Original Airdate: Thursday, May 5th, 2005
Sovereign Bank Arena
Trenton, New Jersey
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
After a long video package on the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero storyline, Rey Mysterio is on his way to the ring. Rey calls out Eddie for lying to him and making him think that he was family. Eddie makes his way out to no music and some boos. After a long moment of silence, Eddie says that he has nothing to say to Rey. Rey says that since Eddie doesn't want to talk, maybe he'll want to fight and slaps him across the face. Eddie says that he never hit Rey like he did right now. Rey slaps him again and tries to get him to fight right now, but Eddie just stares at him and says that he won't fight him tonight or ever. Rey continues to try and get him to fight, but Eddie walks to the back. Rey asks Eddie if he's afraid that he's going to beat him again. Eddie pauses and then continues to walk to the back as we go to commercial break.
After the break, Rey is demanding a match with Eddie to Teddy Long. In walks Chavo and he reminds Rey of how well Eddie treated him. Chavo tells Rey that he will never be a Guerrero and they start brawling. This whole opening segment was really well done. Both Rey and Eddie hit it out of the park, especially Eddie in full on heel mode. It's refreshing to see an opening to this show mean something and actually feel important.
Matt Morgan vs. Rob Eckos
The stuttering gimmick continues. The match is essentially the same as the other ones which lead to him using his impressive finisher. I can't even remember if he gets to have an actual match or not.
Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)
They announce that we will now have Rey Mysterio vs. Chavo Guerrero in a street fight. We then get the same behind the scenes as last week for John Cena's music video, which they will debut tonight and show how Cena will face JBL at Judgment Day.
Orlando Jordan vs. Booker T
They continue to show Booker backstage with Sharmell getting pumped up before his matches. Jordan clotheslines Booker over the top rope and to the floor. Booker fights back, but Jordan pushes Booker into the ring post. Booker explodes with a leaping right hand and suplex. He heads up top, but Jordan knocks him down and goes for a superplex, but Booker drops Jordan face first and then hits a missile dropkick and gets a near-fall. Booker hits a scissor kick and gets the victory in a non-title match. Despite this being a competitive match, it's easy to see why Jordan was never taken seriously as a threat. Spirited, but short TV match.
Match Rating: **
They show Sharmell cheering her man on backstage and Kurt Angle comes up behind her. He said Booker stole his championship opportunity from him and he wants a match at Judgment Day.
MNM vs. Scotty 2 Hotty & Shannon Moore
Talk about two guys that lasted longer on the roster than most people probably realized, that would be Taylor and Moore. They are definitely a great choice for two guys to make your new tag team look great. They hit a double crossbody spot and it's pretty obvious this match isn't going to last long. Scotty almost gets the win, but Mercury breaks up the pin. Scotty goes for the worm, which is still over, but Melina distracts him and Nitro attacks him from behind and they hit the Snapshot for the victory. As far as 3 minute matches go, that was quite entertaining.
Match Rating: **
After the match, Rey Mysterio comes out with a lead pipe and attacks MNM. The champs retreat to the back. Rey is all over this episode.
JBL is here and he's already rambling on about quitting or something. JBL tells Cena that he will be forgotten and that his 15 minutes of fame are up. Out comes Cena. Cena makes some air quote jokes and says their match at Judgment Day will be an I Quit match. Cena goes nuts on JBL and JBL is speechless.
Chavo is backstage talking to MNM about Rey Mysterio.
Kurt Angle comes out and sends the competitor for the Kurt Angle Invitational out of the ring because he's in no mood for that tonight. He says he changed his mind and attacks him. Angle beats the snot out of him and hits the Angle Slam and puts him in the Ankle Lock. I hope they paid this kid well. Angle's music hits, but he stops the music and is waiting for Booker to answer his challenge. He says that the championship means more to him than his family. Booker and Sharmell are out and accept his challenge for Judgment Day. He insults Sharmell and Booker comes to the ring and attacks Angle. Booker holds Angle and lets Sharmell repeatedly slap him. Angle then hits a low blow and an Angle Slam. The straps are off, but he the turns his attention to Sharmell who runs out to the back, but trips on her way there. Angle then attempts to put her in the Ankle Lock, but referees and agents are able to pull him off before he can. Booker comes to the aid of his wife and carries her to the back. Angle really doesn't have to play this role, but I'd be lying if I said it wasn't effective. They turned this into a heated storyline pretty quickly here.
We get a highlight video of the European tour.
Chavo walks into the locker room where Eddie is sitting staring into space. Chavo vows to get revenge for the whole Guerrero family tonight.
Carlito is shown walking backstage, who is getting ready to fight Hardcore Holly.
Carlito vs. Hardcore Holly
This is Carlito's return to in ring action. Carlito gets a few chops in, but that's a mistake because Holly gets his chance and it doesn't look like it feels very good. Not that this match is amazing or anything, but it's nice to see a few new faces on here. Scary moment where Carlito almost falls on his head on a back body drop. Not sure what happened there, but he was very close to knocking himself out badly. Holly hits a flying clothesline and then goes for the Alabama Slam, but Carlito reverses it and gets Holly with a backslide and puts his feet on the rope for the victory. After the match, he announces that Big Show will be on Carlito's Cabana and that he will make him an offer he can't refuse. Not much to the match here, but it was technically fine.
Match Rating: *1/2
Teddy Long is here to debut the music video for "Bad, Bad Man" by John Cena. As far as wrestling/music standards go, it's not terrible. It's just weird as he's quickly turning into the younger audiences favorite, but the album is pretty vulgar.
Street Fight
Chavo Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Rey comes to the ring with the pipe, but Chavo tells him to fight him like a man and he obliges. Rey hits a sliding dropkick south of the border and follows it with a split-legged moonsault. Rey hits a hurricanrana on Chavo to the outside, but then avoids a dive over the top from Rey. Chavo brings a chair to the ring. Rey jumps off the second rope, but Chavo counters with a dropkick to the midsection. Chavo now brings a ladder out from under the ring, but it gives time for Rey to fight back. Rey sildes into the ladder, which causes the other end to hit Chavo in the face. He then scales the ladder, which is leaning against the ring, and hits a moonsault to the floor. Rey goes up top with the chair, but Chavo knocks him off and smashes Rey face first into the chair. Gory Bomb by Chavo gets a 2 count. Chavo points to the back and out comes MNM. They hold up a ladder, but Rey dropkicks it into them. Chavo avoids a 619 and then turns a hurricanrana attempt into a facefirst slam. Rey hits a drop toe hold on Chavo right into the chair. Rey then hits a seated senton onto a seated Chavo and gets the victory. Rey is always good for unique offense and this match was no different. Good TV main event, even if the crowd was surprisingly not as good as I expected.
Match Rating: ***1/4
After the match MNM starts attacking Rey, but here comes Eddie and he takes out MNM. Eddie plays to the crowd and then attacks Rey. Rey's mask is ripped and he is bleeding from his head. Eddie then stands on the bottom steel step and hits a vertical suplex on the step. That looked painful. Having never seen this, I have to say this was quite effective.
This was one of the best episodes of SmackDown all year. The majority of the show was dedicated to Rey and Eddie and they knocked it out of the park. The Angle segment was out of character, and unnecessary for a character as established as Angle, but it was also effective. The rest of the action was fun and this was an easy show to watch. Good stuff.
Overall Rating: 78%
Monday, September 30, 2019
Wednesday, September 25, 2019
Monday Night Raw 5-2-05 Review
Monday, May 2nd, 2005
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, Massachusetts
Batista and Christy Hemme are shown getting up close and personal until Eric Bischoff interrupts. Bischoff congratulates Batista on his title defense at Backlash and announces an 8 man tournament to name the #1 contender and it's called the Gold Rush Tournament. The 8 men in the tournament will know they are in the tournament, but they won't know who their opponents are. Bischoff offers Batista the night off, but Batista declines and wants a match with Bischoff. Batista was just joking and he walks away with Christy.
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Christian vs. Kane
Christian gets up in Kane's face and talks trash and Kane tosses him through the ropes. Christian hits a drop toe hold on Kane into the steel steps and Tomko gets in a cheap shot. Springboard crossbody by Christian to the outside on Kane. Kane fights back and goes for the chokeslam, but Christian counters into a sleeper. It doesn't last long and Kane hits him with a sideslam. Kane goes up top, but Tomko pushes him off and Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Kane reverses that. Kane then gets a thumb to the eye, but Kane is able to push Christian into Tomko and then hit the chokeslam for the victory. There was a lot of action crammed into that last minute. After the match Tomko tries to attack Kane and he eats a chokeslam as well. It never mattered how much Christian was getting himself over, Vince was never going to give him a legit chance.
Match Rating: **
Christian is shown walking into the back and runs into Ric Flair. Flair brings up Christian's rap last night and says that Triple H will win the tournament.
Muhammad Hassan and Daivari make their way down to the ring. Hassan is complaining that he is excluded from the Gold Rush Tournament just like he was excluded from WrestleMania. Hassan then blames Daivari for his loss and slaps him across the face twice. Daivari then follows Hassan back down the ramp.
Viscera vs. Simon Dean
Before the match Viscera gets on the mic and says that he showed how physical he can be and his hunger for love. He then turns to Lillian Garcia and then makes a terrible Latino sexual innuendo, but is interrupted by Simon Dean? Simon says that women don't want out of shape men and that he should take the Simon System. He says that instead of a match, he will give him a Simon System. Viscera, who is somehow the face here, chokes Simon and throws him around the ring. Vis puts him in the tree of woe and then uses his backside to smash Simon. Viscera misses an elbow drop, but throws Dean off the pin attempt. Dean tries to go off of the second rope, but pushes him down to the mat in midair. That was pretty cool. He hits a big splash and that is all. That was about as good as Vis is ever going to look. After the match, he goes up to Garcia and lets her know that she is back on the market, the black market. He then grabs her butt. I really can't even believe I have to type this.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Candice Michelle and Stacy Keibler are looking at Stacy's photo spread in Stuff Magazine. Bischoff then says that they will get that on the show later. He then walks into his office and Triple H is there. He's upset about the tournament and he should be champion. Bischoff says that after what he did to his refs, he shouldn't even be in the tournament. Triple H tells Bischoff to tell Batista that he's on borrowed time.
Shelton Benjamin is back for an interview and says he isn't nervous about not knowing who his opponent is. Chris Jericho walks in and tells him that he respects Benjamin and Benjamin says that means something to him. They both say that they are in the tournament. Jericho says that he hasn't had a one-on-one title match in almost 3 years. Benjamin shakes his hand and offers him the best of luck. That was a pretty lame segment.
They show a picture of Chris Candido, who died a few days prior.
Gold Rush Tournament First Round Match
Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels
We get some wrestling to start and Benjamin has frustrated Michaels. Shelton counters a back suplex off the top rope with a crossbody. After a series of moves, both men are down and then both men nip up. We get a couple of quick nearfalls and then Michaels slows it down with some chops. Shelton hits the splash in the corner and goes for the T-Bone suplex, but Michaels counters and both men are down again. Benjamin ducks the Sweet Chin Music attempt and then Michaels catches Shelton's leg and then spins around and hits him with a kick to the face. Benjamin is going for a superplex, but Michaels knocks him off and hits an elbow off the top rope. Michaels is going for Sweet Chin Music, but Shelton blocks it and then nails him in the head with a sweet kick, but it only gets him a 2 count. Shelton then leaps up to the top rope and hits a clothesline off the top rope, but it still is only good for a 2 count. 2005 Shelton is so good. Shelton goes for the springboard clothesline from the top rope, but Michaels nails him with Sweet Chin Music in one of the most iconic moves in Monday Night Raw history. They could have tried 1,000 more times and they would have never hit it any better than that. Awesome ending to a really great match. Shelton delivers 2 **** matches in 2 nights. Not a bad stretch for the youngster.
Match Rating: ****
Edge is backstage for an interview and Todd Gresham asks him why he is in the tournament when he already has the Money In The Bank briefcase. Edge says he'll get two chances against Batista and they bring up the fact that if he gets drafted to SmackDown that those will not be any good if he wins. He then walks up to Victoria and Lita and asks what they are looking at. He smirks and walks away. I think that's the first time him and Lita have interacted since the Matt Hardy release, but I could very well be wrong.
World Tag Team Championship Match
The Hurricane & Rosey vs. La Resistance
This is your tag team division in 2005. Hurricane and Rosey were actually a fun enough team, there was just no teams for the to work with. It really is kind of weird how small the rosters were during this time. La Resistance hits a Hart Attack on Rosey, but it's only good for a 2 count. Rosey hits a hot tag to Hurricane and hits a reverse Unprettier on Conway. Hurricanrana off the top rope by Hurricane but the count is interrupted by Conway. Hurricane sends him to the outside and Rosey picks him up and Hurricane hits their apparent finisher for a pinfall victory. This was a 3 minute TV match that existed to establish them. The only problem is they just beat the only legit team.
Match Rating: *1/2
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho gets a chopping, but leaps up on the second rope and Edge pushes him over the ropes to the floor. Edge goes to work on Jericho's back. We get a shot of Batista almost watching a TV at a normal angle, so good for him. Jericho makes his comeback and even hits a hurricanrana into a pinfall for a 2 count. Edge hits a big boot and then heads out to grab his briefcase. The official tells him not to and this allows Jericho to attack him to the outside. There is a small "Boring" chant going on and that I don't get at all. Jericho gets Edge in the Walls of Jericho, but Edge escapes to the outside and grabs the briefcase. He hits Jericho in the head with the briefcase and then hits a missile dropkick, but Jericho kicks out. Edge then hits the Spear and that is enough. The crowd didn't dig it, but it was a solid TV match.
Match Rating: **1/2
We get a pretty cheesy graphic wishing The Rock a happy birthday.
Chris Masters is here with more Master Lock Challenge greatness. He said it's been so easy so far that he almost wasn't going to have it tonight and makes a Boston joke. He makes his offer even bigger by making it $4,000 plus a Curt Schilling jersey and a Tom Brady autographed football. He picks his victim from the crowd and obviously he doesn't get out of it.
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Triple H vs. Chris Benoit
These guys had one of the best matches of the year not that long ago here on Raw. Benoit starts out firing away until Triple H clobbers him in the back of his head after throwing him sternum first into the turnbuckle. Back from commercial break and Triple H hits him again in the head. Benoit's selling doesn't age well here. They are playing up the fact that Benoit may have a concussion after being hits with the briefcase last night. Benoit hits the three German suplexes and then a headbutt from the top rope. Benoit throws Flair into the ring and starts chopping. Triple H hits Benoit from behind to the back of the head and the ref is knocked down in the process. Batista's music hits and he and Triple H start slugging it out. He takes out both men and tries to encourage Benoit to get up. Benoit gets him in the Sharpshooter as Batista mocks him. Triple H tries to reach for the rope, but Batista pulls it away. After a long struggle, Triple H taps and Benoit advances. Good TV main event, even if it was somewhat uncomfortable with the concussion angle with Benoit.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, the Gold Rush Tournament certainly injected some life into what had been a little bit of a slump for the Raw brand. We got a great match out of Shelton/Shawn and the other three matches were entertaining. The Viscera character is absolute garbage and a total downer, but pretty much everything else was at least mildly entertaining.
Overall Rating: 71%
TD Banknorth Garden
Boston, Massachusetts
Batista and Christy Hemme are shown getting up close and personal until Eric Bischoff interrupts. Bischoff congratulates Batista on his title defense at Backlash and announces an 8 man tournament to name the #1 contender and it's called the Gold Rush Tournament. The 8 men in the tournament will know they are in the tournament, but they won't know who their opponents are. Bischoff offers Batista the night off, but Batista declines and wants a match with Bischoff. Batista was just joking and he walks away with Christy.
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Christian vs. Kane
Christian gets up in Kane's face and talks trash and Kane tosses him through the ropes. Christian hits a drop toe hold on Kane into the steel steps and Tomko gets in a cheap shot. Springboard crossbody by Christian to the outside on Kane. Kane fights back and goes for the chokeslam, but Christian counters into a sleeper. It doesn't last long and Kane hits him with a sideslam. Kane goes up top, but Tomko pushes him off and Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Kane reverses that. Kane then gets a thumb to the eye, but Kane is able to push Christian into Tomko and then hit the chokeslam for the victory. There was a lot of action crammed into that last minute. After the match Tomko tries to attack Kane and he eats a chokeslam as well. It never mattered how much Christian was getting himself over, Vince was never going to give him a legit chance.
Match Rating: **
Christian is shown walking into the back and runs into Ric Flair. Flair brings up Christian's rap last night and says that Triple H will win the tournament.
Muhammad Hassan and Daivari make their way down to the ring. Hassan is complaining that he is excluded from the Gold Rush Tournament just like he was excluded from WrestleMania. Hassan then blames Daivari for his loss and slaps him across the face twice. Daivari then follows Hassan back down the ramp.
Viscera vs. Simon Dean
Before the match Viscera gets on the mic and says that he showed how physical he can be and his hunger for love. He then turns to Lillian Garcia and then makes a terrible Latino sexual innuendo, but is interrupted by Simon Dean? Simon says that women don't want out of shape men and that he should take the Simon System. He says that instead of a match, he will give him a Simon System. Viscera, who is somehow the face here, chokes Simon and throws him around the ring. Vis puts him in the tree of woe and then uses his backside to smash Simon. Viscera misses an elbow drop, but throws Dean off the pin attempt. Dean tries to go off of the second rope, but pushes him down to the mat in midair. That was pretty cool. He hits a big splash and that is all. That was about as good as Vis is ever going to look. After the match, he goes up to Garcia and lets her know that she is back on the market, the black market. He then grabs her butt. I really can't even believe I have to type this.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Candice Michelle and Stacy Keibler are looking at Stacy's photo spread in Stuff Magazine. Bischoff then says that they will get that on the show later. He then walks into his office and Triple H is there. He's upset about the tournament and he should be champion. Bischoff says that after what he did to his refs, he shouldn't even be in the tournament. Triple H tells Bischoff to tell Batista that he's on borrowed time.
Shelton Benjamin is back for an interview and says he isn't nervous about not knowing who his opponent is. Chris Jericho walks in and tells him that he respects Benjamin and Benjamin says that means something to him. They both say that they are in the tournament. Jericho says that he hasn't had a one-on-one title match in almost 3 years. Benjamin shakes his hand and offers him the best of luck. That was a pretty lame segment.
They show a picture of Chris Candido, who died a few days prior.
Gold Rush Tournament First Round Match
Shelton Benjamin vs. Shawn Michaels
We get some wrestling to start and Benjamin has frustrated Michaels. Shelton counters a back suplex off the top rope with a crossbody. After a series of moves, both men are down and then both men nip up. We get a couple of quick nearfalls and then Michaels slows it down with some chops. Shelton hits the splash in the corner and goes for the T-Bone suplex, but Michaels counters and both men are down again. Benjamin ducks the Sweet Chin Music attempt and then Michaels catches Shelton's leg and then spins around and hits him with a kick to the face. Benjamin is going for a superplex, but Michaels knocks him off and hits an elbow off the top rope. Michaels is going for Sweet Chin Music, but Shelton blocks it and then nails him in the head with a sweet kick, but it only gets him a 2 count. Shelton then leaps up to the top rope and hits a clothesline off the top rope, but it still is only good for a 2 count. 2005 Shelton is so good. Shelton goes for the springboard clothesline from the top rope, but Michaels nails him with Sweet Chin Music in one of the most iconic moves in Monday Night Raw history. They could have tried 1,000 more times and they would have never hit it any better than that. Awesome ending to a really great match. Shelton delivers 2 **** matches in 2 nights. Not a bad stretch for the youngster.
Match Rating: ****
Edge is backstage for an interview and Todd Gresham asks him why he is in the tournament when he already has the Money In The Bank briefcase. Edge says he'll get two chances against Batista and they bring up the fact that if he gets drafted to SmackDown that those will not be any good if he wins. He then walks up to Victoria and Lita and asks what they are looking at. He smirks and walks away. I think that's the first time him and Lita have interacted since the Matt Hardy release, but I could very well be wrong.
World Tag Team Championship Match
The Hurricane & Rosey vs. La Resistance
This is your tag team division in 2005. Hurricane and Rosey were actually a fun enough team, there was just no teams for the to work with. It really is kind of weird how small the rosters were during this time. La Resistance hits a Hart Attack on Rosey, but it's only good for a 2 count. Rosey hits a hot tag to Hurricane and hits a reverse Unprettier on Conway. Hurricanrana off the top rope by Hurricane but the count is interrupted by Conway. Hurricane sends him to the outside and Rosey picks him up and Hurricane hits their apparent finisher for a pinfall victory. This was a 3 minute TV match that existed to establish them. The only problem is they just beat the only legit team.
Match Rating: *1/2
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho
Jericho gets a chopping, but leaps up on the second rope and Edge pushes him over the ropes to the floor. Edge goes to work on Jericho's back. We get a shot of Batista almost watching a TV at a normal angle, so good for him. Jericho makes his comeback and even hits a hurricanrana into a pinfall for a 2 count. Edge hits a big boot and then heads out to grab his briefcase. The official tells him not to and this allows Jericho to attack him to the outside. There is a small "Boring" chant going on and that I don't get at all. Jericho gets Edge in the Walls of Jericho, but Edge escapes to the outside and grabs the briefcase. He hits Jericho in the head with the briefcase and then hits a missile dropkick, but Jericho kicks out. Edge then hits the Spear and that is enough. The crowd didn't dig it, but it was a solid TV match.
Match Rating: **1/2
We get a pretty cheesy graphic wishing The Rock a happy birthday.
Chris Masters is here with more Master Lock Challenge greatness. He said it's been so easy so far that he almost wasn't going to have it tonight and makes a Boston joke. He makes his offer even bigger by making it $4,000 plus a Curt Schilling jersey and a Tom Brady autographed football. He picks his victim from the crowd and obviously he doesn't get out of it.
Gold Rush Tournament 1st Round Match
Triple H vs. Chris Benoit
These guys had one of the best matches of the year not that long ago here on Raw. Benoit starts out firing away until Triple H clobbers him in the back of his head after throwing him sternum first into the turnbuckle. Back from commercial break and Triple H hits him again in the head. Benoit's selling doesn't age well here. They are playing up the fact that Benoit may have a concussion after being hits with the briefcase last night. Benoit hits the three German suplexes and then a headbutt from the top rope. Benoit throws Flair into the ring and starts chopping. Triple H hits Benoit from behind to the back of the head and the ref is knocked down in the process. Batista's music hits and he and Triple H start slugging it out. He takes out both men and tries to encourage Benoit to get up. Benoit gets him in the Sharpshooter as Batista mocks him. Triple H tries to reach for the rope, but Batista pulls it away. After a long struggle, Triple H taps and Benoit advances. Good TV main event, even if it was somewhat uncomfortable with the concussion angle with Benoit.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Well, the Gold Rush Tournament certainly injected some life into what had been a little bit of a slump for the Raw brand. We got a great match out of Shelton/Shawn and the other three matches were entertaining. The Viscera character is absolute garbage and a total downer, but pretty much everything else was at least mildly entertaining.
Overall Rating: 71%
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
NXT 12-19-12 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, November 19th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Primo & Epico vs. The Usos
I forgot that Rosa was with Primo and Epico. Things start off slowly with some mat wrestling. A baseball slide by Jey Uso is blocked, but Jimmy Uso does a dive over the top rope to take out both opponents. Primo steps on the middle rope while Jey is running the ropes and he falls to the outside. The Revival should use that. The heels work on Jey Uso for a long time until he makes the tag and Jimmy clears house. They hit the Samoan Splash and that is all. As soon as the match is over, the lights flash and for some reason the Ascension are still feuding with the Usos. Make it stop! Match was pretty dull overall.
Match Rating: *1/4 (out of 5)
Aiden English & Camacho vs. Big E Langston
Big E immediately takes on English and steamrolls him off the ropes. Big E then drags English over to tag Camacho, but Camacho shoves Langston and walks away. The Big Ending finishes English off for the easy win. After the match Big E hits it again and counts to 5 as he stares down Camacho. Big E continues to look good and get big reactions from the crowd. The crowd asks for "One more time" and Big E delivers.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Percy Watson vs. Kassius Ohno
Percy starts out in control, which I wasn't even expecting this to be a match, so that's a bit of a surprise. I really think they dropped the ball here with Ohno. Why not have him be a total destroyer? Watson gets another bit of offense in but is able to grab the ropes when Watson has him picked up and then hits the Ohno Blade for the pin. There wasn't much to this one.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Jim Ross introduces Seth Rollins to the ring. As Rollins is saying that he doesn't mind being the hunted, Corey Graves sneak attacks him and the refs have to pull Graves off of Rollins. Graves says that he wants the NXT Championship and cuts a pretty intense promo.
Bo Dallas vs. Big Show
This is kind of a strange match since Dallas has really only been heel for a short time here. It would have made sense if the character was more developed and Big Show was here to finally shut him up. Show was fresh off his victory over Sheamus at the TLC pay-per-view, which I will review in about 8 years or so on the blog. Dallas attempts some offense by jumping on Show's back and putting him in the sleeper. Show gets him off, but Dallas rolls out of the way from his elbow drop. Dallas hits him with a series of right hands and a dropkick. Show bounces back and hits him with the big right hand for the easy victory. I'm not sure what this really accomplished other than getting a big name on the show. This felt like it was in slow motion.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Well, this was another far from stellar episode of NXT. Nothing really seems to be progressing and even when they have big name wrestlers on the show, they seem like they are forced to slow down way too much. The bright spot continues to be Big E.
Overall Rating: 36%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Primo & Epico vs. The Usos
I forgot that Rosa was with Primo and Epico. Things start off slowly with some mat wrestling. A baseball slide by Jey Uso is blocked, but Jimmy Uso does a dive over the top rope to take out both opponents. Primo steps on the middle rope while Jey is running the ropes and he falls to the outside. The Revival should use that. The heels work on Jey Uso for a long time until he makes the tag and Jimmy clears house. They hit the Samoan Splash and that is all. As soon as the match is over, the lights flash and for some reason the Ascension are still feuding with the Usos. Make it stop! Match was pretty dull overall.
Match Rating: *1/4 (out of 5)
Aiden English & Camacho vs. Big E Langston
Big E immediately takes on English and steamrolls him off the ropes. Big E then drags English over to tag Camacho, but Camacho shoves Langston and walks away. The Big Ending finishes English off for the easy win. After the match Big E hits it again and counts to 5 as he stares down Camacho. Big E continues to look good and get big reactions from the crowd. The crowd asks for "One more time" and Big E delivers.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Percy Watson vs. Kassius Ohno
Percy starts out in control, which I wasn't even expecting this to be a match, so that's a bit of a surprise. I really think they dropped the ball here with Ohno. Why not have him be a total destroyer? Watson gets another bit of offense in but is able to grab the ropes when Watson has him picked up and then hits the Ohno Blade for the pin. There wasn't much to this one.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Jim Ross introduces Seth Rollins to the ring. As Rollins is saying that he doesn't mind being the hunted, Corey Graves sneak attacks him and the refs have to pull Graves off of Rollins. Graves says that he wants the NXT Championship and cuts a pretty intense promo.
Bo Dallas vs. Big Show
This is kind of a strange match since Dallas has really only been heel for a short time here. It would have made sense if the character was more developed and Big Show was here to finally shut him up. Show was fresh off his victory over Sheamus at the TLC pay-per-view, which I will review in about 8 years or so on the blog. Dallas attempts some offense by jumping on Show's back and putting him in the sleeper. Show gets him off, but Dallas rolls out of the way from his elbow drop. Dallas hits him with a series of right hands and a dropkick. Show bounces back and hits him with the big right hand for the easy victory. I'm not sure what this really accomplished other than getting a big name on the show. This felt like it was in slow motion.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Well, this was another far from stellar episode of NXT. Nothing really seems to be progressing and even when they have big name wrestlers on the show, they seem like they are forced to slow down way too much. The bright spot continues to be Big E.
Overall Rating: 36%
Monday, September 23, 2019
Superstars 10-17-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, October 17th, 1992
Hersheypark Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania
We start the show off in Saskatoon with an interview of your new WWF Champion Bret Hart. Bret give a "Golly gee, this is the best day of my life" interview. He talks about his whole life being wrestling. In a weird moment, he thanks Ric Flair for giving him the opportunity to wrestle him for the championship. This is one of the weakest Hart interviews that I can remember.
We're now back to "Hershey" with an irate Mr. Perfect. Perfect says that Flair was sick as a dog and he tried to stop him from going out there and wrestling.
Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Gillespie
It's taking longer for Sherri to take off Michaels' pants than it will for him to win this match. As good as Michaels was here, it's amazing how much better he got over the next couple of years. Michaels hits a nice clothesline off the top rope followed by the crescent kick and his suplex finisher. It's so weird that Shawn would be main eventing Survivor Series here in a few weeks. 1992 was just such a weird year for this company.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Tatanka vs. Brian Jewel
They never really seemed to have a plan for Tatanka. He went undefeated for a long time, but they never really enhanced him. Martel was a good guy to start off with, but after his match with Michaels at WrestleMania IX, it just never happened for him again. Tatanka hits his signature chops followed by one off the top rope. The Samoan Drop finishes Jewel off.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with...Lord Alfred Hayes??? Lord Alfred was easily the worst announcer of this era. We get an interview from the Ultimate Maniacs and it's everything you'd imagine it would be. Razor, Flair and Perfect get their chance at a rebuttal. Flair's hair looks off here and so is this interview. Horrible by Flair standards
Big Boss Man vs. Barry Horowitz
They do a nice chase sequence to start off ending in a big boot by Boss Man. This is actually a much shorter match than I expected. Usually Boss Man gets a bit more in and Horowitz usually gets a little bit longer matches as well. Boss Man Slam ends it here.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Vince continues to hype up Bret as champ and then we head to the Event Center. The Nasty Boys talk about being the #1 contenders thanks to Jimmy Hart. Harvey Wippleman and Kamala are here and he isn't afraid of Undertaker.
British Bulldog vs. Jim Peterson
Peterson actually looks like a legit threat as a jobber. Bulldog won't have the title for much longer here. He does his usual squash match and finishes with the running powerslam.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We get another video of Bob Backlund with some terrible music and full of home videos and family photos. He's even giving up his construction business to make his comeback!
Mean Gene is her for a Survivor Series update. The Ultimate Maniacs are going to take on Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. We are getting a Coffin Match between Kamala and Undertaker. Undertaker and Paul Bearer are here and Kamala will rest in peace. Natural Disasters and Bushwhackers will take on Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. The Disasters and Bushwhackers cut a promo and they make lots of loud noises.
Jim Powers & Bobby St. Laurent vs. Money, Inc.
As Money, Inc. is walking down the aisle a picture of the Natural Disasters holding the Tag Team Championships is shown on the big screen. IRS says that he is going to vote for whichever candidate raises the taxes the most. I think I actually enjoy Money, Inc.'s squash matches more than their competitive ones. They have just enough interesting offense for a 2 minute match. IRS hits a shoulder tackle for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Back to Sean Mooney and in case you didn't hear about it, Bret Hart is the new WWF Champion. High Energy is here and they have a new background. Shawn Michaels says that there's a lot of pressure being the best looking wrestler in the WWF.
Next week on Superstars they will announce more matches for Survivor Series plus Crush, Papa Shango, Undertaker, Nailz and Natural Disasters.
This show flew by much quicker than a lot of the other episodes. Shawn Michaels and Money, Inc. looked impressive here and they announced a few matches on Survivor Series. Sure, two of the three would get changed, but it's something. Looking forward to seeing how they go about changing the matches and crowning the #1 contender.
Overall Rating: 46%
Hersheypark Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania
We start the show off in Saskatoon with an interview of your new WWF Champion Bret Hart. Bret give a "Golly gee, this is the best day of my life" interview. He talks about his whole life being wrestling. In a weird moment, he thanks Ric Flair for giving him the opportunity to wrestle him for the championship. This is one of the weakest Hart interviews that I can remember.
We're now back to "Hershey" with an irate Mr. Perfect. Perfect says that Flair was sick as a dog and he tried to stop him from going out there and wrestling.
Shawn Michaels vs. Steve Gillespie
It's taking longer for Sherri to take off Michaels' pants than it will for him to win this match. As good as Michaels was here, it's amazing how much better he got over the next couple of years. Michaels hits a nice clothesline off the top rope followed by the crescent kick and his suplex finisher. It's so weird that Shawn would be main eventing Survivor Series here in a few weeks. 1992 was just such a weird year for this company.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Tatanka vs. Brian Jewel
They never really seemed to have a plan for Tatanka. He went undefeated for a long time, but they never really enhanced him. Martel was a good guy to start off with, but after his match with Michaels at WrestleMania IX, it just never happened for him again. Tatanka hits his signature chops followed by one off the top rope. The Samoan Drop finishes Jewel off.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with...Lord Alfred Hayes??? Lord Alfred was easily the worst announcer of this era. We get an interview from the Ultimate Maniacs and it's everything you'd imagine it would be. Razor, Flair and Perfect get their chance at a rebuttal. Flair's hair looks off here and so is this interview. Horrible by Flair standards
Big Boss Man vs. Barry Horowitz
They do a nice chase sequence to start off ending in a big boot by Boss Man. This is actually a much shorter match than I expected. Usually Boss Man gets a bit more in and Horowitz usually gets a little bit longer matches as well. Boss Man Slam ends it here.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Vince continues to hype up Bret as champ and then we head to the Event Center. The Nasty Boys talk about being the #1 contenders thanks to Jimmy Hart. Harvey Wippleman and Kamala are here and he isn't afraid of Undertaker.
British Bulldog vs. Jim Peterson
Peterson actually looks like a legit threat as a jobber. Bulldog won't have the title for much longer here. He does his usual squash match and finishes with the running powerslam.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We get another video of Bob Backlund with some terrible music and full of home videos and family photos. He's even giving up his construction business to make his comeback!
Mean Gene is her for a Survivor Series update. The Ultimate Maniacs are going to take on Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. We are getting a Coffin Match between Kamala and Undertaker. Undertaker and Paul Bearer are here and Kamala will rest in peace. Natural Disasters and Bushwhackers will take on Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. The Disasters and Bushwhackers cut a promo and they make lots of loud noises.
Jim Powers & Bobby St. Laurent vs. Money, Inc.
As Money, Inc. is walking down the aisle a picture of the Natural Disasters holding the Tag Team Championships is shown on the big screen. IRS says that he is going to vote for whichever candidate raises the taxes the most. I think I actually enjoy Money, Inc.'s squash matches more than their competitive ones. They have just enough interesting offense for a 2 minute match. IRS hits a shoulder tackle for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Back to Sean Mooney and in case you didn't hear about it, Bret Hart is the new WWF Champion. High Energy is here and they have a new background. Shawn Michaels says that there's a lot of pressure being the best looking wrestler in the WWF.
Next week on Superstars they will announce more matches for Survivor Series plus Crush, Papa Shango, Undertaker, Nailz and Natural Disasters.
This show flew by much quicker than a lot of the other episodes. Shawn Michaels and Money, Inc. looked impressive here and they announced a few matches on Survivor Series. Sure, two of the three would get changed, but it's something. Looking forward to seeing how they go about changing the matches and crowning the #1 contender.
Overall Rating: 46%
Wednesday, September 18, 2019
Backlash 2005 Review
Sunday, May 1st, 2005
Verizon Wireless Arena
Manchester, New Hampshire
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin
I am really looking forward to watching this one again here. We get some nice wrestling to start, with Benjamin given the chance to show off his athleticism. Jericho, playing the heel here in this babyface match, slaps Shelton in the face to make sure we're clear on that. Jericho and Christian were my two favorites during this time and they both will be gone pretty soon. Jericho counters a powerbomb attempt by Benjamin with a hurricanrana outside the ring. Jericho goes up top and Shelton leaps to the top rope and hits a superplex. I am such a mark for that move. They are quickly winning the crowd over here and deservedly so. Benjamin hits a springboard bulldog and this match is really starting to kick into gear. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho, but Benjamin jumps up to the second rope and then hits a T-Bone suplex, but Jericho is able to get his leg to the bottom rope. Jericho gets him in the Walls in the center of the ring, but Benjamin is able to fight to get to the ropes and receives some boos in the process. Jericho avoids a dropkick and goes for the Lionsault, but Benjamin gets his knees up, but Jericho catches that and goes for the Walls again, but Benjamin reverses it into a crazy pinfall and scores the win. This match was really, really good. I am pretty sure I like this match a lot more than most, but I am a huge fan of both guys. This was a really good blueprint for having a 50/50 babyface match.
Match Rating: **** (out of 5)
Edge is backstage talking about how he stopped Chris Benoit's opportunity at WrestleMania. He says you can bank on him being the last man standing tonight.
Tag Team Turmoil Match For The World Tag Team Championship
The Heart Throbs vs. William Regal & Tajiri vs. Simon Dean & Maven vs. La Resistance vs. Hurricane & Rosey
This was a huge favorite of creative during this time despite no one necessarily really liking the idea. The Heart Throbs are the Tekno Team 2000 of 2005. Regal and Tajiri were a nice team for being a throw away idea. Both Regal and Tajiri work circles around both Heart Throbs and get the pinfall victory over them. Simon Dean and Maven are out next and immediately go to work on Tajiri. Hot tag to Regal and he takes out Dean and gets the pinfall as the champs look to run the gauntlet. La Resistance are next and of course they then immediately attack them. The crowd starts a big "USA" chant despite the only person from the USA being Rob Conway. The champs are clearly in control until Regal is rolled up and they grab his tights and score the upset. We are now guaranteed new champions and it wouldn't make much sense to go the La Resistance route again. Hurricane is thrown over the top rope and he hit his leg on the top of the ring post on the way down. I can't imagine that was on purpose. Rosey gets the hot tag and nearly gets the victory until Grenier makes the save. Hurricane hits the splash off of Rosey's shoulders and we have new champions. The crowd popped pretty big for that finish. The match was ok, which is about as good as a match like this can be in under 15 minutes.
Match Rating: **1/4
Last Man Standing Match
Edge vs. Chris Benoit
They go at it right away as the crowd starts the "You screwed Matt" chant. Benoit comes out chopping but as soon as Edge takes control we now get "We want Matt". Edge charges for the spear, but Benoit hits a drop toe hold. Benoit dumps Edge in the crowd. Back in the ring, he has him in the Crippler Crossface and Edge is tapping but that doesn't do anything in a Last Man Standing match of course. Benoit goes for the suicide dive and Edge recreates the spot from Benoit's ladder match with Jericho at Royal Rumble 2001 and hits him in the head with a garbage can lid. Edge then hits a really nice looking superplex from the top rope through the garbage can. Edge goes under the ring and brings out a ladder. Edge body slams Benoit and then takes a looooonnnng time to climb the ladder. Benoit gets behind him and hits a German suplex off the ladder. Benoit is on top of the ladder and goes for the headbutt, but Edge moves out of the way at the last second. God, I hate that move. Crippler Crossface again and Edge is tapping out again. Edge is back in control again and hits the spear. Benoit gets up again and so Edge hits another spear. Edge gets up and grabs a brick out of the briefcase and hits Benoit over the back of the head. He slams it on the steps to prove it was real. Last Man Standing matches are really hard to come up with a good ending and this one made sense, but was anti-climatic. The match was good action though and Edge had more heat than usual at this point in his career thanks to the Matt stuff. Another good match on this show.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Lita is smirking backstage and Kane tells her he is ready. She then says that it would be funny to see Trish have to hold up her end of the bargain if Viscera were to win. However, she says that she likes what Kane has in mind much more and they make out. This is 2005 WWE.
Jerry Lawler is here and introduces the Raw Divas. Christy Hemme, Stacy Keibler, Candice Michelle, Maria, Lilian Garcia and Victoria are all in the ring. Lawler has each woman pick their favorite photo to show on the big screen. Lawler is about to ask them some questions when they are interrupted by Chris Masters. Masters is offering $3,000 to anyone who thinks they can get out of the Master Lock. He picks a woman from the crowd and then insults her for looking like a man. Yeah, this is going over well. He puts her in the Master Lock and it visually reminds me a lot of when Chyna shook Marlena around like a rag doll. However, that was a fun moment and this was hot garbage. This was better for Raw and the dialogue was brutal.
Trish and Viscera meet up in the back. We get even more uncomfortable "jokes" here. This show just drove off a cliff after a really solid first hour.
Kane vs. Viscera
Alright, let's get this one over with. Kane's entrance music with vocals is so, so bad, which is a shame because his original music was good. Viscera comes out to zero reaction. Kane leaps off the top rope to the outside and knocks over Viscera and the crowd is again chanting "We want Matt". Viscera hits his best move which is his rolling kick that he does. Trish provides a distraction and Viscera hits a Samoan Drop that looked like it crushed Kane's arm and shoulder. Kane is up top again and hits Viscera again, this time in the ring. Viscera counters a chokeslam and sends Kane over the top rope. The women get involved as Trish is going after Kane with a chair, but Lita hits it with her crutch and it knocks out Trish. Kane is up top for a third time, but Viscera catches him and hits a sitdown powerbomb for a 2 count. Kane hits a big boot and a chokeslam and that is all. There have been significantly worse matches than this one, but it still wasn't good.
Match Rating: 1/2*
After the match, Trish insults Viscera and tells him that even if he would have won she would have never slept with him. Viscera grabs her and shakes her around similar to Masters. He then crushes her with a big splash and gets a pretty big reaction out of it. Trish does a stretcher job here.
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari vs. Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan
Unsurprisingly, Hogan gets a monster pop here. For the record, I never liked the Hulkster despite being a WWF/E fan since 1990. Hogan was truly still in great physical condition here for a 51 year old. Hogan and Hassan start things off. Hassan is only 23 years old and working a semi-main event with Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan. Let that sink in. Hogan and Michaels have their way with him and hit a double boot. Michaels misses an elbow drop and that allows Daivari to tag in. Hogan and Michaels has to be one of the stranger pairings for a dream team. Daivari's offense lasts about 20 seconds and is already getting his. Hogan reminds us again of how heel-ish his offense always was, as he chokes Daivari. Hassan sneaks in while the ref is distracted and hits Michaels in the back with a lead pipe. Daivari goes for the pin, but Hogan pulls him off in kind of a weird spot because Hebner kind of stopped counting too early. There is a giant Hulkamania banner that is spelled wrong. Do better, wrestling fans. The heels naturally are working on Michaels' surgically repaired back. Hassan gets Michaels into the Camel Clutch in the middle of the ring. Michaels lifts Hassan up on his shoulders and hits the electric chair. I think we all know what happens next here. Hot tag to Hogan and the heels are in trouble. The pipe makes a triumphant return and Hassan hits Hogan in the back with it. However, it only stuns Hogan for a moment before he Hulks up. Hogan hits the big boot, but Hassan grabs his leg as he's about to hit the leg drop. Hogan takes care of him and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and the heroes get the victory. This was pretty much exactly the match you would expect it to be and the live crowd loved every second of it. If you're a huge Hogan fan, this is for you.
Match Rating: **3/4
Triple H is backstage and is confident he will be the next World Heavyweight Champion. He reiterates that Batista had one great night at WrestleMania and that the Pedigree will win him his belt back tonight.
Christian and Tyson Tomko are on their way to the ring. Christian says that this could very well be the last time he is on a Raw pay-per-view. Since he is a main eventer, he is going to address all of his fellow main eventers in the form of a rap. He takes shots at Batista's charisma and Triple H's nose to a good pop. On the SmackDown side he calls JBL boring and Cena for looking like Corey Haim. Christian says that no matter which show he's on because that's how he rolls.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Triple H vs. Batista
Let's see if they can top their disappointing show closer from WrestleMania here. They are outside the ring after a back body drop by Batista. Shortly after, Triple H drives Batista over the barricade and he is now firmly in command. Flair gets involved and drives Batista into the ring while Triple H distracts the ref. Batista fires back with a big clothesline and Batista is shaking the ropes. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb, but Triple H has the World Heavyweight Championship belt and hits him in the head and nearly scores the victory. Batista goes for a clothesline, but accidentally hits the referee after Triple H ducks. Triple H hits the Pedigree and Ric Flair picks up the ref and throws him in the ring. The ref is still out and unable to count. It's fairly rare to see the ref be knocked out for the heel pinfall attempt. Another ref is on his way to the ring and Batista hits a spinebuster and gets a 2 count. It was a nice touch to have Jack Doan put on his ref shirt as he was running down the aisle. After a few clotheslines in the corner from Batista, Triple H gives the ref a low blow. Flair tries to interfere, but is unsuccessful, but it does allow Triple H to now give Batista a low blow. Batista out of nowhere hits a Batista Bomb. Mike Chioda is back up and is able to make the 3 count. While that was by no means a great match, but it was a more entertaining match structure than what we got at WrestleMania. The crowd was into it and Batista came out of it looking like an unstoppable beast.
Match Rating: ***
After the match Triple H loses it and Pedigrees Mike Chioda, as Batista stands tall on the ramp.
This is a great example of a show that would have been perfect for the 2 hour In Your House era. You get rid of the crap with Chris Masters, Kane/Viscera and the tag team match and you have a really good show. Instead, that dragged it down a bit, but this was still entertaining and probably even more enjoyable if you are a huge Hogan and Batista fan. The Shelton/Jericho match does not get enough love and is definitely worth watching.
Overall Rating: 72%
Verizon Wireless Arena
Manchester, New Hampshire
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Intercontinental Championship Match
Chris Jericho vs. Shelton Benjamin
I am really looking forward to watching this one again here. We get some nice wrestling to start, with Benjamin given the chance to show off his athleticism. Jericho, playing the heel here in this babyface match, slaps Shelton in the face to make sure we're clear on that. Jericho and Christian were my two favorites during this time and they both will be gone pretty soon. Jericho counters a powerbomb attempt by Benjamin with a hurricanrana outside the ring. Jericho goes up top and Shelton leaps to the top rope and hits a superplex. I am such a mark for that move. They are quickly winning the crowd over here and deservedly so. Benjamin hits a springboard bulldog and this match is really starting to kick into gear. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho, but Benjamin jumps up to the second rope and then hits a T-Bone suplex, but Jericho is able to get his leg to the bottom rope. Jericho gets him in the Walls in the center of the ring, but Benjamin is able to fight to get to the ropes and receives some boos in the process. Jericho avoids a dropkick and goes for the Lionsault, but Benjamin gets his knees up, but Jericho catches that and goes for the Walls again, but Benjamin reverses it into a crazy pinfall and scores the win. This match was really, really good. I am pretty sure I like this match a lot more than most, but I am a huge fan of both guys. This was a really good blueprint for having a 50/50 babyface match.
Match Rating: **** (out of 5)
Edge is backstage talking about how he stopped Chris Benoit's opportunity at WrestleMania. He says you can bank on him being the last man standing tonight.
Tag Team Turmoil Match For The World Tag Team Championship
The Heart Throbs vs. William Regal & Tajiri vs. Simon Dean & Maven vs. La Resistance vs. Hurricane & Rosey
This was a huge favorite of creative during this time despite no one necessarily really liking the idea. The Heart Throbs are the Tekno Team 2000 of 2005. Regal and Tajiri were a nice team for being a throw away idea. Both Regal and Tajiri work circles around both Heart Throbs and get the pinfall victory over them. Simon Dean and Maven are out next and immediately go to work on Tajiri. Hot tag to Regal and he takes out Dean and gets the pinfall as the champs look to run the gauntlet. La Resistance are next and of course they then immediately attack them. The crowd starts a big "USA" chant despite the only person from the USA being Rob Conway. The champs are clearly in control until Regal is rolled up and they grab his tights and score the upset. We are now guaranteed new champions and it wouldn't make much sense to go the La Resistance route again. Hurricane is thrown over the top rope and he hit his leg on the top of the ring post on the way down. I can't imagine that was on purpose. Rosey gets the hot tag and nearly gets the victory until Grenier makes the save. Hurricane hits the splash off of Rosey's shoulders and we have new champions. The crowd popped pretty big for that finish. The match was ok, which is about as good as a match like this can be in under 15 minutes.
Match Rating: **1/4
Last Man Standing Match
Edge vs. Chris Benoit
They go at it right away as the crowd starts the "You screwed Matt" chant. Benoit comes out chopping but as soon as Edge takes control we now get "We want Matt". Edge charges for the spear, but Benoit hits a drop toe hold. Benoit dumps Edge in the crowd. Back in the ring, he has him in the Crippler Crossface and Edge is tapping but that doesn't do anything in a Last Man Standing match of course. Benoit goes for the suicide dive and Edge recreates the spot from Benoit's ladder match with Jericho at Royal Rumble 2001 and hits him in the head with a garbage can lid. Edge then hits a really nice looking superplex from the top rope through the garbage can. Edge goes under the ring and brings out a ladder. Edge body slams Benoit and then takes a looooonnnng time to climb the ladder. Benoit gets behind him and hits a German suplex off the ladder. Benoit is on top of the ladder and goes for the headbutt, but Edge moves out of the way at the last second. God, I hate that move. Crippler Crossface again and Edge is tapping out again. Edge is back in control again and hits the spear. Benoit gets up again and so Edge hits another spear. Edge gets up and grabs a brick out of the briefcase and hits Benoit over the back of the head. He slams it on the steps to prove it was real. Last Man Standing matches are really hard to come up with a good ending and this one made sense, but was anti-climatic. The match was good action though and Edge had more heat than usual at this point in his career thanks to the Matt stuff. Another good match on this show.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Lita is smirking backstage and Kane tells her he is ready. She then says that it would be funny to see Trish have to hold up her end of the bargain if Viscera were to win. However, she says that she likes what Kane has in mind much more and they make out. This is 2005 WWE.
Jerry Lawler is here and introduces the Raw Divas. Christy Hemme, Stacy Keibler, Candice Michelle, Maria, Lilian Garcia and Victoria are all in the ring. Lawler has each woman pick their favorite photo to show on the big screen. Lawler is about to ask them some questions when they are interrupted by Chris Masters. Masters is offering $3,000 to anyone who thinks they can get out of the Master Lock. He picks a woman from the crowd and then insults her for looking like a man. Yeah, this is going over well. He puts her in the Master Lock and it visually reminds me a lot of when Chyna shook Marlena around like a rag doll. However, that was a fun moment and this was hot garbage. This was better for Raw and the dialogue was brutal.
Trish and Viscera meet up in the back. We get even more uncomfortable "jokes" here. This show just drove off a cliff after a really solid first hour.
Kane vs. Viscera
Alright, let's get this one over with. Kane's entrance music with vocals is so, so bad, which is a shame because his original music was good. Viscera comes out to zero reaction. Kane leaps off the top rope to the outside and knocks over Viscera and the crowd is again chanting "We want Matt". Viscera hits his best move which is his rolling kick that he does. Trish provides a distraction and Viscera hits a Samoan Drop that looked like it crushed Kane's arm and shoulder. Kane is up top again and hits Viscera again, this time in the ring. Viscera counters a chokeslam and sends Kane over the top rope. The women get involved as Trish is going after Kane with a chair, but Lita hits it with her crutch and it knocks out Trish. Kane is up top for a third time, but Viscera catches him and hits a sitdown powerbomb for a 2 count. Kane hits a big boot and a chokeslam and that is all. There have been significantly worse matches than this one, but it still wasn't good.
Match Rating: 1/2*
After the match, Trish insults Viscera and tells him that even if he would have won she would have never slept with him. Viscera grabs her and shakes her around similar to Masters. He then crushes her with a big splash and gets a pretty big reaction out of it. Trish does a stretcher job here.
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari vs. Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan
Unsurprisingly, Hogan gets a monster pop here. For the record, I never liked the Hulkster despite being a WWF/E fan since 1990. Hogan was truly still in great physical condition here for a 51 year old. Hogan and Hassan start things off. Hassan is only 23 years old and working a semi-main event with Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan. Let that sink in. Hogan and Michaels have their way with him and hit a double boot. Michaels misses an elbow drop and that allows Daivari to tag in. Hogan and Michaels has to be one of the stranger pairings for a dream team. Daivari's offense lasts about 20 seconds and is already getting his. Hogan reminds us again of how heel-ish his offense always was, as he chokes Daivari. Hassan sneaks in while the ref is distracted and hits Michaels in the back with a lead pipe. Daivari goes for the pin, but Hogan pulls him off in kind of a weird spot because Hebner kind of stopped counting too early. There is a giant Hulkamania banner that is spelled wrong. Do better, wrestling fans. The heels naturally are working on Michaels' surgically repaired back. Hassan gets Michaels into the Camel Clutch in the middle of the ring. Michaels lifts Hassan up on his shoulders and hits the electric chair. I think we all know what happens next here. Hot tag to Hogan and the heels are in trouble. The pipe makes a triumphant return and Hassan hits Hogan in the back with it. However, it only stuns Hogan for a moment before he Hulks up. Hogan hits the big boot, but Hassan grabs his leg as he's about to hit the leg drop. Hogan takes care of him and Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music and the heroes get the victory. This was pretty much exactly the match you would expect it to be and the live crowd loved every second of it. If you're a huge Hogan fan, this is for you.
Match Rating: **3/4
Triple H is backstage and is confident he will be the next World Heavyweight Champion. He reiterates that Batista had one great night at WrestleMania and that the Pedigree will win him his belt back tonight.
Christian and Tyson Tomko are on their way to the ring. Christian says that this could very well be the last time he is on a Raw pay-per-view. Since he is a main eventer, he is going to address all of his fellow main eventers in the form of a rap. He takes shots at Batista's charisma and Triple H's nose to a good pop. On the SmackDown side he calls JBL boring and Cena for looking like Corey Haim. Christian says that no matter which show he's on because that's how he rolls.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Triple H vs. Batista
Let's see if they can top their disappointing show closer from WrestleMania here. They are outside the ring after a back body drop by Batista. Shortly after, Triple H drives Batista over the barricade and he is now firmly in command. Flair gets involved and drives Batista into the ring while Triple H distracts the ref. Batista fires back with a big clothesline and Batista is shaking the ropes. Batista goes for the Batista Bomb, but Triple H has the World Heavyweight Championship belt and hits him in the head and nearly scores the victory. Batista goes for a clothesline, but accidentally hits the referee after Triple H ducks. Triple H hits the Pedigree and Ric Flair picks up the ref and throws him in the ring. The ref is still out and unable to count. It's fairly rare to see the ref be knocked out for the heel pinfall attempt. Another ref is on his way to the ring and Batista hits a spinebuster and gets a 2 count. It was a nice touch to have Jack Doan put on his ref shirt as he was running down the aisle. After a few clotheslines in the corner from Batista, Triple H gives the ref a low blow. Flair tries to interfere, but is unsuccessful, but it does allow Triple H to now give Batista a low blow. Batista out of nowhere hits a Batista Bomb. Mike Chioda is back up and is able to make the 3 count. While that was by no means a great match, but it was a more entertaining match structure than what we got at WrestleMania. The crowd was into it and Batista came out of it looking like an unstoppable beast.
Match Rating: ***
After the match Triple H loses it and Pedigrees Mike Chioda, as Batista stands tall on the ramp.
This is a great example of a show that would have been perfect for the 2 hour In Your House era. You get rid of the crap with Chris Masters, Kane/Viscera and the tag team match and you have a really good show. Instead, that dragged it down a bit, but this was still entertaining and probably even more enjoyable if you are a huge Hogan and Batista fan. The Shelton/Jericho match does not get enough love and is definitely worth watching.
Overall Rating: 72%
Tuesday, September 17, 2019
Clash Of Champions 2019 Review
Sunday, September 15th, 2019
Spectrum Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
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Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Strowman's booking has been curious his entire career. He really caught fire for awhile and then lost every important match he had. Now he's basically a part timer, at least on pay-per-views. The ring posts look awesome here tonight. Ziggler hits a nice running DDT on Rollins on the outside. I don't know why they don't pick something for both Roode and Ziggler and just stick with it. Maybe this will stick. They're both towards the end of their primes that it makes sense that they stick with tag team wrestling. Seth is wrestling like a man who doesn't have to wrestle again later tonight. Strowman shoulderblocks Roode right into Rollins. Roode hits a glorious DDT on Rollins and gets the pinfall to win the championships. Cole reminds us that they weren't even a tag team a month ago as if Strowman and Rollins are some long tenured team. Good opener with kind of a meh ending.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Strowman gets interviewed backstage and says that he didn't lose the championships, Seth did. Just like he is going to lose his Universal Championship when he gets these hands.
Becky Lynch is here now and says that both her and Seth will still be champions at the end of the night. Becky says that her last 12 months is the best run in WWE history.
SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley
Charlotte naturally gets a huge pop in her hometown and Bayley gets boos. Charlotte immediately hits a boot and almost gets a quick victory. I have to say the whole Bayley/Sasha storyline has me more intrigued than most angles they do these days. I'm also a big fan of both women, so that probably helps. Charlotte continues to stay on Bayley and throws her into the barricade. While Charlotte was talking to the ref, Bayley took the cover off the turnbuckle and slams her face into the exposed metal and gets the victory out of nowhere. While I obviously would have liked to have seen another 10 minutes or so of this match, this is part of a bigger picture and I can appreciate that. It was good while it lasted and this adds another layer to Bayley's heel turn.
Match Rating: *3/4
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Revival vs. New Day
In a perfect world, we would get a 25 minute classic between these two. Instead, I'm guessing right around the 10 minute mark. I will say the Revival hanging around Orton makes Orton more relevant than he's been in years. Dawson hits an awesome leaping clothesline to Big E off the apron. Cool spot there. The Revival dominates on Big E as Xavier Woods is laid outside the ring. Woods finally gets back up and gets the hot tag. Woods cleans house and almost gets the win with a DDT. Big E goes for his spear to the outside, but Wilder moves and then goes for a suicide dive but Big E catches him. All of this is happening faster than I can put the words down. The Revival take out Woods by his knee again and then hit the Shatter Machine. For some reason they aren't going for the cover and instead are trying to inflict more injury to Woods' knee. He puts him in a reverse Figure Four, but Woods is fighting. Woods can't take it anymore and taps and we have new champions. That's two kind of flat finishes in the tag team matches tonight. The rest was good, but too short for what it was going for.
Match Rating: **3/4
After the match, the Revival tells the WWE Universe that they are welcome for getting rid of pancakes and trombones. They also say that we will see a new WWE Champion tonight in Randy Orton.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are here backstage. As Nikki is talking, a boom mic gets in their face and it's R-Truth and Carmella. Alexa announces that R-Truth is on the set and a group of wrestlers come out to chase him.
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Apparently Rose and Deville are called Fire & Desire. Rose and Cross start things off. Cross mocks Rose and it's probably the most entertaining thing I have ever seen her do. It feels like Bliss is starting to get her groove back after a long run of injuries. Truth is in the ring right now and is being chased by the same wrestlers and then Bliss goes for a pin and gets a 2 count on Truth. Cross wins the hot tag battle over Deville. Deville then hits Cross into the ropes and causes Bliss to fall of the top rope. Rose and Deville hit a high and low combo move, but it's not enough. Cross then hits the Purge for the pinfall victory. That match didn't do much for me.
Match Rating: *1/2
Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
I guess Sami Zayn is doing the live mic manager schtick. I love Sami, but he can be of a lot more value than that. Miz takes the match and chucks it up to the stage. Nakamura hits a kick and knocks Miz off the apron. After a flurry of offense from the Miz, Nakamura gets him in the arm bar. Miz escapes and hits a DDT for a 2 count. Nakamura hits a cool variation of a German suplex with Miz hanging in the ropes. Miz has Nakamura in the Figure Four, but he grabs the bottom rope to break the hold. He goes for it again, but Nakamura counters with a small package for a 2 count. Miz goes off the ropes and Zayn grabs his leg allowing Nakamura to hit a knee strike to the back of the head, but Miz is able to kick out again. Miz counters the Kinshasa and hits the Skull Crushing Finale, but Sami distracts the ref. Miz chaes Zayn around the ring and Nakamura surprises him with a big kick from around the corner. Back in the ring he hits Kinshasa and retains his title. The last few minutes really picked up and it was an enjoyable match. I'm not sure if this pairing will finally make Nakamura mean something, but it's worth a shot.
Match Rating: ***
Raw Women's Championship Match
Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
Becky slaps Sasha and slams her face repeatedly into the mat. Sasha heels her way into a comeback and is working Becky over for a little while. Becky hits a dropkick to the midsection as Sasha came off the top rope. With NXT becoming a third brand rather than a developmental brand (which I know it has been this way, but the USA deal makes it official), WWE really needs to develop the depth of the women's division. They need to have more undercard feuds and storylines to elevate the Sonya Deville's and Sarah Logan's of the roster. Meanwhile, Sasha as a heel is really what suits her the best. Becky goes for a superplex, but Sasha shoves her off and hits the Meteora for a nearfall. Becky gets Sasha into the Disarm Her, but Sasha gets to the ropes. Missile dropkick gets a two count for Becky and she's starting to show signs of frustration. Sasha hits a backstabber and then another one and rolls into the Bank Statement. Sasha puts a steel chair into the ring and while the ref puts it away she grabs another one and hits Becky in the midsection with the other chair, but that only gets a 2 count. Sasha grabs the chair again, but the official takes it away. Becky picks up the chair and swings at Sasha but hits the ref. The ref is down and Lynch hits Sasha in the back with the chair. Sasha retreats in the crowd and up the stairs. They are battling up the stairs and Becky puts the Disarm Her on Sasha on one of the railings and Sasha taps, but there is obviously no ref here. They are now out in the concourse and Becky continues to take it to Banks. They are now fighting down the stairs and back towards the ring. Banks drives Lynch back into the barricade. For some reason there is no new referee and the announcers say that Becky was disqualified and obviously retains her title. Lynch is now hitting Banks with a chair to the back repeatedly. She puts on the Disarm Her on the chair and finally some referees come out to break it up. The non-finish had to be used here to continue the story and the match itself was good. Both women worked hard and kept things compelling throughout.
Match Rating: ***1/2
WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston
Their first match at SummerSlam was a miss for me. Let's see if they can put something better here tonight. We just watched a hype video about how personal this match is between these two and yet we get a slow, methodical start. I'm not sure I quite understand the logic there. They continue at the dreaded Orton pace. Orton hits a suplex to the floor and then drops him on the announcers table. Kofi hits a dropkick off of the second rope, but Orton then throws him through the ropes into the ring post. Kofi makes a comeback and goes for Trouble In Paradise, but Orton hits a backbreaker for a 2 count. Kofi dumps Orton over the top rope and Kofi hits his leap over the top rope. He puts him back in the ring and heads up top. Kofi hits a crossbody, but Orton rolls through and gets a 2 count. Kofi goes for SOS, but Orton hits a big dropkick. Randy hits the RKO but for some reason the genius veteran doesn't hook Kofi's outside leg and Kofi is able to put it on the bottom rope. Orton goes for the punt, but Kofi avoids it and hits Trouble In Paradise and gets the victory. This one did not click for me either. It's time to move on from this one.
Match Rating: **1/4
The Street Profits are here doing their thing. The King of the Ring Finals take place tomorrow on Raw. Montez Ford sings the intro to "Circle Of Life". They continue yapping and in walks King Booker.
No Disqualification Match
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
Roman got the memo on how to start a grudge match and goes right for Rowan. This is easily the biggest singles match of Rowan's career. Reigns moves out of the way and Rowan goes shoulder first into the steel steps. Rowan hits Reigns with the steel steps and Reigns is now in the crowd. It's the Attitude Era all over again as we now have had two matches that have gone into the crowd. Back in the ring, Rowan is in control and the crowd at the moment couldn't care less. Rowan lifts off part of the LED board that is around the ring and drops Reigns face first but kind of more on the ring. This is not what this match should be. Reigns ducks a shot by Rowan and hits the Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Rowan hits a powerbomb through the table and Rowan quickly puts him back in the ring and Reigns kicks out. The match once again finds itself out in the crowd. Rowan does the Iron Claw through a table near the ramp. Reigns takes the crane camera and uses it as a weapon and then hits a Superman punch. Reigns runs down the ramp for a spear, but Harper comes out of nowhere and hits a big boot. As much as this match hasn't been good, Harper's return is a silver lining. Rowan pins Reigns here in what is of course an upset. I didn't care for that match and the crowd was pretty dead for most of it.
Match Rating: *3/4
Seth Rollins is in the back getting ready for his match. He doesn't care what Braun said about him losing the tag team championship match. Rollins says that he slayed a beast at SummerSlam and now he's going to add a monster to his collection.
Universal Championship Match
Braun Strowman vs. Seth Rollins
Strowman hits a shoulder tackle right at the bell. Rollins recovers and goes right for his knee and then hits three superkicks. Rollins is up top and hits a Frog Splash but Strowman kicks out before a 1 count. Strowman is now firmly in command and the crowd is very silent. This show has had way too many matches, reminding me of an early 90s WrestleMania. Rollins hits a couple of springboard knees and then goes to the top rope, but Strowman catches him and clubs him. Strowman runs around the ring and steamrolls him. He tries it again, but this time Rollins moves and hits a drop toe hold into the announcer's table. Rollins hits a suicide dive not once, but twice and the table collapses. Rollins superkicks Reigns onto the Spanish announce table and heads up to the top rope, but Strowman runs up and pushes him down. Rollins fights back up and tries for a superplex, but Braun counters it again. Strowman is on the top rope and hits a huge splash, but also hurts his knee on the way down. That gives Rollins a few seconds to recover and he is able to kick out at 2. Rollins puts Strowman into a sleeper hold. Strowman gets out, but Rollins hits the Stomp. But Strowman kicks out at 1. He hits a second one and this time he gets a 2 count. Rollins hits the Stomp for a third time to some boos and again Strowman kicks out. Rollins goes for a stomp, but Strowman catches him and goes for the powerslam, but his knee gives out. Rollins hits a Pedigree and then another Stomp and finally that is enough. Well, they did a pretty good job of protecting Strowman there, but you can only lose so many big matches before you are considered a mid-card guy. The match was pretty good, but nowhere near Rollins/Lesnar.
Match Rating: ***
Rollins is holding up the title as the show is about to go off the air, but then the lights go out and the Fiend is here. He hits Sister Abigail on the stage and the lights go out again. He then puts him in the Mandible Claw. Words can't describe how much I dislike this character and presentation.
Well, that was a very underwhelming show. From the reviews I had been reading, it seemed that Raw had really turned the corner and SmackDown was solid for the most part. This show just seemed to go on forever and none of the matches were anything you need to go out of your way for. The Kofi/Orton feud continues to be disappointing and Erick Rowan in a nearly 20 minute singles match is never likely to be good. For me, this show was desperately lacking guys like Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Cesaro, Riccochet and Aleister Black. Let's hope Hell In A Cell delivers.
Overall Rating: 52%
Spectrum Center
Charlotte, North Carolina
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Raw Tag Team Championship Match
Seth Rollins & Braun Strowman vs. Dolph Ziggler & Robert Roode
Strowman's booking has been curious his entire career. He really caught fire for awhile and then lost every important match he had. Now he's basically a part timer, at least on pay-per-views. The ring posts look awesome here tonight. Ziggler hits a nice running DDT on Rollins on the outside. I don't know why they don't pick something for both Roode and Ziggler and just stick with it. Maybe this will stick. They're both towards the end of their primes that it makes sense that they stick with tag team wrestling. Seth is wrestling like a man who doesn't have to wrestle again later tonight. Strowman shoulderblocks Roode right into Rollins. Roode hits a glorious DDT on Rollins and gets the pinfall to win the championships. Cole reminds us that they weren't even a tag team a month ago as if Strowman and Rollins are some long tenured team. Good opener with kind of a meh ending.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Strowman gets interviewed backstage and says that he didn't lose the championships, Seth did. Just like he is going to lose his Universal Championship when he gets these hands.
Becky Lynch is here now and says that both her and Seth will still be champions at the end of the night. Becky says that her last 12 months is the best run in WWE history.
SmackDown Women's Championship Match
Charlotte Flair vs. Bayley
Charlotte naturally gets a huge pop in her hometown and Bayley gets boos. Charlotte immediately hits a boot and almost gets a quick victory. I have to say the whole Bayley/Sasha storyline has me more intrigued than most angles they do these days. I'm also a big fan of both women, so that probably helps. Charlotte continues to stay on Bayley and throws her into the barricade. While Charlotte was talking to the ref, Bayley took the cover off the turnbuckle and slams her face into the exposed metal and gets the victory out of nowhere. While I obviously would have liked to have seen another 10 minutes or so of this match, this is part of a bigger picture and I can appreciate that. It was good while it lasted and this adds another layer to Bayley's heel turn.
Match Rating: *3/4
SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match
The Revival vs. New Day
In a perfect world, we would get a 25 minute classic between these two. Instead, I'm guessing right around the 10 minute mark. I will say the Revival hanging around Orton makes Orton more relevant than he's been in years. Dawson hits an awesome leaping clothesline to Big E off the apron. Cool spot there. The Revival dominates on Big E as Xavier Woods is laid outside the ring. Woods finally gets back up and gets the hot tag. Woods cleans house and almost gets the win with a DDT. Big E goes for his spear to the outside, but Wilder moves and then goes for a suicide dive but Big E catches him. All of this is happening faster than I can put the words down. The Revival take out Woods by his knee again and then hit the Shatter Machine. For some reason they aren't going for the cover and instead are trying to inflict more injury to Woods' knee. He puts him in a reverse Figure Four, but Woods is fighting. Woods can't take it anymore and taps and we have new champions. That's two kind of flat finishes in the tag team matches tonight. The rest was good, but too short for what it was going for.
Match Rating: **3/4
After the match, the Revival tells the WWE Universe that they are welcome for getting rid of pancakes and trombones. They also say that we will see a new WWE Champion tonight in Randy Orton.
Alexa Bliss and Nikki Cross are here backstage. As Nikki is talking, a boom mic gets in their face and it's R-Truth and Carmella. Alexa announces that R-Truth is on the set and a group of wrestlers come out to chase him.
Women's Tag Team Championship Match
Mandy Rose & Sonya Deville vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross
Apparently Rose and Deville are called Fire & Desire. Rose and Cross start things off. Cross mocks Rose and it's probably the most entertaining thing I have ever seen her do. It feels like Bliss is starting to get her groove back after a long run of injuries. Truth is in the ring right now and is being chased by the same wrestlers and then Bliss goes for a pin and gets a 2 count on Truth. Cross wins the hot tag battle over Deville. Deville then hits Cross into the ropes and causes Bliss to fall of the top rope. Rose and Deville hit a high and low combo move, but it's not enough. Cross then hits the Purge for the pinfall victory. That match didn't do much for me.
Match Rating: *1/2
Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz vs. Shinsuke Nakamura
I guess Sami Zayn is doing the live mic manager schtick. I love Sami, but he can be of a lot more value than that. Miz takes the match and chucks it up to the stage. Nakamura hits a kick and knocks Miz off the apron. After a flurry of offense from the Miz, Nakamura gets him in the arm bar. Miz escapes and hits a DDT for a 2 count. Nakamura hits a cool variation of a German suplex with Miz hanging in the ropes. Miz has Nakamura in the Figure Four, but he grabs the bottom rope to break the hold. He goes for it again, but Nakamura counters with a small package for a 2 count. Miz goes off the ropes and Zayn grabs his leg allowing Nakamura to hit a knee strike to the back of the head, but Miz is able to kick out again. Miz counters the Kinshasa and hits the Skull Crushing Finale, but Sami distracts the ref. Miz chaes Zayn around the ring and Nakamura surprises him with a big kick from around the corner. Back in the ring he hits Kinshasa and retains his title. The last few minutes really picked up and it was an enjoyable match. I'm not sure if this pairing will finally make Nakamura mean something, but it's worth a shot.
Match Rating: ***
Raw Women's Championship Match
Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch
Becky slaps Sasha and slams her face repeatedly into the mat. Sasha heels her way into a comeback and is working Becky over for a little while. Becky hits a dropkick to the midsection as Sasha came off the top rope. With NXT becoming a third brand rather than a developmental brand (which I know it has been this way, but the USA deal makes it official), WWE really needs to develop the depth of the women's division. They need to have more undercard feuds and storylines to elevate the Sonya Deville's and Sarah Logan's of the roster. Meanwhile, Sasha as a heel is really what suits her the best. Becky goes for a superplex, but Sasha shoves her off and hits the Meteora for a nearfall. Becky gets Sasha into the Disarm Her, but Sasha gets to the ropes. Missile dropkick gets a two count for Becky and she's starting to show signs of frustration. Sasha hits a backstabber and then another one and rolls into the Bank Statement. Sasha puts a steel chair into the ring and while the ref puts it away she grabs another one and hits Becky in the midsection with the other chair, but that only gets a 2 count. Sasha grabs the chair again, but the official takes it away. Becky picks up the chair and swings at Sasha but hits the ref. The ref is down and Lynch hits Sasha in the back with the chair. Sasha retreats in the crowd and up the stairs. They are battling up the stairs and Becky puts the Disarm Her on Sasha on one of the railings and Sasha taps, but there is obviously no ref here. They are now out in the concourse and Becky continues to take it to Banks. They are now fighting down the stairs and back towards the ring. Banks drives Lynch back into the barricade. For some reason there is no new referee and the announcers say that Becky was disqualified and obviously retains her title. Lynch is now hitting Banks with a chair to the back repeatedly. She puts on the Disarm Her on the chair and finally some referees come out to break it up. The non-finish had to be used here to continue the story and the match itself was good. Both women worked hard and kept things compelling throughout.
Match Rating: ***1/2
WWE Championship Match
Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston
Their first match at SummerSlam was a miss for me. Let's see if they can put something better here tonight. We just watched a hype video about how personal this match is between these two and yet we get a slow, methodical start. I'm not sure I quite understand the logic there. They continue at the dreaded Orton pace. Orton hits a suplex to the floor and then drops him on the announcers table. Kofi hits a dropkick off of the second rope, but Orton then throws him through the ropes into the ring post. Kofi makes a comeback and goes for Trouble In Paradise, but Orton hits a backbreaker for a 2 count. Kofi dumps Orton over the top rope and Kofi hits his leap over the top rope. He puts him back in the ring and heads up top. Kofi hits a crossbody, but Orton rolls through and gets a 2 count. Kofi goes for SOS, but Orton hits a big dropkick. Randy hits the RKO but for some reason the genius veteran doesn't hook Kofi's outside leg and Kofi is able to put it on the bottom rope. Orton goes for the punt, but Kofi avoids it and hits Trouble In Paradise and gets the victory. This one did not click for me either. It's time to move on from this one.
Match Rating: **1/4
The Street Profits are here doing their thing. The King of the Ring Finals take place tomorrow on Raw. Montez Ford sings the intro to "Circle Of Life". They continue yapping and in walks King Booker.
No Disqualification Match
Roman Reigns vs. Erick Rowan
Roman got the memo on how to start a grudge match and goes right for Rowan. This is easily the biggest singles match of Rowan's career. Reigns moves out of the way and Rowan goes shoulder first into the steel steps. Rowan hits Reigns with the steel steps and Reigns is now in the crowd. It's the Attitude Era all over again as we now have had two matches that have gone into the crowd. Back in the ring, Rowan is in control and the crowd at the moment couldn't care less. Rowan lifts off part of the LED board that is around the ring and drops Reigns face first but kind of more on the ring. This is not what this match should be. Reigns ducks a shot by Rowan and hits the Samoan Drop for a 2 count. Rowan hits a powerbomb through the table and Rowan quickly puts him back in the ring and Reigns kicks out. The match once again finds itself out in the crowd. Rowan does the Iron Claw through a table near the ramp. Reigns takes the crane camera and uses it as a weapon and then hits a Superman punch. Reigns runs down the ramp for a spear, but Harper comes out of nowhere and hits a big boot. As much as this match hasn't been good, Harper's return is a silver lining. Rowan pins Reigns here in what is of course an upset. I didn't care for that match and the crowd was pretty dead for most of it.
Match Rating: *3/4
Seth Rollins is in the back getting ready for his match. He doesn't care what Braun said about him losing the tag team championship match. Rollins says that he slayed a beast at SummerSlam and now he's going to add a monster to his collection.
Universal Championship Match
Braun Strowman vs. Seth Rollins
Strowman hits a shoulder tackle right at the bell. Rollins recovers and goes right for his knee and then hits three superkicks. Rollins is up top and hits a Frog Splash but Strowman kicks out before a 1 count. Strowman is now firmly in command and the crowd is very silent. This show has had way too many matches, reminding me of an early 90s WrestleMania. Rollins hits a couple of springboard knees and then goes to the top rope, but Strowman catches him and clubs him. Strowman runs around the ring and steamrolls him. He tries it again, but this time Rollins moves and hits a drop toe hold into the announcer's table. Rollins hits a suicide dive not once, but twice and the table collapses. Rollins superkicks Reigns onto the Spanish announce table and heads up to the top rope, but Strowman runs up and pushes him down. Rollins fights back up and tries for a superplex, but Braun counters it again. Strowman is on the top rope and hits a huge splash, but also hurts his knee on the way down. That gives Rollins a few seconds to recover and he is able to kick out at 2. Rollins puts Strowman into a sleeper hold. Strowman gets out, but Rollins hits the Stomp. But Strowman kicks out at 1. He hits a second one and this time he gets a 2 count. Rollins hits the Stomp for a third time to some boos and again Strowman kicks out. Rollins goes for a stomp, but Strowman catches him and goes for the powerslam, but his knee gives out. Rollins hits a Pedigree and then another Stomp and finally that is enough. Well, they did a pretty good job of protecting Strowman there, but you can only lose so many big matches before you are considered a mid-card guy. The match was pretty good, but nowhere near Rollins/Lesnar.
Match Rating: ***
Rollins is holding up the title as the show is about to go off the air, but then the lights go out and the Fiend is here. He hits Sister Abigail on the stage and the lights go out again. He then puts him in the Mandible Claw. Words can't describe how much I dislike this character and presentation.
Well, that was a very underwhelming show. From the reviews I had been reading, it seemed that Raw had really turned the corner and SmackDown was solid for the most part. This show just seemed to go on forever and none of the matches were anything you need to go out of your way for. The Kofi/Orton feud continues to be disappointing and Erick Rowan in a nearly 20 minute singles match is never likely to be good. For me, this show was desperately lacking guys like Daniel Bryan, Rey Mysterio, Andrade, Cesaro, Riccochet and Aleister Black. Let's hope Hell In A Cell delivers.
Overall Rating: 52%
Monday, September 16, 2019
NXT 12-12-12 Review
Original Airdate: December 12th, 2012
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We get a hype video for the Jinder Mahal/Seth Rollins match tonight.
Paige vs. Sasha Banks
The debut here of Sasha Banks. She gets an entrance, but had no vignettes or anything prior to it. Even without the "Boss" persona, Sasha jumps off the screen to me here. Sasha gets in some of her current signature offense and this is a 50/50 match so far. Seemingly out of nowhere, Paige hits the Paige Turner for the victory. That was a good example of a match that was a bunch of moves with no real story. They both worked hard and Sasha's potential was easy to see.
Match Rating: * (out of 5)
Roman Reigns is backstage cutting a generic promo and insults the announcer for going to the dollar store. Reigns' phone rings and he decides to take the call and walk away.
Kassius Ohno and Leo Kruger get the boiler room promo spot here. Ohno tells Regal that if he sticks his nose in their business again that he'll see him in the ICU.
Oliver Grey vs. Erick Rowan
Is it a rule that all jobbers have to point their hand up when their name is announced? Wyatt announces Rowan as his son. This is Rowan's debut here on NXT. He immediately hits a big boot to the face of Grey. He hits some of the usual big man stuff. I'm not a huge fan of Rowan's character, but this did what it was supposed to do.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Dusty Rhodes is here and wants to talk about Vickie Guerrero. Dusty tells her that she can't make decisions on NXT and that there is no bounty on Big E as long as NXT is under his watch. Camacho is out to interrupt. He tells Dusty he needs the bounty money. That brings out Big E and Dusty says next week Big E will take on Camacho and a partner of his choice in a handicap match.
Big Show answers the challenge of Bo Dallas in an interview making fun of him. We'll get that classic on next week's show.
NXT Championship Match
Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins
Jinder is now 3 Man Band Jinder. I am glad that Rollins got rid of this entrance music and persona in general. I have to say that I'm at least a little bit more excited for this match with it being 3MB Jinder. Barring a post-match angle, this is going to be a longer match based on the amount of time left in the show. Rollins dominates the first few minutes until Jinder pushes Rollins off the top rope and down to the floor. Knowing what Rollins was already capable at this point in his career, it pains me to have to watch him slow things down so much. Jinder works on Rollins for what feels like forever. Rollins finally makes his comeback. Rollins hits the top rope hurricanrana, but Jinder rolls through and almost steals the match. Rollins hits a superkick and then a Skywalker for the victory that kind of came out of nowhere. This was a 20 minute match just to have a 20 minute match. You would have ever have known that it was a title match, because it just wasn't entertaining. Seth deserves better here.
Match Rating: *
Corey Graves is in the crowd and is mocking Rollins. Rollins shows off a little and then heads out.
If you're going to devote half of your show to one match, it better be a good one. Well, unfortunately it wasn't and as a result this episode was pretty bad. Sasha had a nice showing in a debut that had no hype, but other than that there was nothing worthwhile. You can skip this one.
Overall Rating: 33%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We get a hype video for the Jinder Mahal/Seth Rollins match tonight.
Paige vs. Sasha Banks
The debut here of Sasha Banks. She gets an entrance, but had no vignettes or anything prior to it. Even without the "Boss" persona, Sasha jumps off the screen to me here. Sasha gets in some of her current signature offense and this is a 50/50 match so far. Seemingly out of nowhere, Paige hits the Paige Turner for the victory. That was a good example of a match that was a bunch of moves with no real story. They both worked hard and Sasha's potential was easy to see.
Match Rating: * (out of 5)
Roman Reigns is backstage cutting a generic promo and insults the announcer for going to the dollar store. Reigns' phone rings and he decides to take the call and walk away.
Kassius Ohno and Leo Kruger get the boiler room promo spot here. Ohno tells Regal that if he sticks his nose in their business again that he'll see him in the ICU.
Oliver Grey vs. Erick Rowan
Is it a rule that all jobbers have to point their hand up when their name is announced? Wyatt announces Rowan as his son. This is Rowan's debut here on NXT. He immediately hits a big boot to the face of Grey. He hits some of the usual big man stuff. I'm not a huge fan of Rowan's character, but this did what it was supposed to do.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Dusty Rhodes is here and wants to talk about Vickie Guerrero. Dusty tells her that she can't make decisions on NXT and that there is no bounty on Big E as long as NXT is under his watch. Camacho is out to interrupt. He tells Dusty he needs the bounty money. That brings out Big E and Dusty says next week Big E will take on Camacho and a partner of his choice in a handicap match.
Big Show answers the challenge of Bo Dallas in an interview making fun of him. We'll get that classic on next week's show.
NXT Championship Match
Jinder Mahal vs. Seth Rollins
Jinder is now 3 Man Band Jinder. I am glad that Rollins got rid of this entrance music and persona in general. I have to say that I'm at least a little bit more excited for this match with it being 3MB Jinder. Barring a post-match angle, this is going to be a longer match based on the amount of time left in the show. Rollins dominates the first few minutes until Jinder pushes Rollins off the top rope and down to the floor. Knowing what Rollins was already capable at this point in his career, it pains me to have to watch him slow things down so much. Jinder works on Rollins for what feels like forever. Rollins finally makes his comeback. Rollins hits the top rope hurricanrana, but Jinder rolls through and almost steals the match. Rollins hits a superkick and then a Skywalker for the victory that kind of came out of nowhere. This was a 20 minute match just to have a 20 minute match. You would have ever have known that it was a title match, because it just wasn't entertaining. Seth deserves better here.
Match Rating: *
Corey Graves is in the crowd and is mocking Rollins. Rollins shows off a little and then heads out.
If you're going to devote half of your show to one match, it better be a good one. Well, unfortunately it wasn't and as a result this episode was pretty bad. Sasha had a nice showing in a debut that had no hype, but other than that there was nothing worthwhile. You can skip this one.
Overall Rating: 33%
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
Superstars 10-10-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, October 10th, 1992
Hersheypark Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We go right to Mean Gene and he tells us that the main event at Survivor Series will be Macho Man and Ultimate Warrior against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. He calls it the best match in Survivor Series history. I bet it isn't.
They then show a wide shot showing Razor Ramon on the TV board telling Macho Man that he doesn't have to wait until Survivor Series.
Razor Ramon vs. Steve May
The more I see of Razor from this era, the more I see a missed opportunity. He hits the fall away slam and then a version of the abdominal stretch. Razor sets May up on the top rope and hits a back suplex from the top. The still nameless Razor's Edge finishes it in another impressive squash. How did he only get one main event opportunity in 3+ years in the company?
Match Rating: 1/4*
Max Moon vs. Jerry Fox
Komet Kid one week and Max Moon the next. Moon hits a monkey flip and a couple of dropkicks. Moon was a unique enough worker for 1992 era WWF, but everything else about it was awful. Moon hits his finisher, as Hennig puts him over pretty big.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center time with Sean Mooney. The Beverly Brothers talk trash about the Bushwhackers, High Energy and Natural Disasters. It's interesting that they have the Genius for a mouthpiece, but he hardly ever talks in their promos. Crush is from Hawaii. Who knew?
High Energy vs. Brian Jewel & Kenny Johnson
It's been awhile since we've had a High Energy match here. Whoever was designing the costumes in this era needed to find a new profession. It's not just retro bad, it was bad in 1992. Apparently Sgt. Slaughter is now a rule enforcer for Jack Tunney. High Energy was really a nice tag team and their finisher was also nice. Koko hits the dropkick off the top rope and Owen gets the pin. Another nice showing for them and after the match Owen yanks up Koko's pants even higher.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Ken Freedom vs. Nailz
Why? Nailz throws Freedom over the top rope and then grabs the mic. He says that he came out here to find where Boss Man is. He says that he is going to beat Boss Man until he can't walk anymore. Boss Man no shows and we have no match. Thank God.
Back to the Event Center. The Bushwhackers sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to us. Repo Man talks about how much he loves his job. The dude gets a lot of promo time on Superstars for a jobber to the stars.
Tom Stone vs. Lance Cassidy
Here is Steve Armstrong's generic Cowboy gimmick that wouldn't last long. Shout out to the guy wearing a Detroit Lions jacket. Cassidy looks good, but the crowd is distracted by something going on. It's funny that the worst worker of the Armstrong brothers (Road Dogg) was the most successful. Stone goes up top, but Cassidy slams him off. He hits a crossbody off the top rope and that's all. He looked good, but it wasn't meant to be.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sgt. Slaughter is watching the match and talks to Mean Gene for about 5 seconds about his new role.
We get another hype video for Bob Backlund. During the video they show a clip of him talking and it couldn't be a less charismatic promo.
Kevin Krueger vs. Kamala
Before the match, Undertaker is on the video board and tells him to rest in peace. Krueger attacks Kamala, but he no sells it and chops him. Vince talks about how hard it must be to manage Kamala and his example is how do you take him to a restaurant and what do you order? Yeah, Vince. That's it. Kamala gets the pinfall victory, but Paul Bearer wheels out a casket and yet again Vince says that Undertaker has to be in there. Kamala and crew run through the crowd.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Bill Jordan vs. Bret Hart
I can't help but imagine how awesome Bret would be with so many of the current talents. He is one of the few guys from this era that would still 100% fit with the current styles. Perfect continues his obsession with Papa Shango casting a spell on Hart. This match is airing 2 days prior to Bret winning the WWF Championship for the first time ever in one of the most random title changes of the era. Jordan looks like someone they just gave a pair of trunks to at a bar. Hart hits all of his signature moves and finishes him off with the Sharpshooter.
Match Rating: 1/4*
One last trip to the Event Center. Martel cuts a promo in a rain coat, hat and holding an umbrella. British Bulldog says he's ready to take on anyone to defend his Intercontinental Championship.
Next week on Superstars it's Shawn Michaels, Big Boss Man, Money, Inc., British Bulldog and a special interview with Razor Ramon and Ric Flair.
The cameras are backstage with Kamala and crew and Harvey says to get out of here as we cut out.
This one breezed by as it was mostly matches with good workers. Perhaps best of all, Nailz was supposed to have a match and then didn't. I'll take any victory I can get in 1992 here.
Overall Rating: 40%
Hersheypark Arena
Hershey, Pennsylvania
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
We go right to Mean Gene and he tells us that the main event at Survivor Series will be Macho Man and Ultimate Warrior against Ric Flair and Razor Ramon. He calls it the best match in Survivor Series history. I bet it isn't.
They then show a wide shot showing Razor Ramon on the TV board telling Macho Man that he doesn't have to wait until Survivor Series.
Razor Ramon vs. Steve May
The more I see of Razor from this era, the more I see a missed opportunity. He hits the fall away slam and then a version of the abdominal stretch. Razor sets May up on the top rope and hits a back suplex from the top. The still nameless Razor's Edge finishes it in another impressive squash. How did he only get one main event opportunity in 3+ years in the company?
Match Rating: 1/4*
Max Moon vs. Jerry Fox
Komet Kid one week and Max Moon the next. Moon hits a monkey flip and a couple of dropkicks. Moon was a unique enough worker for 1992 era WWF, but everything else about it was awful. Moon hits his finisher, as Hennig puts him over pretty big.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center time with Sean Mooney. The Beverly Brothers talk trash about the Bushwhackers, High Energy and Natural Disasters. It's interesting that they have the Genius for a mouthpiece, but he hardly ever talks in their promos. Crush is from Hawaii. Who knew?
High Energy vs. Brian Jewel & Kenny Johnson
It's been awhile since we've had a High Energy match here. Whoever was designing the costumes in this era needed to find a new profession. It's not just retro bad, it was bad in 1992. Apparently Sgt. Slaughter is now a rule enforcer for Jack Tunney. High Energy was really a nice tag team and their finisher was also nice. Koko hits the dropkick off the top rope and Owen gets the pin. Another nice showing for them and after the match Owen yanks up Koko's pants even higher.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Ken Freedom vs. Nailz
Why? Nailz throws Freedom over the top rope and then grabs the mic. He says that he came out here to find where Boss Man is. He says that he is going to beat Boss Man until he can't walk anymore. Boss Man no shows and we have no match. Thank God.
Back to the Event Center. The Bushwhackers sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" to us. Repo Man talks about how much he loves his job. The dude gets a lot of promo time on Superstars for a jobber to the stars.
Tom Stone vs. Lance Cassidy
Here is Steve Armstrong's generic Cowboy gimmick that wouldn't last long. Shout out to the guy wearing a Detroit Lions jacket. Cassidy looks good, but the crowd is distracted by something going on. It's funny that the worst worker of the Armstrong brothers (Road Dogg) was the most successful. Stone goes up top, but Cassidy slams him off. He hits a crossbody off the top rope and that's all. He looked good, but it wasn't meant to be.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Sgt. Slaughter is watching the match and talks to Mean Gene for about 5 seconds about his new role.
We get another hype video for Bob Backlund. During the video they show a clip of him talking and it couldn't be a less charismatic promo.
Kevin Krueger vs. Kamala
Before the match, Undertaker is on the video board and tells him to rest in peace. Krueger attacks Kamala, but he no sells it and chops him. Vince talks about how hard it must be to manage Kamala and his example is how do you take him to a restaurant and what do you order? Yeah, Vince. That's it. Kamala gets the pinfall victory, but Paul Bearer wheels out a casket and yet again Vince says that Undertaker has to be in there. Kamala and crew run through the crowd.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Bill Jordan vs. Bret Hart
I can't help but imagine how awesome Bret would be with so many of the current talents. He is one of the few guys from this era that would still 100% fit with the current styles. Perfect continues his obsession with Papa Shango casting a spell on Hart. This match is airing 2 days prior to Bret winning the WWF Championship for the first time ever in one of the most random title changes of the era. Jordan looks like someone they just gave a pair of trunks to at a bar. Hart hits all of his signature moves and finishes him off with the Sharpshooter.
Match Rating: 1/4*
One last trip to the Event Center. Martel cuts a promo in a rain coat, hat and holding an umbrella. British Bulldog says he's ready to take on anyone to defend his Intercontinental Championship.
Next week on Superstars it's Shawn Michaels, Big Boss Man, Money, Inc., British Bulldog and a special interview with Razor Ramon and Ric Flair.
The cameras are backstage with Kamala and crew and Harvey says to get out of here as we cut out.
This one breezed by as it was mostly matches with good workers. Perhaps best of all, Nailz was supposed to have a match and then didn't. I'll take any victory I can get in 1992 here.
Overall Rating: 40%
Monday, September 9, 2019
SmackDown 4-28-05 Review
Original Airdate: Thursday, April 28th, 2005
NEC Arena
Birmingham, England
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Carlito's Cabana is going to kick things off here tonight. He naturally insults the crowd and then introduces his guest, Kurt Angle. Angle reminds us that he made Shawn Michaels tap out at WrestleMania and beat Eddie Guerrero on SmackDown. He's going to win the fatal four way match tonight and beat John Cena for the WWE Championship. Angle is then interrupted by a guy who introduces himself as Steve Lewington from Great Britain and he wants to take on Angle in an Angle Invitational match. Angle doesn't want to risk injury and tells him to come back once he hits puberty. As he walks away, Angle attacks him and tosses him out of the ring. Angle says it's the American way to insult them and attack them from behind. Good stuff. Lewington is back in and hits a dropkick, but Angle fights back and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Apparently Lewington is DJ Gabriel. I thought he looked familiar.
Torrie Wilson is here to do the ring announcing to help you care more about the Cruiserweights.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Paul London vs. Chavo Guerrero
Chavo's WWE run is pretty interesting if you look at it as a whole. There are a lot of ups and downs. Back and forth to start things off. London climbs up top, but Chavo pushes him off and he hits the post on the way down to the floor. The referee counts to 10 and that's it? And somehow Chavo was good with this? He grabs the belt and acts as if he won the championship. Jimmy Korderas takes the belt away from him and has Torrie Wilson make the announcement that London is still the champion. Chavo, who grew up in the wrestling business, then hits a Gory Bomb to London and grabs the belt again. This was just kind of weird logic here to me. London doesn't exactly look better and Chavo comes across more dumb than heelish.
Match Rating: 3/4* (out of 5)
We get a video package of the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero and MNM story. Then we get the Daily Star girls again.
Sharmell is hyping Booker T up backstage and in walks Heidenreich. He reads a poem about the fatal four way match and then Sharmell tells him she can dig that, sucka. Heidenreich thinks he made two friends tonight.
Eddie is in the locker room with Rey. Eddie's trying to act like everything is cool, but Rey isn't saying anything. Eddie begins to apologize, but in walks Chavo. Chavo reminds Eddie that they are family, not Rey. Eddie says that Rey has been more of a brother than his own family. Rey tells Chavo to shut up and he and Eddie are back on the same page.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio vs. MNM
We get some fast paced action with the faces starting off strong until Joey Mercury pulls Eddie off the apron. I remember there being a lot of people saying Mercury was the star of the team, but it was always clearly Johnny Nitro. The heels work Eddie for awhile until Eddie makes the tag and Rey almost accidentally hits Eddie. Rey does then accidentally hit Eddie with a crossbody. Rey recovers and almost gets a 3 count while Eddie is on the outside. Rey sets up Mercury for the 619, but he sees Eddie walking down the ramp and he stops. Nitro then hits Mysterio with a powerbomb. Eddie is contemplating what to do while the crowd chants "Eddie". Eddie finally makes his way back to his corner as we go to commercial break. Rey rolls through and hits the sit down dropkick, but is unable to make the tag. Rey finally fights back again and he and Nitro are both down. Nitro tags Mercury, but Eddie refuses to reach and make the tag to Rey. MNM hits the Snapshot and retain their titles. This was a good match that furthered the saga of Rey and Eddie. After the match MNM continue to beat down Rey and Eddie just stands in the corner and watches.
Match Rating: ***
Rene Dupree tells the English crowd that he hails from the greatest country in the world. As he's about to go on a rant, John Cena's music hits.
Rene Dupree vs. John Cena
Dupree jumps Cena and hits a spinebuster. Cena tries to make a comeback, but gets hit with a knee to the gut. This has already gone on longer than I would have guessed. Cena makes the comeback this time and hits his weird looking hip toss. You Can't See Me time and he's already pumping up and hits the FU for the victory. This was a match that most wrestlers could have in their sleep, but it was here for the crowd to be able to see Cena.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Matt Morgan vs. Mikey Whiplash
Morgan tries to tell us that he never stutters while stuttering through the promo. It's gold, Jerry. Gold, I tell you. You can't help but feel bad for Morgan being stuck with this garbage. Morgan takes out his frustration on Whiplash. He hits a few power moves and then his suplex type finisher. He looked good, but the gimmick was death.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Cole and Tazz are interviewing JBL, who is backstage wearing the old WWE Championship belt. He wants to destroy Cena and he's a wrestling god. This is every promo from JBL during this era until Big Show walks in. Even Big Show says that he says the same thing every week. Big Show tells him that his losing streak is going to continue.
Christina Aguilera is on the set of Cena's music video set for some reason. Next week they are going to debut the video.
Fatal Four Way Match To Become #1 Contender For The WWE Championship
Booker T vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle vs. JBL
Big Show is cleaning house and to my complete surprise, both Cole and Tazz are predicting Big Show is going to win this match. Big Show sets up all three men in the corner and squashes them. Show goes for the chokeslam on Angle, but he counters it into the Angle Slam. Booker then hits a scissor kick to the back of the head. JBL then hits him with a Clothesline From Hell. He kicked out of all three attempts. All three men knock Show over the top rope and then start clearing off the announcer table. God forbid they break a TV monitor. Angle Slam through the table and apparently you can get counted out in this match. So of course that is how Big Show is eliminated. Back from commercial break to JBL and Angle double teaming Booker. JBL gets thrown into the steel steps outside the ring. Booker hits the Book End on JBL, but he gets his shoulder up. Angle hits two German suplexes on Booker. Angle hits an Angle Slam and Booker kicks out again. Referee Brian Hebner makes Orlando Jordan leave and JBL brings in a chair to the ring. Angle gets a hold of it and nails Booker with it and gets the pinfall on Booker. JBL instantly attacks Angle and hits him with some really stiff shots to the face as they head into the last commercial break. JBL has a cut on his eyebrow and hits a fall away slam. JBL goes for the clothesline, Angle ducks and he hits the ref instead. Angle puts JBL in the Ankle Lock. The Bashams are down to the ring, but Angle takes them both out. Angle hits three Germans on JBL, but still no ref. The straps are down and we are back into the Ankle Lock. JBL begins to tap, but again, no ref. Booker T then comes in and hits Angle with a chair to the face. The Bashams roll in Hebner and that is all. To no one's surprise, JBL is the #1 contender. This was decent enough, but it never felt like anyone in here was trying to have a great match. It was always obvious that JBL was going to win this match. Other than Angle, no one in this match was really producing great matches at this time.
Match Rating: **3/4
Well, it certainly was better than this week's Raw. This wasn't a huge slam dunk or anything, but it was one of the better SmackDown shows in the last month or two. We know we are going for Judgment Day, which should help make the next few weeks of the show interesting. In terms of action, we were treated to couple of good matches and some filler.
Overall Rating: 59%
NEC Arena
Birmingham, England
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Carlito's Cabana is going to kick things off here tonight. He naturally insults the crowd and then introduces his guest, Kurt Angle. Angle reminds us that he made Shawn Michaels tap out at WrestleMania and beat Eddie Guerrero on SmackDown. He's going to win the fatal four way match tonight and beat John Cena for the WWE Championship. Angle is then interrupted by a guy who introduces himself as Steve Lewington from Great Britain and he wants to take on Angle in an Angle Invitational match. Angle doesn't want to risk injury and tells him to come back once he hits puberty. As he walks away, Angle attacks him and tosses him out of the ring. Angle says it's the American way to insult them and attack them from behind. Good stuff. Lewington is back in and hits a dropkick, but Angle fights back and puts him in the Ankle Lock. Apparently Lewington is DJ Gabriel. I thought he looked familiar.
Torrie Wilson is here to do the ring announcing to help you care more about the Cruiserweights.
WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match
Paul London vs. Chavo Guerrero
Chavo's WWE run is pretty interesting if you look at it as a whole. There are a lot of ups and downs. Back and forth to start things off. London climbs up top, but Chavo pushes him off and he hits the post on the way down to the floor. The referee counts to 10 and that's it? And somehow Chavo was good with this? He grabs the belt and acts as if he won the championship. Jimmy Korderas takes the belt away from him and has Torrie Wilson make the announcement that London is still the champion. Chavo, who grew up in the wrestling business, then hits a Gory Bomb to London and grabs the belt again. This was just kind of weird logic here to me. London doesn't exactly look better and Chavo comes across more dumb than heelish.
Match Rating: 3/4* (out of 5)
We get a video package of the Rey Mysterio/Eddie Guerrero and MNM story. Then we get the Daily Star girls again.
Sharmell is hyping Booker T up backstage and in walks Heidenreich. He reads a poem about the fatal four way match and then Sharmell tells him she can dig that, sucka. Heidenreich thinks he made two friends tonight.
Eddie is in the locker room with Rey. Eddie's trying to act like everything is cool, but Rey isn't saying anything. Eddie begins to apologize, but in walks Chavo. Chavo reminds Eddie that they are family, not Rey. Eddie says that Rey has been more of a brother than his own family. Rey tells Chavo to shut up and he and Eddie are back on the same page.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio vs. MNM
We get some fast paced action with the faces starting off strong until Joey Mercury pulls Eddie off the apron. I remember there being a lot of people saying Mercury was the star of the team, but it was always clearly Johnny Nitro. The heels work Eddie for awhile until Eddie makes the tag and Rey almost accidentally hits Eddie. Rey does then accidentally hit Eddie with a crossbody. Rey recovers and almost gets a 3 count while Eddie is on the outside. Rey sets up Mercury for the 619, but he sees Eddie walking down the ramp and he stops. Nitro then hits Mysterio with a powerbomb. Eddie is contemplating what to do while the crowd chants "Eddie". Eddie finally makes his way back to his corner as we go to commercial break. Rey rolls through and hits the sit down dropkick, but is unable to make the tag. Rey finally fights back again and he and Nitro are both down. Nitro tags Mercury, but Eddie refuses to reach and make the tag to Rey. MNM hits the Snapshot and retain their titles. This was a good match that furthered the saga of Rey and Eddie. After the match MNM continue to beat down Rey and Eddie just stands in the corner and watches.
Match Rating: ***
Rene Dupree tells the English crowd that he hails from the greatest country in the world. As he's about to go on a rant, John Cena's music hits.
Rene Dupree vs. John Cena
Dupree jumps Cena and hits a spinebuster. Cena tries to make a comeback, but gets hit with a knee to the gut. This has already gone on longer than I would have guessed. Cena makes the comeback this time and hits his weird looking hip toss. You Can't See Me time and he's already pumping up and hits the FU for the victory. This was a match that most wrestlers could have in their sleep, but it was here for the crowd to be able to see Cena.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Matt Morgan vs. Mikey Whiplash
Morgan tries to tell us that he never stutters while stuttering through the promo. It's gold, Jerry. Gold, I tell you. You can't help but feel bad for Morgan being stuck with this garbage. Morgan takes out his frustration on Whiplash. He hits a few power moves and then his suplex type finisher. He looked good, but the gimmick was death.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Cole and Tazz are interviewing JBL, who is backstage wearing the old WWE Championship belt. He wants to destroy Cena and he's a wrestling god. This is every promo from JBL during this era until Big Show walks in. Even Big Show says that he says the same thing every week. Big Show tells him that his losing streak is going to continue.
Christina Aguilera is on the set of Cena's music video set for some reason. Next week they are going to debut the video.
Fatal Four Way Match To Become #1 Contender For The WWE Championship
Booker T vs. Big Show vs. Kurt Angle vs. JBL
Big Show is cleaning house and to my complete surprise, both Cole and Tazz are predicting Big Show is going to win this match. Big Show sets up all three men in the corner and squashes them. Show goes for the chokeslam on Angle, but he counters it into the Angle Slam. Booker then hits a scissor kick to the back of the head. JBL then hits him with a Clothesline From Hell. He kicked out of all three attempts. All three men knock Show over the top rope and then start clearing off the announcer table. God forbid they break a TV monitor. Angle Slam through the table and apparently you can get counted out in this match. So of course that is how Big Show is eliminated. Back from commercial break to JBL and Angle double teaming Booker. JBL gets thrown into the steel steps outside the ring. Booker hits the Book End on JBL, but he gets his shoulder up. Angle hits two German suplexes on Booker. Angle hits an Angle Slam and Booker kicks out again. Referee Brian Hebner makes Orlando Jordan leave and JBL brings in a chair to the ring. Angle gets a hold of it and nails Booker with it and gets the pinfall on Booker. JBL instantly attacks Angle and hits him with some really stiff shots to the face as they head into the last commercial break. JBL has a cut on his eyebrow and hits a fall away slam. JBL goes for the clothesline, Angle ducks and he hits the ref instead. Angle puts JBL in the Ankle Lock. The Bashams are down to the ring, but Angle takes them both out. Angle hits three Germans on JBL, but still no ref. The straps are down and we are back into the Ankle Lock. JBL begins to tap, but again, no ref. Booker T then comes in and hits Angle with a chair to the face. The Bashams roll in Hebner and that is all. To no one's surprise, JBL is the #1 contender. This was decent enough, but it never felt like anyone in here was trying to have a great match. It was always obvious that JBL was going to win this match. Other than Angle, no one in this match was really producing great matches at this time.
Match Rating: **3/4
Well, it certainly was better than this week's Raw. This wasn't a huge slam dunk or anything, but it was one of the better SmackDown shows in the last month or two. We know we are going for Judgment Day, which should help make the next few weeks of the show interesting. In terms of action, we were treated to couple of good matches and some filler.
Overall Rating: 59%
Wednesday, September 4, 2019
Monday Night Raw 4-25-05 Review
Monday, April 25th, 2005
NEC Arena
Birmingham, England
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Batista is out to a big pop. I don't remember the Titan Tron being smaller when they were in the UK. He brings out JR, who is wearing bandages across his forehead and a black eye. Triple H obviously interrupts and is in a sour mood. Batista keeps showing the clip of JR beating Triple H last week on Raw. Triple H takes off his shirt and begins to walk to the ring, but then heads back towards the ramp and lets him know he'll see him at Backlash.
JR is back in the announcers booth now and Coach is out. They show clips of last week with Viscera and Trish Stratus. They then cut to Trish at a restaurant who is trying to get out of the date until he shows up. He talks about how he had to run to the drug store to pick up some protection. God, I am so glad they don't do crap like this anymore.
Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier
Jericho is gearing up for his Intercontinental Championship match against Shelton Benjamin Sunday. Grenier actually gets a suplex in and then a headlock. We are not even a minute into the match and he's digging deep into his move set. Jericho escapes and Grenier appears to not be on the same page. Jericho hits his running bulldog. Jericho hits a step up enzuigiri, but Rob Conway distracts the ref. Jericho takes care of him and gets Grenier in the Walls of Jericho for the easy victory. After the match, Conway and Grenier attack him and out comes Shelton to make the save. Shelton then hits the exploder on Jericho and taunts him. Not much of a match, but the end was a nice little twist on a story that didn't have much meat on the bone.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Back to Trish and Viscera. Fat jokes and sexual innuendo of the worst possible kind are on display tonight.
Christian and Tomko are backstage getting ready for their main event spot tonight. In walks Ric Flair and he wants them to beat down Batista. Christian and Flair get into it and Christian has Tomko escort him out.
They show a clip of people waiting in freezing cold temps for tickets for Backlash.
Christian and Tomko are now on their way to the ring. Christian is pretty over with the UK crowd. He then insults the crowd and talks about how he's going to get drafted to SmackDown and beat the Ali G ripoff John Cena. Here comes Kane and he takes out Tomko while Christian escapes through the crowd.
Lita is backstage with Maria and says that Kane will destroy Viscera at Backlash. All of this kind of just feels like them killing time.
After the commercial, Christian is knocking on Evolution's door. Flair answers and Christian apologizes for earlier. Triple H is out now and tells Christian to come inside to talk business. Christian was great here as the cocky, yet cowardly heel.
Chris Masters is here for another Master Lock Challenge. He picks a pretty good sized member of the live crowd and he quickly submits.
Shawn Michaels is here and Hulk Hogan is here, but so is Mean Gene! We get a retro promo that ends with Hogan ripping his shirt and HBK trying to.
Christy Hemme, Stacy Kiebler, Maria and Candice Michelle are here. Christy gets on the mic and introduces the Daily Star Girls. Stacy announces that William Regal put this together and that he has a new book coming out. They then introduce Regal and Tajiri. They all start dancing and they are interrupted by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari and we get the usual bit. They're going to have a match right now.
William Regal & Tajiri vs. Muhammad Hassan & Daivari
We return from commercial with the match already underway. Regal is obviously over huge here and the crowd is eating everything up that he does. With no disrespect to Regal and Tajiri, but having them look competitive here isn't exactly making me buy that Hassan and Daivari have even a small shot of winning at Backlash. Tajiri starts to make a comeback, but Daivari hits Tajiri from behind when running the ropes and the heels are able to turn that into a victory after a Daivari top rope leg drop. JR even says that he is shocked that they won here and that it would be the biggest tag team upset in history if they beat Hogan and Michaels. After the match, Regal attacks them and the heels take care of him and put him in the Camel Clutch. The match was standard TV match stuff.
Match Rating: *1/2
Oh good, we're back to dinner with Viscera and Trish. This has been a long dinner. Trish suggests that she knocks Christy Hemme out and he can do whatever with her. Viscera wants to dance and he knocks over the staff and asks for the check.
Edge vs. Val Venis
I love that Edge is going to hang onto the Money In The Bank briefcase for another 8 months. Here is a reminder that Val Venis still was employed by WWE in 2005. Edge attacks Val as he's entering the ring. Venis actually gets a little offense in and even tries to go for the Money Shot. Edge gets his knees up. He goes for a spear, but Venis gets his knees up. For some reason that didn't really stun him much and he goes for the spear again and hits it for the victory. This is like a 1999 Raw in the worst way possible. Stupid skits like Viscera & Trish and matches that are meaningless. After the match, Edge hits Edgecution and a Crippler Crossface, which brings out Benoit. Benoit hits 3 German suplexes and Edge retreats.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Triple H tells Coach that he will be the guest referee for the Christian/Batista match with Ric Flair as the guest timekeeper and Triple H will be in the corner of Christian.
Back to more rape jokes with Viscera and Trish. Trish tells hi to take care of Kane and she'll take care of him. Viscera wants an advance, but Trish flashes Viscera instead.
We are getting another Raw Diva Search.
Christian vs. Batista
Triple H distracts Batista, which allows Christian to attack from behind, but Batista still throws him out of the ring instead. Christian goes up top, but Batista catches him and throws him into the turnbuckle. Christian kicks Batista in the face, but still ends up eating a powerslam. He goes for the pin, but of course we don't get one from Coach. Triple H then runs in and gives Batista a low blow. Christian is still super over here with the live crowd. They show that during the commercial break (of a taped show) that Triple H threw Batista into the steel steps. Batista takes a boot to the face and then a dropkick off the second rope for a 2 count. Batista is back in control and even Jerry Lawler is admitting how many people are cheering for Christian here tonight. Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Batista counters with an electric chair. He gets a 2 count and then Coach is unable to count anymore. Batista then takes out everyone and then gives the thumbs down and hits the Batista Bomb. He then takes Coach's arm and counts 3 and that's good enough for the victory. Triple H immediately attacks Batista. Flair comes in and he takes him out too. Batista grabs a chair, but Triple H blocks it and hits the Pedigree. Christian was super over here, but there isn't much more of a way for him to not look like a main eventer than having every advantage there is and still losing fairly easily. Vince's dislike for Christian as a main event player was always frustrating.
Match Rating: **
Well, outside of Christian's performance throughout the night this show was a major dud. There was hardly any wrestling and what we got wasn't very good. The Trish and Viscera stuff was flat out horrible and pretty much everything outside of the main event angle and Hogan/HBK stuff was bad. Skip this one.
Overall Rating: 38%
NEC Arena
Birmingham, England
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Batista is out to a big pop. I don't remember the Titan Tron being smaller when they were in the UK. He brings out JR, who is wearing bandages across his forehead and a black eye. Triple H obviously interrupts and is in a sour mood. Batista keeps showing the clip of JR beating Triple H last week on Raw. Triple H takes off his shirt and begins to walk to the ring, but then heads back towards the ramp and lets him know he'll see him at Backlash.
JR is back in the announcers booth now and Coach is out. They show clips of last week with Viscera and Trish Stratus. They then cut to Trish at a restaurant who is trying to get out of the date until he shows up. He talks about how he had to run to the drug store to pick up some protection. God, I am so glad they don't do crap like this anymore.
Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier
Jericho is gearing up for his Intercontinental Championship match against Shelton Benjamin Sunday. Grenier actually gets a suplex in and then a headlock. We are not even a minute into the match and he's digging deep into his move set. Jericho escapes and Grenier appears to not be on the same page. Jericho hits his running bulldog. Jericho hits a step up enzuigiri, but Rob Conway distracts the ref. Jericho takes care of him and gets Grenier in the Walls of Jericho for the easy victory. After the match, Conway and Grenier attack him and out comes Shelton to make the save. Shelton then hits the exploder on Jericho and taunts him. Not much of a match, but the end was a nice little twist on a story that didn't have much meat on the bone.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Back to Trish and Viscera. Fat jokes and sexual innuendo of the worst possible kind are on display tonight.
Christian and Tomko are backstage getting ready for their main event spot tonight. In walks Ric Flair and he wants them to beat down Batista. Christian and Flair get into it and Christian has Tomko escort him out.
They show a clip of people waiting in freezing cold temps for tickets for Backlash.
Christian and Tomko are now on their way to the ring. Christian is pretty over with the UK crowd. He then insults the crowd and talks about how he's going to get drafted to SmackDown and beat the Ali G ripoff John Cena. Here comes Kane and he takes out Tomko while Christian escapes through the crowd.
Lita is backstage with Maria and says that Kane will destroy Viscera at Backlash. All of this kind of just feels like them killing time.
After the commercial, Christian is knocking on Evolution's door. Flair answers and Christian apologizes for earlier. Triple H is out now and tells Christian to come inside to talk business. Christian was great here as the cocky, yet cowardly heel.
Chris Masters is here for another Master Lock Challenge. He picks a pretty good sized member of the live crowd and he quickly submits.
Shawn Michaels is here and Hulk Hogan is here, but so is Mean Gene! We get a retro promo that ends with Hogan ripping his shirt and HBK trying to.
Christy Hemme, Stacy Kiebler, Maria and Candice Michelle are here. Christy gets on the mic and introduces the Daily Star Girls. Stacy announces that William Regal put this together and that he has a new book coming out. They then introduce Regal and Tajiri. They all start dancing and they are interrupted by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari and we get the usual bit. They're going to have a match right now.
William Regal & Tajiri vs. Muhammad Hassan & Daivari
We return from commercial with the match already underway. Regal is obviously over huge here and the crowd is eating everything up that he does. With no disrespect to Regal and Tajiri, but having them look competitive here isn't exactly making me buy that Hassan and Daivari have even a small shot of winning at Backlash. Tajiri starts to make a comeback, but Daivari hits Tajiri from behind when running the ropes and the heels are able to turn that into a victory after a Daivari top rope leg drop. JR even says that he is shocked that they won here and that it would be the biggest tag team upset in history if they beat Hogan and Michaels. After the match, Regal attacks them and the heels take care of him and put him in the Camel Clutch. The match was standard TV match stuff.
Match Rating: *1/2
Oh good, we're back to dinner with Viscera and Trish. This has been a long dinner. Trish suggests that she knocks Christy Hemme out and he can do whatever with her. Viscera wants to dance and he knocks over the staff and asks for the check.
Edge vs. Val Venis
I love that Edge is going to hang onto the Money In The Bank briefcase for another 8 months. Here is a reminder that Val Venis still was employed by WWE in 2005. Edge attacks Val as he's entering the ring. Venis actually gets a little offense in and even tries to go for the Money Shot. Edge gets his knees up. He goes for a spear, but Venis gets his knees up. For some reason that didn't really stun him much and he goes for the spear again and hits it for the victory. This is like a 1999 Raw in the worst way possible. Stupid skits like Viscera & Trish and matches that are meaningless. After the match, Edge hits Edgecution and a Crippler Crossface, which brings out Benoit. Benoit hits 3 German suplexes and Edge retreats.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Triple H tells Coach that he will be the guest referee for the Christian/Batista match with Ric Flair as the guest timekeeper and Triple H will be in the corner of Christian.
Back to more rape jokes with Viscera and Trish. Trish tells hi to take care of Kane and she'll take care of him. Viscera wants an advance, but Trish flashes Viscera instead.
We are getting another Raw Diva Search.
Christian vs. Batista
Triple H distracts Batista, which allows Christian to attack from behind, but Batista still throws him out of the ring instead. Christian goes up top, but Batista catches him and throws him into the turnbuckle. Christian kicks Batista in the face, but still ends up eating a powerslam. He goes for the pin, but of course we don't get one from Coach. Triple H then runs in and gives Batista a low blow. Christian is still super over here with the live crowd. They show that during the commercial break (of a taped show) that Triple H threw Batista into the steel steps. Batista takes a boot to the face and then a dropkick off the second rope for a 2 count. Batista is back in control and even Jerry Lawler is admitting how many people are cheering for Christian here tonight. Christian goes for the Unprettier, but Batista counters with an electric chair. He gets a 2 count and then Coach is unable to count anymore. Batista then takes out everyone and then gives the thumbs down and hits the Batista Bomb. He then takes Coach's arm and counts 3 and that's good enough for the victory. Triple H immediately attacks Batista. Flair comes in and he takes him out too. Batista grabs a chair, but Triple H blocks it and hits the Pedigree. Christian was super over here, but there isn't much more of a way for him to not look like a main eventer than having every advantage there is and still losing fairly easily. Vince's dislike for Christian as a main event player was always frustrating.
Match Rating: **
Well, outside of Christian's performance throughout the night this show was a major dud. There was hardly any wrestling and what we got wasn't very good. The Trish and Viscera stuff was flat out horrible and pretty much everything outside of the main event angle and Hogan/HBK stuff was bad. Skip this one.
Overall Rating: 38%
Monday, September 2, 2019
NXT UK Takeover: Cardiff Review
Saturday, August 31st, 2019
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
Cardiff, Wales
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Noam Dar vs. Travis Banks
They start off with some standard fare, but quickly move into some fast paced back and forth. Banks goes after Dar's knees, but Dar is able to set Banks on the top rope and then hit a clothesline off the second rope. Dar has a lot of star potential and is still only 26 years old. Banks fights back with a dropkick and then a German suplex with a bridge for a 2 count. Dar slaps Banks, which enrages him, but Dar avoids a kick and continues to show off his heel skills. Banks goes for a springboard kick, but Dar catches him and puts him into an ankle lock for a nicely executed counter. Dar tries to throw Banks into the barricade, but Banks leaps off and sort of hits Slice of Heaven. Banks rolls Dar into the ring and hits a double stomp off the top rope for a 2 count. The pace is now picking up. Dar blocks Slice of Heaven and then hits a standing shining wizard for the victory. Solid opener and the absolute right guy won the match.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Cesaro is backstage and they talk about his open challenge to anyone on the roster. He says that he is looking for a fight and in walks Ilja Dragunov to accept the challenge.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Cesaro
As someone who really, really enjoys Cesaro's work, it's nice to see him positioned as a star here. Dragunov goes right after Cesaro, but Cesaro quickly is chopping Dragunov. Dragunov taunts Cesaro, so he destroys him with some uppercuts. Cesaro catches a leaping Dragunov in the corner and he just dumps him over the top rope into the barricade and the crowd is loving it. Cesaro swing time and the crowd counts up to 40, which is insane. Dragunov is able to regain control and hits a suicide dive and then a dropkick from the top rope across the ring. After getting chopped like crazy, Cesaro hits a Go To Sleep and then running uppercut to a sitting Dragunov, but he somehow kicks out. Dragunov hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner and then heads up to the top rope. He hits a senton, but didn't appear to hit it all and Cesaro kicks out of the pin attempt. Cesaro hits a pop up uppercut and then the Neutralizer and that's all. That was a hard hitting match as one would expect with Cesaro. It was so nice to see him get a hero's welcome here in front of a European crowd. Good match too.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After the match, Cesaro acts as if he is going to hits another uppercut, but instead shakes Dragunov's hand and they hug before Cesaro heads to the back.
NXT UK Championship Match
Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. Gallus vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
This one should be fun for me to type about, as I have no idea who's who. Andrews and Webster have a unique look for this brand and are the hometown team. Drake and Gibson show why they were chosen to be the first tag champs with some nice teamwork. Andrews gets a hot tag and hits some really cool offense. He and Webster then hit back to back double somersaults over the top rope onto both teams. Wow! Andrews and Webster hit a knee strike, which leads into a reverse rana. That was awesome. Andrews then hits a Shooting Star Press from the top rope to the other two teams on the floor. The hometown boys get another nearfall, but then Andrews eats a huge dropkick that leads into Helter Skelter and a 450 splash that he somehow kicks out of. Gallus are back in the action and Wolfgang hits a big spear. Wolfgang then launches Coffey over the top rope to take out both of the other teams. Gallus goes for a cocky pin, but Webster makes the save. All six men are in the ring and Wolfgang then gets hit with a suicide dive into a Doomsday Device by the champs. The champs hit Ticket to Mayhem to big boos, but while they go for the pinfall, Andrews hits him off the top rope and we have new tag team champions. Well, it's clear that Vince didn't book this show. How dare someone win in their hometown. That was a really good match with some unique tag team offense. It had some flaws, but the back half of the match was just entertaining wrestling.
Match Rating: ***3/4
The new champs celebrate in the crowd. Toni Storm is in the back getting ready for her match.
Last Man Standing Match
Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey
Mastiff immediately charges Coffey in the aisle and they start going at it. Mastiff sends Coffey into the top turnbuckle and the top rope falls off the ring. Mastiff is now using the metal from the turnbuckle as a weapon. Coffey uses a pool cue as a weapon to slow down the big man. Mastiff then uses a cricket bat and smacks Coffey in the back. Coffey avoids a Mastiff charge and is able to throw Mastiff through a table that was set up against the barricade. Mastiff starts beating Coffey with a chain and then sets up another table. Mastiff then hits a running cannon ball through Coffey and the table. They're out in the crowd now and Mastiff hits Coffey with some hard shots to the back. Coffey for some reason blocks the chair with a fist, which seems like a dumb thing to do. Mastiff grabs two chairs and tosses one to Coffey. They both take a running start and charge at each other and both men are down. Mastiff hip tosses Coffey over the guardrail to the announcers table. Mastiff is now clearing off the announcers table, which will never make sense in a fight like this. Not their fault though. Mastiff hits a Green Bay Plunge but the table doesn't break. They both then climb above the table. Mastiff headbutts Coffey and they both fall off the rail and through the table. Both men are struggling to beat the count, but Coffey gets up and then kicks the rolling crate away from Mastiff, which causes Mastiff to fall and give Coffey the victory. Both guys tried hard here and there was some good stuff mixed in, but the logic didn't click for me here. The ending fell flat with the live audience as well.
Match Rating: **1/2
NXT UK Women's Championship Match
Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm
Ray avoids Storm on the outside and after delaying to get in the ring, Storm dives at her and start wailing on her. Ray hits her with a slap and Storm takes it to her. Storm hits a couple of big clotheslines and a German suplex. Storm is clearly the star between these two and it's not even close. Storm hits a Canadian Destroyer in a nice counter to the Gory Bomb. Both women are up top, Storm tries a sunset powerbomb, but it's blocked so she hits a German suplex instead. Storm hits a suicide dive. Ray then almost kills herself by doing a running somersault off the top rope to the floor. That was ugly. Ray then hits the Gory Bomb and gets the victory? Who booked this finish? That was a really, really bad finish and the crowd could not care less. I don't watch the show enough, but to me they gave the belt to the lesser competitor in a clean finish of a short match.
Match Rating: *1/2
NXT UK Championship Match
Tyler Bate vs. Walter
In the very limited amount that I have seen Walter, he has not been my cup of tea. I didn't think his match with Pete Dunne was anywhere on the level that the majority put it at. I absolutely love Bate and think he is easily one of the best young wrestlers the WWE has ever had. So if there's a match that should show off Walter, it's this one. Walter starts off with wearing down Bate and we get lots of singing from the live audience. Bate blocks both a powerbomb and a back body drop and then body slams the big man. Pretty impressive. Walter catches Bate on a suicide dive and then lays him out with a powerbomb to the hardest part of the ring. Walter hits a big boot and then does a powerbomb to the ring post in a scary looking spot. I know what they are going for and it won't take away from my enjoyment of the match, but those two moves look like they probably should be enough for the victory. However, I know this match has a long way to go. After a long wear down segment from Walter, both men are on the apron and Bate hits an exploder suplex to the floor. After a couple of attempts, Bate hits a vertical suplex to a big pop. After a series of clotheslines and forearms, a rolling kick and an exploder suplex brings Walter down. Walter dropkicks Bate into the turnbuckle and goes for a powerbomb, but Bate counters it for a Canadian Destroyer and almost gets the 3. The crowd bought that one. They tease a superplex to the floor spot, but Walter chops Bate back into the ring and then climbs to the top rope. Bate hits him with a jumping headbutt and Bate once again goes up top. He hits a super exploder and gets another nearfall. Walter starts with the chops, but is showing signs of fatigue. Bate hits him with one of his own, but Walter falls on top of Bate and now both men are down. Bate blocks a powerbomb and then picks up Walter on his shoulder and does an airplane spin. Bate is the man. Bate then picks up Walter again and hits a reverse Attitude Adjustment, but unfortunately Walter rolls to the outside. Bate reverses a suplex into a Tyler Driver 97 for a 2 count. That one gave me the chills. Corkscrew off the top rope but again it's only for 2. Bate takes off the tape from his wrist and is ready for a fight. He starts hitting a series of lefts and rights, but then Walter explodes with some chops and puts him in a sleeper hold on the mat. Bate then lifts him up and slams him back in yet another incredible move. Walter goes right back into the sleeper. They fight out to the apron again and Walter hits a suplex and drives Bate face first into the edge of the ring and then goes up to the top rope and hits an ugly splash, but Bate kicks out! Another suplex and Bate kicks out again. Powerbomb by Walter and Bate kicks out again and the crowd is to their feet. God bless the European crowd here. Walter hits a huge lariat and unfortunately that is all. The first half kept this from being an all time classic for me, but Bate in that back half was just incredible. Legendary performance there for a guy who is only 22 years old. Fantastic. I know I didn't like this as much as a lot of people (5 stars being thrown out left and right) but I still really, really liked it.
Match Rating: ****1/4
Well this show got off to a good start and then came to a screeching halt with the Last Man Standing and Women's Championship matches. However, the match everyone is going to remember delivered big time and is the defining match of this brand. I would recommend trying to keep these under 2.5 hours for maximum effect. This one definitely gets a recommendation to watch for any WWE fan.
Overall Rating: 80%
Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
Cardiff, Wales
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Noam Dar vs. Travis Banks
They start off with some standard fare, but quickly move into some fast paced back and forth. Banks goes after Dar's knees, but Dar is able to set Banks on the top rope and then hit a clothesline off the second rope. Dar has a lot of star potential and is still only 26 years old. Banks fights back with a dropkick and then a German suplex with a bridge for a 2 count. Dar slaps Banks, which enrages him, but Dar avoids a kick and continues to show off his heel skills. Banks goes for a springboard kick, but Dar catches him and puts him into an ankle lock for a nicely executed counter. Dar tries to throw Banks into the barricade, but Banks leaps off and sort of hits Slice of Heaven. Banks rolls Dar into the ring and hits a double stomp off the top rope for a 2 count. The pace is now picking up. Dar blocks Slice of Heaven and then hits a standing shining wizard for the victory. Solid opener and the absolute right guy won the match.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Cesaro is backstage and they talk about his open challenge to anyone on the roster. He says that he is looking for a fight and in walks Ilja Dragunov to accept the challenge.
Ilja Dragunov vs. Cesaro
As someone who really, really enjoys Cesaro's work, it's nice to see him positioned as a star here. Dragunov goes right after Cesaro, but Cesaro quickly is chopping Dragunov. Dragunov taunts Cesaro, so he destroys him with some uppercuts. Cesaro catches a leaping Dragunov in the corner and he just dumps him over the top rope into the barricade and the crowd is loving it. Cesaro swing time and the crowd counts up to 40, which is insane. Dragunov is able to regain control and hits a suicide dive and then a dropkick from the top rope across the ring. After getting chopped like crazy, Cesaro hits a Go To Sleep and then running uppercut to a sitting Dragunov, but he somehow kicks out. Dragunov hits a Death Valley Driver into the corner and then heads up to the top rope. He hits a senton, but didn't appear to hit it all and Cesaro kicks out of the pin attempt. Cesaro hits a pop up uppercut and then the Neutralizer and that's all. That was a hard hitting match as one would expect with Cesaro. It was so nice to see him get a hero's welcome here in front of a European crowd. Good match too.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After the match, Cesaro acts as if he is going to hits another uppercut, but instead shakes Dragunov's hand and they hug before Cesaro heads to the back.
NXT UK Championship Match
Mark Andrews & Flash Morgan Webster vs. Gallus vs. Grizzled Young Veterans
This one should be fun for me to type about, as I have no idea who's who. Andrews and Webster have a unique look for this brand and are the hometown team. Drake and Gibson show why they were chosen to be the first tag champs with some nice teamwork. Andrews gets a hot tag and hits some really cool offense. He and Webster then hit back to back double somersaults over the top rope onto both teams. Wow! Andrews and Webster hit a knee strike, which leads into a reverse rana. That was awesome. Andrews then hits a Shooting Star Press from the top rope to the other two teams on the floor. The hometown boys get another nearfall, but then Andrews eats a huge dropkick that leads into Helter Skelter and a 450 splash that he somehow kicks out of. Gallus are back in the action and Wolfgang hits a big spear. Wolfgang then launches Coffey over the top rope to take out both of the other teams. Gallus goes for a cocky pin, but Webster makes the save. All six men are in the ring and Wolfgang then gets hit with a suicide dive into a Doomsday Device by the champs. The champs hit Ticket to Mayhem to big boos, but while they go for the pinfall, Andrews hits him off the top rope and we have new tag team champions. Well, it's clear that Vince didn't book this show. How dare someone win in their hometown. That was a really good match with some unique tag team offense. It had some flaws, but the back half of the match was just entertaining wrestling.
Match Rating: ***3/4
The new champs celebrate in the crowd. Toni Storm is in the back getting ready for her match.
Last Man Standing Match
Dave Mastiff vs. Joe Coffey
Mastiff immediately charges Coffey in the aisle and they start going at it. Mastiff sends Coffey into the top turnbuckle and the top rope falls off the ring. Mastiff is now using the metal from the turnbuckle as a weapon. Coffey uses a pool cue as a weapon to slow down the big man. Mastiff then uses a cricket bat and smacks Coffey in the back. Coffey avoids a Mastiff charge and is able to throw Mastiff through a table that was set up against the barricade. Mastiff starts beating Coffey with a chain and then sets up another table. Mastiff then hits a running cannon ball through Coffey and the table. They're out in the crowd now and Mastiff hits Coffey with some hard shots to the back. Coffey for some reason blocks the chair with a fist, which seems like a dumb thing to do. Mastiff grabs two chairs and tosses one to Coffey. They both take a running start and charge at each other and both men are down. Mastiff hip tosses Coffey over the guardrail to the announcers table. Mastiff is now clearing off the announcers table, which will never make sense in a fight like this. Not their fault though. Mastiff hits a Green Bay Plunge but the table doesn't break. They both then climb above the table. Mastiff headbutts Coffey and they both fall off the rail and through the table. Both men are struggling to beat the count, but Coffey gets up and then kicks the rolling crate away from Mastiff, which causes Mastiff to fall and give Coffey the victory. Both guys tried hard here and there was some good stuff mixed in, but the logic didn't click for me here. The ending fell flat with the live audience as well.
Match Rating: **1/2
NXT UK Women's Championship Match
Kay Lee Ray vs. Toni Storm
Ray avoids Storm on the outside and after delaying to get in the ring, Storm dives at her and start wailing on her. Ray hits her with a slap and Storm takes it to her. Storm hits a couple of big clotheslines and a German suplex. Storm is clearly the star between these two and it's not even close. Storm hits a Canadian Destroyer in a nice counter to the Gory Bomb. Both women are up top, Storm tries a sunset powerbomb, but it's blocked so she hits a German suplex instead. Storm hits a suicide dive. Ray then almost kills herself by doing a running somersault off the top rope to the floor. That was ugly. Ray then hits the Gory Bomb and gets the victory? Who booked this finish? That was a really, really bad finish and the crowd could not care less. I don't watch the show enough, but to me they gave the belt to the lesser competitor in a clean finish of a short match.
Match Rating: *1/2
NXT UK Championship Match
Tyler Bate vs. Walter
In the very limited amount that I have seen Walter, he has not been my cup of tea. I didn't think his match with Pete Dunne was anywhere on the level that the majority put it at. I absolutely love Bate and think he is easily one of the best young wrestlers the WWE has ever had. So if there's a match that should show off Walter, it's this one. Walter starts off with wearing down Bate and we get lots of singing from the live audience. Bate blocks both a powerbomb and a back body drop and then body slams the big man. Pretty impressive. Walter catches Bate on a suicide dive and then lays him out with a powerbomb to the hardest part of the ring. Walter hits a big boot and then does a powerbomb to the ring post in a scary looking spot. I know what they are going for and it won't take away from my enjoyment of the match, but those two moves look like they probably should be enough for the victory. However, I know this match has a long way to go. After a long wear down segment from Walter, both men are on the apron and Bate hits an exploder suplex to the floor. After a couple of attempts, Bate hits a vertical suplex to a big pop. After a series of clotheslines and forearms, a rolling kick and an exploder suplex brings Walter down. Walter dropkicks Bate into the turnbuckle and goes for a powerbomb, but Bate counters it for a Canadian Destroyer and almost gets the 3. The crowd bought that one. They tease a superplex to the floor spot, but Walter chops Bate back into the ring and then climbs to the top rope. Bate hits him with a jumping headbutt and Bate once again goes up top. He hits a super exploder and gets another nearfall. Walter starts with the chops, but is showing signs of fatigue. Bate hits him with one of his own, but Walter falls on top of Bate and now both men are down. Bate blocks a powerbomb and then picks up Walter on his shoulder and does an airplane spin. Bate is the man. Bate then picks up Walter again and hits a reverse Attitude Adjustment, but unfortunately Walter rolls to the outside. Bate reverses a suplex into a Tyler Driver 97 for a 2 count. That one gave me the chills. Corkscrew off the top rope but again it's only for 2. Bate takes off the tape from his wrist and is ready for a fight. He starts hitting a series of lefts and rights, but then Walter explodes with some chops and puts him in a sleeper hold on the mat. Bate then lifts him up and slams him back in yet another incredible move. Walter goes right back into the sleeper. They fight out to the apron again and Walter hits a suplex and drives Bate face first into the edge of the ring and then goes up to the top rope and hits an ugly splash, but Bate kicks out! Another suplex and Bate kicks out again. Powerbomb by Walter and Bate kicks out again and the crowd is to their feet. God bless the European crowd here. Walter hits a huge lariat and unfortunately that is all. The first half kept this from being an all time classic for me, but Bate in that back half was just incredible. Legendary performance there for a guy who is only 22 years old. Fantastic. I know I didn't like this as much as a lot of people (5 stars being thrown out left and right) but I still really, really liked it.
Match Rating: ****1/4
Well this show got off to a good start and then came to a screeching halt with the Last Man Standing and Women's Championship matches. However, the match everyone is going to remember delivered big time and is the defining match of this brand. I would recommend trying to keep these under 2.5 hours for maximum effect. This one definitely gets a recommendation to watch for any WWE fan.
Overall Rating: 80%
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