Monday, January 3rd, 2005
Nassau Coliseum
Uniondale, New York
So since I am covering some of the newer WWE Network era stuff and then all the way back in 1992 with Superstars and eventually going into the introduction of Raw, I decided I wanted to go somewhere in between. I split the difference and landed on 2005, which is where my interest in the product increased after being down a bit from 2002-2004. Looking forward to re-visiting this era that I believe is extremely underrated.
We get a video package to open the show, where they are hyping up the Elimination Chamber at the inaugural New Year's Revolution. I almost kind of forgot that Eric Bischoff was still the Raw GM during this era.
Bischoff then announces that all 6 participants in the Chamber will face off against one another.
Batista vs. Chris Benoit
I was never a big Batista fan until he turned heel towards the end of his run with WWE. Due to Batista winning the Beat The Clock Challenge, he will be the last man in the Elimination Chamber. It will never stop being weird to watch Chris Benoit. Benoit hits 3 Germans on Batista, which is impressive. Batista is a little more impressive than I remember him being at this time, but he isn't quite to where he would be in regards to his character and selling. This match has a real sense of urgency and I am really digging the pace they are competing at. Benoit gets him in the Crippler Crossface, but Batista powers out of it and hits Benoit's head onto the exposed turnbuckle. That was a great little spot. Batista Bomb and it's all over. Good opening match.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
Triple H and Ric Flair are back in the locker room. Flair is celebrating Batista's victory and now Batista walks in. Flair says the plan is for Batista to take out the other four competitors and that he lays down for Triple H. Batista wants $100 from Triple H because they bet who would win faster last week. This is a real thing that happened. There is tension in the air, but then Batista says Triple H needs a sense of humor.
Snitsky! They show highlights from Taboo Tuesday where Snitsky crushed Kane's throat with a chair. Snitsky is with Maria. Snitsky then whispers something in her ear and smells her, which causes her to run off. Snitsky is so bad.
Edge is backstage with Bischoff. Edge is complaining that Shawn Michaels is the special referee for the Elimination Chamber. Bischoff says that Edge cost him revenue and that adding Michaels to the match will help him make up for it.
Edge vs. Chris Jericho
This is pre-Rated R Superstar heel Edge. For the record, Chris Jericho is my favorite wrestler of all time. 2005 turned out to be the turning point for Edge as a character, which led to his huge 2006. This era was probably Jericho's worst in terms of his look. It's hard to put a finger on just one thing, but this show is already just so much entertaining than today's Raw. Edge goes for a spear, but Jericho jumps over him. Jericho goes for a victory roll, but Edge blocks it and grabs the rope for the 3 count.
Match Rating: **1/2
Jonathan Coachman is back with Randy Orton. His promo style really hasn't changed a whole lot in the last 14 years. No thanks.
Sylvain Grenier vs. Shelton Benjamin
La Resistance wasn't around long, but man were they shoved down our throats. Benjamin is the Intercontinental Champion here. As Benjamin is entering the ring, Maven comes down and distracts the ref, which leads to him being attacked by La Resistance. This was pretty much it for Maven. Maven is on commentary and he is trying his best to be a cocky heel. Grenier hits a terrible dropkick and then goes for a kip up and screws that up too. Benjamin hits the T Bone Suplex and gets the victory.
Match Rating: 1/2*
We get the hype video for the Elimination Chamber. I am a total mark for the Chamber. It's one of my favorite gimmick matches.
Muhammad Hassan and Daivari are on their way down to the ring, followed by a clip of them bullying Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on Raw last week. We are now getting a debate...yay? What a way to kick off the second hour of the show. Hassan was in the beginning stages of his mega push that essentially led to nowhere. Kevin Dunn keeps cutting to crowd shots, but they aren't 100% invested in this character like they have for other foreign heels. Hassan is struggling a little bit, but that isn't too surprising considering how green he was. Daivari on the other hand was great in his role. They definitely did not shy away from some pretty hot topics for Hassan. This was definitely turned up a notch over their previous similar gimmicks. Jim Ross tells him to either love it or leave it, which leads to Hassan punching JR in the gut. They then turn to Lawler and bust him open. After a slow start, they did get the crowd invested.
Coach is now out to cover on commentary and they show highlights of everything that just happened 3 minutes ago just in case you forgot.
Trish Stratus vs. Victoria
Trish will be challenging Lita for the Womens Championship at New Year's Revolution. Trish is a lot more aggressive tonight. You know how I can tell? Coach has said it 18 times in 2 minutes. Victoria makes a little bit of a comeback, but Trish blocks the moonsault with her knees. A Chick Kick and that's it. Trish says this is what Lita has in store for her at NYR. Lita's music hits and she is out to the ring. Lita slaps Trish and now they are slugging it out. Lita is in control and then Snitsky comes out and takes Lita off of Trish. Snitsky puts a chair around Lita's neck but then out comes Kane and now they are going at it.
Match Rating: *1/4
Another hype video for the Elimination Chamber. Coach says that Jerry Lawler has challenged Hassan to a match at New Year's Revolution. Kane will also take on Snitsky and Shelton Benjamin will meet Maven. I can only imagine the number of people dying to order this show now.
Backstage with Christy Hemme getting photographed and after an awkwardly long time showing her do that, Eugene comes in. He's listening to a portable CD player and Christy asks him to sing for her. Regal says he has a match with Christian and that it's time to go. While they head out, Regal grabs the CD player and begins dancing and singing when Eugene and Christy come back and catch him. This was really terrible.
Eugene vs. Christian
I still can't believe that Eugene was ever a real WWE character. Christian is one of my all time favorites. After a great 2004 he sort of floundered a little bit and eventually went on to great success in TNA in 2005. I wonder if any young tag teams would list Eugene and William Regal as one of the teams that inspired them? They exchange nearfalls and then Christian blocks a pin attempt from Eugene and gets the pin with a late assist from Tomko.
Match Rating: *
Backstage again with Triple H, Flair and Batista. Triple H tells Batista that he'll need him to watch his back in the Elimination Chamber but not tonight since it's just Randy Orton.
Jim Ross joins Coach at the announcer booth.
Triple H vs. Randy Orton
It is surprising to me 14 years later that they had this throw away match on a Raw, as they would go on to main event WrestleMania a few years later. Orton gets bumped off the apron and almost into the first row. Flair naturally comes over and adds insult to injury. After a few minutes of Triple H on offense, Orton slams Triple H into the ring post. Orton hits a crossbody off the top rope and almost gets the 3. Can't remember the lat time I saw Orton do that move. Orton had Triple H in a sleeper, but Triple H causes a ref bump and Flair hands Triple H the ring bell. Orton blocks it and now picks up the bell, knocking Triple H out. Out comes Batista and Benoit. They slug it out on the outside. Shawn Michaels is out in his ref gear to check on the ref. Edge goes to spear Michaels but Jericho blocks it. Jericho then does a suicide plancha. Triple H is distracted by HBK and Orton goes for the RKO, but Triple H blocks it. Orton gets a nearfall and then hits the RKO for the big win. Most of the match was nothing special, but all of the shenanigans at the end were a lot of fun.
Match Rating: **1/2
This was light years better than most of the 3 hours Raws that are currently on Monday nights these days. The opening match was very entertaining and overall this show succeeded at building to the pay per view, even if the card for the show looks downright terrible.
Overall Rating: 68%
Thursday, January 31, 2019
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
NXT 6-20-12 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, June 20th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
So I didn't really want to do the NXT semi-reality competition show, so I am startint with the actual developmental show. This was the first episode of what we now think of when we hear NXT, but it is listed on the WWE Network as NXT 122.
Jim Ross comes out to introduce Dusty Rhodes as the interim GM of NXT. He announces the main event of Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty.
Bo Dallas gets a hype video. I always liked the Bo-lieve gimmick, even if it wasn't something that was going to last forever. However, Dallas is an average worker at best.
Rick Victor vs. Bo Dallas
Rick Victor is now simply Viktor of the Ascension. It's always fun to hear JR calling the action, as it seems like it has been forever since he was over on Raw. They try to pretend like this isn't a squash, but it definitely is. Dallas hits a really weak looking spear and that is it for this one. He then does a promo after the match and I'm not sure if it was the intent, but it felt like he didn't know he would be interviewed. It gave it a similar feel to when athletes are interviewed right after a last minute win.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Seth Rollins now gets a highlight package. He looks like he might be pretty good.
Holy crap, talk about memories. They show a package for Antonio Cesaro, which brings back some lost memories. They hype that he was a rugby player and show that he was dating Aksana.
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan
Damien Sandow walks to the ring cutting a promo and said he will not be competing against an ignoramus and walks back to the dressing room. No match, but its fun to see Jason Jordan with hair.
We get a promo video from the Ascension. This is obviously not the current version of the group and the video has a Gotham City feel to it.
Next up is a Raw Rebound and I can't help but mention it due to seeing People Power on my TV for the first time in forever. John Cena vs. David Otunga, Big Show and John Laurinaitis. Good times. They seriously showed a fan holding up a sign that said "Your Fired". Good lord.
The Ascension vs. Mike Dalton & CJ Parker
CJ Parker is Juice Robinson who competes over in New Japan. Mike Dalton is Tyler Breeze. This is a crazy quick squash. Not much to say there.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Bray Wyatt hype video now featuring the variation of Wyatt that I enjoyed the most.
Derrick Bateman (EC3) meets up with Johnny Curtis (Fandango) in a bathroom. Did I hear that right? Did Curtis just drop an F bomb and it wasn't edited? I rewound it 3 times and each time it sure sounded like it. These two are facing off in the main event next week. This is a really awkward backstage skit.
Michael McGillicutty vs. Tyson Kidd
Tyson Kidd has always been a personal favorite. It truly is a shame that he is no longer able to compete. McGillicutty's offense has always been just too basic for him to get over in this era. Kidd is doing what he can here to get a good match out of him. They definitely have the crowd into the match, as they are 100% behind Kidd. Kidd hits a nice moonsault, but it's not enough. McGillicutty puts Kidd in the Sharpshooter, but Kidd is able to get to the ropes. He then tries for a Perfect Plex, but Kidd rolls him up and it's still not enough. Kidd then puts him in the Dungeon Lock and gets the victory by submission.
Match Rating: **
This was a far cry from the NXT we know and love now, but it certainly wasn't bad. They introduced a handful of new characters and that's all you can really ask for out of a first episode.
Overall Rating: 52%
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
So I didn't really want to do the NXT semi-reality competition show, so I am startint with the actual developmental show. This was the first episode of what we now think of when we hear NXT, but it is listed on the WWE Network as NXT 122.
Jim Ross comes out to introduce Dusty Rhodes as the interim GM of NXT. He announces the main event of Tyson Kidd vs. Michael McGillicutty.
Bo Dallas gets a hype video. I always liked the Bo-lieve gimmick, even if it wasn't something that was going to last forever. However, Dallas is an average worker at best.
Rick Victor vs. Bo Dallas
Rick Victor is now simply Viktor of the Ascension. It's always fun to hear JR calling the action, as it seems like it has been forever since he was over on Raw. They try to pretend like this isn't a squash, but it definitely is. Dallas hits a really weak looking spear and that is it for this one. He then does a promo after the match and I'm not sure if it was the intent, but it felt like he didn't know he would be interviewed. It gave it a similar feel to when athletes are interviewed right after a last minute win.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Seth Rollins now gets a highlight package. He looks like he might be pretty good.
Holy crap, talk about memories. They show a package for Antonio Cesaro, which brings back some lost memories. They hype that he was a rugby player and show that he was dating Aksana.
Damien Sandow vs. Jason Jordan
Damien Sandow walks to the ring cutting a promo and said he will not be competing against an ignoramus and walks back to the dressing room. No match, but its fun to see Jason Jordan with hair.
We get a promo video from the Ascension. This is obviously not the current version of the group and the video has a Gotham City feel to it.
Next up is a Raw Rebound and I can't help but mention it due to seeing People Power on my TV for the first time in forever. John Cena vs. David Otunga, Big Show and John Laurinaitis. Good times. They seriously showed a fan holding up a sign that said "Your Fired". Good lord.
The Ascension vs. Mike Dalton & CJ Parker
CJ Parker is Juice Robinson who competes over in New Japan. Mike Dalton is Tyler Breeze. This is a crazy quick squash. Not much to say there.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Bray Wyatt hype video now featuring the variation of Wyatt that I enjoyed the most.
Derrick Bateman (EC3) meets up with Johnny Curtis (Fandango) in a bathroom. Did I hear that right? Did Curtis just drop an F bomb and it wasn't edited? I rewound it 3 times and each time it sure sounded like it. These two are facing off in the main event next week. This is a really awkward backstage skit.
Michael McGillicutty vs. Tyson Kidd
Tyson Kidd has always been a personal favorite. It truly is a shame that he is no longer able to compete. McGillicutty's offense has always been just too basic for him to get over in this era. Kidd is doing what he can here to get a good match out of him. They definitely have the crowd into the match, as they are 100% behind Kidd. Kidd hits a nice moonsault, but it's not enough. McGillicutty puts Kidd in the Sharpshooter, but Kidd is able to get to the ropes. He then tries for a Perfect Plex, but Kidd rolls him up and it's still not enough. Kidd then puts him in the Dungeon Lock and gets the victory by submission.
Match Rating: **
This was a far cry from the NXT we know and love now, but it certainly wasn't bad. They introduced a handful of new characters and that's all you can really ask for out of a first episode.
Overall Rating: 52%
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Cruiserweight Classic Episode 1 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, July 13th, 2016
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
To keep things interesting I am going to pick a few different timelines so that I am bouncing around different eras, rather than just seeing the same rosters over and over. So I figured I would start up the original WWE Network tournament, the Cruiserweight Classic. This is actually the only one that I have seen every episode of, but haven't watched it since they aired live. Looking forward to re-visiting now that I am more familiar with a lot of the talent involved.
The presentation to this tournament was top notch with Daniel Bryan being an excellent color guy and having Corey Graves in the studio was a nice touch as well.
Gran Metalik vs. Alejandro Saez
Gran Metalik is of course still a part of 205 Live. Saez appears to be back in Chile wrestling there. They keep hyping that Saez lost 30 pounds to make weight for this tournament. After some early offense from Saez, Metalik goes to the air with a crazy springboard flip to the outside. He now scales the ropes and hits a splash. Metalik was a standout the first time I saw this and now I remember why. Saez hits a shooting star press from the apron! Very nice. Saez misses a corkscrew from the top rope and Metalik hits a fisherman driver and gets the victory. Good action, but too short to be much more than that.
Match Rating: **3/4 (out of 5)
Ho Ho Lun vs. Ariya Daivari
Lun was released from NXT in 2017 to go back home to take care of his ailing mother. Daivari is the brother of Shawn Daivari and I believe is still under contract with WWE. Daivari refuses to shake hands before the match. Daivari very much works a vanilla WWE type style. Lun has a good babyface look, but you can tell he isn't as seasoned as some of the top competitors in this tournament. Daivari misses a splash from the top. Lun hits a nice kick combo and then a suplex for the victory. The crowd likes Lun, but this was a little underwhelming.
Match Rating: *1/2
Clement Petiot vs. Cedric Alexander
Petiot was trained by Lance Storm and seems to currently be on the indy circuit. Alexander of course has been one of the major players of 205 Live. Right off the bat, it's easy to see why the fans fell in love with Alexander. Let's hope he gets another shot to showcase his talents. Petiot is definitely more of a mat based competitor and it's easy to see now that Storm was his trainer. There is such a grace to Alexander's aerial offense, very much in the same breath as a guy like AJ Styles. Alexander hits the Lumbar Check and gets the win.
Match Rating: **1/2
Sean Maluta vs. Kota Ibushi
Ibushi was the big draw to this tournament. He is considered one of the best wrestlers in the world and definitely lives up to that hype. I was lucky enough to see one of his first US performances back in 2008 for Ring of Honor. Maluta is related to the Samoan dynasty that owns wrestling. He seems to have done some spot appearances for NXT and 205 Live. Maluta looks to be solid, but it's obvious Ibushi is first class all the way. Maluta hits a nice codebreaker off the second rope in an impressive spot. He then goes for a somersault flip over the top and is incredibly lucky that he didn't break his neck there, as he hit the top rope as he was rotating. This is somewhat surprising that Maluta is getting as much offense as he is. Maluta blocks an attempt for a superplex and then Ibushi hits a beautiful Pele kick and then a moonsault to the outside. Maluta pulls off a nice surprise 2 count after a superkick. Ibushi recovers and hits a roundhouse kick and sitdown powerbomb for the victory. Nice effort by both men.
Match Rating: ***1/4
This was overall a nice introduction to the tournament with some good action. The presentation was unique to the show and made it feel like a nice alternative to WWE's weekly programming. Looking forward to reviewing the rest of the tournament.
Overall Rating: 71%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
To keep things interesting I am going to pick a few different timelines so that I am bouncing around different eras, rather than just seeing the same rosters over and over. So I figured I would start up the original WWE Network tournament, the Cruiserweight Classic. This is actually the only one that I have seen every episode of, but haven't watched it since they aired live. Looking forward to re-visiting now that I am more familiar with a lot of the talent involved.
The presentation to this tournament was top notch with Daniel Bryan being an excellent color guy and having Corey Graves in the studio was a nice touch as well.
Gran Metalik vs. Alejandro Saez
Gran Metalik is of course still a part of 205 Live. Saez appears to be back in Chile wrestling there. They keep hyping that Saez lost 30 pounds to make weight for this tournament. After some early offense from Saez, Metalik goes to the air with a crazy springboard flip to the outside. He now scales the ropes and hits a splash. Metalik was a standout the first time I saw this and now I remember why. Saez hits a shooting star press from the apron! Very nice. Saez misses a corkscrew from the top rope and Metalik hits a fisherman driver and gets the victory. Good action, but too short to be much more than that.
Match Rating: **3/4 (out of 5)
Ho Ho Lun vs. Ariya Daivari
Lun was released from NXT in 2017 to go back home to take care of his ailing mother. Daivari is the brother of Shawn Daivari and I believe is still under contract with WWE. Daivari refuses to shake hands before the match. Daivari very much works a vanilla WWE type style. Lun has a good babyface look, but you can tell he isn't as seasoned as some of the top competitors in this tournament. Daivari misses a splash from the top. Lun hits a nice kick combo and then a suplex for the victory. The crowd likes Lun, but this was a little underwhelming.
Match Rating: *1/2
Clement Petiot vs. Cedric Alexander
Petiot was trained by Lance Storm and seems to currently be on the indy circuit. Alexander of course has been one of the major players of 205 Live. Right off the bat, it's easy to see why the fans fell in love with Alexander. Let's hope he gets another shot to showcase his talents. Petiot is definitely more of a mat based competitor and it's easy to see now that Storm was his trainer. There is such a grace to Alexander's aerial offense, very much in the same breath as a guy like AJ Styles. Alexander hits the Lumbar Check and gets the win.
Match Rating: **1/2
Sean Maluta vs. Kota Ibushi
Ibushi was the big draw to this tournament. He is considered one of the best wrestlers in the world and definitely lives up to that hype. I was lucky enough to see one of his first US performances back in 2008 for Ring of Honor. Maluta is related to the Samoan dynasty that owns wrestling. He seems to have done some spot appearances for NXT and 205 Live. Maluta looks to be solid, but it's obvious Ibushi is first class all the way. Maluta hits a nice codebreaker off the second rope in an impressive spot. He then goes for a somersault flip over the top and is incredibly lucky that he didn't break his neck there, as he hit the top rope as he was rotating. This is somewhat surprising that Maluta is getting as much offense as he is. Maluta blocks an attempt for a superplex and then Ibushi hits a beautiful Pele kick and then a moonsault to the outside. Maluta pulls off a nice surprise 2 count after a superkick. Ibushi recovers and hits a roundhouse kick and sitdown powerbomb for the victory. Nice effort by both men.
Match Rating: ***1/4
This was overall a nice introduction to the tournament with some good action. The presentation was unique to the show and made it feel like a nice alternative to WWE's weekly programming. Looking forward to reviewing the rest of the tournament.
Overall Rating: 71%
Monday, January 28, 2019
Superstars 4-25-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, April 25th, 1992
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Vince introduces the show solo today, as Mr. Perfect is getting ready with Ric Flair. Honestly, Vince almost looks like he is older here than he is during the Attitude Era.
Ric Flair vs. Ron Cumberledge
Flair is fresh coming off his loss to Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII. Cumberledge at least looks more presentable than your typical Superstars jobber. They once again hype up the dual photographs of Miss Elizabeth with both Savage and Flair. Flair is all business and locks in the Figure Four and Cumberledge instantly submits.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Mean Gene with an Update segment, which once again shows the awesome clip of Jimmy Hart, Nasty Boys, Mountie and Sherri singing some generic rock song and it is so, so good. WrestleMania weekend sure has come a long way.
Kevin Kruger vs. British Bulldog
Kruger is my type of jobber, a complete dork in every way possible. Bulldog is fresh off getting bumped off WrestleMania, upsetting 9 year old me back in 1992. Bulldog's suplex is still a thing of beauty. His dreadlocks, not so much. Running powerslam and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Beverly Brothers vs. Eric Collins & Mike Freedom
The Genius sure had a weird role during his time with the company. Mike Freedom is a great ring name. They refer to LOD as LOS (Legion of Sissies). Beverly Brothers are just one of those gimmicks that really makes no sense and never really took off, but they were solid enough to hang around as long as they did. After the match, they paint Eric Collins' face and chest with LOS. This feud really never had much promise.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney is back in the studio and we get some more interviews. LOD gives a standard rebuttal towards the Beverly Brothers, but Repo Man's promo is absolute gold.
Another classic Crush vignette that flashes back to when he was a kid and he spills milk over the table. I smell main event for this youngster.
Shawn Michaels vs. George Anderson
Shawn and Sherri were quite a package together. Bret Hart lets us know that he has no respect for Michaels. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and then pretty much drops poor George on his head for the 3 count.
Match Rating: 1/4*
I'm surprised I never got a subscription to the WBF Magazine, since I was such a sucker.
Back to Mooney in the Event Center. Texas Tornado goes on about the Von Erich name while Nasty Boys talk about getting back to the top.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Brooklyn Brawler
It's Brawler time. Slaughter lets him get a few moves in before going in for a lot of punches and dropkicks. Apparently, Slaughter and Mountie had a feud? That one doesn't ring a bell at all. Slaughter looks really old here, so after a quick Wikipedia check, I see that he was 43 here. So yeah, definitely not a young man anymore. Cobra Clutch for the huge win over Brawler.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sid Justice and Harvey Wippleman join Okerlund in the arena and starts ripping on Ultimate Warrior. The train runs off the tracks pretty quickly, as I have no clue where he was going with that one. Not surprising given that it is Sid. Harvey Wippleman again added not a single word to the interview.
Howard Finkel announces that Shawn Michaels has left the building. I wouldn't mind them bringing that back for a new talent.
Kent Carlson & Tom Stone vs. Natural Disasters
Natural Disasters are still fuming over their countout victory over Money Inc. They do a corner splash and honestly it doesn't even look like it hurt in the least. Then they do a double splash and shockingly pick up the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney is back and we get a great Skinner promo. I can't believe they didn't sell dip spit cans for the kiddos. Tatanka's promo is your typical cheese face interview.
Berzerker vs. Undertaker
Main event time and sadly I was probably pretty pumped up for this matchup. Berzerker was definitely a guilty pleasure from this era. Fuji steals the urn and then Berzerker attacks first Bearer with the shield and then the Undertaker. Berzerker grabs his sword and knocks out Taker with it and then famously goes to stab him, but Taker sits up just in time. Berzerker clotheslines him out of the ring and continues to go to work on him. Berzerker then does a piledriver on the exposed concrete. Taker still sits up and stalks Berzerker and Fuji to the dressing room. I know this segment is insanely silly, but I have to say I enjoyed the insanity of it all. The match never got started.
Next week we get Skinner vs. Ultimate Warrior. Two Skinner promos in one show. You can't beat that. Macho Man will also be there for a special interview and an update on Berzerker/Undertaker. They they replay Berzerker trying to stab him, just in case your parents missed it.
This was a much more focused show than last week and it at least had an interesting angle to close it.
Overall Rating: 36%
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Vince introduces the show solo today, as Mr. Perfect is getting ready with Ric Flair. Honestly, Vince almost looks like he is older here than he is during the Attitude Era.
Ric Flair vs. Ron Cumberledge
Flair is fresh coming off his loss to Randy Savage at WrestleMania VIII. Cumberledge at least looks more presentable than your typical Superstars jobber. They once again hype up the dual photographs of Miss Elizabeth with both Savage and Flair. Flair is all business and locks in the Figure Four and Cumberledge instantly submits.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Mean Gene with an Update segment, which once again shows the awesome clip of Jimmy Hart, Nasty Boys, Mountie and Sherri singing some generic rock song and it is so, so good. WrestleMania weekend sure has come a long way.
Kevin Kruger vs. British Bulldog
Kruger is my type of jobber, a complete dork in every way possible. Bulldog is fresh off getting bumped off WrestleMania, upsetting 9 year old me back in 1992. Bulldog's suplex is still a thing of beauty. His dreadlocks, not so much. Running powerslam and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Beverly Brothers vs. Eric Collins & Mike Freedom
The Genius sure had a weird role during his time with the company. Mike Freedom is a great ring name. They refer to LOD as LOS (Legion of Sissies). Beverly Brothers are just one of those gimmicks that really makes no sense and never really took off, but they were solid enough to hang around as long as they did. After the match, they paint Eric Collins' face and chest with LOS. This feud really never had much promise.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney is back in the studio and we get some more interviews. LOD gives a standard rebuttal towards the Beverly Brothers, but Repo Man's promo is absolute gold.
Another classic Crush vignette that flashes back to when he was a kid and he spills milk over the table. I smell main event for this youngster.
Shawn Michaels vs. George Anderson
Shawn and Sherri were quite a package together. Bret Hart lets us know that he has no respect for Michaels. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and then pretty much drops poor George on his head for the 3 count.
Match Rating: 1/4*
I'm surprised I never got a subscription to the WBF Magazine, since I was such a sucker.
Back to Mooney in the Event Center. Texas Tornado goes on about the Von Erich name while Nasty Boys talk about getting back to the top.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Brooklyn Brawler
It's Brawler time. Slaughter lets him get a few moves in before going in for a lot of punches and dropkicks. Apparently, Slaughter and Mountie had a feud? That one doesn't ring a bell at all. Slaughter looks really old here, so after a quick Wikipedia check, I see that he was 43 here. So yeah, definitely not a young man anymore. Cobra Clutch for the huge win over Brawler.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sid Justice and Harvey Wippleman join Okerlund in the arena and starts ripping on Ultimate Warrior. The train runs off the tracks pretty quickly, as I have no clue where he was going with that one. Not surprising given that it is Sid. Harvey Wippleman again added not a single word to the interview.
Howard Finkel announces that Shawn Michaels has left the building. I wouldn't mind them bringing that back for a new talent.
Kent Carlson & Tom Stone vs. Natural Disasters
Natural Disasters are still fuming over their countout victory over Money Inc. They do a corner splash and honestly it doesn't even look like it hurt in the least. Then they do a double splash and shockingly pick up the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney is back and we get a great Skinner promo. I can't believe they didn't sell dip spit cans for the kiddos. Tatanka's promo is your typical cheese face interview.
Berzerker vs. Undertaker
Main event time and sadly I was probably pretty pumped up for this matchup. Berzerker was definitely a guilty pleasure from this era. Fuji steals the urn and then Berzerker attacks first Bearer with the shield and then the Undertaker. Berzerker grabs his sword and knocks out Taker with it and then famously goes to stab him, but Taker sits up just in time. Berzerker clotheslines him out of the ring and continues to go to work on him. Berzerker then does a piledriver on the exposed concrete. Taker still sits up and stalks Berzerker and Fuji to the dressing room. I know this segment is insanely silly, but I have to say I enjoyed the insanity of it all. The match never got started.
Next week we get Skinner vs. Ultimate Warrior. Two Skinner promos in one show. You can't beat that. Macho Man will also be there for a special interview and an update on Berzerker/Undertaker. They they replay Berzerker trying to stab him, just in case your parents missed it.
This was a much more focused show than last week and it at least had an interesting angle to close it.
Overall Rating: 36%
Sunday, January 27, 2019
Royal Rumble 2019 Review
Sunday, January 27th, 2019
Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
I haven't really been posting it on here yet, but if you are on Twitter, make sure to follow me @WorkTheNetwork2. Thanks!
Another top notch preview package is shown and it almost makes you forget that most of their TV programming has been completely forgettable. Almost.
Live shot of the stadium looks impressive. It is dark enough to where it looks like it is full, but any way you look at it, there are still a lot of people on hand. I absolutely love that they are entering the ring by coming out of the dugout with a minimal actual set. Very unique look and I definitely dig it.
Smackdown Womens Championship Match
Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
Every match on this card has a lot of potential and this one could rule. I am not reviewing the pre-show (at least at this time), but the 205 Live match is absolutely worth checking out. Lynch seems to be embracing the Stone Cold comparisons, as the beginning of this match reminds me a lot of Austin. Asuka seems to be gaining her confidence back, as she looks so much better than she did in her feud with Carmella. I am not saying anything groundbreaking, but they really need to get rid of the 2 hour pre-show. The crowd already is a little flat and we are about 8 minutes into the show. Asuka tries to put on the Asuka Lock, but Lynch is able to roll to the ropes. Asuka showing some good fire tonight, as they battle on the side of the ring. Asuka does a jumping fisherman DDT of some sort and both women are down. The crowd is getting into it, but the sound is coming across as distant. Lynch hits a super Exploder Suplex and it's still not enough. They trade submission moves, but shockingly Asuka gets the submission victory with a variation of Cattle Mutilation. I have to say, I am very surprised. Could this be leading to Becky winning the Royal Rumble? Either way, really strong opener.
Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match
The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & Miz
The Miz/McMahon partnership is something that seems strange, but admittedly I haven't seen any of their segments together. Shane explodes as soon as the bell ring and takes down Sheamus. I like the Bar together, but I think the time is right for one more shot at solo success. Worst case scenario, you throw him with another tag team partner and Cesaro will make it work again. On the other side, what a mistake it was putting Miz on Raw after he was having a career year on Smackdown that should have led to him being champion over there. The chemistry between the two teams seems a little off in the early moments here. The Bar attempt to put Miz through the table, but Shane makes the save. Now the Miz has Cesaro held in place for Shane's flying elbow, but Sheamus makes the save. Shane decides to go for a flying clothesline to Sheamus. Got some pretty good height on that one. During the replay, I am reminded that Golden Crisp has to be one of the more random sponsors WWE has had as of late. I'm also surprised that they even still make that cereal, as you would think a cereal whose mascot is called "Sugar Bear" would be frowned upon. What do I care? I actually like it. Back to the action and The Bar are all over the Miz, while Shane looks like he is already blown up in the corner. Shane goes or his coast to coast and Cesaro catches him and goes into the airplane spin. Awesome. Shane hits the Shooting Star Press and we have new tag team champions. Shane came super close to pulling a Lesnar there. That couldn't have felt good for Cesaro.
Match Rating: ***
48,193 is announced as the attendance. That actually looks close based on the eyeball test, but it's really hard to see which seats are empty.
Raw Womens Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
I am pretty shocked that they aren't doing one of the Rumble matches in this spot. You would think they would want to space those out a little more. Both competitors look good as we get started here. Of the early wave of NXT call ups, I thought Sasha was the most sure thing to be a huge superstar. Charlotte kind of took that spot, but Banks to me still can get there if they handle her right. Sasha does some nice work on Rousey's right arm. Rousey goes for a submission on the ropes and we almost have a mess up, but they barely save the spot. Banks goes for a suicide dive, but Rousey catches her and puts her in the arm bar. Sasha taps, but it doesn't count since it is outside the ring. Banks has been really impressive here. It's clear she knows this is her moment. Rousey then takes her and slams her like a rag doll. Roll through and hits Piper's Pit for the pinfall victory. They do kind of an odd respect handshake, but then Sasha flashes the boss hand sign and walks away while Corey Graves continues to rip on her. There were a few hiccups, but it had a big fight feel and it was an entertaining match.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Womens Royal Rumble Match
Lacey Evans makes her debut at #1, which is a perfect spot for a heel to debut at. Natalya is #2. Don't worry, I won't enter in every entrant. Natalya does a double Sharpshooter to Lacey and Mandy Rose. Liv Morgan surprisingly gets the Bushwacker elimination spot. I have to say, in regards to Evans it actually may be a blessing that she didn't get a ton of exposure in NXT. Sometimes the characters are almost too developed, that it doesn't feel as fresh when they make it to the main roster. Ember Moon enters at #6 and she is my pick to be the marathon performer this year. It's safe to say this one is off to nowhere near as good of a start as last years very good Women's Rumble. Tamina is #10 and the crowd goes silent. Oh man, Nikki Cross and Tamina are squaring off and I don't think I could imagine a matchup I'd rather see less. I really don't know how Tamina has lasted as long as she has in this company, even with her family ties. This match is in desperate need of a spark. Xia Lis is the first "surprise" entrant and they hype her as the first Chinese female to ever perform in WWE. Her and Tamina botch a spot and for the love of all that is sacred, please eliminate Tamina. Charlotte is in at #13 to hopefully save this match and in a way she does, as she eliminates Tamina. Naomi gets the Kofi spot, by scaling the guardrail and jumping on the steps. Mandy Rose then does the heel move and knocks her off the step to continue their feud. Candice LeRae also makes a surprise entry this year. This match is still in need of a spark. Maria attempts to make friends with Alicia Fox and in typical Rumble fashion it lasts all of 30 seconds. This spot is not getting over...at all. Kacy Catanzaro is #19. She has a load of potential despite being so small. Zelina Vega is in next. We are finally getting some interesting talent in there, hopefully we can have a strong ending. Ruby Riott enters and is accompanied by the rest of the previously eliminated Riott Squad. Meanwhile, Zelina goes under the ring for the Jerry Lawler spot. It can't be understated how petite Catanzaro is. Dana Brooke absolutely destroys her with a sit down powerbomb. Io Shirai is in and hits a moonsault to the outside. Catanzaro now does a Kofi spot and walks on her hands back into the ring. Rhea Ripley gets the heel elimination this time around. They show Zelina Vega under the ring again and this time Hornswoggle pops out and chases her back into the ring and eventually all the way to the back. Alexa Bliss gets probably the biggest pop so far of the match. Bayley gets the lucky 27 spot and also gets a solid pop. They definitely back loaded this one in terms of actual contenders. It's nice to see them give Bayley a few eliminations. Lana comes out limping selling her injury from the pre-show. Lana doesn't make it to the ring before Nia Jax comes out and Nia annihilates her. Carmella is #30 as previously announced. Lana is still in the aisle and now Becky Lynch comes down to try and take her spot. Fellow Irish native Findlay says have at it and the crowd approves. Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss do a nice sequence on the outside of the apron that leads to Moon being eliminated. The pace has really picked up as near the end. Carmella has improved quite a bit since losing the title. Bayley is really bringing it tonight with a fine performance, but is eliminated with what looked like a painful elimination. We are now down to Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Charlotte. It would be such a Vince move to have Nia win here. Charlotte lifts Nia up on her back and nearly drops her on her head. She goes for it again and Nia catches herself on the apron, but Lynch pulls her out and down to the right final two competitors. Nia knocks Lynch off the stairs and she is selling a knee injury. Charlotte goes crazy and attacks the knee and is playing a full blown heel with her facial expressions. Lynch ducks a kick and eliminates Charlotte to become #1 contender. The first half of the match was not good, but the last 20-30 minutes were much, much better.
Match Rating: ***
New Day naturally does the Golden Crisp promo spot. We are reminded that WrestleMania is only 70 days away and somehow there are still 2 more pay per views between now and then.
WWE Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
It will be interesting to see how long this and Balor/Lesnar get with the show seemingly running long. Then again, all of the modern day shows run long. How long are fans in attendance expected to sit in their seat and be enthused? The crowd already seems fatigued and we still have two more big matches left. AJ sporting a bloody nose early on, as Bryan is working the left shoulder. Bryan dumps Styles on his head with a Dragon Suplex in a vicious looking spot. Both guys are doing a good job of turning their offense up a notch, while still keeping it at a more methodical pace. Both men are down and Erick Rowan comes down? Styles Clash, but Rowan comes in and chokeslams Styles to no reaction. Daniel Bryan gets the pinfall and retains the title. I have to say that was a bit of a disappointment, especially with such a flat finish. Also, is this the end of the Bludgeon Brothers?
Match Rating: ***1/4
They hype the return of Halftime Heat, which is something I welcome, especially with the match that was chosen.
Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
Is there a logical reason why Balor is not the Demon for such a huge matchup? Balor attacks right away and takes it to Lesnar, but all it takes is one suplex for Lesnar to gain control. Lesnar must have some respect for Balor, as he is actually selling for him. Although you could argue he actually is selling for the corner of the table that he was rammed into. Balor counters the F5 into a DDT and gets a nearfall. Balor hits the Coup de Grace, but it's not enough. Then out of nowhere, Lesnar gets him in the Kimura and that's it. Good match with a sudden ending that they love to do in these Lesnar matches. After the match Lesnar attacks Balor with a few German Suplexes and a F5 for good measure.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Men's Royal Rumble
Elias is #1 because naturally that's the only way he gets to perform for us. Just in case the show wasn't long enough, we needed another few minutes of stalling before what will be close an hour long match. Even Corey Graves agrees. #2 is Jeff Jarrett and let's just say whoever decided he should wear his old outfit should be fired. This segment is as long as the Balor/Brock match. Why? Elias eventually smashes him with the guitar and eliminates him. Didn't see that coming. Kurt Angle is another "surprise" competitor, although I think everyone expected this. Watching him wrestler now gives me anxiety, as he looks like he really shouldn't be in there. For the sake of research, I timed a few entries and they are definitely on Titan Time. #6 is Johnny Gargano! Big E blows his spot with Gargano, so naturally Vince has soured on him already. Remember when Jinder Mahal was the champion? Safe to say that ship has sailed as he is eliminated by Gargano. It really is a shame that Samoa Joe wasn't on the roster sooner. So in terms of kayfabe, how is it explained that Curt Hawkins is given a spot in the Royal Rumble? Now Hawkins is going under the ring. There's an NXT All Star Team in there right now with Rolins, Gargano, Joe and Nakamura. Titus teases tripping on his way in, but then sees Hawkins under the ring and chases him into the ring, which leads to Hawkins eliminating Titus. As Hawkins celebrates, Joe tosses him. I am fully expecting Mustafa Ali to possibly make it to the final four tonight as he enters at #13. It's time for the Kofi spot as he rolls across the ring apron. I really wish they wouldn't do that with the womens match as well. Here's your reminder that No Way Jose is still on the roster, as he gets the Bushwacker spot. Last year they did such a nice job with making both Rumbles feel different. This year, not so much. Xavier Woods is on his way down and he and Kofi do a bizarre spot that they almost screw up that then leads to them being eliminated. So that happened. #18 is Pete Dunne! Now we get Andrade, who is really coming into his own and among my current favorites. Will Apollo Crews ever get over? The men's Rumble is going all in on NXT competitors this year as Aleister Black is now in there. Pretty surprising early elimination for Dean Ambrose. Good to see Shelton in the match, as he still feels underused, but what else is new for his WWE career? And now Joe with a surprising early elimination. Baron Corbin is going to attempt to kill this match with his lack of every redeeming quality you would want in a performer. Lashley is eliminated in less than 10 seconds and then takes it out on Seth Rollins. He's not even interesting when he's angry. Hey, it's the guy who "confirmed" he wasn't scheduled for the Rumble, Dolph Ziggler. He gets his revenge on McIntyre by eliminating him. Tower of Doom spot with Strowman, Ali, Rey and Andrade. I feel like the time is right to pull the trigger on R-Truth. Just as I type that, Nia Jax attacks him from behind and she is now taking his spot. Again, let's not do the same spot in both Rumbles next year. Ali gets eliminated by Jax. Ziggler superkicks her, which leads to a 619 into an RKO. I gotta say, I didn't think they'd go this route. This all leads to JBL saying he loves it. Rey then finally gets her eliminated, which leads to Orton elminating Rey and Andrade eliminating Orton. We are down to Ziggler, Andrade, Strowman and Rollins. Not the final four we were expecting. They have reminded us that Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble 47 times tonight. They must have known that we were all trying to forget that show ever happened. We are down to Rollins and Strowman, the two favorites to win it. Rollins with the curb stomp and the victory!
Match Rating: ***1/2
That was a loooong show, but everything on it was good, with the exception of the first half of the womens Rumble match. It lacked an all time classic match from making it a top tier show, but this was definitely a good start to the WWE year.
Overall Rating: 82%
Chase Field
Phoenix, Arizona
I haven't really been posting it on here yet, but if you are on Twitter, make sure to follow me @WorkTheNetwork2. Thanks!
Another top notch preview package is shown and it almost makes you forget that most of their TV programming has been completely forgettable. Almost.
Live shot of the stadium looks impressive. It is dark enough to where it looks like it is full, but any way you look at it, there are still a lot of people on hand. I absolutely love that they are entering the ring by coming out of the dugout with a minimal actual set. Very unique look and I definitely dig it.
Smackdown Womens Championship Match
Asuka vs. Becky Lynch
Every match on this card has a lot of potential and this one could rule. I am not reviewing the pre-show (at least at this time), but the 205 Live match is absolutely worth checking out. Lynch seems to be embracing the Stone Cold comparisons, as the beginning of this match reminds me a lot of Austin. Asuka seems to be gaining her confidence back, as she looks so much better than she did in her feud with Carmella. I am not saying anything groundbreaking, but they really need to get rid of the 2 hour pre-show. The crowd already is a little flat and we are about 8 minutes into the show. Asuka tries to put on the Asuka Lock, but Lynch is able to roll to the ropes. Asuka showing some good fire tonight, as they battle on the side of the ring. Asuka does a jumping fisherman DDT of some sort and both women are down. The crowd is getting into it, but the sound is coming across as distant. Lynch hits a super Exploder Suplex and it's still not enough. They trade submission moves, but shockingly Asuka gets the submission victory with a variation of Cattle Mutilation. I have to say, I am very surprised. Could this be leading to Becky winning the Royal Rumble? Either way, really strong opener.
Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match
The Bar vs. Shane McMahon & Miz
The Miz/McMahon partnership is something that seems strange, but admittedly I haven't seen any of their segments together. Shane explodes as soon as the bell ring and takes down Sheamus. I like the Bar together, but I think the time is right for one more shot at solo success. Worst case scenario, you throw him with another tag team partner and Cesaro will make it work again. On the other side, what a mistake it was putting Miz on Raw after he was having a career year on Smackdown that should have led to him being champion over there. The chemistry between the two teams seems a little off in the early moments here. The Bar attempt to put Miz through the table, but Shane makes the save. Now the Miz has Cesaro held in place for Shane's flying elbow, but Sheamus makes the save. Shane decides to go for a flying clothesline to Sheamus. Got some pretty good height on that one. During the replay, I am reminded that Golden Crisp has to be one of the more random sponsors WWE has had as of late. I'm also surprised that they even still make that cereal, as you would think a cereal whose mascot is called "Sugar Bear" would be frowned upon. What do I care? I actually like it. Back to the action and The Bar are all over the Miz, while Shane looks like he is already blown up in the corner. Shane goes or his coast to coast and Cesaro catches him and goes into the airplane spin. Awesome. Shane hits the Shooting Star Press and we have new tag team champions. Shane came super close to pulling a Lesnar there. That couldn't have felt good for Cesaro.
Match Rating: ***
48,193 is announced as the attendance. That actually looks close based on the eyeball test, but it's really hard to see which seats are empty.
Raw Womens Championship Match
Ronda Rousey vs. Sasha Banks
I am pretty shocked that they aren't doing one of the Rumble matches in this spot. You would think they would want to space those out a little more. Both competitors look good as we get started here. Of the early wave of NXT call ups, I thought Sasha was the most sure thing to be a huge superstar. Charlotte kind of took that spot, but Banks to me still can get there if they handle her right. Sasha does some nice work on Rousey's right arm. Rousey goes for a submission on the ropes and we almost have a mess up, but they barely save the spot. Banks goes for a suicide dive, but Rousey catches her and puts her in the arm bar. Sasha taps, but it doesn't count since it is outside the ring. Banks has been really impressive here. It's clear she knows this is her moment. Rousey then takes her and slams her like a rag doll. Roll through and hits Piper's Pit for the pinfall victory. They do kind of an odd respect handshake, but then Sasha flashes the boss hand sign and walks away while Corey Graves continues to rip on her. There were a few hiccups, but it had a big fight feel and it was an entertaining match.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Womens Royal Rumble Match
Lacey Evans makes her debut at #1, which is a perfect spot for a heel to debut at. Natalya is #2. Don't worry, I won't enter in every entrant. Natalya does a double Sharpshooter to Lacey and Mandy Rose. Liv Morgan surprisingly gets the Bushwacker elimination spot. I have to say, in regards to Evans it actually may be a blessing that she didn't get a ton of exposure in NXT. Sometimes the characters are almost too developed, that it doesn't feel as fresh when they make it to the main roster. Ember Moon enters at #6 and she is my pick to be the marathon performer this year. It's safe to say this one is off to nowhere near as good of a start as last years very good Women's Rumble. Tamina is #10 and the crowd goes silent. Oh man, Nikki Cross and Tamina are squaring off and I don't think I could imagine a matchup I'd rather see less. I really don't know how Tamina has lasted as long as she has in this company, even with her family ties. This match is in desperate need of a spark. Xia Lis is the first "surprise" entrant and they hype her as the first Chinese female to ever perform in WWE. Her and Tamina botch a spot and for the love of all that is sacred, please eliminate Tamina. Charlotte is in at #13 to hopefully save this match and in a way she does, as she eliminates Tamina. Naomi gets the Kofi spot, by scaling the guardrail and jumping on the steps. Mandy Rose then does the heel move and knocks her off the step to continue their feud. Candice LeRae also makes a surprise entry this year. This match is still in need of a spark. Maria attempts to make friends with Alicia Fox and in typical Rumble fashion it lasts all of 30 seconds. This spot is not getting over...at all. Kacy Catanzaro is #19. She has a load of potential despite being so small. Zelina Vega is in next. We are finally getting some interesting talent in there, hopefully we can have a strong ending. Ruby Riott enters and is accompanied by the rest of the previously eliminated Riott Squad. Meanwhile, Zelina goes under the ring for the Jerry Lawler spot. It can't be understated how petite Catanzaro is. Dana Brooke absolutely destroys her with a sit down powerbomb. Io Shirai is in and hits a moonsault to the outside. Catanzaro now does a Kofi spot and walks on her hands back into the ring. Rhea Ripley gets the heel elimination this time around. They show Zelina Vega under the ring again and this time Hornswoggle pops out and chases her back into the ring and eventually all the way to the back. Alexa Bliss gets probably the biggest pop so far of the match. Bayley gets the lucky 27 spot and also gets a solid pop. They definitely back loaded this one in terms of actual contenders. It's nice to see them give Bayley a few eliminations. Lana comes out limping selling her injury from the pre-show. Lana doesn't make it to the ring before Nia Jax comes out and Nia annihilates her. Carmella is #30 as previously announced. Lana is still in the aisle and now Becky Lynch comes down to try and take her spot. Fellow Irish native Findlay says have at it and the crowd approves. Ember Moon and Alexa Bliss do a nice sequence on the outside of the apron that leads to Moon being eliminated. The pace has really picked up as near the end. Carmella has improved quite a bit since losing the title. Bayley is really bringing it tonight with a fine performance, but is eliminated with what looked like a painful elimination. We are now down to Nia Jax, Becky Lynch and Charlotte. It would be such a Vince move to have Nia win here. Charlotte lifts Nia up on her back and nearly drops her on her head. She goes for it again and Nia catches herself on the apron, but Lynch pulls her out and down to the right final two competitors. Nia knocks Lynch off the stairs and she is selling a knee injury. Charlotte goes crazy and attacks the knee and is playing a full blown heel with her facial expressions. Lynch ducks a kick and eliminates Charlotte to become #1 contender. The first half of the match was not good, but the last 20-30 minutes were much, much better.
Match Rating: ***
New Day naturally does the Golden Crisp promo spot. We are reminded that WrestleMania is only 70 days away and somehow there are still 2 more pay per views between now and then.
WWE Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
It will be interesting to see how long this and Balor/Lesnar get with the show seemingly running long. Then again, all of the modern day shows run long. How long are fans in attendance expected to sit in their seat and be enthused? The crowd already seems fatigued and we still have two more big matches left. AJ sporting a bloody nose early on, as Bryan is working the left shoulder. Bryan dumps Styles on his head with a Dragon Suplex in a vicious looking spot. Both guys are doing a good job of turning their offense up a notch, while still keeping it at a more methodical pace. Both men are down and Erick Rowan comes down? Styles Clash, but Rowan comes in and chokeslams Styles to no reaction. Daniel Bryan gets the pinfall and retains the title. I have to say that was a bit of a disappointment, especially with such a flat finish. Also, is this the end of the Bludgeon Brothers?
Match Rating: ***1/4
They hype the return of Halftime Heat, which is something I welcome, especially with the match that was chosen.
Universal Championship Match
Brock Lesnar vs. Finn Balor
Is there a logical reason why Balor is not the Demon for such a huge matchup? Balor attacks right away and takes it to Lesnar, but all it takes is one suplex for Lesnar to gain control. Lesnar must have some respect for Balor, as he is actually selling for him. Although you could argue he actually is selling for the corner of the table that he was rammed into. Balor counters the F5 into a DDT and gets a nearfall. Balor hits the Coup de Grace, but it's not enough. Then out of nowhere, Lesnar gets him in the Kimura and that's it. Good match with a sudden ending that they love to do in these Lesnar matches. After the match Lesnar attacks Balor with a few German Suplexes and a F5 for good measure.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Men's Royal Rumble
Elias is #1 because naturally that's the only way he gets to perform for us. Just in case the show wasn't long enough, we needed another few minutes of stalling before what will be close an hour long match. Even Corey Graves agrees. #2 is Jeff Jarrett and let's just say whoever decided he should wear his old outfit should be fired. This segment is as long as the Balor/Brock match. Why? Elias eventually smashes him with the guitar and eliminates him. Didn't see that coming. Kurt Angle is another "surprise" competitor, although I think everyone expected this. Watching him wrestler now gives me anxiety, as he looks like he really shouldn't be in there. For the sake of research, I timed a few entries and they are definitely on Titan Time. #6 is Johnny Gargano! Big E blows his spot with Gargano, so naturally Vince has soured on him already. Remember when Jinder Mahal was the champion? Safe to say that ship has sailed as he is eliminated by Gargano. It really is a shame that Samoa Joe wasn't on the roster sooner. So in terms of kayfabe, how is it explained that Curt Hawkins is given a spot in the Royal Rumble? Now Hawkins is going under the ring. There's an NXT All Star Team in there right now with Rolins, Gargano, Joe and Nakamura. Titus teases tripping on his way in, but then sees Hawkins under the ring and chases him into the ring, which leads to Hawkins eliminating Titus. As Hawkins celebrates, Joe tosses him. I am fully expecting Mustafa Ali to possibly make it to the final four tonight as he enters at #13. It's time for the Kofi spot as he rolls across the ring apron. I really wish they wouldn't do that with the womens match as well. Here's your reminder that No Way Jose is still on the roster, as he gets the Bushwacker spot. Last year they did such a nice job with making both Rumbles feel different. This year, not so much. Xavier Woods is on his way down and he and Kofi do a bizarre spot that they almost screw up that then leads to them being eliminated. So that happened. #18 is Pete Dunne! Now we get Andrade, who is really coming into his own and among my current favorites. Will Apollo Crews ever get over? The men's Rumble is going all in on NXT competitors this year as Aleister Black is now in there. Pretty surprising early elimination for Dean Ambrose. Good to see Shelton in the match, as he still feels underused, but what else is new for his WWE career? And now Joe with a surprising early elimination. Baron Corbin is going to attempt to kill this match with his lack of every redeeming quality you would want in a performer. Lashley is eliminated in less than 10 seconds and then takes it out on Seth Rollins. He's not even interesting when he's angry. Hey, it's the guy who "confirmed" he wasn't scheduled for the Rumble, Dolph Ziggler. He gets his revenge on McIntyre by eliminating him. Tower of Doom spot with Strowman, Ali, Rey and Andrade. I feel like the time is right to pull the trigger on R-Truth. Just as I type that, Nia Jax attacks him from behind and she is now taking his spot. Again, let's not do the same spot in both Rumbles next year. Ali gets eliminated by Jax. Ziggler superkicks her, which leads to a 619 into an RKO. I gotta say, I didn't think they'd go this route. This all leads to JBL saying he loves it. Rey then finally gets her eliminated, which leads to Orton elminating Rey and Andrade eliminating Orton. We are down to Ziggler, Andrade, Strowman and Rollins. Not the final four we were expecting. They have reminded us that Strowman won the Greatest Royal Rumble 47 times tonight. They must have known that we were all trying to forget that show ever happened. We are down to Rollins and Strowman, the two favorites to win it. Rollins with the curb stomp and the victory!
Match Rating: ***1/2
That was a loooong show, but everything on it was good, with the exception of the first half of the womens Rumble match. It lacked an all time classic match from making it a top tier show, but this was definitely a good start to the WWE year.
Overall Rating: 82%
Saturday, January 26, 2019
NXT Takeover: Phoenix 2019 Review
Saturday, January 26th, 2019
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Phoenix, Arizona
Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson are here to call the action. I think I am the only wrestling fan who isn't in love with Ranallo as a play-by-play guy. I do admire his passion though.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era
We get a Triple H-esque opening for the War Raiders. Not bad, but way too long of a build. Undisputed Era comes out to the norm and that's ok with me. I'm not quite sure why either teams aren't on the main roster yet, but there really hasn't been a rhyme or reason to how any of the call ups work to this date. We get some good back and forth action and then Hanson does a crazy dive through the ropes and the Undisputed Era is able to get out of the way in time. O'Reilly and Strong are now firmly in control and they slow it down a little bit more than normal. They are so effective as a team because their offense is interesting and use quick tags as good as any team that I can think of. Hanson is the clear star of War Raiders and is being presented that way tonight. My biggest thing with Hanson is how similar he and Killian Dain look. For that matter, there are way too many wrestlers with big beards. And while we are at it, too many wrestlers do the suicide dive. It's as common as a dropkick. And just as I am typing that, Hanson does one. Now a splash off the top rope. That is something I can get behind from Hanson. Roderick Strong with a SUPERPLEX to Hanson. Wow. O'Reilly with a knee off the top rope and that's still not enough. Roddy with an Olympic Slam. Somebody ate his Wheaties today. Hanson kicks out of the High Low. War Raiders then with some awesome double team power moves and they are now the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions. Could this mean we are getting some Undisputed Era on Raw or Smackdown?
Match Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)
We get a Royal Rumble hype video that is claiming 40,000 fans will be there. Reports have it in the 25,000-30,000 range. We shall see.
Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are shown in the crowd.
Really good hype video for the next match. This is a feud that makes sense to the audience and has been well built.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
I haven't been 100% sold on Riddle, at least in regards to the amount of hype he has garnered. Ironically enough, I kind have always been that way with Ohno. I am looking forward to this one though. Not surprisingly, this is off to a hard hitting start. Riddle already has a busted lip. Ohno does something I have always wondered why other wrestlers haven't done to barefoot opponents. He stomps on Riddle's foot and won't let go. So simple, so effective. Now he is biting his toes. Riddle fights back after kicking out of an Ohno moonsault. Riddle is straight up dishing it out and Ohno taps while getting absolutely destroyed by elbow strikes after taking a sick looking suplex. This was the perfect card for this match to be on, as it provided a different type of match.
Match Rating: ***
WWE now is reminding you to make sure you have WWE Network as you are watching the WWE Network.
Velveteen Dream arrives to the arena with a lady on both arm. They hype that he is part of Worlds Collide.
Another well done hype video for what has the potential to be match of the year.
North American Championship Match
Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano
Both of these guys would be among my first picks if I were starting my own promotion. I'm not sure how Ricochet isn't a huge star once he is forced to be on Raw or Smackdown. The crowd seems to be split as evenly as possible. Great opening sequence to set the tone that Gargano is the better mat wrestler. I don't watch New Japan (or most other non-WWE organizations), so I often will come across as biased, but there can't be many better wrestlers in the world than these two. Ricochet's moonsault is so effortless, that it almost makes me think I could do one. Gargano's tights are excellent tonight, by the way. Gargano does a hurricanrana off the top rope and Ricochet lands on his feet. These guys are cooking now. Ricochet is going with every high flying move he can pull off and it still hasn't been enough. Gargano nearly kicks his head off, but Ricochet falls outside the ring. Ricochet catches Gargano off a suicide dive, but then Gargano reverses that with a reverse hurricanrana. Which then leads to a spike DDT and it's still not enough. Standing ovation for both competitors. Gargano goes for a call back to his feud with Tommaso Ciampa and rolls up the mat outside the ring. He debates doing a DDT and chooses not to. Ricochet puts Gargano in the Gargano Escape, but Gargano...escapes. Gargano then goes ahead with a suplex onto the exposed concrete. Gargano then hits a sick looking spike DDT and gets the 1-2-3. 2 title matches, 2 new champions. Absolutely incredible match.
Match Rating: ****3/4
NXT Womens Championship Match
Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair
Both competitors have unique looks, which I respect. Baszler for me has been sort of inconsistent, but she is great at her role and looks the part. Baszler pretty much dominating the entire beginning of the match and is going to work on Belair's arm. The announcers are selling Belair's inexperience. Baszler is just bullying Belair until she uses her hair as a weapon. The referee is down and they play tug of war with Belair's hair. Belair has Baszler pinned, but the ref is still down. Belair is freaking out and beginning to cry. Baszler's henchwomen are coming down, but Belair fights them off. Belair misses a 450 splash and Baszler gets the win by submission with a Kirifuda Clutch. Pretty good match, but Belair can definitely use some more training.
Match Rating: **1/2
Velveteen Dream has now made his way to ringside in the audience.
NXT Championship Match
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black
Interesting that the War Raiders were the only ones to get the special entrance. I kind of wish that Ciampa would have kept the no entrance music gimmick going. I am shocked that Black is still in NXT. He seems to me like he would be a Vince guy. Some hard hitting action to start and now Ciampa goes to work on Black's leg. The crowd is surprisingly quiet. Black isn't as over as a guy like Gargano, but he typically gets a better reaction than he is receiving tonight. One thing that NXT usually gets right is that when someone works a boy part, it usually pays off. Ciampa hits Black with a Tower of London on the hardest part of the ring and it's not enough. The crowd is starting to wake up a little. Black kicks out of Fairy Tale Ending. Another trend in all of wrestling, not just NXT and WWE, is everyone kicking out of everyone's finisher. Just happens way too often. Now Ciampa is exposing the concrete outside the ring. Ciampa gets distracted by the ref and Black is able to capitalize with a flying double knee. Black then hits Black Mass, but there is no cover as Ciampa turns to his chest before Black can get there. Nice heel move there. Fantastic sequence that leads to another Fairy Tale Ending and it still isn't enough. Ciampa hits it for a third time, picks him back up to go for a fourth time and hits it after a brief reversal. Ciampa is your winner and still NXT Champion.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After a long celebration, Gargano joins Ciampa by the entrance. They both raise their respective titles in unison. Team DIY is back.
Another really good show, even if it didn't quite live up to my expectations. NXT continues to deliver classic shows every time they are given the opportunity. It will be interesting to see how many of the competitors on this show will no longer be on the NXT roster come WrestleMania time. If for some reason you don't want to watch the entire show, you absolutely need to see Ricochet vs. Gargano, as that was among one of the best WWE matches of the decade.
Overall Rating: 86%
Talking Stick Resort Arena
Phoenix, Arizona
Mauro Ranallo, Nigel McGuinness and Percy Watson are here to call the action. I think I am the only wrestling fan who isn't in love with Ranallo as a play-by-play guy. I do admire his passion though.
NXT Tag Team Championship Match
War Raiders vs. Undisputed Era
We get a Triple H-esque opening for the War Raiders. Not bad, but way too long of a build. Undisputed Era comes out to the norm and that's ok with me. I'm not quite sure why either teams aren't on the main roster yet, but there really hasn't been a rhyme or reason to how any of the call ups work to this date. We get some good back and forth action and then Hanson does a crazy dive through the ropes and the Undisputed Era is able to get out of the way in time. O'Reilly and Strong are now firmly in control and they slow it down a little bit more than normal. They are so effective as a team because their offense is interesting and use quick tags as good as any team that I can think of. Hanson is the clear star of War Raiders and is being presented that way tonight. My biggest thing with Hanson is how similar he and Killian Dain look. For that matter, there are way too many wrestlers with big beards. And while we are at it, too many wrestlers do the suicide dive. It's as common as a dropkick. And just as I am typing that, Hanson does one. Now a splash off the top rope. That is something I can get behind from Hanson. Roderick Strong with a SUPERPLEX to Hanson. Wow. O'Reilly with a knee off the top rope and that's still not enough. Roddy with an Olympic Slam. Somebody ate his Wheaties today. Hanson kicks out of the High Low. War Raiders then with some awesome double team power moves and they are now the NEW NXT Tag Team Champions. Could this mean we are getting some Undisputed Era on Raw or Smackdown?
Match Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)
We get a Royal Rumble hype video that is claiming 40,000 fans will be there. Reports have it in the 25,000-30,000 range. We shall see.
Pete Dunne and Toni Storm are shown in the crowd.
Really good hype video for the next match. This is a feud that makes sense to the audience and has been well built.
Matt Riddle vs. Kassius Ohno
I haven't been 100% sold on Riddle, at least in regards to the amount of hype he has garnered. Ironically enough, I kind have always been that way with Ohno. I am looking forward to this one though. Not surprisingly, this is off to a hard hitting start. Riddle already has a busted lip. Ohno does something I have always wondered why other wrestlers haven't done to barefoot opponents. He stomps on Riddle's foot and won't let go. So simple, so effective. Now he is biting his toes. Riddle fights back after kicking out of an Ohno moonsault. Riddle is straight up dishing it out and Ohno taps while getting absolutely destroyed by elbow strikes after taking a sick looking suplex. This was the perfect card for this match to be on, as it provided a different type of match.
Match Rating: ***
WWE now is reminding you to make sure you have WWE Network as you are watching the WWE Network.
Velveteen Dream arrives to the arena with a lady on both arm. They hype that he is part of Worlds Collide.
Another well done hype video for what has the potential to be match of the year.
North American Championship Match
Ricochet vs. Johnny Gargano
Both of these guys would be among my first picks if I were starting my own promotion. I'm not sure how Ricochet isn't a huge star once he is forced to be on Raw or Smackdown. The crowd seems to be split as evenly as possible. Great opening sequence to set the tone that Gargano is the better mat wrestler. I don't watch New Japan (or most other non-WWE organizations), so I often will come across as biased, but there can't be many better wrestlers in the world than these two. Ricochet's moonsault is so effortless, that it almost makes me think I could do one. Gargano's tights are excellent tonight, by the way. Gargano does a hurricanrana off the top rope and Ricochet lands on his feet. These guys are cooking now. Ricochet is going with every high flying move he can pull off and it still hasn't been enough. Gargano nearly kicks his head off, but Ricochet falls outside the ring. Ricochet catches Gargano off a suicide dive, but then Gargano reverses that with a reverse hurricanrana. Which then leads to a spike DDT and it's still not enough. Standing ovation for both competitors. Gargano goes for a call back to his feud with Tommaso Ciampa and rolls up the mat outside the ring. He debates doing a DDT and chooses not to. Ricochet puts Gargano in the Gargano Escape, but Gargano...escapes. Gargano then goes ahead with a suplex onto the exposed concrete. Gargano then hits a sick looking spike DDT and gets the 1-2-3. 2 title matches, 2 new champions. Absolutely incredible match.
Match Rating: ****3/4
NXT Womens Championship Match
Shayna Baszler vs. Bianca Belair
Both competitors have unique looks, which I respect. Baszler for me has been sort of inconsistent, but she is great at her role and looks the part. Baszler pretty much dominating the entire beginning of the match and is going to work on Belair's arm. The announcers are selling Belair's inexperience. Baszler is just bullying Belair until she uses her hair as a weapon. The referee is down and they play tug of war with Belair's hair. Belair has Baszler pinned, but the ref is still down. Belair is freaking out and beginning to cry. Baszler's henchwomen are coming down, but Belair fights them off. Belair misses a 450 splash and Baszler gets the win by submission with a Kirifuda Clutch. Pretty good match, but Belair can definitely use some more training.
Match Rating: **1/2
Velveteen Dream has now made his way to ringside in the audience.
NXT Championship Match
Tommaso Ciampa vs. Aleister Black
Interesting that the War Raiders were the only ones to get the special entrance. I kind of wish that Ciampa would have kept the no entrance music gimmick going. I am shocked that Black is still in NXT. He seems to me like he would be a Vince guy. Some hard hitting action to start and now Ciampa goes to work on Black's leg. The crowd is surprisingly quiet. Black isn't as over as a guy like Gargano, but he typically gets a better reaction than he is receiving tonight. One thing that NXT usually gets right is that when someone works a boy part, it usually pays off. Ciampa hits Black with a Tower of London on the hardest part of the ring and it's not enough. The crowd is starting to wake up a little. Black kicks out of Fairy Tale Ending. Another trend in all of wrestling, not just NXT and WWE, is everyone kicking out of everyone's finisher. Just happens way too often. Now Ciampa is exposing the concrete outside the ring. Ciampa gets distracted by the ref and Black is able to capitalize with a flying double knee. Black then hits Black Mass, but there is no cover as Ciampa turns to his chest before Black can get there. Nice heel move there. Fantastic sequence that leads to another Fairy Tale Ending and it still isn't enough. Ciampa hits it for a third time, picks him back up to go for a fourth time and hits it after a brief reversal. Ciampa is your winner and still NXT Champion.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After a long celebration, Gargano joins Ciampa by the entrance. They both raise their respective titles in unison. Team DIY is back.
Another really good show, even if it didn't quite live up to my expectations. NXT continues to deliver classic shows every time they are given the opportunity. It will be interesting to see how many of the competitors on this show will no longer be on the NXT roster come WrestleMania time. If for some reason you don't want to watch the entire show, you absolutely need to see Ricochet vs. Gargano, as that was among one of the best WWE matches of the decade.
Overall Rating: 86%
Friday, January 25, 2019
Superstars 4-18-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, April 18th, 1992
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect. It blows my mind that I actually used to think they were really standing in front of the crowd.
Legion Of Doom vs. Dwayne Gill & Barry Hardy
That is future WWF Light Heavyweight champion Gillberg. We already cut into an interview with the Beverly Brothers, who talk trash about LOD. It's the feud you always dreamed of. Vince says that Animal and Hawk are really coming into their own. In 1992. OK, Vince. Doomsday Device and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
We now are going to Update, as Mean Gene talks to us about the newest issue of the WWF Magazine. They have the true photos of Elizabeth and they are actually with Randy Savage. Okerlund acts as if it's surprising every time.
Chris Hahn vs. Repo Man
The world wasn't blessed with enough Repo Man squash matches. Now Vince says that Repo Man is really coming into his own. Somehow this character lasted another year. Repo Man gets the quick pin and then chokes poor Chris Hahn and drags him around the ring by his rope.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney back at the studio and we get a Big Boss Man interview in front of the green screen. Rick Martel's background is good stuff. Martel tells us that the whole world wants to know what he will be wearing this spring. It's a good thing that we set aside time for that.
We now get a video of a mysterious voice talking to the Big Boss Man. There is no way that this payoff can be a letdown, right?
Tom Bennett vs. Bret Hart
With Vince so fixated on size, I'm surprised they didn't give Bret a smaller jobber here. We get a pre-recorded interview from Shawn Michaels and he wants to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental championship. A Sharpshooter is all she wrote here.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Back to Sean Mooney and we get Jimmy Hart and the Mountie. He tells us he is the Mountie about 5 times. The Bushwhackers are here and spit out a bunch of nonsense. I can't even imagine what would happen if they showed promos like this on current day TV.
We get a Crush vignette. They show a black and white video of him as a kid playing with Lincoln Logs and then he crushes a can. Creative was certainly at their peak here in 1992.
The Berzerker vs. Mark Roberts
Here we go, We were robbed of Berzerker vs. British Bulldog, so I guess this is the next best thing. They show a pre-recorded interview of Mr. Fuji challenging the Undertaker. Berzerker wasn't very good, but I have to say he certainly played his character well. After a powerslam, Berzerker gets the pin.
Match Rating: 1/4*
WWF Fan Club time Your "special" birthday surprise is a duffel bag keychain. Doesn't get much more special than that.
Ultimate Warrior is in the arena and being interviewed with a bunch of kids hanging around. The little girl's face was priceless once he started talking. This is a much more straight forward interview than we are accustomed to by Warrior. It actually made sense.
Red Tyler vs. Rick Martel
Red Tyler actually gets a couple of moves in, which didn't happen in any of the other squashes so far. Martel hits a few moves and goes right to the Boston crab.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney shows a clip of Mountie, Jimmy Hart and Nasty Boys singing and this is my favorite thing on the show so far.
Texas Tornado vs. Warren Bianchi
I can't help but wonder what would have been with Von Erich had he been able to stay out of his own way. Tornado says that he is rededicating his life to family, religion, his country and the WWF. The canned crowd noise for this match is turned up here. Tornado gets the quick pinfall. I'm as surprised as you are.
Match Rating: 1/2*
WBF Body Stars promo. I have no idea how USA agreed to air that show.
Money, Inc. vs. Buck Zumhofe & Jim Powers
IRS gets the mic and says the same thing he says every time. Jim Powers is getting some offense in. Natural Disasters are still upset after their disappointing victory at WrestleMania VIII. Million Dollar Dream and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney is here again and we get taxi cab Owen Hart with a generic WWF background. It won't be long until he's teaming with Koko B. Ware. Papa Shango has another great background. I don't see Shango hopping on the ho train anytime soon.
Undertaker and Paul Bearer are here to let us know that they will be facing the Berzerker next week on Superstars. Mr. Fuji and Berzerker come back and basically say nothing.
This was a weak show. We got no real true main event of any kind and were treated to a never ending smorgasbord of squash matches. Nostalgia is fun, but there is nothing more to this episode. Perhaps we should get a little more focus next week.
Overall Rating: 16%
Wings Stadium
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Your hosts are Vince McMahon and Mr. Perfect. It blows my mind that I actually used to think they were really standing in front of the crowd.
Legion Of Doom vs. Dwayne Gill & Barry Hardy
That is future WWF Light Heavyweight champion Gillberg. We already cut into an interview with the Beverly Brothers, who talk trash about LOD. It's the feud you always dreamed of. Vince says that Animal and Hawk are really coming into their own. In 1992. OK, Vince. Doomsday Device and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
We now are going to Update, as Mean Gene talks to us about the newest issue of the WWF Magazine. They have the true photos of Elizabeth and they are actually with Randy Savage. Okerlund acts as if it's surprising every time.
Chris Hahn vs. Repo Man
The world wasn't blessed with enough Repo Man squash matches. Now Vince says that Repo Man is really coming into his own. Somehow this character lasted another year. Repo Man gets the quick pin and then chokes poor Chris Hahn and drags him around the ring by his rope.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney back at the studio and we get a Big Boss Man interview in front of the green screen. Rick Martel's background is good stuff. Martel tells us that the whole world wants to know what he will be wearing this spring. It's a good thing that we set aside time for that.
We now get a video of a mysterious voice talking to the Big Boss Man. There is no way that this payoff can be a letdown, right?
Tom Bennett vs. Bret Hart
With Vince so fixated on size, I'm surprised they didn't give Bret a smaller jobber here. We get a pre-recorded interview from Shawn Michaels and he wants to bring prestige back to the Intercontinental championship. A Sharpshooter is all she wrote here.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Back to Sean Mooney and we get Jimmy Hart and the Mountie. He tells us he is the Mountie about 5 times. The Bushwhackers are here and spit out a bunch of nonsense. I can't even imagine what would happen if they showed promos like this on current day TV.
We get a Crush vignette. They show a black and white video of him as a kid playing with Lincoln Logs and then he crushes a can. Creative was certainly at their peak here in 1992.
The Berzerker vs. Mark Roberts
Here we go, We were robbed of Berzerker vs. British Bulldog, so I guess this is the next best thing. They show a pre-recorded interview of Mr. Fuji challenging the Undertaker. Berzerker wasn't very good, but I have to say he certainly played his character well. After a powerslam, Berzerker gets the pin.
Match Rating: 1/4*
WWF Fan Club time Your "special" birthday surprise is a duffel bag keychain. Doesn't get much more special than that.
Ultimate Warrior is in the arena and being interviewed with a bunch of kids hanging around. The little girl's face was priceless once he started talking. This is a much more straight forward interview than we are accustomed to by Warrior. It actually made sense.
Red Tyler vs. Rick Martel
Red Tyler actually gets a couple of moves in, which didn't happen in any of the other squashes so far. Martel hits a few moves and goes right to the Boston crab.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney shows a clip of Mountie, Jimmy Hart and Nasty Boys singing and this is my favorite thing on the show so far.
Texas Tornado vs. Warren Bianchi
I can't help but wonder what would have been with Von Erich had he been able to stay out of his own way. Tornado says that he is rededicating his life to family, religion, his country and the WWF. The canned crowd noise for this match is turned up here. Tornado gets the quick pinfall. I'm as surprised as you are.
Match Rating: 1/2*
WBF Body Stars promo. I have no idea how USA agreed to air that show.
Money, Inc. vs. Buck Zumhofe & Jim Powers
IRS gets the mic and says the same thing he says every time. Jim Powers is getting some offense in. Natural Disasters are still upset after their disappointing victory at WrestleMania VIII. Million Dollar Dream and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sean Mooney is here again and we get taxi cab Owen Hart with a generic WWF background. It won't be long until he's teaming with Koko B. Ware. Papa Shango has another great background. I don't see Shango hopping on the ho train anytime soon.
Undertaker and Paul Bearer are here to let us know that they will be facing the Berzerker next week on Superstars. Mr. Fuji and Berzerker come back and basically say nothing.
This was a weak show. We got no real true main event of any kind and were treated to a never ending smorgasbord of squash matches. Nostalgia is fun, but there is nothing more to this episode. Perhaps we should get a little more focus next week.
Overall Rating: 16%
Thursday, January 24, 2019
WrestleMania VIII Review
Well, after years of dragging my feet on doing this blog, here I am finally making my first post. I was inspired by the recent drop of episodes of Superstars. Rather than start with the first episode of that, I figured that I would start with the pay-per-view that preceded it, which is also one of the few shows I actually ordered at home.
Sunday, April 5th, 1992
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
If there is one thing that I miss most about the old WrestleMania shows, it is the old intro music with Vince McMahon shouting the matches over it. Followed by the brilliant team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Jim Ross is the best actual play-by-play man in wrestling history, but in terms of just his vocals, I'll take Gorilla every day of the week.
Reba McIntyre is here to sing "America The Beautiful", which is actually a fairly big get for the WWF at this time. Especially with business on the downturn big time. I could be wrong, but this is the one major WWF/E show that I can think of that doesn't hide large sections of empty seats. With the early start time (5:00 pm Eastern), they may not have really had a choice.
El Matador Tito Santana vs. Shawn Michaels
This was Vince's last ditch effort to make Tito relevant towards the end of his career, which was very similarly done with Ricky Steamboat in 1991. Sherri Martel truly was a one of a kind. Both wrestlers came out to small reactions, but the crowd is definitely into the action. Santana was without a doubt one of the greatest mid-card performers of the era, which really made him the perfect opponent for Michaels here. This match is a perfect example of how much has changed in wrestling in the last 25 years or so, most notably the number of rest holds and art of selling. Every move that is done between the rest holds feels so important because of the way they sell it. Michaels gets the sloppy victory here by pinfall in a pretty good opener.
Match Rating: **3/4 (out of 5)
Mean Gene then introduces the Legion of Doom along with the WWF debut of Paul Ellering. They were originally supposed to fight Money, Inc. here, but Hawk failed a drug test and instead we get this pointless interview segment. This was the beginning of the end for LOD in WWF until 1996.
Backstage to Sean Mooney with Jake Roberts. They show a clip of one of the more memorable scenes for me from this era, where Undertaker's hand is slammed shut in the casket and Jake destroys him with a chair. It's been said a million times, but it's too bad Roberts' bad habits ended this heel run. It would have led to what would have eventually been a great face turn.
Jake Roberts vs. Undertaker
Unless you never have watched WWE television, I think you can probably guess who is going to win this match. This is WrestleMania match #2 for Taker. Props to Gorilla for saying "a tremendous crowd" as opposed to having to pretend that it was a sell out. I am pretty sure that if this character debuted today, he would never get over if this was the pace he wrestled at. It really is amazing that they allowed him to wrestle this slowly for as long as they did. Jake nails him with the DDT, which leads to a sit up by Taker. Was Taker the first person to not lose after a DDT from Jake? Jake hits another, which leads to a tombstone on the outside of the ring. Taker drags him in the ring and that's all she wrote.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Backstage with Mean Gene, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart. This is Piper at his goofiest, but it works for me. Bret says about 5 words.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper
Going into this show, this was the match I was most excited about. Both guys come out to good reactions. It takes approximately for Piper to lose his temper and spit at Hart. This is one of the few matches between "smaller guys" that I can think of to do the test of strength. Speaking of which, when was the last time someone did one of those? I'm sure it has happened, but I am drawing a blank. Bret then pulls a heel move by faking a shoulder injury. They almost have a big botch, as Piper struggles to flip over the ropes after catching Hart. With the amount of wrestlers who admire Bret's work so much, I am shocked we don't see more guys trying to imitate his style and pacing. Hart is busted open, which they fooled Vince into thinking was done accidentally. This is just an absolutely brilliant story that these two guys pulled off. Face vs. face matches are typically extremely difficult matches to pull off, and yet these two guys did it with ease. The climax leads to Piper unable to decide if he should hit Hart with the ring bell when the ref is out, which Hart takes advantage of for the pinfall victory. The crowd absolutely ate all of this up. Great match.
Match Rating: ****
Bobby Heenan then goes live to Atlanta to introduce Lex Luger. He literally looks like he was injected with every steroid on the planet before the interview. Oh yeah, this was for WBF. How did no one tell Vince that this was such a terrible idea? Luger is pretty terrible here, which I know is shocking news.
We now go backstage to the Mountie, Repo Man and Nasty Boys. If you love the cheese, this one is for you. This is naturally followed up by Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Virgil and Jim Duggan. Virgil sporting the mask for his broken nose is amazing.
Mountie, Repo Man & Nasty Boys vs. Big Boss Man, Virgil, Sgt. Slaughter & Hacksaw Jim Duggan
The match is introduced by Ray Combs of Family Feud fame. He spouts out a few zingers about the heels, which 9 year old me ate up. This leads to the heels going after Combs and the faces coming to his rescue. Kind of crazy to think of where some of these guys were just one year prior at WrestleMania VII. Virgil was in a big feud with Ted Dibiase, the Nasty Boys stole the titles from the Hart Foundation, Big Boss Man was the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title and Sgt. Slaughter was in the main event. Now they are in a throwaway match. Heenan lets us know that "SHAWN MICHAELS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING". To call this match sloppy would be letting it off too easy. Boss Man's swinging punch is so laughably bad. Things just completely fall apart and somehow the match gets even sloppier. Danny Davis isn't exactly doing much to help these guys along, either. Virgil gets the pin and we get to hear his semi-underrated entrance music.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Sean Mooney is back with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. They are hyping up the photos that they have been talking about for weeks leading up to the big match. This story on paper is a little corny, but Savage and Flair were the right guys to pull it off.
Mean Gene is outside the dressing room of Randy Savage, who is not allowing Okerlund in, so he just hypes the match like only he can.
WWF Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage
I had forgotten how different Flair's original entrance music was. The backdrop over the top rope spot they do is a great visual. Unsurprisingly, Savage made it look spectacular.. It's crazy how young Mr. Perfect looks here. Being a WWF loyalist at the time, I was only semi-familiar with Flair when he was brought in back in 1991. I remember getting made fun of by my friends for liking Flair because he didn't have big muscles. Flair then pulls off one of the more famous blade jobs in WWF/E history that got him into big trouble with Vince. Unlike Hart earlier in the night, it was clear that this one was a blade job. These guys have the crowd right in the palm of their hands and they definitely capitalized on it. Elizabeth is now down at ringside to check on Savage, who is taking a beating and selling it like only he can. One of the earlier Shane McMahon appearances as he is one of the stooges trying to get Elizabeth to go to the back. Then out of nowhere, Savage rolls up Flair out of nowhere and he gets the loudest pop of the night so far. This was an excellent WWF style main event type match, that proves interference can be effective when it makes sense within the story and this most definitely does. Easily the best WWF Championship at a WrestleMania up until this point and I would still put it pretty high up there. After the match Flair gets some revenge and leaves the ring to some major booing.
Match Rating: ****1/2
Back to Sean Mooney with a bloody Flair and irate Mr. Perfect. In walks Heenan in a panic. To anyone who was a fan during this era, this is a dream come true. If this feud happened in the current era, this would have been the first of pay-per-view matches. They show the replay of Savage grabbing the tights.
Mean Gene is with Savage who is still selling the bad knee and gives a classic Macho Man interview. Good stuff.
We now get clips of the big WrestleMania VIII "press conference", which is the cheapest looking press conference I have seen, even by 1992 standards. Then we get the Sid Justice heel turn clip on Saturday Night Main Event, which despite being pretty obvious, was well done. Sid then destroys Barber Shop set. Thankfully for Sid, WrestleMania wasn't during softball season or else he would have missed his big moment.
Sean Mooney is with Rick Martel, who is forever the most underrated wrestler of early 90s WWF. He then makes a tasteless Native American comment and that's about all.
Tatanka vs. Rick Martel
Tatanka has a tribe with him at ringside, which makes for an interesting atmosphere. This is kind of the death spot, as they have to follow an awesome match and Heenan is bent out of shape and Monsoon keeps egging him on. Both guys are putting in a solid effort and Tatanka was definitely getting over. Heenan now goes off on all of his Native American jokes. After some back and forth action, Tatanka gets a pinfall pretty much out of nowhere to the point where it almost feels like a mistake.
Match Rating: *1/2
Sean Mooney is with Money, Inc. who cut a pretty blah promo. This leads to a rather intense promo from your heroes that Natural Disasters. They really couldn't have cut these promos and given the world the Berzerker vs. British Bulldog match that we all deserved?
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Money, Inc. vs. Natural Disasters
IRS is one of my all time least favorite wrestlers. Yet, somehow he lasted seemingly forever in a one note gimmick. Simpler times, I suppose. The Natural Disasters clean house, but the crowd just isn't buying them as faces. 1992 was the year the golden era of tag team wrestling in WWF died. The difference in ability between Typhoon and Earthquake is very apparent. Earthquake overall was an underrated worker at this time. Earthquake was going for the big splash, but Jimmy Hart comes in and pulls IRS out and Money, Inc. is counted out. I love that Monsoon explains that they are forfeiting the winners purse. They need to start emphasizing that again.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Mean Gene introduces us to one of the "all time greats", Brutus Beefcake. Yes, this really happened. Beefcake's mullet is pretty glorious here. He lets us know that Hulkamania will never die.
Owen Hart vs. Skinner
Skinner is already in the ring and as Owen Hart enters, Skinner spits in his face and attacks him. Skinner had some of the more memorable introduction vignettes of my childhood. Owen does a roll up for the victory out of nowhere. Why did this match even happen?
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is with Sid Justice and we are in for a treat. Sid says it will be Hogan's last match. I bet it won't be. They cut to a sit down interview between Hogan and Vince McMahon. Vince ends the interview with one of the creepier handshakes ever caught on film. Then they go back to Sid spouting out more nonsense. Sid was a one in a million. I'm not really quite sure what the point of pairing Harvey Wippleman with Sid was. He didn't say a word.
Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan
I guess this is Wippleman's purpose, to rip the mic from Howard Finkel and introduce Sid Justice. Gorilla refers to Sid as "straightjacket material". They also say Gorilla coined the nickname Psycho Sid. It's kind of remarkable that Sid somehow was in the main event at more than one WrestleMania. Hogan is out and we get the typical heel attacks Hogan, Hogan fights him off and then rips his shirt off all while his entrance music still plays. Hogan matches are always more entertaining with Heenan constantly bashing him. We then are treated to over two minutes of them standing in the center of the ring holding hands. Such drama. You'll quickly learn that I am not a Hulk Hogan fan. I was the one kid at school who couldn't stand the Hulkster. I'd like to think that I was a more knowledgeable fan, but my favorite was Ultimate Warrior, so that theory goes right out the window. Sid does a close up interview during the middle of the match, which definitely was not something that happened often during this era. Good lord, this match is awful. This is a house show quality workrate. How many rest holds does one 13 minute match need? Here comes the powerbomb and Hogan kicks out. A big boot doesn't knock Sid down, so he goes for the body slam. Wippleman is in there and somehow that is a DQ. Papa Shango missed his spot, so we get treated to one of the weakest DQs in history. No big deal. It was just the main event of your biggest show of the year. Hall of Famer Papa Shango is going to work on Hogan and we are treated to one of the biggest surprise returns in WWF history. Ultimate Warrior comes sprinting out and the Hoosier Dome is rocking. All is right in cartoon era WWF. Warrior isn't even capable of being on the same page as someone during a post match celebration. Terrible match, but a feel good ending that McMahon was always dead set on having.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Overall, this is a mixed bag and the second half of the show is pretty weak. However, you get two matches at ****s and above plus a lot of nostalgia. If you were a fan of this era, I feel this is a winner. If not, you should still enjoy Hart/Piper and Flair/Savage.
Overall Show Score: 80%
Sunday, April 5th, 1992
Hoosier Dome
Indianapolis, Indiana
If there is one thing that I miss most about the old WrestleMania shows, it is the old intro music with Vince McMahon shouting the matches over it. Followed by the brilliant team of Gorilla Monsoon and Bobby Heenan. Jim Ross is the best actual play-by-play man in wrestling history, but in terms of just his vocals, I'll take Gorilla every day of the week.
Reba McIntyre is here to sing "America The Beautiful", which is actually a fairly big get for the WWF at this time. Especially with business on the downturn big time. I could be wrong, but this is the one major WWF/E show that I can think of that doesn't hide large sections of empty seats. With the early start time (5:00 pm Eastern), they may not have really had a choice.
El Matador Tito Santana vs. Shawn Michaels
This was Vince's last ditch effort to make Tito relevant towards the end of his career, which was very similarly done with Ricky Steamboat in 1991. Sherri Martel truly was a one of a kind. Both wrestlers came out to small reactions, but the crowd is definitely into the action. Santana was without a doubt one of the greatest mid-card performers of the era, which really made him the perfect opponent for Michaels here. This match is a perfect example of how much has changed in wrestling in the last 25 years or so, most notably the number of rest holds and art of selling. Every move that is done between the rest holds feels so important because of the way they sell it. Michaels gets the sloppy victory here by pinfall in a pretty good opener.
Match Rating: **3/4 (out of 5)
Mean Gene then introduces the Legion of Doom along with the WWF debut of Paul Ellering. They were originally supposed to fight Money, Inc. here, but Hawk failed a drug test and instead we get this pointless interview segment. This was the beginning of the end for LOD in WWF until 1996.
Backstage to Sean Mooney with Jake Roberts. They show a clip of one of the more memorable scenes for me from this era, where Undertaker's hand is slammed shut in the casket and Jake destroys him with a chair. It's been said a million times, but it's too bad Roberts' bad habits ended this heel run. It would have led to what would have eventually been a great face turn.
Jake Roberts vs. Undertaker
Unless you never have watched WWE television, I think you can probably guess who is going to win this match. This is WrestleMania match #2 for Taker. Props to Gorilla for saying "a tremendous crowd" as opposed to having to pretend that it was a sell out. I am pretty sure that if this character debuted today, he would never get over if this was the pace he wrestled at. It really is amazing that they allowed him to wrestle this slowly for as long as they did. Jake nails him with the DDT, which leads to a sit up by Taker. Was Taker the first person to not lose after a DDT from Jake? Jake hits another, which leads to a tombstone on the outside of the ring. Taker drags him in the ring and that's all she wrote.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Backstage with Mean Gene, Roddy Piper and Bret Hart. This is Piper at his goofiest, but it works for me. Bret says about 5 words.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Bret Hart vs. Roddy Piper
Going into this show, this was the match I was most excited about. Both guys come out to good reactions. It takes approximately for Piper to lose his temper and spit at Hart. This is one of the few matches between "smaller guys" that I can think of to do the test of strength. Speaking of which, when was the last time someone did one of those? I'm sure it has happened, but I am drawing a blank. Bret then pulls a heel move by faking a shoulder injury. They almost have a big botch, as Piper struggles to flip over the ropes after catching Hart. With the amount of wrestlers who admire Bret's work so much, I am shocked we don't see more guys trying to imitate his style and pacing. Hart is busted open, which they fooled Vince into thinking was done accidentally. This is just an absolutely brilliant story that these two guys pulled off. Face vs. face matches are typically extremely difficult matches to pull off, and yet these two guys did it with ease. The climax leads to Piper unable to decide if he should hit Hart with the ring bell when the ref is out, which Hart takes advantage of for the pinfall victory. The crowd absolutely ate all of this up. Great match.
Match Rating: ****
Bobby Heenan then goes live to Atlanta to introduce Lex Luger. He literally looks like he was injected with every steroid on the planet before the interview. Oh yeah, this was for WBF. How did no one tell Vince that this was such a terrible idea? Luger is pretty terrible here, which I know is shocking news.
We now go backstage to the Mountie, Repo Man and Nasty Boys. If you love the cheese, this one is for you. This is naturally followed up by Big Boss Man, Sgt. Slaughter, Virgil and Jim Duggan. Virgil sporting the mask for his broken nose is amazing.
Mountie, Repo Man & Nasty Boys vs. Big Boss Man, Virgil, Sgt. Slaughter & Hacksaw Jim Duggan
The match is introduced by Ray Combs of Family Feud fame. He spouts out a few zingers about the heels, which 9 year old me ate up. This leads to the heels going after Combs and the faces coming to his rescue. Kind of crazy to think of where some of these guys were just one year prior at WrestleMania VII. Virgil was in a big feud with Ted Dibiase, the Nasty Boys stole the titles from the Hart Foundation, Big Boss Man was the #1 contender to the Intercontinental title and Sgt. Slaughter was in the main event. Now they are in a throwaway match. Heenan lets us know that "SHAWN MICHAELS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING". To call this match sloppy would be letting it off too easy. Boss Man's swinging punch is so laughably bad. Things just completely fall apart and somehow the match gets even sloppier. Danny Davis isn't exactly doing much to help these guys along, either. Virgil gets the pin and we get to hear his semi-underrated entrance music.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Sean Mooney is back with Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect. They are hyping up the photos that they have been talking about for weeks leading up to the big match. This story on paper is a little corny, but Savage and Flair were the right guys to pull it off.
Mean Gene is outside the dressing room of Randy Savage, who is not allowing Okerlund in, so he just hypes the match like only he can.
WWF Championship Match
Ric Flair vs. Randy Savage
I had forgotten how different Flair's original entrance music was. The backdrop over the top rope spot they do is a great visual. Unsurprisingly, Savage made it look spectacular.. It's crazy how young Mr. Perfect looks here. Being a WWF loyalist at the time, I was only semi-familiar with Flair when he was brought in back in 1991. I remember getting made fun of by my friends for liking Flair because he didn't have big muscles. Flair then pulls off one of the more famous blade jobs in WWF/E history that got him into big trouble with Vince. Unlike Hart earlier in the night, it was clear that this one was a blade job. These guys have the crowd right in the palm of their hands and they definitely capitalized on it. Elizabeth is now down at ringside to check on Savage, who is taking a beating and selling it like only he can. One of the earlier Shane McMahon appearances as he is one of the stooges trying to get Elizabeth to go to the back. Then out of nowhere, Savage rolls up Flair out of nowhere and he gets the loudest pop of the night so far. This was an excellent WWF style main event type match, that proves interference can be effective when it makes sense within the story and this most definitely does. Easily the best WWF Championship at a WrestleMania up until this point and I would still put it pretty high up there. After the match Flair gets some revenge and leaves the ring to some major booing.
Match Rating: ****1/2
Back to Sean Mooney with a bloody Flair and irate Mr. Perfect. In walks Heenan in a panic. To anyone who was a fan during this era, this is a dream come true. If this feud happened in the current era, this would have been the first of pay-per-view matches. They show the replay of Savage grabbing the tights.
Mean Gene is with Savage who is still selling the bad knee and gives a classic Macho Man interview. Good stuff.
We now get clips of the big WrestleMania VIII "press conference", which is the cheapest looking press conference I have seen, even by 1992 standards. Then we get the Sid Justice heel turn clip on Saturday Night Main Event, which despite being pretty obvious, was well done. Sid then destroys Barber Shop set. Thankfully for Sid, WrestleMania wasn't during softball season or else he would have missed his big moment.
Sean Mooney is with Rick Martel, who is forever the most underrated wrestler of early 90s WWF. He then makes a tasteless Native American comment and that's about all.
Tatanka vs. Rick Martel
Tatanka has a tribe with him at ringside, which makes for an interesting atmosphere. This is kind of the death spot, as they have to follow an awesome match and Heenan is bent out of shape and Monsoon keeps egging him on. Both guys are putting in a solid effort and Tatanka was definitely getting over. Heenan now goes off on all of his Native American jokes. After some back and forth action, Tatanka gets a pinfall pretty much out of nowhere to the point where it almost feels like a mistake.
Match Rating: *1/2
Sean Mooney is with Money, Inc. who cut a pretty blah promo. This leads to a rather intense promo from your heroes that Natural Disasters. They really couldn't have cut these promos and given the world the Berzerker vs. British Bulldog match that we all deserved?
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Money, Inc. vs. Natural Disasters
IRS is one of my all time least favorite wrestlers. Yet, somehow he lasted seemingly forever in a one note gimmick. Simpler times, I suppose. The Natural Disasters clean house, but the crowd just isn't buying them as faces. 1992 was the year the golden era of tag team wrestling in WWF died. The difference in ability between Typhoon and Earthquake is very apparent. Earthquake overall was an underrated worker at this time. Earthquake was going for the big splash, but Jimmy Hart comes in and pulls IRS out and Money, Inc. is counted out. I love that Monsoon explains that they are forfeiting the winners purse. They need to start emphasizing that again.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Mean Gene introduces us to one of the "all time greats", Brutus Beefcake. Yes, this really happened. Beefcake's mullet is pretty glorious here. He lets us know that Hulkamania will never die.
Owen Hart vs. Skinner
Skinner is already in the ring and as Owen Hart enters, Skinner spits in his face and attacks him. Skinner had some of the more memorable introduction vignettes of my childhood. Owen does a roll up for the victory out of nowhere. Why did this match even happen?
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is with Sid Justice and we are in for a treat. Sid says it will be Hogan's last match. I bet it won't be. They cut to a sit down interview between Hogan and Vince McMahon. Vince ends the interview with one of the creepier handshakes ever caught on film. Then they go back to Sid spouting out more nonsense. Sid was a one in a million. I'm not really quite sure what the point of pairing Harvey Wippleman with Sid was. He didn't say a word.
Sid Justice vs. Hulk Hogan
I guess this is Wippleman's purpose, to rip the mic from Howard Finkel and introduce Sid Justice. Gorilla refers to Sid as "straightjacket material". They also say Gorilla coined the nickname Psycho Sid. It's kind of remarkable that Sid somehow was in the main event at more than one WrestleMania. Hogan is out and we get the typical heel attacks Hogan, Hogan fights him off and then rips his shirt off all while his entrance music still plays. Hogan matches are always more entertaining with Heenan constantly bashing him. We then are treated to over two minutes of them standing in the center of the ring holding hands. Such drama. You'll quickly learn that I am not a Hulk Hogan fan. I was the one kid at school who couldn't stand the Hulkster. I'd like to think that I was a more knowledgeable fan, but my favorite was Ultimate Warrior, so that theory goes right out the window. Sid does a close up interview during the middle of the match, which definitely was not something that happened often during this era. Good lord, this match is awful. This is a house show quality workrate. How many rest holds does one 13 minute match need? Here comes the powerbomb and Hogan kicks out. A big boot doesn't knock Sid down, so he goes for the body slam. Wippleman is in there and somehow that is a DQ. Papa Shango missed his spot, so we get treated to one of the weakest DQs in history. No big deal. It was just the main event of your biggest show of the year. Hall of Famer Papa Shango is going to work on Hogan and we are treated to one of the biggest surprise returns in WWF history. Ultimate Warrior comes sprinting out and the Hoosier Dome is rocking. All is right in cartoon era WWF. Warrior isn't even capable of being on the same page as someone during a post match celebration. Terrible match, but a feel good ending that McMahon was always dead set on having.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Overall, this is a mixed bag and the second half of the show is pretty weak. However, you get two matches at ****s and above plus a lot of nostalgia. If you were a fan of this era, I feel this is a winner. If not, you should still enjoy Hart/Piper and Flair/Savage.
Overall Show Score: 80%
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