Armageddon 2005 Review

Sunday, December 18th, 2005
Dunkin' Donuts Arena
Providence, Rhode Island

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JBL vs. Matt Hardy

JBL cuts a promo on Hardy and is finally interrupted by Hardy's music. Hardy sneaks in from behind and we are underway. JBL tosses Hardy and he gets his head twisted in the ropes and JBL takes advantage. JBL takes it to Hardy until he is able to hit a swinging neckbreaker. JBL continues his attack and goes for a superplex. Hardy knocks him off and then hits a moonsault for a 2 count. JBL takes the turnbuckle cover off. He pushes him into the exposed corner and then hits the Clothesline From Hell and gets the easy victory. That was a flat out squash and is such a weak way to start a pay-per-view.

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

The Mexicools approach Melina and want some of the action that Batista got. 

MNM vs. The Mexicools

The Mexicools gain the early advantage and Psicosis hits a corkscrew over the top rope. Referee Charles Robinson stops Super Crazy from following suit. Super Crazy ignores and he leaps over his back and to the floor. Psicosis goes up top, but Melina pulls him down. MNM is able to cut the ring in half from there. Super Crazy finally gets in the match and takes care of both members of MNM. He avois the double team and hits a tornado DDT for a 2 count. Psicosis joins in and hits a top rope crossbody. Super Crazy goes up top and Melina again tries to interfere. However, this time Crazy pushes here out of the way. Crazy hits a moonsault, but Nitro makes the last second save. MNM hits the Snap Shot and that's all. The ending wasn't particularly executed well, but the match was entertaining enough. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Booker and Sharmell have an interview backstage with Kristal. They play up the sweep, while Sharmell shows some attitude towards Kristal. 

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

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

After some stalling from Booker in the early going, Benoit dominates with some chops and some mat wrestling. Booker hangs up Benoit on the top rope and hits him with a knee, knocking him to the floor. They start exchanging chops on the floor and Booker slams Benoit into the ring post. Back in the ring, Booker locks in the abdominal stretch. Benoit makes a comeback and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. He then hits the Three Amigos and gets a 2 count. Benoit goes up top, but Sharmell distracts him with the broom and it allows Booker to go for a superplex. Benoit was about to counter it, but he fell off of him and it sure didn't look good. Booker hits a missile dropkick and he gets a nearfall. Sharmell hits a low blow on Benoit behind Jimmy Korderas's back and Booker hits the Scissor Kick, but Benoit kicks out. Benoit counters the Book End into the Crippler Crossface, but Booker is able to get to the bottom rope. Benoit hits the three German suplexes and tries to re-apply the Crossface. Booker rolls through and it knocks Korderas out. Benoit puts Booker in the Sharpshooter and Benoit is tapping. Sharmell comes in with the broom and hits him with the bristles? She also pretty much whiffed. Benoit goes after her, but Booker attacks him from behind. Benoit counters the Book End into a DDT and puts him in the Crossface. Booker taps, even though it sure looked like his foot was under the rope. Tazz and Cole hype up how great this match was. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but it was pretty good. 

Match Rating: ***

Teddy Long and Palmer Cannon are here. Long thanks the fans and then Cannon interrupts him to introduce Santa. Out comes Vito as Santa with Nunzio dressed as an elf. They want title matches, but Cannon instead brings out the Boogeyman. Boogeyman destroys them and then uses his magic stick to turn Santa's bag into worms. He shoves some worms in Vito's mouth and heads out back. 

After a lengthy Taker/Orton recap, Kristal is with the Randy and Bob. 

Two-On-One Handicap Match

Bobby Lashley vs. William Regal & Paul Burchill

Lashley kicks it off by destroying both men until Regal hits a boot to the back, allowing Burchill to capitalize. Looking at Burchill, I'm not quite sure why he's in this position to get jobbed. Regal hits an exploder suplex and Burchill hits a knee from the top rope. Lashley comes back and hits some suplexes and then the Dominator on Burchill for the victory. The crowd was not feeling this one at all. I'm not really sure this needed to be on the show. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Ah yes, it's time for Josh Matthews to visit Tim White at the Friendly Tap. This is the absolute definition of something that made air that was made for an audience of one. They show the footage of Chris Jericho/Triple H where he got hurt in the Hell In A Cell match, while White keeps taking shots. He finally talks and says that everyone he knows left him and that he has nothing. He talks about IBS just in case you weren't sure how terrible this is. Matthews says he hopes that he has a "White Christmas" (get it?) and White pulls out a gun. He walks out of the screen and Matthews begs him not to do that and then a huge bang is heard. So we are to assume he just killed himself and we go back to a match. Absolutely one of the worst segments in the history of the company.

Cruiserweight Championship Match

Juventud vs. Kid Kash

We get an immediate burst of action and it ends with Juvy hitting a standing hurricanrana. Juvy dumps Kash to the floor and launches himself over and onto Kash. To the people chanting "boring", why? You may not care for the characters, but there have been far worse talents to step foot in this ring and who have given a lot less effort. Kash locks in an arm bar on and then throws him shoulder first into the turnbuckle. Kash goes for a springboard top rope moonsault, but Juvy gets his knees up. Juvy comes back with a bunch of chops and a big kick to the head. Juvy hits a top rope hurricanrana, but Kash gets his foot on the bottom rope. Both men counter each others finishers, but Juvy still hits the Juvy Driver, but Kash kicks out. Juvy misses with a front flip leg drop off the top rope. Kash hits Dead Level and we have a new Cruiserweight Champion. They gave a pretty good effort, but they were never able to win over the crowd. 

Match Rating: **

Champions vs. Champions Match

Big Show & Kane vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

Two of the absolute worst entrance themes of all time on one team with Show and Kane. Batista and Show start things off and Show throws Batista around. Batista knocks him down with a running shoulder, but then eats a big boot. Kane is in now and Batista is able to throw him off the top rope before tagging in Rey. Rey misses a springboard moonsault and then Kane no sells some kicks. Rey eventually hits a dropkick to the back of Kane, setting him up for a 619, but Kane is able to get up before that happens. He does it again, but this time Big Show grabs Rey by the feet and trips him up. He drives him into the ring post while Batista has Charles Robinson distracted. Big Show tosses Rey into the ring over the top rope and Kane goes to work. Rey is able to pull off a bulldog, but Big Show knocks Batista off the apron before they can make the tag. Batista come in anyways and helps take both big men out. Batista charges at Big Show on the announce table in one of the more awkward looking table spots I can think of. Back in the ring, Kane hits a chokeslam on Rey and earn the victory. This wasn't bad, but it kind of just felt like a SmackDown TV main event. 

Match Rating: **1/2

Hell In A Cell Match

Randy Orton vs. Undertaker

We get a faster paced opening than I expected for a 30+ minute match featuring the Undertaker. Taker slows it down and pulls Orton into the ring post and then hits a boot to the head. Taker hits an unprotected chair shot to the head of Orton and he is bleeding around his eye. Taker hits another chair shot and then starts using the cage like a cheese grater. Taker now has a chain and uses it to choke Orton. Orton gets in some desperate offense, but Taker counters Orton's attempt to hit him with the steps. Orton is able to hit a RKO on Taker onto the top rope, sending Taker to the outside. Orton is able to connect this time around with the steel steps. Orton this time hits Taker with a chair to the head and he gets a 2 count. Taker hits a surprising running leap off the bottom steps into Orton standing against the cage. Taker uses the top of the cell to do a solo Old School, but Orton avoids the elbow drop. Under the ring he goes, bringing in a table into the ring. Taker is able to stop Orton and then grabs Bob Orton through the cage. Taker hits him with a boot and Bob is bleeding. Taker charges at Orton, but Orton catches him for an attempted powerslam, but it's mostly his momentum that sends him into the cage. Taker this time hits a traditional Old School and gets a nearfall. Taker hits a big chokeslam, but Orton gets his foot on the bottom rope. Orton comes back and sets Taker on the table. Orton hits a big splash off the top rope and that absolutely looked painful for Orton. Taker is able to go for a Last Ride, but Orton escapes and Taker accidentally hits Nick Patrick. Orton is able to hit an RKO out of a chokeslam. Jimmy Korderas checks in on Patrick and then in comes Charles Robinson for referee duties. This natually allows Bob Orton to walk right in. Taker hits Last Ride, but Bob Orton pulls Robinson out of the ring to break up the count. Taker takes care of him and then goes for the Tombstone. Orton counters it and hits the Tombstone instead. Tazz claims to have never seen this counter before. Taker sits up multiple times and then grabs Orton by the throat. Bob Orton comes in again and once again it's unsuccessful. Taker hits them both with the urn and then hits a Tombstone on Bob Orton. Taker hits the Tombstone on Randy and that is all. Taker takes the urn and throws it on top of the cell and then "cell-ebrates" on top for the photo op. These two really worked hard here to deliver an entertaining match. I understand why the Bob Orton interference was in there, but they would have been just fine without it. Good main event. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

This was absolutely a one match show, while the rest of the show felt like an episode of SmackDown. I also didn't think it was possible for the Tim White segment to be worse than it was 15 years ago, but I was wrong. I'm sure WWE would have liked to have ended the year with a stronger show, but they did end with one of their better main events of the year, so that's something. 

Overall Rating: 51%

NXT 10-2-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, October 2nd, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Fandango & Summer Rae vs. Emma & Santino Marella

I have to say, I do kind of miss Fandango in this variation. Emma gets interviewed by Renee Young on the stage and she says that her partner is the best possible partner she could ever have. Cue Santino's music. Has there been a better comedy wrestler in WWE than Santino? We naturally get a lot of shenanigans during the entrance and the opening moments of the match. Santino shows off the cobra and Fandango escapes out of the ring. Santino continues to get the best of Fandango and then they do a little bit where Santino and Emma give each other high fives and they count as tags. The fun ends when Fandango hits Santino with a fist to the face. Summer gets in on the action and slaps Santino in the face. This causes Emma to go after her and Santino dramatically goes for the tag, but she's not in the corner. Fandango goes up top multiple times, but Santino keeps rolling out of the way. Santino gets a nearfall with a backslide and then makes the tag to Emma. Emma this a couple of clotheslines and then puts on the Dil-Emma. She hits the seated crossbody and gets a 2 count. Emma gets the Cobra sock and they hit a double hip toss. She passes the Cobra to Santino and he uses it on Fandango for the victory. As far as comedy matches go, this was one of the better ones that I have seen. 

Match Rating: *** (out of 5)

Kassius Ohno vs. Luke Harper

Harper quickly tosses Ohno through the ropes. Harper continues with some hard hitting moves. Ohno is able to hit a big kick and then hits a diving kick to the outside. Back in the ring and then Harper big boot of his own. Harper hits a big clothesline and that's all? Apparently this was all for Ohno for this run. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Enzo and Cass cut a promo on Scott Dawson and Alexander Rusev. 

We then get a Mojo Rawley video. Man, almost 7 years invested in him. 

NXT Tag Team Championship Match

The Ascension vs. Adrian Neville & Corey Graves

The Ascension gain the early advantage on Neville. Neville escapes a suplex and hits a tag to Graves. O'Brian hits a flapjack and they now cut the ring in half with Graves. Man, this heat segment feels like it's 3 years long. Viktor misses Graves in the corner and hits his shoulder on the turnbuckle. Neville gets the hot tag and sends both Ascension members to the back. Neville hits a dive and a missile dropkick for a 2 count. Neville misses the Red Arrow, but Graves makes the save on the pin count. They hit their finisher and we have new NXT Tag Team Champs. The Ascension are really, really dull. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Bo Dallas Invitational

Bo Dallas vs. ???

They don't even know the name of the challenger and the crowd chants "This guy". Bo picks up the easy win with a Spear. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo says there has to be someone else to accept the challenge. Leo Kruger's music hits first and then Cesaro's. They argue about who is going to take on Bo and begin to fight. Cesaro kicks him out of the ring and then Bo knees him in the back from behind and to the floor. Out comes a luchador and we have a match. 

Bo Dallas Invitational

Bo Dallas vs. El Local

Zayn runs in and hits the Helluva Kick for the quick and easy victory. You'll never guess it but the guy who looks exactly like Sami Zayn is revealed to be Sami Zayn. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

I really enjoyed the Santino match as they gave just the right amount of comedy and action. The Tag Team Championship match on the other hand, not so much. The Zayn stuff was obvious, but still fun enough to recommend the episode. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Hell In A Cell 2020 Review

Sunday, October 25th, 2020
Amway Center
Orlando, Florida

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Hell In A Cell I Quit Match For The Universal Championship

Roman immediately starts throwing Uso around, as we basically pick up where we left off at Clash Of Champions. Uso gets a few shots in and pushes Reigns out of the ring. He hits two dives, driving Reigns into the cell. Back in the ring, Uso charges at Reigns, but he counters it with a spear. Reigns hits another spear with more authority this time around. Reigns is doing lots of trash talking, even though every time he does, Uso makes a comeback. He goes for another spear, but Uso counters and then hits a top rope splash. Uso begins whipping Uso with a strap, but again Reigns hits another spear. Reigns now has the strap and begins whipping with it. I know a lot of people have enjoyed this feud, but this just isn't working for me. Uso now has the strap and begins choking Reigns with it. <MORE STALLING> Uso goes for a chair shot, but Reigns hits a Superman punch. Reigns puts on a Dragon Sleeper, but Uso still won't quit. Now we get to watch the referee repeatedly asking Uso if he quits. I'm pretty close to trying to figure out a way to getting down there to say "I quit" for him. Reigns hits a Drive By, but Uso still won't quit. A bunch of officials come down, but Reigns is still trying to make him quit. He picks up the steel steps, but before he can do anything Jimmy Uso is there to stop him. Jimmy starts sternly yelling at Reigns, who is now seated and crying. Jimmy begs for this to end and they lock hands. Roman then puts him in the Dragon Sleeper. This makes Jey quit and this is finally over with. Again, there are people who probably really enjoyed this. I am not one of them. 

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

After the match, Afa and Sika are up on the stage and they embrace Reigns. This was by far the highlight of all of this. 

Elias vs. Jeff Hardy

You'll never guess it, but Hardy interrupts Elias's song. We get a little bit of back and forth and it all leads to Hardy missing a leaping splash into the apron off the steps. Elias hits a clothesline and puts on the dreaded chinlock. Hardy tries to make a comeback, but Elias hits a sit down powerbomb out of the electric chair position. Hardy hits Whisper In The Wind and goes up top. Elias is able to roll out of the ring. Elias grabs his guitar, but Hardy gets it away from him and hits him in the back, causing a disqualification. Why was this on the show if that was the finish? This was pure filler that should have been on Friday's show. 

Match Rating: *1/4

Otis says he's going to win or something.

Singles Match For The Money In The Bank Briefcase

Miz vs. Otis

Otis drives a shoulder into Miz into the corner and follows up with a body slam. Miz misses with a dropkick to the outside and Otis hits him with a clothesline. Morrison distracts Otis, allowing Miz to hit a DDT for a 2 count. Miz hits the It Kicks and then the running clothesline in the corner. Miz slaps on the sleeper and then a big boot to the face. Otis is starting to hulk up and he steamrolls Miz. Otis goes for the Caterpillar, but Morrison pulls Miz out of the ring. Morrison gest ejected and Otis rolls up Miz for a nearfall. Miz pushes Otis towards the ropes and Tucker purposely hits Otis with the briefcase. Miz gets the easy pinfall and is in shock. I'm not sure what they were really going for with Otis as Money In The Bank, but apparently they are done with it. I'm guessing that uncertainty of no live crowd was probably the final factor. Miz deserves one more title run, so why not now?

Match Rating: *1/2

Miz cuts a good promo on being Mr. Money In The Bank and in walks Tucker. Tucker says that he was the one who carried the load for the team, but he was always the afterthought. In runs Otis and we get a brawl. 

Hell In A Cell Match For The SmackDown Women's Championship

Sasha Banks vs. Bayley 

Sasha knocks the chair out of Bayley's hand as the cell is being lowered and it falls out of reach. Bayley tries to go find something else under the ring, but Sasha grabs her and starts nailing her with right hands. Sasha is able to get Bayley into the Bank Statement, but Bayley bites her way out. Sasha misses with the baseball slide dropkick and Bayley drives her into the cage. Sasha catches Bayley's kendo stick and throws it through the fence. Bayley grabs another one, but again Sasha catches it and this time hits Bayley with a knee. Sasha pulls out a table, but Bayley tries to stop her. Sasha uses it to drive Bayley into the cage. She then runs up the table and hits the Meteora on her, which has easily been the highlight of the night so far. Sasha has a chair, but Bayley rolls her up for a 2 count. Bayley pushes her off the apron, but then misses with a chair shot. Sasha hits another version of the Meteora into the cage after jumping off the apron. Bayley snaps Sasha's neck over the second rope. Bayley throws Sasha into the cage, but Sasha catches herself on the cage and then eventually hits a headscissors off the apron. Sasha puts two kendo sticks between the steps and the cage, but Bayley ends up hitting a drop toe hold on Sasha and she crashes through the one left standing and into the steps. Bayley now sets up two more sticks and she hits a catapult into them. Sasha is able to comeback and hit a powerbomb into the cell. She puts Bayley's head through the chair, but Sasha gets her head slammed into the chair. Bayley hits a sunset flip powerbomb into a chair in the corner. Bayley hits a top rope elbow drop and gets another close call. Sasha pulls a Backstabber out of nowhere and rolls it into the Bank Statement. Bayley rolls out and puts her in the apron and slams her face into the ring beam. Bayley then hits a series of shots with a kendo stick. Bayley tapes up some kendo sticks and puts them between the cell and the ring. Sasha grabs the fire extinguisher and sprays her. Bayley somehow grabs her chair through the door, but Sasha grabs it from her and unleashes on Bayley. Sasha then hits a bunch of kendo shots to the back. Sasha sits in the corner as Bayley crawls towards the chair. Sasha kicks her and goes up top. She goes for a Frog Splash, but Bayley uses the chair. Bayley hits the Rose Plant outside, but back in the ring Sasha is able to kick out. Bayley throws Sasha onto a ladder propped up on two chairs. Bayley starts spray painting Sasha, before going off the second rope. Sasha moves out of the way and hits a Meteora. Sasha hits a belly-to-belly suplex, but it's still not enough. Bayley hits a knee and then a Bayley-to-belly, but this time Sasha kicks out. Sasha is able to put the chair around the neck of Bayley and puts on the Bank Statement. She kicks on the chair as pulls back on the hold and Bayley taps, ending her 380 day reign. I have to think this still somehow leads to a WrestleMania match between the two, but we shall see. They worked extremely hard and it's a shame that this wasn't in front of a live crowd. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

The Hurt Business is out back and apparently someone is fighting someone from Retribution. 

United States Championship Match

Bobby Lashley vs. Slapjack

Of all the combinations, this was the best choice? Slapjack's mask looks unbearable to work in. Lashley tosses him around for a little bit. Slapjack kind of whiffs on a dropkick, but then hits a cannon ball in the corner. Slapjack hits a running DDT for a 2 count. Lashley comes back it doesn't take long for him to put on the Hurt Lock and that is all. As soon as the bell rings, Retribution is out and attacking Lashley. And you thought the Nexus was booked poorly? The rest of the Hurt Business comes out and they retreat. This really is something. This was a squash. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Hell In A Cell Match For The WWE Championship

Drew McIntyre vs. Randy Orton

As McIntyre is about to walk in the cell, Orton attacks him from behind before the match starts. So I guess this one landed on "brawl outside the cell" on the Hell In A Cell spinner. McIntyre takes it to him and eventually gets him in the cell so this match can officially start. McIntyre clotheslines him over the ropes and drives him into the cell. McIntyre continues using the cell as the announcers marvel at how comfortable he is in this environment in his first match. Back in the ring he goes for a Claymore Kick, but Orton hits him with a chair. Orton takes this outside and is now using the cage. I just re-watched the Orton/Undertaker match for Armageddon 2005 and I'm not sure why Orton didn't go for that formula here. He stands up the steel steps and tosses McIntyre through them. McIntyre fights back and hits an overhead belly-to-belly. Outside the ring, Orton for some reason walks right into another overhead belly-to-belly suplex through a table. Back in the ring, Orton hits a draped DDT and McIntyre to kick out at 1. Orton uses the bolt cutters to get out of the cage. They brawl outside and then Orton begins to climb to the top of the cell. McIntyre accepts the challenge and climbs up top. They fight up there for a little bit and eventually Orton tries to climb his way down. McIntyre does as well and they get to the halfway point and Orton slams McIntyre's head into the bar. Both men look really uncomfortable here. Orton slaps McIntyre's arm, causing him to fall through the announce table and they didn't even show the whole fall. Back in the ring they go. Orton pounds the mat for what feels like an hour, but McIntyre pulls of a backslide, but this time Orton kicks out. McIntyre hits the Claymore Kick, but Orton is able to get out of the ring. McIntyre misses the Claymore Kick and Orton hits the RKO to win the WWE Championship. For real? I know I need to see where this all leads, but I don't understand this decision at all. This match had some moments, but it just felt way too long. 

Match Rating: **3/4

If it weren't for Bayley and Sasha, this would easily be one of the worst WWE pay-per-views in history. Even with it, this still was a really bad show. The three non HIAC matches were barely TV match quality and the Reigns/Uso match was more stalling than action. You can mark this show down as one I probably will never watch again. 

Overall Rating: 36%

Monday Night Raw 7-26-93

Original Airdate: Monday, July 26th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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Doink cuts a promo on Randy Savage for interfering in his match a few weeks back. He tells him if he's a good Macho Boy tonight, he might just have a surprise for him. 

Bam Bam Bigelow vs. Bret Hart

Stu and Helen Hart are in the crowd tonight. There was really a great confidence to Bam Bam here in 1993. Bam Bam goes on the attack quickly, but eventually Bret's quickness allows him to hit a dropkick and then clothesline Bam Bam over the top rope. Bret hits a weird looking top rope Lou Thesz Press and then sells a knee injury. After the commercial, Bret is outside the ring holding his knee and Bam Bam does a cartwheel, but of course the cameras miss it. Bam Bam continues hitting a series of power move, but Bret kicks out. Bret makes a comeback and hits a second dropkick. It's short lived and we go into a second commercial break with Bam Bam using a chinlock. Bret makes another comeback and hits a back body drop. Side Russian leg sweep by Bret and he hits a second rope clothesline and Bam Bam kicks out at 2. Bret ducks a clothesline and hits a bulldog. Bret goes for the Sharpshooter and Jerry Lawler is up in the balcony. He confronts Bret's parents, leading Bret to leave the match. Bam Bam attacks him from behind and slams him into the ring post. Lawler keeps insulting Stu as Bam Bam continues to control the match. Helen's had enough and pushes Jerry away. Bret starts yet another comeback, but this is really distracting. Bret finally gets away and heads to the top, causing Bam Bam to win by disqualification. Lawler says he's had enough and heads out. Meanwhile, Bret is on the lookout for Lawler, but never finds him. He goes back to his parents as we head into an ICOPRO commercial. The match was going along well until the Lawler distraction.

Match Rating: **3/4

It's time for a SummerSlam Report with Mean Gene. Nothing new here.

Mr. Hughes vs. Russ Greenberg

A black wreath is once again delivered to ringside. Hughes hits a powerbomb and eventually his sidewalk slam for the victory. There was nothing of note of this one. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

WrestleMania: The Album is headed our way tomorrow. 

The Smoking Gunns vs. Duane Gill & Glen Ruth

Vince claims the album sold over 100,000 copies in the UK. After a leap frog, Billy hits a drop toe hold and a couple of dropkicks. Bart hits a double crossbody and gets a 2 count. They hit a double side Russian leg sweep. As they continue to squash the future Headbanger and Gillberg, it does appear that the WrestleMania album was a hit over in the UK. The Gunns hit a back body drop into a piledriver for the victory. That was a spirited squash by the Gunns.

Match Rating: 1/2*

They show a hype video for Ludvig Borga. 

We now go into an empty arena interview of Lex Luger. Gee golly willikers, Lex sure is ecstatic that he's getting a title shot at SummerSlam. He wants people to ask whatever is on their mind. As he's saying that, someone walks in the background, notices it, and turns around. I'm shocked Vince didn't make them do it all over again. We then get highlights of the Lex Express.

Doink vs. Phil Apollo

Hey, did you know that Doink is actually a really good scientific wrestler? Doink hits a back suplex and Vince lets us know that Lex Luger is going to talk about being expelled from the University of Miami and steroid use in wrestling. Doink goes up top and hits the Whoopee Cushion for the victory. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Doink grabs the mic and calls Savage into the ring. Vince tells Savage to stay, so Doink comes down to Savage. Doink challenges Savage and Doink says that he'll be seeing triple vision and two more Doinks appear. Savage says he has a little surprise for him. We go out with the WrestleMania theme song playing. 

This was another above average outing for the show. They have kind of found a formula that works for the hour time constraint, even if it feels like there is still a lot of storyline that we aren't seeing. Nothing earth shattering happened here tonight, but outside of the Hughes squash, this was pretty entertaining from start to finish. 

Overall Rating: 60%

SmackDown 12-16-05

Original Airdate: Friday, December 16th, 2005
MassMutual Center
Springfield, Massachusetts

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Nunzio vs. Boogeyman

I guess if I have to watch a Boogeyman squash, Nunzio is probably one of the better choices. They pan to the SmackDown locker room watching the match in the back...from an angle, of course. He puts some worms in his mouth and hits the pump handle powerslam for the victory. After the match Vito gets up, but then thinks twice about it once he sees him chomp away on the worms. Nunzio then gets worm to the face as the locker room grosses out. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Randy and Bob Orton are backstage and Bob convinces Randy to talk to a sports psychologist. Randy reluctantly agrees and after the break he is in the room with him and he basically tells him nothing. Not much of a segment. 

Melina tries to seduce Batista which is kind of awkward. They then start making out. 

Kid Kash vs. Super Crazy 

Super Crazy hits a monkey flip and a running dropkick. Kash is able to hit a neckbreaker onto a top rope. He gets in a little bit of offense until Super Crazy is able to hit a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker. Super Crazy misses a top rope moonsault and Kid Kash hits a brainbuster for a victory. After the match, he attacks Crazy and is trying to go for the brainbuster on the chair, but the Mexicools make the save. This was fine for a five minute match. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Back to the Orton family and Randy thanks his dad for helping him through this. 

And now we are shown Melina getting dressed and Batista lets her know that he's not taking her deal, but thanks her for the warm-up. 

WWE Tag Team Championship Match

MNM vs. Batista & Rey Mysterio

MNM comes out flustered after Melina's failed attempt for Batista to take it easy on them. This babyface run of Batista is just really hard to get behind for me. I'm not really sure why I'm supposed to like him. MNM are rocking the electric blue tights tonight. Nitro is a bumping machine here, making Batista's moves look more effective. Batista puts Mercury in position for a Batista Bomb, but Nitro sneaks behind Charles Robinson and hits him with a superkick. Batista then double clotheslines MNM over the top and Mysterio hits a springboard moonsault to the floor. Melina provides the distraction for another illegal double team and it results in Mercury hitting a powerbomb on Mysterio. Nitro hits a backbreaker/side Russian leg sweep combo for a 2 count. After a long heat segment, Mysterio hits a bulldog. We get a fun little segment of Mysterio trying to escape to make the tag, but Nitro hits a step up enzigiri. Mysterio is able to hit a reverse hurricanrana and finally make the tag. That may be the earliest instance in WWE of that move. Hot tag to Batista and he hits some spinebusters. Rey hits a double 619 on Mercury and Melina. Batista hits the Batista Bomb and we have new WWE Tag Team Champions. Mercury's nose is busted open and Melina is crying on the outside. I'm not really sure I understand the booking here, but this was a really fun tag team match. MNM was really finding their groove as Nitro continued to improve. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

Bobby Lashley vs. Paul Burchill

Lashley quickly throws Burchill out of the ring. I remember that one week they were trying to put over Burchill has a beast. It's suplex time for Lashley and then he quickly goes into the Dominator and that's all. They sure gave up on Burchill quickly here. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Kristal is with Matt Hardy. Hardy says that Booker T is up 3-0 in his series and is red hot, but tonight will be a different story. JBL comes in on a crutch and interrupts Hardy. There is nothing like setting up a pay-per-view match two days before the show. JBL pushes Hardy down, so Hardy attacks him until officials are able to pull Hardy off. 

Teddy Long is with Randy's therapist. He refuses to give Long any info on Orton. 

Batista and Rey are talking about their match on Sunday and in walks Orton. Orton says that we'll never get to know who the best was and Orton shakes his hand. 

Cole and Tazz run down the Armageddon card and I am amazed at how poor the match graphics were back in 2005. 

Booker T vs. Matt Hardy

JBL is out as guest commentator. Sharmell comes out sweeping a broom, which is a nice touch. JBL claims that he has a torn knee as Booker and Hardy trade blows. Hardy clotheslines Booker over the top rope and then launches himself over the top. They have completely killed all the momentum they had with Hardy by this point. JBL distracts Hardy and Booker throws him into the steel steps. Hardy makes his comeback and hits a running bulldog for a 2 count. Booker counters out of a Twist Of Fate and hits a spinebuster. He misses the Scissors Kick and Hardy hits a Side Effect. Hardy hits a top rope leg drop, but Booker is able to kick out. Sharmell gets on the apron and JBL grabs Hardy out of the ring and hits a big clothesline. Booker hits the Scissors Kick and gets the victory. For an average length match, it felt really short. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Bob Orton asks Randy if he is really sure he is going to do this. Randy says that he's going to do it right now and he's going to do it alone. Orton makes his way out to the ring and says that at just the age of 25, he has accomplished more than most will in their lifetime. He announces that he is going to retire. He says that he will kill one last legend and that is his own. Out comes Teddy Long, who spoils his pity party by telling him that he is still under contract, so he doesn't have to wrestle. Long says that he'll sue Orton for breach of contract. Orton says he'd rather take on Long in court than Taker in Hell In A Cell. Taker's music hits and out come the druids. Taker comes out and about 37 minutes later, he's in the ring with Orton. Orton begins begging for forgiveness. A druid lifts up Taker's urn and he reveals himself to be Bob Orton. Randy attacks Taker and gives one of his more convincing attacks that I can remember. He hits the RKO, but Taker sits up. Orton grabs a chair and hits him with a big chair shot that splits him open. Orton then destroying him with multiple shots to the back and then yet another shot to the head that dents the chair. Orton starts telling Taker that he will succeed, but Taker again sits up. He grabs the urn and hits him in the head with it. Orton grabs a mic and tells Taker that he'll see him Sunday. That would have been a much better segment if it were about 75% shorter. There was no reason for the slow entrance and of course there was no reason whatsoever for Taker to take those chair shots. 

This was a pretty good go home show for the blue brand. The tag team match was the standout, although I'm still not really sure I get taking the titles off of MNM. Just the fact that they already had a title match at Armageddon shows that it was definitely a last second change. The big build for Undertaker and Orton didn't necessarily get me more excited for the match, but it didn't hurt it either. I'm looking forward to watching Armageddon for the first time in a long time. 

Overall Rating: 60%

Monday Night Raw 12-12-05 Review

Monday, December 12th, 2005
TD Northbank Garden
Boston, Massachusetts

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Vince McMahon is out to kick off the show. He talks about possible replacement GMs for Raw including Stephanie and Shane. He says tonight that the interview process will begin, but there will be a GM for the night and it's himself. By the end of the night, we will know all five challengers for the Elimination Chamber after tonight. He also announces that the fans will no longer be bleeped during Angle's entrance. 

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Kurt Angle vs. Ric Flair

After a small burst of offense, Angle is pounding away on Flair in the corner. Angle misses with a clothesline and Flair hits a couple of chops. Angle hits a suplex, pulls the straps down and puts on the Ankle Lock. Flair gets to the ropes to break the hold. Angle misses in the corner and hits his shoulder on the ring post. Flair hits the chop block and puts on a Figure Four. Angle gets out and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. Flair avoids an Angle Slam and knocks him out of the ring. Angle grabs a chair, but Flair knocks it out of his hands. While the ref is putting the chair away, Angle pulls out his gold medal and hits Flair with it for the victory. This was pretty good for a short TV match. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

Angle grabs the mic and says that next week in Afghanistan he won't be there. Daivari is now on the Titan Tron and he spits on a statue of Larry Bird. He then grabs a can of spray paint, but John Cena is there to stop him. Cena spray paints the camera and we are off to commercial. 

Edge and Lita approach Flair and mock him for losing another match. 

Shawn Michaels is getting ready for his match and in walks Shelton Benjamin holding Michaels' book. They argue about last weeks loss. Shelton says he is going to show off more of his attitude against Carlito tonight and he hopes that Michaels makes it in the Chamber as well. 

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Shelton Benjamin vs. Carlito

Shelton throws Carlito into the ring the hard way and stomps away in the corner. The attitude storyline for Shelton is a relatable one and an easy one for them to convey. Carlito moves out of the way from a dive, but Shelton lands on his feet and hits a clothesline. Carlito is able to throw Shelton into the ring and then throws him back in the ring. Carlito hits a Backstabber. Carlito puts on the Boston Crab...in Boston. Shelton rolls through and gets a 2 count. Shelton hits a Samoan drop and a series of clotheslines. The crowd is pretty quiet here. Shelton pulls off a sunset flip over both the referee and Carlito, but the ref is out of position as a result. Shelton hits the Exploder, but he decides not to cover him. Instead, Shelton grabs Carlito's apple and Carlito pulls off a small package for the victory. So apparently the story is now that Shelton is not smart enough to know when to stop. Got it. I don't think anyone is buying Carlito in the Chamber, but when your roster isn't deep, I guess you have no choice. 

Match Rating: *3/4

Trevor Murdoch approaches Vince backstage and he makes fun of his tobacco habit. Candice Michelle is in Vince's office and she wants a crack at the open GM position. She strips down to lingerie and then is interrupted by Angle and Daivari into a commercial break. 

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Big Show vs. Shawn Michaels

We get a classic big man/little man match to begin until Michaels dumps Show over the rope. Show catches Michaels' dive and drops him on the ring apron. Shows hits a big boot, but misses with the elbow drop. Show puts Michaels in a bear hug, but Michaels fights his way out of it and hits him with a knee lift. Michaels hits his running forearm, but Show is still standing. Michaels hits a couple of clotheslines, but Show grabs him by the throat. Michaels counters the chokeslam into a DDT and both men are down. Michaels hits the top rope elbow drop and hits Sweet Chin Music, but Show is still standing. He falls down to a knee and blocks Michaels' second attempt and hits a chokeslam. Triple H comes down and pulls Michaels out of the ring. He looks at the Big Show and then hits Michaels in the head with a chair, causing Michaels to win the match. This was pretty good for a five minute TV match. 

Match Rating: **

Back to Angle and McMahon. Angle is demanding a match with Cena tonight. Vince tells Angle to back off and he's not giving him a match. He says that instead he's letting Cena wrestle Daivari tonight. He says that it will be a You Can't See Me Match, which apparently means Cena will be blindfolded. Vince then says that Angle can make comments about our troops and Larry Bird, but he better not interrupt him again. Sounds about right. 

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Viscera vs. Chris Masters

Well, you knew there would be one match like this. Viscera hits a body slam and a big elbow drop for an early 2 count. Masters tries to body slam Viscera, but falls on his back and almost gets pinned. He tries to put on the Master Lock, but he can't get his arms around him and Viscera throws him down. He goes for another Master Lock and again it doesn't work. Viscera hits a sideslam and then a Samoan drop. Masters hits a drop toe hold on a charging Viscera into the turnbuckle. Once again, he goes back to the Master Lock and finally gets it on and that is all for Viscera. This was exactly what you would expect.

Match Rating: 1/2*

Trish goes to Mickie James' locker room to talk to Mickie about something. Mickie says she has a match against Victoria to become the #1 contender. She talks about she used to watch wrestling with her grandpappy and he took her to WrestleMania X-Seven. She makes a jab about her hooking up with Vince. She then says that she might be wrestling her at New Year's Revolution. Trish doesn't say what's on her mind and wishes Mickie an awkward good luck as Mickie heads to the ring. 

Matt Striker comes out to a chalkboard on the stage and insults the live crowd. He's here to lecture us on family values. He insults all the mothers for having children so that they can get more money from the government. He then goes on about smoking pot and tattoos and blames it on them not knowing any better. He tells us that he will be our father figure and our teacher. Striker's delivery was good here, but the stench of Attitude Era garbage could be smelled from a mile away. 

Chris Nowinski says Raw needs a Harvard educated GM. Vince ignores him and brings in Dusty Rhodes and that's the end of the segment. All righty.

#1 Contender's Match For The WWE Women's Championship

Mickie James vs. Victoria

Victoria gets right in Mickie's face and hits her with a big right hand. I can't imagine being a woman wrestler during this era and just having to completely rush through every television match you have. Victoria goes for her standing moonsault, but Mickie gets her knees up. Victoria counters a Mickarana into a Boston Crab. Mickie hits a tornado DDT and gets the victory. They worked hard, but this was just way too short to tell any sort of story. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match

Triple H vs. Kane

I feel like I need to address how terrible Kane's entrance music is. Over the years, I continue to see people praise the song and I just can't emphasize how much I can't stand it. The original is very good, it  did not need some nu-metal wannabe singer to lay down vocals. Kane sends Triple H up and over the corner turnbuckle and to the floor. Kane hits a couple of clotheslines in opposite corners and Triple H rolls out of the ring as Kane tries to go up top. Kane meets him there and drops him on the barricade. Kane hits the top rope clothesline and signals for the chokeslam. Once again, Triple H goes out of the ring and Kane throws him back in. Triple H hits a knee to the face, but Kane counters his Pedigree attempt. Triple H ducks a Kane big boot and he accidentally hits referee Chad Patton. Triple H hits a DDT and grabs the sledgehammer from under the ring. Naturally, here comes Kane's tag team partner Big Show. The distraction allows them to hit a double chokeslam and Kane is the sixth competitor in the Elimination Chamber. These two never had good chemistry and this was another example of it. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

You Can't See Me Match

Daivari vs. John Cena

So Cena gets the Jake Roberts blindfold and he clearly was watching WrestleMania VII once he got his assignment here. Daivari messes with him getting Cena to chase him around the ring. Cena finally gets a left hand, but then almost accidentally knocks out Mike Chioda. He starts with the finger pointing. Daivari tricks Cena and moves out of the way so that Angle can him with a fist to the midsection. Cena gets Daivari on the ground and puts on the STFU for the quick victory. Not that Daivari was ever put anywhere near Cena's level, him losing to a blindfolded competitor in just a few minutes isn't really good for anyone. After the match Cena fights off Angle and then hits a FU on Angle. This wasn't really even mildly entertaining. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

I enjoy when we have focused episodes like this one. I really enjoyed the first hour, but the last 30 minutes or so really fell off a cliff for me. The roster depth on Raw is starting to become a little bit of an issue and it was made evident when you had Chris Masters defeat Viscera for his spot in the Chamber. The show is in need of some new talent soon to help freshen it up a little. With all that being said, I would say this one falls under slightly better than average. 

Overall Rating: 58%

NXT 9-25-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, September 25th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Tyler Breeze approaches Brad Maddox and before he can get his idea out, CJ Parker interrupts. They want to be in the tag team turmoil match. Since they don't have partners, Maddox decides to make them a tag team tonight.

Tag Team Turmoil Match To Determine The #1 Contenders

Enzo Amore & Colin Cassady vs. Tyler Breeze & CJ Parker vs. Scott Dawson & Alexander Rusev vs. The Ascension

Parker and Enzo kicks things off. They wrestle for a few moments and Breeze wants to get in. Enzo tags in Cass and he hits one move on Parker and that gets the pinfall? Next up are Dawson and Rusev. Rusev hits a Samoan drop on Enzo to turn the tide. Dawson then hits a big spinebuster, but Enzo rolls him up after and get another victory. After the match, Rusev attacks Enzo and splashes him in the corner. The lights go down and out come The Ascension.. The Ascension take advantage, hit their finisher after a minute of domination and just win? This was so rushed that it wasn't even worth recapping. I'm pretty sure there was more time spent on entrances than on ring action. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Bayley vs. Sasha Banks

It's amazing how much more involved the crowd is now that there are actual characters on the show. It's amazing that 7 years later these two will be facing off in a Hell In A Cell match. Renee Young is also joining the announce team for the first time ever here. Sasha catches Bayley's legs in the corner and slams her face-first into the mat. Bayley avoids a splash in the corner and hits a Bayley-to-belly suplex, but Sasha kicks out. Sasha makes a comeback and snaps Bayley's neck on the ropes and then hits a reverse neckbreaker for the victory. That was way too short, but this was really good for the amount of time it was given. Summer Rae gets on the mic after and says that Fandango will be here next week and I think this is the first time Sasha is referred to as The Boss. Out comes Emma and both Sasha and Summer retreat. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Aiden English vs. Bull Dempsey

English starts off aggressively and then hits his leg drop. English then hits his Rock Bottom-esque finisher and gets the victory. The crowd wants an encore and he gives it to us. Man, do I miss Rusev and English together. What an absolute disaster of a move by WWE to decide to do nothing with them. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Renee Young interviews Summer Rae. She says that her and Fandango will take on Emma and a partner of her choice. 

El Local vs. Sami Zayn

Zayn hits a hurricanrana for a 2 count and it can't be said enough how much the crowd loves Zayn. After a little bit of offense from Local, Zayn hits a drop kick and a Helluva Kick and gets the easy victory. Another quick, but spirited match. Out comes Bo Dallas to congratulate Zayn. Bo says that he is now healed and ready to put his title on the line. Next week we will have the Bo Dallas Invitational. Zayn says that he would like to be the first one to enter it, but Zayn said he didn't finish his sentence. Everyone is able to compete except for Zayn. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

We go back to Brad Maddox and in walks Kassius Ohno. Maddox calls him a D+ player. Ohno threatens to punch him in the face, so Maddox says he'll give Ohno a match against one of the members of the Wyatt Family. 

Triple H is here and hypes up the roster of NXT. Triple H announces that Dusty Rhodes has to step down temporarily of his GM spot and that JBL is the interim GM. He makes fun of Dusty and that's our show for this week. 

This was a strangely enjoyable show. There was nothing of note, but the show featured a bunch of characters you can get behind and everything is just starting to click. Sami Zayn remains the biggest star of them all, but people are becoming invested in the product for the first time in over a year of the brand's existence. 

Overall Rating: 68%

Off The Grid, Volume 5: Saturday Night's Main Event XXVIII Review

Original Airdate: Saturday, October 13th, 1990
Toledo, Sports Arena
Toledo, OH

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Off The Grid, Volume 5:

We kick things off in Frankenmuth, Michigan with everyone dressed in German attire for Oktoberfest. Roddy Piper is shirtless here to go over the matches we have here tonight. 

We get a Demolition promo and it can't be said enough how much Crush did not fit the vibe of Ax and Smash. Legion of Doom asks if Demolition is going to wimple over their wieners. Yeah. 

Demolition vs. Legion Of Doom & Ultimate Warrior

This was an absolute dream team for my elementary school aged self here. I have to say, the crowd reaction seems pretty tepid for Warrior here. Also of note, Warrior is wearing black trunks. They pan to Dustin Rhodes in the crowd. Smash starts it off by attacking Animal from behind. Warrior and Ax come in next and Warrior destroys Ax with a series of kicks. Warrior then ends up taking care of all of Demolition. Warrior goes for a splash, but Ax is able to roll out of the way. Demolition uses a triple team to neutralize Warrior. They go for Decapitation, but Hawk is able to break it up. Warrior makes the tag to Hawk and he hits a top rope clothesline. He tags in Warrior and he clotheslines Smash and then the leaping shoulder tackle into the splash for the victory. That was frantically paced for a match with 6 guys of their size and style, but it was also sloppy. All in all though, this was entertaining. 

Match Rating: ** (out of 5)

We are now back to Frankenmuth with Mean Gene. Akeem is everything. They flip it to Lord Alfred Hayes, who is arguing over English beer being better than German beer. 

Randy Savage vs. Dusty Rhodes

How do you have both Savage and Dusty and not have a promo? Rhodes goes right after Savage and is sporting the red polka dots tonight. Dusty hits a backslide into a 2 count, but then up comes Sherri on the apron and Savage takes advantage. Savage locks in the sleeper hold and we pan to both Ted DiBiase and Virgil coming through th ecrowd. They are handing out money and giving it to the crowd and asking them to leave. They try to buy Dustin's seat and he rips up the money. Ted and Virgil decide to sit next to him then. Dusty goes after DiBiase into the commercial break. When we come back. Savage is back in control in the ring. Dusty makes his comeback and then Dustin punches DiBiase. We have a brawl on the outside and Dusty hasn't seen it yet. DiBiase hits Dustin with a wooden chair and Dusty goes after him. Savage comes from behind with a double ax handle from the top rope. Savage rolls back in and wins via countout. After the match, DiBiase and Virgil continue to attack both Rhodes. This is probably the most vicious I have seen Teddy in the WWF. This was good stuff. 

Match Rating: **3/4

Hulk Hogan and Tugboat are here, brother. I'm not a Hogan fan, but man what a drop off on promo quality from Hogan and then to Tugboat. 

We go to the Bushwhackers and Mean Gene eating cheese. Lord Alfred is still talking beers and ignoring Gene.

Rhythm & Blues vs. Tugboat & Hulk Hogan

It can't be emphasized enough how stupid of a gimmick Tugboat was. It was just as stupid in 1990 as it is 30 years later. Honky gets an early advantage, but Hogan quickly hits a double clothesline and makes both look like jobbers. Tugboat comes in and R&B use double teams to regain control. Valentine was 2 days shy of turning 39 years old here on the day of taping. Hogan gets the hot tag. Hogan quickly hits the big boot, but as he goes for the leg drop, Tugboat grabs him and shows him Earthquake and Dino Bravo down the aisle. After a commercial, Honky comes in and hits Tugboat in the back with his guitar and we get a DQ finish. In come Earthquake and Dino Bravo and they destroy Hogan. As he goes for his signature splash, Tugboat hits him in the back with the guitar and saves him. This was every Hogan tag match you've seen, but at least the ending was fun. 

Match Rating: **

Mean Gene is with a sausage stuffing hall of famer (according to Gene) in the Genius. Hart Foundation and Jim Duggan are taking on Orient Express and Mr. Fuji in a sausage stuffing contest. Fuji cheats and they all argue. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Haku vs. Texas Tornado

Compared to the other matches here tonight, this one feels like it's in slow motion with lots of semi-stalling to begin. Haku basically just does headlocks and chokeholds and then Tornado slaps on the Claw. Tornado hits the spinning discus punch for the victory. This wasn't very good. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Back to Hogan and Tugboat and we get essentially the same promo as before. 

Koko B. Ware vs. Sgt Slaughter

Slaughter methodically (by 1990 standards) pounds on Koko and it doesn't feel like the crowd 100% digging this heel Slaughter. Koko comes back with some dropkicks. Slaughter catches Koko and hits a Sun Gun. Slaughter then jams his knuckles into the head of Koko for the victory? I'm not sure that did a great job of making Slaughter look like a main eventer. As Slaughter waves the Iraqi flag in celebration, out comes Nikolai Volkoff and he just stands there waving back and forth the American flag. Talk about a feud I would never want to see. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

More Oktoberfest shenanigans and Hayes is getting drunk. Slick and Neidhart start a dance off, which leads to a food fight. Duggan hits Gene in the back of the head in a cake. Being the fun person that I am, I can't help but wonder how much money was wasted on food here. 

Ultimate Warrior and a headband are here with Sean Mooney. Warrior accepts the challenge from Savage for a title match. I didn't realize this feud started prior to Survivor Series. They go to Savage and Sherri with Piper. Sherri cuts a good promo here and we really don't hear much from Savage. 

They go back to the food fight and Gene gets in on the action by attacking Alfred Hayes.

This show started off really strong, but really died down after the Hogan/Earthquake angle. I know that's how these were programmed, but it would have been nice to have a better ending. Regardless, this was an entertaining watch and the Dusty/DiBiase angle is what will stick with me the most. 

Overall Rating: 70%

Monday Night Raw 7-19-93 Review

Monday, July 19th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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We get a clip of the Lex Express beginning to tour. It's pretty easy to see why this was a flop. 

Intercontinental Championship Match

Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty

We get a perfect Rocker-esque beginning to the match that ends with Shawn Michaels on the floor. Shawn gets back in the ring and Marty continues to be one step ahead. Vince claims that Marty was the superior of the two Rockers as his nose grows 3 inches. Marty hits a DDT and gets a victory, even though it was clear that Shawn's foot was on the rope. They go to commercial in the middle of his celebration, but when we come back, the match is back in action. Marty continues to get the best of Michaels until we get a little bit of a strange spot where they collided and then they ended up colliding again. Shawn gets in a cheap shot before the next commercial break and when we come back he finally has the advantage. Savage is absolutely loving this match. Michaels goes for a powerbomb, but Marty hits a hurricanrana into a pin attempt and a nearfall. That's something you literally never saw in this era of WWF. Marty hits a Rocker Dropper and Michaels ends up tied up in the top two ropes. Shawn is able to duck a crossbody attempt and Marty goes soaring to the floor. Diesel throws him back in the ring and Michaels is able to get the pinfall victory. Marty was absolutely on fire here tonight and Shawn was great as always. This is easily one of the best early matches in Raw history. 

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

Money Inc. is out to join Vince McMahon in the ring. They claim they were robbed of the Tag Team Championships. DiBiase then starts insulting Razor Ramon and wouldn't you know it, he's making his way out to ringside. They joke that they will give him a job cleaning their toilets and waxing their cars. Razor lets them know that he works for no one. DiBiase insults him, so Razor dumps both of them out of the ring. DiBiase says that he wants to embarrass Razor by challenging the 1-2-3 Kid and beating him. 

Men On A Mission vs. Rich Myers & Hank Harris

It would take a lot of skill to come up with uglier ring gear than Men On A Mission here. The only thing of note here is their finisher, which the cameras miss because they are zooming in on Oscar's face. Regardless, it's actually a decent finisher.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go to Mean Gene for our SummerSlam Report. One new match added here with Giant Gonzalez vs. Undertaker in a Rest In Peace Match. 

We now get more footage of the Lex Express. The dude got a bus to take on tour and he still didn't get over. 

Bastion Booger vs. Scott Despres

Booger has to be up there on the worst wrestlers in WWF/E history. He also has one of the worst finishes of all time. The less we talk about this, the better. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week we get Bret Hart vs. Bam Bam. I can dig that.

It's King's Court Time. Tiny Tim is one of those people that I only know existed because of wrestling. Tim is extremely nervous here and clearly not good at improvising. Tim says Lawler is not the Burger King, but he's the Dairy Queen. Lawler smashes his ukelele and Tim cries on his knees. What a celebrity moment. 

1-2-3 Kid vs. Chris Duffy

Look at Kid, getting his own squash matches. Money Inc. has made their way out to the entrance. Out comes Razor from the crowd. Kid hits a spin kick and a dropkick in the corner. Kid hits the top rope leg drop and gets the victory. Not knowing much about the build to their matches at SummerSlam, but considering that SummerSlam was DiBiase's last match, why not do a tag team match between the four of them? After the match, Razor and DiBiase are about to start brawling, but instead we go to commercial. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

This show flew by and had a really good match between the two former Rockers. I'm not sure why you even have to bother with Booger, but that was the only negative thing for the week. This was an all around win for me. 

Match Rating: 70%

SmackDown 12-9-05 Review

Original Airdate: Friday, December 9th, 2005
Colonial Center
Columbia, South Carolina

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JBL vs. Rey Mysterio

JBL is already in the ring and he's sporting a bandage over his right eye. He thanks the crowd for all of their sympathy. He claims that injuries less than his have ended careers. He said he stood by Rey Mysterio, but he didn't do his part. JBL takes of the bandage and goes to work on Mysterio. Mysterio fires back with a dropkick followed up by a boot to the head. Mysterio then hits him with a couple of thumbs to the eye. JBL rolls out of the ring, but Mysterio hits him with a slingshot dive to the floor. Mysterio hits the tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana and in comes Orlando Jordan and hits him with a clothesline to cause the disqualification. Out comes Batista to save the day and clear the ring. Cue Teddy Long's music. He is making a tag team match right here tonight on SmackDown!!! This was obviously all just a set up for our main event. 

Match Rating: * (out of 5)

Bob Orton is trying to slow down his son, but there's no stopping Randy. He says he's going out to call out the Undertaker. After the break Orton makes his entrance and he starts yelling at Taker for making him nuts. His music starts playing again and being messed with by supernatural powers. Orton says this is what he is talking about. He doesn't want to fight and he doesn't want him at Armageddon, he wants him here tonight to resolve this now. After more begging, Taker's music finally hits and we get a video package with him reading quotes over it promoting Hell In A Cell. Taker then tells Orton that he's in the fast lane to the highway to Hell. 

Kristal is outside Booker's locker room. Booker uses a white board to let us know the score of his series with Chris Benoit. 

Joey Mercury vs. Super Crazy

This is a match that I'm down with, so of course it will last three minutes. Super Crazy gets the best of Mercury early on, but misses his attempt of a springboard moonsault. He lands on his feet, but Mercury is there to greet him with a clothesline. Mercury hits a Bret Hart second rope elbow drop for a 2 count. We are only nine nights away from Armageddon apparently, which means they probably should announce a few matches. Super Crazy hits a couple of nice looking dropkicks and rolls him up for a close call. Crazy hits a top rope moonsault that looked like it was supposed to be knocked off by Nitro, but he was maybe pushed away? Anyways, that is enough for the victory. As soon as the match is done, Kid Kash comes in and attacks the Mexicools. File this under things that I never knew happened. Both guys looked good here, but it naturally was way too short to be anything special. 

Match Rating: *1/2

Orton is in the restroom to wash his face. When he looks up, Undertaker is in the mirror. When he looks behind him, he is gone. I wish I was magical. 

Mr. Kennedy's music hits, but instead we get Palmer Cannon. He says that Kennedy has sustained an injury and can't compete tonight, so he gets a replacement instead and it's the Boogeyman. So considering he was advertised as having his in ring debut tonight, who was he supposed to face? If the network doesn't like to disappoint, why are they disappointing his opponent?

Ray Gordy vs. Boogeyman

Ray Gordy of course is Terry Gordy's son, who would go on to play Jesse. Boogeyman grabs Gordy by the throat and then eats some worms before tossing him. He hits the pump handle powerslam and then spits worms out in his face. Next.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We go back to Randy and Bob again. Through top of the line technology, we are able to see what Randy sees and that is his dad with blood all over his face. You'd think we'd see more of said technology.

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

Booker T vs. Chris Benoit

Booker is leading the series 2-0. I doubt this would have been popular, but I think this would be a good spot to have Booker win in quick fashion to spice things up and have Benoit really start doubting himself. Benoit starts off with a series of chops. As good as Benoit was in the ring, some of his stuff from this era feels a little repetitive. It doesn't help that he is often working some of the longer television matches week in and week out. After a short bit of offense from Booker, we get more chops. Booker is able to hit a kick to the back right before the commercial break. Booker knocks Benoit off the apron and to the floor. Benoit avoids a Scissor Kick and hits two German suplexes. Booker blocks the third and hits him with a spinebuster. Benoit comes back and hits a superplex for a 2 count. Benoit hits the top rope headbutt and gets another 2 count. Jimmy Korderas gets accidentally kicked by Booker and is knocked down. Benoit hits two more German suplexes and then counters Booker's counter into a Crippler Crossface. Booker taps, but no one is there to see it. Sharmell tries to attack Benoit with the chair, but Benoit catches her. This allows Booker to get the chair and hit Benoit in the back and then hit the Scissor Kick for the victory. This one took a long time to get good, but unlike the first match it at least got there. 

Match Rating: ***

Lashley vs. William Regal 

Lashley throws Regal in the ring the hard way and we're underway. Regal gets in a few high knees and an uppercut. Regal then hits an exploder suplex after it looks like Lashley wasn't sure what to do there. Lashley comes back and starts tossing Regal around the ring. He hits the Dominator and that is all. It feels as if Lashley has begun to lose his momentum here. 

Match Rating: 1/2*

Back to the Randy Orton saga and he sees Taker on the interview screen. He bolts outside and tries to get in his car to leave. The car is locked and then drives away on it's own. Josh Matthews is there to interview him and his voice is possessed by Taker. 

JBL & Orlando Jordan vs. Rey Mysterio & Batista

Mysterio sends Jordan over the ropes and then Batista clotheslines JBL over. Mysterio hits the baseball dropkick as they head into the early commercial break. When we come back, Jordan is in control of Batista. I can't believe I typed that sentence. It doesn't last long, as Mysterio is tagged in and he hits a tilt-a-whirl headscissors. The action spills outside and after some distractions, JBL is able to hit a boot to the side of the head of Mysterio. JBL hits a second rope fall away slam. Mysterio is able to counter a suplex attempt into a bulldog, but JBL tags in Jordan. Rey finally gets the hot tag to Batista. He hits clotheslines in the corner, but JBL hits a boot to the face. Batista hits him back with a spear, but then out of the ring, Jordan throws Batista into the steel post. Mysterio dropkicks JBL into Jillian and hits them both with a 619. JBL trips over Jillian and then pretends like he hurt himself and he rolls out of the ring. Jordan attacks Mysterio from behind and then wonders why JBL is leaving. Mysterio hits a hurricanrana and then a spinebuster from Batista. They shake the ropes in stereo. Batista hits the Batista Bomb for the victory. This was a pretty typical TV main event where the outcome was what you would expect, but it was just entertaining enough to keep you interested. 

Match Rating: **1/2

This was a watchable show, but not much more. The Randy Orton/Undertaker stuff was over the top in a bad way for me and it would have been nice if Benoit and Booker did something a little more out of the norm. It's hard to get too excited for Armageddon, as the stories just aren't there for me. 

Overall Rating: 47%

Monday Night Raw 12-5-05 Review

Monday, December 5th, 2005
North Charleston Coliseum
Charleston, South Carolina

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In classic WWE fashion, they are hyping up the fact that Ric Flair was arrested and he will be a guest on The Cutting Edge tonight.

Out comes Vince McMahon driving a garbage truck to the ring. He calls out Eric Bischoff, who hesitantly walks to the ring. Bischoff tells Vince how that this is more than just a job for him. Vince appoints Coach as his defense attorney. Coach says that not only does Bischoff deserve to keep his job, he deserves a raise. Vince then announces the prosecution and Mick Foley is on his way to the ring. Mick says that no one has benefited Raw more than Bischoff and by that he means that he announced that Foley was going to win the WWF Championship before it aired, causing thousands of viewers to switch over to Raw. So that's it for now.

Fatal 4-Way Match For The World Tag Team Championships

The Heart Throbs vs. Val Venis & Viscera vs. Snitsky & Tomko vs. Big Show & Kane

Only the champs get a televised entrance and they are instantly all brawling. So in other words, we all know this one isn't going to last very long. After the ring clears, Viscera squashes Kane, but Big Show is there to stop his momentum. Viscera eats a double chokeslam. Big Show throws Antonio at Viscera over the top rope. Val is next and then we get an awkward spot where Tomko hits a boot on Big Show, but he no sells it and Tomko almost falls. They triple chokeslam Antonio, Val and Tomko and get the win. This was pointless television. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

We now go to court, where Chris Masters is standing shirtless in front of Vince. Stephanie is the first witness. She announces that both her and Shane think he should be fired. They then show Bischoff forcing himself on her on SmackDown 3 years prior. This is going to be a long episode, isn't it?

Mickie James vs. Victoria

Mickie hits a snapmare and follows up with a seated dropkick. She gets distracted by Candice and Torrie and Victoria is able to take advantage. Victoria hits a powerslam and then slams Mickie's face into the mat. Victoria hits a standing moonsault for a 2 count. Mickie gets an elbow up and then hits a hurricanrana. Mickie hits a series of kicks and then throws Torrie Wilson in by the hair. Mickie goes up to the second rope, but Candice shoves her off. Trish is there to knock Candice off and her wand flings at Mickie. This nonsense leads to Victoria getting the victory. That was a disaster of a finish. They try to sell the tension, but the finish just did not work. The rest of the match was solid, but short. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Tajiri is the next witness and has a translator. He trashes Bischoff and then Coach requests that Tajiri get back to the arena because he has a match with Triple H tonight. Moolah and Mae Young are next. They show Bischoff and Mae from Bad Blood 2003. God, this is just a reminder of how much I will probably be disappointed when I finally get to the Attitude Era. Chris Masters is up next. Vince disqualifies him because his last name isn't really Masters. 

Shelton Benjamin is getting ready and in walks Shawn Michaels. Michaels talks about this being his home state and all the awards Shelton has won here. However, Shelton's WWE career has been a big, fat zero. Michaels riles him up and as Shelton walks away, it is made clear that was Michaels' plan. 

Coach tells Vince that he has a witness that will guarantee that Bischoff keeps his job.

Lance Cade vs. Chavo Guerrero

Cade is sporting some ugly ring gear here. Chavo gets the boot up on a charging Cade and fights back with some right hands. Cade ends up dumping Chavo over the top rope and then driving Chavo's back into the ring post. Back in the ring, Chavo is able to hit a desperation dropkick. Cade is able to drive him into the turnbuckle. Chavo counters the vertical suplex attempt with a DDT and then climbs the ropes. Chavo hits the Frog Splash and picks up the victory. If you were hoping for long matches on this episode, it's looking like it's not in the cards tonight. 

Match Rating: 3/4*

Back to court, where Daivari is on the stand now. Vince ignores what he says because he is listening to Ashlee Simpson on his iPod. "God, she sucks!"

It's time for the debut of The Cutting Edge. They ramble on for awhile before he starts ripping on Flair. Out come Sgt. Slaughter and Michael Hayes to tell them it's time to end it for going too far. They start insulting them and Hayes gets in his face about it. Hayes starts a passionate promo about "kids these days". Hayes then starts asking how many times Edge has main evented or been World Champion. Edge then reminds Hayes that Terry Gordy is no longer with us and Hayes says that the only reason Edge has this show is because he's banging Matt Hardy's girlfriend. Edge slaps him and they take out Sarge. Hayes fights back, but Edge hits him in the head with a briefcase. I like Edge's in ring work, but this era has aged poorly for me. 

Tajiri vs. Triple H

Tajiri tries to start fast and furious, but Triple H clubs him with a clothesline when he does his handspring elbow. Tajiri gets a second chance and this time hits it. He goes for the Tarantula, but Triple H blocks it and sends him outside the ring. Triple H hits a spinebuster and then the Pedigree for the easy victory. This era sucks because the rosters barely had any depth and we were stuck with guys like Tajiri losing every match in three minutes. 

Match Rating: *

The...trial...must...continue! They call out Simon Dean, but he doesn't come out. Up pops the Boogeyman with a worm in his nose. He breaks the clock on his head, while Foley looks on eating his moon pie. 

Triple H is walking backstage and runs into Big Show. They share a few words.

Foley calls out Maria, who asks for Mr. Socko to ask her the questions. Maria then answers intelligently, shocking Coach and Bischoff. 

Kurt Angle & Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin & Shawn Michaels

Shelton and Carlito start things off and they try to emphasize Shelton's attitude that Michaels was trying to bring out of him earlier. Shelton shows off his talent by dominating Angle as we head into commercial break. Michaels hits a swinging neckbreaker on Carlito and he tags in Shelton. Shelton takes down both Carlito and Angle, but Daivari distracts him and Angle attacks him from behind. We get a pretty short heat segment until Shelton is able to tag in Michaels, who hits a top rope elbow drop. Michaels is tuning up the band, but Shelton tags himself in. Benjamin goes for the high cross body, but he misses and Carlito steals the win. After the match, Michaels looks like a disappointed father. This could have been better with the benefit of time. 

Match Rating: **1/4

Vince and Stephanie arrive and Triple H is there. He says that as his top #1 guy is that he thinks Bischoff should stay. Vince then "introduces" Steph to Triple H. 

Back in the ring, we are finally getting to the end of this trainwreck. They give their final statements and then out comes John Cena, who asks the audience for their thoughts. They announce that Cena will defend his title in the Elimination Chamber at New Year's Revolution. Vince then says Bischoff won't see it, because he's fired. Cena gives him the FU and then pushes him out of the ring. Vince picks him up and throws him in the garbage truck. Vince gets in the truck and drives away as we go off the air. 

To be nice, this episode was pretty painful to watch. This was their poor attempt to try to recapture the magic of the Attitude Era, which by this point was already pretty stale. If you came for wrestling, you basically got one true match and the rest was all rushed. Just not a good show this week. 

Overall Rating: 36%

NXT 9-18-13 Review

Original Airdate: Wednesday, September 18th, 2013
Full Sail University
Winter Park, Florida

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Sami Zayn vs. Curt Hawkins

Sami hits a flurry of arm drags to quickly remind us that Zayn is the best on the roster. Unfortunately Hawkins slows things down and eventually slams Zayn into the ring post as we head into a commercial break. Hawkins pulls off a nice trip after trailing Zayn to the ropes. Zayn makes his comeback and hits a pop up dropkick. He misses with the Helluva Kick, but hits a crossbody for a 2 count. Hawkins battles back and hits a big kick to the head and then a DDT. Hawkins starts slapping Zayn, but that only enrages Zayn. He quickly hits a big boot, the tornado DDT and picks up the victory. This was nowhere near the quality of his matches with Cesaro or Jack Swagger, but it's still Sami Zayn.

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

Aiden English is here to tell us that he is the only artist here and starts singing on his way to the ring. 

Aiden English vs. Michael Q. Laurie

English is selling the thespian mannerisms here and hits a nice leg drop. He hits a variation of a sit down side suplex and gets the victory. It's nice to see them working more on characters here to break up some of the monotony of the early days. 

Match Rating: 1/4*

Bo Dallas is backstage with Renee Young. Bo rips on Curt Hawkins for not winning a match any time recently. He says that he has an announcement to make next week. Apparently so does Triple H. 

Tyler Breeze, Leo Kruger & The Ascension vs. Xavier Woods, CJ Parker, Corey Graves & Adrian Neville

This sure is a hodgepodge of an 8 man tag team match. The babyface team uses quick tags to work on Rick Victor in the early going. After Victor tags in Kruger, we get the same philosophy. Connor eventually gets tagged in and goes to work on Graves. Breeze is the only competitor that hasn't been in the match yet. Xavier Woods gets a hot tag and hits the Honor Roll on Kruger. Kruger rolls out of the ring, which naturally leads to the faces hitting moves to the floor into the commercial break. When we come back, Victor is working on Woods. During the break, Kruger hit a spinebuster on Woods after Connor grabbed his leg on his way back into the ring. Breeze finally tags in to a huge pop and wisely tags right back out. Of course the crowd loves that as well. Breeze eventually gets back in for an extended time and Woods hits a vertical suplex on him. Parker and Connor get tagged in and Parker hits double knees to the corner. Victor comes in and Graves attempts to clothesline him over the top rope, but only Graves goes over in an oops moment. Neville breaks up a Connor pin attempt. Breeze tags himself in after Connor hits a face-first slam on Parker, but Parker kicks out of the pin attempt. Parker kicks Breeze in the face and then Woods hits Lost In The Woods. Graves comes in and takes out Breeze's leg and then Neville hits the Red Arrow for the victory. I'm not sure that I'm a big fan of Breeze taking the pinfall there. Honestly, I would have booked the Ascension to beat Graves here. Even if it was due to his team abandoning him, I still think he should have walked away undefeated. The match was pretty good, but nothing spectacular.

Match Rating: **1/4

This wasn't a great show, but it was enjoyable enough and an easy one to watch. The roster is starting to feel a little bit deeper now and also a lot more talented. Give me Zayn and/or Neville every week and I am good. 

Overall Rating: 60%

NXT TakeOver 31 Review

Sunday, October 4th, 2020
Capitol Wrestling Center
Orlando, Florida

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NXT North American Championship Match

Damian Priest vs. Johnny Gargano

So the Capitol Wrestling Center is a more underground version of the Thunderdome. Damian hits a spinning heel kick here and then a huge right hand. Priest goes for Old School, but Gargano counters and goes for a powerbomb. Priest counters that, but Gargano still tosses Priest to the floor. Gargano hits a dive through the ropes and into the flimsy fence/wall outside the ring. Gargano hits a dropkick to the chest of Priest and then a somersault to the back of Priest for a 2 count. Priest battles back and hits a flatliner. Priest goes for the Razor's Edge, but Gargano counters it by rolling through and hitting a powerbomb for another 2 count. Priest misses with a kick and Gargano pushes him into the ring post. Gargano goes for another dive, but Priest catches him by the throat. Priest then hits a kick to Gargano's ankles to knock him off the apron. Priest then hits a variation of the Razor's Edge onto the apron, but Gargano kicks out. Gargano hits a sliced bread and a clubbing blow to the back of Priest's head. Gargano gets a great close call with a roll up. Priest catches Gargano and hits a sit down chokeslam for another 2 count. Priest climbs up top, but Gargano rolls away and out of the ring. Priest does a leaping somersault dive over the turnbuckle, but Gargano moves the security crew in front of him and Priest hits them instead. Gargano hits a low blow behind the ref's back and hits a kick, but Priest is somehow able to kick out. Gargano puts in the Gargano Lock on, but Priest is able to reach the bottom rope with his leg. Priest is teetering on the apron with the steel steps behind him, but he's able to get out of trouble. Priest hits The Reckoning and gets the victory. That was a hard fought battle that you would expect from a Gargano match. It was a little shorter than expected, but the pacing was fantastic. 

Match Rating: **** (out of 5)

Velveteen Dream vs. KUSHIDA

KUSHIDA attacks Dream before the match begins. Dream throws a chair into the ring, but the ref is able to get it out of there before the bell rings. Dream chases KUSHIDA around the ring, so he greets him with a kick to the gut. KUSHIDA goes to work on the arm of Dream and I love that it looks like it is painful. Dream ends up hitting him off the top rope to the floor with his other arm. Dream hits a Bronco Buster and puts him in a sleeper hold. KUSHIDA breaks the hold and they begin trading blows. KUSHIDA gets the better of him, hits a hip toss and then a great cartwheel dropkick to the face. KUSHIDA yanks Dream's shoulder right into the ring post. He does it again and then dropkicks the steel steps into his arm. Dream hits a superkick when he gets back into the ring and both men are down. Dream goes off the top rope, but KUSHIDA catches him and puts him in an arm bar. Dream is able to get to the ropes and poke KUSHIDA in the eye. Dream hits a powerbomb for a 2 count, but then KUSHIDA puts him in another arm bar. Dream fights out and hits a Dream Valley Driver. Dream hits the Purple Rainmaker, but KUSHIDA is able to kick out as Dream hesitated to cover from the pain in his arm. Dream hits a big clothesline and heads up top. KUSHIDA leaps up and hits a suplex and puts him in the Hoverboard Lock. Dream counters it into another Dream Valley Driver, but KUSHIDA holds onto the hold and Dream taps. KUSHIDA looked fantastic here in his first TakeOver. After the match, KUSHIDA attacks Dream again and puts him in another arm bar. Hopefully this is the beginning of a big push because he is someone who deserves to be on my television. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

Halloween Havoc is coming back, which is awesome. 

NXT Cruiserweight Championship Match

Isaiah "Swerve" Scott vs. Santos Escobar

Escobar hits a hurricanrana, but Scott lands on his feet. We get some back and forth action until Scott hits a monkey flip, sending Escobar over the top rope. Scott barely hits a moonsault to the floor on Escobar and then hits a dive to the floor. He then hits a running moonsault flip over the ropes. Scott hits a suplex and puts Santos in an arm bar, but Santos is close to the ropes and breaks the hold. Escobar gets his first offense in by hitting a dive into the wall. He hits he top rope hurricanrana and then an elbow, but Scott kicks out of the pin attempt. Escobar taunts Scott, so he unleashes everything he has and hits a series of kicks from the apron. He dropkicks Escobar from the ropes and hits a DDT for nearfall. Joaquin Wilde and Raul Mendoza come down and distract the ref and trip up Scott. Escobar hits a shoulderbreaker for a 2 count. Scott hits a springboard hurricanrana onto Wilde and Mendoza. Ashante Adonis comes out to help Scott out. Escobar hits the Phantom Driver, but Scott somehow kicks out. Escobar then hits the Three Amigos, but misses the Frog Splash. Scott stomps down on the left arm of Escobar and hits a House Call. Scott hits the 450 Splash and we get the token look of shock that he kicked out. It seems like ages ago when that was not a normal occurrence. Escobar pushes Scott back on the apron and Scott hits his head on the turnbuckle. Escobar hits a facebuster and gets the victory. I thought Scott looked real good, but I'm not sure we had to have him kick out of the Phantom Driver here. 

Match Rating: ***1/2

NXT Women's Championship Match

Candice LeRae vs. Io Shirai

Shirai looks for a powerbomb, but LeRae gets out and hits a springboard leap to the floor. LeRae hits a Backstabber from the second rope and then hits a big clothesline. LeRae continues the assault on Shirai, just tossing her around the ring. Shirai hits a double stomp, allowing her to get a moment to recover. She hits a flapjack and a 619. She hits a springboard missile dropkick. Shirai blocks a springboard moonsault and hits a variation of the backbreaker. LeRae grabs Shirai from the top rope and hits a sit down powerbomb. Shirai hits a German suplex, but LeRae hits one of her own. LeRae hits another backstabber and then a Lionsault for a 2 count. Shirai locks in the Crossface, but LeRae turns into a pinfall attempt and then puts her in the Gargano Escape. Shirai goes for a moonsault, but LeRae gets her knees up and Shirai knocks the ref out of the ring. LeRae hits the Wicked Step Sister, but there is no ref. Gargano comes out in a referee shirt, but Shirai kicks out before he can count to 3. Gargano and the ref begin to argue, but Gargano drops the belt for LeRae and she nails her in the face, but Shirai is able to kick out. Shirai hits a top rope Spanish Fly and then a moonsault for the victory. This was a very good match, as you would expect from these two. 

Match Rating: ***3/4

After the match, Toni Storm appears on the big screen and says that she is back in NXT, to which Shirai gives the thumbs up. 

From there, we get a video package of the mystery person riding into NXT. She takes off her helmet and it's Ember Moon. The NXT Women's division is just ridiculous. 

Ashante Adonis said he has respect for Scott, so he was helping out. He is definitely a step above most of the WWE roster already with his promos. 

NXT Championship Match

Kyle O'Reilly vs. Finn Balor

We start on the mat in the early going. Balor does a pretty great job of mocking O'Reilly's air guitar while working on his arm. Balor hits a series of big chops and maintains control until O'Reilly is able to get a knee to the midsection. O'Reilly hits a flurry of kicks and knee strikes. O'Reilly hits two double underhook suplexes and then a double underhook DDT. Balor rocks O'Reilly with a kick to the midsection and O'Reilly is rolling on the ground in pain. O'Reilly tries to fight back, but Balor is able to put him in the Sharpshooter while O'Reilly bleeds from the mouth. Balor hits a Pele kick, but O'Reilly bounces back and hits a clothesline. O'Reilly is able to hit a brainbuster and then goes for an arm bar. Balor hits the 1916 and O'Reilly is able to kick out. O'Reilly is able to hit a couple of dragon leg whip's over the second rope. O'Reilly hits some high flying knee drops and then puts Balor in the knee bar. After a lengthy time in the hold, Balor is finally able to break the hold by grabbing the bottom rope. Balor is able to hit a double foot stomp. O'Reilly follows up with a knee to the chin, but Balor is able to fight back. Balor climbs up top and hits the Coup de Grace and retains the title in a hard hitting and intense battle. It should be noted that Balor is also bleeding from the mouth. This one had a different feel from a lot of the TakeOver main events even if it checked some of the same boxes as those matches. After the match, Balor helps O'Reilly up and they shake hands. As they are about to go off the air, Rich Holland is carrying Adam Cole on his shoulder and dumps him over the barricade. There's your surprise ending for the show and we are off the air. 

Match Rating: ****

This felt like a new beginning to go along with the new set. The women's division continues to stock up on talent, while guys like KUSHIDA and Ridge Holland appear to be headed for bigger roles. In the ring, every match was good to great and there wasn't much nonsense. I am excited to see where we are heading after a very strong showing here tonight.

Overall Rating: 88%

Monday Night Raw 7-12-93 Review

Original Airdate: Monday, July 12th, 1993
Manhattan Center
New York City, New York

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WWF Championship Match

Yokozuna vs. Crush

The crowd is definitely lively here for this hoss battle. Crush is able to knock Yoko over the top rope and to the floor to a good pop. Crush follows up an Irish whip with a Stinger Splash. He goes for another one, but this time Yoko is able to move out of the way. Yoko keeps up his attack into the commercial break. As soon as we get back, Yoko hits a superkick. His heat segment seems to go on forever until Yoko misses with a squash in the corner. Crush makes his comeback and hits a top rope shoulder tackle for a 2 count. Crush goes up to the top again, but Fuji knocks him off with the flag. Yoko hits a body slam to the floor. Back in the ring, Yoko hits a belly-to-belly suplex and a big leg drop. Yoko hits the Banzai Drop for the victory. These 10 minutes or so felt like an hour. Yoko hits two more Banzai Dropes and out comes Tatanka. Yoko takes care of them and hits another Banzai Drop. Randy Savage comes in and pulls Crush out of the way before he hits another Banzai Drop. 

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

After all of that, Crush does a stretcher job. 

The Headshrinkers vs. PJ Walker & Aaron Ferguson

We get a quick double team and they just launch Ferguson up in the air and face-first to the mat. After destroying Ferguson, they drag his lifeless body to the corner and now go after Walker. It should be noted that the Manhattan Center crowd loves the Headshrinkers. They hit a double side Russian leg sweep, hit the top rope splash and get the victory. The world deserved a longer Steiners/Headshrinkers feud.

Match Rating: 1/4*

We get a rare hype video for next week. We are getting a Shawn Michaels/Marty Jannetty rematch.

Tatanka vs. Brooklyn Brawler

Savage is back to give us an update on Crush and I'm pretty sure doesn't take a breath of air in the entire minute or so he goes on about it. Meanwhile in the ring, we are getting a lot of stalling and chasing. Tatanka hits a scoop slam and works on the arm. Brawler hits a reverse neckbreaker as I begin to wonder why this match is still going on. Brawler hits a clothesline, takes off his shirt and uses it to choke Tatanka. Brawler gets Tatanka in a headlock and the cameras get a good shot of Brawler, Hebner and Tatanka communicating about how much time is left. Tatanka starts to make his comeback and oddly screws up running the ropes. He hits a chop and then another from the top rope. He hits the Samoan Drop and that is all. I'm not sure that the undefeated Tatanka should have needed seven minutes against the Brooklyn Brawler in 1993.

Match Rating: 1/2*

They then head to the streets to get a bunch of kids' opinions regarding the Lex Luger title situation.

Mr. Hughes vs. Tony DeVito

A black wreath that says "Rest In Peace" on it is brought to ringside as the match starts. Mr. Hughes hits his same three power moves that he always hits. He pulls out a dropkick this time and then his variation of the chokeslam for the victory. It hilariously takes Mr. Hughes like 30 seconds to read the card that has about five words on it. Even Vince calls him out for it.

Match Rating: 1/4*

SummerSlam Report time with Mean Gene. This will probably be the highlight of the show. Bret Hart will be taking on Jerry Lawler. And...that's it?

We now get another video of Men On A Mission or M.O.M. I don't remember that they actually called them M.O.M.?

Adam Bomb vs. Scott Amati

Vince says that Adam Bomb is the personality profile in this month's WWF Magazine. Don't you have to have a personality in order to profile it? We're back to Savage going nuts about Crush being hurt. Bomb tosses Amati around and then launches him across the outside of the ring. Bomb then hits a top rope clothesline and a powerbomb for the victory. The crowd also liked Bomb here.

Match Rating: 1/4*

Next week Jerry Lawler is going to have Tiny Tim on the King's Court. We also get Men On A Mission and the 1-2-3 Kid. Who booked this episode? I don't get how you look at this card and think this would amount to anything worthwhile? They sold the Crush injury angle hard, but I'm not really sure that it resonated. Bomb and the Headshrinkers looked good in their limited time, but that's about it.

Overall Rating: 40%