but Disco moves and Sabu lands on the table. Sabu is mad and starts throwing around the steps. There was more action after the match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Lex Luger & Meng vs. American Males

After last night's events, Luger is now with Jimmy Hart and Kevin Sullivan. We get a commercial break right after the bell rings. When we come back, we get an illegal double team showing off Meng and Luger's teamwork. Meng catches Riggs and Luger hits him with a forearm. Bagwell finally gets the hot tag and hits a bunch of clotheslines and a dropkick. He has Luger for a pin, but Hart distracts the ref and the heels take advantage. Meng hits a superkick and Luger puts Bagwell in the Torture Rack for the victory. This was fine. 

Match Rating: *

Bischoff tells all the kids to be careful while trick or treating. McMichael then sprays Heenan with silly string. We've got the footage of last night and here it is. Ya know, it probably would have made more sense to show this before having Lex Luger wrestle as a heel, don't you think? I promise you, that this footage was no better the second time. They have the Dungeon of Doom in the ring and Giant is wearing the WCW Championship belt. Hart says that when Sullivan was alluding to evil living in Hogan's house, he meant Hart. Giant says that he will defend his title against anyone willing to stand in his way next week. Schiavone doesn't even ask how he can defend a title that isn't his. The good news here though is the real Jimmy Hart is back. He's running circles by the end of this and that makes me happy. This was the highlight of the episode. 

This was not a very strong episode, which is no surprise coming off a bad show in Halloween Havoc. This wasn't awful or anything, but it was just not exciting at all. 

Overall Rating: 35%

Monday Night Raw 10-30-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, October 30th, 1995
Keystone Centre
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

We get Todd Pettengill doing a Dracula voice for the intro hype video. Vince McMahon is dressed up as a prisoner, how fitting. Jerry Lawler is dressed up as a doctor. 

Savio Vega vs. Goldust

I absolutely love the pumpkin WWF logo used for this Halloween edition. Goldust's music is still a classic. Goldust attacks Savio and gets the upper hand. The old ring attire for Goldust is still kind of weird. Goldust ducks too soon and eats a boot. Goldust hooks himself on the ropes so Vega misses the dropkick and then throws his shoulder into the ring post. There are 4 guys in the crowd dressed up as Goldust fans. He continues working on the shoulder and we go into a commercial break. Savio makes a comeback with some clotheslines and Vince says that Goldust's TV debut is going to be a flop. Savio misses his spin kick and Goldust hits a big boot. He pins him by yanking on the injured shoulder and picks up the victory. This was a pretty good debut and from what I remember, these two had good chemistry with one another. 

Match Rating: **

It's time for the Survivor Series Slam Jam and Dok Hendrix has his face painted. He announces that the Diesel vs. Bret Hart match will be no countouts, no disqualifications and no time limit. 

We get Barry Horowitz taking on Hakushi in Karate Fighters and Horowitz wins. 

Marty Jannetty vs. Joe Dorgan

Jannetty hits his usual high notes here. Minus the part that he's not a good guy, he is a valuable wrestler to have on the roster. It's a shame that he chose to ruin his potential. He hits the top rope fist for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week on Raw, Bret Hart teams with former enemy, Hakushi, to take on Isaac Yankem and Jerry Lawler. Plus, Marty takes on British Bulldog. They were really making Marty earn his paycheck on this taping, huh?

British Bulldog, Jim Cornette, and Clarence Mason are in the ring with Vince. They aren't happy with what happened at In Your House. He wants Diesel and he wants Bret Hart. He brings up that the contract said that the "winner" of the Diesel/Bulldog match would take on Bret at Survivor Series and Bulldog won the match by DQ. They are demanding a match with Bret and that the Wild Card match is unfair. They then say that Jannetty is just a stepping stone and out comes Jannetty to jump him from behind. The segment was a little long and I'm not sure the crowd was really buying it, but it wasn't bad. 

Smoking Gunns vs. Scott D'Amore & Otis Apollo

We see some highlights of the finish and aftermath from In Your House. We then hear from 1-2-3 Kid and he apologizes for what he did at In Your House. He wants a rematch and they better do it soon. Kid was just so weak when it came to promos. The Gunns hit the Sidewinder and pick up the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We hear from Bret Hart and he talks about the rules being into his favor and that he will be the new WWF Champion. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Owen Hart vs. Razor Ramon

In case you didn't know, Karate Fighters is a sponsor. The first big move of the match is Razor catching Owen and hitting the fall away slam. He then knocks Cornette off the apron and goes back to work on the shoulder of Owen. Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji are on their way out now and we go to commercial break. Razor gets dumped out of the ring and then Owen hits a nice running dropkick through the ropes and knocks Razor into the guardrail. Nice sell by Razor there as well. Owen hits a spin kick that looks like it may have connected more than he would have liked there, but I think it was just two pros making it look good. Owen hits a reverse neckbreaker and then a top rope elbow drop that looked amazing. Razor kicks out at 2 and we go to another commercial. During the break, Razor was able to counter out of a sleeper hold by hitting a back suplex. Razor goes for the super back suplex, but Owen counters and then Razor rolls over for a double counter and gets a 2 count. Razor hits a clothesline and we get yet another commercial. Razor has Owen up for the Razor's Edge and in comes Yokozuna to interfere for the DQ finish. Yoko hits a leg drop and Owen stomps away. Out comes 1-2-3 Kid to try and make the save. Now out comes Ahmed Johnson to make his debut. Yoko doesn't see him, but when he turns around, Ahmed hits a body slam to a good pop. Out comes Bulldog and he wants nothing to do with him as we go off the air. The match was good, but the commercial breaks hurt the flow.

Match Rating: ***

That was an improvement over last week with a little bit better flow, despite the squash matches. Owen and Razor put on a good main event. Ahmed got his big spot too that they will use to continue his hype. 

Overall Rating: 52%

Halloween Havoc 1995 Review

Sunday, October 29th, 1995
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

After the hype video, we are with Tony Schiavone and Bobby Heenan. They show Giant and Hulk Hogan in their monster trucks. They also let us know that Ric Flair has been attacked. 

We get the hype video for the opening match, which is the lamest story ever. 

WCW Television Championship Match
Diamond Dallas Page vs. Johnny B. Badd

Badd sneaks from behind on his entrance and we're underway. We get a double noggin knocker with Page and Max Muscle. The brawl spills out in the crowd and Badd gets a bucket from somewhere and puts it on Page's head. We get back in the ring and we go back to standard wrestling. Page dominates for awhile until Badd sneaks in a few pin attempts. Muscle distracts the ref and Page uses some tape to choke Badd. Badd makes his comeback, hitting an inverted atomic drop and throwing some right hands. Badd hits a top rope double ax handle and Kimberly gives Badd a 10. Badd hits a sit-down powerbomb and gets a 2 count. DDP comes back with the Diamond Dream. He goes for the Diamond Cutter, but Badd is able to hold on to the ropes. They battle in the corner and Page spills to the floor. Badd hits a standing somersault dive onto Muscle and Page. He leaps back on him in the ring, but Page kicks out at 2. Muscle grabs Badd, but it backfires and Badd rolls him up, but again Page kicks out. That was a great false finish. We get another double team that backfires and this time Badd wins to become the new Television Champion. The last few minutes were really a lot of fun there. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

Zodiac vs. Randy Savage

A fan is in the ring right after the bell starts, so Savage and Zodiac go outside. Zodiac misses with a second rope splash and then Savage hits the top rope elbow drop for the easy win. What was the point of this? Why not just have him wrestle Luger? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

The WCW Hotline is sizzling tonight, folks. Gene then talks to Badd and he starts his motivational speaking career here with his speech. 

We see the video footage of Kurasawa breaking Hawk's arm in August. 

Kurasawa vs. Road Warrior Hawk

Hawk unloads right away and hits the shoulder block. Hawk misses in the corner and hits his shoulder on the ring post. Kurasawa tries to get his arm, but Hawk basically no sells and hits a body slam. Hawk hits a powerbomb, but then Col. Parker grabs his leg. Kurasawa goes up top and misses with an elbow drop. Hawk clotheslines him over the top rope and then hits a leaping clothesline on Parker. Kurasawa throws Hawk into the ring post. Kurasawa hits a Samoan Drop and picks up the victory when Parker holds Kurasawa's leg on the rope during the pin attempt. What the heck was that? I've seen this show before and I still can't comprehend how stupid this match was. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We go back to Gene and he's with Savage, who accuses Gene of having a crooked moustache. 

Mr. JL vs. Sabu

Sabu is with the Sheik. Sabu hits a springboard moonsault to the floor and accidentally hits his uncle too. Sabu misses with a dive off the ring steps. JL then hits a top rope dive to Sabu. They are definitely attempting to maximize their minutes. Sabu leaps up to the top, but this time misses the moonsault. Mr. JL tries one and his connects for a 2. Sit-down powerbomb by JL and again a 2 count. Things get a little disjointed and Sabu gets dropkicked off the top to the floor. Back in the ring, Sabu hits a springboard moonsault and gets the win. Immediately after the match, Sheik throws a fireball at JL for good measure. If you like moonsaults, this one was for you. The effort was there, but there was just no psychology. I know that is shocking for a Sabu match.

Match Rating: *1/4

We hear another nonsense promo from the Master and Kevin Sullivan. This is absolutely insulting to everyone's intelligence. 

Just in case we aren't getting enough Hulk Hogan tonight, now he gets to help give away a free motorcycle. No one cares. 

Meng vs. Lex Luger

Meng's mask that he's wearing to the ring is certainly a choice. This one's gotta be better than the Savage match, right? It's kind of crazy to think that if Meng was a wrestler now, he'd probably be involved with the Bloodline angle and a monster heel. I still don't quite understand why he wasn't able to do more than he did. We get mostly standard stuff here. Luger finally gets some offense in with some clotheslines. Meng gabs the gold spike out of his boot and hits him with it. The referee doesn't see it and Meng covers him. Sullivan comes in during the pin attempt and kicks Luger, to give him the disqualification. Meng is confused and Sullivan tries to explain to him. This wasn't bad or anything, but really felt like filler. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Mean Gene is with the Giant. He yells. 

Arn Anderson & Brian Pillman vs. Sting & Ric Flair

Flair is not out to start the match as a result of the reported attack. Heenan does a good job of selling how much it would take for Flair not to be out here and the crowd is chanting "We want Flair". It's all Sting in the early going and he's making it look easy. Just as the momentum shifts, out comes Ric Flair in dress clothes and a bandage on his head. Sting tries to come back and make a tag, but Arn is able to pull his tights to avoid it. The crowd is very much into this match and rightfully so. It's the only good story on this show. Sting gets close again, but this time Pillman comes around and distracts Flair to get him out of his corner. I can't say enough of how good of an announcer Bobby Heenan is. His WCW run isn't his peak in terms of humor, but when he is locked in on the story, he is just an absolute master. I do not think anyone will ever top him. They play the game for quite awhile here, with Sting just not able to make the tag. Sting is finally able to make the tag and Pillman tags in Anderson. Flair comes in and hits Sting with a sucker punch and the three men attack him. This gets a huge reaction and Flair rips the bandage off and throws it in the crowd. Heenan loves it and Pillman gives us the 4 Horeseman signal. This is one of the matches where the angle is part of the match for me and it will be reflected in the rating. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Mean Gene talks about the moment for a second and then tries to convince us to call the hotline to talk to Hawk. Flair grabs the mic and is fired up. Someone throws a Coke cup and it lands right in between Flair and Arn, which is pretty amazing. They leave and Gene wants an update on Sting and is upset that he hasn't heard yet. Schiavone and Heenan try to figure out if what happened at Fall Brawl was all part of the plan and Heenan said that he didn't even know about any of it. 

We go to Mike Tenay and Lex Luger. Luger says he's not 100%, but when he hears that bell rings, he'll be all over Savage. Get a room, pal. 

Now we get a lengthy Hogan/Giant video package. We now go to Bobby Heenan, Eric Bischoff and Bob Chandler. Apparently, Bischoff must be the expert on monster trucks. They talk about Hogan's truck a little bit and now it's time to go up to the roof of Cobo Hall. Words can't describe how terrible this is and it hasn't even started. I love that we're supposed to buy that both Hogan and Giant know how to be monster truck experts here. Hogan finally wins the battle, but it gets worse from there. They both are out of their trucks and Giant grabs Hogan and they battle, which leads to Hogan pushing him off the roof and allegedly into the Detroit River. I have been a wrestling fan for a really long time and have seen so many stupid things in this business. This is really high up there on that list. They go back to the announce team and Bischoff and Heenan are trying to sell this, while Chandler has no idea what to do here. Meanwhile, you can hear vendors selling things in the background. 

Lex Luger vs. Randy Savage

This is also where booking matters and where WCW didn't always do a good job. Obviously, they have to sell this Giant injury thing, so why would you book this match to follow it? Schiavone even apologizes to both competitors that they have to figure out what happened to Giant. Within seconds, Jimmy Hart is out at ringside. Luger gets a mixed reaction to his initial offense and by mixed, I mean mostly boos. Heenan is screaming trying to get an update. Jimmy Hart has the ref distracted and then Luger tries to cheat with pinning his feet on the ropes, but the ref doesn't see it. Savage shoves Luger into Hart, hits the top rope elbow drop and wins. This was a Nitro match at best. Right after the win, Heenan goes right back to what happened. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Schiavone is at the point where now he's not even selling it and talking about how exciting the monster truck battle was. Heenan is still livid and talking about how far he and Giant's "father" go back. They replay the whole segment, just in case you didn't remember how terrible it was. Heenan gets on his knees to beg for someone to give them an update. Heenan says the reason they haven't heard is because it's bad. The best part of all of this, is that it's somehow going to get even worse. 

WCW Championship Match
Hulk Hogan vs. Giant

Hogan comes out with no expression on his face. He grabs the mic and says that the Giant wasn't supposed to take the plunge, brother. He's then interrupted by the Dungeon of Doom music and it's the Giant and Sullivan. Giant has no signs of injury. I still can't believe they booked this. Hogan tries to to body slam him, but instead just gets his fingers up Giant's butthole. Giant goes into late 80s heel offense, but the crowd is mostly still into this. Giant is noticeably not the wrestler you think of during his prime. Giant misses with an elbow drop and Hogan starts hitting the usual crap. Hogan clotheslines him over the top rope and to the floor. They start walking to the back, which makes no sense. Hogan goes after him and throws him in the ring. Kevin Sullivan really adds nothing to a match as a manager. It just makes you appreciate the good ones so much more. Giant slaps on my favorite move, the bear hug. They are starting to lose the crowd a little bit here. Hogan finally fights his way out of it after seemingly 25 minutes in it. He gets out, but then runs into a chokeslam. You'll never believe it, but Hogan kicks out at 2. Hogan hits the big boot, but Giant is still on his feet. Hogan rakes the eyes and hits a body slam. He hits a leg drop and goes for the pin and the camera misses that Jimmy Hart hit the referee. Hart hits Hogan in the back of the head with the belt. Hogan is livid and then Giant puts him in another bear hug. Are you kidding me? Out comes Luger and Savage. Most importantly, here comes the YET-AY! He comes from behind Hogan and has him in a compromising position. Luger then puts Hogan in the Torture Rack. He then puts Savage in the Torture Rack. Heenan says that we'll never see another pay per view like this again. If only that were true. They announce that Giant is the winner by DQ, but the title does not change hands. This is absolutely one of the worst main events I can think of. To anyone who says Diesel/Mabel is terrible, I submit this as something that is a million times worse. 

Overall Rating: 0 Stars

This is an all timer when it comes to bad shows. The opening match is fun and the Flair/Sting stuff was well done. Everything else is terrible and the main event along with the monster truck stuff is among the worst I have ever seen in my 35 years of watching wrestling. Absolutely atrocious. 

Overall Rating: 18%

Superstars 10-28-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 28th, 1995
Agridome
Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We're getting Razor Ramon vs. Yokozuna today, which is pretty big by Superstars standards. They then show clips of the Diesel/British Bulldog match at In Your House. 

Marty Jannetty vs. Jake Steele

It sure feels like they are making Jannetty earn every cent on his comeback. Jannetty just came off a loss at In Your House, so here's your reminder that he wins matches. He hits the top rope fist and that's all. There's not much to say here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Alundra Blayze winning the Women's Championship from Bertha Faye on Raw. She then cuts a terrible promo about the New Generation. 

Jean Pierre Lafitte vs. Tony Roy

Speaking of guys who need to get back to winning, Lafitte is at the top of the list. His matches with Bret ruled and he needs something. Unfortunately, that would never come. Lafitte ties Roy up in the ropes and hits a splash. He hits the side suplex and the swanton for the victory. He continues to impress and he will continue to do nothing until he leaves. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time to go to Dok Hendrix and the Slam Jam. It's Karate Fighter time also. We hear from Diesel and he isn't happy with Bret Hart. 

They show Yokozuna in the back with Owen Hart, Jim Cornette and Mr. Fuji. 

We get the sit down interview with Jim Ross and Shawn Michaels that they showed on Raw. 

Duke Droese vs. Roy Raymond

Remember Duke Droese? This is his first Superstars match since July. Duke hits an atomic drop and a dropkick. He hits the Trash Compactor and that is all. I guess he exists again and will have his little moment in a few weeks before going away for good. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it's Sid vs. Bret Hart on Superstars. 

Bob Backlund vs. Bob Clancy

Backlund on Superstars in 1995? Why not? It still blows my mind that Backlund was a headliner for years. I lost interest in this one. The Cross-Face Chickenwing is all you need to see here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Owen Hart & Yokozuna vs. Razor Ramon & 1-2-3 Kid

So this is a tag team match for some reason. Why wouldn't they just have advertised that? It's probably a better attraction than the one on one. Razor and Kid clear the ring and the crowd loves it. Kid and Owen do their thing, which is good. Owen then tags in Yoko, which is not good. The match slows down to a crawl as a result. Razor gets the hot tag to Kid and we get more action with him and Owen. We get a brawl, which leads to Razor and Yoko going outside. That allows Owen to hit a belly to belly suplex and pick up the victory. That was kind of out of nowhere. This was decent.

Match Rating: *3/4

We go back to Dok and he hypes up the Wild Card match. 

We hear from Sid in a wind suit and they make fun of Bret Hart having Canadian Football players with him next week. Bret says he'll see him in the ring. 

This was kind of an odd assortment of matches for the first one of the taping. I would have thought we'd get at least one more match that mattered here instead of Bob Backlund. Oh well, it's Superstars. 

Overall Rating: 36%

Monday Night Raw 10-23-95 Review

Monday, October 23rd, 1995
Keystone Centre
Brandon, Manitoba, Canada

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork22

They talk about Diesel/Bret, the women's match tonight, the battle royal that is next and Shawn Michaels forfeiting the Intercontinental Championship to Dean Douglas, who then lost it to Razor Ramon. In all honesty, that's a decent way to make tonight feel important. 

Battle Royal To Become The Intercontinental Championship #1 Contender

Marty Jannetty, Sid, and Isaac Yankem all get televised entrances. Marty and Sid also get interview spots. King Kong Bundy is eliminated within 15 seconds. Just about the entire roster is in this one. This is a great example of a bunch of guys standing around doing a whole lot of nothing. We finally get a fairly large exit of guys and we are down to six. Savio Vega, Sid, Marty, Owen Hart, Bam Bam Bigelow, and Jean Pierre Lafitte are left. Just as I finish that sentence, Sid is eliminated. They show Razor in the back watching intently. During the commercial break, Bam Bam is eliminated by Jean Pierre. I would love to see Razor take on him next week on Raw. The crowd is chanting for Marty. This episode is creeping up on being half over. Marty is able to eliminate both Savio and Jean Pierre. He almost gets Owen out of there, but Owen does a nice bump to spin upside down into the ropes. We get another close call with him teetering on the edge of the ring. Owen was so good. We get some good action and then Owen sends Marty through the ropes and not over. Marty then grabs Jim Cornette's tennis racket and chases him around. Bulldog comes out and attacks Marty. Back in the ring, Owen is able to throw Marty over the top and become the #1 contender in a King Of The Ring 1994 rematch. Like most battle royals, the first three quarters were boring and the ending was good. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Lawler interviews Owen and he insults Bret for the cheap heat. 

They show some video footage of the main event, which is really surprising. I guess I always remembered them showing still photos at this time, especially the night after. 

We go to the Survivor Series Slam Jam with Dok Hendrix. This is the Karate Fighters in one of the more memorable product placements of the era. He hypes up the Wild Card match where Shawn Michaels, Sid, British Bulldog and Ahmed Johnson take on Dean Douglas, Yokozuna, Owen Hart and Razor Ramon. They then show Bob Backlund campaigning in the crowd in Canada. Back to Dok and we hear from Ahmed, who says he has Shawn's back. 

Avatar vs. Brian Walsh

The infamous Avatar debut here. I'll never understand why they had him put on the mask after he got to the ring. I'm also not sure why he has Fatu's colors. Avatar is a little sloppy, losing his balance on the top rope. He makes up for it by just doing a dive instead. He misses with a moonsault and Walsh hits a couple of clotheslines. Avatar comes back with a somersault clothesline and a backbreaker. The crowd is dead silent here. He hits a standing moonsault and then stands on his chest before leaping for a splash for the win. He got no build and was stuck wrestling a style that was nothing like the style that worked for him in the future. It's pretty easy to see why this failed. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

You can buy a cardboard stand-up for only $25. Call now!

WWE Women's Championship
Bertha Faye vs. Alundra Blayze

They show Bertha winning at SummerSlam, which feels like the last time we saw her. Bertha uses her size to dominate the opening portion here. We then get kind of an oddly timed commercial break with no drama. I know they got more into that in later years, but this one felt like there was no reason to not change the channel. When we return, Alundra makes her comeback. She tries to pull off a powerbomb, but Bertha hits the back body drop instead. Bertha climbs to the second rope, but Alundra pulls off her handstand head scissors. Harvey tries to get involved, but it backfires and Alundra picks up the win to regain the championship. After the match, Bertha chases after Harvey to the back. That would have been a lot more satisfying if there was anything that happened between the time Bertha won it and now. Bertha put on a good performance here, but it's hard to care when the promotion doesn't care. 

Match Rating: **

Next week, it's going to be Goldust's TV debut against Savio Vega and Razor Ramon defends his title against Owen Hart. We go back to Jim Ross and he interviews Shawn Michaels. He talks about how hard he worked for the Intercontinental Championship and it sucked having to hand it over to someone as overrated as Dean Douglas. They talk about his Survivor Series match and how he has some tests to pass before he can compete. 

This was a disappointing live edition, especially compared to the one last month. It wasn't bad by any means, but just felt a little flat. 

Overall Rating: 43%

Monday Nitro 10-23-95 Review

Monday, October 23rd, 1995 
Von Braun Civic Center
Huntsville, Alabama

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Randy Savage vs. Kurasawa

We're right to the ring action this week. This is the go home show for Halloween Havoc. I love how Steve McMichael calls him Macho Man Savage. Kurasawa is getting a lot of offense in here and they talk about how he broke the arm of Road Warrior Hawk. This match even gets a commercial break. When we come back, Kurasawa is still working on Savage. Savage gets an opening when he shoves Kurasawa's throat into the top rope. He immediately goes up top and hits the elbow drop and that's it. Kurasawa got a lot of shine here, but then the finish made him look pretty weak. I know it's Savage, but still. The match was a decent little TV match though. 

Match Rating: **

The announce team is talking about the night and then the lights go out. We then get the Dungeon of Doom guy yelling nonsense. They show us a block of "ice" and something about Halloween Havoc. This was terrible. Mean Gene is now with Kevin Sullivan and Giant. Sullivan says that this block of "ice" is the insurance policy. That's right, it's Yet-ay time. Giant was such a bad character. All of the fun from the Savage match was just entirely sucked out of the building with this segment. 

After the commercial break, Mean Gene is now with Hulk Hogan and Jimmy Hart. As much as I am enjoying Nitro and looking forward to the future of the show, I'm not sure how many more of these Hogan promos I can take. 

Dean Malenko & Chris Benoit vs. Eddie Guerrero & Mr. JL

Alex Wright is out on crutches with Guerrero and JL. Malenko and Benoit show some good teamwork, which leads to a dive from Malenko. Malenko then holds Guerrero for Benoit's dive, but Guerrero moves out of the way and he hits Malenko. Guerrero then launches JL to the outside on both men. Benoit then launches JL into the corner on Malenko. We then get a distraction due to a fight in the back between Scott Norton and Shark. Really? We get a commercial break during a Malenko abdominal stretch. These guys are getting quite a bit of time again tonight. They keep talking about Hogan every 30 seconds, but it's still something. Benoit hits a superplex and gets a 2 count thanks to Eddie breaking up the pin attempt. JL finally gets the hot tag to Guerrero and he gets the crowd into it. He hits an arm drag/headscissors combo. All 4 men end up in the ring and we get a little bit of an awkward spot where Benoit and Eddie fall out of the ring. Mr. JL is able to get in a pin after Alex Wright tripped up Malenko with his crutch and that's all. This was another pretty good showing for Eddie, as he seems to be the one who draws the most crowd response.

Match Rating: **1/2

As Eddie is walking to the back, he attacks Eddie for no reason. 

Harlem Heat vs. Sting & Lex Luger

It's interesting that so far in the short history of Nitro, they really have focused on really only having certain guys on the show every week and just sprinkling in a few others here and there. WWF seems to diversify a little more and probably due to the fact that they tape 75 shows at each taping. The Heat mostly dominate Luger while Sherri looks at a Polaroid photo of her and Col. Robert Parker. I didn't know that Eric Bischoff was part of the whole "Yet-ay" thing. I thought that was just Tony Schiavone. Luger finally tags in Sting and we get your typical no flow finish here. Sting hits a clothesline off the top rope and gets the victory. Out comes Giant and Kevin Sullivan and he gives chokeslams to Luger and Sting. Out comes Randy Savage and Hulk Hogan. The crowd is definitely into this and I'm not really sure why. Giant no sells Hogans right hands and then knocks Hogan down. Hogan hulks up and then out comes the rest of the Dungeon of Doom. They clear the ring and then the lights start to flicker. The Yeti breaks out of the iceberg and we go off the air. Did they not learn anything from the Gobbledy Gooker? The match sucked.

Match Rating: 1/2*

We got two good matches here tonight, but everything Hogan sucked the life out of this show. The Yeti is an all timer in terms of sucking, so they also had that going for it. They didn't do a great job of really building any of the card for the show Sunday either, which is kind of surprising. They didn't even bother to run down matches or anything. I am guessing that was more of a Saturday Night thing? 

Overall Rating: 45%