Original Airdate: Wednesday, September 5th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
We get a highlight package of the NXT Championship last week.
Richie Steamboat vs. Kassius Ohno
This one has some potential. We get a back and forth start, with Steamboat leading the charge. Steamboat hits Ohno with some hard chops to the chest. Irish Whip by Steamboat, but Ohno puts his knee up. Steamboat is still able to quickly battle back until Ohno pokes him in the eye, to which Ohno pleads his case to the ref that it was an accident. Steamboat fights back yet again and Ohno does the same eye poke again and this time the ref calls for the disqualification. Hopefully this leads to a proper re-match sometime down the line.
Match Rating: 1/2*
After the match Ohno attacks Steamboat, including dropping Steamboat on the guardrail outside the ring. I'm not quite sure how Ohno never got called up to the main roster. Ricky Steamboat is out there now and he is not happy.
Audrey Marie vs. Paige
We get some pretty solid wrestling to start and then they start slamming each other to the mat and rolling all over. Paige hits Audrey with a forearm and then slams her head into the mat again. Short arm clothesline and hits the RamPaige for the victory. Still not a fan of Paige's work.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Steamboat is backstage and finds Ohno, who is wearing glasses and tells Ricky that his son doesn't have potential. Steamboat pushes him and Ohno taunts him as they are broken up by WWE officials.
Percy Watson vs. Leo Kruger
Kruger comes out in cargo pants and a goofy look on his face. Snap suplex by Kruger and he then attacks Watson's back. They are selling that he is a changed man, which we all know won't happen until he becomes Adam Rose. This match is getting 0 reaction from the live crowd. Watson fights back with a couple of dropkicks and a jumping clothesline. Showtime Splash by Watson for a 2 count. Kruger hangs him the ropes and then hits Kruger End for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Brodus Clay vs. Ryan Collins
Brodus was an interesting wrestler that I'm kind of surprised didn't catch on with the WWE audience. He hits a few of his moves and finishes it with a splash. This would have fit right in with the 1992 Superstars matches I have been watching.
Match Rating: 1/4*
The Ascension vs. The Usos
The Usos go right after the Ascension and clear them out of the ring. Back from a commercial break and the Usos are still in control. After watching the Usos for so many years, I still am unable to tell them apart from one another. The Ascension take over, which means we get body scissors and headlocks. The Ascension are working this match as if they are doing a Broadway. Usos finally get the hot tag, but the Ascension killed the crowd, so the response is a little timid. Jimmy Uso jumps over the rope to hit Conor, but Kenneth Cameron hits his modified Code Breaker for the victory. That was pretty disappointing.
Match Rating: *1/4
They show a video package of Seth Rollins winning the NXT Championship last week. Jim Ross then introduces Rollins. Rollins said he wants a bullseye on his forehead, because he will hit the Blackout on everyone who challenges him.
That was not a particularly exciting show and not the best follow up to crown your new champion. I do like the idea of a Ohno/Steamboat feud and am interested in seeing that. The Ascension were a major letdown tonight in their first true chance to show off what they can do. If you can't have a good match with the Usos, that's not really promising.
Overall Rating: 28%
Saturday, March 30, 2019
Wednesday, March 27, 2019
Superstars 7-11-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, July 11th, 1992
Victor Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Today we will get Legion Of Doom, Undertaker, Nailz, Shawn Michaels and Money, Inc.
Legion Of Doom vs. Barry Hardy & Kerry Davis
We get the debut of Rocco, which is easily in the top 10 dumbest ideas ever for an established star. It's right up there with Natalya's farting gimmick. LOD of course goes right to it on these jobbers, as they keep cutting to an up close shot of Rocco. Doomsday Device to the poor jobber and of course that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with Mean Gene and brought to you by the one and only ICOPRO. They show highlights of The Mountie using the Great American Scream Machine. Mountie cuts a short promo on Sgt. Slaughter.
Chico Martinez vs. Shawn Michaels
It's July 11th and they are still hyping Shawn Michaels going after the Intercontinental Championship. Shawn hits a big knee. Shawn ducks for a back body drop, but Martinez kicks him and Michaels goes outside to re-group. Shawn comes back in and attacks Martinez. Superkick by Michaels and then hits his anti-climatic suplex finisher for the win. It's really no wonder he switched his finisher to the Superkick.
Match Rating: 1/4*
To Sean Mooney in the Event Center we go. Rick Martel talks about his new look that he has been talking about for like 2 months now. Virgil gives his generic "I don't have a feud, so I'll name a bunch of guys" promos.
We get a Macho Man highlight video that shows his entire career.
The Undertaker vs. Bruce Mitchell
Well, they still haven't moved on to Kamala for Taker here, as Perfect says Berzerker is the man who can stop him. Mitchell has less muscle mass than I do, which is saying something. Taker does a one armed chokeslam. Undertaker then walks the ropes and hits the Tombstone for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
After the match, Berzerker and Fuji come down and attack Paul Bearer and then the Undertaker. Fuji has the urn. Taker no sells Berzerker's offense and a weak cane shot to the back. They throw salt in Taker's eye and retreat...without the urn. Did anyone buy Berzerker beating Undertaker?
Back to the Event Center. Skinner talks about his tooth earring and Bret Hart talks about the pressure of being the Intercontinental Championship. I have to say that the majority are hard on Bret for his promo ability, but I always thought he did a good job. His interviews always seemed more real than the cartoony stuff everyone else was doing.
Dwayne Gill vs. El Matador
Before the match, Tito waves his cape and Gill plays the role of a bull. 1992, I love you. The beginning of the match starts off with some weird headlock segment. We basically get a knee lift and his finishing move that I don't know how to spell.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Kamala is on his way down to talk to Mean Gene. They show a little girl in the crowd crying. Okerlund and Harvey Wippleman get into an argument and Kamala basically threatens to stab him with a spear, which again makes the little girl cry. There's no better family entertainment than 1992 WWF.
Dublin Destroyer vs. Tatanka
Destroyer actually looks like someone who could be on the roster at this time. Tatanka hits a suplex and then a chop off the top rope. He hits his Samoan Drop for the finish.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Body Stars every Saturday at 10:00. Well at least for like the next week or so.
Nailz vs. Rick Johnson
Nailz attacks Johnson as soon as he gets to the ring. God, Nailz is the worst. He basically just chokes him for two minutes. They didn't even bother to pipe in fake crowd heat for this garbage.
Match Rating: 0 Stars
They announce that SummerSlam will be in London. Can you imagine if they waited this long now?
The Fink announces that Shawn Michaels has left the building.
Money, Inc. vs. Bobby Perez & Angel Vega
This is the most impressive Money, Inc. has been on Superstars so far. They hit all their signature moves and Dibiase wins with the Million Dollar Dream. I hate it when tag teams don't have a double team for a finisher.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Razor Ramon is back this week and we get to watch him argue with a waiter over a check. This was actually pretty funny. I don't know how Hall made it through the take without laughing.
Event Center time once again and YES, it's another High Energy interview. Hey, they have a new background. Owen calls the Nasty Boys fat and Koko continues with his hilarious delivery. The Berzerker says he is the toughest wrestler in the WWF.
Next week we get British Bulldog, The Mountie, a special interview with Big Boss Man, Ric Flair and the announcement of the main event of SummerSlam.
Well, we got the usual job matches here with a little extra wackiness thanks to the Berzerker and Kamala segments. Nailz continues to be one of the worst things I have ever watched and we finally should get to see some build towards SummerSlam next week. Nothing really to see here.
Overall Rating: 26%
Victor Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Today we will get Legion Of Doom, Undertaker, Nailz, Shawn Michaels and Money, Inc.
Legion Of Doom vs. Barry Hardy & Kerry Davis
We get the debut of Rocco, which is easily in the top 10 dumbest ideas ever for an established star. It's right up there with Natalya's farting gimmick. LOD of course goes right to it on these jobbers, as they keep cutting to an up close shot of Rocco. Doomsday Device to the poor jobber and of course that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with Mean Gene and brought to you by the one and only ICOPRO. They show highlights of The Mountie using the Great American Scream Machine. Mountie cuts a short promo on Sgt. Slaughter.
Chico Martinez vs. Shawn Michaels
It's July 11th and they are still hyping Shawn Michaels going after the Intercontinental Championship. Shawn hits a big knee. Shawn ducks for a back body drop, but Martinez kicks him and Michaels goes outside to re-group. Shawn comes back in and attacks Martinez. Superkick by Michaels and then hits his anti-climatic suplex finisher for the win. It's really no wonder he switched his finisher to the Superkick.
Match Rating: 1/4*
To Sean Mooney in the Event Center we go. Rick Martel talks about his new look that he has been talking about for like 2 months now. Virgil gives his generic "I don't have a feud, so I'll name a bunch of guys" promos.
We get a Macho Man highlight video that shows his entire career.
The Undertaker vs. Bruce Mitchell
Well, they still haven't moved on to Kamala for Taker here, as Perfect says Berzerker is the man who can stop him. Mitchell has less muscle mass than I do, which is saying something. Taker does a one armed chokeslam. Undertaker then walks the ropes and hits the Tombstone for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
After the match, Berzerker and Fuji come down and attack Paul Bearer and then the Undertaker. Fuji has the urn. Taker no sells Berzerker's offense and a weak cane shot to the back. They throw salt in Taker's eye and retreat...without the urn. Did anyone buy Berzerker beating Undertaker?
Back to the Event Center. Skinner talks about his tooth earring and Bret Hart talks about the pressure of being the Intercontinental Championship. I have to say that the majority are hard on Bret for his promo ability, but I always thought he did a good job. His interviews always seemed more real than the cartoony stuff everyone else was doing.
Dwayne Gill vs. El Matador
Before the match, Tito waves his cape and Gill plays the role of a bull. 1992, I love you. The beginning of the match starts off with some weird headlock segment. We basically get a knee lift and his finishing move that I don't know how to spell.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Kamala is on his way down to talk to Mean Gene. They show a little girl in the crowd crying. Okerlund and Harvey Wippleman get into an argument and Kamala basically threatens to stab him with a spear, which again makes the little girl cry. There's no better family entertainment than 1992 WWF.
Dublin Destroyer vs. Tatanka
Destroyer actually looks like someone who could be on the roster at this time. Tatanka hits a suplex and then a chop off the top rope. He hits his Samoan Drop for the finish.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Body Stars every Saturday at 10:00. Well at least for like the next week or so.
Nailz vs. Rick Johnson
Nailz attacks Johnson as soon as he gets to the ring. God, Nailz is the worst. He basically just chokes him for two minutes. They didn't even bother to pipe in fake crowd heat for this garbage.
Match Rating: 0 Stars
They announce that SummerSlam will be in London. Can you imagine if they waited this long now?
The Fink announces that Shawn Michaels has left the building.
Money, Inc. vs. Bobby Perez & Angel Vega
This is the most impressive Money, Inc. has been on Superstars so far. They hit all their signature moves and Dibiase wins with the Million Dollar Dream. I hate it when tag teams don't have a double team for a finisher.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Razor Ramon is back this week and we get to watch him argue with a waiter over a check. This was actually pretty funny. I don't know how Hall made it through the take without laughing.
Event Center time once again and YES, it's another High Energy interview. Hey, they have a new background. Owen calls the Nasty Boys fat and Koko continues with his hilarious delivery. The Berzerker says he is the toughest wrestler in the WWF.
Next week we get British Bulldog, The Mountie, a special interview with Big Boss Man, Ric Flair and the announcement of the main event of SummerSlam.
Well, we got the usual job matches here with a little extra wackiness thanks to the Berzerker and Kamala segments. Nailz continues to be one of the worst things I have ever watched and we finally should get to see some build towards SummerSlam next week. Nothing really to see here.
Overall Rating: 26%
Monday, March 25, 2019
SmackDown 2-3-05 Review
Original Airdate: Thursday, February 3rd, 2005
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
John Cena's music hits and he arrives to a nice pop. He talks about the controversial finish in the Royal Rumble. Teddy Long is now on his way to the ring. Teddy Long says he doesn't have time to wait for Batista to make up his mind on which title to challenge for, so he is setting up an 8 man tournament to challenge the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. If Batista ends up deciding to pick Smackdown, the match at WrestleMania will be a triple threat. Here comes JBL down the the ring and immediately starts yelling at Long. His complaints get him nowhere and Long announces that next week in Japan Orlando Jordan will face John Cena in a tournament match. JBL is now okay since Orlando is in the tournament. JBL tells Cena that he isn't that league and Cena promptly gives him the FU.
Kurt Angle Invitational
Kurt Angle vs. Nunzio
Before the match, Angle says that the Royal Rumble was satisfying because he made Shawn Michaels suffer. Next week, he will take on Rey Mysterio in Japan as his first round of the tournament. Nunzio makes his way down. He says he came out here because Angle stole his spot in the Rumble and he wants to redeem himself. Angle tries to cheap shot him with the microphone, but Nunzio ducks. Nunzio gets a nearfall with a couple of roll ups. Angle catches Nunzio and does a wheelbarrow suplex and then hits an Angle Slam. Ankle lock is in, but Nunzio gets to the ropes. Angle yanks him from the ropes and Nunzio taps. Fast and furious, but good fun for a 2 minute match.
Match Rating: *3/4 (out of 5)
Angle is backstage with Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak. Jindrak is facing Mysterio tonight and Angle wants him to soften him up. Reigns lets Angle know that he will face the winner of Rene Dupree and Undertaker.
Carlito walks into Long's office. Carlito lets Long know that he sent in his petition and that he will no longer be the commissioner. Boy, was he wrong.
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Jindrak
Mysterio uses his speed early on to avoid Jindrak. Springboard crossbody by Mysterio, but he then gets hit with a boot to the face. Mysterio hits a drop toe hold and goes for the 619, but Jindrak catches him and slams him down. Jindrak does the Rick Rude hip swivel and yeah, he's terrible. Mysterio now fights back and hits a springboard seated senton by Mysterio. Jindrak catches him for a popup backbreaker for a 2 count. Jindrak goes for a splash, but Mysterio moves and then kicks him in the gut. Mysterio sets him up for the 619 and this time he hits it. He gets a flying leg scissors and that gets the win. That was probably one of the best Jindrak matches I have seen.
Match Rating: **1/4
Amy walks into Joy's locker room and hands her a receipt for her laundry bill. Both women are pretty terrible actresses
Big Show vs. The Basham Brothers
There is no better way to bury your tag team champions than to have them lose to one person. We'll see where they go here, but guessing based on the quality of tag teams on the roster, they aren't winning here. Big Show is dominating early until one of the Bashams gets his boots up. The Basham's offense doesn't last long and we're back to your typical Big Show match. Doug goes to hit Show with a chair, but it doesn't work out and next thing you know it's a chokeslam and a victory for Big Show. I don't hate him winning, but why not try a little harder to give him someone else to beat.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They announce some Hall of Fame entrants: Paul Orndorff, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Bob Orton and Jimmy Hart.
#1 Contender Tournament 1st Round Match
Rene Dupree vs. The Undertaker
You can mark this one down as matches I wish I never saw. Undertaker with a big shoulder tackle that sends Dupree out of the ring. Jindrak and Reigns are down at ringside and we go to commercial. Taker hits Old School and gets a 2 count. Taker gets distracted and Dupree sends Taker out of the ring. Taker has both Reigns and Jindrak by the throat but Dupree dropkicks him from behind. Taker is back in control and hits a legdrop on the apron. He goes for a boot to the corner, but Dupree moves and Taker is stuck on the top rope. Dupree begins to work on his knee. This match has been much better than I have expected and Taker is giving Dupree way more offense than I ever would have imagined. Taker hits the chokeslam and follows it up with a triangle choke. Reigns distracts Taker and Jindrak grabs Dupree and pulls him out of the ring. Taker throws Dupree into the steel steps. Taker tries to break the count, but Reigns grabs his leg and the match is a double countout. That was a fairly entertaining match that was ruined by a flat finish. After the match, Taker Tombstones Dupree.
Match Rating: **1/2
Josh Matthews is with Big Show and Amy. Show tries to sell how brutal the barbed wire steel cage match is going to be at No Way Out. If Batista jumps to Smackdown, he says he'll take care of him.
Booker T is getting ready for his match and Eddie Guerrero walks in. Booker T plans on headlining WrestleMania and he won't let Eddie lie, cheat and steal.
We get a new WrestleMania spoof commercial and it's Triple H doing Braveheart.
#1 Contender Tournament 1st Round Match
Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero
Seeing how popular Guerrero was at this time, it makes it even more surprising to me that they turned him heel later this year. I'm guessing it was him who pushed for it. They start shoving each other a little to begin. Booker grabs the early advantage with some standard stuff. One thing that bugs me is when guys lazily apply submission holds and Booker right here has a super loose chinlock on Eddie. Eddie fights back and climbs up top, but Booker rolls out of the way. Feels like a great time for a commercial break. Eddie with some elbows and a body slam that leads into a hilo and a 2 count. Booker turns the tide and hits a superplex and both men are down. Booker gets Eddie into a sleeper hold and again it doesn't look that convincing. Eddie battles out of it and ducks under Booker's kick and hits a nice dropkick. Eddie charges at Booker but he ducks and Eddie flies over the top rope. Booker immediately slams Guerrero into the steps and throws him back in for a 2 count. Book End by Booker T, but Eddie gets his foot on the rope. The crowd didn't really buy that as a false finish. Shoutout to the guy in the crowd wearing a Barry Sanders jersey and Lions hat. 2005 wasn't exactly our year. Eddie hits another dropkick and is calling for the Three Amigos and he hits them all. Eddie goes up top, but Booker moves out of the way from the Frog Splash and both are down again. Booker does the spinaroonie and goes for a kick, but Eddie ducks and Booker hits Nick Patrick. Scissor kick by Booker, but Patrick takes awhile to get to the count and it's only a 2 count. Booker is pushed into Nick Patrick and Eddie falls to the ground grabbing his knee. The announcers seem shocked that he is doing this. Eddie continues to grab his knee and Eddie attacks him from behind, but Booker is watching on the big screen and rolls up Eddie and gets the victory. Smart finish there, but the match was pretty meh. Booker seemed as if he was pacing himself for a 40 minute match, rather than a 20 minute match. Booker moves on to take on John Cena or Orlando Jordan. I wonder who will win that one?
Match Rating: **1/4
Never in a million years did I think the Dupree/Taker match would be the highlight, but here we are. I liked how they went right ahead and moved on with the two main matches at No Way Out and that it actually makes sense. Not really a good episode, but an effective one as it set up a lot and I'm pretty pumped to see Mysterio/Angle on the next episode.
Overall Rating: 56%
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
John Cena's music hits and he arrives to a nice pop. He talks about the controversial finish in the Royal Rumble. Teddy Long is now on his way to the ring. Teddy Long says he doesn't have time to wait for Batista to make up his mind on which title to challenge for, so he is setting up an 8 man tournament to challenge the WWE Champion at WrestleMania. If Batista ends up deciding to pick Smackdown, the match at WrestleMania will be a triple threat. Here comes JBL down the the ring and immediately starts yelling at Long. His complaints get him nowhere and Long announces that next week in Japan Orlando Jordan will face John Cena in a tournament match. JBL is now okay since Orlando is in the tournament. JBL tells Cena that he isn't that league and Cena promptly gives him the FU.
Kurt Angle Invitational
Kurt Angle vs. Nunzio
Before the match, Angle says that the Royal Rumble was satisfying because he made Shawn Michaels suffer. Next week, he will take on Rey Mysterio in Japan as his first round of the tournament. Nunzio makes his way down. He says he came out here because Angle stole his spot in the Rumble and he wants to redeem himself. Angle tries to cheap shot him with the microphone, but Nunzio ducks. Nunzio gets a nearfall with a couple of roll ups. Angle catches Nunzio and does a wheelbarrow suplex and then hits an Angle Slam. Ankle lock is in, but Nunzio gets to the ropes. Angle yanks him from the ropes and Nunzio taps. Fast and furious, but good fun for a 2 minute match.
Match Rating: *3/4 (out of 5)
Angle is backstage with Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak. Jindrak is facing Mysterio tonight and Angle wants him to soften him up. Reigns lets Angle know that he will face the winner of Rene Dupree and Undertaker.
Carlito walks into Long's office. Carlito lets Long know that he sent in his petition and that he will no longer be the commissioner. Boy, was he wrong.
Rey Mysterio vs. Mark Jindrak
Mysterio uses his speed early on to avoid Jindrak. Springboard crossbody by Mysterio, but he then gets hit with a boot to the face. Mysterio hits a drop toe hold and goes for the 619, but Jindrak catches him and slams him down. Jindrak does the Rick Rude hip swivel and yeah, he's terrible. Mysterio now fights back and hits a springboard seated senton by Mysterio. Jindrak catches him for a popup backbreaker for a 2 count. Jindrak goes for a splash, but Mysterio moves and then kicks him in the gut. Mysterio sets him up for the 619 and this time he hits it. He gets a flying leg scissors and that gets the win. That was probably one of the best Jindrak matches I have seen.
Match Rating: **1/4
Amy walks into Joy's locker room and hands her a receipt for her laundry bill. Both women are pretty terrible actresses
Big Show vs. The Basham Brothers
There is no better way to bury your tag team champions than to have them lose to one person. We'll see where they go here, but guessing based on the quality of tag teams on the roster, they aren't winning here. Big Show is dominating early until one of the Bashams gets his boots up. The Basham's offense doesn't last long and we're back to your typical Big Show match. Doug goes to hit Show with a chair, but it doesn't work out and next thing you know it's a chokeslam and a victory for Big Show. I don't hate him winning, but why not try a little harder to give him someone else to beat.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They announce some Hall of Fame entrants: Paul Orndorff, Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff, Bob Orton and Jimmy Hart.
#1 Contender Tournament 1st Round Match
Rene Dupree vs. The Undertaker
You can mark this one down as matches I wish I never saw. Undertaker with a big shoulder tackle that sends Dupree out of the ring. Jindrak and Reigns are down at ringside and we go to commercial. Taker hits Old School and gets a 2 count. Taker gets distracted and Dupree sends Taker out of the ring. Taker has both Reigns and Jindrak by the throat but Dupree dropkicks him from behind. Taker is back in control and hits a legdrop on the apron. He goes for a boot to the corner, but Dupree moves and Taker is stuck on the top rope. Dupree begins to work on his knee. This match has been much better than I have expected and Taker is giving Dupree way more offense than I ever would have imagined. Taker hits the chokeslam and follows it up with a triangle choke. Reigns distracts Taker and Jindrak grabs Dupree and pulls him out of the ring. Taker throws Dupree into the steel steps. Taker tries to break the count, but Reigns grabs his leg and the match is a double countout. That was a fairly entertaining match that was ruined by a flat finish. After the match, Taker Tombstones Dupree.
Match Rating: **1/2
Josh Matthews is with Big Show and Amy. Show tries to sell how brutal the barbed wire steel cage match is going to be at No Way Out. If Batista jumps to Smackdown, he says he'll take care of him.
Booker T is getting ready for his match and Eddie Guerrero walks in. Booker T plans on headlining WrestleMania and he won't let Eddie lie, cheat and steal.
We get a new WrestleMania spoof commercial and it's Triple H doing Braveheart.
#1 Contender Tournament 1st Round Match
Booker T vs. Eddie Guerrero
Seeing how popular Guerrero was at this time, it makes it even more surprising to me that they turned him heel later this year. I'm guessing it was him who pushed for it. They start shoving each other a little to begin. Booker grabs the early advantage with some standard stuff. One thing that bugs me is when guys lazily apply submission holds and Booker right here has a super loose chinlock on Eddie. Eddie fights back and climbs up top, but Booker rolls out of the way. Feels like a great time for a commercial break. Eddie with some elbows and a body slam that leads into a hilo and a 2 count. Booker turns the tide and hits a superplex and both men are down. Booker gets Eddie into a sleeper hold and again it doesn't look that convincing. Eddie battles out of it and ducks under Booker's kick and hits a nice dropkick. Eddie charges at Booker but he ducks and Eddie flies over the top rope. Booker immediately slams Guerrero into the steps and throws him back in for a 2 count. Book End by Booker T, but Eddie gets his foot on the rope. The crowd didn't really buy that as a false finish. Shoutout to the guy in the crowd wearing a Barry Sanders jersey and Lions hat. 2005 wasn't exactly our year. Eddie hits another dropkick and is calling for the Three Amigos and he hits them all. Eddie goes up top, but Booker moves out of the way from the Frog Splash and both are down again. Booker does the spinaroonie and goes for a kick, but Eddie ducks and Booker hits Nick Patrick. Scissor kick by Booker, but Patrick takes awhile to get to the count and it's only a 2 count. Booker is pushed into Nick Patrick and Eddie falls to the ground grabbing his knee. The announcers seem shocked that he is doing this. Eddie continues to grab his knee and Eddie attacks him from behind, but Booker is watching on the big screen and rolls up Eddie and gets the victory. Smart finish there, but the match was pretty meh. Booker seemed as if he was pacing himself for a 40 minute match, rather than a 20 minute match. Booker moves on to take on John Cena or Orlando Jordan. I wonder who will win that one?
Match Rating: **1/4
Never in a million years did I think the Dupree/Taker match would be the highlight, but here we are. I liked how they went right ahead and moved on with the two main matches at No Way Out and that it actually makes sense. Not really a good episode, but an effective one as it set up a lot and I'm pretty pumped to see Mysterio/Angle on the next episode.
Overall Rating: 56%
Saturday, March 23, 2019
Monday Night Raw 1-31-05 Review
Monday, January 31st, 2005
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
It's the night after Royal Rumble and they are doing a double main event of Snitsky vs. Kane in a cage match and Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair and Triple H.
Triple H's music hits and out comes Triple H and Ric Flair. Flair calls Triple H the greatest wrestler alive today to some boos. Triple H then introduces the winner of the Royal Rumble, Batista. Triple H talks up Batista and then says it will be an honor to defend his championship against him at WrestleMania. Batista is about to tell Triple H what he thinks about him, but JBL is on the screen and he talks about how he would take down Batista. Triple H says it won't be Batista vs. JBL, it will be Triple H vs. Batista at WrestleMania.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shelton Benjamin vs. Simon Dean
Simon Dean starts of with some stiff shots to the back. Benjamin fights back with a jumping shoulder tackle. Dean reaches into his bag and tries to grab something, but the ref takes it away. While he isn't looking he holds up his bag and nails Benjamin with it as he goes for the splash in the corner. Then out of nowhere Benjamin hits a spinning heel kick and gets the victory. I'm not 100% sure what the point of that one was, but Shelton continues to look good.
Match Rating: 3/4*
After the match, Dean says the only reason Benjamin beat him is because he used his Simon System. Benjamin runs back in the ring and hits a T-Bone Suplex.
Triple H wants to know who put the video of JBL on the board and Eric Bischoff doesn't know. Triple H says he calls the shots around here, to which Bischoff responds after he leaves the room with a "We'll see about that".
Christy Hemme is in the ring and shooting out t-shirts and Edge's music hits. Edge is fired up and says he lasted longer than anyone in the Rumble and that he should be main eventing the show. Out comes Shawn Michaels and he challenges to him a re-match right now, but Edge says no since he beat him last night. HBK then nails him with Sweet Chin Music and Edge is laid out.
Maven vs. The Hurricane
Hurricane gets some of his fun offense in before Maven catches him and slams him face first. Back suplex by Maven and he then puts on one of the weaker chin holds I have seen. Big clothesline by Hurricane and then an uppercut. Hurricane goes for the blockbuster off the top rope, but Maven moves and hits a back stabber and gets the victory. Another way too short match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Candice Michelle and Maria are talking about Batista and open the door and there stands Snitsky. Snitsky says he is looking for someone and then compliments them on their shoes. 2005 everybody.
Bischoff is talking to Coach and is wants him to find out why JBL was on Raw. Here is Teddy Long and he says he had nothing to do with it. Teddy says he made an offer for Batista to challenge JBL. There sure has been a lot of filler here in the first hour. Bischoff then tells Coach to have security throw Long out.
Stacy is talking to Randy Orton and she is wondering if he is ok to fight enough. He said he is going to prove why he is the Legend Killer.
World Tag Team Championship Match
Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. La Resistance
The Chris's take it to Conway early on, but Grenier whips Benoit into the turnbuckle and does an anti-climatic overhead backbreaker. Benoit goes for the tag, but Jericho is fighting with Grenier on the outside and he gets dragged back into the opposition's corner. La Resistance is one of those teams that at the time seemed like they were around forever, but looking back you hardly even remember them. Jericho is in with the hot tag and cleans house. He goes for the Lionsault, but lands on his feet and is attacked from behind. Grenier goes for a dropkick, but Jericho catches him and attempts to go for the Walls of Jericho, but Conway interferes and he gets put in the Walls of Jericho. Grenier is able to break it up and things are getting a little sloppy now. Jericho is trying to put Grenier in the Walls now and finally gets him over and then sees Conway come in and for some reason does nothing and Conway hits him from behind. As a result, the ref calls for a double DQ. That was a fun match until that last minute and it killed the crowd.
Match Rating: **1/2
We get another Chris Masters vignette. They are all pretty much the same, but overall they have been well made.
Out comes Muhammad Hassan and Daivari to mild boos. Hassan says he was discriminated against in the Rumble, as eight superstars ganged up on him to eliminate him. He challenges any American to face him tonight and out comes Sgt. Slaughter.
Muhammad Hassan vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Daivari gets in his face and Sarge shoves him to the ground and we are underway. Slaughter is 56 years old here. Hassan has him in a bear hug and delivers some knees for good measure. Slaughter fights out hits him with some fists and clotheslines. Hassan hits him with a face first drop and a Camel Clutch for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Benoit and Jericho are back there arguing why they didn't win the tag titles in a competitive way.
We get our first of the movie parody WrestleMania commercials. These were really well done. This one is with Eugene playing Forrest Gump.
Flair is backstage with Triple H. Trips thinks he may be holding Batista back by having him wrestle him. If Batista went to Smackdown, he could actually win the championship and they could run both shows. Flair thinks the plan is genius.
Bischoff's music hits and he is out to make an announcement. For the first ever Raw in Japan next week, he has three big matches to give us. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit in a submission match, William Regal and Tajiri vs. La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships and Triple H vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H & Ric Flair
Orton and Flair start things off. Orton gets in some offense against Flair before he tags in Triple H. Orton also takes care of Triple H and HBK comes in off the top rope for some double team action. Michaels hits some fists in the corner, but Triple H counters with an inverted atomic drop. Both men duel up on the top rope and Michaels knocks Triple H off and hits the top rope elbow drop. Batista, who is on the outside, grabs a chair and gets ejected from ringside and starts smashing the chair into the ring steps. Batista is then shown smiling as he walks to the back. We are back from a commercial break and Flair is chopping away at Michaels. Not that he was full time, but it's kind of amazing that Flair would still have about 38 months left in his WWE career. HBK whips Flair into the corner and he tries to do his flip over the rope, but he falls to the mat instead. Triple H hits Michaels with a cheap shop, which then allows him to hit the spinebuster. Evolution continues to dominate using illegal double teams. Michaels finally battles back and makes the tag to Orton and he is taking care of both men. Orton has Triple H in the corner, but Flair purposely shoves the ref into Orton. Orton hits an RKO and both men are down. Shawn then hits Triple H with Sweet Chin Music. Edge comes down and attempts to spear Michaels, but he moves and he hits Triple H by accident. The faces get the pinfall victory. That was good, but not quite as good as I hoped for.
Match Rating: ***
We now get a Kane/Snitsky video. Down comes the cage. WWE was all in on Snitsky's gimmick.
Steel Cage Match
Snitsky vs. Kane
I am still surprised by how much WWE wanted this feud to work. They really put a lot of time and effort in there.This is already off to a slow start to what is a short main event match. Snitsky is dominating and Trish Stratus is walking down the aisle now. Snitsky tries to escape, but Kane gets to him. Kane keeps trying to get out the door, but Snitsky keeps pulling Kane back in the ring. Kane hits the clothesline off the top rope and is again trying to walk out, but Trish slams the door on him. Kane isn't phased and pulls Trish into the ring. He has her up for the chokeslam, but Snitsky gives him the big boot. Snitsky tears the door off and instead of walking out, he brings the door in the ring. Kane kicks it back at Snitsky and not he sets up the door in the corner. Kane crotches Snitsky on the door and then gives him a chokeslam on top of the door and gets the victory. That wasn't very good, but is anyone surprised? Ross emphasizes that it was bowling shoe ugly.
Match Rating: 1/2*
While it wasn't a good show, it really wasn't bad either. It was just kind of there and nothing outside of Batista/Triple H has really begun for WrestleMania.
Overall Rating: 51%
HP Pavilion
San Jose, California
It's the night after Royal Rumble and they are doing a double main event of Snitsky vs. Kane in a cage match and Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair and Triple H.
Triple H's music hits and out comes Triple H and Ric Flair. Flair calls Triple H the greatest wrestler alive today to some boos. Triple H then introduces the winner of the Royal Rumble, Batista. Triple H talks up Batista and then says it will be an honor to defend his championship against him at WrestleMania. Batista is about to tell Triple H what he thinks about him, but JBL is on the screen and he talks about how he would take down Batista. Triple H says it won't be Batista vs. JBL, it will be Triple H vs. Batista at WrestleMania.
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shelton Benjamin vs. Simon Dean
Simon Dean starts of with some stiff shots to the back. Benjamin fights back with a jumping shoulder tackle. Dean reaches into his bag and tries to grab something, but the ref takes it away. While he isn't looking he holds up his bag and nails Benjamin with it as he goes for the splash in the corner. Then out of nowhere Benjamin hits a spinning heel kick and gets the victory. I'm not 100% sure what the point of that one was, but Shelton continues to look good.
Match Rating: 3/4*
After the match, Dean says the only reason Benjamin beat him is because he used his Simon System. Benjamin runs back in the ring and hits a T-Bone Suplex.
Triple H wants to know who put the video of JBL on the board and Eric Bischoff doesn't know. Triple H says he calls the shots around here, to which Bischoff responds after he leaves the room with a "We'll see about that".
Christy Hemme is in the ring and shooting out t-shirts and Edge's music hits. Edge is fired up and says he lasted longer than anyone in the Rumble and that he should be main eventing the show. Out comes Shawn Michaels and he challenges to him a re-match right now, but Edge says no since he beat him last night. HBK then nails him with Sweet Chin Music and Edge is laid out.
Maven vs. The Hurricane
Hurricane gets some of his fun offense in before Maven catches him and slams him face first. Back suplex by Maven and he then puts on one of the weaker chin holds I have seen. Big clothesline by Hurricane and then an uppercut. Hurricane goes for the blockbuster off the top rope, but Maven moves and hits a back stabber and gets the victory. Another way too short match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Candice Michelle and Maria are talking about Batista and open the door and there stands Snitsky. Snitsky says he is looking for someone and then compliments them on their shoes. 2005 everybody.
Bischoff is talking to Coach and is wants him to find out why JBL was on Raw. Here is Teddy Long and he says he had nothing to do with it. Teddy says he made an offer for Batista to challenge JBL. There sure has been a lot of filler here in the first hour. Bischoff then tells Coach to have security throw Long out.
Stacy is talking to Randy Orton and she is wondering if he is ok to fight enough. He said he is going to prove why he is the Legend Killer.
World Tag Team Championship Match
Chris Jericho & Chris Benoit vs. La Resistance
The Chris's take it to Conway early on, but Grenier whips Benoit into the turnbuckle and does an anti-climatic overhead backbreaker. Benoit goes for the tag, but Jericho is fighting with Grenier on the outside and he gets dragged back into the opposition's corner. La Resistance is one of those teams that at the time seemed like they were around forever, but looking back you hardly even remember them. Jericho is in with the hot tag and cleans house. He goes for the Lionsault, but lands on his feet and is attacked from behind. Grenier goes for a dropkick, but Jericho catches him and attempts to go for the Walls of Jericho, but Conway interferes and he gets put in the Walls of Jericho. Grenier is able to break it up and things are getting a little sloppy now. Jericho is trying to put Grenier in the Walls now and finally gets him over and then sees Conway come in and for some reason does nothing and Conway hits him from behind. As a result, the ref calls for a double DQ. That was a fun match until that last minute and it killed the crowd.
Match Rating: **1/2
We get another Chris Masters vignette. They are all pretty much the same, but overall they have been well made.
Out comes Muhammad Hassan and Daivari to mild boos. Hassan says he was discriminated against in the Rumble, as eight superstars ganged up on him to eliminate him. He challenges any American to face him tonight and out comes Sgt. Slaughter.
Muhammad Hassan vs. Sgt. Slaughter
Daivari gets in his face and Sarge shoves him to the ground and we are underway. Slaughter is 56 years old here. Hassan has him in a bear hug and delivers some knees for good measure. Slaughter fights out hits him with some fists and clotheslines. Hassan hits him with a face first drop and a Camel Clutch for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Benoit and Jericho are back there arguing why they didn't win the tag titles in a competitive way.
We get our first of the movie parody WrestleMania commercials. These were really well done. This one is with Eugene playing Forrest Gump.
Flair is backstage with Triple H. Trips thinks he may be holding Batista back by having him wrestle him. If Batista went to Smackdown, he could actually win the championship and they could run both shows. Flair thinks the plan is genius.
Bischoff's music hits and he is out to make an announcement. For the first ever Raw in Japan next week, he has three big matches to give us. Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit in a submission match, William Regal and Tajiri vs. La Resistance for the World Tag Team Championships and Triple H vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels vs. Triple H & Ric Flair
Orton and Flair start things off. Orton gets in some offense against Flair before he tags in Triple H. Orton also takes care of Triple H and HBK comes in off the top rope for some double team action. Michaels hits some fists in the corner, but Triple H counters with an inverted atomic drop. Both men duel up on the top rope and Michaels knocks Triple H off and hits the top rope elbow drop. Batista, who is on the outside, grabs a chair and gets ejected from ringside and starts smashing the chair into the ring steps. Batista is then shown smiling as he walks to the back. We are back from a commercial break and Flair is chopping away at Michaels. Not that he was full time, but it's kind of amazing that Flair would still have about 38 months left in his WWE career. HBK whips Flair into the corner and he tries to do his flip over the rope, but he falls to the mat instead. Triple H hits Michaels with a cheap shop, which then allows him to hit the spinebuster. Evolution continues to dominate using illegal double teams. Michaels finally battles back and makes the tag to Orton and he is taking care of both men. Orton has Triple H in the corner, but Flair purposely shoves the ref into Orton. Orton hits an RKO and both men are down. Shawn then hits Triple H with Sweet Chin Music. Edge comes down and attempts to spear Michaels, but he moves and he hits Triple H by accident. The faces get the pinfall victory. That was good, but not quite as good as I hoped for.
Match Rating: ***
We now get a Kane/Snitsky video. Down comes the cage. WWE was all in on Snitsky's gimmick.
Steel Cage Match
Snitsky vs. Kane
I am still surprised by how much WWE wanted this feud to work. They really put a lot of time and effort in there.This is already off to a slow start to what is a short main event match. Snitsky is dominating and Trish Stratus is walking down the aisle now. Snitsky tries to escape, but Kane gets to him. Kane keeps trying to get out the door, but Snitsky keeps pulling Kane back in the ring. Kane hits the clothesline off the top rope and is again trying to walk out, but Trish slams the door on him. Kane isn't phased and pulls Trish into the ring. He has her up for the chokeslam, but Snitsky gives him the big boot. Snitsky tears the door off and instead of walking out, he brings the door in the ring. Kane kicks it back at Snitsky and not he sets up the door in the corner. Kane crotches Snitsky on the door and then gives him a chokeslam on top of the door and gets the victory. That wasn't very good, but is anyone surprised? Ross emphasizes that it was bowling shoe ugly.
Match Rating: 1/2*
While it wasn't a good show, it really wasn't bad either. It was just kind of there and nothing outside of Batista/Triple H has really begun for WrestleMania.
Overall Rating: 51%
Wednesday, March 20, 2019
NXT 8-29-12 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, August 29th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Mike Dalton & Jason Jordan vs. Hunico & Camacho
We are getting a rematch of the upset on the August 1st episode. I would have like to have seen a little bit more aggression from the heels here. I'd also like to see both of them in different ring gear because what they wear is just so generic. The heels isolate Jordan early on here. Jordan fights back and hits a dropkick, allowing him to get the hot kick to Dalton. Dalton brings a nice energy to this show. He tries the hurricanrana into a pin, which was how they won last time, but this time it only gets a 2 count. Hunico and Camacho get an illegal double team and are able to distract Dalton. Hunico hits a nice suplex for the victory. Not bad and I am a fan that we are finally getting some storylines here.
Match Rating: **1/4 (out of 5)
The Usos are in the ring and they challenge The Ascension to a fight. The arena lights go down and their music hits. The Ascension ambushes the Usos and takes them out. They hit their finish on both Usos and their music hits again.
Big E. Langston vs. Chase Donovan
Donovan gets the "already in the ring" treatment. It's fun to see this version of Big E. He has done a nice job adjusting to his New Day gimmick. He hits about 2 moves and then the Big Finish for the victory. Not much to that one.
Match Rating: 1/4*
All of the NXT stars gather on the ramp to watch the title match. We then go backstage to Big E. and he just breathes heavily.
Back to the ring and Howard Finkel is here, which is a nice touch. He introduces commissioner Dusty Rhodes and he carries the championship belt to the ring.
NXT Championship Match
Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins
Jim Ross joins the booth and they try their best to make Mahal seem like the favorite. I don't know why, but Rollins looks like Will Forte with long hair and a beard in this era. Mahal refuses to shake Dusty's hand to some boos. Rollins gets off to the early start. Rollins misses with a knee, but ends up sending Mahal to the outside. Mahal blocks a kick and slams him face first to the apron. Mahal slams him down to the floor. Back from commercial and Mahal is stretching Rollins. Rollins battles out of it and attempts a suplex, but his back is sore and Mahal goes back to work on it. Big backbreaker for a 2 count. The story of this match makes sense all the way, but Mahal is just so uninteresting that even a great performer such as Rollins has a hard time bringing out personality. Rollins is fighting back with some kicks and a single legged dropkick. Rollins does a crossbody from the top rope to the floor nails Mahal and the crowd is getting pretty juiced. The crowd has come a long way since the first episode. They built a nice little audience in a short amount of time. Mahal now nails a superplex and both men are down as we hit the last commercial break. They go back and forth until Mahal hits a nice suplex. Everything with Mahal is so slow motion as made evident by the spot they do where Rollins misses a kick but hits an enzaguri. Rollins hits a knee off the top and only gets a 2 count. Rollins misses his corkscrew off the top rope and Mahal hits the full nelson slam and somehow Rollins kicks out. Mahal goes for the Camel Clutch, but Rollins gets to the ropes before he gets it on. Mahal goes for it again and Rollins gets a roll up for another 2 count. Rollins has Mahal up for a buckle bomb and the Blackout for the victory. Seth Rollins is the first ever NXT Champion to a nice pop. That is definitely one of Mahal's best matches, but that is not saying a whole lot.
Match Rating: **3/4
Rollins celebrates by swinging the belt similar to Ultimate Warrior and then all the faces come to the ring to celebrate with him as the show goes off the air.
Well, obviously this episode was the most focused show produced to date. They promised a payoff and we had a solid match with a clean finish. Rollins is obviously the star of the bunch so far, so it was a no brainer to put the title on him here. The nice thing about early NXT is that I don't really know any of the storylines from this era, so most of this is all new to me. I am excited to see where they go with Rollins' run and also where guys like Ohno and Langston end up.
Overall Rating: 58%
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Mike Dalton & Jason Jordan vs. Hunico & Camacho
We are getting a rematch of the upset on the August 1st episode. I would have like to have seen a little bit more aggression from the heels here. I'd also like to see both of them in different ring gear because what they wear is just so generic. The heels isolate Jordan early on here. Jordan fights back and hits a dropkick, allowing him to get the hot kick to Dalton. Dalton brings a nice energy to this show. He tries the hurricanrana into a pin, which was how they won last time, but this time it only gets a 2 count. Hunico and Camacho get an illegal double team and are able to distract Dalton. Hunico hits a nice suplex for the victory. Not bad and I am a fan that we are finally getting some storylines here.
Match Rating: **1/4 (out of 5)
The Usos are in the ring and they challenge The Ascension to a fight. The arena lights go down and their music hits. The Ascension ambushes the Usos and takes them out. They hit their finish on both Usos and their music hits again.
Big E. Langston vs. Chase Donovan
Donovan gets the "already in the ring" treatment. It's fun to see this version of Big E. He has done a nice job adjusting to his New Day gimmick. He hits about 2 moves and then the Big Finish for the victory. Not much to that one.
Match Rating: 1/4*
All of the NXT stars gather on the ramp to watch the title match. We then go backstage to Big E. and he just breathes heavily.
Back to the ring and Howard Finkel is here, which is a nice touch. He introduces commissioner Dusty Rhodes and he carries the championship belt to the ring.
NXT Championship Match
Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins
Jim Ross joins the booth and they try their best to make Mahal seem like the favorite. I don't know why, but Rollins looks like Will Forte with long hair and a beard in this era. Mahal refuses to shake Dusty's hand to some boos. Rollins gets off to the early start. Rollins misses with a knee, but ends up sending Mahal to the outside. Mahal blocks a kick and slams him face first to the apron. Mahal slams him down to the floor. Back from commercial and Mahal is stretching Rollins. Rollins battles out of it and attempts a suplex, but his back is sore and Mahal goes back to work on it. Big backbreaker for a 2 count. The story of this match makes sense all the way, but Mahal is just so uninteresting that even a great performer such as Rollins has a hard time bringing out personality. Rollins is fighting back with some kicks and a single legged dropkick. Rollins does a crossbody from the top rope to the floor nails Mahal and the crowd is getting pretty juiced. The crowd has come a long way since the first episode. They built a nice little audience in a short amount of time. Mahal now nails a superplex and both men are down as we hit the last commercial break. They go back and forth until Mahal hits a nice suplex. Everything with Mahal is so slow motion as made evident by the spot they do where Rollins misses a kick but hits an enzaguri. Rollins hits a knee off the top and only gets a 2 count. Rollins misses his corkscrew off the top rope and Mahal hits the full nelson slam and somehow Rollins kicks out. Mahal goes for the Camel Clutch, but Rollins gets to the ropes before he gets it on. Mahal goes for it again and Rollins gets a roll up for another 2 count. Rollins has Mahal up for a buckle bomb and the Blackout for the victory. Seth Rollins is the first ever NXT Champion to a nice pop. That is definitely one of Mahal's best matches, but that is not saying a whole lot.
Match Rating: **3/4
Rollins celebrates by swinging the belt similar to Ultimate Warrior and then all the faces come to the ring to celebrate with him as the show goes off the air.
Well, obviously this episode was the most focused show produced to date. They promised a payoff and we had a solid match with a clean finish. Rollins is obviously the star of the bunch so far, so it was a no brainer to put the title on him here. The nice thing about early NXT is that I don't really know any of the storylines from this era, so most of this is all new to me. I am excited to see where they go with Rollins' run and also where guys like Ohno and Langston end up.
Overall Rating: 58%
Monday, March 18, 2019
Superstars 7-4-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, July 4th, 1992
Victor Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
What better way for Vince McMahon to celebrate the 4th of July then pretending to be in Canada?
High Energy vs. Bob Bradley & Joe Milano
Owen hits an enzaguri that only connects on the shoulder, but the jobber still does a nice sell and does a flip to the mat. Owen tags in Koko and we get a double clothesline. The Nasty Boys let High Energy that they are going to be Nasty-sized. Owen holds up the jobber, who just seemingly sits in his arms waiting for something to happen, and Koko hits him with a dropkick off of the top rope. I'd rather watch High Energy jobber matches over just about anyone else on the roster right now.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Update with Mean Gene and he was fortunate enough to talk to Big Boss Man this week. They show the clips from 5 weeks ago of the attack by Nailz. We now get a phone interview with Boss Man. Boss Man claims that he has lost a lot of weight, but he is on the road to recovery. Boss Man says he'll be back a lot sooner than Nailz thinks.
Rick Martel vs. Jason Knight
Martel is still the ultimate mid-card heel. Knight got Martel in position for a monkey flip and got really excited, but Martel countered. Boston Crab and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Crush vs. Kerry Davis
According to Vince, Crush is a great example of what ICOPRO can do for you. Press slam followed up by a leg drop. 30 seconds in and Crush already seems like he's not sure what to do next. Crush does his lame finisher and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center with Sean Mooney. Kamala gets the generic WWF background. That was something. British Bulldog is training harder than ever to get ready for Repo Man. Davey Boy says "Repo Man" like 6 times in this 30 second interview.
Papa Shango vs. Joe McMullen
Shango does some voodoo and McMullen starts grabbing his knee. Vince says you have to believe in the voodoo for it to be effective. Sound logic. Shango works on the knee a little and hits a gutwrench powerbomb. He then hits a reverse shoulderbreaker type move for the 3 count.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Back to the Event Center. Texas Tornado says people wonder how they stay in shape with the schedule they have. He said it's all about guts. Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect are here to say they want a rematch because Flair needs the title.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Barry Hardy
Slaughter gives Hardy a series of kicks to the gut and a big knee. Gutbuster by the Sarge and some blows to the back of Hardy. Sarge hits him with a pretty weak clothesline and then puts on the Cobra Clutch for the victory. Not exactly peak Sarge here.
Match Rating: 1/4*
STOP THE PRESSES! The WBF Championship is now available on VHS. I can't help but wonder if this even sold 10 copies, no joke.
Mean Gene now introduces Repo Man, who rides to the stage on a bike. He met a kid who was studying for finals, so he had to quit his job so he couldn't make payments for his bike. Repo did his job and stole it from him. He then makes some lame not even dad joke quality jokes about the British Bulldog. How did this make the air?
Barry Horowitz vs. Bret Hart
Criss cross to begin, which is one of my favorite underused cheesy moves in wrestling. Bret turns it into an inverted atomic drop. Bret hits his suplex and side Russian legsweep. Bret just going straight to all of the signature stuff today and then easily puts him into the Sharpshooter. 3 years later and Horowitz would be getting ready to be on SummerSlam.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Razor Ramon is walking the street and telling the kids at home to not go to school if you want to be like Razor. Razor then steals from a produce stand and spits in the employees face. Congrats to Razor on a nice spit into the camera to end the segment.
WBF Body Stars commercial is every bit as terrible as you would expect it to be.
Scott Taylor & Phil Apollo vs. The Beverly Brothers
We get a few suplexes by both Beverly Brothers and they quickly hit their seemingly dangerous finisher on Taylor really quickly. Poor future Doink didn't even get a chance to impress. After the match, they continue with the whole LOS. Scott Taylor has been on NXT in 2012, Smackdown in 2005 and Superstars in 1992. I am glad to be covering so much of his career.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center again and Tatanka gives a little bit more of a focused promo than usual telling Martel he will be getting his revenge. The Mountie and Jimmy Hart talk about all of the fan mail they get. God bless The Mountie.
Next week on Superstars we get Money, Inc., Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Nailz and Legion of Doom. I am counting down the seconds.
Superstars is what it is here in 1992, which is basically an infomercial for WWF and the occasional WBF/ICOPRO spot. You almost never get anything resembling a competitive match and the promos are pretty repetitive. Some of the episodes flow better than others and most of the time I can't even put my finger on why that is. This would fall under that category. Not a good show (at all), but easy enough to watch if you are a fan of this era.
Overall Rating: 30%
Victor Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
What better way for Vince McMahon to celebrate the 4th of July then pretending to be in Canada?
High Energy vs. Bob Bradley & Joe Milano
Owen hits an enzaguri that only connects on the shoulder, but the jobber still does a nice sell and does a flip to the mat. Owen tags in Koko and we get a double clothesline. The Nasty Boys let High Energy that they are going to be Nasty-sized. Owen holds up the jobber, who just seemingly sits in his arms waiting for something to happen, and Koko hits him with a dropkick off of the top rope. I'd rather watch High Energy jobber matches over just about anyone else on the roster right now.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Update with Mean Gene and he was fortunate enough to talk to Big Boss Man this week. They show the clips from 5 weeks ago of the attack by Nailz. We now get a phone interview with Boss Man. Boss Man claims that he has lost a lot of weight, but he is on the road to recovery. Boss Man says he'll be back a lot sooner than Nailz thinks.
Rick Martel vs. Jason Knight
Martel is still the ultimate mid-card heel. Knight got Martel in position for a monkey flip and got really excited, but Martel countered. Boston Crab and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Crush vs. Kerry Davis
According to Vince, Crush is a great example of what ICOPRO can do for you. Press slam followed up by a leg drop. 30 seconds in and Crush already seems like he's not sure what to do next. Crush does his lame finisher and that is all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center with Sean Mooney. Kamala gets the generic WWF background. That was something. British Bulldog is training harder than ever to get ready for Repo Man. Davey Boy says "Repo Man" like 6 times in this 30 second interview.
Papa Shango vs. Joe McMullen
Shango does some voodoo and McMullen starts grabbing his knee. Vince says you have to believe in the voodoo for it to be effective. Sound logic. Shango works on the knee a little and hits a gutwrench powerbomb. He then hits a reverse shoulderbreaker type move for the 3 count.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Back to the Event Center. Texas Tornado says people wonder how they stay in shape with the schedule they have. He said it's all about guts. Ric Flair and Mr. Perfect are here to say they want a rematch because Flair needs the title.
Sgt. Slaughter vs. Barry Hardy
Slaughter gives Hardy a series of kicks to the gut and a big knee. Gutbuster by the Sarge and some blows to the back of Hardy. Sarge hits him with a pretty weak clothesline and then puts on the Cobra Clutch for the victory. Not exactly peak Sarge here.
Match Rating: 1/4*
STOP THE PRESSES! The WBF Championship is now available on VHS. I can't help but wonder if this even sold 10 copies, no joke.
Mean Gene now introduces Repo Man, who rides to the stage on a bike. He met a kid who was studying for finals, so he had to quit his job so he couldn't make payments for his bike. Repo did his job and stole it from him. He then makes some lame not even dad joke quality jokes about the British Bulldog. How did this make the air?
Barry Horowitz vs. Bret Hart
Criss cross to begin, which is one of my favorite underused cheesy moves in wrestling. Bret turns it into an inverted atomic drop. Bret hits his suplex and side Russian legsweep. Bret just going straight to all of the signature stuff today and then easily puts him into the Sharpshooter. 3 years later and Horowitz would be getting ready to be on SummerSlam.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Razor Ramon is walking the street and telling the kids at home to not go to school if you want to be like Razor. Razor then steals from a produce stand and spits in the employees face. Congrats to Razor on a nice spit into the camera to end the segment.
WBF Body Stars commercial is every bit as terrible as you would expect it to be.
Scott Taylor & Phil Apollo vs. The Beverly Brothers
We get a few suplexes by both Beverly Brothers and they quickly hit their seemingly dangerous finisher on Taylor really quickly. Poor future Doink didn't even get a chance to impress. After the match, they continue with the whole LOS. Scott Taylor has been on NXT in 2012, Smackdown in 2005 and Superstars in 1992. I am glad to be covering so much of his career.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center again and Tatanka gives a little bit more of a focused promo than usual telling Martel he will be getting his revenge. The Mountie and Jimmy Hart talk about all of the fan mail they get. God bless The Mountie.
Next week on Superstars we get Money, Inc., Shawn Michaels, The Undertaker, Nailz and Legion of Doom. I am counting down the seconds.
Superstars is what it is here in 1992, which is basically an infomercial for WWF and the occasional WBF/ICOPRO spot. You almost never get anything resembling a competitive match and the promos are pretty repetitive. Some of the episodes flow better than others and most of the time I can't even put my finger on why that is. This would fall under that category. Not a good show (at all), but easy enough to watch if you are a fan of this era.
Overall Rating: 30%
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Royal Rumble 2005 Review
Sunday, January 30th, 2005
Save Mart Center At Fresno State University
Fresno, California
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Edge vs. Shawn Michaels
The match gets started right away, before Michaels even takes off his jacket. Shawn clotheslines Edge over the ropes and poses for the crowd. Edge eventually gets dumped over the ropes again. Big baseball slide by Edge onto Michaels and he is now firmly in control. Edge was still getting comfortable playing this type of heel. As much as I have always liked Edge, I did often find his facial expressions to be a little over the top. Reverse chinlock with a body scissors by Edge. Edge mocks HBK's pose. Edge goes for a cross body off the top, but misses. Edge with another rest hold. I am a little surprised they are going with such a slow pace. Michaels is now fighting back including a knee lift and an inverted atomic drop. Slingshot into the corner by HBK and almost gets the 3 count. Edge attempts to leave but Michaels brings him back down the aisle. Mike Chioda tries to get Michaels back in the ring and it buys Edge some time to nail him with a spear on the outside. Edge is tuning up the band and then nails Michaels with another spear and he only gets a 2 count, causing Edge to literally pull out his hair. Edge sets Michaels on the top turnbuckle. Michaels fights back and knocks Edge to the mat. Michaels hits the elbow drop off the top rope and both men are down. Michaels is back up and he starts stomping and goes for Sweet Chin Music. Edge ducks down and lifts him up for the electric chair and a 2 count again. Edge rolls through and hits his modified version of the Sharpshooter. Michaels struggles, but finally gets to the bottom rope to break the hold. Inside cradle by Michaels for a 2 count. Edge reverses a roll up by pulling Michaels tights and grabs the ropes as well to get the 3 count. The finish was a little on the sloppy side, but it worked well enough. This wasn't the classic you would maybe expect here, but it was a good match overall.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long are backstage talking about who is better. Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero are there to draw their number from Christy and Torrie. Flair is pumped up with his draw. Eddie not so much. Eddie hugs Flair and steals his number.
Heidenreich is backstage talking about how he hates caskets. In come Snitsky. They talk about how they both don't like caskets and that they both like one another. Snitsky says he has a good idea, followed by some heavy breathing. Did Ed Wood direct this segment?
The druids are on their way down, which only means it's time to suffer through Heidenreich
Casket Match
Heidenreich vs. Undertaker
Just in case you were unsure that Heidenreich hated caskets after watching him talk about it and then the hype video that was mainly about that aspect, Michael Cole and Tazz confirm it by going over it for us again. After some slow moving offense to start, Heidenreich now appears to want to leave the match. Undertaker comes out to get him and Heidenreich throws him into the casket. Out comes Snitsky and he attacks Taker. Michael Cole is more upset that Snitsky is from Raw than he is that he's attacking Undertaker. Snitsky and Heidenreich hit a double suplex and continue to work on Taker. The refs open up the casket and out comes Kane to a good pop. Kane takes both men to the outside and continues to brawl with Snitsky into the crowd. Heidenreich begins to push the casket hesitantly down the aisle. Here comes Undertaker and slams Heidenreich into the casket. However, Heidenreich throws Taker into the steel ring steps. Heidenreich pulls up the mat on the outside. Heidenreich then pushes the casket into Taker. Heidenreich then tries to put Taker into a sleeper hold and seems to forget how to until Taker gives him a little bit of a hand. I wish I was joking. He actually gets Taker into the casket, but Taker fights back. With the casket lid draped over the back of his head, Undertaker hits a leg drop. It was so impressive that Cole called it "vintage Undertaker" twice. Somehow Heidenreich is fine moments later and gets some moves in. Heidenreich gets him in the casket again and again Undertaker battles out. Taker hits a DDT followed by a chokeslam. Taker signals for the Tombstone and nails it. Heidenreich is in the casket and that is all. Well, that was better than I expected, but don't confuse that for being a good match. The Kane surprise was a nice touch.
Match Rating: *
We're back again with Teddy and Eddie and he makes Eddie give his number back to Flair. Long also makes Eddie give Flair back his wallet. Batista then tells Triple H he is going to Bischoff's office, but Triple H says no, which leads to a stare down. Flair gets in the middle and breaks it up.
Christian and Tomko are with Bischoff. Long walks in and Christian and Tomko tell him they signed a petition to get him kicked off Smackdown. Christian also tells Christy and Torrie how difficult their job is. John Cena now walks in and Christian says he can beat Cena in a rap battle. Christian asks Tomko for a beat in a funny moment. Christian then cuts a lame rap, proving why he is one of my favorites. Cena then throws a rap back at him, leaving Christian upset.
WWE Championship Match
Kurt Angle vs. Big Show vs. JBL
Watching this pay-per-view is a remind as to how much I miss the themed ring entrances. I absolutely get why they were cut, but they helped make the show stand out. JBL and Big Show start things off as Angle stands outside the ring. So after all of the TV dedicated to this feud, they dont's even get a hype video. After some huge slaps, Big Show hits a powerslam and leg drop on JBL, which causes Angle to finally enter so he can break up the pinfall attempt. Big Show hits a double clothesline, sending both other men over the top and onto the floor. Big Show sets up JBL for a chokeslam through the announcers table, but Angle gives him a low blow and hits him with a monitor, causing Show to fall through the table. After some offense by JBL, Angle is able to get him up for a German Suplex. He tries to go for more, but JBL counters it and goes for the Clothesline From Hell, but he counters it into another German. Big Show is back in the ring and he takes care of both men again. Show hits a double splash and a double clothesline. He tries for a double chokeslam, but Angle and JBL get out and hit him with a chop block and a clothesline. Angle hits the Angle Slam on Show Angle was really, really good here. Show chokeslams JBL for a 2 count. JBL is outside the ring in the corner, so Show decides to pounce on the opportunity and takes himself and JBL through the outside wall. This is the first time I remember seeing that spot, which they seemingly have used 100 times since here. Show was about to pin Angle, but Mark Jindrak breaks it up. The Cabinet begins to attack Show. Orlando Jordan picks up JBL and throws him back in the ring. JBL hits a Clothesline From Hell and wins the match. I really enjoyed that match, but after all of the TV time spent on this feud, why not give it a few more minutes?
Match Rating: ***3/4
Batista runs into Carlito in the back and refuses to sign to sign his petition. Carlito starts chewing his apple, but Batista talks him out of it. He is now in there to pick his number and Bischoff announces that Evolution is banned from ringside for the Triple H/Orton match. Batista says he'll let Triple H know.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Triple H
We get a somewhat surprisingly fast start to the match, which makes me wonder how many Orton chinlocks are in this match? For as much as I rag on Orton, he does throw a nice dropkick. Orton goes for an early RKO, but Triple H catches him and throws him over the top rope. Triple H begins to go to work on the left leg of Orton, which was hurt on Monday's Raw. Triple H is going through all of the submission moves and gets Orton into a figure four. This has to be about the longest I have seen a figure our left on before it gets reversed. Orton gets him over, but Triple H gets the bottom rope. I do miss having Earl Hebner as a referee. Orton is up and hitting Trips with some rights and lefts, followed by a swinging neckbreaker. Orton hits a flying crossbody off the top rope, but only gets a 2 count. Triple H counters Orton with a facebuster and gets him ready or a Pedigree, but Orton reverses for a slingshot. Orton goes for an RKO, but Triple H counters him and he gets Orton with a knee to the face. It has been weird to watch a match like this and not see 100 instant replays throughout. Triple H is barely standing, but is able to hook the second rope as Orton goes for the DDT. Both guys are in heavy sell mode as Triple H tries to get to his feet and Orton tries to remain on his feet outside the ring. Hebner warns Orton that he may get counted out. Triple H charges at Orton and shoves both Orton and Hebner into the corner and both are down. Triple H goes under the ring and gets out his sledgehammer. I didn't notice this earlier in the match, but they put up caution tape where the ringside wall was destroyed in the previous match. Triple H goes to hit Orton with the sledgehammer, but Orton pulls Triple H face first into the ring post. Orton grabs the sledgehammer, but Triple H nails him with a really nice clothesline. Triple H hits the Pedigree and gets the victory. That was a solid Triple H-paced match. They nailed all the spots they had to and it sets up the inevitable Triple H/Batista feud up nicely.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Nunzio is all excited about his number and then Kurt Angle steals it from him.
Back to the GMs, as they discuss the Triple H match. In comes JBL and the cabinet with champagne. Teddy tells JBL that he will face Big Show at No Way Out in a barbed wire steel cage match, which is a WWE first.
Jim Ross and Tazz are the two announcers for the Rumble.
Royal Rumble Match
It is so good to hear the Fink do the ring announcing. For my money, there has never been anyone close to him. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit are number 1 and 2 here. Can't argue with that. Daniel Puder is number 3 and talks some trash on the mic. Good luck, pal. Eddie and Benoit take turns chopping him and destroying him with suplexes. Number 4 is naturally Hardcore Holly, because who else would love to beat the crap out of a young kid more than Holly? I can't remember an instance of seeing a guy chopped as hard as Puder is here. Puder is sort of unceremoniously eliminated as Hurricane's music started playing. Holly also gets eliminated. Hurricane is also eliminate pretty quickly. Kenzo Suzuki is up next. Guerrero and Benoit are mostly working together, but taking turns trying to eliminate one another. Next up is Edge and runs down to the ring and goes after all 3 men. Rey Mysterio is in and we have 5 of the Smackdown 6 in there. My appreciation for Rey Mysterio grows seemingly every time I watch him. Shelton is in there now and adds to a pretty amazing crop of talent. Booker T is next and goes after the guy he feuded with over a shampoo commercial with. Bischoff is out there now for some reason. Y2J time. This may honestly be my personal favorite group of wrestlers in the ring at the same time in a Royal Rumble match. Too bad that's about to be ruined as Luther Reigns is next. The Raw and Smackdown wrestlers divide like boys and girls at an 8th grade dance and now we get the big brawl, as Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff look on from ringside. Muhammad Hassan time as he comes out to a pretty decent chorus of boos. Everybody stops and attacks Hassan and he is out of there. Orlando Jordan is the next draw and he goes after Luther Reigns. Scotty 2 Hotty is #15 and he is my pick to win this thing. Hassan attacks him from behind before he gets to the ring. Charlie Haas is up next. Rene Dupree is in next, as it is clear they are trying to get rid of all the crappy entrants in the middle of the match. We get a quick The World's Greatest Tag Team reunion and then Edge eliminates Shelton from behind. One of my personal favorite one note gimmicks is up next, none other than Simon Dean. Dean is outside the ring doing exercises. Edge also eliminates Eddie Guerrero in somewhat of a surprising elimination. Dean gets in the ring to exercise and HBK eliminates him quickly after getting in there. #20 is Kurt Angle and he is suplexing everyone. We get back-to-back Michaels/Angle and they follow it up with Jonathan Coachman. Mysterio and Jericho are having a nice little battle on the ropes, but then it is ruined by Jindrak's entrance. Angle then dumps Michaels over the rope and starts destroying him, busting him open in the process. Finlay and Skinner are finally able to stop him. Viscera time! How are they going to get him over the top rope? Paul London is next and he sprints down the ring and nearly slides across the entire ring. Dupree goes for the French Tickle, but Jericho comes from behind and eliminates him. John Cena is your next entrant and he dumps out Viscera. I can't believe it! One big man out, another one enters to fill the void and that man is Snitsky. London jumps on his back and puts him in a sleeper, but Snitsky dumps him on the apron. Snitsky hits a wicked clothesline and London does a standing shooting star press to the floor in one of my all time favorite eliminations. Well if Snitsky is in, that can only mean Kane is not far behind and he is #27. The EMTs are out for London. THere are a lot of bodies in there right now and the majority of them are on the ground. Kane is chokeslamming everyone and gets rid of Jindrak. Batista is up next and the crowd is on their feet. Batista eliminates Snitsky and now is standing face to face with Kane. Batista Bomb to Kane. Jericho runs at Batista, but Batista catches him and throws him over the top. Captain Charisma is #29 and goes after Cena, who quickly takes it to him. Cena gives an FU to Kane over the top rope. Mysterio and Cena are talking about working together. Last, but certainly not least, is Ric Flair. Flair eliminates Coach after a spinebuster from Batista. Evolution eliminates Benoit and then Flair tries to eliminate Batista. Batista isn't upset, but gets dropkicked before he can act upon it. Edge eliminates Flair and we are down to our final four: Batista, John Cena, Edge and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio jumps over the top rope to the apron and Edge eliminates him with a spear. Batista and Cena both eliminate Edge and we are down to the two favorites. This is definitely not a Roman Reigns situation, as it's clear that these are the two guys the crowd wanted to see here. Batista puts Cena up for the Batista Bomb, but Cena tries to block it while he is up top. Both men go towards the ropes and they both flip over the ropes and land seemingly at the exact same time. From all accounts, this was apparently a mistake. Batista seems to be a little confused on what to do. Vince McMahon comes out and blows his quad upon entering. They both throw each other over the top rope to loud cheers. Fink announces that the match is going to be re-started. Batista immediately goes for the Batista Bomb and Cena counters for an FU, but Batista nails him with a spinebuster. He picks him up and throws Cena over the rope. I know this is probably the most unpopular opinion there is, but this is my favorite Royal Rumble match. Yes, more than 1992. I love the chaos that was the ending and there were so many of my all time favorites in this match.
Match Rating: ****
I really liked this show a lot. Everything made sense from a booking standpoint and the matches were all entertaining in their own way (a * rating for a Heidenreich match is a minor miracle). I think they did a nice job setting up Edge for his big run he was going to have in the next year and also setting up Cena and Batista for their more immediate pushes. The Rumble was a really fast paced one that featured a ton of great workers and even the strange finish makes it all the more memorable. I highly recommend this show, as it was one of the best from this era.
Overall Rating: 90%
Save Mart Center At Fresno State University
Fresno, California
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Edge vs. Shawn Michaels
The match gets started right away, before Michaels even takes off his jacket. Shawn clotheslines Edge over the ropes and poses for the crowd. Edge eventually gets dumped over the ropes again. Big baseball slide by Edge onto Michaels and he is now firmly in control. Edge was still getting comfortable playing this type of heel. As much as I have always liked Edge, I did often find his facial expressions to be a little over the top. Reverse chinlock with a body scissors by Edge. Edge mocks HBK's pose. Edge goes for a cross body off the top, but misses. Edge with another rest hold. I am a little surprised they are going with such a slow pace. Michaels is now fighting back including a knee lift and an inverted atomic drop. Slingshot into the corner by HBK and almost gets the 3 count. Edge attempts to leave but Michaels brings him back down the aisle. Mike Chioda tries to get Michaels back in the ring and it buys Edge some time to nail him with a spear on the outside. Edge is tuning up the band and then nails Michaels with another spear and he only gets a 2 count, causing Edge to literally pull out his hair. Edge sets Michaels on the top turnbuckle. Michaels fights back and knocks Edge to the mat. Michaels hits the elbow drop off the top rope and both men are down. Michaels is back up and he starts stomping and goes for Sweet Chin Music. Edge ducks down and lifts him up for the electric chair and a 2 count again. Edge rolls through and hits his modified version of the Sharpshooter. Michaels struggles, but finally gets to the bottom rope to break the hold. Inside cradle by Michaels for a 2 count. Edge reverses a roll up by pulling Michaels tights and grabs the ropes as well to get the 3 count. The finish was a little on the sloppy side, but it worked well enough. This wasn't the classic you would maybe expect here, but it was a good match overall.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long are backstage talking about who is better. Ric Flair and Eddie Guerrero are there to draw their number from Christy and Torrie. Flair is pumped up with his draw. Eddie not so much. Eddie hugs Flair and steals his number.
Heidenreich is backstage talking about how he hates caskets. In come Snitsky. They talk about how they both don't like caskets and that they both like one another. Snitsky says he has a good idea, followed by some heavy breathing. Did Ed Wood direct this segment?
The druids are on their way down, which only means it's time to suffer through Heidenreich
Casket Match
Heidenreich vs. Undertaker
Just in case you were unsure that Heidenreich hated caskets after watching him talk about it and then the hype video that was mainly about that aspect, Michael Cole and Tazz confirm it by going over it for us again. After some slow moving offense to start, Heidenreich now appears to want to leave the match. Undertaker comes out to get him and Heidenreich throws him into the casket. Out comes Snitsky and he attacks Taker. Michael Cole is more upset that Snitsky is from Raw than he is that he's attacking Undertaker. Snitsky and Heidenreich hit a double suplex and continue to work on Taker. The refs open up the casket and out comes Kane to a good pop. Kane takes both men to the outside and continues to brawl with Snitsky into the crowd. Heidenreich begins to push the casket hesitantly down the aisle. Here comes Undertaker and slams Heidenreich into the casket. However, Heidenreich throws Taker into the steel ring steps. Heidenreich pulls up the mat on the outside. Heidenreich then pushes the casket into Taker. Heidenreich then tries to put Taker into a sleeper hold and seems to forget how to until Taker gives him a little bit of a hand. I wish I was joking. He actually gets Taker into the casket, but Taker fights back. With the casket lid draped over the back of his head, Undertaker hits a leg drop. It was so impressive that Cole called it "vintage Undertaker" twice. Somehow Heidenreich is fine moments later and gets some moves in. Heidenreich gets him in the casket again and again Undertaker battles out. Taker hits a DDT followed by a chokeslam. Taker signals for the Tombstone and nails it. Heidenreich is in the casket and that is all. Well, that was better than I expected, but don't confuse that for being a good match. The Kane surprise was a nice touch.
Match Rating: *
We're back again with Teddy and Eddie and he makes Eddie give his number back to Flair. Long also makes Eddie give Flair back his wallet. Batista then tells Triple H he is going to Bischoff's office, but Triple H says no, which leads to a stare down. Flair gets in the middle and breaks it up.
Christian and Tomko are with Bischoff. Long walks in and Christian and Tomko tell him they signed a petition to get him kicked off Smackdown. Christian also tells Christy and Torrie how difficult their job is. John Cena now walks in and Christian says he can beat Cena in a rap battle. Christian asks Tomko for a beat in a funny moment. Christian then cuts a lame rap, proving why he is one of my favorites. Cena then throws a rap back at him, leaving Christian upset.
WWE Championship Match
Kurt Angle vs. Big Show vs. JBL
Watching this pay-per-view is a remind as to how much I miss the themed ring entrances. I absolutely get why they were cut, but they helped make the show stand out. JBL and Big Show start things off as Angle stands outside the ring. So after all of the TV dedicated to this feud, they dont's even get a hype video. After some huge slaps, Big Show hits a powerslam and leg drop on JBL, which causes Angle to finally enter so he can break up the pinfall attempt. Big Show hits a double clothesline, sending both other men over the top and onto the floor. Big Show sets up JBL for a chokeslam through the announcers table, but Angle gives him a low blow and hits him with a monitor, causing Show to fall through the table. After some offense by JBL, Angle is able to get him up for a German Suplex. He tries to go for more, but JBL counters it and goes for the Clothesline From Hell, but he counters it into another German. Big Show is back in the ring and he takes care of both men again. Show hits a double splash and a double clothesline. He tries for a double chokeslam, but Angle and JBL get out and hit him with a chop block and a clothesline. Angle hits the Angle Slam on Show Angle was really, really good here. Show chokeslams JBL for a 2 count. JBL is outside the ring in the corner, so Show decides to pounce on the opportunity and takes himself and JBL through the outside wall. This is the first time I remember seeing that spot, which they seemingly have used 100 times since here. Show was about to pin Angle, but Mark Jindrak breaks it up. The Cabinet begins to attack Show. Orlando Jordan picks up JBL and throws him back in the ring. JBL hits a Clothesline From Hell and wins the match. I really enjoyed that match, but after all of the TV time spent on this feud, why not give it a few more minutes?
Match Rating: ***3/4
Batista runs into Carlito in the back and refuses to sign to sign his petition. Carlito starts chewing his apple, but Batista talks him out of it. He is now in there to pick his number and Bischoff announces that Evolution is banned from ringside for the Triple H/Orton match. Batista says he'll let Triple H know.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Triple H
We get a somewhat surprisingly fast start to the match, which makes me wonder how many Orton chinlocks are in this match? For as much as I rag on Orton, he does throw a nice dropkick. Orton goes for an early RKO, but Triple H catches him and throws him over the top rope. Triple H begins to go to work on the left leg of Orton, which was hurt on Monday's Raw. Triple H is going through all of the submission moves and gets Orton into a figure four. This has to be about the longest I have seen a figure our left on before it gets reversed. Orton gets him over, but Triple H gets the bottom rope. I do miss having Earl Hebner as a referee. Orton is up and hitting Trips with some rights and lefts, followed by a swinging neckbreaker. Orton hits a flying crossbody off the top rope, but only gets a 2 count. Triple H counters Orton with a facebuster and gets him ready or a Pedigree, but Orton reverses for a slingshot. Orton goes for an RKO, but Triple H counters him and he gets Orton with a knee to the face. It has been weird to watch a match like this and not see 100 instant replays throughout. Triple H is barely standing, but is able to hook the second rope as Orton goes for the DDT. Both guys are in heavy sell mode as Triple H tries to get to his feet and Orton tries to remain on his feet outside the ring. Hebner warns Orton that he may get counted out. Triple H charges at Orton and shoves both Orton and Hebner into the corner and both are down. Triple H goes under the ring and gets out his sledgehammer. I didn't notice this earlier in the match, but they put up caution tape where the ringside wall was destroyed in the previous match. Triple H goes to hit Orton with the sledgehammer, but Orton pulls Triple H face first into the ring post. Orton grabs the sledgehammer, but Triple H nails him with a really nice clothesline. Triple H hits the Pedigree and gets the victory. That was a solid Triple H-paced match. They nailed all the spots they had to and it sets up the inevitable Triple H/Batista feud up nicely.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Nunzio is all excited about his number and then Kurt Angle steals it from him.
Back to the GMs, as they discuss the Triple H match. In comes JBL and the cabinet with champagne. Teddy tells JBL that he will face Big Show at No Way Out in a barbed wire steel cage match, which is a WWE first.
Jim Ross and Tazz are the two announcers for the Rumble.
Royal Rumble Match
It is so good to hear the Fink do the ring announcing. For my money, there has never been anyone close to him. Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit are number 1 and 2 here. Can't argue with that. Daniel Puder is number 3 and talks some trash on the mic. Good luck, pal. Eddie and Benoit take turns chopping him and destroying him with suplexes. Number 4 is naturally Hardcore Holly, because who else would love to beat the crap out of a young kid more than Holly? I can't remember an instance of seeing a guy chopped as hard as Puder is here. Puder is sort of unceremoniously eliminated as Hurricane's music started playing. Holly also gets eliminated. Hurricane is also eliminate pretty quickly. Kenzo Suzuki is up next. Guerrero and Benoit are mostly working together, but taking turns trying to eliminate one another. Next up is Edge and runs down to the ring and goes after all 3 men. Rey Mysterio is in and we have 5 of the Smackdown 6 in there. My appreciation for Rey Mysterio grows seemingly every time I watch him. Shelton is in there now and adds to a pretty amazing crop of talent. Booker T is next and goes after the guy he feuded with over a shampoo commercial with. Bischoff is out there now for some reason. Y2J time. This may honestly be my personal favorite group of wrestlers in the ring at the same time in a Royal Rumble match. Too bad that's about to be ruined as Luther Reigns is next. The Raw and Smackdown wrestlers divide like boys and girls at an 8th grade dance and now we get the big brawl, as Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff look on from ringside. Muhammad Hassan time as he comes out to a pretty decent chorus of boos. Everybody stops and attacks Hassan and he is out of there. Orlando Jordan is the next draw and he goes after Luther Reigns. Scotty 2 Hotty is #15 and he is my pick to win this thing. Hassan attacks him from behind before he gets to the ring. Charlie Haas is up next. Rene Dupree is in next, as it is clear they are trying to get rid of all the crappy entrants in the middle of the match. We get a quick The World's Greatest Tag Team reunion and then Edge eliminates Shelton from behind. One of my personal favorite one note gimmicks is up next, none other than Simon Dean. Dean is outside the ring doing exercises. Edge also eliminates Eddie Guerrero in somewhat of a surprising elimination. Dean gets in the ring to exercise and HBK eliminates him quickly after getting in there. #20 is Kurt Angle and he is suplexing everyone. We get back-to-back Michaels/Angle and they follow it up with Jonathan Coachman. Mysterio and Jericho are having a nice little battle on the ropes, but then it is ruined by Jindrak's entrance. Angle then dumps Michaels over the rope and starts destroying him, busting him open in the process. Finlay and Skinner are finally able to stop him. Viscera time! How are they going to get him over the top rope? Paul London is next and he sprints down the ring and nearly slides across the entire ring. Dupree goes for the French Tickle, but Jericho comes from behind and eliminates him. John Cena is your next entrant and he dumps out Viscera. I can't believe it! One big man out, another one enters to fill the void and that man is Snitsky. London jumps on his back and puts him in a sleeper, but Snitsky dumps him on the apron. Snitsky hits a wicked clothesline and London does a standing shooting star press to the floor in one of my all time favorite eliminations. Well if Snitsky is in, that can only mean Kane is not far behind and he is #27. The EMTs are out for London. THere are a lot of bodies in there right now and the majority of them are on the ground. Kane is chokeslamming everyone and gets rid of Jindrak. Batista is up next and the crowd is on their feet. Batista eliminates Snitsky and now is standing face to face with Kane. Batista Bomb to Kane. Jericho runs at Batista, but Batista catches him and throws him over the top. Captain Charisma is #29 and goes after Cena, who quickly takes it to him. Cena gives an FU to Kane over the top rope. Mysterio and Cena are talking about working together. Last, but certainly not least, is Ric Flair. Flair eliminates Coach after a spinebuster from Batista. Evolution eliminates Benoit and then Flair tries to eliminate Batista. Batista isn't upset, but gets dropkicked before he can act upon it. Edge eliminates Flair and we are down to our final four: Batista, John Cena, Edge and Rey Mysterio. Mysterio jumps over the top rope to the apron and Edge eliminates him with a spear. Batista and Cena both eliminate Edge and we are down to the two favorites. This is definitely not a Roman Reigns situation, as it's clear that these are the two guys the crowd wanted to see here. Batista puts Cena up for the Batista Bomb, but Cena tries to block it while he is up top. Both men go towards the ropes and they both flip over the ropes and land seemingly at the exact same time. From all accounts, this was apparently a mistake. Batista seems to be a little confused on what to do. Vince McMahon comes out and blows his quad upon entering. They both throw each other over the top rope to loud cheers. Fink announces that the match is going to be re-started. Batista immediately goes for the Batista Bomb and Cena counters for an FU, but Batista nails him with a spinebuster. He picks him up and throws Cena over the rope. I know this is probably the most unpopular opinion there is, but this is my favorite Royal Rumble match. Yes, more than 1992. I love the chaos that was the ending and there were so many of my all time favorites in this match.
Match Rating: ****
I really liked this show a lot. Everything made sense from a booking standpoint and the matches were all entertaining in their own way (a * rating for a Heidenreich match is a minor miracle). I think they did a nice job setting up Edge for his big run he was going to have in the next year and also setting up Cena and Batista for their more immediate pushes. The Rumble was a really fast paced one that featured a ton of great workers and even the strange finish makes it all the more memorable. I highly recommend this show, as it was one of the best from this era.
Overall Rating: 90%
Thursday, March 14, 2019
NXT 8-22-12 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, August 22nd, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Derrick Bateman vs. Antonio Cesaro
Cesaro was good enough in 2012 to be a headliner, but instead he is in NXT fighting Derrick Bateman. Dropkick by Bateman and then a suplex. I never saw EC3's run in TNA, but everything I have seen from him in WWE has never impressed me. Headbutts to the chest by Cesaro and then a double underhook suplex. Cesaro is blessed with the ability to have a good match with any style, similar to Chris Jericho. Bateman fights back with some clotheslines and then a splash to the corner. Bateman hip tosses Cesaro back into the ring, but then misses in the corner and Cesaro has him in the Neutralizer and that is all.
Match Rating: *3/4
We get a hype video for the first ever NXT Champion featuring clips of main roster stars telling us how important it is to be the first.
Tamina Snuka vs. Sofia Cortez
Apparently having to watch Tamina at Fastlane was not enough for me this week. I needed one more match. Cortez has Tamina in a body scissors, but eventually Tamina lifts her up and shoves her in the turnbuckle. Superkick by Tamina gets a 2 count. Superfly splash for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
After the match Raquel Diaz attacks Tamina. Whatever.
Kassius Ohno vs. Jake Carter
Regal seemed hesitant to talk about Carter being the son of Vader. If your dad was Vader, why would you want to name his son Jake Carter? Carter gets in some early offense, but Ohno gives him a shove to the face with his boot. Ohno nails him with a nice spinning forearm and that is all. Decent for what it was.
Match Rating: *3/4
After the match, Ohno continues to attack Carter until Richie Steamboat makes the save.
We get another hype video for the NXT Championship including John Cena.
Michael McGillicutty & Johnny Curtis vs. Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel
I like the pairing of Kidd and Gabriel a lot. Gabriel does a slingshot into a shoulder into the gut of McGillicutty. Curtis should have probably had a better career by now, although he has always made the best of what was given to him. The heels have a lengthy heat segment until Curtis goes up top and misses a reverse somersault leg drop off the top and in comes Kidd. Kidd hits his signature dropkick for a 2 count. Kidd goes for a springboard moonsault, but he loses his footing on accident. Curtis did a good job of trying to make it look like it hit a little bit. Gabriel hits a blockbuster while Kidd holds up Curtis for the victory. Not a bad little tag match.
Match Rating: **1/4
Ohno is backstage and says he accepts Steamboat's challenge.
Superstars give their predictions on the Mahal/Rollins match. Booker T picks Jinder because he is more experienced. You feeling OK, Booker?
Byron Saxton is in the ring and introduces Seth Rollins. I am so glad he got rid of this entrance. Next out is Jinder Mahal. Both guys give their reasons they should be champion and then Jinder attacks Rollins. Rollins fights back and clotheslines Mahal to the outside and then follows it up with a suicide dive. Kind of a dull finish to the show, but nothing terrible.
Overall, this show was more focused than a lot of the rest and they now are starting to try to create some storylines. I like the idea of a Steamboat/Ohno feud and next week we'll have our first NXT Champion. Slowly but surely, we are finally getting somewhere.
Overall Rating: 45%
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Derrick Bateman vs. Antonio Cesaro
Cesaro was good enough in 2012 to be a headliner, but instead he is in NXT fighting Derrick Bateman. Dropkick by Bateman and then a suplex. I never saw EC3's run in TNA, but everything I have seen from him in WWE has never impressed me. Headbutts to the chest by Cesaro and then a double underhook suplex. Cesaro is blessed with the ability to have a good match with any style, similar to Chris Jericho. Bateman fights back with some clotheslines and then a splash to the corner. Bateman hip tosses Cesaro back into the ring, but then misses in the corner and Cesaro has him in the Neutralizer and that is all.
Match Rating: *3/4
We get a hype video for the first ever NXT Champion featuring clips of main roster stars telling us how important it is to be the first.
Tamina Snuka vs. Sofia Cortez
Apparently having to watch Tamina at Fastlane was not enough for me this week. I needed one more match. Cortez has Tamina in a body scissors, but eventually Tamina lifts her up and shoves her in the turnbuckle. Superkick by Tamina gets a 2 count. Superfly splash for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
After the match Raquel Diaz attacks Tamina. Whatever.
Kassius Ohno vs. Jake Carter
Regal seemed hesitant to talk about Carter being the son of Vader. If your dad was Vader, why would you want to name his son Jake Carter? Carter gets in some early offense, but Ohno gives him a shove to the face with his boot. Ohno nails him with a nice spinning forearm and that is all. Decent for what it was.
Match Rating: *3/4
After the match, Ohno continues to attack Carter until Richie Steamboat makes the save.
We get another hype video for the NXT Championship including John Cena.
Michael McGillicutty & Johnny Curtis vs. Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel
I like the pairing of Kidd and Gabriel a lot. Gabriel does a slingshot into a shoulder into the gut of McGillicutty. Curtis should have probably had a better career by now, although he has always made the best of what was given to him. The heels have a lengthy heat segment until Curtis goes up top and misses a reverse somersault leg drop off the top and in comes Kidd. Kidd hits his signature dropkick for a 2 count. Kidd goes for a springboard moonsault, but he loses his footing on accident. Curtis did a good job of trying to make it look like it hit a little bit. Gabriel hits a blockbuster while Kidd holds up Curtis for the victory. Not a bad little tag match.
Match Rating: **1/4
Ohno is backstage and says he accepts Steamboat's challenge.
Superstars give their predictions on the Mahal/Rollins match. Booker T picks Jinder because he is more experienced. You feeling OK, Booker?
Byron Saxton is in the ring and introduces Seth Rollins. I am so glad he got rid of this entrance. Next out is Jinder Mahal. Both guys give their reasons they should be champion and then Jinder attacks Rollins. Rollins fights back and clotheslines Mahal to the outside and then follows it up with a suicide dive. Kind of a dull finish to the show, but nothing terrible.
Overall, this show was more focused than a lot of the rest and they now are starting to try to create some storylines. I like the idea of a Steamboat/Ohno feud and next week we'll have our first NXT Champion. Slowly but surely, we are finally getting somewhere.
Overall Rating: 45%
Wednesday, March 13, 2019
Cruiserweight Classic Finale Review
Wednesday, September 14th, 2016
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
I'm a little sad to see this come to an end, as this really was fun to revisit. For whatever reason, this is the episode I recall the least, so this should be a good time.
Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Gran Metalik wastes absolutely no time by going crazy at the get go, which I love. So many of the matches have started similarly, so this was a nice change. ZSJ gets in an uppercut and then a kick to the head to take control. They have a little bit of an awkward segment where Metalik appeared to not his the ropes as well as he should have and then Sabre Jr. turns it into a submission. We get some more stretching by ZSJ. Metalik battles back with a big boot, a reverse sling blade and then a running shooting star press. A lot of back and forth with counters and some nice wrestling. Big time lariat by Metalik gets a 2 count. Super kick and springboard reverse elbow gets another 2 count. Metalik does his walking of the 2nd rope but eats a big uppercut and then gets hit with the penalty kick but somehow kicks out. Octopus by ZSJ, but Metalik is able to get to the ropes. Both men are up top and Metalik hits a hurricanrana and goes for a springboard splah, but Sabre Jr. gets him into the triangle choke. Metalik rolls him into a pin, but only gets a 2 count. Metalik catches ZSJ and absolutely nails a Metalik Driver for the victory. Really nice match that featured a true clash of styles that they were able to pull off nicely.
Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)
Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins
They feel each other out to get started, giving us a little taste of what is surely to come later on. Nice spinning headscissors by Perkins. Ibushi goes for a springboard move, but TJP kicks his legs out and Ibushi falls to the outside. Golden Triangle moonsault connects this time. Not sure anyone does it better. Kota starts up with the leg strikes, which just can't feel good. Kota goes for the German suplex from the second rope, but TJP desperately fights it off and then hits a springboard dropkick which is followed by a Pele kick by Ibushi. That was fantastic. TJP counters the powerbomb into a DDT and then hits an awesome inverted lungblower for a 2 count. Kota goes for the Pele kick again, but TJP catches his leg and gets him in the knee bar. Ibushi counters and now they are both pounding each other. Golden Star powerbomb by Ibushi and somehow only gets a 2 count and Full Sail is rocking. Ibushi misses the Phoenix Splash and is holding his nose. TJP rolls hiim over and they begin striking each other again back and forth. Ibushi catches him in a wheelbarrow and just slams him straight down and kicks out. Ibushi takes his head off with a kick, but he rolls out of the powerbomb and into the knee bar again. Ibushi is doing everything he possibly can to get to the ropes, but Perkins starts pulling on his neck and gets the tap out. That was a killer match. How was Perkins not a made man after this tournament? It just goes to show how few of the casual fans watched this tournament.
Match Rating: ****1/2
Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander are backstage. Dar says he doesn't have a gameplan for their first time teaming up. Not much to that one.
Sasha Banks, Kalisto, Rich Swann, Jack Gallagher and Bayley are in the house tonight.
Noam Dar & Cedric Alexander vs. DIY
What a fun ride it has been for Gargano and Ciampa and let's hope that Ciampa comes back from his injury better than ever. Awesome handspring into a roundhouse kick by Alexander, who then hits a senton splash to the outside. Goes for the handspring again, but Ciampa dropkicks him right in the face. Gargano is in now and cleans house. Ciampa holds up Dar on his shoulders and Gargano superkicks him. Then Alexander is coming and Gargano does a launched spear into him. Alexander then hits a the Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. We then get another incredible segment of knees and clotheslines and non-stop action. Gargano and Dar get the tags now and they begin going back and forth. Big boot by Dar sends Gargano to the outside and then a suicide dive. Alexander nails Ciampa with a few big kicks and almost gets a 3. Alexander thinks he had it and he is is right in that the refs hand hit the mat. DIY with a double superkick to Dar and they get the victory in a good, hard fought match.
Match Rating: ***1/2
T.J. Perkins vs. Gran Metalik
Upon my original viewing, I certainly did not expect this to be the finals of the tournament. Triple H comes out and announces that the winner of this match will not only be the winner of the tournament, but they will be the Cruiserweight Champion. TJP with two twisting headscissors by TJP. TJP now with a reverse pendulum and then a roll up for 2. Slow paced match to start here. Metalik takes out Perkins' legs with a dropkick from the floor to the apron and then hits him with a suicide dive. Metalik walks the ropes and does a springboard senton for a 2 count. TJP hits a leaping hurricanrana which sends Metalik out to the floor. Perkins has been dominating the majority of the match. Then seemingly out of nowhere Metalik hits an awesome hurricanrana. From there he does a springboard senton to the outside and mostly misses. Springboard dropkick by Metalik but he then misses the running shooting star press, which TJP turns into a knee bar. Metalik gets to the ropes. Big spike DDT by Metalik almost gets the victory. It's amazing to me how little of an impact that both of these guys have had on the main roster since this. Metalik goes for a moonsault, but TJP blocks it and eventually gets into the knee bar. Metalik is crawling to the ropes, but TJP brings him back to the center. Metalik reverses into a roll up and almost steals the win. There is an absolutely awesome atmosphere in Full Sail right now. Metalik is trying to fight back, but the knee isn't allowing him to do everything he would like. Perkins is going up top, but Metalik gets to him first. Metalik is going for a Metalik Driver off the top, but Perkins blocks it into the knee bar yet again and this time Metalik taps. That doesn't top the Perkins/Ibushi match from earlier, but it was still darn good.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Well that was one heck of a ride. The first round did a good job introducing us to the main players and then from there it was great match after great match. I'm not sure that we'll ever get anything like this again, although they are doing some great things over on 205 Live. I may have to eventually cover those episodes. Anyway, this tournament is worth any wrestling fans time, no matter what kind of style you are into. Great stuff.
Overall Rating: 88%
Full Sail University
Winter Garden, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
I'm a little sad to see this come to an end, as this really was fun to revisit. For whatever reason, this is the episode I recall the least, so this should be a good time.
Gran Metalik vs. Zack Sabre Jr.
Gran Metalik wastes absolutely no time by going crazy at the get go, which I love. So many of the matches have started similarly, so this was a nice change. ZSJ gets in an uppercut and then a kick to the head to take control. They have a little bit of an awkward segment where Metalik appeared to not his the ropes as well as he should have and then Sabre Jr. turns it into a submission. We get some more stretching by ZSJ. Metalik battles back with a big boot, a reverse sling blade and then a running shooting star press. A lot of back and forth with counters and some nice wrestling. Big time lariat by Metalik gets a 2 count. Super kick and springboard reverse elbow gets another 2 count. Metalik does his walking of the 2nd rope but eats a big uppercut and then gets hit with the penalty kick but somehow kicks out. Octopus by ZSJ, but Metalik is able to get to the ropes. Both men are up top and Metalik hits a hurricanrana and goes for a springboard splah, but Sabre Jr. gets him into the triangle choke. Metalik rolls him into a pin, but only gets a 2 count. Metalik catches ZSJ and absolutely nails a Metalik Driver for the victory. Really nice match that featured a true clash of styles that they were able to pull off nicely.
Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)
Kota Ibushi vs. T.J. Perkins
They feel each other out to get started, giving us a little taste of what is surely to come later on. Nice spinning headscissors by Perkins. Ibushi goes for a springboard move, but TJP kicks his legs out and Ibushi falls to the outside. Golden Triangle moonsault connects this time. Not sure anyone does it better. Kota starts up with the leg strikes, which just can't feel good. Kota goes for the German suplex from the second rope, but TJP desperately fights it off and then hits a springboard dropkick which is followed by a Pele kick by Ibushi. That was fantastic. TJP counters the powerbomb into a DDT and then hits an awesome inverted lungblower for a 2 count. Kota goes for the Pele kick again, but TJP catches his leg and gets him in the knee bar. Ibushi counters and now they are both pounding each other. Golden Star powerbomb by Ibushi and somehow only gets a 2 count and Full Sail is rocking. Ibushi misses the Phoenix Splash and is holding his nose. TJP rolls hiim over and they begin striking each other again back and forth. Ibushi catches him in a wheelbarrow and just slams him straight down and kicks out. Ibushi takes his head off with a kick, but he rolls out of the powerbomb and into the knee bar again. Ibushi is doing everything he possibly can to get to the ropes, but Perkins starts pulling on his neck and gets the tap out. That was a killer match. How was Perkins not a made man after this tournament? It just goes to show how few of the casual fans watched this tournament.
Match Rating: ****1/2
Noam Dar and Cedric Alexander are backstage. Dar says he doesn't have a gameplan for their first time teaming up. Not much to that one.
Sasha Banks, Kalisto, Rich Swann, Jack Gallagher and Bayley are in the house tonight.
Noam Dar & Cedric Alexander vs. DIY
What a fun ride it has been for Gargano and Ciampa and let's hope that Ciampa comes back from his injury better than ever. Awesome handspring into a roundhouse kick by Alexander, who then hits a senton splash to the outside. Goes for the handspring again, but Ciampa dropkicks him right in the face. Gargano is in now and cleans house. Ciampa holds up Dar on his shoulders and Gargano superkicks him. Then Alexander is coming and Gargano does a launched spear into him. Alexander then hits a the Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. We then get another incredible segment of knees and clotheslines and non-stop action. Gargano and Dar get the tags now and they begin going back and forth. Big boot by Dar sends Gargano to the outside and then a suicide dive. Alexander nails Ciampa with a few big kicks and almost gets a 3. Alexander thinks he had it and he is is right in that the refs hand hit the mat. DIY with a double superkick to Dar and they get the victory in a good, hard fought match.
Match Rating: ***1/2
T.J. Perkins vs. Gran Metalik
Upon my original viewing, I certainly did not expect this to be the finals of the tournament. Triple H comes out and announces that the winner of this match will not only be the winner of the tournament, but they will be the Cruiserweight Champion. TJP with two twisting headscissors by TJP. TJP now with a reverse pendulum and then a roll up for 2. Slow paced match to start here. Metalik takes out Perkins' legs with a dropkick from the floor to the apron and then hits him with a suicide dive. Metalik walks the ropes and does a springboard senton for a 2 count. TJP hits a leaping hurricanrana which sends Metalik out to the floor. Perkins has been dominating the majority of the match. Then seemingly out of nowhere Metalik hits an awesome hurricanrana. From there he does a springboard senton to the outside and mostly misses. Springboard dropkick by Metalik but he then misses the running shooting star press, which TJP turns into a knee bar. Metalik gets to the ropes. Big spike DDT by Metalik almost gets the victory. It's amazing to me how little of an impact that both of these guys have had on the main roster since this. Metalik goes for a moonsault, but TJP blocks it and eventually gets into the knee bar. Metalik is crawling to the ropes, but TJP brings him back to the center. Metalik reverses into a roll up and almost steals the win. There is an absolutely awesome atmosphere in Full Sail right now. Metalik is trying to fight back, but the knee isn't allowing him to do everything he would like. Perkins is going up top, but Metalik gets to him first. Metalik is going for a Metalik Driver off the top, but Perkins blocks it into the knee bar yet again and this time Metalik taps. That doesn't top the Perkins/Ibushi match from earlier, but it was still darn good.
Match Rating: ***3/4
Well that was one heck of a ride. The first round did a good job introducing us to the main players and then from there it was great match after great match. I'm not sure that we'll ever get anything like this again, although they are doing some great things over on 205 Live. I may have to eventually cover those episodes. Anyway, this tournament is worth any wrestling fans time, no matter what kind of style you are into. Great stuff.
Overall Rating: 88%
Tuesday, March 12, 2019
Superstars 6-27-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, June 27th, 1992
Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Mr. Perfect makes some dad jokes about people with the last name of Hamilton being from Hamilton.
British Bulldog vs. Nick Danger
Nick Danger is an elite jobber name. Bulldog does the delayed suplex, which never fails to be impressive. Bulldog says it's time for Repo Man to go to his obedience school, which cracks Vince up. I'll mark that down as the reason he got to main event SummerSlam in 2 months. Bulldog with a clothesline in the corner and then scoops him up for the powerslam, which is all she wrote for Danger.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Update time with Mean Gene, who is standing by a lifetime supply of IcoPro. Tatanka recently visited his roots, wearing his Speedo of course. He then lets out his war cry while staring at a lake. They then show him talking to a group of kids that he's going to get revenge on Rick Martel, which is awesome. He tells them to stay away from drugs and alcohol as well.
Rick Johnson & Chico Martinez vs. The Nasty Boys
Rick Johnson is a good sized guy for a jobber. The Nastys attack him before the bell. Knobbs hits a bulldog and then shoves Johnson's head in Saggs' pit. Meanwhile, Koko B. Ware has not dropped the singing our tag team name during their interviews bit. Big splash by Knobbs into the corner on Martinez. Knobbs has Chico up and slams him down and Saggs hits an elbow off the top rope for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center with Sean Mooney is up next. El Matador tells us that he doesn't like Shawn Michaels or Rick Martel. Repo Man hates summer because it's not dark enough at night to sneak around, but don't worry, he still gets his job done. I live for these Repo promos.
Razor Ramon is back in Miami living the good life. Some terrible actress comes up to him and is upset that Ramon didn't call her back and he sends her packing.
Glen Ruth vs. Virgil
The cameras find the one kid in the audience who has a Virgil shirt on. Probably a plant. Who am I kidding? I loved Virgil. Vince says that Virgil is a good example of what drug free looks like. Ruth looks good in his little outburst at the beginning. Virgil hits a German suplex and then a clothesline over the top. Virgil then launches himself over the ropes, which Vince thinks it is due to the IcoPro he ate. Hip toss by Virgil and then his right hands. Russian leg sweep and that is all. I have a soft spot for 91/92 Virgil.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They show a clip of the Bushwhackers doing aerobics that is featured on the new Coliseum Home Video release. The Natural Disasters and their awesome background are here to tell Money, Inc. that they aren't here for the money, but for the meaning behind the championship belts. Papa Shango promises that there is still a lot more to come.
The Berzerker vs. Bruce Mitchell
McMahon calls Mitchell's chest concave. I love it. Berzerker says he is going to take Underatker's stinkin' head off. Berzerker ties up Mitchell in the ropes and hits him with two boots. Berzerker then hits his version of the body slam and a knee to the chest. He then throws Mitchell over the top rope and gets the countout victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
The Legion of Doom are at a building was destroyed. They say this is where they grew up. They show a bunch of awkward closeups as they dig around the mess and dirt. In the pile of the rubble, they find a puppet named Rocco, who somehow is in okay condition. This is incredible. How in the world did Hawk and Animal agree to this? Ellering's acting his terrible. Ellering is now going to bring Rocco to the ring with him so they don't forget their past. How did this ever air on television? Vince thinks it's great.
J.A. Gooden vs. Nailz
These jobber names are on fire today. Nailz continues his awkward offense this week. He is nearly unwatchable. He then does his choke, which is supposed to be a DQ, and gets the victory. He then uses the nightstick after to beat on Gooden some more. A group of officials try to stop him, but he clears them out of the ring.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Texas Tornado vs. Dwayne Gill
Tornado hits Gill with some fists and clotheslines. Big suplex by Tornado, but Gill gets a few shots in, but Tornado slugs him and gets a victory. Okey dokey.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Kamala vs. John Blade
Kamala leapfrogs Blade and hits him with a kick. That was actually fairly impressive. Kamala eventually hits his big splash and does the same schtick as usual for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney had to get sick of basically doing the same thing over and over, right? Shawn Michaels is staring into the mirror and reminds us how much better he is than all of us. Sarge says it feels good when people give him the salute and that he's not afraid of Mountie's electrocution machine.
Next week we will get Crush, an interview with Repo Man, Papa Shango, an update on Big Boss Man and Bret Hart.
This episode flowed a little bit better than the last few weeks, but it's impossible to ignore the hilarious on location with Legion of Doom. That is an all timer in terms of stupid ideas.
Overall Rating: 30%
Copps Coliseum
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Mr. Perfect makes some dad jokes about people with the last name of Hamilton being from Hamilton.
British Bulldog vs. Nick Danger
Nick Danger is an elite jobber name. Bulldog does the delayed suplex, which never fails to be impressive. Bulldog says it's time for Repo Man to go to his obedience school, which cracks Vince up. I'll mark that down as the reason he got to main event SummerSlam in 2 months. Bulldog with a clothesline in the corner and then scoops him up for the powerslam, which is all she wrote for Danger.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
Update time with Mean Gene, who is standing by a lifetime supply of IcoPro. Tatanka recently visited his roots, wearing his Speedo of course. He then lets out his war cry while staring at a lake. They then show him talking to a group of kids that he's going to get revenge on Rick Martel, which is awesome. He tells them to stay away from drugs and alcohol as well.
Rick Johnson & Chico Martinez vs. The Nasty Boys
Rick Johnson is a good sized guy for a jobber. The Nastys attack him before the bell. Knobbs hits a bulldog and then shoves Johnson's head in Saggs' pit. Meanwhile, Koko B. Ware has not dropped the singing our tag team name during their interviews bit. Big splash by Knobbs into the corner on Martinez. Knobbs has Chico up and slams him down and Saggs hits an elbow off the top rope for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center with Sean Mooney is up next. El Matador tells us that he doesn't like Shawn Michaels or Rick Martel. Repo Man hates summer because it's not dark enough at night to sneak around, but don't worry, he still gets his job done. I live for these Repo promos.
Razor Ramon is back in Miami living the good life. Some terrible actress comes up to him and is upset that Ramon didn't call her back and he sends her packing.
Glen Ruth vs. Virgil
The cameras find the one kid in the audience who has a Virgil shirt on. Probably a plant. Who am I kidding? I loved Virgil. Vince says that Virgil is a good example of what drug free looks like. Ruth looks good in his little outburst at the beginning. Virgil hits a German suplex and then a clothesline over the top. Virgil then launches himself over the ropes, which Vince thinks it is due to the IcoPro he ate. Hip toss by Virgil and then his right hands. Russian leg sweep and that is all. I have a soft spot for 91/92 Virgil.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They show a clip of the Bushwhackers doing aerobics that is featured on the new Coliseum Home Video release. The Natural Disasters and their awesome background are here to tell Money, Inc. that they aren't here for the money, but for the meaning behind the championship belts. Papa Shango promises that there is still a lot more to come.
The Berzerker vs. Bruce Mitchell
McMahon calls Mitchell's chest concave. I love it. Berzerker says he is going to take Underatker's stinkin' head off. Berzerker ties up Mitchell in the ropes and hits him with two boots. Berzerker then hits his version of the body slam and a knee to the chest. He then throws Mitchell over the top rope and gets the countout victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
The Legion of Doom are at a building was destroyed. They say this is where they grew up. They show a bunch of awkward closeups as they dig around the mess and dirt. In the pile of the rubble, they find a puppet named Rocco, who somehow is in okay condition. This is incredible. How in the world did Hawk and Animal agree to this? Ellering's acting his terrible. Ellering is now going to bring Rocco to the ring with him so they don't forget their past. How did this ever air on television? Vince thinks it's great.
J.A. Gooden vs. Nailz
These jobber names are on fire today. Nailz continues his awkward offense this week. He is nearly unwatchable. He then does his choke, which is supposed to be a DQ, and gets the victory. He then uses the nightstick after to beat on Gooden some more. A group of officials try to stop him, but he clears them out of the ring.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Texas Tornado vs. Dwayne Gill
Tornado hits Gill with some fists and clotheslines. Big suplex by Tornado, but Gill gets a few shots in, but Tornado slugs him and gets a victory. Okey dokey.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Kamala vs. John Blade
Kamala leapfrogs Blade and hits him with a kick. That was actually fairly impressive. Kamala eventually hits his big splash and does the same schtick as usual for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Sean Mooney had to get sick of basically doing the same thing over and over, right? Shawn Michaels is staring into the mirror and reminds us how much better he is than all of us. Sarge says it feels good when people give him the salute and that he's not afraid of Mountie's electrocution machine.
Next week we will get Crush, an interview with Repo Man, Papa Shango, an update on Big Boss Man and Bret Hart.
This episode flowed a little bit better than the last few weeks, but it's impossible to ignore the hilarious on location with Legion of Doom. That is an all timer in terms of stupid ideas.
Overall Rating: 30%
Sunday, March 10, 2019
Fastlane 2019 Review
Sunday, March 10th, 2019
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, Ohio
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Although it is fairly newer, a strong argument could be made that Fastlane is possibly the most blah of the pay-per-view events. However, on paper, this looks like it could be a fun show. Let's see what they give us tonight.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match
Shane McMahon & The Miz vs. The Usos
Miz and Shane get off to a hot start taking it to both Usos. The fans are behind Miz in his hometown, but they are playing up how he is having a hard time getting his father's approval. The Usos cut the ring in half and go to work on Shane. Shane is able to hit a DDT and make the hot tag to Miz. Miz hits most of his signature moves and then rips off his jersey to reveal a "Cleveland Is Awesome" shirt and does a rare top rope splash to both Usos on the outside. Usos hit a blind tag and then nail Miz with a pop up Samoan drop for a 2 count. Miz goes off the second rope, but is hit with a double superkick and Shane has to make the save. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale, but the ref was distracted by Shane and he only gets a 2 count. Miz is going for the Figure Four, but is shoved into the ring post. Miz is on the shoulder of one of the Usos, but counters their double team and almost gets a 3 count. Miz gets hot shotted onto the top rope. Shane decides to go for a coast to coast, but the other Uso goes up to the opposite turnbuckle. They are at a standoff and then both jump at the same time and Shane hits him in midair. That was pretty awesome. Miz's dad tells him to go up top and he goes for a frog splash, but whichever Uso gets his knees up and gets the victory. Yeah, I still don't know which Uso is which.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
After the match, they go for the unexpected and have Shane turn heel and attack the Miz. He also shoves down Miz's dad. I'm not sure I've seen a wrestler sweat more than Shane. It's clear they weren't going for the obvious outcome of this storyline. We shall see if it works, because Miz as a face has never been his best role.
Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Lashley cut a boring promo mocking the style of the Shield. Next.
Elias is in the ring and ready to rock. He takes a couple shots at the Miz and naturally Cleveland. He ends it with a joke about hanging with Lebron in LA and that's it. OK?
They show clips from the pre-show of Kofi being requested to meet with the McMahons and then the New Day winning their matchup against Nakamura and Rusev.
Smackdown Women's Championship Match
Mandy Rose vs. Asuka
We are almost 40 minutes into the show and the second match is just starting. Please don't be 5 hours long. I will say that Mandy Rose is much better than I ever anticipated her being from back in her Tough Enough days. They have a weird spot where Sonya distracted Asuka which led to some semi-botched looking counters and another distraction to lead to a knee and a nearfall. That was just way too extravagant for what they were going for. Abdominal stretch by Mandy. After two countered suplexes, Asuka has Mandy in the Octopus. Sonya is looking under the ring for something and finds...nothing? Asuka hits a second rope springboard dropkick. That was nicely executed. Asuka then connects with a nice kick and a hip attack in the corner. Release German suplex and a knee to the face, but Mandy kicks out by 2. The crowd is pretty dead here. Mandy doesn't look quite ready to be here, but as I type that she hits a nice knee. Asuka counters her finisher and hits her with a knee of her own. Sonya looks under the ring again and this time finds a kendo stick. Sonya leaves the ring apron on there and Mandy slips on it and gets drilled by a roundhouse kick from Asuka and that's all she wrote. That was a little awkward all around.
Match Rating: *3/4
New Day is backstage with Vince McMahon and they convince him to make the WWE Championship match a triple threat match. We'll see where this goes.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar
They announced it as the WWE Championship match, but then the ring announcer is told that this is now a handicap match against The Bar and they are both allowed to be in the ring at the same time. The Bar naturally double team him right at the start. They hit knee and an uppercut in the corner and kick him to the outside. Somehow Kofi fights back and hits Sheamus off the top, but goes up again and Cesaro uppercuts him on the way down. Cesaro has him up and Sheamus hits the Doomsday Device on him. Cesaro has him held in place and we get the Brogue Kick as the crowd starts chanting "This is boring". They pull him up for another Brogue Kick, but New Day are out, but so are Nakamura and Rusev. They take care of the New Day and hit the double White Noise for the pinfall. That one sure sucked the air out of the building, even though that's what they were most likely going for, it seemed to slightly backfire.
Match Rating: *1/4
Bailey and Sasha Banks are backstage, who give a shoutout to Kofi. I do really like those title belts. They give a late 80s/early 90s style interview. It's hard not to see Sasha as a heel, although her in ring work does translate to being a face.
Elias is back in the ring again for another tune. Now it's the New Day's turn to get roasted. He ends this one with a Steelers/Browns joke. Not as effective as the first song.
We get a recap of something that happened less than an hour ago. Will this show end on before Monday? They ask Shane an explanation for his actions and he in turn just goes back into his locker room and shuts the door.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The Revival
Black and Ricochet are really such an odd pairing, but they both are so good that it doesn't really matter. Gable is most likely the single most underrated talent on the roster. Right off the bat Ricochet and Black do the fakeout for flying out of the ring. Richochet hits his awesome head scissors on Gable. The Revival are in and hit a double team move on Ricochet for a 2 count. I love how well the Revival are able to work with any type of tag team. They get the Brainbuster comparison for a reason. Ricochet fights back and hits a rolling double knee and both men are down. Bobby Roode and Black are tagged in and Black knocks out both Roode and Gable. Black goes for Black Mass on Roode, but he pushes him to kick Dawson and then takes control on Black. Then we get an awesome sequence that I can't even describe that leads to an awesome rolling suplex by Gable and then a Shooting Star Press by Ricochet, but the pin is broken up by Roode. Ricochet looks to go up top and is blocked by Gable and Dawson. Dawson is now up top, but Ricochet slugs him and hits a hurricanrana on Dawson and he hits all the men on the floor. That looked really dangerous. Dawson didn't seem to get enough distance on his fall. Ricochet then jumps over the ring post and knocks out Roode. Gable is now up top and hits a crossbody on Dawson for a 2 count. The Revival then hit the Shatter Machine and get the pin on Gable. That was a good tag team match.
Match Rating: ***3/4
After the match Roode, Black and Ricochet destroy the Revival. Ricochet hits the 630 splash, which will never stop being impressive. After the match Ricochet and Black embrace? They show highlights, which doesn't include the crazy hurricanrana spot, so they must not have hit it as planned. It was hard to tell live due to a bad angle, but I assumed that was the case.
United States Championship Match
R-Truth vs. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe
In my opinion, Andrade is the best performer on the main roster right now. Joe and Rey start things off. I would love to see them in a one on one matchup. Samoa Joe does a dive through the rope and knocks out all three men. That was nice. R-Truth is such an odd choice as the fourth man in all of this, that it just kind of works. Mysterio hits a double hurricanrana on Andrade and Truth, followed by a combination headscissors and hip toss. Joe has really regained his confidence and is just looking as awesome as I think he has since joining WWE. The announcers have reminded us 20 times already that this is the last pay-per-view before WrestleMania. Joe catches Truth in the Coquina Clutch on Truth, but Mysterio breaks it up. Joe goes for a powerslam, but Mysterio reverses it into a DDT. Mysterio goes up top and Andrade breaks it up. Andrade goes for a superplex and here comes Truth who holds him up for Mysterio to hit a hurricanrana off of Truth's shoulders. Mysterio hit that perfectly. Joe is back in control, but not for long as Andrade dropkicks him as he's holding Mysterio. Andrade hits two of the Three Amigos to some boos. Mysterio blocked the third one, but Andrade gets him in the Gory Special, but in comes Truth. There have been very few one on one spots here and when there are, they are quickly broken up. Andrade then hits a springboard corkscrew to the outside on Joe and then Mysterio hits him with a hurricanrana from the top rope to the floor. Zelina superkicks Truth and Carmella is all over her. Joe hits the Rock Bottom on Rey, but Truth and Andrade break it up. Truth then starts hitting his hero John Cena's moves, which I'm still not 100% sure where that is going. Five Knuckle Shuffle to Joe and then hits an odd looking scissor kick on Andrade. Mysterio sets up Joe for the 619 and nails it, but misses the splash. Coquina Clutch by Joe and Mysterio taps. That was all action by a group of guys who know how to put together a good match that makes sense.
Match Rating: ****
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
The Boss 'n' Hug Connection vs. Tamina & Nia Jax
A few quick tags by the champs, but Nia launches Sasha at Bayley. Nia plants Bayley with a powerbomb. I have to say I am a little surprised that this match was not saved for WrestleMania, but they'll probably throw together some four way match instead. Bayley fights out of their corner and makes the tag to Sasha. Crossbody off the top onto Tamina followed by some kicks and a knee. 2 count only there. The crowd seems a little burned out after two fast paced matches, making this a tough spot to be in. They try to do a double team Samoan Drop spot, but Nia falls over as she caught Sasha. She gets up and hits it anyways. Bayley now is nailing Nia with elbows in the corner. Bayley ducked an elbow drop in a cool spot by crawling through the ropes. Bayley helps Sasha jump off the top and the heels semi-catch her. Bayley then does a suicide dive and knocks all three over. Nia and Tamina do not belong with Sasha and Bayley. Double knees off the top and elbow drop onto Nia, but Tamina breaks up the pin. Bayley then hits a hurricanrana on Nia and gets the victory. That was a really bad performance by Nia and Tamina, thankfully the faces still looked good.
Match Rating: **1/4
After the match Nia and Tamina destroy the champs. After they are done, guest announcer Beth Phoenix steps up to Tamina and hits her with a right hand. Nia then attacks her from behind. They then go to work on her. Nia almost knocks Tamina off the apron as she is going off the ropes, just to show how in sync they are. Natalya comes out for the save. Beth has stated before that she would like to work Nia, but not sure how many matches are going to fit on WrestleMania, even on a 18 hour show. Nia and Tamina take care of Natalya and walk away.
WWE Championship Match
Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali
What a terrible spot to put a guy like Ali in. The poor guy gets injured and loses his spot to a very deserving Kofi, but then gets stuck in this spot as a comeback. Before the bell even rings, we get a "We want Kofi" chant. I know this is all leading to Kofi getting a shot, but I just really hate seeing Ali getting thrown in this spot. Owens gets the early advantage on both guys. Now we're getting a little taste of the original match as Bryan works on Owens by stretching him. It's kind of weird to see Owens as a face here. Erick Rowan does absolutely nothing for me and adds nothing to Daniel Bryan. I have no problem with Bryan having a bodyguard type, but Rowan was just about the worst choice. Bryan gets his Yes Kicks in, but Mustafa breaks it up. The crowd just doesn't even know what to do during this match, that's bad booking. Ali hits a rolling X-Factor on Bryan. The announcers are calling out how the crowd is not behind Ali like they normally are and Bryan drills him with a clothesline. Bryan misses a kick in the corner on Owens and Owens then hits a cannonball on Ali. Owens hits a double senton on Ali onto Bryan. Inverted hurricanrana by Ali onto Owens and then Spanish Fly onto Bryan from the top rope. That hurricanrana looked like he planted him. Owens hits a stunner after a missed splash by Ali, but Bryan breaks up the pin attempt. These guys are really cooking now despite everything working against them. Pop up powerbomb, but Bryan kicks out. Owens tries for a powerbomb on the apron, but Bryan reverses it for a back body drop. Bryan goes for a knee on Ali, but he ducks and Bryan hits the post. Ali is now going up to the top and hits a 450 splash onto Bryan on the apron. Even after that, the crowd still isn't behind him. Rowan saves Bryan from getting pinned and he is now heading into the ring but is greeted with two super kicks and then a double super kick. Ali with a hurricanrana on him and then a flip over the top rope on Rowan. Knee strike by Bryan to Owens and rolls him back into the ring. Bryan climbs up top, but Ali holds on to his leg. Ali gets pushed off the top and lands on his feet, Bryan misses and then Ali hits a flying DDT. Owens then hits a pop up powerbomb onto the apron on Owens. Rowan hits Owens with a kick and dumps him over the rail, but Ali kicks out of the pin attempt. The crowd is still not buying Ali despite the announcers saying they are. The Kofi chants are beginning again. Bryan keeps telling Ali that he doesn't deserve to be here and Ali fights back. Ali then leaps off the second rope and gets nailed by a knee strike. That was awesome. 1-2-3 and it's all over. That was another really good match. I didn't expect that to top the US Championship match, but I think I am going slightly higher here.
Match Rating: ****1/4
After the match, Rowan slams Ali one more time for good measure.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Becky is trying fight off the knee injury, but Charlotte is non-stop taunting her. Charlotte naturally is working on the knee. This is a tough type of match to pull off, but I think given their history it can work if it is written properly. Becky getting in more offense than I expected. Charlotte is a first class heel and while I pretty much will always prefer WrestleMania main events as one on one (although there are quite a few exceptions to the rule), she absolutely deserves to be in there. Charlotte is chopping away in the corner, but Lynch avoids a shot to the knee, but isn't able to capitalize. Having this match on the same night as the Kofi match seems like a bad move. Becky rolls up Charlotte and gets two and a half. As I watch her do the Nature Boy strut, it just is a reminder that even when she does stuff like that, it is the fact that she is so different from her father that she is able to be so successful. Charlotte goes up top, but Becky knocks her off to the outside and she is barely able to beat the 10 count. Becky gets her into the Disarmer, but Charlotte is able to get her into the Figure Eight and out comes Ronda Rousey. She jumps in the ring and nails Becky one time, which makes Becky the winner by DQ. Becky is announced as the winner and being in the Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania. This did not produce the reaction they were probably hoping for. I guess this is what happens when you have 5 million hours of TV a month to make. The storylines become overly complicated. This was an angle more than a match, but this was better than the Kofi match.
Match Rating: *3/4
Elias is back out for a third time tonight. He makes a Becky Lynch Ohio joke, followed by a Shield and Browns joke. Easy heat, but this isn't a terrible way to get him on the show. Even Elias gets in on calling this the last pay-per-view before WrestleMania. Out comes Lacey Evans for her walk down spot. As Elias is watching, Randy Orton comes with an RKO out of nowhere to a big spot and then A Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm. As far as cramming a bunch of things into a short amount of time, that worked well enough for me and it woke the crowd up before the main event.
Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley vs. The Shield
I still can't believe they actually let Corbin wrestle in something that's as bland as he is. I don't know what Drew did to deserve being stuck with Corbin and Lashley here. Just let McIntyre be his own man. The Shield come in through the audience. They bring up that Ambrose is going to be leaving, so this will be the last time we see the Shield. The Shield clear the ring to start off. Renee Young calls out the heels for not appearing to have a game plan going into the match. Lashley and Rollins start things off. I still can't believe Corbin is in this spot. It's good to see Roman back in there again. The Shield with some nice teamwork. McIntrye is now in there and taking it to Roman, but he hits him with a big fist. Rollins and Reigns use a wishbone on McIntyre. I feel like I haven't seen that in awhile. McIntyre hits a nice looking kick to Rollins' ribs as he went up to jump over McIntyre in the corner. Rollins does everything he can and is finally able to hit a tag to Ambrose. Ambrose jumps off the top post and hits an elbow on McIntyre. Rollins gets thrown over the railing and for some reason one fan doesn't move out of the way. Ambrose barely beats the 10 count on the outside and is instantly met by fists from McIntyre. I have such a hard time not tuning out when either Lashley or Corbin are in there. Hot tag to Reigns and takes out everyone. Ambrose and Rollins hit a kind of weird back to back dropkick spot, followed by a double suicide dive. Reigns sends Corbin over the top with a clothesline and here comes Roman, but Corbin catches him and hits him with a Deep Six. Lashley and McIntyre are working on Rollins by the timekeepers table and in comes Ambrose jumping off the announcers tables. Reigns and Corbin are going back and forth with right hands. Reigns is then driven into the post for a 2 count. Chokeslam by Corbin and another 2 count. The other four men are fighting through the crowd. Reigns hits a sit down powerbomb on Corbin, but that isn't enough either. Ambrose jumps off the pre-show table but is caught by both men and then Rollins jumps off the railing and knocks out all three men. Corbin went to duck under a boot from Reigns, but accidentally got hit and still slides through and comes back in and eats a Superman punch. The other four men are back. Reigns fights off McIntyre and Lashley, but gets hit with End of Days by Corbin but the pinfall is barely broken up by Ambrose and Rollins. The camera cuts here are making me nauseous. The heels are getting the Spanish announce table ready. Now they clear off the Raw announcer table as well as they mock the Shield. Ambrose and Rollins break it up for the time being as Lashley tries to chokeslam Rollins through the table, Reigns hits the Superman punch and then a Stomp by Rollins. Spear by Reigns and now they are all over the heels here. Triple powerbomb to McIntyre on the Spanish announce table. The crowd is chanting for one more time. Triple powerbomb on Corbin and they get the victory for the go home happy spot. One dude in the front row holds up a double thumbs down to the finish. This was a lot longer than I was expecting and it was decent enough. It was nowhere near as good as the three great matches on the show, but it certainly wasn't bad. Kudos to Reigns to somehow being in great shape despite what he has gone through over the past 6 months or so.
Match Rating: **3/4
Modern day WWE pay-per-views are so hard to rate. They are all really long and have so many ups and downs. When I rate these shows, I lean heavily on the actual in ring action. On this show, we were treated to 3 really good matches that will likely be mentioned among the best of all 2019 WWE matches. We also got a feel good moment with the Shield standing tall once again. We also got 2 really questionable booking decisions. The Becky one wasn't as surprising for me and while it was met with a poor reception, I don't think it will hurt that match because it's something that has been built to for awhile and has the star power to overcome it. The Kofi decision was worse because it really changed the course at least in the short term for not only himself, but also Owens and Ali. I think all 3 guys will overcome it and be just fine, although I do worry a little for Ali. Although if he keeps having performances like he did here, I shouldn't have to. So with all of that being said, I really enjoyed a lot of this show and definitely give it a recommendation with the caveat that this is still 2019 WWE and you will likely be frustrated with the creative aspect of the show.
Overall Rating: 83%
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, Ohio
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Although it is fairly newer, a strong argument could be made that Fastlane is possibly the most blah of the pay-per-view events. However, on paper, this looks like it could be a fun show. Let's see what they give us tonight.
Smackdown Tag Team Championship Match
Shane McMahon & The Miz vs. The Usos
Miz and Shane get off to a hot start taking it to both Usos. The fans are behind Miz in his hometown, but they are playing up how he is having a hard time getting his father's approval. The Usos cut the ring in half and go to work on Shane. Shane is able to hit a DDT and make the hot tag to Miz. Miz hits most of his signature moves and then rips off his jersey to reveal a "Cleveland Is Awesome" shirt and does a rare top rope splash to both Usos on the outside. Usos hit a blind tag and then nail Miz with a pop up Samoan drop for a 2 count. Miz goes off the second rope, but is hit with a double superkick and Shane has to make the save. Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale, but the ref was distracted by Shane and he only gets a 2 count. Miz is going for the Figure Four, but is shoved into the ring post. Miz is on the shoulder of one of the Usos, but counters their double team and almost gets a 3 count. Miz gets hot shotted onto the top rope. Shane decides to go for a coast to coast, but the other Uso goes up to the opposite turnbuckle. They are at a standoff and then both jump at the same time and Shane hits him in midair. That was pretty awesome. Miz's dad tells him to go up top and he goes for a frog splash, but whichever Uso gets his knees up and gets the victory. Yeah, I still don't know which Uso is which.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
After the match, they go for the unexpected and have Shane turn heel and attack the Miz. He also shoves down Miz's dad. I'm not sure I've seen a wrestler sweat more than Shane. It's clear they weren't going for the obvious outcome of this storyline. We shall see if it works, because Miz as a face has never been his best role.
Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre and Lashley cut a boring promo mocking the style of the Shield. Next.
Elias is in the ring and ready to rock. He takes a couple shots at the Miz and naturally Cleveland. He ends it with a joke about hanging with Lebron in LA and that's it. OK?
They show clips from the pre-show of Kofi being requested to meet with the McMahons and then the New Day winning their matchup against Nakamura and Rusev.
Smackdown Women's Championship Match
Mandy Rose vs. Asuka
We are almost 40 minutes into the show and the second match is just starting. Please don't be 5 hours long. I will say that Mandy Rose is much better than I ever anticipated her being from back in her Tough Enough days. They have a weird spot where Sonya distracted Asuka which led to some semi-botched looking counters and another distraction to lead to a knee and a nearfall. That was just way too extravagant for what they were going for. Abdominal stretch by Mandy. After two countered suplexes, Asuka has Mandy in the Octopus. Sonya is looking under the ring for something and finds...nothing? Asuka hits a second rope springboard dropkick. That was nicely executed. Asuka then connects with a nice kick and a hip attack in the corner. Release German suplex and a knee to the face, but Mandy kicks out by 2. The crowd is pretty dead here. Mandy doesn't look quite ready to be here, but as I type that she hits a nice knee. Asuka counters her finisher and hits her with a knee of her own. Sonya looks under the ring again and this time finds a kendo stick. Sonya leaves the ring apron on there and Mandy slips on it and gets drilled by a roundhouse kick from Asuka and that's all she wrote. That was a little awkward all around.
Match Rating: *3/4
New Day is backstage with Vince McMahon and they convince him to make the WWE Championship match a triple threat match. We'll see where this goes.
Kofi Kingston vs. The Bar
They announced it as the WWE Championship match, but then the ring announcer is told that this is now a handicap match against The Bar and they are both allowed to be in the ring at the same time. The Bar naturally double team him right at the start. They hit knee and an uppercut in the corner and kick him to the outside. Somehow Kofi fights back and hits Sheamus off the top, but goes up again and Cesaro uppercuts him on the way down. Cesaro has him up and Sheamus hits the Doomsday Device on him. Cesaro has him held in place and we get the Brogue Kick as the crowd starts chanting "This is boring". They pull him up for another Brogue Kick, but New Day are out, but so are Nakamura and Rusev. They take care of the New Day and hit the double White Noise for the pinfall. That one sure sucked the air out of the building, even though that's what they were most likely going for, it seemed to slightly backfire.
Match Rating: *1/4
Bailey and Sasha Banks are backstage, who give a shoutout to Kofi. I do really like those title belts. They give a late 80s/early 90s style interview. It's hard not to see Sasha as a heel, although her in ring work does translate to being a face.
Elias is back in the ring again for another tune. Now it's the New Day's turn to get roasted. He ends this one with a Steelers/Browns joke. Not as effective as the first song.
We get a recap of something that happened less than an hour ago. Will this show end on before Monday? They ask Shane an explanation for his actions and he in turn just goes back into his locker room and shuts the door.
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Ricochet & Aleister Black vs. Bobby Roode & Chad Gable vs. The Revival
Black and Ricochet are really such an odd pairing, but they both are so good that it doesn't really matter. Gable is most likely the single most underrated talent on the roster. Right off the bat Ricochet and Black do the fakeout for flying out of the ring. Richochet hits his awesome head scissors on Gable. The Revival are in and hit a double team move on Ricochet for a 2 count. I love how well the Revival are able to work with any type of tag team. They get the Brainbuster comparison for a reason. Ricochet fights back and hits a rolling double knee and both men are down. Bobby Roode and Black are tagged in and Black knocks out both Roode and Gable. Black goes for Black Mass on Roode, but he pushes him to kick Dawson and then takes control on Black. Then we get an awesome sequence that I can't even describe that leads to an awesome rolling suplex by Gable and then a Shooting Star Press by Ricochet, but the pin is broken up by Roode. Ricochet looks to go up top and is blocked by Gable and Dawson. Dawson is now up top, but Ricochet slugs him and hits a hurricanrana on Dawson and he hits all the men on the floor. That looked really dangerous. Dawson didn't seem to get enough distance on his fall. Ricochet then jumps over the ring post and knocks out Roode. Gable is now up top and hits a crossbody on Dawson for a 2 count. The Revival then hit the Shatter Machine and get the pin on Gable. That was a good tag team match.
Match Rating: ***3/4
After the match Roode, Black and Ricochet destroy the Revival. Ricochet hits the 630 splash, which will never stop being impressive. After the match Ricochet and Black embrace? They show highlights, which doesn't include the crazy hurricanrana spot, so they must not have hit it as planned. It was hard to tell live due to a bad angle, but I assumed that was the case.
United States Championship Match
R-Truth vs. Andrade vs. Rey Mysterio vs. Samoa Joe
In my opinion, Andrade is the best performer on the main roster right now. Joe and Rey start things off. I would love to see them in a one on one matchup. Samoa Joe does a dive through the rope and knocks out all three men. That was nice. R-Truth is such an odd choice as the fourth man in all of this, that it just kind of works. Mysterio hits a double hurricanrana on Andrade and Truth, followed by a combination headscissors and hip toss. Joe has really regained his confidence and is just looking as awesome as I think he has since joining WWE. The announcers have reminded us 20 times already that this is the last pay-per-view before WrestleMania. Joe catches Truth in the Coquina Clutch on Truth, but Mysterio breaks it up. Joe goes for a powerslam, but Mysterio reverses it into a DDT. Mysterio goes up top and Andrade breaks it up. Andrade goes for a superplex and here comes Truth who holds him up for Mysterio to hit a hurricanrana off of Truth's shoulders. Mysterio hit that perfectly. Joe is back in control, but not for long as Andrade dropkicks him as he's holding Mysterio. Andrade hits two of the Three Amigos to some boos. Mysterio blocked the third one, but Andrade gets him in the Gory Special, but in comes Truth. There have been very few one on one spots here and when there are, they are quickly broken up. Andrade then hits a springboard corkscrew to the outside on Joe and then Mysterio hits him with a hurricanrana from the top rope to the floor. Zelina superkicks Truth and Carmella is all over her. Joe hits the Rock Bottom on Rey, but Truth and Andrade break it up. Truth then starts hitting his hero John Cena's moves, which I'm still not 100% sure where that is going. Five Knuckle Shuffle to Joe and then hits an odd looking scissor kick on Andrade. Mysterio sets up Joe for the 619 and nails it, but misses the splash. Coquina Clutch by Joe and Mysterio taps. That was all action by a group of guys who know how to put together a good match that makes sense.
Match Rating: ****
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
The Boss 'n' Hug Connection vs. Tamina & Nia Jax
A few quick tags by the champs, but Nia launches Sasha at Bayley. Nia plants Bayley with a powerbomb. I have to say I am a little surprised that this match was not saved for WrestleMania, but they'll probably throw together some four way match instead. Bayley fights out of their corner and makes the tag to Sasha. Crossbody off the top onto Tamina followed by some kicks and a knee. 2 count only there. The crowd seems a little burned out after two fast paced matches, making this a tough spot to be in. They try to do a double team Samoan Drop spot, but Nia falls over as she caught Sasha. She gets up and hits it anyways. Bayley now is nailing Nia with elbows in the corner. Bayley ducked an elbow drop in a cool spot by crawling through the ropes. Bayley helps Sasha jump off the top and the heels semi-catch her. Bayley then does a suicide dive and knocks all three over. Nia and Tamina do not belong with Sasha and Bayley. Double knees off the top and elbow drop onto Nia, but Tamina breaks up the pin. Bayley then hits a hurricanrana on Nia and gets the victory. That was a really bad performance by Nia and Tamina, thankfully the faces still looked good.
Match Rating: **1/4
After the match Nia and Tamina destroy the champs. After they are done, guest announcer Beth Phoenix steps up to Tamina and hits her with a right hand. Nia then attacks her from behind. They then go to work on her. Nia almost knocks Tamina off the apron as she is going off the ropes, just to show how in sync they are. Natalya comes out for the save. Beth has stated before that she would like to work Nia, but not sure how many matches are going to fit on WrestleMania, even on a 18 hour show. Nia and Tamina take care of Natalya and walk away.
WWE Championship Match
Kevin Owens vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Mustafa Ali
What a terrible spot to put a guy like Ali in. The poor guy gets injured and loses his spot to a very deserving Kofi, but then gets stuck in this spot as a comeback. Before the bell even rings, we get a "We want Kofi" chant. I know this is all leading to Kofi getting a shot, but I just really hate seeing Ali getting thrown in this spot. Owens gets the early advantage on both guys. Now we're getting a little taste of the original match as Bryan works on Owens by stretching him. It's kind of weird to see Owens as a face here. Erick Rowan does absolutely nothing for me and adds nothing to Daniel Bryan. I have no problem with Bryan having a bodyguard type, but Rowan was just about the worst choice. Bryan gets his Yes Kicks in, but Mustafa breaks it up. The crowd just doesn't even know what to do during this match, that's bad booking. Ali hits a rolling X-Factor on Bryan. The announcers are calling out how the crowd is not behind Ali like they normally are and Bryan drills him with a clothesline. Bryan misses a kick in the corner on Owens and Owens then hits a cannonball on Ali. Owens hits a double senton on Ali onto Bryan. Inverted hurricanrana by Ali onto Owens and then Spanish Fly onto Bryan from the top rope. That hurricanrana looked like he planted him. Owens hits a stunner after a missed splash by Ali, but Bryan breaks up the pin attempt. These guys are really cooking now despite everything working against them. Pop up powerbomb, but Bryan kicks out. Owens tries for a powerbomb on the apron, but Bryan reverses it for a back body drop. Bryan goes for a knee on Ali, but he ducks and Bryan hits the post. Ali is now going up to the top and hits a 450 splash onto Bryan on the apron. Even after that, the crowd still isn't behind him. Rowan saves Bryan from getting pinned and he is now heading into the ring but is greeted with two super kicks and then a double super kick. Ali with a hurricanrana on him and then a flip over the top rope on Rowan. Knee strike by Bryan to Owens and rolls him back into the ring. Bryan climbs up top, but Ali holds on to his leg. Ali gets pushed off the top and lands on his feet, Bryan misses and then Ali hits a flying DDT. Owens then hits a pop up powerbomb onto the apron on Owens. Rowan hits Owens with a kick and dumps him over the rail, but Ali kicks out of the pin attempt. The crowd is still not buying Ali despite the announcers saying they are. The Kofi chants are beginning again. Bryan keeps telling Ali that he doesn't deserve to be here and Ali fights back. Ali then leaps off the second rope and gets nailed by a knee strike. That was awesome. 1-2-3 and it's all over. That was another really good match. I didn't expect that to top the US Championship match, but I think I am going slightly higher here.
Match Rating: ****1/4
After the match, Rowan slams Ali one more time for good measure.
Charlotte vs. Becky Lynch
Becky is trying fight off the knee injury, but Charlotte is non-stop taunting her. Charlotte naturally is working on the knee. This is a tough type of match to pull off, but I think given their history it can work if it is written properly. Becky getting in more offense than I expected. Charlotte is a first class heel and while I pretty much will always prefer WrestleMania main events as one on one (although there are quite a few exceptions to the rule), she absolutely deserves to be in there. Charlotte is chopping away in the corner, but Lynch avoids a shot to the knee, but isn't able to capitalize. Having this match on the same night as the Kofi match seems like a bad move. Becky rolls up Charlotte and gets two and a half. As I watch her do the Nature Boy strut, it just is a reminder that even when she does stuff like that, it is the fact that she is so different from her father that she is able to be so successful. Charlotte goes up top, but Becky knocks her off to the outside and she is barely able to beat the 10 count. Becky gets her into the Disarmer, but Charlotte is able to get her into the Figure Eight and out comes Ronda Rousey. She jumps in the ring and nails Becky one time, which makes Becky the winner by DQ. Becky is announced as the winner and being in the Raw Women's Championship match at WrestleMania. This did not produce the reaction they were probably hoping for. I guess this is what happens when you have 5 million hours of TV a month to make. The storylines become overly complicated. This was an angle more than a match, but this was better than the Kofi match.
Match Rating: *3/4
Elias is back out for a third time tonight. He makes a Becky Lynch Ohio joke, followed by a Shield and Browns joke. Easy heat, but this isn't a terrible way to get him on the show. Even Elias gets in on calling this the last pay-per-view before WrestleMania. Out comes Lacey Evans for her walk down spot. As Elias is watching, Randy Orton comes with an RKO out of nowhere to a big spot and then A Styles hits a Phenomenal Forearm. As far as cramming a bunch of things into a short amount of time, that worked well enough for me and it woke the crowd up before the main event.
Baron Corbin, Drew McIntyre, Bobby Lashley vs. The Shield
I still can't believe they actually let Corbin wrestle in something that's as bland as he is. I don't know what Drew did to deserve being stuck with Corbin and Lashley here. Just let McIntyre be his own man. The Shield come in through the audience. They bring up that Ambrose is going to be leaving, so this will be the last time we see the Shield. The Shield clear the ring to start off. Renee Young calls out the heels for not appearing to have a game plan going into the match. Lashley and Rollins start things off. I still can't believe Corbin is in this spot. It's good to see Roman back in there again. The Shield with some nice teamwork. McIntrye is now in there and taking it to Roman, but he hits him with a big fist. Rollins and Reigns use a wishbone on McIntyre. I feel like I haven't seen that in awhile. McIntyre hits a nice looking kick to Rollins' ribs as he went up to jump over McIntyre in the corner. Rollins does everything he can and is finally able to hit a tag to Ambrose. Ambrose jumps off the top post and hits an elbow on McIntyre. Rollins gets thrown over the railing and for some reason one fan doesn't move out of the way. Ambrose barely beats the 10 count on the outside and is instantly met by fists from McIntyre. I have such a hard time not tuning out when either Lashley or Corbin are in there. Hot tag to Reigns and takes out everyone. Ambrose and Rollins hit a kind of weird back to back dropkick spot, followed by a double suicide dive. Reigns sends Corbin over the top with a clothesline and here comes Roman, but Corbin catches him and hits him with a Deep Six. Lashley and McIntyre are working on Rollins by the timekeepers table and in comes Ambrose jumping off the announcers tables. Reigns and Corbin are going back and forth with right hands. Reigns is then driven into the post for a 2 count. Chokeslam by Corbin and another 2 count. The other four men are fighting through the crowd. Reigns hits a sit down powerbomb on Corbin, but that isn't enough either. Ambrose jumps off the pre-show table but is caught by both men and then Rollins jumps off the railing and knocks out all three men. Corbin went to duck under a boot from Reigns, but accidentally got hit and still slides through and comes back in and eats a Superman punch. The other four men are back. Reigns fights off McIntyre and Lashley, but gets hit with End of Days by Corbin but the pinfall is barely broken up by Ambrose and Rollins. The camera cuts here are making me nauseous. The heels are getting the Spanish announce table ready. Now they clear off the Raw announcer table as well as they mock the Shield. Ambrose and Rollins break it up for the time being as Lashley tries to chokeslam Rollins through the table, Reigns hits the Superman punch and then a Stomp by Rollins. Spear by Reigns and now they are all over the heels here. Triple powerbomb to McIntyre on the Spanish announce table. The crowd is chanting for one more time. Triple powerbomb on Corbin and they get the victory for the go home happy spot. One dude in the front row holds up a double thumbs down to the finish. This was a lot longer than I was expecting and it was decent enough. It was nowhere near as good as the three great matches on the show, but it certainly wasn't bad. Kudos to Reigns to somehow being in great shape despite what he has gone through over the past 6 months or so.
Match Rating: **3/4
Modern day WWE pay-per-views are so hard to rate. They are all really long and have so many ups and downs. When I rate these shows, I lean heavily on the actual in ring action. On this show, we were treated to 3 really good matches that will likely be mentioned among the best of all 2019 WWE matches. We also got a feel good moment with the Shield standing tall once again. We also got 2 really questionable booking decisions. The Becky one wasn't as surprising for me and while it was met with a poor reception, I don't think it will hurt that match because it's something that has been built to for awhile and has the star power to overcome it. The Kofi decision was worse because it really changed the course at least in the short term for not only himself, but also Owens and Ali. I think all 3 guys will overcome it and be just fine, although I do worry a little for Ali. Although if he keeps having performances like he did here, I shouldn't have to. So with all of that being said, I really enjoyed a lot of this show and definitely give it a recommendation with the caveat that this is still 2019 WWE and you will likely be frustrated with the creative aspect of the show.
Overall Rating: 83%
Saturday, March 9, 2019
SmackDown 1-27-05 Review
Original Airdate: Thursday, January 27th, 2005
Alltell Arena
Little Rock, Arkansas
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We get a recap of the ridiculous build for the Kurt Angle/Big Show/JBL feud, mostly from last week. Now we are backstage with Kurt Angle, JBL and all of their jobber friends. Thank god they started their conversation after the highlight package or we wouldn't have had the pleasure of hearing this conversation. Kurt Angle tells Orlando Jordan, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak that they are going to take on Booker T, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio and they laugh as if they are in a meeting with Dr. Evil.
Eddie Guerrero, Booker T & Rey Mysterio vs. Orlando Jordan, Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak
The faces all come out to huge pops. Jindrak and Booker start it off. Booker nails a clothesline and we get some quick tags to Eddie and Rey. There is no doubt that the most valuable performers in the month of January 2005 were Eddie and Rey. The faces start off hot, but the heels take over once they knock the faces out of the ring and Jindrak throws Mysterio on top of Eddie. Back from commercial and Jordan has Booker in a headlock. Booker hits a Book End and hits the tag to Rey, who hits a nice springboard moonsault on Jordan. Mysterio goes for a bronco buster, but Jindrak pulled Jordan out of hte way and Mysterio is now in trouble. Rey is so good because he can make these bland heels look interesting thanks to his selling. Eddie sneaks into the ring and pokes Jindrak in the eye, who then sells it 3 seconds after the fact. The heels are still able to keep Mysterio cornered and continue with their rest holds. Cole says Reigns is a dark horse in the Rumble match. Whatever you say, Cole. Mysterio does a fun spot where he is doing everything to avoid all three heels, by crawling and jumping over them and then gets the tag to Eddie. The three faces are all in the ring and Eddie holds Jindrak on the ropes for the 619 and Booker hits a scissor kick. Frog splash by Eddie on Jindrak and they get the victory. Eddie and Rey could do no wrong here and everyone else played their roles well enough for a fun opener.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
After the match, Reigns shoves Jordan to the mat and in come the Bashams. Out comes Angle and he slaps Danny Basham. JBL is now coming out and they go to commercial in an odd spot. JBL is on the mic tells Angle to have his boys under control. JBL reminds us of his lame stable and Angle makes a few lame jabs at JBL. JBL insults Arkansas and then rips Bill Clinton. Out comes Teddy Long, playa. He announces that the main event will be Angle vs. JBL in a Last Man Standing Match.
We get the same Steve Austin package that they hyped on Raw regarding his movie deal.
It's time for the recap of the epic rivalry of Heidenreich and Undertaker. I know I say it a lot, but it can't be understated how good these packages were during this era.
United States Championship Match
John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki
Cena attacks Suzuki and destroys him with a series of punches and kicks. Cena rams Suzuki into the ring post. Suzuki wasn't good, but he has looked like a total goof here in January. Cena then shoves Suzuki into the announcers table for good measure. Cena then steals Rock's gimmick and puts on the announcers mic and does some commentary. Suzuki finally fights back and hits Cena with some stiff chops. It doesn't last long, as Cena fights back with some slaps to the chest followed by a shoulder tackle and spinning side suplex. Cena goes for a Five Knuckle Shuffle and in between pulls up Charles Robinson's collar, just in case Suzuki wasn't buried enough during this feud. FU finishes the squash.
Match Rating: *1/4
After the match, Cole steps into the ring to interview Cena. There is no question as to how over Cena was here. Cena sends a message to anybody in the Rumble that he is going to main event WrestleMania.
Eddie and Rey are backstage laughing at something and Booker wants to know what they're laughing about. Booker says that last week Eddie cost them the gold. Eddie admits he screwed up, but to think about the Royal Rumble Sunday. He says that he is going to main event WrestleMania and Rey and Booker laugh at him.
Heidenreich is in the ring and tells everyone to shut up. He is going to read us another poem. I can't believe this guy didn't get over. He starts to read it, but then heads towards a fan with a Heidenreich in a casket sign and destroys it. He is literally foaming from the mouth as he finishes his poem.
Angle is knocking on Long's office door furiously. Long won't let him in his office, but talks to him in the hallway. Angle tries to get out of his match, but Long says it is still on.
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match
Funaki vs. Spike Dudley vs. Shannon Moore vs. Paul London
Spike attacks Funaki right away and it's already chaos. This is going to be impossible to keep up with, especially since it's destined to only be 3 minutes long. Paul London absolutely drills Spike with a knee to the chin for a 2 count. London misses a kick and Spike puts him in a half crab. Moore and Funaki break it up. Funaki flips London over the top rope. Funaki gets a nearfall on Spike, but Moore breaks it up. London and Moore are up top and London knocks him to the outside and hits the 450 splash on Spike for the pinfall. London was always fun to watch and this victory leads to him having one of my favorite eliminations in the history of the Rumble. Way too short, but a good, energetic sprint.
Match Rating: **1/2
JBL is with Amy Weber and runs into Carlito, but blows him of. He tries to get into Long's dressing room, but it's locked. Long comes out again, not letting JBL in because there is someone in there right now. JBL complains and Long closes the door on him. Carlito says that's typical. He also says that he doesn't treat him like a champion and has JBL sign his petition.
A bunch of the women are in the back including Michelle McCool and Dawn Marie when Amy walks in. She urges them to sign Carlito's petition. She talks some trash about Joy, which naturally leads to her being right behind her. Joy says the only one who needs an image consultant is Amy and then she tosses her smoothie all over her.
Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross are on to talk about the Royal Rumble and run down the matches.
Last Man Standing Match
JBL vs. Kurt Angle
The match started during the commercial break, which I hate. After Angle works on the shoulder and arm, JBL gains control. JBL is up top and nails a superplex on Angle. Angle gets up at 9. Angle is able to trip up JBL and gets him in the Ankle Lock and JBL is tapping. The Bashams then pull Angle's leg and now everyone outside is getting involved. Brian Hebner throws all of them out, which is interesting since there are no DQs. What would be the consequences if they didn't go back? Another commercial break and now JBL is throwing Angle into the steps. Cole touts that there are no more commercials left. JBL throws Angle across the announcer table and then into the barricade. JBL rips the sign from the red hat guy and throws it on the ground. JBL is going for a powerbomb, but Angle counters with a back body drop and now the straps are down. JBL countered the Angle Slam and slammed him right into the steps. Angle is then slammed into the steel post. Angle is down for 9 and barely gets up. This heel vs. heel match is able to work because of the respect everyone has for Angle and the fact that everyone hates JBL. Angle hits not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7, but 8 German suplexes. Angle is just an absolute animal. I really wish WWE would have been able to get a few more years out of him rather than him go to TNA. JBL gets up at 9 and immediately jumps on JBL's back for a rear naked choke. JBL is able to get up at 8 and then pushes Angle down and both men are out. JBL then hits a powerbomb and Hebner is counting. Angle is up and JBL tries going for the big boot, but Angle ducks and hits the Angle Slam. Angle tries going for another German suplex, but JBL holds on to the ropes and then is able to hit a Clothesline from Hell. Both men are down, but at JBL is up at 8 and Angle just barely gets up before 10. JBL then goes and grabs a chair, but misses and Angle hits another German suplex. Angle has the chair, but JBL puts the boot up and hits him in the face, which leads to Angle hitting JBL with the chair as well. Both men are down again and they are both counted out for a no decision, which the crowd naturally hates.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Theodore Long thanks someone for giving him the idea for the match and obviously it is Big Show. Big Show then addresses them and mocks what they said last week.
That was a really enjoyable watch. Some of the storylines are ridiculous, but the in ring action was fun and this episode was much lighter on the drama than the few previous episodes. None of the matches were incredible, but they all did what they were supposed to do. I'm really looking forward to re-watching the Royal Rumble here next.
Overall Rating: 73%
Alltell Arena
Little Rock, Arkansas
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We get a recap of the ridiculous build for the Kurt Angle/Big Show/JBL feud, mostly from last week. Now we are backstage with Kurt Angle, JBL and all of their jobber friends. Thank god they started their conversation after the highlight package or we wouldn't have had the pleasure of hearing this conversation. Kurt Angle tells Orlando Jordan, Luther Reigns and Mark Jindrak that they are going to take on Booker T, Eddie Guerrero and Rey Mysterio and they laugh as if they are in a meeting with Dr. Evil.
Eddie Guerrero, Booker T & Rey Mysterio vs. Orlando Jordan, Luther Reigns & Mark Jindrak
The faces all come out to huge pops. Jindrak and Booker start it off. Booker nails a clothesline and we get some quick tags to Eddie and Rey. There is no doubt that the most valuable performers in the month of January 2005 were Eddie and Rey. The faces start off hot, but the heels take over once they knock the faces out of the ring and Jindrak throws Mysterio on top of Eddie. Back from commercial and Jordan has Booker in a headlock. Booker hits a Book End and hits the tag to Rey, who hits a nice springboard moonsault on Jordan. Mysterio goes for a bronco buster, but Jindrak pulled Jordan out of hte way and Mysterio is now in trouble. Rey is so good because he can make these bland heels look interesting thanks to his selling. Eddie sneaks into the ring and pokes Jindrak in the eye, who then sells it 3 seconds after the fact. The heels are still able to keep Mysterio cornered and continue with their rest holds. Cole says Reigns is a dark horse in the Rumble match. Whatever you say, Cole. Mysterio does a fun spot where he is doing everything to avoid all three heels, by crawling and jumping over them and then gets the tag to Eddie. The three faces are all in the ring and Eddie holds Jindrak on the ropes for the 619 and Booker hits a scissor kick. Frog splash by Eddie on Jindrak and they get the victory. Eddie and Rey could do no wrong here and everyone else played their roles well enough for a fun opener.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
After the match, Reigns shoves Jordan to the mat and in come the Bashams. Out comes Angle and he slaps Danny Basham. JBL is now coming out and they go to commercial in an odd spot. JBL is on the mic tells Angle to have his boys under control. JBL reminds us of his lame stable and Angle makes a few lame jabs at JBL. JBL insults Arkansas and then rips Bill Clinton. Out comes Teddy Long, playa. He announces that the main event will be Angle vs. JBL in a Last Man Standing Match.
We get the same Steve Austin package that they hyped on Raw regarding his movie deal.
It's time for the recap of the epic rivalry of Heidenreich and Undertaker. I know I say it a lot, but it can't be understated how good these packages were during this era.
United States Championship Match
John Cena vs. Kenzo Suzuki
Cena attacks Suzuki and destroys him with a series of punches and kicks. Cena rams Suzuki into the ring post. Suzuki wasn't good, but he has looked like a total goof here in January. Cena then shoves Suzuki into the announcers table for good measure. Cena then steals Rock's gimmick and puts on the announcers mic and does some commentary. Suzuki finally fights back and hits Cena with some stiff chops. It doesn't last long, as Cena fights back with some slaps to the chest followed by a shoulder tackle and spinning side suplex. Cena goes for a Five Knuckle Shuffle and in between pulls up Charles Robinson's collar, just in case Suzuki wasn't buried enough during this feud. FU finishes the squash.
Match Rating: *1/4
After the match, Cole steps into the ring to interview Cena. There is no question as to how over Cena was here. Cena sends a message to anybody in the Rumble that he is going to main event WrestleMania.
Eddie and Rey are backstage laughing at something and Booker wants to know what they're laughing about. Booker says that last week Eddie cost them the gold. Eddie admits he screwed up, but to think about the Royal Rumble Sunday. He says that he is going to main event WrestleMania and Rey and Booker laugh at him.
Heidenreich is in the ring and tells everyone to shut up. He is going to read us another poem. I can't believe this guy didn't get over. He starts to read it, but then heads towards a fan with a Heidenreich in a casket sign and destroys it. He is literally foaming from the mouth as he finishes his poem.
Angle is knocking on Long's office door furiously. Long won't let him in his office, but talks to him in the hallway. Angle tries to get out of his match, but Long says it is still on.
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match
Funaki vs. Spike Dudley vs. Shannon Moore vs. Paul London
Spike attacks Funaki right away and it's already chaos. This is going to be impossible to keep up with, especially since it's destined to only be 3 minutes long. Paul London absolutely drills Spike with a knee to the chin for a 2 count. London misses a kick and Spike puts him in a half crab. Moore and Funaki break it up. Funaki flips London over the top rope. Funaki gets a nearfall on Spike, but Moore breaks it up. London and Moore are up top and London knocks him to the outside and hits the 450 splash on Spike for the pinfall. London was always fun to watch and this victory leads to him having one of my favorite eliminations in the history of the Rumble. Way too short, but a good, energetic sprint.
Match Rating: **1/2
JBL is with Amy Weber and runs into Carlito, but blows him of. He tries to get into Long's dressing room, but it's locked. Long comes out again, not letting JBL in because there is someone in there right now. JBL complains and Long closes the door on him. Carlito says that's typical. He also says that he doesn't treat him like a champion and has JBL sign his petition.
A bunch of the women are in the back including Michelle McCool and Dawn Marie when Amy walks in. She urges them to sign Carlito's petition. She talks some trash about Joy, which naturally leads to her being right behind her. Joy says the only one who needs an image consultant is Amy and then she tosses her smoothie all over her.
Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross are on to talk about the Royal Rumble and run down the matches.
Last Man Standing Match
JBL vs. Kurt Angle
The match started during the commercial break, which I hate. After Angle works on the shoulder and arm, JBL gains control. JBL is up top and nails a superplex on Angle. Angle gets up at 9. Angle is able to trip up JBL and gets him in the Ankle Lock and JBL is tapping. The Bashams then pull Angle's leg and now everyone outside is getting involved. Brian Hebner throws all of them out, which is interesting since there are no DQs. What would be the consequences if they didn't go back? Another commercial break and now JBL is throwing Angle into the steps. Cole touts that there are no more commercials left. JBL throws Angle across the announcer table and then into the barricade. JBL rips the sign from the red hat guy and throws it on the ground. JBL is going for a powerbomb, but Angle counters with a back body drop and now the straps are down. JBL countered the Angle Slam and slammed him right into the steps. Angle is then slammed into the steel post. Angle is down for 9 and barely gets up. This heel vs. heel match is able to work because of the respect everyone has for Angle and the fact that everyone hates JBL. Angle hits not 3, not 4, not 5, not 6, not 7, but 8 German suplexes. Angle is just an absolute animal. I really wish WWE would have been able to get a few more years out of him rather than him go to TNA. JBL gets up at 9 and immediately jumps on JBL's back for a rear naked choke. JBL is able to get up at 8 and then pushes Angle down and both men are out. JBL then hits a powerbomb and Hebner is counting. Angle is up and JBL tries going for the big boot, but Angle ducks and hits the Angle Slam. Angle tries going for another German suplex, but JBL holds on to the ropes and then is able to hit a Clothesline from Hell. Both men are down, but at JBL is up at 8 and Angle just barely gets up before 10. JBL then goes and grabs a chair, but misses and Angle hits another German suplex. Angle has the chair, but JBL puts the boot up and hits him in the face, which leads to Angle hitting JBL with the chair as well. Both men are down again and they are both counted out for a no decision, which the crowd naturally hates.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Theodore Long thanks someone for giving him the idea for the match and obviously it is Big Show. Big Show then addresses them and mocks what they said last week.
That was a really enjoyable watch. Some of the storylines are ridiculous, but the in ring action was fun and this episode was much lighter on the drama than the few previous episodes. None of the matches were incredible, but they all did what they were supposed to do. I'm really looking forward to re-watching the Royal Rumble here next.
Overall Rating: 73%
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