Monday Night Raw 8-7-95 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, August 7th, 1995
Louisville Gardens
Louisville, Kentucky

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We get the intro they loved to do during this era where we get both guys talking in a studio facing opposite angles with Sir Mo and Diesel. 

WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Razor Ramon & Savio Vega vs. Owen Hart & Yokozuna

Sometimes you just need a good formula tag team match. Unsurprisingly, these four guys follow that. Owen and Yoko use the referee's distraction to take advantage of the rules and Yoko has Razor in a nerve hold when we go into commercial break. When we come back, Owen is jumping on the back of Razor while draped on the second rope. Owen then sends Razor over the top and tags Yoko back in. He once again puts on that dreaded nerve hold. Razor battles up to his feet, but Owen was tagged in. Razor runs into a spin kick and that gets a 2 count. Razor blocks a hip toss and turns it into a backslide for 2. Owen goes up to the top rope and surprisingly hits a headbutt. He then jumps on Razor's back for a sleeper hold. Razor battles out with a back suplex and both men are able to crawl to make a tag to their partners. Savio is a house of fire, but the numbers game catches up to him. He ducks a double clothesline, but gets hit with a Samoan drop by Yokozuna. Razor pulled Owen out of the ring, but Yoko then hits a leg drop. Razor is too late trying to make the save and the champions retain in a good match.

Match Rating: ***

Just in time to ruin the show, it's Dean Douglas. Who was writing these? You could just feel people changing the channel every time these aired. 

Speaking of changing the channel, it's Jerry Lawler and Isaac Yankem taking x-rays. They even threw in an x-ray effect every time he takes one. Don't worry, they zoom into his teeth also. 

Fatu vs. Tony DeVito

Fatu leaves his hat on for this very big time match. DeVito attempts to slam Fatu's head into the turnbuckle, but he didn't do his homework there and gets hit with a superkick. Fatu hits a top rope splash and continues to be in that cluster of superstars that just exist. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

It's time for the SummerSlam Insider with Todd Pettengill. Don't forget to buy your Stridex pads. We hear from Mo and Mabel to talk about that highly anticipated main event. In talking about the new Intercontinental match, he talks to Gorilla Monsoon. Gorilla announces that Alundra Blayze will defend her title against Bertha Faye. Isaac Yankem will face Bret Hart and Undertaker will take on Kama as well. 

I'm definitely ready for a new Goldust vignette. 

Kama vs. Tony Haste

As with most Kama matches, they find something to distract you from it and this time it's a phone call with Sid. He is furious about Gorilla Monsoon's decision to take him out of the Intercontinental Championship match. Kama puts on an arm submission for the victory. This is the usual Kama match.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week, it will be Jerry Lawler vs. Shawn Michaels. 

For only $16, you can have a hideous Shawn Michaels shirt. 

Sir Mo vs. Diesel

For whatever reason, Mabel is not with Mo. After a mostly dominating start to the match by Diesel, Mabel makes his way down to the ring to distract Diesel. Mo takes advantage and that brings Shawn Michaels out to the ring. Mo is able to shove Diesel into the ring post while Mabel and Michaels argue. Diesel shockingly battles back and hits a side suplex. He follows it up with a big boot and the Jackknife for the victory. As soon as the match is over, Mabel blindsides him until Michaels makes the save. Michaels dives over the top, but Mabel catches him and rams him into the ring post. Diesel checks in on him while Lawler mocks him. This was a little better than you would expect, but pretty basic. 

Match Rating: *

This was a solid episode, even if they still don't care about Kama, but expect us to. I can't really explain why I like this era as much as I do, but the shows are just very comfortable to watch. 

Overall Rating: 50%

Superstars 8-5-95 Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, August 5th, 1995
Roberts Stadium
Evansville, Indiana

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Skip vs. Shawn Michaels

An early distraction allows Skip to hit a big back body drop. He tries to throw Michaels over the top rope, but Michaels skins the cat. Michaels charges at Skip, but hits his shoulder on the ring post instead. Skip hits a second rope leg drop, but Michaels kicks out at 2. Vince is cramming so many words in here, it reminds me of the Micro Machine commercials. He brings up the Shawn Michaels/Sid match at SummerSlam, which I promise you is going to absolutely happen. Michaels is able to knock Skip out of the ring. Michaels grabs the mic and calls Skip a crybaby. Out comes Barry Horowitz to distract him. Michaels hits a flying forearm and Sweet Chin Music for the victory. They crammed a lot of action in a short amount of time there. As Shawn is dancing, Sunny says "not bad" to the camera. Shawn invites her to the ring while Skip is unconscious. Shawn has her come in to kiss her and then turns his head on her. This little ending isn't that enjoyable knowing what happened in real life, but the match was good.

Match Rating: **1/2

Oh good, Dean Douglas is here. He breaks down Shawn Michaels and charisma. He gives him a F-. These are just so incredibly stupid. 

We go to the interim WWF President, Gorilla Monsoon. He said he's reviewing the SummerSlam and making some changes. Gorilla doesn't think Sid should be the #1 contender and instead it will be Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon in a ladder match. He says to expect other changes to rules and regulations as well. As a kid, I ate this all up as a huge fan of Gorilla.

Jean Pierre Lafitte vs. David Haskins

Lafitte hits a clothesline and then ties Haskins up in the ropes to hit a couple of splashes. He hits a DDT and then hits the Cannonball for the victory. After the match, he steals Bret Hart glasses from a kid. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Todd Pettengill for the SummerSlam Insider. He talks about the updated Intercontinental ladder match. He then says that Undertaker will take on Kama and we hear from Undertaker. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. AC Connor

Connor is D'Lo Brown. For some reason this match gets a commercial break before it starts and then in the middle of it. This match is nothing and is finished with a headbutt.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week it will be Aldo Montoya vs. Hakushi. They weren't even trying, were they?

Allied Powers vs. War Machines

We join this match in progress. I'd love to know why they thought doing that sort of thing was beneficial on a taped show. Bulldog hits a running powerslam and picks up the victory. Dok Hendrix mentions that Bulldog is the one who always wins for the team. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Skip challenges to a 10 minute match with Barry Horowitz. 

Henry Godwinn vs. Jerry Flynn

Flynn gets in a few moves here and a couple pin attempts. Godwinn doesn't like it and hits a big clothesline. He hits the Slop Drop and that's all. There really are quite a few talents that come nowhere near the SummerSlam card. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Kama vs. Scott Taylor

This is a pretty good roster of jobbers here today. As soon as the match starts, they interview Razor Ramon. They don't care about the match at all and Razor says nothing of value. Kama wins and no one cared about it. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Todd and he shows us Mabel attacking Diesel. Diesel says nothing.

Barry Horowitz accepts the challenge and talks himself into it that he can do it. 

This show started out fun, but just felt pointless after that. They have so many guys that just sort of exist on the roster and are never given anything. In the case of Godwinn and Lafitte, they are both solid in the ring and deserve more. So why does Kama get a chance when the crowd couldn't care less about him? 

Overall Rating: 40%

SmackDown 4-27-07 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, April 27th, 2007
Earl's Court
London, England

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We start the show seeing Batista destroying Kennedy backstage. In comes what looks to be Finlay, but we can't see because he bumped into the cameraman and it went out. We're out in the aisle and it's Batista beating up Finlay and using the UK themed set. Out comes Kennedy to help and now they get Batista down. The lights go out and Undertaker's bell tolls. When the lights come on, he's in the ring. The lights go out again and this time Undertaker is gone. 

Backstage, Teddy Long tells Finlay and Mr. Kennedy that they will face Batista and Undertaker in a no disqualification match. 

Kane & Boogeyman vs. William Regal & Dave Taylor

Why? At least this isn't a 30 second squash like Vince probably wanted it to be. They even get a commercial break and a heat segment in here. Boogeyman gets the hot tag since he can only handle wrestling for about 90 seconds. The referee turns his back and Kane hits a boot, leading to Boogeyman's double handed chokeslam. I had absolutely no interest in this. Poor Regal. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Deuce vs. Brian Kendrick

Paul London is selling an injury here. This match is slow paced and is lacking any real drama. The finish is just Domino going after London, which distracts Kendrick. Deuce hits him with a dropkick and that's enough for the victory. This was only here to establish the new champs and didn't really do too much for them, despite getting time. That's two matches in a row that got time, but didn't really interest me. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

We get a weird interview with Deuce, Domino and Cherry and get nothing out of it. 

MVP vs. Hamlet Macbeth

I guess this is still going to be a thing. The only thing that is noteworthy here is that JBL says MVP's high boot is better than Bruiser Brody's. The rest is your standard version of this match. Oh, and then there's the fact that Hamlet Macbeth was none other than Drew McIntyre. You would have never known. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

MVP says he has his next opponent, but then is interrupted by Chris Benoit. He says that he'll be his next opponent instead. So we're getting a match we are going to be getting at Backlash for free. 

MVP vs. Chris Benoit

Ah, yes. It's the "building momentum before the pay-per-view" match. JBL claims that the matches between these two have been classics. In a profession full of overstatements, this is definitely one of them. This one has had some solid action for a TV match, but nothing out of the ordinary. Benoit hits five German suplexes in a row on MVP and he signals for the headbutt. MVP is able to roll out of the ring and decides to call it a night. The ref counts to 10 and we have a countout. I mean, it makes sense. 

Match Rating: **

Kristal and Teddy Long are talking about their time in Europe. Kristal tells him that she loves him and she wishes that they could spend more time together. Teddy says that maybe he can find someone to help him out on SmackDown. Is it really more work than a normal job? 

Mark Henry is coming.

Jillian Hall vs. Michelle McCool

Great. McCool does look like she is a lot more confident here. She gets a quick burst of offense only to get hit with the X Factor for the Jillian victory. That was quick. We then get an awkward cut to the commercial. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

No Disqualification Match
Mr. Kennedy & Finlay vs. Batista & Undertaker

Taker goes for Old School, but a Finlay distraction allows for Kennedy to block it. So naturally, he no sells and then gives both guys Old School. With the no DQ stipulation, the shillelagh naturally plays a role and Finlay uses it on Batista's leg. No DQ tag matches really don't make sense because there is nothing stopping it from being 2 on 2 at all times. Instead, we have Undertaker pacing on the apron while they work on Batista's leg. Batista comes back and hits a Spear on Kennedy. He goes for a Batista Bomb, but Kennedy is able to hit the leg. He tags in Finlay and he knocks Taker off the apron. He grabs the shillelagh and he hits Batista with it. Taker is in and destroys both guys because he's Undertaker. They block a double chokeslam, but he hits a double clothesline out of it. He hits a chokeslam on Finlay and then on Kennedy. Batista comes in and hits a spinebuster while Taker signals for the Tombstone and pins Finlay before he can go for one. Batista tells Taker after the match that no one keeps him down for a 10 count and at Backlash, he's taking his title back. As Batista is heading to the back, Taker says that he is no ordinary man and he will take Batista's soul. This was pretty standard stuff.

Match Rating: **

This was a pretty blah go home episode for the blue brand. SmackDown has really been the only thing halfway decent here in 2007 for me, so I'll let them off the hook this week. 

Overall Rating: 40%

Off The Grid, Volume 46: Saturday Night's Main Event XI Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, May 2nd, 1987
Edmund P. Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Indiana

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Off The Grid, Volume 46:

Randy Savage is talking about George Steele walking off with Miss Elizabeth at WrestleMania III and his big lumberjack match tonight. Ricky Steamboat is ready for Hercules tonight. The Hart Foundation say that the British Bulldogs are getting a nightmare tonight. Jim Duggan is American. Bobby Heenan in a neckbrace says he'll show us how Andre The Giant won at WrestleMania III. Hulk Hogan talks about the exclusive footage tonight. 

We go to Jesse Ventura and Vince McMahon to talk about tonight's card. They then show footage of why Bobby Heenan had a neckbrace when he got attacked by Ken Patera on Superstars earlier "today". 

We go to Mean Gene, who is with Kamala, Kimchee and Mr. Fuji. Kamala is of course afraid of snakes. 

They show Jake Roberts being attacked by Honky Tonk Man and then Jake says he signed this match because Damien wants it. 

Kamala vs. Jake Roberts

Jake dumps Damien out as soon as he gets to the ring and Kamala dives out of the ring. The referee makes him put it away and that allows Kamala to attack him from behind. Kamala controls the match for awhile, which means it's pretty slow. Jake hits a knee lift and the crowd is absolutely losing it. The crowd wants the DDT so bad. Has there ever been a more over move in WWE history? Kim Chee is able to attack Jake from behind with the help of distraction from Mr. Fuji. Kamala hits a splash and that's all? Interesting. After the match, Kim Chee takes off his mask and outfit to reveal it was Honky Tonk Man. This match was pretty bad, but man did the crowd come alive for that split second they thought Jake might hit the DDT. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show the Hart Foundation, Danny Davis and British Bulldogs around the ring talking trash before the Lumberjack match. 

We go to George Steele with Mean Gene. He doesn't understand how brutal a Lumberjack match can be. 

They then show Honky Tonk Man walking out with Kim Chee. 

Ricky Steamboat now walks in with Mean Gene. He says he'll be there with George since he helped him win his Intercontinental Championship. 

They show Jim Duggan make his way and then Steamboat with Steele. 

Randy Savage and Miss Elizabeth are with Mean Gene now. Savage wants Steele because he cost him the Intercontinental title. 

Lumberjack Match
George Steele vs. Randy Savage

I can't believe this feud seriously went on for like 2 years. We get a pretty standard Steele match here until things start to break down with the lumberjacks. Duggan tries to chase after Iron Shiek and then is ejected when he swings the 2x4 at him. We get a commercial and when we come back Steele slams Savage and rips open the turnbuckle to throw the foam at Savage. We then get chaos again, with brawling on the outside. That allows Danny Davis to come in and hit Steele from behind with the ring bell. Savage hits the top rope elbow drop and that's all. Back to back matches with the same exact finish. Steamboat goes after Savage and then Hercules attacks him. All of the lumberjacks are in to brawl now. Jake Roberts is now out with Damien and clears the ring except for Kim Chee, who gets the snake treatment. This wasn't really any better than the last match, but it was more fun. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Mean Gene is here for a sit down interview with Bobby Heenan and Andre The Giant. Andre says that he was cheated. Heenan claims that the referees are biased in Hogan matches and Jack Tunney is as well. They show a spot in the WrestleMania match where they think the referee counted to 3. 

Mean Gene is with the Harts and Davis. Davis goes after Gene and Gene is flustered. 

Two Out Of Three Falls Match For The WWF Tag Team Championship
British Bulldogs vs. Hart Foundation

Matilda goes after Jimmy Hart and bites and rips his pants. I'm sure PETA loves that. I guess we had to have at least one match with good action. This one quickly breaks down and it leads to Tito Santana chasing Danny Davis around the ring and somehow leads to the first fall being a DQ in the favor of the Bulldogs. When we come back from commercial, the Harts in control again. They were much better heels than I ever really realized. Dynamite Kid gets a hot tag to Davey Boy and he hits an awesome looking dropkick. Davey Boy knocks Bret off the apron and then Tito comes in behind the referee's back to attack Neidhart. The Bulldogs are able to make the pin and the crowd erupts. The Hart Foundation then run away with the belt and Jesse explains to us that they can't win the title because the first fall was a disqualification. This was a really fun match until the stupid finish. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Hulk Hogan is now with Mean Gene looking at the footage we saw earlier. I don't know, he just yells a lot. 

Mean Gene is busy tonight. Now he's with Ricky Steamboat. Steamboat is breathing fire and he's ready to burn. 

Mean Gene is now with Savage and Elizabeth, who are watching the match backstage. 

Intercontinental Championship Match
Ricky Steamboat vs. Hercules

Steamboat was just so smooth and was able to just work well with just about anyone he wrestled. They keep showing the picture in picture of Randy Savage rooting for Steamboat. I love Macho, but this idea is pretty annoying. After a true back and forth battle, Hercules slaps on the Full Nelson. Out comes Savage and he grabs the ankle of Hercules. He lets go of the hold and he, Heenan and the referee go out to confront Savage. When we come back from commercial, Herc goes for a splash, but Steamboat gets the knees up. Herc comes back with a body slam, but then misses with the elbow drop. We then get Herc's chain thrown in the ring and he starts choking Steamboat with it and that's enough for the disqualification. Herc continues to attack him with it and gets a chorus of boos. Savage comes into the ring after the attack and then hits him with the top rope elbow drop. The match was pretty good for the little bit of time they got. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Mean Gene interviews Jim Duggan from his ringside seat. He loves America and doesn't like anyone who doesn't. 

We get a pre-taped interview with Slick, Nikolai Volkov and Iron Sheik. Slick says he's down with the communist party. 

Can-Am Connection vs. Nikolai Volkoff & Iron Sheik 

Nikolai starts to sing the Russian national anthem and Duggan runs in and attacks him. Martel has an energetic start to the match, looking good as usual. Sheik also looks to have his working boots on here tonight as well. The action spills outside, which naturally leads to Duggan getting involved again . It distracts the Sheik and that allows Zenk to hit a sunset flip for the victory. This was energetic, but short and predictable. 

Match Rating: *1/4

We go back to Jesse and Vince for the recap of the night. 

We come back from another commercial just for Vince to say so long. 

This was an entertaining episode, but not nearly as good as a lot of the Saturday Night's Main Events I have reviewed so far. This was good, but not one to go out of your way for. 

Overall Rating: 70%

Off The Grid, Volume 45: Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, April 28th, 1990
Frank Erwin Center
Austin, Texas

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Off The Grid, Volume 45:

Ultimate Warrior says that Haku and Bobby Heenan won't prevent him from walking the outer limits. Heenan says Haku will become the WWF Champion. Mr. Perfect said that we all learned that Hulk Hogan wasn't perfect at WrestleMania VI, but he is. Which is ironic since he also lost. Hulk Hogan is going to do a lot of teaching, dude. 

We see Vince and Jesse riding horses. Yes, really. They do their intro on horses in the aisle. 

Mr. Perfect and Genius are with Sean Mooney. Perfect runs down all the sports he plays and calls Hogan a perfect loser. 

Hulk Hogan is with Mean Gene and he calls Mr. Perfect and Genius perfect fools. If you took a shot every time the word "perfect" has been said during the first 7 minutes, you'd be dead. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Hulk Hogan

Hogan tosses Perfect around the ring and Perfect rolls out to re-group. It works momentarily, but Perfect is able to move out of the way of a boot to the face. Hogan follows him outside and tosses him into the ring post. Hogan dominates some more until Genius distracts the referee and Perfect hits him with the scroll. Perfect tries to jump off the top rope, but the referee pulls him off and we go to commercial break. Perfect now gets his moment, but we all know how this is going to end. Perfect hits the Perfect Plex, but HOgan kicks out at 2. Hogan makes his comeback and that's all. That was quick. Hogan beats up Genius after the match and throws him to the floor. This was pretty vanilla Hogan. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Rick Martel advertises Arrogance while sitting on a horse. 

Jesse Ventura and Jimmy Hart are with Earthquake. Hart says Earthquake will make Hillbilly Jim squeal like a pig. 

Hillbilly Jim is with Mean Gene. I honestly had no clue that Hillbilly was still working here in 1990. 

Earthquake vs. Hillbilly Jim

Quake tries to attack him, but Hillbilly avoids it and takes it to the big man. I definitely prefer the custom gear Earthquake would later wear over the single color gear he is wearing here. Jimmy Hart goes after the lucky horseshoe and that distracts Jim. Quake then attacks him and hits the splash for the finish. He hits a second one for good measure. Earthquake then decides that the third time is a charm and hits another one. This was also what you would expect here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Hillbilly Jim does a stretcher job. 

We get more Rick Martel promoting Arrogance with two ladies in his locker room. 

Jesse Ventura is with the Hart Foundation. Jesse is pretty cheesy here. He calls the Rockers "somersault sissies" and then Bret refers to them as teeny boppers. 

The Rockers are with Mean Gene and they tell the Hart Foundation to be ready for a broken heart. 

Hart Foundation vs. Rockers

We get a great opening sequence between Marty Jannetty and Bret Hart. The Rockers hit some double teaming, so Jim Neidhart comes in and hits a double clothesline on them. Shawn Michaels is able to hit a dropkick on Neidhart, but he gets caught after for a body slam. Bret then catches Shawn for an inverted atomic drop. Demolition make their way down the aisle to get a closer look. Bret has now turned his attention to them and this allows Michaels to dropkick him to the floor. Shawn is able to finally hit a hot tag to Marty and the crowd is loving it. Marty hits a superkick and gets a 2 count. Bret is able to hit a neckbreaker to slow down Marty's momentum and tags in Neidhart. He launches Neidhart in, but he misses. Shawn is tagged in, but he gets leveled by a shoulder tackle for a 2 count. Michaels comes back with a reverse elbow. Neidhart catches Michaels off the second rope, but Michaels is able to force him down for a 2 count. Neidhart throws him through the ropes and to the floor in front of Demolition. Demolition looks to be throwing him back in the ring to keep the match going, but Marty takes it as them attacking him. They start brawling and that turns into a 6 man brawl and a double disqualification. That's too bad because these two teams were just tearing it up. Non-stop action from bell to bell. 

Match Rating: ****

We go immediately to Earthquake and Jimmy Hart. He talks about destroying Hulk Hogan. 

Hulk is with Mean Gene and he says that he is like a Texas tornado and that he's a survivor. I still remain baffled as to how people loved Hogan as much as they did. 

They show the post-match of the Ultimate Warrior/Hulk Hogan match at WrestleMania VI. They play the amazing WrestleMania music. Inject that into my veins. That leads us to Jesse Ventura who is with Bobby Heenan and Haku. Heenan rips on Texas and says that it will now be known as where Haku won the WWF Championship. 

Mean Gene has the honor of being with Ultimate Warrior. He gives his usual insane promo. 

WWF Championship Match
Haku vs. Ultimate Warrior

Did Haku ever win a singles match that wasn't against a jobber? Haku attacks Warrior as he gets in the ring and Warrior is able to hit a back body drop while wearing the WWF Championship. He hits a clothesline that is supposed to send him over, but they have a glitch. Warrior tosses the belt over the top and hits some chops on Haku. He works on the arm and spins him around by the arm. He then throws Haku over the top rope. Back in the ring, Warrior runs into a knee and then Haku hits a trio of clotheslines and a dropkick. Haku hits a backbreaker and gets a 2 count. Warrior make his comeback and we get more clotheslines. He hits a shoulder tackle and a splash for the finish. I don't think anyone thought for a second Haku was going to win, which is why it was buried on this card. However, they would have never done that with Hogan. 

Match Rating: *

Rick Martel is now at the tennis court and says that Arrogance will make you the #1 seed. 

They show highlights of Ted DiBiase attacking Big Boss Man before his WrestleMania match. It ended up not mattering for those who don't remember. We go to Akeem and Slick. I could listen to Slick all day. So good. 

Big Boss Man is with Mean Gene and says that justice is blind. He says that everything is bigger in Texas, including the beating he's going to give Akeem. 

Akeem vs. Big Boss Man

I'm not really sure that this rematch even makes sense since Boss Man was attacked prior to his match and still beat Akeem in a couple of minutes. They have a real quick match here with nothing really happening. Then out come Virgil and Ted DiBiase and attack Boss Man. It all leads to Boss Man chasing DiBiase away with his nightstick. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Rick Martel is getting into a convertible in front of the WWF production truck talking about Arrogance. 

Bobby Heenan tells us that Rick Rude is going through the most extensive training ever to get ready to win the WWF Championship from Ultimate Warrior.

Ultimate Warrior tells Rick Rude that the power of the Warrior is completely out of control. 

Jesse hypes up the fact that Rick Rude has beaten Warrior before and he will again. He then warns Hogan of a natural disaster. The ending of SNME's were always weak. 2 commercials in like 45 seconds. Vince and Jesse then ride off on their horses. We then get a wanted sign with their faces on it, which honestly isn't far from the truth. 

The tag team match was fantastic stuff and the rest was decent enough to make this a good show. However, you can already feel the Warrior era becoming a failure. I didn't quite understand that as a kid because I got into wrestling at SummerSlam, but it's pretty obvious when looking back on it. 

Overall Rating: 78%

ECW 4-24-07 Review

Tuesday, April 24th, 2007
Earl's Court
London, England

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Punk is shown getting ready and they reveal it's in the New Breed locker room. He apologizes for last week, but not for the advice that he was giving. He says that tonight is the night that everyone will remember them for if they stick together. Elijah Burke is skeptical. 

Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley

We are obviously getting some sort of DQ finish here, but it seems a little odd that they didn't hype this up at the beginning of the show. Armando Estrada gets involved quickly by grabbing the leg and that allows Umaga to knock Lashley out of the ring. He tosses Lashley into the steps and starts to clear the announce table. Lashley fights his way out of that, but gets hit with a Samoan drop in the ring. Umaga misses off the second rope and both men are down. They battle when they get up and Lashley clotheslines him over the top rope. In comes Estrada to attack Lashley from behind and we have our DQ ending. Lashley tosses him around the ring as Vince McMahon comes down. Lashley continues to destroy Estrada while Vince holds Umaga back to save him for Backlash. Lashley just throws Estrada from the ring to the floor in front of Vince and Umaga. This was just filler before the pay per view. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Elijah Burke is talking with the New Breed and thinks that they may have made a mistake by bringing Punk in. Marcus Cor Von says that he wanted to bring him in, not we. Burke thinks he threw that chair in a little too hard and they point out that he asked for the chair. Punk eventually finds himself back in the room for the awkward moment. 

Snitsky vs. Balls Mahoney

Why? He hits a big boot and a clothesline and I just bored myself writing that. Snitsky wins. Next. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

CM Punk is proud to be here and is happy he joined the New Breed. Burke walks in and asks what Punk is doing. He says he's getting them fired up. 

8 Man Elimination Match
ECW Originals vs. New Breed

Before the match, Burke tells Punk that he's going to wrestle this match and that Punk will be on the outside. We get an early elimination with a banana peel type finish when Burke rolls up Sandman and grabs the tights to send him back to the locker room. RVD battles out of a superplex attempt and hits a sunset flip, but Striker kicks out at 2. He hits a split legged moonsault and eliminates Striker. Cor Von and Sabu battle for awhile until Cor Von hits the Pounce to eliminate him. That was a good one. After a commercial break, Cor Von drops Dreamer crotch first on the barricade and the referee decides that today would be a good day for that to be a disqualification for the first time in history. I absolutely hate when they do stuff like that. Dreamer is able to hit a DDT on Thorn and that is enough to eliminate him. That leaves Burke against RVD and Dreamer, but not for long. Elijah hits the Elijah Express on Dreamer and he's gone. Elijah is able to throw RVD into the ring post twice and rolls him up for 2. Burke tries to launch himself back into the ring and RVD hits him with a spin kick. RVD tries to do a dive, but the referee again decides it's a good day to not allow that in ECW of all places. CM Punk kicks Burke to the back of the head behind the referee's back. RVD hits the 5 Star Frog Splash and that does it for the victory. This got a lot of time, but the finishes all kind of felt rushed. This was pretty basic stuff and the story was just way too obvious with Punk.

Match Rating: **1/4

After the match Punk hits the GTS on Burke and tells him that he's sorry. 

This kind of felt like an ECW for dummies. This could have been your first time watching wrestling and I'm pretty sure you could see what was coming with the New Breed storyline. Snitsky still stinks and the Lashley/Umaga stuff was just one last segment to get us to Backlash. There have been many worse episodes than this one, but this was just mediocre.

Overall Rating: 44%

Monday Night Raw 4-23-07 Review

Monday, April 23rd, 2007 
Earls Court
London, England

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Shane McMahon is out to kick off the show. They show the highlights of Santino Marella winning the Intercontinental Championship. That leads to Shane issuing a challenge to someone in the crowd for a no DQ match. He makes fun of the Chelsea coach and then says that he can't find anyone, but he found someone at a pub named Robbie Brookside. They bring him out and we have a match. 

No Disqualification Match
Shane McMahon vs. Robbie Brookside

They have a very regular wrestling match until Shane grabs a trash can and sets in front of a seated Brookside. He hits the coast to coast and then grabs a mic to announce that this is a 2 on 1 handicap match. He brings out Umaga as his partner. 

Umaga & Shane McMahon vs. Robbie Brookside

Umaga comes in and hits the butt to the face. He hits a big splash and then Shane announces that it's actually a 3 on 1 handicap match. Their partner is obviously Vince McMahon.

Vince McMahon, Umaga & Shane McMahon vs. Robbie Brookside

Vince comes out in a suit and a derby. He covers Brookside and that's all. This was terrible and the crowd was dead for almost all of it.  

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a WrestleMania 23 music video of highlights from the Shawn Michaels/John Cena match. The music is kind of weird here, but I'm not sure if it's the actual music used or not. 

Matt Hardy vs. Trevor Murdoch

Matt gets his solo music here. I'm already looking forward to not having to watch Cade and Murdoch, but that's a long ways away. Matt gets the majority of the offense early on. He hits a Side Effect for a 2 count and then hits a leg drop off the second rope. Cade provides a distraction and it allows Murdoch to throw Matt's shoulder into the ring post. Murdoch hits a Canadian Destroyer and that's all. He should probably not do that move. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Maria is on her way to the ring. 

Melina vs. Maria

Maria hits a couple of moves, but then Melina slams her face-first and that's all? That wasn't that impressive of a win for Melina. Why not just have her squash her here? 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Ric Flair tells Carlito to get going, but Carlito says he's doing it alone. 

Great Khali vs. Carlito

Carlito tries a missile dropkick and Khali kind of swats him away. Khali hits the double hand chokeslam and that's all. What a crappy first hour despite it being all in ring action outside of a few minutes of Shane on the mic. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

After the match, Flair comes out to check on Carlito and he gets an earful from Carlito. 

Mick Foley is here and talks about the main event at Backlash. Edge walks in and says he's going to be watching. 

On a side note here, Todd Grisham is the ring announcer tonight and he is absolutely terrible at it. 

Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

I haven't watched this one since it aired and have been looking forward to re-visiting it. I watched this in a hotel room during a work trip where I worked a long day, so I didn't have my full attention on the match. We get a slow build, as one would expect in a lengthy match. The little bursts of energy are picking up as the match continues and the they have the crowd for it. Michaels hits a top rope elbow drop for his biggest move up to the moment. He goes for a dive over the top rope, but Cena catches him for a slam. Back in the ring, Michaels throws Cena's shoulder into the ring post. Cena makes his comeback and hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle. He hits a FU, but Michaels kicks out of the pin attempt to a big pop from the crowd. Cena sends Michaels into the corner with the Irish whip and it sends him up and over the top. Cena hits the top rope leg drop and that's another 2 count. Michaels is able to hit a powerbomb on Cena and both men are down. Michaels then knocks Cena from the apron and he flies into the announcer table. Cena starts to brawl with Michaels on the table. He gets him back into the ring and slaps on the STFU. After a lengthy battle, Michaels gets to the bottom rope. This leads to a brief segment with counters and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music to a big pop.Michaels counters out of a second FU and hits a second Sweet Chin Music and that's all. The crowd loves it and both guys are selling their injuries. I know a lot of people like this one better than WrestleMania 23, but I just can't agree with that. This was very good, but not quite to the level they got at Mania. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

The first hour of this show was absolutely horrible, but then they got wise and just dedicated an entire hour to a great match. I would have to believe that most people probably have that match in their top 5-10 Raw matches of all time. In that case, the show is good because of one match, but nothing else is even worth your time. 

Overall Rating: 58%