Original Airdate: Saturday, November 14th, 1992
Hulman Center
Terre Haute, Indiana
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WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Money, Inc. vs. Ultimate Maniacs
Warrior and Savage run into the ring and are immediately attacked by IRS and Dibiase. Of course, it doesn't last long and they are both thrown over the top. Bobby Heenan debuts his Brain Scan and makes fun of Ross Perot. Warrior misses a shoulder tackle and Dibiase is able to tag IRS. They cut to Flair, Razor and Perfect in the back.. Both IRS and Dibiase put Warrior in a sleeper hold. Savage illegally breaks up the Million Dollar Dream and then Warrior and Dibiase hit a double clothesline. Hot tag to Savage and boy do I miss reactions from back in the day. Savage hits a top rope elbow drop, but Dibiase breaks up the pin attempt. I have to say, Warrior and Savage are kind of a fun tag team. They send IRS and Dibiase over the ropes again and Money, Inc. walks away and gets counted out. They chase them down the aisle and out come Flair, Razor and Perfect to surprise attack them. That was a fun early 90s WWF style match. It's too bad we never got the real payoff thanks to Warrior being Warrior.
Match Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)
Intercontinental Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. British Bulldog
They aren't wasting any time here tonight. Within the first minute, they do more wrestling than we normally see from this era. Bulldog hits an impressive press slam on Michaels and then sends him to the outside. Michaels takes the top turnbuckle behind the refs back and Heenan loves it. Michaels works on the back of the Bulldog. Bulldog makes his comeback and the crowd is loving it. Vertical suplex gets a nearfall. Michaels counters Bulldog and sends him into the turnbuckle that he loosened up. Bulldog goes for a superplex, but Michaels counters and falls on top of him. Michaels gets the pinfall and the Intercontinental Championship. That was kind of a weird ending to an otherwise good match.
Match Rating: ***
Mean Gene is backstage with Flair, Razor and Savage. Flair says that it's not about winning or losing, it's about making it out of the building in one piece.
Bret Hart is now backstage with Mean Gene. He talks about his training with his father, Stu.
WWF Championship Match
Papa Shango vs. Bret Hart
The original version of Bret's entrance is so much better than "newer" version. Bret hits a monkey flip on Shango and then a flying bodypress, but Shango sends him to the outside. Bret sends himself over the top rope to the floor, which was something you didn't see a lot of in 1992. Bret is one of the very select few wrestlers that can make anyone's offense look awesome. Bret's out there selling like crazy and Vince is acting surprised that Shango is a formidable opponent, which in turn makes Hart seem weak. Maybe I'm just over analyzing it. Hart tries to make a comeback, but Shango counters a sleeper hold and slams Bret into the turnbuckle. Shango misses a second rope elbow drop and Bret's all mad because that's his move. Bret's punches are a thing of beauty as well. Again Vince is shocked at how good Papa Shango is. Bret puts on the Sharpshooter and Shango gives up. Leave it to Bret to have a good match here. That was better than I was expecting for sure and I can't emphasize enough how good Bret was here.
Match Rating: **3/4
We go right to Paul Bearer in the Funeral Parlor. They show the footage of Undertaker making the casket for Kamala. Bearer introduces Taker and he comes out of a coffin that is part of the set. Taker talks about maggots feasting on Kamala's carcass.
Mean Gene is back with Bret Hart again. They talk about how his match with Michaels is now champion vs. champion and in walks Michaels. Michaels tells Bret that he beat the man that embarrassed him in front of 80,000 people. That was a good, quick little segment.
Back to Vince and Heenan, where Heenan is on the phone getting a scoop that Savage and Warrior will not be a team at Survivor Series. One of them will be out with a new partner, but he doesn't know who. And with that, they go off the air.
That was a really enjoyable show. All three matches were entertaining and the crowd was into all of it. They also crammed a lot into a 42 minute show with no downtime at all. It's a shame that this was the end of Saturday Night's Main Event, but it at least ended with a bang.
Overall Rating: 76%
Friday, November 29, 2019
Monday, November 25, 2019
Survivor Series 2019 Review
Sunday, November 24th, 2019
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois
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Women's Survivor Series Elimination Match
Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Natalya, Sarah Logan vs. Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm
So apparently there will always be one member from each team in the ring at the same time, which could make this entire night a disaster if this idea doesn't work. I don't quite understand how the NXT women are on the same team after last night, but I guess we are supposed to ignore that. It's good to see Logan in this match, as she seems to be kind of finding her place on the roster. Storm hits a double German suplex on Logan and Cross. The women seem a little hesitant as to how to work this match. Shirai, Sane and Carmella are all tagged in. Shirai and Sane focus on only each other, so Carmella tags Brooke in, while the aforementioned two go at it. I can't remember the last time I have seen Brooke wrestle, but her new gear is a much better fit for her. I am shocked that we haven't had an elimination yet. You have to figure that one of these matches is going to have a lot of quick eliminations and I kind of thought it would be this one. We now get the obligatory "everyone run in and hit a big move" part of the match. They are now selling LeRae and Shirai as too hurt to continue, while the other competitors taunt them. So we are going with NXT with three remaining team members. Considering they announced the team after WarGames, it kind of makes their decision look pretty dumb. Belair rolls up Cross and we have our first real elimination. Belair seems to be a little hesitant tonight after tearing it up last night. Belair scores another pinfall victory by eliminating Logan. For some reason no one tries to attack her from behind as she celebrates. Carmella hits a hurrianrana from the top rope on Charlotte onto Belair, but isn't able to get a pinfall on either. Charlotte hits Natural Selection on Carmella and she is gone. Raw now has the 4-3-3 advantage. Sasha for some reason breaks up a pinfall attempt, but scores one of her own. Asuka quickly eliminates Brooke. Asuka then soves Charlotte to tag her in and they begin going back and forth until Charlotte slams her back. Charlotte starts working on Evans and then Asuka sprays green mist in the eyes of Charlotte and Asuka leaves the ring. Evans hits the Women's Right way after the fact and gets the pinfall. Natalya is now the only one left for Raw. Natalya pins Evans, leaving only Sasha for SmackDown. NXT is now up 3-1-1. Natalya puts Storm in the Sharpshooter and then Sasha comes in for the Banks Statement and Storm is gone. Then, just like that, Belair is eliminated by Banks. We are down to Natalya, Banks and Ripley. Banks and Natalya are forming an alliance to get rid of Ripley, but Banks obviously turns on Natalya and we are down to Banks and Ripley. Banks is up on the second rope and hits the Meteora, but Ripley kicks out. The crowd is heavily invested here, which is a great sign here for Ripley. Yes, I know it's Chicago, but it's still important. Banks goes for another Meteora, but Ripley hits her with a boot to the face. Sasha gets her in the Banks Statement, but here come LeRae and Shirai and they pull Ripley out of the ring. Banks hits them with a dropkick, but Ripley then drives her into the barricade and then the ring. LeRae distracts the ref and then Shirai hits a springboard dropkick and Ripley gets the victory. I'm not sure how that really fits LeRae's character, but okay. The match was cluttered to start but picked up towards the end, which I think we were all expecting to happen. The main takeaway is that Ripley is a star that they are getting behind. Where will they go from here when she will only be showcased on Wednesday nights now? NXT takes a 2-1-1 lead because all three brands won a match on the pre-show. Good opener overall.
Match Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)
They show KO being involved in WarGames last night and then cut to him backstage. In walks Seth Rollins and the live crowd boos. They question each others loyalty.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles
As a Ring Of Honor 2008 fan, it makes me so happy to see Strong in this spot. I still don't quite get what they're going for with Zayn, but he and Nakamura do have good chemistry. I'm not quite sure why they booked a three way heel match, but I guess they really didn't have a choice. Zayn fans Nakamura with his hat while he tries to recover. Strong hits his multiple running forearms and slams Styles face first for a 2 count. The crowd doesn't seem to know who to cheer for, so they are mostly just cheering spots. Styles goes for the Styles Clash on Nakamura, but Strong hits him with a dropkick from behind. Strong is going for a superplex on Styles, but Styles slides underneath and has Strong up and Nakamura kicks him off his shoulders and Strong is grabbing his knee. Zayn pulls Styles away from grabbing Nakamura, which distracts him enough for Strong to hit a knee to the face for a close call. Nakamura hits a Go To Sleep on Strong and then out of nowhere Styles hits Nakamura with a forearm. Nakamura tosses Strong over his head and he lands right on Styles. That looks like it legit may have hurt. Styles and Nakamura go after one another with Strong on the outside. This is a good example of a match where they are doing some nearfalls just for the sake of doing them. Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Nakamura, but Strong throws Styles out and steals the pinfall. This is the traditional heel finish for a triple threat match in WWE, so you knew we were going to get at least one match ending this way. I thought for sure Styles was going to win this match. There was a lot of good action, but not quite as good as you would hope. NXT is now up 3-1-1.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Daniel Bryan is getting ready backstage and in walks the Miz. Miz tells Bryan that for the sake of themselves, their families and everyone, that Bryan needs to stop the Fiend. Bryan tells Miz to get out of his face.
NXT Championship Match
Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole
Cole has had quite the week. Both men are selling injuries from last night. Dunne stomps Cole's elbow and wrist into the steel steps. The crazy thing about wrestling in 2019 is that in 1989 they probably would have turned that into an injury angle and now it's just a set up spot in the first few minutes of a match. That's not a knock on these guys, it's the business as a whole. That's where we are and it wouldn't be the worst thing if we started working our way back to the way things used to be. I don't know how much they are paying Adam Cole, but he is worth every penny. Dunne hits a sit down powerbomb for the first real close call of the match. Dunne goes for a moonsault, but Cole gets his knees up. Cole hits the Last Shot, but it's not enough to keep Dunne down for 3. Dunne hits the Bitter End but Cole is able to kick out. Cole hits a superkick onto a moonsaulting Dunne, which is a spot I will never get sick of. The only thing is that it should end the match, but I'm also not complaining that we are getting more. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on the outside of the ring apron! Both men are down and out on the mats. Cole is able to crawl back in and Dunne barely beats the count. Cole makes an incredible counter into the Panama Sunrise and hits the Last Shot for the victory. Adam Cole continues his absolutely incredible 2019. The Undisputed Era celebrates on the stage. Another really good match on a weekend full of them.
Match Rating: ****
Backstage, Team SmackDown is going over their match.
Universal Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend
Yes, this is still just about my least favorite gimmick of all time. Yes, he is still wrestling under a red light. Bray Wyatt's one shining moment in a singles match was against Daniel Bryan. Bryan has had one of the most low key, underappreciated amazing years and here he is in a match that everyone knows he has no chance in. After a short heat segment that feels like a lifetime, Bryan makes his comeback and gets him down after leaping off the top rope to the floor with a flying knee. Bryan hits two missile dropkicks and then a series of Yes Kicks and finally has the crowd behind him. Matches like this are where Michael Cole is at his worst. He is trying way too hard to drive this home. Bryan hits the running knee and gets a 2 count. The Fiend puts on the Mandible Claw, but Bryan counters it with an arm bar while draped over the top rope. Bryan counters Sister Abigail into a roll up for a 2 count. Wyatt counters with the Mandible Claw and uses it to get a pinfall. That was a heck of a performance by Bryan in a pretty short match. I won't complain anymore about Wyatt than I already have.
Match Rating: ***
Rey Mysterio is backstage for an interview. Rey says he wants Dominik to watch as he destroys Lesnar tonight.
Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match
Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman, Shorty G, Mustafa Ali, Roman Reigns vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Damian Priest, Matt Riddle, Walter
Strowman, Ciampa and Rollins start things off. Walter got a big chant prior to the start. They then tag in McIntyre and Walter, giving us the three big men early on. McIntyre hits a Claymore Kick out of nowhere and eliminates Walter. Wow. The crowd is not happy about that. Ricochet and Shorty G are now in and give us a good segment that ends with Ricochet getting folded up like an accordion with a German suplex. Shorty G and Riddle go at it. Owens hits a Frog Splash onto Shorty G and he is now eliminated. Owens superkicks Roman and then hits a Stunner on Corbin. As he rolls him in, Ciampa capitalizes and eliminates his partner from the previous night. Orton hits a RKO on Ciampa and then Priest and eliminates Priest. Riddle then rolls up Orton and gets the quick elimination. Orton hits Riddle with a RKO for good measure and Corbin pins Riddle. Strowman is running around the ring mauling everyone over until Keith Lee gets in his way and we get a huge collision. Lee gets back in the ring, but Strowman is eliminated by countout. Riochet does his thing until Corbin catches him with End Of Days and eliminates him. Ali finally gets in the match and gets a great reaction. Corbin and Ali get in an argument, which leads to Rollins hitting the Stomp and eliminating Ali. Reigns hits a big spear out of nowhere on McIntyre and he is gone. Reigns spears Corbin and Ciampa is there to pin him. We are down to Reigns, Rollins, Ciampa and Lee. Rollins and Reigns team up on Ciampa and start clearing off one of the announcer tables. They go for the Shield powerbomb, but out of nowhere is Lee to push them over and break it up. Ciampa hits Project Ciampa on Rollins but he somehow kicks out. Rollins is getting the Roman treatment from the audience. Ciampa is in control of Rollins, but Reigns hits a Superman Punch and Rollins follows with the Stomp for the elimination. Each team has one member left. Rollins knocks down Lee and then hits a Frog Splash, but Lee kicks out. Lee counters Rollins and hits the Jackhammer and gets the surprise pinfall. Reigns hits two Superman Punches, but Lee kicks out of a really close nearfall. Upon replay, it appeared as if the ref counted 3. Lee hits a sitdown powerbomb on Reigns, but he too kicks out. Lee misses a moonsault off the second rope and eats a Spear and Roman Reigns is the sole survivor. That match was a little messy at time, but it was a lot of fun. It was great to see Lee get a big spot here and then get to see the live crowd loving every second of it.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After the match, Reigns and Lee fist bump.
Becky Lynch says that there is no one can take all of her success away from her.
WWE Championship Match
No Holds Barred
Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar
Mysterio goes right under the ring and grabs a lead pipe. Mysterio and Lesnar are both so good in these types of matches. Lesnar takes Mysterio down with a couple of clotheslines and then throws him under the bottom rope. Mysterio is able to counter Lesnar and shove him into the ring post. He goes for the pipe, but Lesnar hits a German suplex with a release onto the pipe. Dominik comes into the ring and distracts Lesnar and Mysterio hits a low blow. Dominik gets in on the action and they hits a double 619. Dominik hits a Frog Splash, followed by one from Rey but Brock kicks out. Lesnar hits a German on Dominik and then catches Rey from the top rope and hits a F5 for the victory. Good sprint there and they used Dominik wisely.
Match Rating: ***
Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch
The crowd is silent early on here. These marathon shows are just too much and there were no come down matches tonight. Bayley gets a lot of offense in early. After so many quick paced matches tonight, this was feels slower than it probably is. Becky goes up top and hits a leg drop from the top rope on Bayley, but Baszler breaks up the pin attempt. Bayley hits Bayley-To-Belly on Baszler, but she kicks out. Baszler has Bayley on her shoulders, but Lynch comes off the top rope. Lynch and Baszler go back and forth until Bayley comes in and hits a crossbody. Lynch hits a powerbomb on Baszler, but she kicks out to little reaction. Lynch gets Baszler into the Disarm-Her, but it's not enough. Bayley misses the elbow drop off the top rope and Baszler puts Bayley in the Kirifuda Clutch and that's all? Unfortunately for these three talented women, this was not their best work. On a show that had a lot of good action, this one just didn't deserve to the be the main event. NXT wins 4-2-1. We'll see if this does anything for NXT. Baszler celebrates on top of the tables and Lynch attacks her from behind. Lynch hits a leg drop off the barricade on Baszler through the announce table.
Match Rating: **1/4
Everything was really good with the exception of the main event. I was a little surprised with some of the booking decisions, but at the same time none of them felt wrong. Say what you will about WWE, but they did deliver two really good nights of wrestling in a row in their most vocal city. I'm not sure where this leaves us with the brand split, but I'm at least more interested than I was prior to watching.
Overall Rating: 85%
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois
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Women's Survivor Series Elimination Match
Carmella, Dana Brooke, Lacey Evans, Nikki Cross, Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte Flair, Asuka, Kairi Sane, Natalya, Sarah Logan vs. Bianca Belair, Candice LeRae, Io Shirai, Rhea Ripley, Toni Storm
So apparently there will always be one member from each team in the ring at the same time, which could make this entire night a disaster if this idea doesn't work. I don't quite understand how the NXT women are on the same team after last night, but I guess we are supposed to ignore that. It's good to see Logan in this match, as she seems to be kind of finding her place on the roster. Storm hits a double German suplex on Logan and Cross. The women seem a little hesitant as to how to work this match. Shirai, Sane and Carmella are all tagged in. Shirai and Sane focus on only each other, so Carmella tags Brooke in, while the aforementioned two go at it. I can't remember the last time I have seen Brooke wrestle, but her new gear is a much better fit for her. I am shocked that we haven't had an elimination yet. You have to figure that one of these matches is going to have a lot of quick eliminations and I kind of thought it would be this one. We now get the obligatory "everyone run in and hit a big move" part of the match. They are now selling LeRae and Shirai as too hurt to continue, while the other competitors taunt them. So we are going with NXT with three remaining team members. Considering they announced the team after WarGames, it kind of makes their decision look pretty dumb. Belair rolls up Cross and we have our first real elimination. Belair seems to be a little hesitant tonight after tearing it up last night. Belair scores another pinfall victory by eliminating Logan. For some reason no one tries to attack her from behind as she celebrates. Carmella hits a hurrianrana from the top rope on Charlotte onto Belair, but isn't able to get a pinfall on either. Charlotte hits Natural Selection on Carmella and she is gone. Raw now has the 4-3-3 advantage. Sasha for some reason breaks up a pinfall attempt, but scores one of her own. Asuka quickly eliminates Brooke. Asuka then soves Charlotte to tag her in and they begin going back and forth until Charlotte slams her back. Charlotte starts working on Evans and then Asuka sprays green mist in the eyes of Charlotte and Asuka leaves the ring. Evans hits the Women's Right way after the fact and gets the pinfall. Natalya is now the only one left for Raw. Natalya pins Evans, leaving only Sasha for SmackDown. NXT is now up 3-1-1. Natalya puts Storm in the Sharpshooter and then Sasha comes in for the Banks Statement and Storm is gone. Then, just like that, Belair is eliminated by Banks. We are down to Natalya, Banks and Ripley. Banks and Natalya are forming an alliance to get rid of Ripley, but Banks obviously turns on Natalya and we are down to Banks and Ripley. Banks is up on the second rope and hits the Meteora, but Ripley kicks out. The crowd is heavily invested here, which is a great sign here for Ripley. Yes, I know it's Chicago, but it's still important. Banks goes for another Meteora, but Ripley hits her with a boot to the face. Sasha gets her in the Banks Statement, but here come LeRae and Shirai and they pull Ripley out of the ring. Banks hits them with a dropkick, but Ripley then drives her into the barricade and then the ring. LeRae distracts the ref and then Shirai hits a springboard dropkick and Ripley gets the victory. I'm not sure how that really fits LeRae's character, but okay. The match was cluttered to start but picked up towards the end, which I think we were all expecting to happen. The main takeaway is that Ripley is a star that they are getting behind. Where will they go from here when she will only be showcased on Wednesday nights now? NXT takes a 2-1-1 lead because all three brands won a match on the pre-show. Good opener overall.
Match Rating: ***1/2 (out of 5)
They show KO being involved in WarGames last night and then cut to him backstage. In walks Seth Rollins and the live crowd boos. They question each others loyalty.
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Roderick Strong vs. AJ Styles
As a Ring Of Honor 2008 fan, it makes me so happy to see Strong in this spot. I still don't quite get what they're going for with Zayn, but he and Nakamura do have good chemistry. I'm not quite sure why they booked a three way heel match, but I guess they really didn't have a choice. Zayn fans Nakamura with his hat while he tries to recover. Strong hits his multiple running forearms and slams Styles face first for a 2 count. The crowd doesn't seem to know who to cheer for, so they are mostly just cheering spots. Styles goes for the Styles Clash on Nakamura, but Strong hits him with a dropkick from behind. Strong is going for a superplex on Styles, but Styles slides underneath and has Strong up and Nakamura kicks him off his shoulders and Strong is grabbing his knee. Zayn pulls Styles away from grabbing Nakamura, which distracts him enough for Strong to hit a knee to the face for a close call. Nakamura hits a Go To Sleep on Strong and then out of nowhere Styles hits Nakamura with a forearm. Nakamura tosses Strong over his head and he lands right on Styles. That looks like it legit may have hurt. Styles and Nakamura go after one another with Strong on the outside. This is a good example of a match where they are doing some nearfalls just for the sake of doing them. Styles hits the Phenomenal Forearm on Nakamura, but Strong throws Styles out and steals the pinfall. This is the traditional heel finish for a triple threat match in WWE, so you knew we were going to get at least one match ending this way. I thought for sure Styles was going to win this match. There was a lot of good action, but not quite as good as you would hope. NXT is now up 3-1-1.
Match Rating: ***1/2
Daniel Bryan is getting ready backstage and in walks the Miz. Miz tells Bryan that for the sake of themselves, their families and everyone, that Bryan needs to stop the Fiend. Bryan tells Miz to get out of his face.
NXT Championship Match
Pete Dunne vs. Adam Cole
Cole has had quite the week. Both men are selling injuries from last night. Dunne stomps Cole's elbow and wrist into the steel steps. The crazy thing about wrestling in 2019 is that in 1989 they probably would have turned that into an injury angle and now it's just a set up spot in the first few minutes of a match. That's not a knock on these guys, it's the business as a whole. That's where we are and it wouldn't be the worst thing if we started working our way back to the way things used to be. I don't know how much they are paying Adam Cole, but he is worth every penny. Dunne hits a sit down powerbomb for the first real close call of the match. Dunne goes for a moonsault, but Cole gets his knees up. Cole hits the Last Shot, but it's not enough to keep Dunne down for 3. Dunne hits the Bitter End but Cole is able to kick out. Cole hits a superkick onto a moonsaulting Dunne, which is a spot I will never get sick of. The only thing is that it should end the match, but I'm also not complaining that we are getting more. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on the outside of the ring apron! Both men are down and out on the mats. Cole is able to crawl back in and Dunne barely beats the count. Cole makes an incredible counter into the Panama Sunrise and hits the Last Shot for the victory. Adam Cole continues his absolutely incredible 2019. The Undisputed Era celebrates on the stage. Another really good match on a weekend full of them.
Match Rating: ****
Backstage, Team SmackDown is going over their match.
Universal Championship Match
Daniel Bryan vs. The Fiend
Yes, this is still just about my least favorite gimmick of all time. Yes, he is still wrestling under a red light. Bray Wyatt's one shining moment in a singles match was against Daniel Bryan. Bryan has had one of the most low key, underappreciated amazing years and here he is in a match that everyone knows he has no chance in. After a short heat segment that feels like a lifetime, Bryan makes his comeback and gets him down after leaping off the top rope to the floor with a flying knee. Bryan hits two missile dropkicks and then a series of Yes Kicks and finally has the crowd behind him. Matches like this are where Michael Cole is at his worst. He is trying way too hard to drive this home. Bryan hits the running knee and gets a 2 count. The Fiend puts on the Mandible Claw, but Bryan counters it with an arm bar while draped over the top rope. Bryan counters Sister Abigail into a roll up for a 2 count. Wyatt counters with the Mandible Claw and uses it to get a pinfall. That was a heck of a performance by Bryan in a pretty short match. I won't complain anymore about Wyatt than I already have.
Match Rating: ***
Rey Mysterio is backstage for an interview. Rey says he wants Dominik to watch as he destroys Lesnar tonight.
Men's Survivor Series Elimination Match
Seth Rollins, Drew McIntyre, Kevin Owens, Ricochet, Randy Orton vs. Baron Corbin, Braun Strowman, Shorty G, Mustafa Ali, Roman Reigns vs. Tommaso Ciampa, Keith Lee, Damian Priest, Matt Riddle, Walter
Strowman, Ciampa and Rollins start things off. Walter got a big chant prior to the start. They then tag in McIntyre and Walter, giving us the three big men early on. McIntyre hits a Claymore Kick out of nowhere and eliminates Walter. Wow. The crowd is not happy about that. Ricochet and Shorty G are now in and give us a good segment that ends with Ricochet getting folded up like an accordion with a German suplex. Shorty G and Riddle go at it. Owens hits a Frog Splash onto Shorty G and he is now eliminated. Owens superkicks Roman and then hits a Stunner on Corbin. As he rolls him in, Ciampa capitalizes and eliminates his partner from the previous night. Orton hits a RKO on Ciampa and then Priest and eliminates Priest. Riddle then rolls up Orton and gets the quick elimination. Orton hits Riddle with a RKO for good measure and Corbin pins Riddle. Strowman is running around the ring mauling everyone over until Keith Lee gets in his way and we get a huge collision. Lee gets back in the ring, but Strowman is eliminated by countout. Riochet does his thing until Corbin catches him with End Of Days and eliminates him. Ali finally gets in the match and gets a great reaction. Corbin and Ali get in an argument, which leads to Rollins hitting the Stomp and eliminating Ali. Reigns hits a big spear out of nowhere on McIntyre and he is gone. Reigns spears Corbin and Ciampa is there to pin him. We are down to Reigns, Rollins, Ciampa and Lee. Rollins and Reigns team up on Ciampa and start clearing off one of the announcer tables. They go for the Shield powerbomb, but out of nowhere is Lee to push them over and break it up. Ciampa hits Project Ciampa on Rollins but he somehow kicks out. Rollins is getting the Roman treatment from the audience. Ciampa is in control of Rollins, but Reigns hits a Superman Punch and Rollins follows with the Stomp for the elimination. Each team has one member left. Rollins knocks down Lee and then hits a Frog Splash, but Lee kicks out. Lee counters Rollins and hits the Jackhammer and gets the surprise pinfall. Reigns hits two Superman Punches, but Lee kicks out of a really close nearfall. Upon replay, it appeared as if the ref counted 3. Lee hits a sitdown powerbomb on Reigns, but he too kicks out. Lee misses a moonsault off the second rope and eats a Spear and Roman Reigns is the sole survivor. That match was a little messy at time, but it was a lot of fun. It was great to see Lee get a big spot here and then get to see the live crowd loving every second of it.
Match Rating: ***1/2
After the match, Reigns and Lee fist bump.
Becky Lynch says that there is no one can take all of her success away from her.
WWE Championship Match
No Holds Barred
Rey Mysterio vs. Brock Lesnar
Mysterio goes right under the ring and grabs a lead pipe. Mysterio and Lesnar are both so good in these types of matches. Lesnar takes Mysterio down with a couple of clotheslines and then throws him under the bottom rope. Mysterio is able to counter Lesnar and shove him into the ring post. He goes for the pipe, but Lesnar hits a German suplex with a release onto the pipe. Dominik comes into the ring and distracts Lesnar and Mysterio hits a low blow. Dominik gets in on the action and they hits a double 619. Dominik hits a Frog Splash, followed by one from Rey but Brock kicks out. Lesnar hits a German on Dominik and then catches Rey from the top rope and hits a F5 for the victory. Good sprint there and they used Dominik wisely.
Match Rating: ***
Bayley vs. Shayna Baszler vs. Becky Lynch
The crowd is silent early on here. These marathon shows are just too much and there were no come down matches tonight. Bayley gets a lot of offense in early. After so many quick paced matches tonight, this was feels slower than it probably is. Becky goes up top and hits a leg drop from the top rope on Bayley, but Baszler breaks up the pin attempt. Bayley hits Bayley-To-Belly on Baszler, but she kicks out. Baszler has Bayley on her shoulders, but Lynch comes off the top rope. Lynch and Baszler go back and forth until Bayley comes in and hits a crossbody. Lynch hits a powerbomb on Baszler, but she kicks out to little reaction. Lynch gets Baszler into the Disarm-Her, but it's not enough. Bayley misses the elbow drop off the top rope and Baszler puts Bayley in the Kirifuda Clutch and that's all? Unfortunately for these three talented women, this was not their best work. On a show that had a lot of good action, this one just didn't deserve to the be the main event. NXT wins 4-2-1. We'll see if this does anything for NXT. Baszler celebrates on top of the tables and Lynch attacks her from behind. Lynch hits a leg drop off the barricade on Baszler through the announce table.
Match Rating: **1/4
Everything was really good with the exception of the main event. I was a little surprised with some of the booking decisions, but at the same time none of them felt wrong. Say what you will about WWE, but they did deliver two really good nights of wrestling in a row in their most vocal city. I'm not sure where this leaves us with the brand split, but I'm at least more interested than I was prior to watching.
Overall Rating: 85%
Saturday, November 23, 2019
NXT TakeOver: WarGames 2019 Review
Saturday, November 23rd, 2019
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
WarGames
Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae,Tegan Nox, Dakota Kai vs. Bianca Belair, Kay Lee Ray, Io Shirai, Shayna Baszler
Shirai and LeRae are the first two in here. LeRae goes for a suicide dive between the two rings, but Shirai counters and then follows it up with two 619's. Shirai dominates the rest of the time until the very end of the time period and here comes Belair to shut it down. LeRae fires back, but then eats a stiff looking forearm from Belair. Belair then hits multiple power bombs and then a power bomb into the cage. Belair puts LeRae in a Camel Clutch and Shirai gets a full head of steam and hits her with a dropkick. Up next is Ripley and she goes under the ring to grab a garbage can and then slams the cage door on Belair's head. Ripley is incredibly over with the Chicago crowd. Ripley grabs some more weapons including chairs and kendo sticks. The crowd wants tables, but Ripley doesn't oblige. Ripley slams Belair ribs first into a garbage can. WWE better be careful, these women might actually become stars. Kay Lee Ray is next and she goes right under the ring and grabs some chairs. She teases grabbing a table and pushes it back in. Nice heel work there. Ripley and LeRae try to superplex Belair through chairs, but it is blocked. Instead we get a tower of doom spot thanks to a Ripley powerbomb onto the now folded chairs. Belair is still up top and she hits a 450 splash onto Ripley. Dakota Kai is next and on her way to the ring, turns around and attacks Tegan Nox, slamming her into the smaller cage on the stage. Regal tries to break it up, but she pushes him away, all while Baszler is on the stage loving every second of it. Kai comes back again and continues to attack her. This is a nice little plot twist to help differentiate the two matches tonight. It's Baszler's turn to enter and we are going to have a 4-on-2. Baszler checks in on Nox and slowly walks to the ring. Ripley and Bayszler go right at it, but Belair breaks it up. They announce that the match is now officially started since Nox and Kai are no longer in the match. Ripley and LeRae are between the two rings and two opponents stand on both sides. Ripley and LeRae explode to try to take out their opponents. Ripley and Baszler have submission holds in the corners. Belair launches LeRae across the rings. I had no idea that she was so strong. Belair starts whipping Ripley with her hair, but in comes LeRae with a kendo stick. Shirai is now climbing up to the top of the cage, but LeRae is right behind her. Kay Lee Ray is right behind her and LeRae hits Kay Lee with a reverse hurricanrana from the top rope. Shirai is still on the top of the cage. Shirai hits a moonsault off the top of the cage onto a dueling Belair and LeRae. Baszler puts Ripley into the Kirifuda Clutch. Ripley counters and handcuffs her to herself. Ripley then hits a Riptide through the chairs and gets the victory. It's pretty safe to say they are 100% behind Ripley and for good reason. The future is bright here on NXT in the women's division between Ripley, LeRae, Belair and Shirai. All of these performers put forth an incredible effort here and they told a compelling story. What more can you ask for? Amazing opening match.
Match Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
Triple Threat Match To Be The #1 Contender For The NXT Championship
Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne
This is a fresh matchup. Priest is wearing Outsider inspired gear. Dain slams Dunne right into Priest's face in a crazy looking spot. Dain catches a leaping Dunne while carrying Priest on his back and hits a fall back slam/Samoan drop combo. Priest and Dain hit a double powerbomb. They now begin to trade forearm blows. Dunne gets in the middle of it and joins in. They hit a triple dropkick, which I don't think I have ever seen. Priest hits a Razor's Edge on Dunne onto a table. Dain then comes out hits a cannonball onto Priest into a guardrail. Back in the ring, Priest hits a Razor's Edge on Dain, but Dunne makes the save. Pretty impressive by Priest there. Priest leaps over the top rope and hits Dain and then Dunne follows up with a moonsault on Dain and Priest to the floor. Dunne has Priest in a submission, but Dain makes the save at the last second. Dain hits a cannonball into both men and then a Vader Bomb onto Priest. Dunne hits a moonsault to break up the cover. Dunne hits the Bitter End on Dain, but Priest breaks that one up. Mauro scrapes the bottom of his barrel to make a Beastie Boys reference for Pain. Priest gets a nearfall and shows his frustration. Too much action to recap here. Dain knocks Priest off the apron and heads up top. Dunne hits him with a kick to the head. Dunne hits a superplex on Dain and then the Bitter End on Priest, but it's broken up by Dain again. Dain slams Dunne onto Priest, but Dunne pushes Dain off and gets the pinfall on Priest to become the #1 contender tomorrow night at Survivor Series. All three men looked good and worked really hard. I think they did a few too many false finishes and it took the crowd out of it a little bit. All three should be stars in the near future.
Match Rating: ***3/4
They promote a February 16th TakeOver to be held in Portland, Oregon.
Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor
This might have been the better choice to follow the first War Games match, as this will be the most unique match on the card. Balor hits a nasty looking dropkick through the ropes into Riddle and it looks even more painful in slow motion. We get some good back and forth action from these two. Balor hits a Sling Blade, but Riddle hits him with a big spear to a charging Balor. Riddle then follows it up with a Jackhammer for a nearfall. Riddle hits a Go To Sleep and goes up top for a Floating Bro, but Balor gets his knees up. Balor hits a dropkick and he heads up top, but Riddle moves. Riddle gets him in the Bromission. Balor is out of it and hits a 1916 DDT for the victory. That was a hard hitting match that gave the show something different. I do worry that Riddle is losing too much, but I think as long as he is on NXT, the crowd will accept him as a top guy no matter what. This was also Balor's best match in a long time.
Match Rating: ***3/4
WarGames
Undisputed Era vs. Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, Tommaso Ciampa, ???
Ciampa walks right to the ring upon his entrance. No one knows their character better than Ciampa. Strong will start things off for the Undisputed Era. No 4th member is out yet for Ciampa's team. Strong has the crutch, but then launches it over the cage. This match has the benefit of having some of the best conditioned athletes in WWE in it. I am pretty sure Cole and Strong could wrestle for 3 hours straight. As much as we wrestling fans like to complain about most of the decisions WWE makes now, the fact that Tommaso Ciampa and Roderick Strong are main eventing a show is pretty awesome. Undisputed Era have the advantage and Kyle O'Reilly is next in. They quickly take advantage of their 2-on-1. O'Reilly holds Ciampa on the ropes and then gets hit by multiple running forearms from Strong. Dijakovic is in next and he hits some big kicks to knock out both men. Both Dijakovic and Priest would have been great opponents for Undertaker back in the day. Bobby Fish is out now to help his team out and instantly goes after Ciampa. It's Keith Lee time. I'm so glad he is finally starting to catch on. Lee leapfrogs both O'Reilly and Fish and then hits them both with a crossbody. Lee is also over big here in Chicago. It takes all three of the Undisputed Era to get him off his feet and they all attack him until Ciampa breaks it up. Adam Cole is here and he grabs a table. Some people complain that Undisputed Era are not true heels and I suppose that this helps their case. However, I would argue that they fit in a sub-category of heel, but I'm not going to get too much into that. Cole gets a handful of tables into the ring. As Cole is walking in, Ciampa pushes him and he lands into a table leaned against the barricade. All seven participants begin brawling. Lee tries a double move, but gets hit with a low blow. The clock starts counting down and the mystery opponent is...Kevin Owens, who gets a huge pop. The KO shirt he is wearing has a NXT logo on the back. Owens hits a Stunner on Cole, but Strong breaks up the pin. Lee and Dijakovic attempt to throw Strong over both sets of ropes and he lands awkwardly on the rest of his teammates. Lee hits a crossbody off the top rope, but then O'Reilly leaps on Lee's leg from the top rope and immediately puts him into a submission. Springboard moonsault by Dijakovic breaks it up. Strong hits a Strong Slam from the top rope on Lee. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on KO into the steel between the two rings. Ciampa and Cole are up on the turnbuckles with two tables behind them. Cole climbs up to the top of the cage, while Strong and Fish work on Lee in another corner. Dijakovic sends Strong through a table. Owens then hits O'Reilly with a frog splash through a table. Lee then powerbombs Fish through a table. Back to Cole and Ciampa on top of the cage. Ciampa picks Cole up on his back and hits a Death Valley Driver through two tables. Holy crap did those explode. Ciampa gets the victory as all 8 men are shown down and out. They show Britt Baker showing concern, which is a big shocker. I have to say, it kind of amazes me that they allow that spot to happen, even with both guys being as safe of workers as there probably are. Well the previous WarGames matches were both good, but never hit great. Both WarGames matches tonight hit greatness and honestly, I'm not sure which one I liked better. Both felt different, which is a huge compliment to all of the performers. The women's match probably had more of emotion thanks to the Nox/Kai segment. This match had the wow moment to end it and one that will most likely stick with everyone who watched it. It's a tough call, but I think I'll give the women's match the slight nod.
Match Rating: ****1/4
The show was called WarGames and WarGames was exactly what we got. Both matches were fantastic and left us fans a lot to talk about. The other two matches on the show were high impact as well and would be show stealers had they been TV matches or on regular WWE pay-per-views. TakeOvers always deliver and while this one isn't in the top tier, it was another absolute classic. Let's see if they can inject some life into the Survivor Series tomorrow night.
Overall Rating: 94%
Allstate Arena
Rosemont, Illinois
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
WarGames
Rhea Ripley, Candice LeRae,
Shirai and LeRae are the first two in here. LeRae goes for a suicide dive between the two rings, but Shirai counters and then follows it up with two 619's. Shirai dominates the rest of the time until the very end of the time period and here comes Belair to shut it down. LeRae fires back, but then eats a stiff looking forearm from Belair. Belair then hits multiple power bombs and then a power bomb into the cage. Belair puts LeRae in a Camel Clutch and Shirai gets a full head of steam and hits her with a dropkick. Up next is Ripley and she goes under the ring to grab a garbage can and then slams the cage door on Belair's head. Ripley is incredibly over with the Chicago crowd. Ripley grabs some more weapons including chairs and kendo sticks. The crowd wants tables, but Ripley doesn't oblige. Ripley slams Belair ribs first into a garbage can. WWE better be careful, these women might actually become stars. Kay Lee Ray is next and she goes right under the ring and grabs some chairs. She teases grabbing a table and pushes it back in. Nice heel work there. Ripley and LeRae try to superplex Belair through chairs, but it is blocked. Instead we get a tower of doom spot thanks to a Ripley powerbomb onto the now folded chairs. Belair is still up top and she hits a 450 splash onto Ripley. Dakota Kai is next and on her way to the ring, turns around and attacks Tegan Nox, slamming her into the smaller cage on the stage. Regal tries to break it up, but she pushes him away, all while Baszler is on the stage loving every second of it. Kai comes back again and continues to attack her. This is a nice little plot twist to help differentiate the two matches tonight. It's Baszler's turn to enter and we are going to have a 4-on-2. Baszler checks in on Nox and slowly walks to the ring. Ripley and Bayszler go right at it, but Belair breaks it up. They announce that the match is now officially started since Nox and Kai are no longer in the match. Ripley and LeRae are between the two rings and two opponents stand on both sides. Ripley and LeRae explode to try to take out their opponents. Ripley and Baszler have submission holds in the corners. Belair launches LeRae across the rings. I had no idea that she was so strong. Belair starts whipping Ripley with her hair, but in comes LeRae with a kendo stick. Shirai is now climbing up to the top of the cage, but LeRae is right behind her. Kay Lee Ray is right behind her and LeRae hits Kay Lee with a reverse hurricanrana from the top rope. Shirai is still on the top of the cage. Shirai hits a moonsault off the top of the cage onto a dueling Belair and LeRae. Baszler puts Ripley into the Kirifuda Clutch. Ripley counters and handcuffs her to herself. Ripley then hits a Riptide through the chairs and gets the victory. It's pretty safe to say they are 100% behind Ripley and for good reason. The future is bright here on NXT in the women's division between Ripley, LeRae, Belair and Shirai. All of these performers put forth an incredible effort here and they told a compelling story. What more can you ask for? Amazing opening match.
Match Rating: ****1/2 (out of 5)
Triple Threat Match To Be The #1 Contender For The NXT Championship
Damian Priest vs. Killian Dain vs. Pete Dunne
This is a fresh matchup. Priest is wearing Outsider inspired gear. Dain slams Dunne right into Priest's face in a crazy looking spot. Dain catches a leaping Dunne while carrying Priest on his back and hits a fall back slam/Samoan drop combo. Priest and Dain hit a double powerbomb. They now begin to trade forearm blows. Dunne gets in the middle of it and joins in. They hit a triple dropkick, which I don't think I have ever seen. Priest hits a Razor's Edge on Dunne onto a table. Dain then comes out hits a cannonball onto Priest into a guardrail. Back in the ring, Priest hits a Razor's Edge on Dain, but Dunne makes the save. Pretty impressive by Priest there. Priest leaps over the top rope and hits Dain and then Dunne follows up with a moonsault on Dain and Priest to the floor. Dunne has Priest in a submission, but Dain makes the save at the last second. Dain hits a cannonball into both men and then a Vader Bomb onto Priest. Dunne hits a moonsault to break up the cover. Dunne hits the Bitter End on Dain, but Priest breaks that one up. Mauro scrapes the bottom of his barrel to make a Beastie Boys reference for Pain. Priest gets a nearfall and shows his frustration. Too much action to recap here. Dain knocks Priest off the apron and heads up top. Dunne hits him with a kick to the head. Dunne hits a superplex on Dain and then the Bitter End on Priest, but it's broken up by Dain again. Dain slams Dunne onto Priest, but Dunne pushes Dain off and gets the pinfall on Priest to become the #1 contender tomorrow night at Survivor Series. All three men looked good and worked really hard. I think they did a few too many false finishes and it took the crowd out of it a little bit. All three should be stars in the near future.
Match Rating: ***3/4
They promote a February 16th TakeOver to be held in Portland, Oregon.
Matt Riddle vs. Finn Balor
This might have been the better choice to follow the first War Games match, as this will be the most unique match on the card. Balor hits a nasty looking dropkick through the ropes into Riddle and it looks even more painful in slow motion. We get some good back and forth action from these two. Balor hits a Sling Blade, but Riddle hits him with a big spear to a charging Balor. Riddle then follows it up with a Jackhammer for a nearfall. Riddle hits a Go To Sleep and goes up top for a Floating Bro, but Balor gets his knees up. Balor hits a dropkick and he heads up top, but Riddle moves. Riddle gets him in the Bromission. Balor is out of it and hits a 1916 DDT for the victory. That was a hard hitting match that gave the show something different. I do worry that Riddle is losing too much, but I think as long as he is on NXT, the crowd will accept him as a top guy no matter what. This was also Balor's best match in a long time.
Match Rating: ***3/4
WarGames
Undisputed Era vs. Keith Lee, Dominik Dijakovic, Tommaso Ciampa, ???
Ciampa walks right to the ring upon his entrance. No one knows their character better than Ciampa. Strong will start things off for the Undisputed Era. No 4th member is out yet for Ciampa's team. Strong has the crutch, but then launches it over the cage. This match has the benefit of having some of the best conditioned athletes in WWE in it. I am pretty sure Cole and Strong could wrestle for 3 hours straight. As much as we wrestling fans like to complain about most of the decisions WWE makes now, the fact that Tommaso Ciampa and Roderick Strong are main eventing a show is pretty awesome. Undisputed Era have the advantage and Kyle O'Reilly is next in. They quickly take advantage of their 2-on-1. O'Reilly holds Ciampa on the ropes and then gets hit by multiple running forearms from Strong. Dijakovic is in next and he hits some big kicks to knock out both men. Both Dijakovic and Priest would have been great opponents for Undertaker back in the day. Bobby Fish is out now to help his team out and instantly goes after Ciampa. It's Keith Lee time. I'm so glad he is finally starting to catch on. Lee leapfrogs both O'Reilly and Fish and then hits them both with a crossbody. Lee is also over big here in Chicago. It takes all three of the Undisputed Era to get him off his feet and they all attack him until Ciampa breaks it up. Adam Cole is here and he grabs a table. Some people complain that Undisputed Era are not true heels and I suppose that this helps their case. However, I would argue that they fit in a sub-category of heel, but I'm not going to get too much into that. Cole gets a handful of tables into the ring. As Cole is walking in, Ciampa pushes him and he lands into a table leaned against the barricade. All seven participants begin brawling. Lee tries a double move, but gets hit with a low blow. The clock starts counting down and the mystery opponent is...Kevin Owens, who gets a huge pop. The KO shirt he is wearing has a NXT logo on the back. Owens hits a Stunner on Cole, but Strong breaks up the pin. Lee and Dijakovic attempt to throw Strong over both sets of ropes and he lands awkwardly on the rest of his teammates. Lee hits a crossbody off the top rope, but then O'Reilly leaps on Lee's leg from the top rope and immediately puts him into a submission. Springboard moonsault by Dijakovic breaks it up. Strong hits a Strong Slam from the top rope on Lee. Cole hits a Panama Sunrise on KO into the steel between the two rings. Ciampa and Cole are up on the turnbuckles with two tables behind them. Cole climbs up to the top of the cage, while Strong and Fish work on Lee in another corner. Dijakovic sends Strong through a table. Owens then hits O'Reilly with a frog splash through a table. Lee then powerbombs Fish through a table. Back to Cole and Ciampa on top of the cage. Ciampa picks Cole up on his back and hits a Death Valley Driver through two tables. Holy crap did those explode. Ciampa gets the victory as all 8 men are shown down and out. They show Britt Baker showing concern, which is a big shocker. I have to say, it kind of amazes me that they allow that spot to happen, even with both guys being as safe of workers as there probably are. Well the previous WarGames matches were both good, but never hit great. Both WarGames matches tonight hit greatness and honestly, I'm not sure which one I liked better. Both felt different, which is a huge compliment to all of the performers. The women's match probably had more of emotion thanks to the Nox/Kai segment. This match had the wow moment to end it and one that will most likely stick with everyone who watched it. It's a tough call, but I think I'll give the women's match the slight nod.
Match Rating: ****1/4
The show was called WarGames and WarGames was exactly what we got. Both matches were fantastic and left us fans a lot to talk about. The other two matches on the show were high impact as well and would be show stealers had they been TV matches or on regular WWE pay-per-views. TakeOvers always deliver and while this one isn't in the top tier, it was another absolute classic. Let's see if they can inject some life into the Survivor Series tomorrow night.
Overall Rating: 94%
Friday, November 22, 2019
SmackDown 5-26-05 Review
Original Airdate: Thursday, May 26th, 2005
Bradley Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Carlito's Cabana is here to kick off the show. I wasn't expecting this. He then introduces himself as the guest of the show. Matt Morgan is with him and he still stutters. Out comes Teddy Long.. In two weeks the draft lottery will begin. Tonight there will be a Winner's Choice Battle Royal, where the winner gets a match against anyone that they choose.
Rey Mysterio says that as long as he's breathing, he's going to make Eddie Guerrero pay.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
MNM vs. Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
So we get a rematch from Judgment Day here. Holly was always better suited as a tag team wrestler, as was Haas. Haas hits a beautiful Holly-esque dropkick on Morrison as he comes off the top rope. This match is being very smartly paced. Lots of back and forth, with MNM cheating whenever possible. Haas makes a hot tag to Holly and the crowd is digging this more than you would expect. Holly goes up to the top rope and knocks down both Mercury and the referee. He hits the Alabama Slam on Mercury, but the ref is still down. Nitro grabs a chair and hits Holly with a nasty looking shot to the head. Ugh to every time that I am forced to watch these chair shots. The ref saw that and calls for the bell. Haas chases them away with a chair. That was a really good tag team match, especially for 2005 where tag team wrestling was in the gutter.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
The champ is here. He says JBL gave him the fight of his life, but then makes fun of him for saying "I Quit". Out comes JBL in his limo and he limps to the ring. JBL says he doesn't make excuses, which is why he is as successful as he is. He said Sunday was the first time he has ever failed at anything. JBL says Cena has it all, but he'll eventually burn out and that he'll be there to pick up the pieces. Cena rolls the JBL tribute video, which of course is him saying "I quit" over and over. That was a really long segment with absolutely no payoff.
Carlito vs. Big Show
Big Show lays the wood on Carlito's chest. Matt Morgan grabs Big Show's leg and Charles Robinson sends him to the back. Carlito gets a little bit of offense, including a missile dropkick, but it doesn't really phase Show. He hits the chokeslam for the victory. He is immediately attacked by Morgan. He picks Show up and delivers a F5 through the announcer's table. The match was a whole lot of nothing.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Kurt Angle Invitational
Kurt Angle vs. Robert
Angle says that Judgment Day was a low point for him and then makes fun of Vince McMahon for dumping money down the toilet by trying to bring back ECW. He then insults Tazz and then destroys Robert. He taps him out quickly with the Ankle Lock.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Angle says he's warmed up and wants the battle royal to begin.
Winner's Choice Battle Royal
Eddie Guerrero attacks Rey Mysterio from behind with a chair on his way down. Mysterio gets helped to the back. There are lots of random eliminations until Rey comes down and eliminates Eddie. After the commercial, we are down to the final six: Rey, Angle, Booker, Orlando Jordan and the Bashams. Booker takes a beating, but then makes a comeback and eliminates JBL's Cabinet in about 10 seconds. But then from behind comes Angle and he dumps Booker out and we are down to two. They go back and forth until Angle puts Rey in the Ankle Lock. Rey taps just so Michael Cole can remind us that you can't tap out in a battle royal. They battle on the apron and do some false finishes. Rey hits the 619, but during the springboard leap, Angle hits him with a low blow and then dumps him over the top for the victory. After the match, Angle says he wants a match with Sharmell. Ugh. The match was pretty good as far as battle royals go.
Match Rating: **1/4
Well, I'll never understand the logic of doing pay-per-view rematches on the show after the pay-per-view, but WWE seems to love that. In the case of the tag team match, it was a good TV match, so I won't complain too much. The battle royal was a solid main event, but mostly forgettable that ended on such a sour note. Other than that, this was a forgettable episode coming off a good Judgment Day show. The Angle/Booker/Sharmell story needs to go away and fast.
Overall Rating: 56%
Bradley Center
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Carlito's Cabana is here to kick off the show. I wasn't expecting this. He then introduces himself as the guest of the show. Matt Morgan is with him and he still stutters. Out comes Teddy Long.. In two weeks the draft lottery will begin. Tonight there will be a Winner's Choice Battle Royal, where the winner gets a match against anyone that they choose.
Rey Mysterio says that as long as he's breathing, he's going to make Eddie Guerrero pay.
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
MNM vs. Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
So we get a rematch from Judgment Day here. Holly was always better suited as a tag team wrestler, as was Haas. Haas hits a beautiful Holly-esque dropkick on Morrison as he comes off the top rope. This match is being very smartly paced. Lots of back and forth, with MNM cheating whenever possible. Haas makes a hot tag to Holly and the crowd is digging this more than you would expect. Holly goes up to the top rope and knocks down both Mercury and the referee. He hits the Alabama Slam on Mercury, but the ref is still down. Nitro grabs a chair and hits Holly with a nasty looking shot to the head. Ugh to every time that I am forced to watch these chair shots. The ref saw that and calls for the bell. Haas chases them away with a chair. That was a really good tag team match, especially for 2005 where tag team wrestling was in the gutter.
Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)
The champ is here. He says JBL gave him the fight of his life, but then makes fun of him for saying "I Quit". Out comes JBL in his limo and he limps to the ring. JBL says he doesn't make excuses, which is why he is as successful as he is. He said Sunday was the first time he has ever failed at anything. JBL says Cena has it all, but he'll eventually burn out and that he'll be there to pick up the pieces. Cena rolls the JBL tribute video, which of course is him saying "I quit" over and over. That was a really long segment with absolutely no payoff.
Carlito vs. Big Show
Big Show lays the wood on Carlito's chest. Matt Morgan grabs Big Show's leg and Charles Robinson sends him to the back. Carlito gets a little bit of offense, including a missile dropkick, but it doesn't really phase Show. He hits the chokeslam for the victory. He is immediately attacked by Morgan. He picks Show up and delivers a F5 through the announcer's table. The match was a whole lot of nothing.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Kurt Angle Invitational
Kurt Angle vs. Robert
Angle says that Judgment Day was a low point for him and then makes fun of Vince McMahon for dumping money down the toilet by trying to bring back ECW. He then insults Tazz and then destroys Robert. He taps him out quickly with the Ankle Lock.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Angle says he's warmed up and wants the battle royal to begin.
Winner's Choice Battle Royal
Eddie Guerrero attacks Rey Mysterio from behind with a chair on his way down. Mysterio gets helped to the back. There are lots of random eliminations until Rey comes down and eliminates Eddie. After the commercial, we are down to the final six: Rey, Angle, Booker, Orlando Jordan and the Bashams. Booker takes a beating, but then makes a comeback and eliminates JBL's Cabinet in about 10 seconds. But then from behind comes Angle and he dumps Booker out and we are down to two. They go back and forth until Angle puts Rey in the Ankle Lock. Rey taps just so Michael Cole can remind us that you can't tap out in a battle royal. They battle on the apron and do some false finishes. Rey hits the 619, but during the springboard leap, Angle hits him with a low blow and then dumps him over the top for the victory. After the match, Angle says he wants a match with Sharmell. Ugh. The match was pretty good as far as battle royals go.
Match Rating: **1/4
Well, I'll never understand the logic of doing pay-per-view rematches on the show after the pay-per-view, but WWE seems to love that. In the case of the tag team match, it was a good TV match, so I won't complain too much. The battle royal was a solid main event, but mostly forgettable that ended on such a sour note. Other than that, this was a forgettable episode coming off a good Judgment Day show. The Angle/Booker/Sharmell story needs to go away and fast.
Overall Rating: 56%
Wednesday, November 20, 2019
Monday Night Raw 5-23-05 Review
Monday, May 23rd, 2005
Resch Center
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
A big group of security are out to start the show. They line the ramp and out come Edge and Lita. Lita cuts a promo on how she used Kane and how she had him wrapped around her finger. This isn't particularly good work here. It doesn't help that the Kane storyline was so terrible. While she had Kane running around doing her dirty work, she was falling in love with a real man. This is all kind of surreal knowing what really happened with Matt Hardy, even the second time around. Edge seems a little uncomfortable here as well. They make out to no real response. This angle would eventually gain some steam, but this wasn't the start they were probably hoping for. They pan to Kane watching in his locker room.
Eric Bischoff is back and he wants a funeral for ECW. In walks Shelton Benjamin, who is looking for his tag team partner, Chris Jericho. Bischoff then tells Shelton his match is a handicap match.
Handicap Match
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari vs. Shelton Benjamin
The heels immediately work the handicap to their advantage, but Shelton is able to take care of them. They botch a hip toss spot, which looked to be on Hassan. Shelton gets most of the offense in surprisingly. Daivari tries to bring in a chair, which the referee takes away from him. That causes a distraction, allowing Hassan to hit his finisher for the victory. That was kind of a weird match, as I expected Hassan to get most of the offense.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Chris Jericho is shown walking into the building. They ask him about being late and blames it on the Fozzy tour of Australia. He tells Todd Grisham to tell Eric Bischoff that he'll face anyone tonight.
Christian and Tomko are backstage talking about the SmackDown roster. Edge and Lita walk in. Edge tells Christian that if he helps him win the championship tonight, that he would gift him the Money In The Bank briefcase.
Chris Masters vs. Steven Richards
Masters immediately slams Richards into the turnbuckle and hits two backbreakers and then tosses him to the mat. Masters goes for the move that broke Richards' nose, but Richards gets his revenge, pounding away. Masters quickly counters and clubs his knee. Masters then gets him in the Master Lock and that is all. Obviously a squash match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Grisham tells Bischoff about Jericho. Bischoff then tells Grisham to go and interview Kane, which he reluctantly heads out to do.
Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier
Grenier starts off quickly and drops Jericho face first on the barricade. As far as "I'll fight anyone from the locker room" mystery opponents go, Grenier may be about the worst. Jericho fights back, but Grenier gets his knees up on the Lionsault attempt. Jericho hits the springboard dropkick and then turns him over the Walls Of Jericho and the victory. Jericho gave Grenier as much as he could for a 3 minute squash match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
As Jericho celebrates, Shelton walks out. Jericho grabs the microphone and apologizes for showing up late. Jericho sells how busy he is as he backpedals up the ramp. Shelton's not buying it.
The Draft Lottery begins on June 6th.
Eric Bischoff is in the ring for the funeral of ECW. He runs down ECW and says that he killed it once and that he will kill it again. He is on a crusade and no one is going to stop me, which naturally leads to Vince McMahon's music hitting. Vince tells Bischoff that he secretly helped financed ECW. He said he had a feeling that a lot of the stars of ECW would eventually become stars in WWE. He lists Mick Foley, the Dudleyz and Steve Austin. Vince says that Bischoff drove ECW to bankruptcy and that as a result Vince acquired debt. Vince said that ECW is not dead because everywhere he goes, he hears the chants. He is going to present the Tajiri/Benoit match from last week tonight. Vince says that the only brand that is dead is WCW. Vince says he's not qualified to talk about ECW, so he invites Paul Heyman out. Heyman points out that this is the first time WWE, WCW and ECW have been in the same ring at the same time. Paul says that ECW was about more than garbage wrestling, like bringing Rey Mysterio to the US, submission wrestling with guys like Tazz, and the passion of the fan in supporting guys like Rob Van Dam. He invites Bischoff to experience what ECW is at One Night Stand. Vince says that he is fine with Bischoff getting a group of wrestlers to try and stop One Night Stand because he likes a big fight as much as he does a big pile of money. Heyman tells Bischoff that he is starting a fire that he can't put out and then sets the ECW wreath on fire. This was a surreal segment and was a good way to build up excitement to One Night Stand to people unfamiliar with ECW's brand.
ECW Rules Match
Chris Benoit vs. Tajiri
As Benoit is making his way out, Tajiri comes out and attacks him with a kendo stick. Benoit grabs the stick, but Tajiri blows the green mist in his face. You can tell this match isn't going to get much time if the green mist comes out less than 30 seconds into the match. Tajiri grabs some weapons into the ring. Tajiri attempts to clap the trash can lids on Benoit, but he ducks and hits a German suplex. He puts Tajiri into the Crippler Crossface. Tajiri grabs the kendo stick and tries to use it to break out, but Benoit puts it in his mouth and Tajiri taps out. I'm not sure what that really accomplished. Why not give them a few more minutes?
Match Rating: 1/2*
Flair walks into Batista's locker room. Flair thanks him for saving him last week and they shake hands.
Kane is rocking back and forth in his locker room and Grisham reluctantly attempts to interview him. Kane says his whole life has been about pain and that he was born to bring pain. He says this pain hurts and starts to pretend to cry and then goes into a sinister laugh. He says that maybe he deserves this for everything that he's done. He then goes back into attempting to cry and saying how he doesn't want it. Yeah, this isn't going over any better here in 2019 as it did in 2005.
After the break, Kane is shown leaving the arena.
Maria is out and brings Viscera to the ring. God help us all. She then asks Lilian Garcia to the ring. Viscera says he waited for her last week and she never showed up. The lights dim and they put on some music. Viscera asks Maria to go grab a hot dog from a fan. Last week he sang and this week he is going to dance. I'm not sure if Lilian was supposed to laugh, but I can't really blame her. This is terrible. He pulls his pants down and is wearing red silk boxers. Out comes Coach to interrupt. He tells Viscera that Bischoff doesn't have time for a sexual harassment lawsuit and calls him an embarrassment. Viscera slaps Coach on the chest and hits a Samoan Drop. Then he humps him. Vince just had to have loved this. He then kisses Lilian.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge vs. Batista
Batista bumps Edge off of the apron and into the barricade. Out come Christian and Tomko, which is a nice wrinkle to this match. While Batista is in the middle of the 10 count punch, Christian interferes while Lita distracts the ref. Even with all of the advantages, it doesn't completely feel like the crowd is taking Edge as a serious threat. Batista hits a big superplex and both men are down. The referee is down and in comes Tomko and Christian. Ric Flair comes down and takes care of all three of them until he is blindsided by Edge with a spear. Batista is up and gives some spinebusters and clotheslines Tomko and Christian out of the ring. Edge hits the spear and the ref slowly climbs into the ring for a 2 count. Edge grabs the briefcase, but Batista ducks and dishes out another spinebuster. Batista Bomb time and that's all. That was an enjoyable TV main event. Nothing special, but it had a good story filled with characters that I am invested in.
Match Rating: **3/4
Batista and Flair hug and then Triple H's music hits and he walks out with a sledgehammer. Flair then hits a low blow on Batista. Triple H hits him with the sledgehammer and grabs the title. Triple H unloads on Batista and he is busted open. Triple H grabs the mic and says "Hell In A Cell" and then hits a Pedigree.
Well, most of the show was nothing but the two good segments were quite good. Just having Heyman, Bischoff and Vince in the same ring was historic and it was a bonus that it actually helped build nicely to One Night Stand. The main event match was well done and the ending to the show was intense. I would say that was my favorite segment of the Batista/Triple H feud, as it felt more believable compared to everything else they have done. This is nothing to go out of your way for, but you can do worse.
Overall Rating: 56%
Resch Center
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
A big group of security are out to start the show. They line the ramp and out come Edge and Lita. Lita cuts a promo on how she used Kane and how she had him wrapped around her finger. This isn't particularly good work here. It doesn't help that the Kane storyline was so terrible. While she had Kane running around doing her dirty work, she was falling in love with a real man. This is all kind of surreal knowing what really happened with Matt Hardy, even the second time around. Edge seems a little uncomfortable here as well. They make out to no real response. This angle would eventually gain some steam, but this wasn't the start they were probably hoping for. They pan to Kane watching in his locker room.
Eric Bischoff is back and he wants a funeral for ECW. In walks Shelton Benjamin, who is looking for his tag team partner, Chris Jericho. Bischoff then tells Shelton his match is a handicap match.
Handicap Match
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari vs. Shelton Benjamin
The heels immediately work the handicap to their advantage, but Shelton is able to take care of them. They botch a hip toss spot, which looked to be on Hassan. Shelton gets most of the offense in surprisingly. Daivari tries to bring in a chair, which the referee takes away from him. That causes a distraction, allowing Hassan to hit his finisher for the victory. That was kind of a weird match, as I expected Hassan to get most of the offense.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Chris Jericho is shown walking into the building. They ask him about being late and blames it on the Fozzy tour of Australia. He tells Todd Grisham to tell Eric Bischoff that he'll face anyone tonight.
Christian and Tomko are backstage talking about the SmackDown roster. Edge and Lita walk in. Edge tells Christian that if he helps him win the championship tonight, that he would gift him the Money In The Bank briefcase.
Chris Masters vs. Steven Richards
Masters immediately slams Richards into the turnbuckle and hits two backbreakers and then tosses him to the mat. Masters goes for the move that broke Richards' nose, but Richards gets his revenge, pounding away. Masters quickly counters and clubs his knee. Masters then gets him in the Master Lock and that is all. Obviously a squash match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Grisham tells Bischoff about Jericho. Bischoff then tells Grisham to go and interview Kane, which he reluctantly heads out to do.
Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier
Grenier starts off quickly and drops Jericho face first on the barricade. As far as "I'll fight anyone from the locker room" mystery opponents go, Grenier may be about the worst. Jericho fights back, but Grenier gets his knees up on the Lionsault attempt. Jericho hits the springboard dropkick and then turns him over the Walls Of Jericho and the victory. Jericho gave Grenier as much as he could for a 3 minute squash match.
Match Rating: 1/2*
As Jericho celebrates, Shelton walks out. Jericho grabs the microphone and apologizes for showing up late. Jericho sells how busy he is as he backpedals up the ramp. Shelton's not buying it.
The Draft Lottery begins on June 6th.
Eric Bischoff is in the ring for the funeral of ECW. He runs down ECW and says that he killed it once and that he will kill it again. He is on a crusade and no one is going to stop me, which naturally leads to Vince McMahon's music hitting. Vince tells Bischoff that he secretly helped financed ECW. He said he had a feeling that a lot of the stars of ECW would eventually become stars in WWE. He lists Mick Foley, the Dudleyz and Steve Austin. Vince says that Bischoff drove ECW to bankruptcy and that as a result Vince acquired debt. Vince said that ECW is not dead because everywhere he goes, he hears the chants. He is going to present the Tajiri/Benoit match from last week tonight. Vince says that the only brand that is dead is WCW. Vince says he's not qualified to talk about ECW, so he invites Paul Heyman out. Heyman points out that this is the first time WWE, WCW and ECW have been in the same ring at the same time. Paul says that ECW was about more than garbage wrestling, like bringing Rey Mysterio to the US, submission wrestling with guys like Tazz, and the passion of the fan in supporting guys like Rob Van Dam. He invites Bischoff to experience what ECW is at One Night Stand. Vince says that he is fine with Bischoff getting a group of wrestlers to try and stop One Night Stand because he likes a big fight as much as he does a big pile of money. Heyman tells Bischoff that he is starting a fire that he can't put out and then sets the ECW wreath on fire. This was a surreal segment and was a good way to build up excitement to One Night Stand to people unfamiliar with ECW's brand.
ECW Rules Match
Chris Benoit vs. Tajiri
As Benoit is making his way out, Tajiri comes out and attacks him with a kendo stick. Benoit grabs the stick, but Tajiri blows the green mist in his face. You can tell this match isn't going to get much time if the green mist comes out less than 30 seconds into the match. Tajiri grabs some weapons into the ring. Tajiri attempts to clap the trash can lids on Benoit, but he ducks and hits a German suplex. He puts Tajiri into the Crippler Crossface. Tajiri grabs the kendo stick and tries to use it to break out, but Benoit puts it in his mouth and Tajiri taps out. I'm not sure what that really accomplished. Why not give them a few more minutes?
Match Rating: 1/2*
Flair walks into Batista's locker room. Flair thanks him for saving him last week and they shake hands.
Kane is rocking back and forth in his locker room and Grisham reluctantly attempts to interview him. Kane says his whole life has been about pain and that he was born to bring pain. He says this pain hurts and starts to pretend to cry and then goes into a sinister laugh. He says that maybe he deserves this for everything that he's done. He then goes back into attempting to cry and saying how he doesn't want it. Yeah, this isn't going over any better here in 2019 as it did in 2005.
After the break, Kane is shown leaving the arena.
Maria is out and brings Viscera to the ring. God help us all. She then asks Lilian Garcia to the ring. Viscera says he waited for her last week and she never showed up. The lights dim and they put on some music. Viscera asks Maria to go grab a hot dog from a fan. Last week he sang and this week he is going to dance. I'm not sure if Lilian was supposed to laugh, but I can't really blame her. This is terrible. He pulls his pants down and is wearing red silk boxers. Out comes Coach to interrupt. He tells Viscera that Bischoff doesn't have time for a sexual harassment lawsuit and calls him an embarrassment. Viscera slaps Coach on the chest and hits a Samoan Drop. Then he humps him. Vince just had to have loved this. He then kisses Lilian.
World Heavyweight Championship Match
Edge vs. Batista
Batista bumps Edge off of the apron and into the barricade. Out come Christian and Tomko, which is a nice wrinkle to this match. While Batista is in the middle of the 10 count punch, Christian interferes while Lita distracts the ref. Even with all of the advantages, it doesn't completely feel like the crowd is taking Edge as a serious threat. Batista hits a big superplex and both men are down. The referee is down and in comes Tomko and Christian. Ric Flair comes down and takes care of all three of them until he is blindsided by Edge with a spear. Batista is up and gives some spinebusters and clotheslines Tomko and Christian out of the ring. Edge hits the spear and the ref slowly climbs into the ring for a 2 count. Edge grabs the briefcase, but Batista ducks and dishes out another spinebuster. Batista Bomb time and that's all. That was an enjoyable TV main event. Nothing special, but it had a good story filled with characters that I am invested in.
Match Rating: **3/4
Batista and Flair hug and then Triple H's music hits and he walks out with a sledgehammer. Flair then hits a low blow on Batista. Triple H hits him with the sledgehammer and grabs the title. Triple H unloads on Batista and he is busted open. Triple H grabs the mic and says "Hell In A Cell" and then hits a Pedigree.
Well, most of the show was nothing but the two good segments were quite good. Just having Heyman, Bischoff and Vince in the same ring was historic and it was a bonus that it actually helped build nicely to One Night Stand. The main event match was well done and the ending to the show was intense. I would say that was my favorite segment of the Batista/Triple H feud, as it felt more believable compared to everything else they have done. This is nothing to go out of your way for, but you can do worse.
Overall Rating: 56%
Monday, November 18, 2019
NXT 1-16-13 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, January 16th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Adrian Neville vs. Sakamoto
Here is the NXT debut of Adrian Neville. He wins over the crowd pretty quickly with his athleticism. Sakamoto then completely sucks the air out of the building with rest holds. Neville hits a flurry of moves that gains him no reaction, even though they are fantastic. Neville then goes up top and hits the Red Arrow to a big applause and picks up the victory. They could have gave him a more talented opponent, but regardless Neville still looked impressive.
Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)
Leo Kruger vs. Trent Barreta
Well we're two matches in and we already have two guys who are on the AEW roster here in 2019. Kassius Ohno joins the commentary team. Kruger is just so miscast in this gimmick. Trent hits a springboard elbow and follows it up with a missile dropkick off the top. Kruger counters a DDT attempt into a half crab. Barreta follows it up with a leaping senton over the top rope. Kassius leaves the booth and interferes, allowing Kruger to hit his finisher for the victory. The referees come down and talk it over that Barreta is the winner of the match by disqualification. Trenty was trying his best, but Kruger sucked the life out of the building.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Big E Langston welcomes everyone to a new era but then Camacho interrupts him and says that they have a beef. Camacho wants the title and he says that he will take it from him tonight.
NXT Championship Match
Big E Langston vs. Camacho
William Regal questions Camacho's intelligence by challenging Big E here. Big E no sells Camacho's punches and hits five knee lifts to the gut. Big E hits the Big Finish and gets the victory. They continue to sell Big E as unstoppable. The crowd wants a 5 count and so he gives it to them. And then he does it again.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Damien Sandow & Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd
Here's a match that has some potential, although this era of NXT isn't typically balls to the wall like we see today. It's a little weird that they have Cesaro with Sandow instead of Cody Rhodes here, who I believe he was tagging with at the time. After some back and forth for the first couple of minutes, Cesaro and Sandow cut the ring in half with Gabriel. Hot tag to Kidd, who hits a springboard dropkick on Sandow. He goes for the Sharpshooter, but Cesaro interferes. Gabriel hits a springboard moonsault and Kidd hits the elbow drop for a semi-surprising victory for Kidd and Gabriel. The main events on these shows continue to feel like house show matches. This was technically fine, but I know all four men are capable of a lot more when allowed.
Match Rating: **1/4
Well, we go the debut of Neville, who will go on to be one of NXT's biggest stars and a solid main event. Big E continues to dominate and I'm curious to see who they will have be his first contender be. Every week there are positives, but overall the show still feels like it's in a little bit of a funk.
Overall Rating: 42%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Adrian Neville vs. Sakamoto
Here is the NXT debut of Adrian Neville. He wins over the crowd pretty quickly with his athleticism. Sakamoto then completely sucks the air out of the building with rest holds. Neville hits a flurry of moves that gains him no reaction, even though they are fantastic. Neville then goes up top and hits the Red Arrow to a big applause and picks up the victory. They could have gave him a more talented opponent, but regardless Neville still looked impressive.
Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)
Leo Kruger vs. Trent Barreta
Well we're two matches in and we already have two guys who are on the AEW roster here in 2019. Kassius Ohno joins the commentary team. Kruger is just so miscast in this gimmick. Trent hits a springboard elbow and follows it up with a missile dropkick off the top. Kruger counters a DDT attempt into a half crab. Barreta follows it up with a leaping senton over the top rope. Kassius leaves the booth and interferes, allowing Kruger to hit his finisher for the victory. The referees come down and talk it over that Barreta is the winner of the match by disqualification. Trenty was trying his best, but Kruger sucked the life out of the building.
Match Rating: 3/4*
Big E Langston welcomes everyone to a new era but then Camacho interrupts him and says that they have a beef. Camacho wants the title and he says that he will take it from him tonight.
NXT Championship Match
Big E Langston vs. Camacho
William Regal questions Camacho's intelligence by challenging Big E here. Big E no sells Camacho's punches and hits five knee lifts to the gut. Big E hits the Big Finish and gets the victory. They continue to sell Big E as unstoppable. The crowd wants a 5 count and so he gives it to them. And then he does it again.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Damien Sandow & Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd
Here's a match that has some potential, although this era of NXT isn't typically balls to the wall like we see today. It's a little weird that they have Cesaro with Sandow instead of Cody Rhodes here, who I believe he was tagging with at the time. After some back and forth for the first couple of minutes, Cesaro and Sandow cut the ring in half with Gabriel. Hot tag to Kidd, who hits a springboard dropkick on Sandow. He goes for the Sharpshooter, but Cesaro interferes. Gabriel hits a springboard moonsault and Kidd hits the elbow drop for a semi-surprising victory for Kidd and Gabriel. The main events on these shows continue to feel like house show matches. This was technically fine, but I know all four men are capable of a lot more when allowed.
Match Rating: **1/4
Well, we go the debut of Neville, who will go on to be one of NXT's biggest stars and a solid main event. Big E continues to dominate and I'm curious to see who they will have be his first contender be. Every week there are positives, but overall the show still feels like it's in a little bit of a funk.
Overall Rating: 42%
Wednesday, November 13, 2019
Superstars 11-14-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, November 14th, 1992
Saskatchewan Center
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Intercontinental Championship Match
Repo Man vs. British Bulldog
Well, we're kicking things off with a bang this week. Has there ever been a tough guy wrestler who has ever had to transition to a doofus more than Barry Darsow? Bulldog hits a nice press slam, but Repo then hangs Bulldog on the top rope. Apparently Saturday Night's Main Event is also tonight and they are pretending that Bulldog has to fight two matches in one day. I'm not sure if Repo is acting more serious because it's a title match or if it's just because he isn't feeling it today. Repo goes after the second rope, but Bulldog counters it with a weird thrust. Then out of nowhere, Bulldog hits the powerslam for the victory. It was almost as if they just erased three minutes out of the match for no reason. They had a nice little match until the abrupt ending.
Match Rating: *3/4 (out of 5)
They run down the card for Saturday Night's Main Event as a triple crown, meaning all three championships will be up for grabs. British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels, the Ultimate Maniacs vs. Money, Inc. and Bret Hart vs. Papa Shango.
We get another Bob Backlund vignette, which will never not be weird to me. I really don't get how they thought he was going to get over in this era.
Bob St. Laurent & Jim Powers vs. The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers headbutt each other before starting the match. Jim Powers looks like he's lost 100 pounds. Doink makes another appearance here. Fatu hits the splash off the top rope for the easy win. This was a little disappointing. I was hoping for a little bit more physical squash.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center time with Mean Gene. He quickly runs through Saturday Night's Main Event again and then it's on to Survivor Series. Rick Martel says it will be smooth sailing for the Model. Big Boss Man says he's going to get to the stick and make Nailz serve hard time.
Bam Bam Bigelow will be here soon and he yells "Bam Bam" a lot.
Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Marty Jannetty
Marty dropkicks Sharpe out over the top rope. Marty lets us know that he's used to working for what he wants and what he wants is to kick Michaels' butt. Marty hits the flying fist off the top rope and that's all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with Lord Alfred Hayes. They recap Bret Hart's match with Berzerker on Prime Time. Hart wins the match after the Sharpshooter. If Bret Hart beats Papa Shango he will defend the title again here on Superstars against Virgil.
Nailz vs. Ken Johnson
Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh. Nailz has lost any momentum that he had here. The highlight is getting to see Doink in the crowd.
Match Rating: 0 Stars
The Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys are here for an interview. They make lots of loud noises and say they are going to kick butt.
Back to Mean Gene again. Ric Flair, Razor Ramon and Mr. Perfect say Warrior and Savage are the ultimate joke. Warrior and Savage say they aren't going anywhere.
Steve Gillespie vs. Kamala
You have to love the slow burn on the feud between Harvey Wippleman and Howard Finkel. This Kamala/Undertaker feud would probably be more effective if they would have given Kamala a feud prior to it. This is every Kamala squash you've ever seen.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We go back to the Undertaker's workshop, where we are on day 72 of him making a wood box.
Mean Gene reminds us one more time to watch Saturday Night's Main Event and then that Survivor Series is in a week and a half. Tatanka channels his inner-Ultimate Warrior and somehow doesn't ever stop to breathe the entire interview. The Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. say they are the most talent and wealth accumulated anywhere.
Next week we get Bret Hart vs. Virgil and the triple crown on Saturday Night's Main Event.
Well, that wasn't as good of a show as last week but it still is a nice improvement over the episodes earlier on this year. They had a lot to build to with SNME and a pay-per-view all in the next week and a half and were successful with that.
Overall Rating: 48%
Saskatchewan Center
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Intercontinental Championship Match
Repo Man vs. British Bulldog
Well, we're kicking things off with a bang this week. Has there ever been a tough guy wrestler who has ever had to transition to a doofus more than Barry Darsow? Bulldog hits a nice press slam, but Repo then hangs Bulldog on the top rope. Apparently Saturday Night's Main Event is also tonight and they are pretending that Bulldog has to fight two matches in one day. I'm not sure if Repo is acting more serious because it's a title match or if it's just because he isn't feeling it today. Repo goes after the second rope, but Bulldog counters it with a weird thrust. Then out of nowhere, Bulldog hits the powerslam for the victory. It was almost as if they just erased three minutes out of the match for no reason. They had a nice little match until the abrupt ending.
Match Rating: *3/4 (out of 5)
They run down the card for Saturday Night's Main Event as a triple crown, meaning all three championships will be up for grabs. British Bulldog vs. Shawn Michaels, the Ultimate Maniacs vs. Money, Inc. and Bret Hart vs. Papa Shango.
We get another Bob Backlund vignette, which will never not be weird to me. I really don't get how they thought he was going to get over in this era.
Bob St. Laurent & Jim Powers vs. The Headshrinkers
The Headshrinkers headbutt each other before starting the match. Jim Powers looks like he's lost 100 pounds. Doink makes another appearance here. Fatu hits the splash off the top rope for the easy win. This was a little disappointing. I was hoping for a little bit more physical squash.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Event Center time with Mean Gene. He quickly runs through Saturday Night's Main Event again and then it's on to Survivor Series. Rick Martel says it will be smooth sailing for the Model. Big Boss Man says he's going to get to the stick and make Nailz serve hard time.
Bam Bam Bigelow will be here soon and he yells "Bam Bam" a lot.
Iron Mike Sharpe vs. Marty Jannetty
Marty dropkicks Sharpe out over the top rope. Marty lets us know that he's used to working for what he wants and what he wants is to kick Michaels' butt. Marty hits the flying fist off the top rope and that's all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Update time with Lord Alfred Hayes. They recap Bret Hart's match with Berzerker on Prime Time. Hart wins the match after the Sharpshooter. If Bret Hart beats Papa Shango he will defend the title again here on Superstars against Virgil.
Nailz vs. Ken Johnson
Uggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggh. Nailz has lost any momentum that he had here. The highlight is getting to see Doink in the crowd.
Match Rating: 0 Stars
The Natural Disasters and the Nasty Boys are here for an interview. They make lots of loud noises and say they are going to kick butt.
Back to Mean Gene again. Ric Flair, Razor Ramon and Mr. Perfect say Warrior and Savage are the ultimate joke. Warrior and Savage say they aren't going anywhere.
Steve Gillespie vs. Kamala
You have to love the slow burn on the feud between Harvey Wippleman and Howard Finkel. This Kamala/Undertaker feud would probably be more effective if they would have given Kamala a feud prior to it. This is every Kamala squash you've ever seen.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We go back to the Undertaker's workshop, where we are on day 72 of him making a wood box.
Mean Gene reminds us one more time to watch Saturday Night's Main Event and then that Survivor Series is in a week and a half. Tatanka channels his inner-Ultimate Warrior and somehow doesn't ever stop to breathe the entire interview. The Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. say they are the most talent and wealth accumulated anywhere.
Next week we get Bret Hart vs. Virgil and the triple crown on Saturday Night's Main Event.
Well, that wasn't as good of a show as last week but it still is a nice improvement over the episodes earlier on this year. They had a lot to build to with SNME and a pay-per-view all in the next week and a half and were successful with that.
Overall Rating: 48%
Wednesday, November 6, 2019
Judgment Day 2005 Review
Sunday, May 22nd, 2005
Target Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
MNM vs. Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
Melina cuts a generic promo on the way down to the ring while the "paparazzi" takes their photos. Morrison was already a bumping machine here, as he made Haas look like a million bucks in their opening spots. Mercury slaps Holly's chest, which is obviously stupid. Holly naturally chops Mercury likely harder than he ever has in his life. Holly has Mercury up for the Alabama Slam, but Morrison superkicks him while the ref was distracted. Hot tag to Haas and he sends both of his opponents to the outside and then hits a leap over the top rope. Melina possibly screwed up there by trying to grab his leg the first time and Haas no sold it. He goes off the ropes again and this time Melina grabs it, but Haas stays in control. All four men are in. Morrison avoids Holly and his shoulder hits the ring post and falls to the outside. MNM hits the Snapshot and retain the championships. That was a solid opener that kept the crowd going for the entirety.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Carlito vs. Big Show
Carlito says that Randy Moss left Minnesota because the people aren't cool. Carlito does all that he can to avoid Big Show to start the match off. Show finally gets him and tosses him into the turnbuckle. Matt Morgan grabs Show's ankle, but it doesn't work. It's now Carlito's turn to get his chest blown up, this time by Big Show. Show goes off the ropes, but Morgan pulls down the top rope and down goes Show. Show goes to send Carlito into the turnbuckle, but he throws him right into the rope. Carlito then hits a low blow. Somehow, Show recovers quickly and goes for a chokeslam. Morgan comes in to make the save and hits a F5 on Big Show to the shock of Carlito. Carlito hops on Show and gets the pinfall victory. This is what happens when you book yourself into a corner, you have to come up with a lot of extra to accomplish your goal. This was really hardly a match, but I've watched a lot worse.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Just in case you haven't vomited in your mouth enough over the last few weeks from this angle, we get a full recap of the Booker T/Kurt Angle situation. Sharmell asks Booker to take out Angle tonight. They then get a delivery that includes lingerie and handcuffs.
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chavo Guerrero vs. Paul London
Chavo gets off to a fast start after some stiff kicks and a Tilt-A-Whirl backbreaker. London fights back with some of his signatures. He goes for the 450 splash, but Chavo gets his knees up and the champ is down. Chavo begins to work on the ribs. I have to say the crowd is into this one a little more than I expected. It's no secret that the WWE Cruiserweight division was treated as a joke for years. London battles back and sends Chavo to the outside. London hits a somersault dive off the top rope to the floor. It didn't look like he got much of that and he hit the floor pretty hard as a result. Chavo returns the favor with a suicide dive. Chavo goes up to the top rope, but London kicks him. Chavo counters the superplex. London hits a back body drop and then hits the 450 splash for the victory. That was a nicely worked match. Both guys got their chance to look good and London makes the nice counter and hits his finish for the decisive win.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Booker is backstage looking for Angle. He tells the SmackDown locker room that if they see Angle, to tell him Booker is looking for him. They cut to Sharmell and Angle is behind her. He lays on top of her and threatens her and I guess we are getting this match now because Angle's music hits.
Kurt Angle vs. Booker T
Booker naturally goes right after Angle. Angle gets a little of his offense in, but it's back to Booker in control. Booker drapes Angle over the top rope and hits a scissor kick, causing Angle to fall to the floor. This turned into a pretty standard wrestling match quickly. Angle ducks a kick and Booker hurts his leg on the top rope. Just a reminder that this is the feud they gave Angle after he tore the house down with Shawn Michaels and got the victory. Angle avoids a scissor kick, but Booker counters the Angle Slam attempt with a Book End. As mad as Booker is, he still does the spinarooni. Angle then explodes with a clothesline. I would say that Booker's match quality varies night to night more than most other legendary wrestlers that I can think of. Booker T then goes for a small package and gets the victory? Seemed like a messed up finish. Sharmell comes down to celebrate, which is obviously a terrible idea. Angle tries to handcuff Booker, but he handcuffs Angle to the top rope. Sharmell hits Angle with some slaps to the face and finishes with a low blow. Booker and Sharmell embrace and celebrate their victory. That one felt like it deserved to be a SmackDown main event rather than a big pay per view match. The work was good, but it didn't have a great flow and the ending was awkward.
Match Rating: **3/4
United States Championship Match
Orlando Jordan vs. Heidenreich
Speaking of matches that belong on SmackDown. Heidenreich finds a young girl to be his friend and then reads a disasterpiece. Jordan then attacks him with a dropkick through the ropes. Heidenreich hits a few unconvincing fists to the face, but Jordan takes him down again. I guess now is as good of time as any to say the set for the show is pretty cool. Just a few months ago, Heidenreich was presented as a serious threat to the Undertaker. Heidenreich rolls up a trash talking Jordan and almost gets the victory. Jordan then hits a DDT and gets the victory? Another weird finish here. That was a match that didn't do anything for either guy. After the match, the little girl comes into the ring and tries to get him up. She starts doing the dance and Heidenreich gets up and joins her. This was probably Vince McMahon's favorite part of the show.
Match Rating: 1/2*
JBL is backstage for an interview. He says he's going to pull a Babe Ruth and call his shot that he will make Cena say "I quit" tonight.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Both men wait for the bell to ring before they let it rip. They head out of the ring and Eddie slams Rey into the announcers table. Rey get slammed face-first by a nice move from Eddie. Rey fights back for a little, but Eddie hits him with a dropkick to the legs. Eddie slaps on the Boston Crab and then into a STF. Eddie is going for a move on the steel steps, but Rey counters by pushing him into the ring post. Mysterio then hits a modified 619 around the ring post as Eddie is trying to climb back in the ring. Rey explodes with some clotheslines and then a springboard crossbody for a 2 count. Seated senton also gets a 2 count for Rey. Eddie hits two of the Three Amigos and Rey hangs Eddie on the second rope, but Rey is unable to capitalize. Chavo Guerrero is now down and distracting Jimmy Korderas. Eddie grabs a chair, but Rey dropkicks Eddie in the legs and gets Eddie on the second rope again. He knocks down Chavo and hits the 619 on Eddie. Rey goes off the top rope, but Eddie absolutely destroys him with the chair in midair. That was a vicious looking visual. Eddie is about to leave, but comes back into the ring and then repeatedly hits Rey with the chair. These two guys make beautiful music together and this match was no different. This was obviously not their best work, but it was still very good.
Match Rating: ***3/4
I Quit Match
WWE Championship Match
JBL vs. John Cena
Cean comes out on the back of a truck with a DJ playing and a light and smoke show. They start out a little hesitantly. They're outside the ring and JBL tosses Cena over the barricade and they are now brawling in the crowd. JBL tosses Cena into the steel steps. Cena's selling on that always has looked kind of poor his entire career. He always clearly pushed them over, rather than running into them. JBL pulls Cena up on the table and tries to get him to quit and then Cena back body drops him onto the other announce table. JBL hits Cena in the head with a chair shot and Cena is now busted open. Is this the only time Cena did a blade job in WWE? The chair shot was a clean shot to the head and the stair shot after was pretty close to a clear shot. I don't miss that at all. JBL hits a Clothesline From Hell and then another one. Cena is gushing at this point. JBL grabs Cena's chain and uses it to choke him. Cena tries to fight back, but JBL hits him with a low blow. After some trash talking from JBL, Cena makes the big comeback which leads to a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena hits the FU, but then JBL retreats from the ring. Cena chases him down the ramp and slams him into the limo. JBL hits a swinging neckbreaker on the hood of the limo and both men are now down. JBL is choking Cena with an electrical cord, but Cena pulls him and he goes face-first through a TV. Cena then takes him and throws him through one of his limo windows. They're on top of the limo and Cena hits a suplex. Cena has him on his truck and throws him into a CO2 tank, causing it to shoot out air. Cena hits JBL with the microphone to the head and causes him to fall off the speakers and through a table. Cena has the smokestack from the truck and before he can use it, JBL says "I quit". Cena retains the title in an Attitude Era-style brawl to cap off the show. Cena waits a minute and then decides to use it anyways and sends JBL through the random "J D" pieces of glass on the entrance stage. That was a hard fought and entertaining match that the crowd was really into. Imagine if that was their WrestleMania match instead of the vanilla match we were given.
Match Rating: ****
As far as SmackDown pay-per-views during this era go, this has to be one of the best. The main event was very memorable and Eddie and Rey also delivered in their match. There were a few other solid outings and the crowd was into most of it.
Overall Rating: 72%
Target Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
WWE Tag Team Championship Match
MNM vs. Hardcore Holly & Charlie Haas
Melina cuts a generic promo on the way down to the ring while the "paparazzi" takes their photos. Morrison was already a bumping machine here, as he made Haas look like a million bucks in their opening spots. Mercury slaps Holly's chest, which is obviously stupid. Holly naturally chops Mercury likely harder than he ever has in his life. Holly has Mercury up for the Alabama Slam, but Morrison superkicks him while the ref was distracted. Hot tag to Haas and he sends both of his opponents to the outside and then hits a leap over the top rope. Melina possibly screwed up there by trying to grab his leg the first time and Haas no sold it. He goes off the ropes again and this time Melina grabs it, but Haas stays in control. All four men are in. Morrison avoids Holly and his shoulder hits the ring post and falls to the outside. MNM hits the Snapshot and retain the championships. That was a solid opener that kept the crowd going for the entirety.
Match Rating: *** (out of 5)
Carlito vs. Big Show
Carlito says that Randy Moss left Minnesota because the people aren't cool. Carlito does all that he can to avoid Big Show to start the match off. Show finally gets him and tosses him into the turnbuckle. Matt Morgan grabs Show's ankle, but it doesn't work. It's now Carlito's turn to get his chest blown up, this time by Big Show. Show goes off the ropes, but Morgan pulls down the top rope and down goes Show. Show goes to send Carlito into the turnbuckle, but he throws him right into the rope. Carlito then hits a low blow. Somehow, Show recovers quickly and goes for a chokeslam. Morgan comes in to make the save and hits a F5 on Big Show to the shock of Carlito. Carlito hops on Show and gets the pinfall victory. This is what happens when you book yourself into a corner, you have to come up with a lot of extra to accomplish your goal. This was really hardly a match, but I've watched a lot worse.
Match Rating: 1/2*
Just in case you haven't vomited in your mouth enough over the last few weeks from this angle, we get a full recap of the Booker T/Kurt Angle situation. Sharmell asks Booker to take out Angle tonight. They then get a delivery that includes lingerie and handcuffs.
Cruiserweight Championship Match
Chavo Guerrero vs. Paul London
Chavo gets off to a fast start after some stiff kicks and a Tilt-A-Whirl backbreaker. London fights back with some of his signatures. He goes for the 450 splash, but Chavo gets his knees up and the champ is down. Chavo begins to work on the ribs. I have to say the crowd is into this one a little more than I expected. It's no secret that the WWE Cruiserweight division was treated as a joke for years. London battles back and sends Chavo to the outside. London hits a somersault dive off the top rope to the floor. It didn't look like he got much of that and he hit the floor pretty hard as a result. Chavo returns the favor with a suicide dive. Chavo goes up to the top rope, but London kicks him. Chavo counters the superplex. London hits a back body drop and then hits the 450 splash for the victory. That was a nicely worked match. Both guys got their chance to look good and London makes the nice counter and hits his finish for the decisive win.
Match Rating: ***1/4
Booker is backstage looking for Angle. He tells the SmackDown locker room that if they see Angle, to tell him Booker is looking for him. They cut to Sharmell and Angle is behind her. He lays on top of her and threatens her and I guess we are getting this match now because Angle's music hits.
Kurt Angle vs. Booker T
Booker naturally goes right after Angle. Angle gets a little of his offense in, but it's back to Booker in control. Booker drapes Angle over the top rope and hits a scissor kick, causing Angle to fall to the floor. This turned into a pretty standard wrestling match quickly. Angle ducks a kick and Booker hurts his leg on the top rope. Just a reminder that this is the feud they gave Angle after he tore the house down with Shawn Michaels and got the victory. Angle avoids a scissor kick, but Booker counters the Angle Slam attempt with a Book End. As mad as Booker is, he still does the spinarooni. Angle then explodes with a clothesline. I would say that Booker's match quality varies night to night more than most other legendary wrestlers that I can think of. Booker T then goes for a small package and gets the victory? Seemed like a messed up finish. Sharmell comes down to celebrate, which is obviously a terrible idea. Angle tries to handcuff Booker, but he handcuffs Angle to the top rope. Sharmell hits Angle with some slaps to the face and finishes with a low blow. Booker and Sharmell embrace and celebrate their victory. That one felt like it deserved to be a SmackDown main event rather than a big pay per view match. The work was good, but it didn't have a great flow and the ending was awkward.
Match Rating: **3/4
United States Championship Match
Orlando Jordan vs. Heidenreich
Speaking of matches that belong on SmackDown. Heidenreich finds a young girl to be his friend and then reads a disasterpiece. Jordan then attacks him with a dropkick through the ropes. Heidenreich hits a few unconvincing fists to the face, but Jordan takes him down again. I guess now is as good of time as any to say the set for the show is pretty cool. Just a few months ago, Heidenreich was presented as a serious threat to the Undertaker. Heidenreich rolls up a trash talking Jordan and almost gets the victory. Jordan then hits a DDT and gets the victory? Another weird finish here. That was a match that didn't do anything for either guy. After the match, the little girl comes into the ring and tries to get him up. She starts doing the dance and Heidenreich gets up and joins her. This was probably Vince McMahon's favorite part of the show.
Match Rating: 1/2*
JBL is backstage for an interview. He says he's going to pull a Babe Ruth and call his shot that he will make Cena say "I quit" tonight.
Eddie Guerrero vs. Rey Mysterio
Both men wait for the bell to ring before they let it rip. They head out of the ring and Eddie slams Rey into the announcers table. Rey get slammed face-first by a nice move from Eddie. Rey fights back for a little, but Eddie hits him with a dropkick to the legs. Eddie slaps on the Boston Crab and then into a STF. Eddie is going for a move on the steel steps, but Rey counters by pushing him into the ring post. Mysterio then hits a modified 619 around the ring post as Eddie is trying to climb back in the ring. Rey explodes with some clotheslines and then a springboard crossbody for a 2 count. Seated senton also gets a 2 count for Rey. Eddie hits two of the Three Amigos and Rey hangs Eddie on the second rope, but Rey is unable to capitalize. Chavo Guerrero is now down and distracting Jimmy Korderas. Eddie grabs a chair, but Rey dropkicks Eddie in the legs and gets Eddie on the second rope again. He knocks down Chavo and hits the 619 on Eddie. Rey goes off the top rope, but Eddie absolutely destroys him with the chair in midair. That was a vicious looking visual. Eddie is about to leave, but comes back into the ring and then repeatedly hits Rey with the chair. These two guys make beautiful music together and this match was no different. This was obviously not their best work, but it was still very good.
Match Rating: ***3/4
I Quit Match
WWE Championship Match
JBL vs. John Cena
Cean comes out on the back of a truck with a DJ playing and a light and smoke show. They start out a little hesitantly. They're outside the ring and JBL tosses Cena over the barricade and they are now brawling in the crowd. JBL tosses Cena into the steel steps. Cena's selling on that always has looked kind of poor his entire career. He always clearly pushed them over, rather than running into them. JBL pulls Cena up on the table and tries to get him to quit and then Cena back body drops him onto the other announce table. JBL hits Cena in the head with a chair shot and Cena is now busted open. Is this the only time Cena did a blade job in WWE? The chair shot was a clean shot to the head and the stair shot after was pretty close to a clear shot. I don't miss that at all. JBL hits a Clothesline From Hell and then another one. Cena is gushing at this point. JBL grabs Cena's chain and uses it to choke him. Cena tries to fight back, but JBL hits him with a low blow. After some trash talking from JBL, Cena makes the big comeback which leads to a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena hits the FU, but then JBL retreats from the ring. Cena chases him down the ramp and slams him into the limo. JBL hits a swinging neckbreaker on the hood of the limo and both men are now down. JBL is choking Cena with an electrical cord, but Cena pulls him and he goes face-first through a TV. Cena then takes him and throws him through one of his limo windows. They're on top of the limo and Cena hits a suplex. Cena has him on his truck and throws him into a CO2 tank, causing it to shoot out air. Cena hits JBL with the microphone to the head and causes him to fall off the speakers and through a table. Cena has the smokestack from the truck and before he can use it, JBL says "I quit". Cena retains the title in an Attitude Era-style brawl to cap off the show. Cena waits a minute and then decides to use it anyways and sends JBL through the random "J D" pieces of glass on the entrance stage. That was a hard fought and entertaining match that the crowd was really into. Imagine if that was their WrestleMania match instead of the vanilla match we were given.
Match Rating: ****
As far as SmackDown pay-per-views during this era go, this has to be one of the best. The main event was very memorable and Eddie and Rey also delivered in their match. There were a few other solid outings and the crowd was into most of it.
Overall Rating: 72%
Monday, November 4, 2019
NXT 1-9-13 Review
Original Airdate: Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Yoshi Tatsu & Percy Watson vs. The Wyatt Family
Luke Harper was always so much better in this role than Erick Rowan was. In fact, Harper will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities of this decade for WWE. The Wyatts dominate the entire match with the exception of a couple of kicks by Tatsu. This was a 1992 Superstars type squash and it was pretty mediocre.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Emma vs. Paige
I believe this is the debut of the goofy dancing Emma. Emma gets a lot of offense to start and works on the left knee of Paige. Then out of nowhere, Paige hits the Paige Turner and that's it? Some of these NXT matches during this era are just so weird. That match really did Paige no favors.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Adrian Neville says that next week we will find out why he is called "The man that gravity forgot".
Primo & Epico vs. Bo Dallas & Michael McGillicutty
I always love how they remind us that McGillicutty is the son of Curt Hennig, but we still gave him this stupid name anyways. As one would expect, this match is about as basic as it gets. Dallas makes a small comeback, but it's right back to Primo and Epico dominating. I always thought Primo was a good hand, but his matches on NXT have been really disappointing. McGillicutty makes a comeback, but Primo hits the Back Stabber and they steal the victory.
Match Rating: 3/4*
NXT Championship Match
No Disqualification Match
Seth Rollins vs. Big E Langston
This whole change in Seth Rollins' character is so bizarre if you only were to watch NXT, as it was just seemingly changed overnight. The match just started and it's already probably Big E's longest match to date. Big E Ultimate Warrior's Rollins over the top rope and to the floor. As Big E gets down to get him, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns attack him and toss him into the steps. Rollins is in control after the commercial break until Big E hits a one arm electric chair. Big E steamrolls Rollins and then double clotheslines Ambrose and Reigns off the apron. Ambrose and Reigns come in the ring and attack Big E once again and now out comes the NXT locker room. Big E hits the Big Ending and is your new NXT Championship. Rollins obviously had to drop the title and Big E is the most over guy on the roster, so this made sense. I would have liked to have seen a little bit better match out of these two, but NXT really wasn't delivering those just yet.
Match Rating: **
Big E celebrates while the rest of the roster applauds him.
Well, on paper this looks like it would be a great show, but instead it was just kind of there. The main event didn't really deliver, but given the way it was booked, it didn't have a chance to be anything better than that. This is an important episode for historic purposes, but nothing more than that.
Overall Rating: 44%
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Yoshi Tatsu & Percy Watson vs. The Wyatt Family
Luke Harper was always so much better in this role than Erick Rowan was. In fact, Harper will go down as one of the biggest missed opportunities of this decade for WWE. The Wyatts dominate the entire match with the exception of a couple of kicks by Tatsu. This was a 1992 Superstars type squash and it was pretty mediocre.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Emma vs. Paige
I believe this is the debut of the goofy dancing Emma. Emma gets a lot of offense to start and works on the left knee of Paige. Then out of nowhere, Paige hits the Paige Turner and that's it? Some of these NXT matches during this era are just so weird. That match really did Paige no favors.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Adrian Neville says that next week we will find out why he is called "The man that gravity forgot".
Primo & Epico vs. Bo Dallas & Michael McGillicutty
I always love how they remind us that McGillicutty is the son of Curt Hennig, but we still gave him this stupid name anyways. As one would expect, this match is about as basic as it gets. Dallas makes a small comeback, but it's right back to Primo and Epico dominating. I always thought Primo was a good hand, but his matches on NXT have been really disappointing. McGillicutty makes a comeback, but Primo hits the Back Stabber and they steal the victory.
Match Rating: 3/4*
NXT Championship Match
No Disqualification Match
Seth Rollins vs. Big E Langston
This whole change in Seth Rollins' character is so bizarre if you only were to watch NXT, as it was just seemingly changed overnight. The match just started and it's already probably Big E's longest match to date. Big E Ultimate Warrior's Rollins over the top rope and to the floor. As Big E gets down to get him, Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns attack him and toss him into the steps. Rollins is in control after the commercial break until Big E hits a one arm electric chair. Big E steamrolls Rollins and then double clotheslines Ambrose and Reigns off the apron. Ambrose and Reigns come in the ring and attack Big E once again and now out comes the NXT locker room. Big E hits the Big Ending and is your new NXT Championship. Rollins obviously had to drop the title and Big E is the most over guy on the roster, so this made sense. I would have liked to have seen a little bit better match out of these two, but NXT really wasn't delivering those just yet.
Match Rating: **
Big E celebrates while the rest of the roster applauds him.
Well, on paper this looks like it would be a great show, but instead it was just kind of there. The main event didn't really deliver, but given the way it was booked, it didn't have a chance to be anything better than that. This is an important episode for historic purposes, but nothing more than that.
Overall Rating: 44%
Friday, November 1, 2019
Superstars 11-7-92 Review
Original Airdate: Saturday, November 7th, 1992
Saskatchewan Center
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Max Moon vs. Louie Spicolli
God, Moon's outfit is still just something everyone needs to see in their lifetime. We get a nice little bit of wrestling here. It's nice to see a sprint like this on the show. Moon hits a high cross body for the pinfall victory.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They show a clip of the match they showed us last week here where Money, Inc. won the championships.
The Headshrinkers vs. Brian Costello & Joey Maggs
I forgot about the suspenders the Headshrinkers used to wear. Lame. They were a breath of fresh air though here in 1992. Of course, they never really lived up to their potential. Huge splash that looked like it had to have hurt a little for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is here and he's here to remind us that Saturday Night's Main Event is returning next week and then goes right on to talk about Survivor Series. Kamala and his entourage are here to talk about their coffin match. Tatanka isn't happy that Martel stole his feathers like 6 months ago.
We get a Bam Bam Bigelow promo.
Virgil vs. Jim Peterson
I have to say Virgil always seemed pretty over on these Superstars squashes. Peterson is a pretty big guy and gets in a little bit of offense. Virgil talks about Bob Backlund and wishes him good luck. Doink is shown out in the audience with a hammer annoying some children. Virgil hits a clothesline from the second rope and hits the deadly side Russian leg sweep for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We now go to Lord Alfred Hayes to recap the Marty Jannetty return from last week.
Bret Hart now gets a music video paying tribute to him winning the WWF Championship.
Damien Demento vs. Steve May
Here is Demento's debut and he gets the no entrance music treatment. He gives one of the worst promos of all time and says that he is a creation of our mind, to which Vince says "He's not a creation of my mind". Okay, Vince. Demento hits one of the weaker looking clotheslines you will see and then rolls down his knee pad and hits a knee drop for the finish. Seriously, a knee drop? Not impressive at all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Big Boss Man is here in the ring with that goofy interviewer last week. He says that Nailz beat him, but didn't break him because you can't break the law. Uhhh, I'm pretty sure you can. He climbs up the top rope where the nightstick is hanging and says that he's going to beat Nailz within an inch of his life. That was a pretty lame promo.
Mean Gene with a Survivor Series update. Big news! The Bushwhackers have been nice enough to let the Nasty Boys take their spot with the Natural Disasters against The Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. Natural Disasters say their opponents are in for a fight for their lives. Somehow The Undertaker is still working on this coffin for Kamala. Man, remind me to never have him help me do anything around the house. Ultimate Warrior then does a Macho Man impersonation and it's the weirdest thing ever.
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
High Energy vs. Money, Inc.
High Energy is the best team in WWF at this time, so naturally they are jobbers. It's kind of crazy that Dibiase has less than a year left in his in ring career. Dibiase gets a cheap knee to the back as Koko is going off the ropes and the heels regain control. Koko battles back with a leaping clothesline and both teams make the tag. Owen and his awful pants take care of both opponents. Owen ducks for a back body drop and Dibiase counters with a neckbreaker and that's it? They really couldn't have given us another 2 minutes with a more impressive finish?
Match Rating: *1/2
Mean Gene is back again. Rick Martel isn't liking that Tatanka is rocking the boat and he doesn't like it. Flair, Razor and Perfect just keep on surviving in life.
Next week we get Kamala, Marty Jannetty, The Headshrinkers, Nailz and a special interview with The Natural Disasters. Plus, we get another featured match between British Bulldog and Repo Man.
We got some fresh faces this week and it makes all the difference. High Energy, Headshrinkers and Max Moon are all welcome on my TV and adding featured matches to this show was what was always needed. I am starting to get enjoyment out of watching this show for the first time in a long time.
Overall Rating: 58%
Saskatchewan Center
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2
Max Moon vs. Louie Spicolli
God, Moon's outfit is still just something everyone needs to see in their lifetime. We get a nice little bit of wrestling here. It's nice to see a sprint like this on the show. Moon hits a high cross body for the pinfall victory.
Match Rating: 1/2*
They show a clip of the match they showed us last week here where Money, Inc. won the championships.
The Headshrinkers vs. Brian Costello & Joey Maggs
I forgot about the suspenders the Headshrinkers used to wear. Lame. They were a breath of fresh air though here in 1992. Of course, they never really lived up to their potential. Huge splash that looked like it had to have hurt a little for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Mean Gene is here and he's here to remind us that Saturday Night's Main Event is returning next week and then goes right on to talk about Survivor Series. Kamala and his entourage are here to talk about their coffin match. Tatanka isn't happy that Martel stole his feathers like 6 months ago.
We get a Bam Bam Bigelow promo.
Virgil vs. Jim Peterson
I have to say Virgil always seemed pretty over on these Superstars squashes. Peterson is a pretty big guy and gets in a little bit of offense. Virgil talks about Bob Backlund and wishes him good luck. Doink is shown out in the audience with a hammer annoying some children. Virgil hits a clothesline from the second rope and hits the deadly side Russian leg sweep for the victory.
Match Rating: 1/4*
We now go to Lord Alfred Hayes to recap the Marty Jannetty return from last week.
Bret Hart now gets a music video paying tribute to him winning the WWF Championship.
Damien Demento vs. Steve May
Here is Demento's debut and he gets the no entrance music treatment. He gives one of the worst promos of all time and says that he is a creation of our mind, to which Vince says "He's not a creation of my mind". Okay, Vince. Demento hits one of the weaker looking clotheslines you will see and then rolls down his knee pad and hits a knee drop for the finish. Seriously, a knee drop? Not impressive at all.
Match Rating: 1/4*
Big Boss Man is here in the ring with that goofy interviewer last week. He says that Nailz beat him, but didn't break him because you can't break the law. Uhhh, I'm pretty sure you can. He climbs up the top rope where the nightstick is hanging and says that he's going to beat Nailz within an inch of his life. That was a pretty lame promo.
Mean Gene with a Survivor Series update. Big news! The Bushwhackers have been nice enough to let the Nasty Boys take their spot with the Natural Disasters against The Beverly Brothers and Money, Inc. Natural Disasters say their opponents are in for a fight for their lives. Somehow The Undertaker is still working on this coffin for Kamala. Man, remind me to never have him help me do anything around the house. Ultimate Warrior then does a Macho Man impersonation and it's the weirdest thing ever.
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
High Energy vs. Money, Inc.
High Energy is the best team in WWF at this time, so naturally they are jobbers. It's kind of crazy that Dibiase has less than a year left in his in ring career. Dibiase gets a cheap knee to the back as Koko is going off the ropes and the heels regain control. Koko battles back with a leaping clothesline and both teams make the tag. Owen and his awful pants take care of both opponents. Owen ducks for a back body drop and Dibiase counters with a neckbreaker and that's it? They really couldn't have given us another 2 minutes with a more impressive finish?
Match Rating: *1/2
Mean Gene is back again. Rick Martel isn't liking that Tatanka is rocking the boat and he doesn't like it. Flair, Razor and Perfect just keep on surviving in life.
Next week we get Kamala, Marty Jannetty, The Headshrinkers, Nailz and a special interview with The Natural Disasters. Plus, we get another featured match between British Bulldog and Repo Man.
We got some fresh faces this week and it makes all the difference. High Energy, Headshrinkers and Max Moon are all welcome on my TV and adding featured matches to this show was what was always needed. I am starting to get enjoyment out of watching this show for the first time in a long time.
Overall Rating: 58%
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