SmackDown 12-2-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, December 2nd, 2005
U.S. Bank Arena
Cincinnati, Ohio

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Randy Orton is out and says that he deserves the World Heavyweight Championship. This is one of those shows where I feel like it would be so weird to be at. Orton doesn't just want a title match at Armageddon, he's demanding it. 

#1 Contender Tag Team Battle Royal 

I understand the philosophy of booking matches like this. Unfortunately, it is more of a showcase for how poor the division is rather than putting a spotlight on it. On the plus side, I'm glad we are getting to the London and Kendrick era of SmackDown. Nunzio is launched over the top rope and to the floor by Animal for the first elimination. Animal accidentally eliminates Heidenreich and they are gone. The lights start to flicker and temporarily go out. London goes for a moonsault, but one of the Dicks pushes him off and to the floor. We are down to the Dicks and the Mexicools. The Dicks almost eliminate Psicosis, but he lands on the apron. He then leaps over and pulls both men over by the legs and they win the match. That was one of the most dull battle royals I can recall. 

Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)

JBL is backstage with Josh Matthews. He says that he's willing to team with a man he doesn't like to defend his show. All of a sudden a red, gooey liquid starts pouring down the SmackDown background. 

Booker T and Sharmell are out at the announce table. 

Chris Benoit vs. William Regal

They start off with some traditional wrestling until Regal is able to get in some forearms. Regal throws Benoit up against the ropes and to the floor. Regal then kicks Benoit's head up against the ring post. Benoit gets in a desperation chop, but Regal hits him with a running knee to the head. Benoit goes for a chop and accidentally (I think?) chops him in the face. Benoit hits some headbutts and Regal is busted open. Benoit hits two German suplexes and after a struggle, he hits a full nelson suplex. Benoit then puts him in the Crippler Crossface and gets the victory. Right after the match he leaps onto Booker and starts wailing away. He puts him in the Crippler Crossface as Sharmell tries to pull him off. She grabs a chair, but Benoit sees  her and she runs off. This was very sluggish and the head stuff with Benoit just is hard to watch all these years later. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Randy Orton vs. Matt Hardy

This feels a little silly to give this one away here, as Matt was gaining some momentum and obviously Orton is headed for the main event at Armageddon. Hardy hits a series of arm drags and works the arm. Hardy hits a stiff looking leaping clothesline and then launches himself over the top rope onto Orton. Bob Orton trips up Hardy, but he still hits a Side Effect for a 2 count. Hardy goes for Twist Of Fate, but Orton drives him into the turnbuckles. Hardy hits a boot on Orton, but misses with the moonsault. Orton hits the RKO and gets the victory out of nowhere. This was mostly Hardy on offense, which doesn't necessarily do much for Orton as a mega heel. 

Match Rating: **

After the match, the bell tolls and the lights go down. Undertaker is on the PA, which scares away both Ortons. As they head to the back, the lightning strikes on the ramp, causing him to get back in the ring. He tries to escape through the crowd, but when he moves the curtain to the aisle, there is a casket there. Taker then says that he is the one who does the killing. He goes through the crowd again and we get pyro this time. Taker tells him that he is going with him, straight to hell. Hell In A Cell that is. 

After the commercial break, Randy is back with Teddy Long. Long tells him the match is on and Orton is not happy. 

Simon Dean is with Kristal Marshall in her debut since the Diva Search. Simon calls Boogeyman a lunatic and talks about his Simon System. He opens a catering plate and the Boogeyman's head is there. 

Simon Dean vs. Boogeyman

Simon Dean is dragged out by security to the ring. He tries to run away, but they keep throwing him back in the ring. Boogeyman eats worms and then throws some at Dean. He hits a reverse powerslam for the victory. Yep. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Lashley vs. Sylvan

Sylvan comes in cutting a promo, so Lashley just tosses him around the ring. Lashley then pulls Sylvan's shoulder into the ring post. We then get the British Bulldog style vertical suplex. Sylvan gets a knee up on a charging Lashley and then hits a missile dropkick. Sylvan keeps the offense going by stomping away. Lashley eventually catches one of the stomps and hits him with a clothesline. Lashley hits some more power moves, including a spinebuster. He then hits the Dominator and that is all. Well, that was longer than I expected. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Big Show & Kane vs. JBL & Rey Mysterio

Rey's ribs are wrapped and he is selling the injury heavily on his way down to the ring. Kane and JBL go right at it, with JBL clubbing him in the corner. JBL goes for a Clothesline From Hell, but Kane rolls out of the ring. JBL hits Big Show with a right hand instead and Mysterio hits a seated senton to Kane on the floor. Kane is able to make a tag to Big Show, but JBL takes him out with a shoulder to the knee. Mysterio tags himself in, but Big Show pulls him down behind the ref's back and then Kane nails him. JBL acts as if Jimmy Korderas accidentally poked him in the eye and he heads for the back, leaving the injured Mysterio by himself. The champs dominate Mysterio until he sneaks in a little bit of offense by using his quickness. Rey then hits back-to-back 619's on the big men, but they recover and hit a chokeslam for the victory. This was decent, but not really a great main event. After the match, Big Show and Kane are going for a double chokeslam on a chair until Batista's music hits and makes the save. We get some more unprotected chair shots to the head because they think it is still 1999. 

Match Rating: **

This show was exactly what I feared it would be and that is flat. Coming off the live 1 hour special, where the crowd was hot, this felt like they were exhausted and clearly the creative was as well. Nothing worthwhile really happened here and it's best to just move on. 

Overall Rating: 46%

Clash Of Champions 2020 Review

Sunday, September 27th, 2020
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

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Triple Threat Ladder Match For The Intercontinental Championship

AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn vs. Jeff Hardy

I like that this is a ladder match that actually makes sense and the story is simple enough for the announcers to explain. It's also true that it is a shame that they are having this match with no live crowd. Hardy starts out quickly, but AJ ends up hitting a slingshot forearm to Hardy on the floor. Zayn they hits a springboard moonsault to Styles. If for some odd reason you have actually been reading my recent NXT reviews, it has been an absolute watching Sami Zayn's beginnings with the company. Back in the ring, Hardy hits a back body drop on Zayn onto a ladder. AJ sidesteps Hardy off the second rope and he goes right into an upside down ladder. I'm not really sure what Hardy's plan was there had he hit Styles since he still would have hit the ladder. Styles then tosses Zayn into a ladder in the corner and Zayn does his best Curt Hennig. Zayn is in that rare class of wrestlers that are both tremendous as true heels and true babyfaces. Styles is the first to try and climb the ladder, but Zayn slows him down. Styles thanks him by hitting him with a Pele kick. Hardy and Styles are both up on the ladder now and Styles is able to throw Hardy off. Hardy gets back up to grab Styles by the ankles and drag him down the ladder. Hardy hits the trifecta of an inverted atomic drop, double leg drop and sit down dropkick. Zayn dumps Hardy out of the ring and hits an Exploder on Styles into a ladder. It doesn't last long, as Styles comes back but misses with a running forearm on the outside. Hardy then comes and hits Poetry In Motion. Zayn then comes in and hits a Helluva Kick on Hardy. Zayn starts climbing the ladder, but Styles chucks a smaller ladder at Zayn to stop him from climbing. Hardy and Styles are back climbing again, so Hardy tips the ladder and both men fall to the top rope. Zayn, who was sitting in the corner, got his knees up to protect himself from the ladder. Zayn begins to climb again. Styles goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Hardy pushes the ladder into Styles. Hardy hits a Twist Of Fate on Zayn and now all three competitors are down. Hardy is climbing now and Zayn tries to tip the ladder back. Hardy climbs down face first, but Zayn still dumps it and Hardy takes a nasty looking fall to the floor. I'm not sure what the plan was exactly there? Styles climbs the announce table and hits a moonsault into an inverted DDT on Zayn. He sets up Zayn on a ladder between the ring and table. In comes Hardy and he hits Styles with a ladder. Hardy climbs a huge ladder and hits the Swanton through Zayn on the ladder. Styles brings a ladder to the ring and begins to climb. Hardy tips him off and we're back to all three men being down. Zayn throws Hardy into the barricades outside the ring and grabs some handcuffs out of his jacket. Zayn takes a handcuff and puts it through Hardy's ear and handcuffs him to the ladder. Does Jeff Hardy say no to anything? Zayn tries handcuffing Styles to the ropes, but Styles fights back. Styles hits a vertical suplex, so Zayn puts the other handcuff on himself. Styles puts Zayn on his back to start climbing the ladder, while Hardy pulls the ladder up and climbs into the ring. Sami has the key out and tries to unhook himself while Styles is dealing with Hardy. Zayn handcuffs Styles to the lower part of the ladder, climbs the ladder and grabs both championships. The finish would have probably worked a little better with two babyfaces, but it was still a finish that fit the character of Zayn and he was the right guy to win in my opinion. 

Match Rating: ***3/4 (out of 5)

R-Truth walks into the referee's room, he backs out and Drew Gulak rolls him up to win the championship. I think we've hit the point where we can retire this thing. 

Raw's Women Championship Match

Zelina Vega vs. Asuka

I'm looking forward to what Vega can do here in this spot. Asuka has her way in the early going and puts on an arm bar. Vega gets to the ropes, but Asuka continues the attack. Asuka hits a Hip Attack on Vega, who is standing on the apron. Vega baits Asuka and throws Asuka into the steps. Vega works on the arm Asuka for a little bit and then we get some nice back-and-forth. Asuka goes for another Hip Attack on the apron, but misses and Vega puts her in a crucifix-like move on the ropes. She then hits a hurricanrana and gets a close call. Vega goes for the Backstabber, but Asuka holds onto the ropes. Vega hits a kick on the mat and gets another close call. Vega gets a couple more pin attempts in before Asuka counters it into the Asuka Lock and gets the quick tap from Vega. Vega showed a lot of promise here, but has a little sharpening up to do. It was probably wise to keep this one as a sprint, as Vega was able to show off what she can do and Asuka looked strong. 

Match Rating: **1/4

After the match, Vega turns down a handshake and instead bows. Asuka bows back and Vega attacks and then leaves. 

United States Championship Match

Apollo Crews vs. Bobby Lashley

I don't even watch the weekly programming and I feel like this is the 100th time Apollo has fought a member of the Hurt Business. Crews hits a nice kick onto Lashley and then a moonsault from the apron. Crews hits a top rope crossbody. Lashley comes back and hits a flatliner for a 2 count. Lashley continues to wear down Crews and MVP continues to talk trash in his face. Crews is able to hit a big elbow to Lashley and then jumps from the apron onto Lashley. Crews hits a gorilla press and a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Lashley hits a superplex on Crews. Crews comes back with a standing shooting star and then a Frog Splash off the top rope, but it's not enough. Lashley hits a chokeslam and then puts on the Hurt Lock for the submission victory. I thought they had a good match at Payback, but this one did not work for me at all. They executed all of the moves flawlessly, but the match had no flow or drama. 

Match Rating: **

WWE Raw Tag Team Championship Match

Angel Garza & Andrade vs. The Street Profits

Dawkins hits a big dropkick on Andrade and Ford follows up with one of his own and another on Garza. Garza grabs Andrade while he is going off the ropes and he avoids offense from Ford. Andrade tosses Ford up and Garza hits a kick on the way down. Andrade hits a second rope missile dropkick and then Garza hits a running knee on Ford. These two have potential to be one of the best tag teams in WWE of the last few years right up there with Team DIY, Undisputed Era and The Revival. I'm sure they'll break up in a month, but I try to remain positive. Ford is able to hit a tag and Dawkins cleans house. Andrade is able to slow him down with a dropkick. Dawkins avoids double knees and hits a spinebuster, but Garza tagged himself in and hits a Spanish Fly off the top rope for a 2 count. Andrade moves Dawkins out of the way so that Ford can't make the tag. Garza hits a knee on Ford into Andrade's corner. Andrade hits the double knees for a nearfall. Dawkins tags in and hits a spinebuster and gets the win...but he doesn't. Andrade's shoulder was clearly up and Dawkins seemed confused there. They are now showing Garza being looked at by the medical staff, so perhaps it was stopped due to injury. Either way, this was a really enjoyable match and I can watch Garza and Andrade any day of the week. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

I guess the draft is coming up again. It's hard to keep up with who is on each show as it is. 

Drew Gulak celebrates his 24/7 Championship. R-Truth comes in hits Gulak with a metal bowl and wins his title back. 

Bayley comes out and talks about how big of a shame it is that Nikki Cross isn't able to compete tonight. She offers an open challenge to anyone, but when no one responds within seconds, she asks the ref to come in and raise her arm. As she is celebrating, Asuka's music hits. 

SmackDown Women's Championship Match

Bayley vs. Asuka

Things start quickly and Asuka hits a German suplex. Bayley rolls outside and of course Asuka throws her back in. Asuka hits a Hip Attack and follows it up with an arm bar. Bayley gets to the ropes and then snaps Asuka's arm on the ropes. Bayley hits a back suplex and works on the arm Asuka injured earlier on. Bayley goes off the second rope and Asuka counters with a Code Breaker. Asuka on the outside hits another German suplex. Bayley then hits Asuka in the midsection with a chair and the ref calls for the bell. After that, Sasha Banks comes from behind and hits Bayley with a chair to the back. Bayley hits her with a baseball slide dropkick and grabs a kendo stick from under the ring. Sasha is able to get the kendo stick and starts wailing away. Sasha grabs a chair, but Bayley rolls out of the ring. This was obviously all about the story and not about the match.

Match Rating: *1/4

Ambulance Match For The WWE Championship

Randy Orton vs. Drew McIntyre

McIntyre immediately takes it to Orton until he gets hung up on the middle rope, where Orton hits the draping DDT. Orton stands around for awhile because he's Randy Orton until a masked man grabs him by the ankle. Who could that 7 foot, 500 pound man be? Oh my god, it's Big Show! Show then chokeslams him through the announce table as McIntyre recovers. McIntyre starts tossing Orton around and into the barricade. McIntyre throws Orton into the ambulance and then goes for a chair. Orton gets in a shot with a crutch first and they then battle in the ambulance. In between there, we get a really odd shot of the WWE camera crew there. McIntyre goes for the Claymore Kick, but Orton dodges it and McIntyre knocks the door off the ambulance. They start brawling in the backstage area and here comes Christian to toss Orton around catering. They head out back to the arena and now on top of the hood of the ambulance. He slams McIntyre though the windshield. Orton throws McIntyre off the ambulance, which means it's time for him to stand there again. Gee, I wonder what will happen next? Shawn Michaels is standing there and hits him with Sweet Chin Music and tosses him off the ambulance. McIntyre begins to carry Orton to the ambulance, but Orton hits him with a RKO on the floor. Orton gets him in the ambulance, but McIntyre fights it off. He hits the Claymore Kick and then throws Orton in the ambulance. Instead of closing the door, he drapes him over the edge and punts him in the head. He throws him in there and closes the door. This match was not for me at all. I like McIntyre a lot, but this did absolutely nothing for him and hopefully this is the end of this feud. After the match, Ric Flair drives away the ambulance. 

Match Rating: *1/2

WWE Universal Championship Match

Jey Uso vs. Roman Reigns

We get a lot of mind games and a slow start until Roman begins to dominate. Jey sneaks in a Samoan drop out of nowhere for a 2 count. Roman comes right back and hits a Superman punch. Roman is in Orton mode here today, methodically beating on Uso. Uso makes another underdog comeback, hitting a dive to the outside. Uso hits a top rope crossbody for a 2 count. He then hits a superkick for another close call. Roman then pulls out a leaping leg drop to slow down Uso's comeback. Jey avoids the Spear attempt and counters it into a schoolboy. He hits a superkick and then a Frog Splash for a 2 count. On the kick out by Reigns, Reigns shoved his left arm below the belt. Reigns hits a Spear and then does a lot more trash talking before hitting a second Spear. He then tells Jey to tell the world that he is the Tribal Chief and Jey doesn't oblige. Heyman then shouts that he is the Tribal Chief, but he tells him he wants Jey to tell him that and starts pounding away. He then gets into Charles Robinson's face and threatens to knock him out. I have to say, I hate how loud all of this is. As Roman continues to destroy Jey, out comes Jimmy Uso. He goes back to pounding away and Jimmy throws in the towel and that's the match. Jimmy tells Roman that he's the Chief as he tends to his brother. Reigns celebrates as he looks over at his cousins. I guess I am going to be the one person who did not enjoy this one either. I love the idea of the story, but the execution to me just did not work. I wanted a match, not taunting. I like Roman and I really like the Usos, but this just felt like a TV match to me. 

Match Rating: **

That's back-to-back duds for the WWE here after a solid SummerSlam show. I really was excited for the Uso/Reigns match and it just wasn't my thing. The ladder match delivered a unique finish and a great start to the show, but unfortunately the momentum ended there and the show fell off a cliff. Here's hoping that Hell In A Cell provides a much needed spark.

Overall Rating: 48%

SmackDown Special 11-29-05 Review

Tuesday, November 29th, 2005
U.S. Bank Arena
Cincinnati, Ohio

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Match Two In A Best Of Seven Series For The United States Championship

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

Booker T took the first match at Survivor Series to go up 1-0. Benoit wastes no time and goes right after Booker. Benoit hits a snap suplex and follows it up with a German suplex. Booker rolls out of the ring, but Benoit is right after him. The first match in the series was a pretty disappointing match, especially when you throw in the fact that it was the opening match at a pay-per-view. Booker is able to dump Benoit on the top rope to slow him down. It doesn't last long, as Benoit is right back in with a backbreaker. Benoit then hits a nice looking Northern Lights suplex into a bridge for a 2 count. Booker hits a nice roll up out of the corner out of nowhere for a close call. Benoit goes right back on offense. Booker goes for a heel kick, but Benoit holds onto the rope and then dumps Booker over the top rope. Benoit goes for a dive to the outside, but Booker is able to move out of the way into the commercial break. Booker is working on the back and then hits a nice heel kick for a 2 count. Benoit strikes again this time with three overhead belly-to-belly suplex and gets a 2 count. Sharmell distracts both Benoit and referee Nick Patrick, but Benoit still hits a suplex. He connects with the flying headbutt, but Booker kicks out. Booker snaps Benoit's neck over the top rope. He goes for a suplex to the floor, but Benoit lands on the apron. Benoit then attempts a German suplex off the apron, but Booker hangs on and Benoit goes crashing to the floor. Yikes. Booker rolls him back in for a pin attempt, but Patrick says that Benoit got his shoulder up. That was a little strange. Benoit snaps up and hits a German Suplex. Booker comes right back and hits the Scissor Kick for the victory. That was a much better match than the first one, but that finish was just strange. 

Match Rating: ***1/4

We get some Eddie Guerrero highlights. No complaint there. They then show Rey Mysterio praying earlier in the day to make Eddie his guardian angel tonight. He then dedicates the match to Eddie. This leads into a big hype video for Rey/Big Show. In case you didn't get the hint, this is a real life David vs. Goliath story.

Big Show vs. Rey Mysterio

Mysterio comes out to Eddie's music and in the low rider. Rey goes right after Big Show's legs, but Show just shoves him away. Big Show chases Mysterio on the outside, but Mysterio hits a dropkick on the outside. Big Show no sells it as we head into a commercial break. When we come back, Show hits an open palm slap to the chest and then walks on his chest for good measure. Mysterio comes off the top rope to the floor, but Show catches him and he powerbombs him on the low rider. When we come back from commercial, Mysterio is being checked on by officials. Show tells them to move out of the way and he carries him back in the ring. Tazz is begging for the match to be stopped. So just to recap, on Monday Big Show stands up to the biggest heel on Raw, Triple H. On the very next night, he takes out the biggest babyface on SmackDown, Rey Mysterio. I'm not sure how this makes any sense and as we all know, this is the biggest theme of Big Show's career. Referee Charles Robinson gets squashed in the corner by Mysterio getting thrown there. Big Show brings in a chair, but Mysterio snags it and starts striking his legs with it. Rey then hits two unprotected chair shots to the head of Show and hits the 619. Robinson is still down, so Mysterio slams the chair against Show's chest. Mysterio hits a Frog Splash  in honor of Eddie and then Kane's pyro and music hits. They hit a double chokeslam and then the lights go out and Undertaker is in the ring behind them. Kane sees him and walks to the back. Show and Taker start slugging it out and of course Undertaker gets the best of him. He hits a leaping clothesline on Show and then Kane comes back in. Taker gives him a chokeslam and then gives Show a boot to the outside. In comes Randy Orton and he hits a RKO on Undertaker. Taker attacks Orton as he is passing by the low rider, but Orton gets the better of him. Orton then takes the car, puts it in reverse with Taker on the back of it and drives it through the SmackDown stage. We get explosions and fire as the show goes off the air. The match itself was pretty good, but this was obviously more than just a match.

Match Rating: **1/2

Well, when this happened there were a lot of people who were not happy with them using Eddie's legacy in this way. From their perspective, they are right. It felt too soon to be doing something like that to further a story that really didn't have anything to do with him. If you take all of that out of the equation, which probably is not fair, this is the type of cliffhanger that makes sense in the world of Undertaker. A frustrated Orton being driven to extreme lengths after he is unable to get rid of his opponent time and time again. The stunt itself looked impressive as well and it was something that hadn't been done. It's just a shame they had to drag Eddie into it. The show as a whole was entertaining and a strong reminder of how good a 1 hour wrestling show can be. 

Overall Rating: 69%

Monday Night Raw 11-28-05 Review

Monday, November 28th, 2005
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, Ohio

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Eric Bischoff is in the ring to begin the show. He isn't happy about the results of last night and he's putting everyone on notice. He calls out the entire locker room, but no one comes out. He says that he is going to head back and fire the first person he sees, which leads to Mr. McMahon's music and out he comes. Vince says that the reason no one came out was because he told them that he didn't have to. He rips on Bischoff for not hitting any of the three goals he set and he's not going to allow him to run the show into the ground. Vince then says Bischoff has to set a goal and actually accomplish it and if he doesn't, he says he may be looking for a new GM. Bischoff says that he doesn't think that Vince could find anyone to replace him, so Shane McMahon's music hits. Vince says that he was born to do this job and Bischoff leaves.

Shawn Michaels vs. Carlito

So Carlito thinks he should have been the Raw captain. So obviously this is a blood feud here. Carlito starts it off by slapping Michaels across the face and then spits in his face. Michaels tries to make a comeback, but Carlito hits the Backstabber. Carlito throws Michaels out, but Michaels skins the cat. Carlito clotheslines him out of the ring for good measure. Carlito then launches himself over the top rope and onto Michaels. This is a slightly more spirited performance by Carlito here. Michaels attempts to make another comeback, but is selling the left knee. The ref is checking in on him to see if he can continue as we go into the commercial. When we come back, Carlito has him in a half crab. Michaels attempts to get to the top rope, but Carlito gets there before he can do anything. Michaels fights him off and barely pulls off the elbow drop. That was a good sell there by Michaels. Michaels attempts Sweet Chin Music, but he's not able to execute the move. Carlito hits a DDT for a close call. Michaels pushes Carlito in the direction of the referee and the distraction allows Michaels to hit Sweet Chin Music this time and pick up the victory. It's unfortunate for these younger guys that they can't fight Michaels every week, because he's the only one who is guaranteed to get a good match out of them. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Kurt Angle is livid and is calling his match at Survivor Series the biggest screw job in history and he wants the WWE Championship.

After some Survivor Series highlights, Maria comes in and asks Bischoff if he thinks he will be fired tonight. She says that Shane McMahon told her to ask him that. Bischoff says tonight she's going to wrestle tonight against Kurt Angle.

Maria vs. Kurt Angle

Daivari comes down to be the referee of the match, but Chad Patton attempts to throw him out and they get into it. Daivari attacks him and puts him in the Camel Clutch. Angle comes down and grabs a mic. He tells her that he isn't going to hurt her and that this is a stupid idea. He just asks for a hug and tells her that they'll call it a day. He hugs her and then gives a creepy face before hitting the Angle Slam. He's about to put her in the Ankle Lock, but out comes Cena to make the save. Now Chris Masters is out and puts Cena in the Master Lock. As they continue the assault, Bischoff comes out and announce that his goal is to see Cena lose the WWE Championship. Tonight, Cena will face Kurt Angle and Chris Masters in a No Disqualification, No Count Out Triple Threat Submission Match. Styles is worried because Cena doesn't have a submission hold that he uses. 

Trish Stratus, Mickie James & Ashley vs. Candice Michelle, Victoria & Torrie Wilson

Mickie and Torrie start things off. Mickie hits a crossbody and tags in Ashley, who hits a double ax handle from the second rope. Torrie quickly turns things around and tags in Candice. Victoria comes in shortly after and takes advantage the inexperienced Ashley. Victoria misses her slingshot somersault leg drop and that allows Ashley to tag in Mickie. Mickie hits some fists and then hits a spinning heel kick. Mickie hits a headscissor takedown and then hits Stratusfaction and gets the win. Trish didn't even get in the match. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Shane walks into Bischoff's office and insults him about putting Maria in that match. Bischoff says that while they are being honest, he tells Shane that he is part of the lucky sperm club. Shane shoves him against the wall and tells him to never disrespect him or his family. 

Angle and Daivari are getting ready for their match. Daivari says that as soon as Kurt puts in a submission hold, he is going to instantly ring the bell. Masters comes in and says that doesn't only screw Cena, it screws him. Masters says he went to Vince and as a result Daivari is not the referee for their match. 

Shelton Benjamin vs. Trevor Murdoch

They immediately go at it and Benjamin hits a top rope clothesline to the floor. Back in the ring, Murdoch is able to recover and stomp away on Shelton. Shelton hits a couple of clotheslines and a back body drop. Shelton goes for another top rope clothesline, but this one misses. Benjamin goes for a second rope sunset flip, but Shelton overshoots him and Murdoch has to cover and attacks him. Murdoch drops Shelton face-first into the second rope. He rolls him up and holds the tight to steal the victory in a quick match. Apparently Murdoch is no longer with Cade? 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Triple H is here in the ring now and says that despite what people think, he is a compassionate man. He made sure that Flair's hospital had the USA Network so he can watch Raw tonight. He says that Ric Flair is done and he got to go out on top by going back-to-back pay-per-views with Triple H. He says there is no one who will step up and look him in the eye and say something to his face. Cue Big Show's music. We get a bleeped out word here, that's how mad Big Show is at Triple H. Show tells him his time is here now and asks him if he has the guts to fight him now. Triple H is about to answer, but Show smacks the mic out of his hand. Triple H retreats.

World Tag Team Championship Match

Big Show & Kane vs. Snitsky & Tomko

We join the match in progress. After a short heat segment on Kane, Show gets tagged in and hits power moves on both opponents. Kane hits the flying clothesline and then clotheslines Snitsky over the top rope. Show hits the chokeslam on Tomko and gets the victory. This happened. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

No Disqualification, No Count Out Triple Threat Submission Match For The WWE Championship 

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Masters vs. John Cena

Cena runs in and tries to attack Angle, but the 2-on-1 advantage quickly brings that to a halt. The Angle/Masters team quickly dissolves and Angle dumps him over the top rope. Cena makes a comeback and puts Angle up for the FU, but Angle counters that into the Ankle Lock. Masters comes from behind and puts the Master Lock on Angle. Angle is doing a really nice job of trying to break the hold and selling the hold, as if I needed some sort of reminder how amazing Angle is. Cena comes in and breaks the hold, but Masters greets him with a vertical suplex. Now Masters puts the Master Lock on Cena, which brings Cena to his knees until Angle is able to break the hold. Angle counters Masters attempt to put on the Master Lock a third time by putting him in the Ankle Lock. Cena comes off the top rope to break that up and hits Angle with a shoulder tackle. Cena calls for Five Knuckle Shuffle, but Masters levels him with a clothesline. Masters grabs Cena and in comes Angle with a chair. Cena gets the boot up and then starts hitting Masters leg with a chair. Cena locks in the STF for the first time on Masters and gets the victory. I really enjoyed this, as it was really strong storytelling and it advanced all three of the characters involved. Masters looked like a serious threat, Angle didn't lose the match and Cena now has a strong submission hold in his arsenal. Good stuff.

Match Rating: ***1/2

They pan to Vince and Shane watching backstage. Vince says that next week it will be time for him to take out the trash. 

This show started strong and ended strong. Three people stepped up above their normal here and it helped the quality of the show. Carlito showed the fire in his match against Shawn Michaels, Big Show looked like a monster in stepping up to Triple H and Chris Masters held his own in the main event segment. With someone like Chris Jericho gone and Edge on the shelf with an injury, this had to have been a promising show for the creative staff. Overall, this was a good episode that I enjoyed for the most part from start to finish.

Overall Rating: 69%

NXT 9-11-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, September 11th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassidy vs. Alexander Rusev & Scott Dawson

Cass hits a big knee to the gut of Dawson and goes to work. Enzo comes in and Dawson destroys him with a clothesline. In comes Rusev and he continues the attack. I will say I am glad that he changed up his look on the main roster. Rusev hits a spinning heel kick variation of the Hart Attack, which was pretty sweet. But then the bell rings? They are saying the referee disqualified them for double teaming for more than 5 seconds. Absolutely terrible booking there. In 30 years of watching wrestling, I believe that is the first time I have ever seen that finish.

Match Rating: 3/4* (out of 5)

Bo Dallas is here in the ring and is thanking his Bo-lievers. I kind of liked it better when the fans weren't supposed to not like him. He says that he has no problem giving Sami Zayn a match when he is healed, but it won't be a title match because he hasn't earned it yet. The crowd is not listening to a word he is saying. 

Renee Young is with CJ Parker. He goes off on his hippity dippity gimmick until Tyler Breeze attacks him from behind and then takes a selfie.

NXT Women's Championship Match

Sasha Banks vs. Paige

Sasha hits a nice roll up out of a bow and arrow early on, proving that she is already better than what you probably expected at this point. Paige starts stomping in the corner until Sasha rolls her up and the back of Paige's head hits the bottom turnbuckle. Sasha puts in a rear headlock with a bodyscissors twice here during her heat segment. Paige makes a comeback and hits 10 knees to the head of Sasha. Paige misses with a dropkick and Sasha hits a crossbody. Paige rolls through on the crossbody and gets the pinfall. Sasha denies Paige's condolences and then attacks her from behind. Sasha hits a neckbreaker and heads to the back. The match was kind of dull and another finish that I'm not that crazy about. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Sasha is shown in the back and Summer Rae says that she knew she had it in her. Sasha thanks Summer for bringing out the rage inside of her and hugs her.

Leo Kruger vs. Xavier Woods

We get a lot of stalling to start. Kruger grabs Woods arm and snaps it on the rope. Kruger immediately goes to work on the arm of Woods. Woods finally breaks out of it and hits a running headscissors. He goes for a dive over the top rope, but Kruger moves out of the way in time. Kruger goes on offense seemingly forever again. Woods pulls a dropkick out of nowhere, but Kruger is right back with a vertical suplex. Kruger misses off the second rope. Woods fights back, but again it's not for long because Kruger catches Woods out of the Honor Roll and turns it into a spinebuster. Woods comesback and hits the Honor Roll this time. He hits Lost In The Woods and gets the pinfall victory. This wasn't really my style, as Kruger controlled too much of this match and it didn't let Woods be Woods. 

Match Rating: *

This episode just didn't work for me. It's nice to see them give Sasha some purpose on the show, as it is clear that she is deserving of more TV time. The Kruger/Woods match just didn't click for me especially in comparison to some of the Sami Zayn matches we've had lately. 

Overall Rating: 41%

Monday Night Raw 7-5-93 Review

Monday, July 5th, 1993

Manhattan Center

New York City, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

We begin the show with clips from the previous morning on U.S.S. Intrepid, where multiple wrestlers and athletes tried to slam Yokozuna. They then sort of awkwardly cut to the Raw intro and then to the Manhattan Center. Vince and crew then bring us back to the highlights. This was actually a pretty unique idea, I just couldn't imagine how boring it was to watch live. Plus, it was extremely hot, so I can only imagine. Crush came close, but it wasn't enough. Randy Savage was last...or was he? In comes the helicopter and it's none other than Lex Luger sporting a red, white and blue collared shirt. Luger then throws out some stupid racial stereotypes at Yoko and Fuji and attacks Fuji. He hits Yoko with the forearm that Vince used to complain about an then body slams him. This recap was legitimately 25% of the show. 

Blake Beverly vs. 1-2-3 Kid

This is a low key 1993 dream match. Blake slaps Kid, so he follows up with a dropkick. Blake is knocked outside, so he hits a dropkick through the ropes. Back in the ring, Kid hits a pop up dropkick and an enziguiri. Blake catches Kid and hits a powerslam to slow things down. Blake hits a vertical suplex onto the top turnbuckle and that now sends Kid to the floor. Blake hits a nice looking leaping headbutt and then tosses him over the top rope just as if he was a "sack of garbage" according to Vince. Blake works on him in the ring before hitting a shoulder tackle to once again send him out of the ring. Blake misses off the second rope to the floor and then the Kid hits a top rope somersault to the floor. Blake sells like he is injured, but ends up catching Kid again and hits a suplex. He misses with a second rope headbutt and Kid immediately heads up top. He hits the leg drop and scores the victory. Good TV match here. I'll gladly take either guy on here more.

Match Rating: **3/4 (out of 5)

We get a Men On A Mission rapping hype video. They're on a mission. 

Luna lets us know that the Beast From The East is coming up next.

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Joey Maggs

Bam Bam hits two splashes in the corner, falls on Maggs and that's it. Well, that certainly was short. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Samu vs. Undertaker

After a nice little opening sequence, Undertaker goes for a leapfrog, but doesn't quite get over him there. Taker then hits a drop toe hold, which is a rarity. Taker is pulling out all the tricks today, hitting a dropkick. After Samu takes a break outside, Taker hits Old School before it was Old School. Taker gets distracted by Afa, allowing Samu to attack him from behind. Back from a commercial break, Samu is still on the attack. Samu hits a nice powerslam for a 2 count, but Taker quickly sits up. Samu clotheslines him over the top rope and Taker lands on his feet. Taker throws Samu into the turnbuckle and his face hits the ring post. Paul Bearer is not at ringside and they are still selling the storyline of Mr. Hughes stealing the urn. Samu hits a top rope splash, but on the second attempt, Taker sits up and Samu comes crashing down. This sets up the Tombstone and the victory. It was nice to see Samu look competitive there and Taker had his working boots on. One of the better matches of the early Taker era that I can remember.

Match Rating: **3/4

Yokozuna and Mr. Fuji join Vince McMahon outside the ring. Mr. Fuji disputes that what Lex Luger did yesterday was not a slam. They say that they denied Luger's challenge because he is a cheater with his steel plated forearm. Out comes Crush and he thanks Luger for embarrassing them. Crush then accepts the challenge and will take on Yokozuna next week. 

August 30th...it's SummerSlam time. 

Mr. Perfect vs. Brian Costello

Perfect hits a dropkick and it sends Costello out of the ring. He chops him and quickly puts on the Perfect Plex. I'm not sure why they felt the need to put two squashes that are so short on here tonight?

Match Rating: 1/4*

This was a really enjoyable show. The highlight package probably could have been a little bit shorter, but it still allowed for us to get two really solid TV matches on here. There wasn't a ton of movement for the SummerSlam card, but they do still have almost two months to start on that. If you're an Undertaker fan, I think his match with Samu is worth checking out. 

Overall Rating: 70%

Survivor Series 2005 Review

Sunday, November 27th, 2005
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2 

Match One In A Best Of Seven Series For The United States Championship

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

This has actually been one of the stronger stories that they have told in 2005. Even if they are going back to an old idea, at least it makes sense. Michael Cole announces that the second match of the series will take place on the Tuesday SmackDown special. They start off slowly here, playing off the fact that they know each other so well. They go old school with a test of strength, which leads to Booker hitting a back heel kick. After a little burst from Benoit, Booker gets a boot up and hits a side suplex. The pace here is a little surprising so far, but I also get that it's a challenge knowing that you have to wrestle six more matches with the same opponent. Booker locks in the abdominal stretch. Benoit finally gets out with a hip toss. Booker is right back up and hits a spinning heel kick, which earns him a 2 count. Sharmell is really an unsung hero in this era of WWE. One of the few managers/valets that knew their job and took the role seriously. Benoit counters a vertical suplex into a German suplex.. He goes for another, but Booker hits another heel kick. They are slowly winning the crowd back now. Benoit fights back and hits the trio of German suplexes. Benoit climbs up to the top rope for the diving headbutt, but Sharmell provides the distraction that gives Booker the opportunity to stop Benoit. He goes for a superplex, but Benoit knocks him off. He goes for the headbutt, but Booker moves out of the way. Booker rolls up Benoit and puts his feet on the ropes to steal the victory and take the 1-0 lead. This one just never clicked for me. After the match, Benoit sells his frustration and gets his music played on his way back. 

Match Rating: **1/2 (out of 5)

Eric Bischoff is backstage getting ready for his match in his karate gear. Vince McMahon wishes him good luck. Bischoff says that he will pull off the trifecta tonight by winning his match, Raw beating SmackDown and screwing over Cena tonight. Cena is there and he and Vince share pleasantries. Vince then says the N word. They pan to Booker and Sharmell, who then say "Tell me he didn't just say that". I was at this show and I most likely could not hear it, because I have no recollection of this. I have watched it before on DVD, but I often would skip straight to the matches. This was completely unnecessary and despicable. Why is this segment still on the Network?

WWE Women's Championship Match

Melina vs. Trish Stratus

Tazz and Joey Styles are the announcers here, which is fun. Trish attacks Melina right away until MNM pull Melina out of the ring. Trish launches off the top rope to the floor on all three MNM members. Back in the ring, Trish his the headscissors. Melina hits her with a forearm and starts her attack. Melina's offense is more vicious when you would expect. Mickie James and Melina start brawling on the outside, which is not a DQ for some reason. MNM sneaks in and is about to give Trish the Snapshot, but the ref catches them and ejects them. Just to be clear, Mickie James is still allowed at ringside. Trish tries to go to for Stratusfaction, but Melina counters. Trish then does the Matrix and again Melina counters that and hits her in the abdomen. Trish hits a handstand into the hurricanrana and then hits a spinebuster for a 2 count. Trish goes for Stratusfaction again and this time Melina puts her on the apron. Mickie pulls Trish out of harms way and Trish hits a kick to the head. She follows it up with a top rope bulldog for the victory. Both ladies worked hard here and the crowd was into it more than I remember. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Last Man Standing Match

Triple H vs. Ric Flair

Triple H attacks Flair down in the entrance ramp and brings it into the ring. Flair gets his robe off and the action spills out into the crowd. Triple H back body drops Flair over the barricade. Triple H hits a vertical suplex and that keeps Flair down for a count of 7. Triple H hits another vertical suplex, this time back into the ring. Triple H now grabs a tool box and pulls out a screwdriver, using it on Flair's forehead. Flair is now gushing blood. Triple H starts to prep the table for usage until Flair throws him into the ring steps. Triple H gets on the mic and starts taunting Flair, so Flair grabs him by the balls. Triple H still ends up going for the Pedigree on the table, but Flair hits a back body drop through a table. This garners a 9 count for Triple H before he barely gets to his feet. Triple H hits a knee to the face, but when he goes for a Pedigree on the chair, Flair hits a low blow. Flair follows that up with a chair to the head and starts biting his forehead. He then uses the ring post for yet another low blow on Triple H. Flair locks in the Figure Four and uses the ropes for leverage. Triple H taps but obviously it doesn't mean anything. Triple H is able to pull off a desperation clothesline to give himself a breather. He hits Flair with the steel steps. He goes again, but this time Flair hits a drop toe hold and Triple H's face slams right into the steps. Triple H finally hits the Pedigree, but Flair is able to beat the count. Triple H hits a second Pedigree and again Flair is able to get up, this time flipping off Triple H on his way up. A third Pedigree is given to Flair and he gets up again. Triple H grabs a sledgehammer and hits him in the back, which is finally enough for the victory. That was the methodical, grueling match that Triple H has become associated with. It worked well in this instance and Flair was game here, no pun intended. Not quite a classic, but very good.

Match Rating: ***3/4

Team SmackDown is in the back, with Orton trying to claim himself as leader of the team. Batista isn't having it, leading to Randy Orton reluctantly agreeing. 

Edge and Lita are out for announce that they will be debuting their new show, The Cutting Edge. Edge then calls out Detroit Tiger Dmitri Young, who is in the front row. Edge makes fun of the Tigers and then asks if it is due to a lack of talent or a lack of steroids. That sure aged well. Edge then starts making fun of the Lions and the fans start chanting "Let's go, Red Wings". Young tells Edge that he has no balls and names off all of the championships the teams in Detroit have won. He asks Edge where his championship is and Edge heads to the back. 

WWE Championship Match With Special Guest Referee Daivari

Kurt Angle vs. John Cena

Six years prior to this at the 1999 Survivor Series, I got to see Angle's "debut" match live in this same building. There's just something about Angle's music and entrance that automatically any of his matches feel like a big deal. They play up the crooked referee gimmick early and often here, with Daivari not counting and him stopping Cena from going to the outside. Angle is able to get the Ankle Lock in and Daivari kicks Cena's arm from the rope. Cena gets out anyways and slaps Daivari in the face. Cena knocks both men down and out of the ring. On the outside, Angle is able to hit an overhead belly-to-belly suplex, while Daivari is still down. Another ref comes down and counts a 2 count on Cena. The crowd here is very vocal for Angle, which was very early in that trend. Angle wears down Cena for awhile until Cena is able to hit a DDT. Cena hits a shoulder block and some clotheslines before hitting the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena is getting ready to hit the FU, but Angle clotheslines the referee and then uses a low blow on Cena. In comes another referee Angle gets a nearfall. Angle hits a big superplex and again gets a nearfall. Angle adds another unsuccessful moonsault to his resume, as Cena rolls out of the way. Cena gets Angle up for the FU, but Angle grabs the rope to help him get out of the hold. He hits this referee as well, knocking him out of the match. He drags in Daivari, but Cena hits a DDT on him. Another ref comes down and Angle tries to stop him. Angle is back in the ring and Cena hits the FU and gets the victory. This was mostly storyline, but I thought the story was well told. The crowd was digging it too.

Match Rating: ***1/4

Eric Bischoff vs. Teddy Long

We have two referees for this, which is stupid. The fans are already crapping all over this one. Bischoff puts Long in a sleeper hold. Long takes off his shoe and hits Bischoff in the head to break the hold, but Bischoff hits a thrust to the throat of Long. The Boogeyman's music hits and Bischoff sends the refs down the entrance to stop him. Gee, I wonder what will happen next? Boogeyman is in the ring behind Bischoff? He grabs Bischoff by the throat and then hits a pump handle slam. This is somehow not a DQ and Jimmy Korderas counts the pin. Obviously, this was never going to be a good match. Unfortunately, this was pretty much the absolute worst outcome that they could have given us. Absolute garbage. 

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Team SmackDown are making their way to the ring as their locker room cheers them on. Not to be outdone, Raw is shown doing the same. 

Batista, JBL, Rey Mysterio, Lashley & Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels, Carlito, Chris Masters, Big Show & Kane

Michaels and Orton start things off. These two had one of my all time favorite Survivor Series matches just two years after this. Orton slaps Michaels in the face, but then it's Michaels taking Orton to school. We eventually get Masters and Lashley in here and it doesn't get the pop they were probably hoping for from the live audience. Lashley hits a big slam, but misses a splash in the corner and Masters clubs him with a clothesline. Carlito is tagged in and Lashley tosses him in. Lashley hits him with a running powerslam for a 2 count. Carlito catches him with an elbow and tags in Michaels. Lashley tosses him around too. Carlito runs in and eats a Dominator. He attempts to give one to Michaels, but Kane grabs him from the apron and gives him a chokeslam behind the referee's back. Somehow, that's enough to eliminate the undefeated Lashley. Masters hits a military press on Mysterio and tags in Kane. Kane misses with the elbow and Mysterio capitalizes until Kane steamrolls him with a big boot. Unfortunately, we are stuck listening to the announcers argue with one another and not talk about the match. Mysterio makes a tag to Batista, who is still all wrapped up. Batista hits a spear on Kane and takes out everyone. This leads to Kane eating a 619 from Mysterio and then a spinebuster from Kane to eliminate him. Big Show immediately hits a chokeslam and Batista is able to kick out. Even though Kane was eliminated, he and Big Show hit a double chokeslam on Batista and eliminate him. JBL comes in, but Big Show catches a crossbody attempt and slams him to the mat. Show then catches Mysterio and throws him halfway across the ring. Orton snaps Big Show on the top rope and JBL hits a Clothesline From Hell. Mysterio hits the 619 and he tags in Orton, who then hits the RKO. JBL comes in again and hits another Clothesline From Hell. Mysterio flies in with the seated senton and Big Show is finally eliminated. We now have a brawl and on the outside JBL hits a fall away slam on Michaels to the floor. After a headlock rest hold by Carlito, Mysterio fights back, hits a tag to JBL and he eliminates Carlito. Michaels is still knocked out on the floor, but it is down to just him and Masters against Mysterio, JBL and Orton. Masters catches Mysterio, but JBL hits him with a boot to the face. Masters hits his shoulder into the post and Mysterio hits the 619. He follows it up with the springboard leg drop and Masters is eliminated. Michaels is still on the floor, so JBL goes and grabs him. Back in the ring, Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on a leaping Mysterio and eliminates him. Michaels hits another desperation Sweet Chin Music on JBL and now we are down to just Orton and Michaels. Michaels gets out of the RKO and goes for Sweet Chin Music, but Orton rolls out of the ring. Michaels launches himself over the top rope and on the crowd is now chanting for Taker. Michaels is in control and hits the top rope elbow drop. Michaels is getting ready for Sweet Chin Music, but JBL comes in with a chair. Michaels ducks and hits Sweet Chin Music on him again. This allows Orton to hit the RKO and get the victory. I didn't love that they sort of telegraphed this by hyping up the fact that he was the sole survivor two years in a row and also with the fact that the ads for the show were all about Undertaker returning. As SmackDown is celebrating his victory, the druids come out and Orton is in a panic. Orton's "acting" here is awful here. The druids stand up a casket and then a lightning bolt strikes it and sets it on fire. Out comes Undertaker and he heads to the ring. I remember this being my cue to start heading to the parking lot. Taker starts taking out the entire SmackDown roster. Meanwhile, Orton and his dad escape to the entrance ramp and that's it. The match itself was good, but not quite as good as I hoped it would be. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

To be honest, I remembered liking this better last time around. I thought three of the matches delivered, but none of them weren't quite classics. Vince's stupidity and the Bischoff/Long match really bring this one down quite a bit for me though. I also felt that the ending came off really flat and unfortunately it was a little too bit predictable. This show gets a thumbs up, but at the same time it's not essential viewing. 

Overall Rating: 71%

NXT 9-4-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, September 4th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Bayley & Charlotte vs. Alicia Fox & Aksana

Talk about two teams with varying degrees of success. Aksana hits a side suplex on Bayley and hits a few elbows early on. Fox hits a dropkick and then a Northern Lights suplex into a bridge. Bayley gets a hug and then hits the Bayley-to-Belly suplex and tags in Charlotte. Charlotte gets thrown off the top rope, but quickly recovers. Bayley tags herself in, upsetting Charlotte and causes her to lose control. Fox charges after Bayley, but she ducks and Fox hits Aksana with the boot. Bayley rolls her up and they get the victory. That was just a strange finish. 

Match Rating: 1/2* (out of 5)

Scott Dawson and Sylvester Lefort are talking and in walks Alexander Rusev. They say that tonight is about getting revenge on Mason Ryan. Rusev takes a board that say Mason on it and breaks it over his knee. 

Rick Victor vs. Corey Graves

Graves charges at Victor and immediately starts throwing right hands. The beginning here is just basically lots and lots of punching. Graves hits a crossbody, but Graves injured ribs don't allow him to follow up. Victor drops Graves on the top rope and it then sends him to the floor as we head into a commercial break. I'll be honest here, this one is feeling like a chore to watch. Graves finally starts to make his comeback and the crowd is just completely out of this. Connor O'Brian gets up on the apron, but Neville comes in and knocks him off with a dropkick. Graves rolls up Victor and gets the victory. This is a match that I am fine with never seeing again.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Summer Rae walks in on Sasha Banks getting ready. Summer says that Sasha's match with Paige could change her life and tries to talk her into giving her the beatdown of Paige's life. It's nice to see them put effort into hyping up a women's match on the show and it quickly makes a throwaway match into something important.

Renee Young is with Paige. Paige doesn't care about Summer Rae, but says that Sasha is good. Paige says that she is the anti-Diva because she isn't a cover girl, but that she covers girls in the ring. 

Alexander Rusev vs. Mason Ryan 

Ryan gets the better of Rusev, but Rusev quickly fires back with a spin kick. Rusev hits some headbutts to the chest of Ryan and then pancakes him against the ropes. Ryan avoids a charging Rusev and he hits his face into the ring post. Ryan hits a boot to the face and then throws Scott Dawson into the ring. He quickly clotheslines him out, but then Sylvester Lefort distracts Ryan. Rusev attacks him and puts in the Camel Clutch for the victory. It was pretty obvious that Rusev was a star early on here, it's just too bad the company never let him reach his full potential. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Leo Kruger is shown outside the building laughing and they show Xavier Woods laying on the concrete in pain. 

Sami Zayn vs. Jack Swagger

Alex Riley talks about how natural Sami Zayn is with his interview skills. This seems like something that shouldn't be brought up? Zayn goes right after Swagger. Zayn hits a nice pop up ddropkick and then goes for a dive, but Swagger sees it coming so Zayn just does a springboard backflip to show off. Zeb Colter provides the distraction and Swagger nails him with a clothesline. Swagger hits another one and Zayn helicopters as a result. Zayn moves out of the way from Swagger and pulls down the top rope, sending Swagger to the floor. Zayn then hits a senton over the top rope to Swagger and has the crowd in the palm of his hands. It can't be understated how much of a breath of fresh air Zayn was here in 2013. Zayn hits a top rope crossbody, but Swagger blocks a kick and ends up eventually just driving Zayn down to the mat. Zayn hits a Blue Thunder Bomb for a nearfall. Swagger goes for a Patriot Lock, but Zayn escapes. Swagger turns it into a gut wrench powerbomb, but Zayn kicks out. Swagger gets the Patriot Lock on in the middle of the ring. Zayn scratches and claws his way to the bottom rope to break the hold. Zayn gets his knees up on the Swagger Bomb and then hits the Yakuza Kick for a nearfall. Swagger knocks Zayn off the top rope, but Zayn hits a sunset flip bomb for another close call. Out comes Bo Dallas and Swagger is able to get the Patriot Lock on and this time Zayn taps out. Call me crazy, but I actually liked this better than the Cesaro match. What a great performance by Zayn here. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

This would be the definition of a one match show. It was great to see both Rusev and Zayn look so strong here tonight, even if Zayn did lose his match. It's hard to strongly recommend the episode, but I most definitely endorse checking out the main event. 

Overall Rating: 61%

Monday Night Raw 6-28-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, June 28th, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Intercontinental Championship Match
Shawn Michaels vs. Kamala

This is just one of those matches that feels like two eras clashing. Kamala hits a clothesline and hits a few chops before Michaels rolls out of the ring. Michaels goes to work on Kamala's knee. Kamala mounts a comeback and tosses Michaels over the top rope. Kamala hits a thrust to the throat and follows it up with a splash. Michaels is on his stomach and Kamala again doesn't know how to pin him. Earl Hebner even tries to help him out. Diesel gets on the apron, distracting Kamala. Michaels hits the superkick from behind and gets the pinfall victory. Kamala attacks Michaels after the match and in walks Diesel. This was about what you would expect. 

Match Rating: *1/2 (out of 5)

Vince McMahon introduces Yokozuna to the ring. They talk about the Stars & Stripes Challenge, which just leads to the fans chanting "USA". We then get a few athletes and Tatanka talking about picking up Yokozuna.

The Smoking Gunns vs. Iron Mike Sharpe & Barry Horowitz

We get the jobber dream team here tonight. Billy cleans house, taking care of both opponents right of the bat. The Gunns to continue to dominate until Horowitz pulls out a few nice moves. He and Sharpe miss with a double clothesline and Bart follows up with one of his own. He tags in Billy, who hits some more dropkicks. They hit their finisher and get the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show highlights of the 1-2-3 Kid/Razor Ramon match from last week. 

Money Inc. joins Vince McMahon in the ring for an interview. Oh joy. Ted DiBiase talks about how stupid Razor Ramon has been with the 1-2-3 Kid and the crowd starts chanting "Razor". Did I miss something? IRS calls "Michigan University" a simpleton university. If such a school existed, I'm sure it would be. I'm still confused on the fans chanting for Razor. There has always been a portion of the audience cheering him, but not the whole audience.

Adam Bomb vs. BJ Walker

If only Bomb could wrestle, I still think this gimmick could have been a lot bigger than it was. Bomb hits a side suplex on poor Beej. I like Raven, but unlike guys such as Heenan, Jimmy Hart and Slick, he just looks like a guy wearing a costume playing a character. Bomb hits the Atom Smasher and gets the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bastion Booger vs. Crush

Heenan says he has a big scoop and it's that Bastion Booger is Hillary Clinton's brother. The action spills to the outside and Booger throws Crush into the ring post. Booger puts on a bear hug. Does anyone know why Booger got a second chance after the disaster that was Friar Ferguson? Crush fights out and hits three body slams and this is of course to hype up Crush slamming Yokozuna. Crush gets the easy pinfall victory. This was absolutely horrible.

Match Rating: 0 Stars

Randy Savage is at the Meadowlands with Joe Morris. Vince thinks that somewhere there is an American that is going to slam Yokozuna. I don't see it happening.

To put it nicely, this wasn't a good episode. Between Bastion Booger, an Adam Bomb squash and a Money Inc. interview, the back half was particularly terrible. There's always next week

Overall Rating: 31%

SmackDown 11-25-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, November 25th, 2005
Hallam FM Arena
Sheffield, Yorkshire, England

Follow me on Twitter: @WorkTheNetwork2

Teddy Long is talking with security and telling them to be ready for anything. 

United States Championship Match

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

Sharmell comes out separately and then introduces Booker. Benoit gets some chops in and after some Booker offense, Benoit goes right back to chops again. Booker hangs Benoit on the top rope with a suplex. After Benoit battles back from the edge of the ring, Booker throws Benoit shoulder-first into the ring post. Booker hits a back kick to the jaw of Benoit and follows it up with a vertical suplex. We get an accidental ref bump and then Benoit puts Booker in the Sharpshooter. Charles Robinson runs down as only he can, but Booker gets to the bottom rope. Benoit hits the three German suplexes and then heads to climb the ropes, but Sharmell distracts him. This allows Booker to hit a superplex. Both men had their shoulders down and since there just happened to be two referees, they both counted different guys and then argue over who won the match. It goes to commercial break and when we come back Teddy Long is in the ring to help make the decision. Teddy asks to see the replay. It looks like both men's shoulders were indeed down and Sharmell reminds Long that the champion retains in the event of a tie. Teddy Long strips the title from Booker and says that the title is vacated. He then announces that we are getting a second best of seven series and the first match will take place at Survivor Series. The match was good, even if it led to an angle. 

Match Rating: **3/4

They show JBL and he is outside looking for Raw. He opens a van door and it's Boogeyman. 

The Dicks vs. Road Warrior Animal & Heidenreich

Who in the world thought this was a good idea? They start brawling outside the ring before the bell rings. Heidenreich takes care of one Dick and then destroys the second Dick. Chad Dick snaps his neck over the top rope. The Dicks use quick tags to take control, but Heidenreich gets his boot up on a Dick. I'm sorry, I just don't care enough to check which Dick is which. Animal is tagged in. Behind the ref's back, they spray baby lotion in his eyes and steal the victory. What a time to be alive.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Mr. Kennedy vs. Matt Hardy

Hardy has some momentum to start with, but Kennedy rolls out of the way of Hardy's moonsault attempt and then starts working on Hardy's back. These are two guys who really deserved to be on Survivor Series, but they naturally chose Lashley over them. Hardy fights back and hits a Side Effect. He goes for the Twist Of Fate, but Kennedy escapes. Hardy climbs the top rope, but Kennedy is there and is trying to hit the Green Bay Plunge. Hardy hits a top rope bulldog instead, but Hardy grabs the bottom rope on the pinfall attempt. Hardy clotheslines Kennedy over the top rope and hits a double ax handle off the apron. Kennedy retaliates by slamming Hardy's head on the steps. Kennedy grabs a chair, but before he can use it, Charles Robinson grabs it. While they are fighting over it, he hits Robinson in the gut with it and that's a disqualification. This is the definition of booking yourself into a corner. Neither one of these guys can afford to lose here, so we get that nonsense finish.

Match Rating: **

Eric Bischoff is here outside and he tells Teddy that they are closer than he thinks. 

Christy Hemme vs. Melina 

Christy immediately his Melina with a dropkick and then MNM try to get involved, but the referee has them ejected. Christy hits a top rope crossbody and then a split legged leg drop. On the outside though, Melina follows up with a clothesline. Melina hits a backbreaker and works on the back of Christy. Christy makes a little bit of a comeback, but Melina slams Chrisy face-first into the mat and picks up the quick victory. Both women are athletic, but both have a long way to go as wrestlers. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Batista is shown getting wrapped up and in walks Randy Orton. He tells Batista that he was the best member of Evolution and that he will be taking the World Heavyweight Championship tonight. Batista reminds Orton that he lost his title to Triple H and was kicked out of Evolution. Batista says he beat Triple H and left Evolution on his terms.

They show highlights of Nunzio winning the Cruiserweight Championship from Juventud Guerrera in Italy. Carlito and Chris Masters are walking into the crowd with tickets. 

WWE Cruiserweight Championship Match

Nunzio vs. Juventud Guerrera

Juvy launches himself over the top rope at Nunzio and Vito, who both move out of the way. Back in the ring, Juvy fights back and hits a spinning heel kick. Nunzio misses with a leg drop off the second rope and then Juvy catches Nunzio on his shoulder. He hits the Juvy Driver and regains his title back. This was solid for a short match, but why not give them more time? Did we really need a million matches on this show?

Match Rating: *1/4

William Regal & Paul Burchill vs. JBL & Rey Mysterio

Regal and Rey start off, which I am more than okay with. Rey hits a big running knee, but JBL breaks up the pin attempt. Rey hits a pop up hurricanrana on Burchill. He hits the 619 and the springboard leg drop, but Regal breaks it up. JBL hits a the Clothesline From Hell on Regal. Out comes Shawn Michaels and he hits Sweet Chin Music on JBL. Carlito and Chris Masters come in and start attacking JBL and Rey. The SmackDown locker room comes out and Masters and Carlito retreat. We get a no contest here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Orlando Jordan vs. Bobby Lashley

Jordan attacks Lashley as he walks into the ring. Lashley just ends up hitting a spinebuster and then a vertical suplex. Lashley tosses Jordan around for a little bit and then hits the Dominator for the easy victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

No Holds Barred Match For The World Heavyweight Championship

Randy Orton vs. Batista

Teddy Long has the SmackDown locker room around the ring as security here. They lock up and out comes the Raw locker room. We get a huge brawl out in the aisle way. Cade and Murdoch bring Orton into the ring and they both get RKO's. Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Orton. Mysterio hits 619 on Michaels. Carlito and Masters take care of Mysterio and then Batista gives them spinebusters. In come Big Show and Kane. Batista handles them for a little bit, but it's too much. Show and Kane then double chokeslam Batista through the announce table, while the brawl moves to the ring. 

Match Rating: N/R

The ending was fun, but they just tried to cram way too much in here. There is nothing essential to see here, but it did a nice job continuing the Raw vs. SmackDown feud heading into Sunday's show. 

Overall Rating: 49%

Monday Night Raw 11-21-05 Review

Monday, November 21st, 2005
Hallam FM Arena
Sheffield, Yorkshire, England

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Eric Bischoff is out with Team Raw. He says that he hears SmackDown doesn't want to wait for Sunday, but Bischoff has seen no sign of them tonight. As they continue cutting their promo, JBL's limo is shown arriving and Team SmackDown is here. Shawn Michaels says that they're going to take care of them now, but Bischoff pleads for them not to. They go to a weird commercial break here and then show Raw on their way to meet SmackDown in the parking lot. Again, I actually like the brand warfare, but it really makes absolutely no sense why Batista would ever consider teaming with JBL. They start brawling and Batista is shown hurt after what we are assuming was a chokeslam from Big Show and Kane.

Ric Flair vs. Trevor Murdoch

Back body drop by Flair and a whole lot of "Woo"'s from the crowd. Flair goes up to the top and it almost works this time, but Murdoch catches him in the midsection. Murdoch misses with a knee drop off the second rope and then Flair clips the knee. Murdoch kicks out of the Figure Four, but Flair rolls him up by grabbing his tights and gets the quick victory. I'm not sure why they didn't put him over a little bit more aggressively with a Last Man Standing match in six days. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

As Flair celebrates, Triple H is on the Titan Tron to tell Flair that on Sunday it's all about surviving. 

Tajiri vs. Rob Conway

We join the match already in progress and Tajiri has Conway in the Tarantula. JBL is now out and knocks bout both men. He grabs a mic and calls Raw out. Bischoff comes out and argues with him. JBL wants Chris Masters, but Bischoff tells him that he's going to face Shawn Michaels instead. 

Hey, look. John Cena was on Mad TV.

Kurt Angle vs. Shelton Benjamin

They continue with the bleeping of the "You suck" chants. Daivari comes out as the referee for this match. After some back and forth to start, Angle hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Angle slows things until Shelton makes a comeback with a forearm. Shelton hits the Samoan drop. He goes for the Exploder suplex, but he ends up hitting a neckbreaker. He leaps out of a suplex attempt and lands on his feet and hits a spin kick to the head. Shelton hits a baseball slide to Angle on the outside. On the way back in the ring, Angle tries to hit a German suplex off the apron. Shelton escapes and hits a DDT to the hardest part of the ring. Back in the ring, Angle is able to put on the Ankle Lock. He gets close to the rope a couple of times and when he finally gets to them, Daivari doesn't break the hold. Shelton counters the hold into a pin attempt, but Daivari doesn't count and helps Angle counter it and get the pinfall victory. After the match (and a commercial break), Angle announces that Daivari is now his own personal referee. Cena then comes on the Titan Tron and says he is going to ask what other Superstars thing of Angle. This leads to him walking into the women's locker room in an unfunny bit. He then walks in on Snitsky giving Tomko a massage. The next door leads to the Boogeyman, who sings "London Bridge". Cena then goes to the crowd, who of course all say that he sucks. He gets in the ring and attacks Angle and sends him out of the ring. I get that they are getting over the Daivari stipulation, but I'm not sure this was the most effective way. The Cena segment went on forever and it did anything but treat Angle as a serious threat. 

Match Rating: **

Triple H vs. Val Venis

Venis starts on fire and he even sends Triple H out of the ring. Triple H grabs a chair and nails him in the head with the chair for the disqualification. Of course, with this being 2005, Val took it unprotected right to the head. I'm sorry, but you still can't tell me that they had no idea that hitting each other in the head was a bad idea. He continues the attack and then hits the Pedigree. This was obviously not a match. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bischoff is on the phone and is told that Teddy Long is outside and is demanding to speak with him. 

Candice Michelle vs. Mickie James

They announce that the JBL/Shawn Michaels match will be a Lumberjack match. Victoria distracts Mickie, allowing Candice to attack her from behind. It doesn't last long, as Mickie quickly takes over and then goes out to attack Victoria too. Two masked people come and kidnap Trish Stratus through the crowd and the distraction allows Candice to get the victory. This was, well, it was short.

Match Rating: 1/4*

They show Trish backstage and it was Melina and MNM who kidnapped her. Melina challenges Trish to a match at Survivor Series for her championship. Trish is feisty in her response, so Melina kicks her in the head. Jerry Lawler leaves to go check on her while Joey Styles and Coach run down the card for Sunday.

Maria is with Shawn Michaels, who tells JBL that he's going to find out what it's like to get Raw. 

Lumberjack Match

Shawn Michaels vs. JBL

Batista is not at ringside due to the injury suffered during the brawl. Michaels attacks him while JBL still has his jacket on. JBL eventually rolls out, but then realizes he is by Big Show and Kane and rolls back in. JBL hits a side suplex and then goes to work on Michaels' back with a bear hug. JBL runs through Michaels with a shoulder block and gets a 2 count. JBL misses with an elbow drop and Michaels sends both of them over the top rope with a clothesline. This of course gets the lumberjacks involved. Big Show gorilla presses Michaels over the top rope and onto JBL, which gets a 2 count right before the commercial break. The SmackDown lumberjacks get another chance to attack Michaels and I'm sorry, but Rey Mysterio should not be attacking Michaels. JBL hits a weird looking clothesline, most likely as a result of a miscommunication. Michaels is battling back and has a little bit of blood dripping down his face. JBL rolls out of the ring as Michaels is going for Sweet Chin Music, so Michaels launches himself over the top rope and takes out most of the SmackDown team. JBL goes for a superplex, but Michaels is able to push him off. Orton then sneaks in from behind and pushes Michaels off the top rope as well. Michaels is able to hit Sweet Chin Music, but in comes Orton and he hits a RKO on Michaels. They all come in and start a big brawl, trading big move after big move. Who could have seen it coming? Here comes Batista and he has a pipe and then hits a spinebuster on Big Show. So we have no winner here, which we kind of knew would be the case. This was pretty good, even if it wasn't memorable. 

Match Rating: **1/4

This was just a bizarre show, as many of the overseas shows are. There were a lot of weird commercial breaks and the matches were all short outside of the main event. As a go home show, it did what it was trying to achieve. However, it didn't make me any more interested in the show, which is a bummer.

Overall Rating: 44%

NXT 8-28-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, August 28th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Corey Graves is talking with Renee Young when Rick Victor approaches him. Conor O'Brian attacks him from behind and they lay him out by using the steel set. This was pretty poor as far as backstage attacks go.

CJ Parker vs. Tyler Breeze

It's interesting to see that almost exactly 7 years after this match, Tyler Breeze is now a NXT Tag Team Champion. Parker goes after Breeze's phone, so Breeze attacks him from behind. Parker uses an airplane spin and then drops him face-first. Parker then hits double running knees. This Parker gimmick is beyond lame. Breeze uses the phone to hit Parker in the face and gets the victory. This was not very good. Luckily for both men, they would go on to have much better days. 

Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)

Renee Young is with Emma to talk about Summer Rae. Emma says that her destiny will have to wait, as she has to go kick Summer's rear end. We are firing on all cylinders here tonight. 

Emma vs. Summer Rae

They trade slamming each other's heads into the mat. Both of these women do a nice job of playing their characters. Summer puts Emma in a pretty unique submission move by using her legs to pull Emma's arms back. She rolls and turns it into a nearfall. Emma hits the DilEmma. She follows that up with a splash in the corner and a slingshot to the center of the mat. Emma puts on the Emma Lock and gets the fairly easy victory. They just do not love giving the women more than a few minutes on this show. After the match Summer attacks Emma and then dumps the bottle of bubbles on her. Her mockery of her dance on the way out was pretty spot on. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Scott Dawson, Sylvester Lefort, Big Cass and Enzo are talking backstage. Lefort wants them to join forces with them, but Enzo and Cass want nothing to do with it. 

Summer is approached by Sasha Banks. Summer says that she is on Raw and SmackDown every week and tells Sasha that she is irrelevant. Summer says she's willing to do whatever takes to get to the top, unlike Sasha. She has a match with Paige in two weeks and Summer is sure that it will be a clean match and Sasha will lose. If it was her, she would attack Paige.

Scott Dawson vs. Enzo Amore

Enzo is definitely starting to get over with the NXT crowd. Dawson dumps Enzo on the top rope out of a suplex and then slams him face-first. Enzo hits a headscissors, but on the outside of the ring Alexander Rusev attacks Cass. This distracts Enzo and Dawson hits an Angle Slam for the victory. We have had three matches so far, none of which were jobber matches, and we haven't gotten 11 minutes of action. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

After they show highlights of Sami Zayn vs. Cesaro last week, Renee Young calls Sami Zayn out to the ring. I am a huge fan of both Zayn and Cesaro, but I'm not sure that match lived up to the hype for me. Zayn isn't happy with the result of the match because his goal is to become the next NXT Champion. Somehow Bo Dallas's music was ready to play at the exact time he said that. So does Bo just hang out in Gorilla Position all day and wait for someone to say something about him. Bo says that just because a few people on the internet say that he had a good match, doesn't mean he is championship material. They don't interview the losing team in the Super Bowl because that's depressing. Being the gentleman that he is, Sami asks Renee to leave. They argue about what the fans think about Bo and then Sami asks for a title shot, but out comes Zeb Coulter. Coulter wants proof that Zayn is a legal citizen of this country. Zayn says that as soon as he's done becoming the NXT Champion, he's going to get both Coulter and Cesaro deported back to Hell. Jack Swagger then attacks Zayn from behind, while Bo heads to the back. Swagger hits a gut wrench powerbomb. Zayn did a really nice job here in his role. 

They show highlights of NXT at SummerSlam. 

Adrian Neville vs. Conor O'Brian

Neville uses his speed to avoid O'Brian and then hit a crossbody. He gets distracted by Victor and O'Brian takes advantage before the early commercial break. They announce that Zayn will take on Swagger next week. Neville avoids a charging O'Brian in the corner and both men are down. Neville makes his comeback, but it doesn't last long as O'Brian counters a springboard leap into a Codebreaker. Neville hits a back suplex for a close call. Neville hits the Red Arrow and gets the victory? I have to say, I didn't expect that result. After the match, Victor attacks Neville. Out comes a bandaged Graves to try to make the save, but the Ascension destroy him. The match was much shorter than you would have expected a main event to be, but the action was pretty good for the most part. 

Match Rating: **

This episode was all over the place. The Parker/Breeze match was probably the low point and Sami Zayn's performance was probably the highlight. Unfortunately, we didn't get much in the way of good wrestling. Fortunately, next week has some potential with Zayn/Swagger and they did set up a few storylines that have my interest. 

Overall Rating: 43%

Monday Night Raw 6-21-93 Review

Monday, June 21st, 1993
Mid-Hudson Civic Center
Poughkeepsie, New York

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They kick off the show by giving us the finish of 1-2-3 Kid's historic victory over Razor Ramon. 

The Steiner Brothers vs. Barry Hardy & Reno Riggins

So The Steiner Brothers and Money Inc. have been going back and forth with the titles. The Steiners won them on 6/14, lost them back on 6/16 and then won them back again on 6/19. Even though I became a fan on the back end of the house show era, it's still hard to wrap my head around the fact that we never get that match on pay-per-view or TV. Oh yeah, the Steiners are tossing these poor jobbers around while Vince tries to tell us that it's worth to spend $30 twice to watch the King Of The Ring a second time. Scott hits the Frankensteiner and gets the easy victory.

Match Rating: 1/4* (out of 5)

2-Out-Of-3 Falls Match
Doink vs. Marty Jannetty

I am excited to cross this one off of list of matches I have always wanted to see. Bonus points to Doink for coming out on a unicycle. Marty gets the better of Doink in the early going, so Doink rolls out to regain his composure. Back in the ring, Marty gets a monkey flip in. Marty misses with a bronco buster in the corner and Doink hits the Whoopee Cushion and gains the first fall and we head to a commercial break. Doink continues his momentum and hits a big Irish whip into the corner. Doink then hits a double ax handle from the top rope and Savage is just bummed he stole his move. Marty fights back and goes up to teh top rope, but decides to come down and gets a few "boos" from the crowd. Marty hits a big superkick, but Doink is under the ropes. He hits a X-Factor and then a top rope fist to even the odds at 1-1. Marty tries to score a quick victory after a clothesline, but Doink is able to kick out. Doink slides outside and slams Marty's leg on the ring post. Back in the ring, Doink puts on the Figure Four. Marty is in the hold a long time before getting out. Doink then goes for a half crab and turns it into a STF. Doink then stomps Marty's knee to the mat and then kicks his leg out from under him. Doink is going up top again, but this time Marty is there to greet him and hits a powerslam. Marty hits a rear elbow and gets some right hands in the corner while a second Doink goes under the ring. The fans are telling Marty to look under the ring. In doing so, the real Doink hits him with a big kick to the face. Minus some points to Marty there for no selling the knee while walking around the ring. He then whiffs on a dropkick back in the ring. Doink goes under the ring and Marty is expecting him on the other side, but he baits him and hits him with a kick to the midsection. They collide and again Doink goes under the ring. This time we get Doink #2 and he gets a 2 count back in the ring. He goes for a body slam, but Marty counters into a small package for a close call. Doink #2 hits a piledriver and gets the victory. Immediately after the match, Randy Savage comes into the ring and attacks Doink from behind. He then goes under the ring and pulls out Doink from under the ring. Earl Hebner reverses his decision and declares Marty Jannetty the winner of the match. Meanwhile, Savage and Heenan get into it outside the ring. Good, long matches are always welcome here on Raw. It had a few flaws, but this was still good stuff.

Match Rating: ***1/2

Mr. Hughes vs. Bobby Who

Hughes immediately hits him with a big clothesline and unfortunately that will probably be the most exciting this match will get. Mr. Hughes really could use some work on pulling his opponents up before the 3 count. Both times he has done it this match, it was basically the ref just stopping his count before he does it. He hits his choke/side slam for the victory. Don't forget to catch all three Porky's movies on USA this weekend. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

They hype up the Stars & Stripes Challenge. 

Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid

Razor of course has the $10,000 in a bag like he promised. Kid hits a kick and then hits a sunset flip off the top rope for a real close call. He hits a dropkick and again almost gets the victory. The crowd is extremely into this, as they should be. Razor hits the fall away slam and a big clothesline. Razor folds him up like an accordion with a chokeslam, but Razor doesn't pin him. He puts him in an abdominal stretch instead. Razor hits a big powerslam and a back suplex off the second turnbuckle. Razor dumps him through the ropes and to the floor and pulls up the protective mat outside the ring. Razor sets him up for the Razor's Edge, but Kid counters it into a back body drop. Kid goes up to the top rope and looks like a wounded duck off there and falls short of Razor. In all seriousness, that looked like it probably hurt. Kid hits a moonsault and gets another nearfall. Kid then grabs the bag of money and heads to the back. Razor is after him, but Kid gets out of the arena and into a car that was waiting outside. Razor naturally is livid. This was a really fun match while it lasted. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Razor cuts a promo with Vince after the match and says that Kid can't hide from Razor. Next week we are getting Shawn Michaels against Kamala. 

This was easily one of the best episodes in the short history of the show up until this point. Doink and Marty had a really solid match and the Kid/Razor storyline is fantastic. Definite thumbs up from me on this one. 

Overall Rating: 78%

Off The Grid, Volume 4: Clash Of The Champions XX: 20th Anniversary

Wednesday, September 2nd, 1992
Center Stage Theater
Atlanta, Georgia

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Off The Grid, Volume 4: 

So not only is this the 20th Clash Of The Champions, but it's also a celebration of 20 years of professional wrestling on TBS. Tony Schiavone is with Missy Hyatt outside of Center Stage. Gordon Solie is also there with Andre The Giant. Ron Simmons and his wife are now here and he says that he is here to take care of business. Bill Watts and his wife are next to arrive and then are followed by Hank Aaron. Bill Shaw is next, which I would say is a pretty big drop off in terms of star power. Jim Barnett, Bob Dhue and Bruno Sammartino arrive in the next limo. Bruno takes a shot at WWF by saying he is thrilled to be back with an organization that cares about wrestling. Sting then arrives on a motorcycle, while Missy attempts to act. They then throw it over to Teddy Long, who is with the Atlanta City Council. They say that September 2nd, 1992 is WCW Day. Dusty Rhodes is here to get funky like a monkey. Well, they tried to make that feel like a big deal, but it came off as pretty small in scale. Jim Ross and Jesse Ventura are the hosts for tonight. 

No Disqualification Match For The WCW World Television Championship

Ricky Steamboat vs. Steve Austin

Austin is accompanied by Paul E. Dangerously. After the ring entrances, they have an 11 year old accompanied to the ring to sing the national anthem. Dangerously will be suspended above the ring in a cage. He tries to get away, but he is tossed in the cage regardless. I have to say that it's good to hear Ventura again. Austin hits a nice hip toss and then drives an elbow in Steamboat's sternum. He takes too long and Steamboat is back in control with a side headlock. Austin catapults Steamboat off the top rope and he lands face-first. Austin nails a clothesline and then puts on the abdominal stretch. Steamboat gets to the ropes, but Austin goes for it again but this time Steamboat counters with a hip toss. Steamboat hits a crossbody, but Austin rolls through for a 2 count. Steamboat blocks a dropkick attempt and hits a catapult into the turnbuckle. Steamboat goes for a Tombstone piledriver, but Austin reverses it and then Steamboat reverses it right back. Interesting that Ross actually calls it the Tombstone piledriver. Austin sets up Steamboat for a superplex, but Steamboat counters it and drop him to the mat. Austin counters a second rope leap with a right hand to the midsection. Steamboat hits a shoulder block for a 2 count. I forgot that this was the era of no top rope moves, but this match of course is no DQ, so that doesn't matter. Austin knocks Steamboat out of the ring. Steamboat crawls under the ring and hits a top rope crossbody and we have a new TV Champion. This was a good match, even if they really didn't use the stipulation. 

Match Rating: ***1/4 (out of 5)

Ross and Ventura introduce a video package of some of the great tag teams that have been on TBS over the past 20 years. We then get a Halloween Havoc commercial for "Spin The Wheel, Make The Deal". 

Jesse Ventura is with Michael Hayes, Arn Anderson and Bobby Eaton. Hayes says that they are a compilation of the three greatest tag teams. 

Greg Valentine & Dick Slater vs. Arn Anderson & Bobby Eaton

Valentine and Slater are accompanied by Larry Zbyszko. Eaton gets a cheap shot on Valentine, but their double team doesn't last long because Slater comes in and causes they to leave the ring. All four men are in the ring now and the ref finally regains control. I legitimately had no idea that Valentine was in WCW in '92. Valentine hits a vertical suplex on Anderson and gets a 2 count. Both teams use some double teams. Anderson hits a big spinebuster, but the pinfall attempt gets broken up. Again the ref is losing control here. Zbyszko accidentally hits Valentine with his cast, Eaton hits the Alabama Jam and he and Anderson pick up the victory. That one had a different feel than the usual tag team formula, which I enjoyed. I would have liked a few more minutes of action, but what we did get was action packed. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Ross is now with Sammartino. Sammartino is again just so thrilled because that other league has been such an embarrassment the last 10 years or so. I wasn't alive for the Sammartino era, but I have never understood the appeal of him. 

Teddy Long is with Bob Armstrong and Thunderbolt Patterson. Andre and Solie are there as well. 

Mr. Wrestling II congratulates Ted Turner on 20 years in a pre-taped interview. 

Ted Turner is also so happy that WCW is emphasizing traditional wrestling. 

Tony Schiavone is with Bill Watts. Light Heavyweight Champion Brad Armstrong is injured and unable to defend his championship tonight. Watts is stripping him of the title and there will be a tournament to crown a new champ. They go to Armstrong with Ventura. Armstrong feels like he has let everyone down and in walks Brian Pillman. Pillman says this situation is a total disgrace. Pillman says that Brad's dad is hanging his head in shame. Pillman calls him scum and then slaps Armstrong in the face. I am an Armstrong fan, but Pillman was just so ahead of his time as a promo. 

They now show some of the many singles stars that have competed on TBS. For a show that keeps telling me about how great the wrestling is, there sure hasn't been much of it. 

We now get a video package of Ron Simmons. This is the most 90s video package you will see. 

WCW World Heavyweight Championship Match

Cactus Jack vs. Ron Simmons

Ole Anderson is the guest referee here. Simmons has Cactus in a side headlock early on and I love that it actually looks like a headlock instead of some of the sloppy ones I see way too often. Cactus goes right to some heel moves like back scratches and biting him on the forehead. Simmons fires back with some intense brawling in the corner. He charges at Cactus, but Foley hits him with a clubbing blow to the midsection. Cactus clotheslines Simmons over the top rope and he hits a spinning neckbreaker on the floor. Cactus hits a trio of clotheslines and puts him in a reverse chinlock. Simmons makes a comeback and hits two charging forearms for a 2 count. Simmons hits a unique counter to the sunset flip attempt by driving him to the mat while had Cactus on his back. They end up outside the ring again, where Cactus hits a body slam and follows it up with his signature elbow drop. Simmons hits the big standing spinebuster in the ring and follows it up with a powerslam for the victory. This started off nicely, but kind of fell apart towards the end. In terms of booking, Cactus was the perfect opponent for Simmons here. 

Match Rating: **

They show some highlights of Masahiro Chono winning the NWA Championship over Rick Rude. 

Cactus Jack says that he's never been in much pain as he is right now, but he's happy because he knows his weaknesses. Cactus says that he's found someone that knows him even better and it's Butch Reed. 

The Barbarian & Butch Reed vs. Dustin Rhodes & Barry Windham

Dustin goes for a sunset flip, but it takes a huge Windham clothesline to knock him down. They then hit double dropkicks on both opponents to clear the ring momentarily. Dustin launches himself at Reed, but he moves out of the way and Dustin sends himself through the ropes, into the ring post and out to the floor. The heels go to work on Dustin with quick tags and double teams. Dustin counters a piledriver attempt with a back body drop. They hit a double clothesline and both men tag their partners. Windham hits a back body drop on Barbarian and follows it up with a dropkick. Windham is so good. Windham hits a superplex on Barbarian and then powerslams Reed off the top rope. They hit a double dropkick on Reed, but Barbarian hits a vicious looking boot to the face on Windham and they pick up the victory. That was one of my favorite boots to the face of all time. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Eight Man Elimination Match

Rick Rude, Jake Roberts, Vader & Super Invader vs. Sting, Nikita Koloff & The Steiner Brothers

Vader and Rick go at it first and Vader catches him with a clothesline. Vader hits a splash and then another clothesline. Steiner impressively follows that up with a overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Super Invader's mask has to be one of the worst I have ever seen. Koloff hits a crossbody on Invader for 2. Rude is in and they go at it. We get to Invader and Scott. Scott now hits an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Rude hits a blind tag and attacks Scott from behind. Jake finally gets in, but he tags out pretty quickly to Vader. Man, Vader was just so vicious compared to most guys in 1992. I love the double throat thrust that Rude does. Koloff gets a hot tag and hits Jake with a reverse elbow. Koloff tries to go after Rude, but he hits him with a knee and Jake eliminates him. Sting finally runs in and hits a variation of the bulldog on Invader and he is eliminated. Rick hits a big clothesline on Vader and then hits a German suplex. The pace has definitely picked up. Rick leaps off the second rope, but Vader catches him and hits a big slam to the mat. Vader goes up to the second turnbuckle and hits a big splash, but Rick kicks out. Rick hits a tag to Sting, but the ref didn't see it, so he sends Sting back to the corner. Rick catches Vader with a body slam, but Rude breaks up the pin attempt. Rick gets out of a suplex, Rick tries to get Vader up on his shoulders, but his legs give out. Scott still hits the flying clothesline. Scott is disqualified for going off the top rope. Out of the ring, Rick hits a back body drop on Vader to the floor. Rude comes in and hits the Rude Awakening on Rick Steiner. Vader gets back in the ring and Rick Steiner is eliminated via countout. We are down to just Sting against Vader, Rude and Jake. He hits the Stinger Splash on Jake in the corner and puts him on the Scorpion Deathlock, but Rude hits him with a clothesline off the apron. Sting hits the running bulldog again, this time on Rude for a 2 count. Sting hits an inverted atomic drop and a slingshot suplex. Vader hits a top rope splash on both men. The ref disqualifies Vader, even though I'm not sure that the referee even saw it. Jake tags himself in after dragging Rude to the corner and he hits the DDT for the victory. That was some awesome chaos right there. Stupid top rope rule aside, I really enjoyed this. They show a replay of that Vader splash and I don't think that had to have felt too good for Sting and Rude. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

We now get a Halloween Havoc mini movie. It takes place at a biker bar and involves Madusa and Jake, with people chanting "Spin the wheel, make the deal" repeatedly. It's as horrible as you would expect. Sting shows up and gives one heck of a performance here. This all leads to the historic Coal Miner's Glove debacle. Madusa pulls the lever to spin the wheel and then Sting and Jake face off and lasers come out of their eyes. This is 1992. 

The reviews I saw for this show were pretty poor overall, but I enjoyed this quite a bit. The main event was really good and the opener was enjoyable. I really don't have any nostalgia for this era of WCW since I didn't watch it and I would say this is worth a viewing if you enjoy this era of wrestling. 

Overall Rating: 70%